November Hill farm journal, 142

 

Happy to see this photo husband took that reveals November Hill spruced up for its namesake month. It’s taken months, but it has new roof, new paint, new upstairs windows, new attic HVAC, and I’m so glad these things are over I’m going to pour myself a little cocktail and celebrate. :)

I’m behind on my native plant updates, but will get back to that soon. Meanwhile we have a thornless blackberry going onto a trellis in the potager and still have the witch hazel and the heirloom local apple trees to plant. 

We’re having crazy weather. Warm days then cold days, temperature going all over the place. 

This week I had a few little repairs done with a contractor who will do it all, from little things like repairing door latches that don’t latch to bigger things like building new stall doors. He repaired a door latch, installed new light fixture on the deck, replaced a deteriorating exterior vent, and measured the back door so I can order a new Dutch door. This took him a couple of hours and compared to the larger jobs that we’ve done this year, it was a piece of cake. (Maybe I’ll add that to my cocktail time)

It’s been a relatively quiet day today and I’m doing some housework and for some strange reason am still wearing my pajamas. I very rarely do this but I’ve done it twice in the past week and one of those times I actually put a fleece vest over them and drove to get a coffee order!

I also ordered and received my 2022 day planner and the thought of all those blank days lying ahead is intoxicating. I know they will get filled as the year opens out, but for now I have an empty year ahead of me and I’m going to enjoy the thought of lazy days and puttering around trying to find things to do. 

Back to my wood floors and mop. 

Thankful this is being knocked off my list today!

 

Finally, the new windows! There were a couple of moments when it looked like something was missing and then another thing didn’t fit, but the crew worked through those before I could get too freaked out.

I’ve always wanted these casement windows in the upstairs front and it’s been an 8-month wait since we ordered them, so it’s wonderful to see this project coming to fruition on this beautiful 75-degree day. 

November Hill farm journal, 141

 

On Monday I said goodbye to Weymouth and my writing women and headed home. It was a wonderful week of writing, writerly company and conversation, and an amazing dinner out. Our waitperson asked for our first names, told us we were her favorite table of the evening, and named us the Bright Little Diamonds. 

The thing about a writing residency is that it is limited in time and thus very precious. Weymouth has a history of hosting writers even before it was a center for the arts and humanities, and you definitely feel that when you’re working there.

Of course, as I’ve said before, the best thing about the end of a writing week is coming home. To November Hill.

It’s definitely this farm’s namesake month right now, with trees losing leaves and color continuing to develop. 

Since arriving home I’ve had a great day of housekeeping with my helper, a big batch of planting to get my fall natives into the ground, some bee hive prep for the freezing temps forecast for later this week, and today, getting horse sheets out of storage. 

I have a few things left to plant and then it will be my job to track rainfall and water the new plants as needed so their root systems can develop over this winter. I’ll be doing some leaf mulching in the pastures, and focusing on a few projects we need to get done before the end of the year. But in a lot of ways, it’s time to enjoy the season and wind down the to do lists for the year.

Up at the mountain house the temps will be in the 20s this week, with the possibility of snow!

This morning I’m back to my regular writing routine, coffee and dogs and some quiet time to think and write. It’s not the great long span of writing days that Weymouth gives, but it’s sweet and it’s where the work lives most of the hours of the year. I’m glad to be home. 

Weymouth in October, 2021

 

Synchronicity In The Creative Process

 I’ve written about it before, many times in various places, how the creative process opens up to synchronicity if one pays attention and lets it happen.

Last night while editing a novel chapter I was reading the words Blackhawks and Pave Lows when a Blackhawk flew by overhead. What a charge of energy that moment gave to the editing process, and fueled me working on late into the night. 

I’m editing a novel that has been sitting complete for several years. It’s a novel I love, but for whatever reason I moved on to other work and yesterday I dove back in to this novel’s world. We’ll see where this editing journey takes us.

This view from the writer’s kitchen helps: