In a week, school begins for my wife Julie and our kids Trixie and Micah (for further introductions, see my About page, above). For their last summer hurrah, Julie has taken them — along with Trixie’s friend Hannah and our friend Rochelle (aka “Granny Chelle”) — to visit her family in Ohio. I am home for the week, alone, in the hopes of finishing up a bunch of projects which, when completed, will make our lives this fall perfectly calm and peaceful. A family of Buddhas, practically. And while I miss them — more than I expected, actually — I have noticed that no one has interrupted a single thought now for seven whole hours. Which is not so much how things normally go around here.
So as I get ready for Julie and the kids to return to school in a week, I have to admit that I am a little bit jealous. Just a teeny little bit. Don’t get me wrong — I will love the quiet days of writing and housework ahead. But I don’t need a new Moleskine yet, and I most certainly don’t need any new clothes…. So what’s a girl to do to get that fresh-start, clean-slate, back-to-school feeling?
You got it: a new blog.
I’ve been thinking about a new blog for awhile now. My old blog, my goodly heritage, was exactly what I needed when I started it: it got me writing again. (And if you’re looking for it, it’s still there, for now — see the link above.) I used it for throwing up rough drafts of essays, along with book reviews, and that was as much publishing as I needed — or could handle — then. Now I’m ready to think about submitting work to some literary journals, and to think about blogging in a new way. More process — writing about writing — and less raw content, perhaps. We’ll see. This will be a work in progress.
In the mean time, I plan to keep writing book reviews. On my Book Review page (see the menu above) I have links to all the reviews I’ve written (everything I’ve read since the fall of 2007). Right now I am woefully behind — I have nine books I haven’t reviewed — so I’m thinking one a day while the family’s away will get me almost caught up.
A good way to start the new school year, yes?
a woman again 
A great first post. I’m looking forward to following the new blog.
claire, did you text me earlier tonight? someone did, but only a number popped up, no name. i got it too late anyway….
thanks for all your support. i will come out of hibernation soon, promise!
hey, marta.
way to launch anew. been deep in wordpress too, though not much too much to show for it yet. kind of gearing up to a grander scheme with little baby steps of widget installing and code changing. another blog whispers to me, “this way, come this way.”
are these the peaches from earlier facebook posts?
amanda
hey amanda! can’t wait to see your new blog. i found wordpress pretty user-friendly, and i’m a total idiot when it comes to this stuff.
we do peaches every year, and pears and applesauce and tomato sauce too, later in the fall. this picture is from a couple of years ago, but same idea. this year julie did the peaches with just a little help from me, because i’m painting the bedroom. stiiiiiilllllll painting!
best, marta
WOOHOO!
*grin*
i will remind you, again, that you were my entree into blogging. my friend cate sent me to your post about adoptive breastfeeding, and the rest is history.
and now that not-even-a-glimmer-in-your-eye-then girl is off to kindergarten. sigh.
we gotta catch up grrl. soon, k?
xo m
Hey, hey! Congratulations on the new digs. Looks very nice, indeed and I can’t wait to read more.
thanks so much kate! i can’t tell you how much your support and encouragement and eagle-eye critiques have gotten me here. really. hope you’re well!