Author: Kath

Whew! I can’t believe the year is done and little things are all that is left to tie up and then I am footloose and fancy free! It may take a couple more weeks as I need to find photos for yearbook, but the rest, all sped materials in particular, are tied up and squared away. Such a feeling.

Now to take care of family needs for a couple of weeks, then meet with the elementary team to set up new plans for next fall, then it is mine until early August… more writing… maybe even, a more consistent presence here. If nothing else, you see how I operate with my writing. Only in NaNoWriMo months am I reliable at all.

Well. In the spirit of reclaiming myself, I shall let you go. Hope you have found a moment of peace and quiet, an opportunity to create, and most importantly, a chance to breathe.

Take care one and all!

Good morning, Goodnight wherever you are!

Kathleen

They did!

So I had a moment… at 1:30 in the morning no less! What the heck… Anyway. A routine I have is to take my car for a short drive after it has warmed up so the oil warms more in an effort to help it run easier the next day in these sub-zero temps.

Well… that worked until Friday night… okay… Saturday morning for most folks.

I… in my infinite wisdom… chose to hang a left into a snowy stretch that was just a poorly plowed piece of road, but one that I had driven through a couple of days before. Yep. High centered my jeep… little one unfortunately. I need larger wheels, a higher profile… and smarter choices. I just happened to think that a street should be cleared and I shouldn’t have much trouble with the middle of the road, but I was wrong.

A round of digging and no success and I gave in and called a coworker friend. First thing she did was offer to come out and see what she could do to help. Yep. That meant two more had to leave their cozy homes and all in all I got my adventurous butt saved. Whoo hoo!

Now… the purpose of sharing my….moment. How do you show appreciation when appreciation was expressed and is all they care about? I want to do more, but I know they would rather something simple…

Thoughts?

Stay safe and warm and don’t be afraid to make that call for help when you need it. It is great when you realize just how valued you are, and the help you will get when you need it.

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

Now that you know my greatest dilemma for the moment, you may have an idea why the computer and I are not in close contact quite so much. But I digress…

Happy New Year one and all! Pass it on. Have them pass it on again! Here’s to a new year of creativity that does not require us all to be worried about our next move, whether it is heading out into excessively cold weather, or to the grocery store.

Here’s to a year that brings us with decisions that guide us on a path toward growth and a new plan for ourselves that will make a positive difference in another’s life while benefiting ourselves.

Here’s to me not repeating myself yet one more time as I lay claim to a future that hopefully marks only the beginning of many more great years to come. Its the perfect time to move forward and focus on staying creative and focused on tomorrow!

Are you with me world?!

Let’s do this!

Whoooo!

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

50000 words plus. I managed to get my NaNoWriMo goal in time. 2 days early, unfortunately a lot of it was retyped, reviewed, edited.. .that’s where the good stuff came in. Edits that will make the next round of reviews better. Not to mention, the story might actually work for the first time now that I am reverting back to an original idea. the first twelve chapters flow as planned, but it was the ending I messed up by trying to expand it with too many, and boy do I mean too many, new ideas.

Here’s to a more successful final draft. Hope you had a great November and are looking forward to a peaceful December.

I am now aiming to play with later chapters and some artwork ideas. Nothing fancy in the art, but a good bit of Pinterest stalking will help. That is far too much fun for my own good.

Find you bliss and go for it!

Good morning, Goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

I have nothing major to say, except I am both almost at my 25,000 (24,424) word goal, and simultaneously, only halfway to my goal. Meaning my original plan was not recorded so now I’m bound to the full 50,000 NaNoWriMo plan. Unfortunately, in order to meet both goals of editing and expanding, I am retyping with edits rather than adding more to the story. If I add much more instead of cut back, I might go insane shaping it up so… all is well essentially. Especially if the NaNo world will forgive my methods.

But that is not why I wanted to give a shout out today. Today I wanted to share a little driving experience today. A driving experience with a dog. … Yep. She was checking out the scenery off my left, standing on the console… and sneezed all over the side of my face! EW! What a soggy doggy experience. That has been her habit for the last few weeks and I know it is because the air in the car is setting off her sinuses, but dang!

I know. Totally off the creative, or guardian angel themes (unless you count the writing, and the sanity that goes with a nonjudgmental furry buddy as a constant angel), but you gotta agree it is at least a little bit entertaining.

What are your most memorable pet traveling experiences? Mine are pretty plentiful, but I’d rather hear more that you have to share.

Hope you all are well and keeping creative!

If I don’t catch up in time, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

Good morning, Goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

Survived 1st quarter, parent teacher conferences, grading, and teachers’ trainings. Now we are a little over halfway toward Christmas and all I can think is… time to write! I have my yearbook class preparing to join in NaNoWriMo to get a taste of writing on a committed schedule for one months time. This will either be a blast, or a holy nightmare. Either way I am looking forward to it. At least I will have evenings to make sure my tale gets some work… and hopefully another 25000.

Aside from watching for more photography opportunities – watch for the auroras by the way – I have little else on my mind. Hope you all are doing well, and I will find us a new angel to discuss soon. Thank you for being mine. 😀

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kathleen

A computer … not exactly crashing, but definitely less than working, has delayed contact so “Hello again!” I’m alive, well, slightly losing my mind over little things like usual, but back in the game!

In the last few weeks I have continued to plug along hiding in my little cave imagining new ideas for my characters, taking photos of leaves and the lights, but mostly just going day by day with school. Unfortunately, we lost one of our kids and buried him on the 6th. What a sucky way to plug along, but I heartily hope that this encourages the kids to ask for help more and more. In this case, it was an accident, but he was one of those all around sweet kids with a strong personality, but his family and friends were everything to him. I can only pray that each of those he leaves behind, talk when they need to and find a way through the heartache.

My side of the event has been mostly trying to stay focused on helping the kids and keeping a sketchpad nearby. That has helped tremendously. A little art, and a warrantied car that lets my kindle read through the speakers for night photography jaunts, and a few lucky shots have really made this ‘easier.’

I admit that I am completely off task with the next door guardian angel theme, but that will work back into play soon enough. In the meantime, I am going to get on the ball with my art for tonight. I need a little play time. Hope you all are well and staying creative!

In the meantime, stay strong!

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

Do you remember September 12th 2001? The flags coming out in every imaginable way?

Pins. Handheld size, but slipped in the top of a briefcase or tote…Tied to car radio antennas? Hanging on the front of homes. Stores, and along streets for more than just June and July.

The flags sold so fast they went out of stock more than once as the American public geared up to tackle the next phase of our nation’s history. At the time, I was only 30 miles from where United 93 went down, living and working in Latrobe PA. That seemed to start a whole new need for knowledge. I have done my best to learn every possible moment that happened that day. Then teach that information to our youth, including how the day after felt.

This September 12th, I kept reflecting back on that day. How it felt to find solace in the little things that we could do to keep our hopes up and not be too overwhelmed by a hefty dose of evil. It is days like the 12th that I always feel like we come out on top. That we can always find hope. Find foundation and return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that some day recently, whether you felt it today or any another day, you found the same joy and freedom to remember peace. Those are the moments that keep you going.

Hope you all are staying creative. Til next time!

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are.

Kathleen

Or 53 years to the rest of you…. to me! 😀 I’m having a great relaxing day with a few errands mixed in, and a lovely few things that have come together involving my lucky numbers, not to mention some art to keep me going…. however, that is not the point for today… well… not the post.

I’m a little early, but I do have a thing that is timely for school. I’ve been researching 9/11 again so I can prepare for next week. In the past I have torn the day apart for the facts. I have shared timeline information. Had the kids design a building that would not have trapped anyone – they invariably share that everyone has parachutes to escape with. Then, of course the more intense part – learned about someone who did not make it out of one of the four planes, the towers, or the Pentagon. This year, I was hit by another rather intense feeling.

I have been very impressed by the survivors themselves. Getting through the day. Literally dusting themselves off, taking deep breaths, then walking back into the fray, for some. Others gathering their courage, and simply returning to work.

Seriously. Think about what it takes to go into a building that is impressive, but now has the vibration of the unknown. I have had a train blow up and ruin my windows, which caused a move across campus during college, but the buildings still stand. Gathering my belongings was edgy and in the end, I really hate trains. I can avoid them. But walking back into a high rise, or any major city building willingly after the attacks, is straight up incredible. I want to send a shoutout to those who have kept going, found support where needed, and somehow managed to find it possible to continue to work the standard 40 hour, or more, week.

Hopefully I can impress my kids with a new perspective without overwhelming them.

I for one, am eternally grateful for our ability to keep moving forward. Even when it means masks, and continued caution with Covid.

On that note… I hope you all are doing well. Plugging along staying healthy…. and being creative or active, or whatever keeps you moving forward too.

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kath

Hello world. Had an eventful two weeks that delayed my focus on posting. Not that I haven’t wanted to, but every time I found a good topic, I talked myself out of it because it was so so, rather than a solid plan. So… this is going to be a boring, what’s what in Kathleen’s world, kinda post.

First and most importantly – I hope you are all well.

Second… and well… just what it is, here is the scoop. Car is on the fritz – had to buy a new one. In the process I found a fantastic friend who guided me toward a solid vehicle and a payment plan that is manageable. Whew…. Now to manage it along with student loans…but that is a few months down the road yet. .. I still found my angel among us though…

I have returned to school and set up a solid afternoon. But my mornings are the usual – WILL I have a prep or will I have kids all morning. and afternoon? This is my usual beginning of the year deal, that makes me nuts every fall. By October I finally find a routine and either get an hour to do paperwork, or steal thirty here, and twenty there. Fortunately my boss is big on making sure we have what we need. I hope you all are having a smoother time.

Well… that is really all my brain can focus on so I hope you all are doing well and continue to stay healthy and happy.

Create, be tuned into your self, and keep on keepin’ on!

Good morning, goodnight wherever you are!

Kath