May 1, 2024
We made it through the month
of April, and now here we are, finally and at last, in May. But not only is it
May first, today. It’s May Day! And while that “holiday” that harkens back to ancient
times and is based in astronomy is no longer celebrated on a grand scale, I’m
certain there are still those who give more than a nod to the occasion.
Somewhere, I’m sure, young
women are weaving flowers into their hair, or clutching a colorful ribbon as
they dance around the maypole.
Traditionally, this day celebrates
the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It only
makes sense to me that some sort of “nod” should be given to the point where we
can say, with conviction, that spring is finally here.
I have faith that this is so.
I’ve demonstrated said faith by having the ice-claw removed from the bottom of my
cane. At this point in the year, if we awaken to snow and ice on the ground, I’m
not only not going to leave the house. I might just climb back into bed
and cover my head with my duvet for extra measure. The jury is out as to whether
or not there would be thumb-sucking involved.
We do have some substantive
signs of spring, here at the Ashbury estate. There are now narcissi and daffodils
a plenty in bloom. Hyacinths have also shown their blossoms. The peonies are
gaining height and growing up into the rings that have been left in place from
last growing season. The straight, stalwart spears of our lilies-of-the valley
are providing a unique carpet around the lilacs, which are also close to
budding.
As usual, my fingers are
crossed for that rarest of moments—a time when both lilacs and
lilies-of-the-valley bloom at the same time. The combination of their fragrances
is for me a supremely blissful blend. It evokes earlier times and happy echoes
of my childhood.
The tulips also have arisen
from their winter slumber, their broad leaves growing in girth, preparing to
support stem and bloom on some not-too-distant day. And the grass is wildly
awaiting its first cutting.
Our youngest grandson, who
lives in town, will be by on Saturday to do that for us. He’ll also put our brand-new
barbecue together. Purchase just a few days ago, it sits in its box, awaiting its
“opening day.”
Today, the calendar has been
flipped to a new month, and it’s a page already filled with a handful of
appointments scheduled. It’s a definite sign of our age that most of them are
of a medical nature for both my husband and me. Ah, yes, as can be expected, the
maintenance checks come more often, the higher the mileage.
The only vacations that might
be noted on any of our calendars won’t be ours. We have no plans to travel this
year. Home is a much more accommodating place than any hotel or resort could
ever be. Simply living can be adventure enough, sometimes. Who needs to go
afield to find it? It really is true that to everything there is a season and a
time to every purpose under heaven.
Career-wise, I have completed
the first draft of my seventieth novel. I’m awaiting my edit, which should
arrive within the next week or so. In the meantime, new ideas have been given
free rein in my brain. My process is in flux, lately, and that’s not
necessarily a bad thing. It only seems right to me that if I am going to grow
and evolve with the changing of the calendar pages, my process when it comes to
my craft should feel free to do so, too.
That process, very much like
my characters, appears at times to have a will of its own.
One particular author friend
once gave me a hard time when I told him that sometimes, my characters surprise
me. They do and say things I never knew they had in them! He insisted that such
could not possibly be the case, as I was the author, and therefore completely
in charge of my writing.
Thinking of that moment that
happened well over a dozen years ago, always makes me smile. Even then I knew
the truth. There is control being exercised when it comes to my life and my
writing. The evidence of that is all around me.
It’s just not always me with
the reins in hand.
Love,
Morgan
https://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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