Hey, everyone. (*waves hello*)
First and foremost, how are you and your loved ones doing? So many people are sick, discouraged, or anxious right now, and it hurts me to know this. But that’s the reality we’re dealing with because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost every aspect of our lives has been put on hold for the time being. So I wanted to reach out, say hello, and make sure you’re OK.
Oh, are you in store for a treat today! š
Iām thrilled to share that my poem āNo Darkness Here (An Ode to Metal Music)ā is featured in the latest issue of Golden Walkman Magazine. However, you wonāt be able to read a printed version of the poem. You see, Golden Walkman is a podcast-style literary journal that, in their own words, āaims at giving the written word a voice.ā So all of the work they publish is in audio format only ā which means youāll be able to listen to me read the poem!
(Read more after the jump.)
Winter in Massachusetts means that, as a resident, you often get some… interesting weather. Two Sundays ago, we had a storm that started as snow, then changed to rain and later to sleet / freezing rain. Then our high temperatures for the next two days were in the single digits Fahrenheit, with wind chills below 0. (Plus, all the snow and rain that had fallen? It froze.) By that Thursday, it was precipitating like crazy again – except it was pouring rain, because the temps had warmed up to over 50 deg F (10 deg C). š®
And then, on other days, it’s still cold but at least nice enough for moments like the banner image. š So where was I when I took this photo? And what joys from the past 2 months did I decide to share today? Let’s get right to it! Continue reading
āItās beginning to look a lot like Christmasā¦.ā
Seriously, though. Can you believe Christmas is a month away?? Thanksgiving was last Thursday here in the States, and now it feels like full steam ahead to the end of the year. Thank goodness Iām almost done with my Christmas shopping alreadyā¦ Because if the past two months are any indication, this December is going to be my busiest one in a long time.
I’m not joking. October and November were kind of crazy on my end. In a good way, though. (Wait ā is there such a thing as a good kind of crazy-busy?) But Iāve made time to have some fun and take care of myself. So here are some of the things that have made me happy over the past two months, starting withā¦
Iām not gonna lie ā I was SO excited when Victoria Grace HowellĀ nominated me for this blog tag (thank you, Tori!) that this was my reaction.
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But music isĀ one of my many loves in life, along with writing, books, and tea. So if youāre a music fan as well, fair warning: This post features YouTube videos. It also features links to more YouTube videos. I tried not to go overboardā¦ but you still might be here a while. š
First, like any blog tag, letās start withā¦
Iām having a hard time finding the right word to describe this past spring. āRollercoasterā would be… appropriate, but exaggerated? April was turbulent in terms of stress and emotions, and the beginning of May was busy mostly because of vacation. But for the most part, May and June were much calmer. And regardless of what was going on, I continued making progress on different creative projects… except for one.
Yeah. Unfortunately I lost some momentum (and confidence) with Draft #1 of my new manuscript. But I shouldnāt focus so much on the one hiccup, because the highlights (including a certain cookbook that is now out in the world!!) were fantastic. In fact, letās kick off this post withā¦
Guess what, everyone? I created a blog hop! š
The truth is, Iāve had a hard time thinking of topics to blog about now that Iām back from my (unexpected) hiatus. Itās as if my brain is a car engine thatās having trouble startingā¦ and itās a strange feeling, to not know what to write about. So I figured, maybe the best way to get those creative juices flowing again is to do something easy and fun. And thatās how the Some of My Favorite Things was born.
I also had a goal for this post: to choose āfavoritesā I havenāt blogged about before. In other words, you wonāt find anything bookish, writerly, or tea-related (well, at least not tea recommendations *lol*) here. So I think you’ll discover a few new things about me today – and maybe we’ll find we had more in common than we did before. š
So, what did I choose as some of my favorite things? You’ll have to read on to find out. š
Continue reading
Um…. Hi everyone. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?
The short story is, I had to take about 2 months off from blogging here. It was unexpected, to say the least, and I feel badly that I disappeared unexpectedly like that. But donāt we all go through periods when life offline goes a littleā¦ well, nuts, and we have to rearrange our priorities temporarily? And now that things appear to be smoothing out, I think I’m ready to make a comeback.
And what an appropriate post to return with, right? I really do love this What’s Making Me Happy series, and for so many reasons. So let me share some of the things that brought much-needed joy and lightness despite the stress of the past two months. Feel free to share what’s made you happy recently in your comments. š
Itās been a strange two months. Strange in terms of weather here in Massachusetts, since February was milder than average (our temps were close to 70 deg F a few days!) and March clobbered us with four snowstorms in three weeks. Strange in terms of life in general, too. My blogging time has taken a HUGE hit because of work and other things. So if I haven’t replied to your comments yet or visited your blog in a while, I’m very sorry, and I hope you understand why. š¦
Yet, as frustrated as Iāve been, I never cease to find āreal-life magic.” So letās use this Whatās Making Me Happy post to highlight that magic, and also to catch up on things.Ā Howās everyone doing? What have you been up to? Were February and March kind to you? (I hope so!) And what are some of the things that have sparked your sense of joy recently? Like last time, Iāll share three things from each month, starting withā¦
Happy Spring, everyone! Who else is looking forward to the weather getting warmer, the flowers to start blooming, and the world to soon turn green and lush and vibrant again? š
OK, maybe I was being overexuberant. But spring is my favorite season, after all, and after a super-productive winter on the creative front, Iām looking forward to carrying that momentum into the next season. Plus, I have exciting news to share on two of my writing projects! (No, the current manuscript isnāt done yet, but itās getting there. *wink*) So, without further ado, letās dive into this edition of the Creativity Corner.
Sara Letourneau 