Yes — Happy Father’s Day! Happy Summer Solstice! Happy new moon in Cancer! Happy solar eclipse! Happy Mercury retrograde!!

Good luck with all that energy, gang!

I have definitely been feeling it all weekend. However, today feels a lot more calm and sort of perfect. I’m going to try not to allow anyone to speak to me today!!! That way there’s lots less likelihood that politics is gonna come up and force me, yet again, to disagree with everyone I know… (heavy sigh) !!!

I will at least speak to my dad today. I speak to him every day, but of course, since it is Father’s Day here in the US, I will — I don’t know? — speak louder, or something? Perhaps with more feeling? Who knows!

But other than that…

I got really good work done, yesterday, on Letter #8 for Girl in the Night. So we’re getting there. Unfortunately for me, though, the printer ran out of ink yesterday and I won’t be able to get any more until, like, Tuesday. I’m one of those writers that always needs to print out what I’m working on while I’m working on it, because my brain gets a better perspective on it when I can read it typed out on an actual page. I don’t process it as well when I’m staring at it on a computer screen.

But, such is life. Since gas prices are back to normal around here, and since it’s an hour of driving to town and back just to spend a fortune on printer ink in a store, I decided to have it delivered, which means Tuesday, and so on we go.

Okay!

Well, I am super loving that Belgian murder mystery show on PBS, Professor T. It is so fun. The writing is great. So far, I’m not binge watching it, though, because each episode is kind of intense. One episode a night is, so far, my limit. But this means that I can watch it for weeks!! Yay.

I also came to a decision about having some sort of flower box-type thing to hang in the window in my barn.

I got one of those hanging cloth-pocket thingies (you put the soil in the pockets and then plant the flowers right in the pocket, and it doesn’t matter how wide your window sill is, either, which is my main problem with the barn window — that 8 inch sill).

It has 4 pockets, so it will take up most of the width of the window sill and probably look really pretty. We’ll see. I do have to put in some heavy duty hooks on the underside of the sill, which makes me a little nervous because the wood (the whole barn, actually) is 110 years old. I don’t want anything attached and then hanging on it that might be too heavy. It all seems really solid, but I just don’t know. I thought the cloth bags would at least be a lot lighter than a whole window box set up, with metal brackets, etc.

Well, the fireflies are now in full bloom, so to speak! Last night, instead of a few here and there, they were everywhere. Coming up from everyone’s yards in blinking waves. So cool.

I was sitting at my kitchen table last evening, streaming a Ginger Rogers movie from, like, 1933, Shriek in the Night (it was actually really good — I’m pretty sure it was pre-code, so I’m guessing  1933, but I don’t remember for sure).

Anyway, I was sitting at the table, streaming the movie and watching all the fireflies light up everything outside my kitchen door.  And there’s a woman who lives two-doors down from me. She’s single, with two small dogs.  And she’s super active in her yard (puts me to shame — she’s clearly around my age, but has her own riding lawn mower and electric weed trimmer and is always making everything look really good — whereas, I am always waiting for some guy — any guy, I’m not that choosy — to come  and do everything for me!!). (Me, and any sort of powered, outdoorsy thing is just never a good idea.)

So, last evening, I watched her construct a metal fire pit in her backyard (which is a really big, wide open yard), and then I watched her build the fire in it. And then I watched her sit in a chair all by herself and stare into her fire pit.

I thought that was kind of awesome. I would be way too self-conscious to do something like that. Plus, me being 12 — you know, it’s sort of like power tools; me building a fire pit along with a fire  — all that seems just really dicey. But I did sort of vicariously enjoy her evening, while sitting at my kitchen table.

It was just a perfect summer evening, really.  Especially since I didn’t have to do any work. I got to just sit there and watch the fireflies and watch other people do awesome summer yard-thingies!! What could be better??!!

All righty. I’m gonna go call my dad now. Have a wonder-filled Sunday, wherever you are in the world, gang!! Thanks for visiting! I’m still on a bit of a Neil Diamond kick, so today I leave you with the song “Beautiful Noise” off of his 1976 album of the same name: Beautiful Noise.  (You know, I used to listen to this song when I lived in NYC and I just loved it. Now, I listen to this and I’m just so fucking glad I don’t live in NYC anymore!!!!! It has changed more than you can even believe.) All righty!! I love you guys. See ya!!

“Beautiful Noise”

What a beautiful noise
Comin’ up from the street
It’s got a beautiful sound
It’s got a beautiful beat

It’s a beautiful noise
Goin’ on ev’rywhere
Like the clickety-clack
Of a train on a track
It’s got rhythm to spare

It’s a beautiful noise
And it’s a sound that I love
And it fits me as well
As a hand in a glove
Yes it does, yes it does

What a beautiful noise
Comin’ up from the park
It’s the song of the kids
And it plays until dark

It’s the song of the cars
On their furious flights
But there’s even romance
In the way that they dance
To the beat of the lights

It’s a beautiful noise
And it’s a sound that I love
And it makes me feel good
Like a hand in a glove
Yes it does, yes it does
What a beautiful noise

It’s a beautiful noise
Made of joy and of strife
Like a symphony played
By the passing parade
It’s the music of life

It’s a beautiful noise
And it’s a sound that I love
And it makes me feel good
Just like a hand in a glove
Yes it does, yes it does
What a beautiful noise

Comin’ into my room
And it’s beggin’ for me
Just to give it a tune

© 1976 Neil Diamond