In the Briars

I made a comment on facebook the other day about how much fieldwork I have in classes this semester, and a week ago tomorrow I took a long ramble in the woods armed with camera and neck-knife, collecting specimens… and it was homework! One of my friends commented, laughing “don’t throw me into that br’er patch! Not the Br’er patch!”

Really, that about sums up my semester so far. I’ve got a very full plate of classes I’m enjoying, but what little of my attention is left when I get home (slightly sunburned and scratched up) is taken with kids, my much-neglected and longsuffering First Reader (who is dealing with his own overflowing plate since he’s taken on a new job) and housework.

And on top of that… I haven’t the brain to write. Not necessarily the blog, although that is part of it. No, I can’t even start on the fiction. I fell asleep reading a paper on plea bargaining this morning, and woke up 90 minutes later muttering ‘brainnnzzz….’ because it didn’t touch the fatigue. The creative muse is curled up in a corner of my brain whimpering. I worry about my ability to write fiction. Ever. Again.

So I’m left wondering what I should do with the blog. I’m afraid nattering on about my kids, school, or even art is boring. I’m not sure that Tanager’s Fledglings will ever be finished.

On the other hand, the one gently cupped around a precious promise of the future, where you can glimpse the glow through my fingers… is the news I got this week, that I am green-lit for graduation in December. 4 1/2 years of my life, and it’s coming to a close. This is going to be a long year of transitions, as I graduate, we move either before that, or right around it, and I start job hunting in early November.

So much going on. I promise I’ll post here, but I can’t promise daily. Weekly. Weekly I can do.

Out in the field, probably my favorite place to be.
Out in the field, probably my favorite place to be.
Artwork from this week - Passing Through the Fly Gate. Created with Apophysis 7X and Photoshop
Artwork from this week – Passing Through the Fly Gate. Created with Apophysis 7X and Photoshop
Pickin' Persimmons. Tiny dragon art inspired by looking at a 'simmon tree. Colored pencil and India ink
Pickin’ Persimmons. Tiny dragon art inspired by looking at a ‘simmon tree. Colored pencil and India ink

Comments

2 responses to “In the Briars”

  1. Jonathan Lightfoot Avatar
    Jonathan Lightfoot

    Natter away as far as I am concerned. They are enjoyable slices of life, that lets me/us know there are “normal” things going on out there besides the craziness of SJWs and politics.

  2. “I’m afraid nattering on about my kids, school, or even art is boring. ”

    I can’t speak for all, or even many, of your readers, but this feline does not find posts about “mundane” life boring. This page is frequently a refreshing break after some of the heavy pages I read.

    ” I fell asleep reading a paper on plea bargaining ”

    I can relate. My brain shut down when I was trying to do research – I *love* research .. Research sparks little ideas for stories .. And my brain was going zzzz and my eyes were trying to close.

    ” graduation in December”

    Congratulations!