fun, fun, fun (or else)

 

(Drawings of ham can shapes- is drawing fun?  What about looking at drawings?)

Dear All,

The time has come; today is the first day of summer (or, if you, like me, prefer to think of the Solstice as a liminal space in between Spring and Summer, you have the rest of the day to make your plan for tomorrow, the true First Day of Summer), and like the man said (my brother): we are committed to having fun twice a week, and if you don't have any fun in a week, you must have fun four times on the following week, and if you miss next week's fun, you will have to have fun six times in the third week.

Ever since sometime in 2020, I have been trying to conceive of what fun even is (for me), and I think it may have fled to the Neverland that 'happy' went to.  I wasn't that bummed about 'happy' leaving, because I was okay with its pale shadow, 'contentment,' which seemed so much easier to achieve.  One thing about 'happy' (& 'fun' for that matter), is that I resent it always being my job to generate, find, or make it (yes, I know that homemade is best, but the tinned stuff is so much easier).  Couldn't the government issue some or something?  How about a local non-profit that supplies fun to those in need?  Well now, this is just me complaining, which, is not fun.  

Defining fun as that which it is not has been about the best I have been able to do in the months leading up to this summer's planned marathon of it.  And yet, I do have some words that have coalesced from contemplation of the word 'fun':  terrific, delightful, charming, awesome, delicious.  These words form a suggested list of possible fun(-ish) for the week:

Terrific, absolutely.

Delightful, and inspiring, even.

Charming, very.

Awesome, and ambitious; drop whatever you are doing and see it now.

Delicious, incredibly.

 

All the usual thanks to the friends & lovers that have turned me onto these things and ideas (because fun doesn't happen in a vacuum, although, maybe it could happen while vacuuming?).

The Year of...

Dear Darlings,

I forgot to tell you the good news:  2019 is The Year of the Sudden Surge of Confidence.   Plan big and bold!

Last year, I found out from a pal, rather late into it, was The Year of the Grocery Bag.  I loved that year, too, but this year promises unexpected outcomes, because when you surge with confidence, you never know what you might get!

For myself, I want to try a novel in a month and baking challah together for the Shabbos Project. I also plan to get some loaner roller skates in your size, so we can skate together once or twice a month.  Meet me at the top of the parking garage, or the new skate park- don't worry, I have extra helmets and knee pads, too.

Oh there's good plans in the making all around-  I just sent you a letter postdated for December 25- I
know you are going to love your Christmas post!  I can't wait for you to open it!

roadside libraries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear New in Town,

 

I was thinking that this might be a good way for us to get to know each other-  We could have a Little Free Library.  We could build it together, or if you don't want to participate in the collection, if you don't want to work in the 'stacks,' you could just borrow some of the books.  I think we should paint our library a color that will look nice in front of the house- nothing too ostentatious, nothing too gingerbread-y. 

 

I am very excited to select the books we shall put into it!  Educational, yes, of course, but we cannot ignore the soul.  I thought Ariel by Sylvia Plath, and On The Road, by Kerouac, and we will have everything written by Italo Calvino, and lots of Annie Dillard books too, plus Borges, and we must have The Dud Avocado, and the mysteries about the pig, and we should have Ray Bradbury and Terry Pratchett, and Rumer Godden, Diana Wynn-Jones, Lloyd Alexander, Nabokov, Joan Didion, Neruda, James Joyce, Tove Jansson, John McPhee, Wodehouse....

I am going out to see how much old redwood fencing is left, and to see about some scrap roofing.  Meet me in the cool of the evening, and we can draw up some plans.  Bring a pencil.