Month: June 2011

Crabby in Caribou

I am sitting in a cabin in Caribou, Maine and it is raining. It is raining, and my son has an ear infection. My son has an ear infection which should have been gone 24 hours ago because he is on day 4 of a 5 day anti-biotic. It is not gone. He is tired and crabby. He is tired and crabby and we are in Caribou so we can drop him off for a week of sleep-away summer camp. I do not want to drop off my baby when he is crabby and possibly still sick.

My Mama brain is of two minds. One. Go to the ER. This may be some mutant drug resistant infection. OR two. Relax and give it time. My son will probably wake up in the morning cheerful and happy and well.

Okay. So writing this made me call the ER here in Caribou where, because it is Caribou, the nurse talked to me and said, "Give it time."

This is me trying to take deep breaths while watching my child sleep, and willing him to get better so he can have loads of fun at the camp that he’s been anticipating for months.

Grumble. Sniff.

My tweets

What are you doing this summer?

Even though it is raining and in the mid 50’s I can’t get away from the question, "What are you doing this summer?" Yesterday was the last day of school for my students so I got to answer the question time and again. My summer is packed with trips and events. The first exciting event is my graduate residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts. The year of the thesis (Critical and Creative) has been extremely demanding and the graduation will be a chance for me to celebrate my own efforts and cheer on the fellow members of my class: The League of Extraordinary Cheese Sandwiches. As always it will be ten days of community, learning, and love but from a very different and special perspective.

After graduation I’m headed to LA to attend the SCBWI National conference. I’ve never been and can’t wait. If anyone else is going please say hi in the comments and we can email each other. I’m hoping to add a new feature to my blog for the summer and fall. "Member Monday" will be a reposting of interesting goings ons at SCBWI as it affects New England from Headquarters and around the globe.

Later in August, you’ll find me traveling through the Adirondacks and Western New York attending a family reunion and camping. Hopefully, there will be a few quiet days reading at the beach, gardening, biking, and running. I’ll be finishing the novel that I’m turning in for my creative thesis and then September brings the infamous– Hunt for an Agent. (More about that later.)

What are you doing this summer?

Call your Senators to help libraries!

If you want to help out getting funding for libraries (or at least to help stem the cutting of library budgets) you should know about this.  Many writers and literacy groups are asking members to call the United States Capitol at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak, by name, to your two state Senators–you will need to make two separate calls. Ask them to sign onto this letter


http://www.districtdispatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/FY12-LSTA-and-LSL-Request-Letter-_2_.pdf

by close of business Wednesday, June 8.

If enough of us make our voices heard, perhaps the Senate will spare some money for libraries.