Get your till on.

Whoa. This has been a spring/summer filled with small engines, choke buttons, gas, oil, and sore muscles. We bought a used John Deere riding lawn mower in early spring, followed by a gas weed eater, and just this past weekend rented a mid-size roto-tiller. Ouch. A few weeks back J told me she believed I was an "aesthetic butch" -- meaning my "butchness" began and ended with my mannerisms, clothing, etc. Although I agree with her characterization, I believe this summer of mowing, weeding, gardening, and other home improvement projects (deck painting) will transform this aesthetic butch into all-purpose, handy type of gal.

Since summer has arrived, I promise to keep my blog updated on a weekly (could be daily) basis from here on out. There's no excuse for my monthly postings, other than sheer laziness and fear of not having anything meaningful to write about. As J prepares to embark on her great adventure, I am mentally mapping out my plans to survive a quiet existence in what is commonly referred to as: "centrally isolated" New York. For starters, I must write every single day. No excuses. And, that writing does not include the blog. I must get back to my research and get cranking. I am pretending that I am writing a diss all over again . . . deadlines, daily sentence construction, new/fresh ideas (easily the most daunting part of the whole thing) and have 25 pages written by the end of June. This is completely possible. I could, considering how much I've "read", bang out a paper in a much shoter period, but I am an agonizingly SLOW writer. I hate to put pen to paper, finger to keyboard, etc. You get the picture.

Aside from taking care of my intellectual self, I will nurture the physical through hard labor mentioned above (weed-eating, mowing an acre of land, weeding a massive garden, pruning flowers inside and out) and walking a 60 lb hound we call Smith Jones. Because of his recent hostility to anything he perceives as encroaching on his pack (me, J and the house) J suggetsed we change his name from Smith Jones to simply Smith and Wesson. Spiritually, I will probably read some novels, preferably the good old junk mystery novels of Grafton (I've been stalled on Q for over two years), and some Literature that I have on hand at the house. And, Netflix. Add in some phone calls to friends, and the month of June should whiz by . . .

So, I'm in my office on a 90 degree day, preparing to reflect on my year. I should close for now, but check back for a new dispatch from me tomorrow.