Mud Monsters

I must be in Vermont - Issy's horse barn, not the writing cabin!

Okay, so I should have followed the directions the B&B owner rattled off to me the night before I left for this writing adventure and NOT the route mapquest suggested! Don't ever attempt to take a Jetta up and over Quaker Street (coming from Rt 17) unless you want to start your retreat by having multiple heart attacks!

Mud Surfing anyone?

Seriously, I had to get out of my car at one point just to take a deep breath. That's when I snapped a shot of the deep gray turrets behind me, but they look far less menacing in my photo than they actually are. If you've never surfed atop a mud monster then I forgive you for not grasping the real terror of the last 3 miles of my journey to this secluded yet pretty cozy writer's cabin. I hope the under carriage of my car can forgive me.

The lavender oil worked wonders to dispel the Eau de Must hanging over the bed. Bringing my own king sized pillow, favorite soft blanket and little teddy helped me to finally relax enough to get some sleep, despite the patter of tiny feet over my head. I did have to brave the flash light walk across very soggy earth to the bathroom around 11pm, but it wasn't too bad. Rather than focus on the eerie shadows cast by the waxing moon, I listened to the frumping sound my wellies made in response to my sockless feet. Not heard that noise since I was a kid! Lovely!

I got two chapters edited last night, then discovered I'd been working in the WRONG version of my second draft when I attempted to email it to myself. Despite seeing letters floating across my lap top screen in triplicate, I managed to decipher exactly what and where to paste the new chapters into the correct manuscript. So glad I never delete anything - just rename the more recent version and work from that.

Talking of which, I have 8 chapters to get through before lunch. Then I'm off for a walk around this idyllic world of rolling hills edged by forests and framed by sloping mountain ridges. I was hoping to post some photo's of the red-roofed barn across the field to my left, the Quaker Street mud monsters and this morning's sun peeking over Mount Abraham - but I forgot my memory card adapter so can't upload them to my lap top. I'd text them to my email if my cell phone worked... Ah well, I can always post them when I get home, which, I'm happy to report, feels like a continent way from up here.

Here's a writer's tip for you - always hang mini chimes within earshot of your writing space. They help to access that part of your mind that's waiting to talk to you...no idea how they do it...they just seem to get beneath the clutter and strike a chord of clarity that helps the writing flow more easily. If you don't believe me - try it - then let me know how it works!

PS I figured out that if I go into my cell phone's Tools, select USB Mass Storage, I can upload my phone's images to my lap top :)