I am sitting with my 6th grade student, Charlotte, and it’s time for a “quick write.” This is when we do free-writing for usually 10 minutes, but in my case it’s 6 today because I made Charlotte popcorn, and got her a glass of iced water while she started her quick-write. So, now she is 4 minutes ahead of me in writing and I need to think quickly about what I might write about.
Cordelia and Sammie are right by my left foot, probably drawn by the smell of the popcorn. They like the little morsels that sometimes fall when we’re eating big handfuls of popcorn. They scramble for them when we drop them – usually accidentally – and then a second later we hear the crunch, crunch, crunch as they gobble them up. The word gobble reminds me of the sound a turkey makes. I wonder if there’s a connection between that sound in English and the word “gobble,” meaning “to eat hurriedly and noisily.” Hmmm…something to look up.
Sammie is barking at the sound of a women singing opera, which is coming from Ray’s computer where he’s clearly listening to a CD. Sammie is growling and then barking, as if to say, “Step back, lady. I can’t see you, but I know you’re here.” She is barking even louder now and has headed outside. Cordie has joined her and now they are both barking. Silly dogs…
I know the timer is about to go off. It was 35 seconds just a little while back. Ah, there it goes, sounding a little like the siren on an ambulance rushing down the street in the middle of the night.
Later: 8:44 pm
So, now it is night and I am sitting at my computer in the living room by myself. The dogs are outside for one last reconnaissance before we head upstairs for the evening and Ray is already up in our bedroom watching television. I had students from 10 – 12 and then from 2 – 5:45. A full day for me considering I had some editing to do this evening, as well. In between 5:45 and 8 pm, Ray and I drove into Hollywood to have tea with friends. We chatted and laughed. A nice respite from what was a good, but busy day for me.
Cordie has just returned from her outside trip. She is sitting at the back door no doubt guiding me from any possible intruders. Hopefully, there are no intruders to be had in my backyard. I can assure you, however, if there are, I will know about it straightaway.
I have no great news to report or topic to discuss. This is a simple entry of a day in the life of Len. Not too exciting, but it does serve to fulfill my 20 minutes of writing a day commitment to myself. Sometimes, that just has to be good enough.
On that note, I will close. I am ready to wrap up my work and begin the leisure part of my day. Tomorrow it is supposed to be clear skies and 82 degrees. I might break out my shorts for the occasion. Not bad for March 1st. Spring is definitely on its way.
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