All in all, a good gathering day. And, best of all, we gathered more than concrete things. We gathered ourselves together, too -- we confabbed, we reminisced, we shared the doings of the days, and we made some plans for the future. A celebration is in order. Our friend Richard has a new job -- surely this calls for cake and more ice cream.Yesterday I got busy gathering the new book together as well. As I browsed the aisles of Kudzu with Hannah, as we talked about the coming season three of Mad Men, we'd hold up a find and say, "Oh, this is such a Betty dress!" or "this is so Joan!" and as the lemonade pitcher and glasses came home with us, I slipped back into the sixties.
Once we were settled at home and the produce was put away, I sliced a fat heirloom tomato for a tomato sandwich on two slices of Magnolia Bakery's cinnamon-raisin-pecan bread. I slathered the bread with homemade mayonnaise, layered in the tomato and salt and pepper, poured a glass of peppermint iced tea, and sat down to supper in Irene with my notebook.I'm beginning again. I'm gathering to me the bits and pieces for a new book. I can see that I need to research again -- I'm making a list of books, DVDs, and music I need to read, re-read/watch, and listen to. The playlist is coming along. Soon I will pull out the art tablet I used for this second novel -- I know what this book is about, thanks to this art-tablet notebook -- I've kept lists upon lists of what I want to know, what I know, and where I think this novel is going.
It will surprise me as I write and revise, but today I expect these surprises. I'm ready to gather them to me as well, to gather together all the pieces and parts of 1966 -- what's in my head, and heart, along with the drafts I have discarded over the years. I'm ready to get to work.
As soon as I make a cake and a little malted milk ice cream. (Thanks, A., for the link!)
