Two Women, One Dog, and One Covid Roadtrip

 Beginning Sunday, November 23, and continuing every week on Sundays, I'll be posting selections from my unpublished Road Trip book, starting with an Introduction and Chapter One. I hope you'll join me: it was quite an adventure!

An Imperfect Life

Finally, this book is underway. It's been edited, proofread, the cover design is finished, and now it's in the last step before it's published: formatting--getting the typed manuscript onto book pages. Every step is both exciting and nerve-racking. I expect An Imperfect Life will be available on Amazon and in bookstores on or around mid-January. 

The story: 

 The child of alcoholic parents, Christine Macabee should have known better than to marry a man who drank too much. Thankfully, she has her eccentric older sister Louise to lean on.  

After a fatal accident alters the family, Christine devises a plan to raise her three children on a steady diet of home cooked meals, inspiring poetry, and the silly addition of an imaginary husband—the singer-songwriter, John Denver. Her plan works, until it doesn’t. 

The kids grow up, make mistakes, fall in and out of love, and fall in and out of trouble—some troubles more serious than others. And just when it looks like everything’s back on track, Christine faces a  crisis of her own. 

Raw, tender, and often funny, this is a working-class epic about the ordinary heroism of showing up, with hope and humor—again and again. Can Christine have her own happy ending? Maybe. But not before she’s forced to reexamine her version of a perfect life

Once the formatting is done, I'll be looking for 'advance readers.' This means I will provide an advance copy free of charge in exchange for an honest review on or around the day the book is officially published. If you're on my email list, you may be getting an invitation! (or let me know if interested.)

It's likely my blog is going to give extra attention on my writing and my books for a few months. I haven't mentioned advertising and promotion--I'll get to that--but I can say that part isn't nearly as much fun as writing and printing! 

This blog started my writing career, almost a decade ago. I cherish it still.

Love kj

What a Month

Update: this should have been posted a couple of months ago! So here it is: late but still true: 

The most obvious event this summer has been JB's Art Show here in Provincetown. She's had 25 pieces basking altogether and beautifully hung on a long wall--each piece hand crafted from reclaimed metal or local driftwood. There were sales and smiles and well-deserved compliments. This particular show cements Janet as a serious artist--everyone said so, and she knows it, and that leaves her wondering about next steps.

We both understand the challenge of figuring out next steps. We knew when we moved to this magnificent peninsula at the tip of Cape Cod that we'd be venturing into and deciding how to live our creative lives. We're both officially retired, and what an amazing joy to no longer let structure control our days. 

 

Catch Up

 

I no sooner promise I'll be blogging more, and then my blog falls silent for far too long. I apologize! There has been so much activity over the past few months, I'm not sure where to start. 

I joined a group of fourteen local folks for a weekly 'class' in writing monologues. There was no prompt or suggestion about what to write. Little did we know that the instructor would 'tie' our monologues together and the result would be a full scale play. And little did we know that play would be presented at a Sunday matinee, to a full house and a standing ovation. It was quite an experience. My monologue was about coming out to my Mother. I was proud of both of us as I shared our journey out loud. 

If you have followed my blog since the beginning, you won't recognize Mr. Ryan, who is now 18 and just graduated from high school! He's off to college in Virginia and there's no doubt his household and our family won't be the same without him. 

I know I should do a separate post or two or three about our spring trip to Southeast Asia, and maybe I will. But for now, here is the smallest snapshot of our experience in Vietnam and then a short time in Hong Kong. Incredible. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, except the very last one.....

 This shot is from our rickety boat trip down the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Most of the families who live along the Delta are rice field farmers, and they are very poor. This is a typical home.  This leads me to a major awareness our trip to Southeast Asia gifted me. We are all connected. Living in America is lucky. And, even with great poverty, parents love their kids and families matter and national pride isn't only the privilege of industrialized countries. The people of Vietnam were gracious and kind and fun loving.

And finally: the big event this week. My partner JB is having an exhibit of her art--25 pieces--starting August 8. Her work involves either old metal or local driftwood, and the whole event is totally exciting. I'll have pictures to share. 

As for me: I've decided to self-publish my family saga novel and hope it will be available by mid-fall. 

Lots happening, and most of it is good. 

love kj

Cambodia

Cambodia now has a special space in my heart. I didn't expect that. Like Thailand, the people were so gentle and kind and humble, but in this country, they haven't recovered from first, three million citizens killed (The Killing Fields,) and then Covid, when all the outside redevelopment and reconstruction money and efforts dried up and never returned. As a result, we saw more empty and half-finished buildings that I could count--a country on the verge of recovery, but not yet.

We had some interesting travels in Cambodia, mostly by tuk-tuk, bus and boat. For starts, I got in the habit of writing key words--thank you, hello, how much, etc--on my hand, something I hadn't done since third grade! JB and I tried hard to communicate in some way, to honor the people so gracious to us, but I have to say we mostly failed. Four countries, different dialects and inflections--it was hard!

We spent a day gallivanting. Here, where this temple is located, we encountered poverty that seemed so dire. Ten year old kids were holding babies and begging us for money, sometimes offering a trinket or a piece of fruit as a fair exchange. We also visited a thriving city, but there's no doubt we saw a lot of poverty and makeshift homes.

Here I am in a tuk-tuk: a familiar mode of transportation that took us to a local market and scooted us around town. 

On our way to the Mangroves, we passed all too many buildings like this--they just never got finished after Covid, the outside investors aren't coming back, and the country hasn't the means to finish them. 

We met Cowboy and Denise from Alabama, while waiting in line for a boat to tour the Mangrove. This was the start of some shared adventures with them and I think the start of an enduring friendship. Cowboy is really Ron, but his introduction made sure his Texas roots were very clear. On a scorching day in Vietnam, a week or so later, when I wasn't sure I'd stay upright during a 95 degree, 2 or 3 mile walk, he kept an eye on me, bought me a fan, gave me water, and pulled me back from a fast-moving motorcycle. We had fun with these two....

How fortunate we were to visit a local home. The family was waiting for our arrival, and greeted us with hands clasped and reverent bows. They served us fresh fruit and gave us a sense of their modest way of life. The main room, seen here, is open air, where the family dines. 

We also visited a monastery/temple, with so much gold and glitter everywhere. This little boy smiled, disappeared, and returned with a flower for JB and me. 

And here is a tribute to the Killing Fields: the War Memorial. It was beautiful and solemn.

 I'm going to be rooting for Cambodia. This is a country and a people that deserve peace and prosperity. 

Southeast Asia

 

I'm so overdue in posting this incredible trip. JB and I have been home a good month and I'm still influenced by the experience. We began in Bangkok Thailand, sailed to Cambodia, and then Vietnam, and ended in Hong Kong China. 

On total impulse, we'd signed up for a Viking Ocean cruise. We had never discussed Southeast Asia, and even now, I'm not sure what led us to book the voyage three days later. We'd be gone almost three weeks,  docking at five ports and traveling by bus, tram, cable car, tuk-tuk, and foot to bustling markets and deltas and mangroves and bays and upscale cities and fishing villages and private homes and monasteries and temples and artist communities. It was all incredible. 

I'll start with Bangkok. We arrived two days before we would board the Viking Venus ship, mostly so we could adjust to a massive time change and to get ourselves settled. We stayed at a lovely hotel and immediately noticed how gentle and polite the Thai people are. And the food: fantastic. Most of these two days was spent relaxing at the pool, eating incredible Thai food, visiting a temple, walking along a very poor section of the city. The temple trip convinced us to cross temples off our list. There was gold glitter everywhere, but it was too crowded and too hot. 

 

Bangkok is a stark mix of high rise buildings and run down shacks. The vibe is clearly upscale and hip, but poverty is pretty apparent. The streets are filled with motorcycles and motorbikes, zig zagging and moving in all directions. Most people don't have cars, so motorcycles transport almost everyone. It's surprising to learn that accidents are rare!

The food was fabulous and the people were gracious. We drove a good two hours inland, but never saw the lush landscape I imagined we would. That surprised me. All in all, Bangkok is a bustling city, one of the most visited in the world.  Some Americans we met at the hotel had had shirts and other clothing made for them, on the spot, and ready for pickup 24 hours later. Others indulged in great local massages at a cost of $10-15 American dollars. 

When we boarded the ship, it was obvious we were in for a fantastic cruise. The ship itself is both elegant and functional--four restaurants, living room style seating everywhere. a buffet at every meal that never disappointed, a theatre, a spa, TED talks, entertainment, and best of all, a sweet 270 foot room with a private sliding glass patio. Our views from that room were amazing.

We sailed overnight to Cambodia, and Cambodia turned out to have a special place in my heart. I'll write about that next. 

love kj

 

Wanted: Calm When the Wind Blows

 Once or twice a year JB and I go to the Kripalu Retreat Center in Western Massachusetts for a few days of R & R. I do very little yoga because of my (damn) back, but we start and end each day with a lengthy meditation, eat fantastically healthy meals buffet style (including a silent breakfast, which for what ever reason gives me a spiritual boost,) attend a couple of personal growth-breathing-self care workshops, schedule whole body massages, and head to bed far earlier than I'm used to. All in all, we leave rested and grateful. 

This is not an easy time in the outer world. I'm so sad that my adult daughter is understandably worried about her family and children; worried about rights being taken away and about deep divisions in communities that preclude kindness and dialogue. Heck, almost everyone I know feels that way. 

It bothers me a bit to hear of  programs that promote and emphasize "Joy," because for now and in the months ahead, I think most of us need healthy coping and empowerment skills that address uncertainty and ambivalence and fear and confusion. I think we need to prepare ourselves to stay centered when the world outside feels out of control. So I don't think "joy" is exactly the point. 

Still, it's not helpful to lean into despair or retreat. Sometimes I'm not sure whether to bury my head in the sand or stay abreast of every troubling action and reaction in the government and in society. So, in part to help myself, I've decided to re-enact some parts of the workshops I used to develop and present. I'm planning to hold a weekend in May workshop, here in Provincetown, initially, for 6-8 women. I'm putting together an agenda (and meal planning!) that I'm excited about. I stopped working professionally probably 4-5 years ago, but there's often a little voice inside me that nudges not to stray too far from my roots. I'm hoping this clears a helpful path. 

I'm already chuckling at the titles in my draft agenda: What's the Cat Hair? (Obstacles.)The Poker Chip Theory (Assets.)  Rocketship (Meditations.)  Flower Petals (Balance.) Color Walks (Awareness.) This is classic me: trying to 'teach' in ways that are silly and rememberable and easy to understand. 

Meanwhile, in less than two weeks, JB and I are traveling to Southeast Asia on a Viking Ocean Cruise, for almost three weeks. This is a BIG event for us. Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China. More to come on that. xo

love kj

A Gift to My Jessica xo

A year ago, during my family's Christmas Yankee Swap, I ended up with a book that provided a prompt a day, for a full year. 

I  decided I would take on this challenge and it would be a 2024 Christmas gift for my beloved and best and only daughter, Jessica. It was quite a challenge: at one point I was almost two months behind. In my no-rush Turtle Therapy way (ie stop before something I love becomes a chore), I took my time, but I finished! There's no doubt my drawing and painting skills improved dramatically over the year. Below is one of my very favorites. 

When Jess opened this gift, she pretty much cried. I hoped it would mean alot to her--and maybe to my grandkids in the years ahead, and I have no doubt the pages touched her heart. I'm so proud and happy about that. 

I'll be sharing some of the pages in this journal in the weeks and months ahead. Meanwhile, I learned and reaffirmed something important: when I do something, anything, that has deep love as its foundation, mistakes don't matter and perfection doesn't matter; what counts is the love. And this book has plenty of that. 

love kj