Here is a fun writing exercise that comes from Kathleen Adams’ Journal to the Self. The idea is to imagine where you are a year from today and write about it. Here’s mine:
One year from today it’ll be June 17, 2006. My friend Debbie is turning 40 and I’ll be right behind her in a few days. My job as a microbiologist for the county is beginning to get busy again because school is out and people will be spending more time at the beaches. It’s my job to collect water samples from all the public beaches and measure bacterial and toxin levels. However, it’s been raining a lot, which is typical for June around here, so only dedicated (crazy) fisherman are out there. Maybe I have a few more weeks of respite. I’m grateful for that because our daughter is just a month old and keeps us very busy.
Fortunately Dave is a big help around the house and everywhere else — not that this is new; he’s always been a big help, even before Babykins was born. This weekend we’re going shopping for a breast pump and practice using it and feeding Babykins with a bottle so I can work two or three days a week. Thankfully Dave’s company finally agreed to let him telecommute so he can stay home with Babykins those days I’m working.
We love our house in Bow. We got the one on 21 acres with a view of Mount Baker. The person who rents the attached apartment is a single mom with a daughter in elementary school. The mom attends my alma mater, Western Washington University, part-time. She wants to get a degree in counseling. We’ve talked about exchanging day care duties when Babykins is a little older. Her daughter is crazy about horses so when Clipper comes home, I may get a companion pony that I’ll let her ride if her mother is agreeable. We still have to build a barn and finish the fencing but there’s no rush since Clipper is in training with Sally. He’s doing very well — probably much better than if I was still riding (confusing) him. I introduced him to Babykins a few days ago. He gave her an affectionate "whuff" in her wispy hair and left a piece of alfalfa on her ear but she didn’t seem to mind.
I hope to start riding again in a few months — just easy stuff to start with: walking at first, then trotting. It’ll be months before I start jumping again but I’m in no hurry. There’s plenty to do with keeping up with Babykins, work, and the garden. I only get to the garden for about 30 minutes a day. Thankfully I drew the plan for it when we were still in SoCal. All winter I spread manure that I collected from Sue’s barn up the road. Then Dave rototilled it early this spring when it wasn’t too mushy. I planted peas and other early season vegetables. I was getting pretty big by then and had to plant without bending over much. Dave was on hand to retrieve seeds that didn’t fall into their holes. Then he planted the rest of the garden a few weeks ago according to my plan while I watched from the sidelines. We also transplanted the tomatoes and bell peppers from the greenhouse. Well, he transplanted while I carried plants one at a time from the greenhouse to the garden. We’re looking forward to the bountiful harvest. For now, all we can do is harvest the few spring vegetables, go on slug hunts in the evening, and pull the few weeds.
Over the winter while I was pregnant I followed the Woodbrook Hunt on foot. They are strictly a drag hunt (laying scent in advance) since we don’t have foxes around here anyway. I’m not sure why they don’t hunt coyote — maybe the territory isn’t good for that. I hope to hunt with them this winter after I get back into riding shape. Dave can follow on foot with Babykins if he’s agreeable. I’m sure he will a few time anyway. I’ve asked around the club for an experienced horse to lease and possibly buy if I like hunting and the horse. One or two members have an older, reliable hunting horse for me to try. I doubt Clipper would be suitable at this stage. He’s still fairly excitable although more confident than he was this time last year. He has very little experience on cross country terrain and jumps — just the little bit that Sally did with him on a nice day behind the stable. I have even less experience, which would be a disastrous combination. Maybe I’ll see how he works out after a get a couple seasons of hunting under my belt. By then I’ll hopefully be pregnant again but maybe one of the hunt members can ridehim. It’s a little premature to be making those kinds of plans since I’m barely recovered from having Babykins but I always have my eye on the future.