I love a retreat where the written instructions involve putting up a “deer gate” at night.
I got a ton of work done – I’m amazed at myself – and even had a nice crying jag (a good one, not a sad one) when I spread it all out and saw just how much I have really accomplished. I had to just take a moment and acknowledge myself, and say, “Good JOB, Sheila … good JOB” because all along I have been feeling harassed and “behind”. I am a harsh taskmaster … too harsh. It’s delusional. Instead of delusions of grandeur, I have delusions of incompetence. I have got a hell of a lot done under the worst possible circumstances. Kudos. I don’t allow myself those small moments of what I would call “communion” – because everyday life can be so rushed, and I get bogged down. But that’s what a retreat is for. I could revel in things, and also get to work. I did both.
It took some mental space and quiet and new surroundings for me to realize it. It felt really really good.
I sat on the patio, in my pajamas, with the golden glow in the trees around me, a pot of coffee in the kitchen, and worked for hours. I did yoga in the huge stone-floored living room with my yoga mat and my DVD popped in to the GIANT television. At night I listened to the fish flopping about in the dark river, and the crickets, and watched much of the Paul Newman marathon going on on TCM. I watched Sweet Bird of Youth, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Somebody Up There Likes Me and Until They Sail (the only one I hadn’t seen – and I loved it). But I had put in so much good work – from 7 am to about 4 … that I felt I had earned my leisure time.
Then on Saturday night I drove towards town to go to a county fair, where there were pumpkin catapults, animals in pens, and a maze through the corn fields. It was sunset time, and the place was packed. The light was like something out of a heavenly atmosphere – although the shadows were as long and thin as a DeChirico (the chilly totalitarian energy of his paintings is not the energy I felt that night – but just the startling length of the shadows). But one pumpkin on the ground, a squat small pumpkin, threw a shadow that was 40 feet long – that’s how low the sun was. Things BLAZED to life – everything looked magical – people, tractors, pigs, pumpkins … I had so much fun. I launched a pumpkin into the sunset, I watched the pumpkin catapult, screaming “WHOO HOO” as the pumpkins flew through the air, and I almost kidnapped a pig.
The light!
Can you make the title of your book:
“I almost kidnapped a pig”?
Please??
hahahahahaha
The pig was so cute (and so BUSY, I loved its busy-ness) I came this close to kidnapping it.
Here is the pig in question. I am dangerously close to the pig, as you can tell. My shadow looms over it. That small wire fence is NOTHING.
One quick move, and that pig could be MINE.
These are gorgeous photos. I am so happy to hear about the effect this weekend had on you. Very proud of you.
I’m picturing you running out of the fair with the pig in your arms.
HAHAHAHA
“Yeah, uh … she’s from out of town.”
Back off, coppers, or the pig gets it!
they had a trebuchet, too!! did you launch a pumpkin by trebuchet, as well? [[some of the guys and i built two trebs during the high school years, and transported them to a pumpkinfest down the road. it was amazingly fun to watch pumpkins soar through the air!]]
amelie – It was so fun!! I did not launch a pumpkin that way – I did it on the swing-like apparatus which was so juvenile (everyone else doing it was about 6 years old) – and SO FUN.
Dollar a pumpkin.
i also watched Until They Sail for the first time..i loved it sooo much…i thought the sisters were all remarkable.
Good job, Sheila. Good job.
I did something similar, as far as a retreat, back in August. Spent a couple nights in a little out of the way place in one of the State Parks a couple hours away. I’m still proud of what I put out in those two days…..
The quality of the light in those pictures, especially the barn roof with maple leaves, takes my breath away… amazing…
Mitchell – yeah, I loved it. I really believed they were all sisters. Wasn’t Piper Laurie heartbreaking?? And then of course she and Newman would work again in The Hustler – and damn, she was good in that. I love Joan Fontaine, too.
I love the scene when Newman and Jean Simmons are riding in the car and Newman says, “Your sister is going to have a baby, isn’t she?” Simmons nodded and Newman says something like, “Now why do I want to say ‘ That’s nice.’ It certainly doesn’t go along with how I was raised, or how you were raised – but still – I have to say – ‘That’s nice.'”
You know the moment I mean?? There is such a kindness in him – it’s a lovely moment. Also, come on, let’s face it. Dude was hot.
Lovely movie.
“SOME PIG”