The Housekeeper of Trees
(My idea box—a possible picture book that never got off the ground. I have hundreds of different ideas for all kinds of books that never made it out of my idea box.)
What I’m working on: a section of the Honey Honeycutt mystery that I never saw coming. It is a collection of letters that Honey discovers in the attic in a wooden box inside a box. To my surprise, this is correspondence from a new character in Honey’s past that are addressed to Granny Seeker. (The plot thickens.)
I typed all my changes into my laptop this week. I have 3 new letters written that will appear in the mystery. I’m going to write more later on today. Onward!
What I’m reading:
Ruth Ware’s first book, In a dark, dark wood. (I will start it tonight.) If I like someone’s books, I will end up reading all of them. I am especially interested in where they started and where they might be going in terms of “a body of work.”
A favorite Quote:
What I am thinking about:
I will be 68 years old on October 7th. I could live for 25+ more years. In fact, my parents both lived into their 90s. What do I want to do with the rest of my life? Continue my writing career? Do something else? Walk the Camino trail? Travel to Japan. All of the above? There are so many possibilities. It is interesting to think about.
Writing or journaling prompts:
Before I started writing novels, I was a L.P.C. (a licensed professional counselor), so sometimes the writing prompts are intended to be therapeutic.
Write about a person or a problem in your life that you are worried about. Write as much as you need to write to get it out of your system? Now focus on yourself. What are you feeling? What are you thinking?
How do you feel about detaching from the situation? What might happen? How has staying attached helped you? How has it harmed you?
If you did not have that person or problem in your life, what would you be doing?
My blessing to you: May you be safe. May you be at peace. May you be at ease. May you be healthy—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. May you go gently upon your death, knowing your goodness. May you know who you are. May you do the business of heaven while you are here.
A favorite poem:
Tree House by Nancy Willard
Start with a tree,
an old willow with its feet in the water,
and one low branch to let you in
and a higher branch to let you
upstairs,
and a lookout branch to show
how far you’ve come
(the lake before you,
the woods at your back),
and now you are close
to those who live in these rooms
without walls, without doors:
one nuthatch typing it’s way up the bark,
two mourning doves calling the sun out of darkness,
three blackbirds folding their wings tipped with sunset,
twelve crows threading the air and stitching
a cape that whirls them away
through the empty sky,
and don’t forget the blue heron
stalking the shallows for bluegills,
and don’t forget the otter backpedaling past you,
and the turtles perched on the log like shoes
lined up each night in a large family,
and don’t forget the owl
who has watched over you
since you were born.
Be the housekeeper of trees,
who have nothing to keep
except silence.
(I love trees!)
IMPORTANT. Please consider subscribing to this Substack and becoming a Gabriel’s Angel. It helps.
By paying $50 a year or $5- 6 a month you will hear from me once a week, 52 times a year. You will hear what I’m thinking about, what I’m working on, a favorite quote, a favorite poem, what I’m reading for pleasure, as well as receive 3 -4 writing and journaling prompts every week for self-exploration. You also will have access to my mailing address and are welcome to mail me cards and letters.
(Free subscribers hear from me once a month, and will not know where I live.)
Personal P.S. Part of the reason I am only giving out personal information to paid subscribers is because I found out that my ex is stalking me as a free subscriber on Substack. To me, this is mentally ill —and despicable —that they are reading through my posts to find out information about me. They see absolutely nothing wrong with spying on me. I have no idea which fake name and email address is theirs. But I have asked them directly and it has been confirmed.
Please note: if you would rather pay with a check, simply email me at susan@susangabriel.com and I will send you my address. I offer this option because I’ve had paid subscribers in the past that prefer to do it this way. Thank you so much for your consideration.
(Susan B. and Joyce H. Thank you so much for the lovely cards!)😘
Love you!
Until next Saturday.
Susan