Saturday, May 14, 2011

Ragdale

I'm at Ragdale. This is writer Nirvana. A room of my own and long stretches of time to work. An angel in the kitchen to make lovely dinners for the eight of us in residence: a photographer, a mixed-media artist and six writers, including a poet and the novelist Elinor Lipman, who is charming and funny. And me.

I'm revising and composing and cutting in my pretty yellow room with its rose quilted bedspread and ergonomic chair. For inspiration I have a view of a crab-apple newly in bloom and on the wall, a framed Lynda Barry work in colored pencil. "For Ragdale," she inscribed. "With an arrow shot straight from the deepest street of my heart."

Randy has the girls, of course. A series of patient sitters play with my little ones before and after school. The separation is my only difficulty - I have never been away from the girls longer than a weekend. I will sneak away tonight to meet them at Key Lime Cove, then sneak again to return to this quiet and beautiful place.

I am so grateful to be here, grateful a place like this exists to support artists and writers, grateful that my dear dear husband supports me in my work.

Last night at the dinner table I read a rough draft of a chapter/essay I'd been honing all afternoon. The working title is "Does This Life Jacket Make My Butt Look Big?" and the warmth with which it was received felt very good.

Wish me luck and I wish the same for you.

Love.

5 comments:

Technoprairie said...

Cindy,

That sounds like a wonderful week. I'd love a week like that only I would knit and quilt! I guess that is fiber art, right?

Is the chapter you wrote for your book?

Karen

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm . . . with a room like that . . . just think what could be accomplished ! ! ! !

Susan Bearman said...

OMG, Cindy. I had no idea you were going to Ragdale. Luck and love and enjoy every minute. (I'm not jealous. Really, I'm not. It's just the lighting here that's turning my skin that envious shade of green).

Tami said...

I wish you nothing but luck.

Anonymous said...

Here's a nice song, if you can ignore the profanity. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E&feature=relmfu Regards and good luck! Ronald