Playing Catch-Up

In the interests of truth in advertising, I have to report that this blog is lagging behind.

We returned from England in late October, and I didn't finish writing about that trip till this week. In the interim, we spent nearly a week in Texas at the Society for the History of Discovery meeting in Austin, with a side-trip to San Antonio. Along the way, we visited the Ransom Center's Gone with the Wind exhibit (Wow!) and at the Bullock History Museum, learned about the discovery and excavation of LaSalle's ship, La Belle, sunk in waters off the coast of Texas back in the 1600s. We, of course, visited The Alamo, not to mention a few Texas missions, spent some time on the River Walk, ate far more than our share of Mexican food (and discovered Frito Pie--yum!) and even found time to poke around in a bookstore or two.

But now, we are home yet again. And are jumping feet-first into the maelstrom of a new play at the Folger (Julius Caesar) and a new exhibit, for which we need to learn the facts (Decoding the Renaissance.) Life has a way of ganging up on us. There's a poetry reading next week, and I've got a student workshop coming up--and there is always Thanksgiving and Christmas to prepare for. Yikes.

I had this naive expectation that I would have the month of November to declutter and dispose of accumulated junk. That I would spend some quality time grooming the patio plants for winter, disposing of the dead and near-dead, trimming back the trailing stuff, and maybe even making the deadline for sweeping leaves to the curb for pickup. That I would sort through Christmas decorations in a leisurely fashion and not end up flinging stuff on mantel and tree indiscriminately. Fantasy. Pure fantasy.

I am just as disorganized as ever. There was a quick sweep through the patio, and some half-hearted chopping of too-long vines and too-tall herbs and too-frostbitten chrysanthemums. I bagged the leaves that had found safe haven behind my planters (after the 'sweep to the curb' deadline, of course) and even managed a superficial watering that will have to last my plants the winter. I've cleared out my nightstand, and have hopes of moving on to the bathroom cabinets. I'm not holding my breath, though. Christmas will be here before I know it, and I have shopping to do.  Sigh.