Ah...Monday morning.

Birds chirping, sun streaming in my windows, temperature like the first swim of the year...spring has sprung in a glory that only Edenton can deliver. It is a splendid, splendid morning. After a busy wedding week-end (friends, not us), I am ready to do some spring cleaning, some writing, and even more gardening. Thanks to my enthusiastic nine-year-old, we did a lot of planting and weeding yesterday. All vegetables and herbs, so today I need to put in a few flowers. Okay, TMI.

I have been watching THE PACIFIC on HBO. It is amazing. It's like the Pacific version of Band of Brothers, following a group of soldiers in WW II. They've been on Pelelieu (I think I spelled that correctly), and the fighting has been fierce. Every second is exciting and heartbreaking and tragic and yet inspiring. These young men (who look like boys but definitely act like men) gave so much for our country to be what it is. I figure the least I can do it watch it and appreciate it. There's also a link on HBO.com where survivors and family members can share their own stories, like an online oral history project, and it's just amazing. Thank a veteran today, peeps. And if you have the opportunity, watch this amazing series. (and if you haven't seen Band of Brothers--it's a MUST WATCH--it just took my breath away)

I'm sorry I've been a slogger. I feel like I've been bogged down on the inside with so many personal things going on--lots of little things and a few big things--that it's been hard to concentrate. But we've made some hard decisions, and I'm feeling better. I just pray they're all the right ones.

This morning I'm going to clean the carpets upstairs. It's not a metaphor for purging my brain. I really am going to clean the carpets upstairs. There. I've said it. That means it HAS to happen. AND I am going to get back to writing, writing, writing. I would like to get some more magazine work into submissions before the kids get out of school for the summer.

My friend, Angie, who lives in Asheville met our President this week-end. She was walking her dog beside the golf course at the Grove Park Inn (her neighborhood), and the President called out a good morning to her, complimented her dog, and other small talk. From friends in Asheville, it sounds like the First Family enjoyed a nice vacation week-end in Asheville, and Ashevillians could not say enough about the kindness and graciousness of all members of the family. Nice to hear.

We attended a wedding this week-end of a lovely young couple who were high school sweethearts here in Edenton, and now ten and a half years later finally took the plunge. Hundreds of loving supporters gathered to wish them well in a beautiful ceremony in the waterfront back yard of her parents. Though the weather was a little sketchy at first, it turned out of be a beautiful night. I especially enjoyed seeing lots of young people come back into town for the event, many of my former students and their sibs. It's so encouraging to see these kids doing really great things again the odds of this tough economy. They've had to get terribly creative and many of them are working at jobs (some of them more than one) they never thought they'd do AFTER college graduation, but they all have great attitudes and are optimistic about the future. I'm most impressed that kid after kid (I say kid, but they're in their mid to late 20s) told stories of creating opportunities for themselves in a market where the normal opportunities are limited. All in all, these kids will be better and stronger, more contributing and compassionate members of society, for these survivalist techniques they've learned. Like ol' Ben always said," Necessity is the mother of invention." Many of these kids would not have had these experiences, taken these risks, experienced some of these situations, had it not been out of necessity. Hunger and student loans are powerful motivators. I remember those days well, and I pray that my children will have experiences in their lives that will strengthen them similarly.

Well, I'm off to clean the carpet....yee haw! I'm sure I will have a renewed appreciation of something myself, when I finish the job. Have a wonderful day. xox