I received a lovely comment a few days ago from a new acquaintance who told me she had discovered my blog in the new issue of Artful Blogging. Now I have known for a few months that The Bower would be one of the many blogs in the Autumn 2008 issue, but I did not know that it was already out in the world…and had not yet received my own advance copy. So the haunting of the mailboxes began-the large, white mailbox at the end of our long driveway and the small post-office box a few miles away in little Walkerton.
But nothing had arrived when we left for Williamsburg yesterday morning for a visit with the accountant. We got home late last night and as my spirits were rather depressed (accountant again!) and it was dark and I was tired, I resisted the urge to peek into the mailbox, choosing to wait until morning, and daylight and cheerfulness. Sweet husband walked to the mailbox as soon as he arose and brought the anticipated parcel to me, still in bed, watching my hazy dreams fade away with the morning light. I hardly had time to remember what he had gone to fetch when I was opening envelope and parcel and perusing the Table of Contents for my name.
I can tell you that I felt a bit like Jo in Little Women…
“Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to keep a secret; But Jo did both, and was just beginning to give up all hope of ever seeing her manuscript again, when a letter arrived which almost took her breath away; for on opening it, a check for a hundred dollars fell into her lap. For a minute she stared at it as if it had been a snake, then she read her letter and began to cry.” -Louisa May Alcott
Although I have never before voiced it and am only recently feeling glimmers of longing to be a published author someday….this is a felicitous beginning. I send out my thanks to Staci Dumoski for her care and kindness during the whole process. It is…amazing…and delightful…to be in the company of such women and their work-all to be found amongst the colorful and papery leaves of this magazine.
And now I have my first hours (nine or ten of them!) alone in almost three weeks. Aahhh….there is much to do, but I can do it in grateful solitude. And I shall be back here sometime tomorrow, fresh from the latest chapter of our book club reading.
Wishing you all a contented day,
Lesley
PS. And welcome to those who have found their way to my post-office-in-the-hedge with the helpful sign-post provided by Artful Blogging!
