Personal Essays

Announcing: My 2023 Short Story Theme!

/ Katie / 13 Comments

For the last couple of years, I’ve challenged myself to write one short story every month around a central theme. Other writers have joined, and it’s just been a lot of fun. So, onward with the tradition!

Last year’s theme was: Folklore. And while I didn’t write a story every month – December ended on a sad note, and I just couldn’t bring myself to write a story while grieving my sweet Gatsby-cat – it was interesting to look at aspects of folklore, how things become folklore, what folklore is and what it can do… Anyway, it was a good year for stories, December notwithstanding, and I’m excited to continue writing them. On that note –  

This year’s theme is:

Wild.

There are all sorts of ways to be wild. There are all kinds of things that grow wild, become wild, live wild. But not us. Not humans. At least, not usually. I want to explore what it means to be wild. And if you want to join me, too, you should!

The rules are simple: twelve months, twelve stories, posted whenever you’d like in any given month. (Normally, I post towards the end.) You can link to this post, if you’d like, so we can read each other’s stories. 🙂

I hope 2023 is a better year just generally. And I really hope it’s a great year for stories.

In Search of Happy

/ Katie / 25 Comments

I’ll post 2023’s short story theme soon – hopefully by Monday. And I’ve got some good, exciting things on the horizon, creating-wise. But y’all, I’m just struggling.

I’ve wanted 2023 to be a fresh start, but 2022’s parting blow combined with everything that came before combined with some noisy construction combined with my general anxiety combined with this new fear I have that things will fall apart if given the opportunity (wait, that’s still anxiety, isn’t it?), it’s all got me distracted and frustrated and really out of sorts. I’m just sad. I’m sad, and I’m stressed, and I’m worried. Not sure what I’m worried about, but I am.

So, for today, I’m going to read, drink some tea, try to focus on resting my mind and my heart, and think about writing and short stories and such tomorrow. In the meantime, you can do me a favor:

Send me some recommendations for happy-making things. Your favorite books, movies, and music, board games and card games that make you smile, activities that always leave you feeling better, little moments you try to take for yourself – whatever makes you happy when you need it, leave it in a comment below. Because I need all the help I can get.

I know things will be better soon. I just hope soon means soon.

Goodbye to the World’s Greatest Gatsby-cat

/ Katie / 23 Comments

I’m meant to be posting a short story today, but 2022 – awful year that it’s been – had other plans for me, it seems. And 2022 – the worst year I think I’ve ever had – will just have to settle for eleven short stories. And this will be my last post of the year, because right now, I don’t have anything left in me. But also because Gatsby deserves this last reflection, this moment just for him.

Last night, we came home from dinner and found Gatsby on the bed. It looked like he’d fallen asleep and just not woken up. He looked peaceful and cozy. It was the best way I can I think of for him to go, comfy and safe in one of his very favorite spots, but I feel broken, and sad, and empty, and lost, because he’s gone.

I knew this day would come. Gatsby was an old man – sixteen, and a Maine Coon. I’ve been dreading it for the last couple of years, as he’d gotten sick and then better, and as we’d learned about some health issues that likely couldn’t be fixed. But you’re never ready, even when you know it’s inevitable, to say goodbye.

But today, I have to.

Gatsby was the world’s most wonderful cat. That tiny little kitten grew into a big, purring, fluffy sweetheart.

He was sweet, and loving, and floppy, and in his younger days, really playful. He loved watching birds through the window, and lately on TV, too, and he loved to snuggle up with us at night. He loved Graham, and me, and he loved us so well that his absence today feels acute and awful. But that doesn’t change that he lived a long happy life, and that he loved us, and that we loved him.

I will love him every day for the rest of my life. I never want to forget his meow, the way he purred, the softness of his fur, the glow in his golden eyes, his big rabbit back feet, and the way he’d latch on to me with one claw when he didn’t want me to leave. I never want to forget him.  

My sweetest boy: You’ll always be in my heart.

2022 really has been a terrible year for us, and to have it end this way is gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. At this point, I’m honestly afraid of what comes next. I am so tired of being sad. But I hope 2023 is better, and brighter, and full of the kind of love Gatsby showed us every day.

Gatsby

Best Cat

Spring, 2006 – December 29, 2022

Merry Happy Everything!

/ Katie / 10 Comments

I’ll be taking a break until Wednesday, December 28th so that I can spend time with family and eat lots of food and make good memories. So, in the meantime, whatever you may be celebrating this season, I hope it is joyous and full of love! I’ll see you next week with one more post for the year, and with December’s short story. 😊

Waiting for Snow

/ Katie / 25 Comments

I know, I know. Not everyone loves winter and snow. But I do!

Alas, we haven’t had any yet, and it doesn’t look likely that we’ll get any soon. It’s early in the season, but you never know – sometimes we get a before-Christmas snow. So, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.

And this is a short post. I know that, too. I’m not sure if everyone else gets swamped around this time of year, but Graham and I have been super busy lately. We’ve got two parties to attend this evening alone. I’m grateful for it, and next week looks less chaotic. So, you know, stick with me. Good things to come, I promise!

Loudoun Local: I love a parade!

/ Katie / 14 Comments

What better way to celebrate the festive season than with a small-town parade that’s big on charm?!

One person I chatted with said, “This looks like something out of a Christmas movie!” And I agree. And so I wanted to share some of the joy – read, lots of pictures – with all of you.

We’ve lived in the area for many years now, and though I’ve seen Middleburg’s Christmas Parade before, Graham had never been. So on Saturday, we woke up early (my least favorite thing), made our way into town, and settled in to watch not one, but two parades.

Every year, the day starts with the Hunt Review.

Middleburg’s hunters and hounds trot down the main street, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like this anywhere else in the world.

There’s a break in between, so we walked around and just enjoyed what the town had put together.

It’s sort of fun being temporary tourists. But definitely different. Middleburg’s population sits at about 750, and on parade day, thousands of people come to visit. I don’t know how the town handles it, but they do. And I’m grateful for it. I know it must be hard, figuring out all those logistics.

The main parade starts at 2:00, and it was just so adorable.

I mean, really, come on – corgis on parade?

Lots of local businesses had floats, and they were all really fun.

The Grinch even came to visit.

And of course, there were marching bands.

And also lassos. And more horses.

And Santa, too. But Graham couldn’t get a good picture of him, unfortunately.

It’s a busy day, and we were all tired at the end. Including Miss Honey, who did not enjoy the loud noises.

But who really liked the cuddles.

I’m sure we’ll go back next year. It’s a wonderful event, and I’m thankful to live in a place with such a strong sense of community. I feel like that’s rare these days, and we’re so lucky. It truly feels like Christmas around here now, and I’m just loving it. 😊

Let’s call it…temporarily open concept.

/ Katie / 17 Comments

Y’all. My house.

Okay, where to start. I’d posted a while ago that we’re getting some work done. And by some work, I mean a lot of work. The interesting thing about our house is that the 200-year-old section is solid as a rock. It’s not going anywhere. We understand how it was built. It makes total sense. And, hey, it’s festive season! So we’ve done a bit of decorating. 😊

The addition, which is basically the entire back portion of the house and includes all of our plumbing and our kitchen, well, that’s a different story. I’m not quite sure how it’s constructed, why it’s constructed that way, or even who did the work. Probably many hands over the course of many years. I’m making it sound very dire, and it’s not that bad, but we’ve got an opportunity now to make things a little better, and we’re taking it. Starting with a big section of windows on the lower part of the house. Their frames are in bad shape, their layout doesn’t look great. So, we’re replacing them. And changing things up. And they say that things usually get worse before they get better…

I’m calling it temporarily open concept. Real indoor/outdoor living.

Some cleanup required.

I can’t wait to see what it looks like once it’s done, and our work crew is doing a fantastic job making things as quiet and livable as possible. But, man, there’s nothing quite so jarring as seeing a BIG GAPING HOLE in the back of your house.

I’m grateful that we can do this, though. And once this project is done, I’m eager to move on to the next. (And then the one after that. We’re in this for the long haul, guys. Onward!)

Thankful

/ Katie / 20 Comments

2022 hasn’t been the year I thought it would be. (What year is, right?) And the latter half, especially, has been challenging and stressful and sad and just not great at all. But as we come into this week of Thanksgiving, I’m still thankful for this life.

I’m thankful for my loving family and my supportive friends.

I’m thankful for Graham. All of him. Every day.

I’m thankful for Gatsby and Annie, and their wonderful chaos, and their sweet faces.

I’m thankful for a beautiful old house that just refuses to fall down.

I’m thankful for you, kind readers, who keep coming back and reading what I put out into the world.

I’m thankful for this day, and the one that will come after, and the new chance every morning to create something good.

I’m not perfect. I’ve struggled in these last few months with some darkness I honestly didn’t know I had in me. But I know that I’ve still got so much to be thankful for, and my heart is just full of gratitude. It really, truly is.

I hope 2023 is better, but I’m still thankful for 2022 and what it’s taught me: There is always light.

Tired

/ Katie / 12 Comments

It’s what we are around here today. This fall has been a whirlwind – some good things, some not so good things, some I plan to write about, and some that I’d rather not – and as we come into the holiday season, I’m just feeling a little run down. I’m sure everyone can relate. It happens. But my gosh, I just really can’t believe it’s already November, and before we know it, we’ll be looking at 2023 on the horizon.

So, on that note, we’ve had a visit planned with Graham’s family for a while anyway, so I’ll be taking a break for the next week. I’ll be back on Friday,  November 11th. In the meantime, as we move from autumn to winter, and from spooky to festive season, I wish all of you rest, comfort, warmth, joy, and happy creating!

Winter’s on the Way

/ Katie / 23 Comments

Almost gone, your leaves
Fallen and caught by the wind
You know what’s coming

It seems to have happened overnight, though I know it didn’t: We woke up this morning, and just like that, our birch tree is ready for winter. It always makes me a little melancholy, watching a season end. But I love winter, and hopefully this year, we’ll have some snow.

There are still plenty of colorful leaves on some of our other trees, so we’re not quite there yet. But winter is certainly on its way, y’all.