Mining.
I was stuck in the mine, most of Wednesday.
The “Mine,” in my case, at least the way I see it, was all the work that goes into a horoscope. Plus, I was a little stuck for ideas. I’ve been reading, and been gentle amused by, Kinky Friedman’s Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned. The story itself starts to be about a down and out writer who has writer’s block. Something I’ve not succumbed to lately. But I was stuck, and I can easily blame that novel, so I had to dip into my notes for adequate inspirations.
I keep a running list of ideas, concepts, vignettes, bit and pieces of prose that don’t belong anywhere just yet, and I flip through those files to find something that works. Like Xmas lights on a truck in West Texas during the holidays. Or like the sunrise backlighting Ocotillo as the leaves change to Autumn’s color. Sunrise over the lake, as seen from the prow of a bass boat. Now that’s a special sight. Sunset backlighting Sandy’s neon. The smell of hot cooking grease on a summer’s night.
So I was mining the memories, looking for something. Not bad place to be, either.
I’ve just been struck since the Moon was in Taurus then Gemini, by the number of folks who actively fulfill my observation and prognostication that folks seem to get really cranky during the last phase of the last quarter moon.
I didn’t let it get to me, but I was hard at work, from basically seven in the morning until five in the afternoon, turning out a column. Then there was also some production work that needed to be attended before the scopes roll over at midnight.
On top of that, I had to sneak in a nap with the cat, pet the cat, brush the cat, feed the cat, and I had to try my hand at losing bait on snags in the river. Plus, last night, I had a reading to attend to, up the street, just east of here. So that’s 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening, with two breaks, then another two hours’ work, plus I had to fit in some lunch (ate while typing) and dinner (ate while reading).
The key to happiness? I enjoyed just about every minute of it. I don’t care if the moon is doing whatever, or Saturn, or whatever planet it is, I’m happiest when I’m doing what I want to do, even if Venus is retrograde, the trick is to enjoy toiling in the mine.
