See you in the new year, friends.
It’s time for SnapDragon to turn inward.
Time marches on.
Be well.
. . .
Category: Two-Bit Musings.
October: A Month in Review.
So umm. . . yeah. I was going to do this for each month in 2021. This is the second time I remembered. Oh well. So it goes.
. . .
1. Trick or Treat, Yo. October is my favorite month, and pretty much always has been. It’s mysterious somehow, which comforts a literary old-soul like me. Toddler Snap and I have been out each and everyday, living it up. I try to capture the beauty of the leaves on my phone, but alas, the magic inevitably eludes the camera. We also carved our first Jack o’ Lantern as a family, and I literally tell my husband each day that it makes me happy in my young heart.
2. Small Comforts. Each day is different, Dear Reader. Sometimes I wake up feeling like a kick-ass SnapDragon, and other days I wake up feeling like a termite-infested tree stump. So I savor every moment I can. I dip into the candy dish. I watch an episode of Frasier before bed. I remind myself that sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. I remind myself that every feeling comes and goes.
3. Time for a Trim. It’s no surprise I’m a fan of the simple life: give me my SnapDragon Family, some quality food and cinema, and I’m good to go, yo. There are only so many hours in the day, and I vow to spend them on people and things that enrich my soul. Ain’t nobody got time for bullshit, am I right?
I am just one person in this infinite universe.
And so are you, love.
So are you.
Wishing a Happy November to everyone out there!
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer who frequently orders drinks with extra ice.
Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for her chronicles of everyday life.
Little Breaths.
Pennsylvania, USA.
Original Photo by SnapDragon X.
All rights reserved, yo.
Let us remember that we all require space.
Sometimes a little; sometimes a lot.
Those quiet times hold such delicious potential; the roots do strengthen, as the vine prepares to blossom.
Shh. Close your eyes. Listen.
And allow yourself just to be.
Wonderful things are on the horizon, are they not?
. . .
SnapDragon is a teacher, painter, writer, and mom.
Follow her Two-Bit Musings and more on Snippets of SnapDragon.
Fiddle Funk.
Blah.
. . .
Hi.
I had stressful, annoying dreams last night.
So many things to unpack. Clothes and boxes and craft supplies bursting out of every corner.
Looks of judgment. Crime. Feeling trapped, physically and emotionally.
I just want to sleep, yo.
Is that too much to friggin’ ask?
. . .
Sometimes I have moments of such clarity that it’s almost too easy.
We all have to go through this life, so why not just be happy?
Easier said than done, Snap.
Easier said than done.
Each of us has a story. Each of us has a collection of pesky cobwebs in our brains that refuse to let us move forward.
But we keep breathing. We keep trying.
Again.
. . .
Sometimes I wonder if I’m the oddest person on this planet.
Sometimes I wonder if people actually like me, or if they’re just bored. Or trying to paint a picture-perfect picnic. Or just feel obligated.
Sometimes I wonder if this anxiety will ever pass, and I can just be me.
. . .
Maybe I’ll sleep better tonight.
. . .
Today.
(rips a fresh slice of paper out of a spiral-bound notebook)
. . .
Original Photo by SnapDragon X.
All rights reserved.
1. Mind
Shh. Quiet Time. Listen to the birds; listen to the leaves. Remind yourself that you are enough. In fact, you’re more than enough: you’re wonderful.
2. Body
Water, all around. Drink it in, splash it on. Rinse those worries down the drain. Stretch and rest. Breathe real deep. Flare your nostrils as they inhale the cool autumn air.
3. Soul
You are not other people’s assumptions. You are a gentle smile in the morning sun. You are the clapping of hands and the snort of a belly laugh. You are a hardy bite of egg-salad sandwich.
You are SnapDragon.
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer who could watch The 40-Year-Old Virgin pretty much any day of the week.
Follow her for irreverent musings and more, yo.
A Welcome Breeze.
This & That from Yours Truly.
. . .
Hi! And greetings from my parked car.
I’ve got the AC chilling on low, Toddler Snap snoozing in his car seat, and a pumpkin iced latte within reach. Each sip reminds me of pleasant fall mornings in my classroom. Singing along with Regina Spektor as I readied myself for a day of chaotic happiness.
I smile.
. . .
1. All I can hear is the steady hum of my FJ Cruiser. I watch my fellow suburbanites scurry across the parking lot, to who knows where. A storm is brewing, and the gently trembling leaves on the pre-planned shrubbery soothes me somehow.
2. My eyebrows need to be plucked. It’s funny how I used to do this every day in college. Now the need only strikes about once a month. Funny how our bodies change.
3. I’ve always been a thinker. I suppose it’s hard to be a writer and artist and not think about things until your stomach literally hurts. And I’ve been privileged with the gift of time. Even at my busiest, I’m never worried about where my next meal will come from or if I’m physically safe to leave my house. This allows my mind to reflect, to grow. It allows me to wonder what kind of wife I am. What kind of friend, daughter, and sister. I think about these things, then I think some more. Who am I?
4. I’m pregnant. Yep. The Littlest Snap is scheduled to be here in late February. Here’s to an uneventful, full-term delivery. #ptsd
5. I saw a picture of a pot-bellied pig today that made me ridiculously happy. It was so big and chubby that it almost looked like a cartoon. I wanted to give it a hug, and name it something like Stanley or Walter or George.
Wishing you well, Dear Reader. Take time for joy today.
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer and reader of delicious paperbacks.
Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for who knows what.
Let it Roll.
A short musing from your girl SnapDragon.
. . .
Hi! Happy Monday, friends.
And greetings from my bed, where Henry the Cat and I are taking a moment just to be.
The whir of the ceiling fan, the clink-clank of zippers in the dryer, and a lawn mower in the distance are somehow soothing my weary soul.
It’s a new day, and I feel good.
I feel comforted by boxed mac n’ cheese and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I feel happy when I sing Father John Misty songs on the top of my lungs. I feel loved by so many good people in this world.
And as Back-to-School Time begins–despite not even being in a classroom–I feel that old familiar feeling:
Clean Slate.
New Year.
New Me.
Leave the rest behind, Snap.
It’s over.
I will be gentle, and kind. I will listen. I will be a friend to myself. I will rest. I will ask questions with humility and curiosity.
I will live my life.
And I will be happy.
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer, painter, blogger, and friend to all animals.
Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for her Two-Bit Musings and more.
Always.
In our house there will always be:
-pots and pans drying by the sink
-half-read New Yorker magazines
-a fridge full of craft beer
-cat hair ingrained in every fabric
-an abundance of Burt’s Bees products
-more books than we could ever read
-high-quality audio equipment
-a heap of laundry in our bedroom
-coffee mugs collected from adventures past
-clutter on the dining room table
-singing and playing of guitar
-acceptance
. . .
What’s on your list, Dear Reader?
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer who loves every variety of rice.
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Day 1.
‘Cuz it’s the first day of the rest of our lives, right?
. . .
Hi. (waves)
Today is my first official day of being a full-time, stay-at-home mom.
And despite the whole working remotely thing happening for months on end, it feels pretty good to be 100% done. Close the book. Wave goodbye.
It’s over.
And so begins the next chapter in The SnapDragon Tale!
First and foremost, I recognize how fortunate I am to be able to lose my salaried-with-full-benefits job, and not feel the sense of panic so many have experienced lately. I live a very comfortable life, for which I am extremely grateful. That’s not lost on me.
I’m definitely a stop-and-smell-the-roses kinda gal, and this situation is no different.
There is always something to be thankful for, Dear Reader.
. . .
So as I take a breath–during nap time, that is–I’m going to get a few kinks worked out.
- Clean Up, Yo. If I want this blog to take off, I’ve gotta get my shit in order. Yes it’s a fun outlet for me, but I know I can turn it into something more. I’ve got ideas. I’ve got material. I need to establish a schedule I can actually stick to.
- Office Space. As ridiculous as it sounds, I have trouble getting started on things. Like, a lot of trouble. I’m talking like, my laptop being closed instead of open kind of trouble. I look for any and all barriers to prevent me from my creative work. (Why I do this, I do not know.) And so, I’ve realized that I need my own space. My own desk, equipped with my (open!) laptop, easel and canvas at the ready, and a stack of delicious notebooks and pens for creative thought. It’s happening. And soon.
- Keep Calm and Be Kind. It’s the only thing I can control. I will never get everything done in a day. I will never arrive at some task-free life. I will never have total understanding from each and every person. But I can be kind. Always.
See you soon, friends. Be well.
. . .
SnapDragon is a human being who finds satisfaction in clipping coupons.
Follow Snippets of SnapDragon for a little of this and that, yo.
Mile by Mile.
RV Adventure: Stops 8, 9, 10, & 11.
. . .
Round Lake Vineyards & Winery Round Lake, Minnesota
Waterloo, Iowa
Leisure Lake Membership Resort Joliet, Illinois
Toledo, Ohio
. . .
Dear Reader! Hello. It’s been a bit.
We’re back home now, and taking a much-needed rest.
As I’ve said, we had a blast.
But we were soooo ready to be back at our permanent residence.
So this last RV entry is a little bit lacking—forgive me—but I wanted to make sure I finished the notes from our journey!
. . .
So, um. . . I kind of lost the RV keys. Like, for real. Oh, our spare set? We left them at home, hanging among the other mishmash of doodads by our front door.
Cool.
(sigh)
It was effing hot outside. We were all travel weary, so when we pulled up into Round Lake Vineyards (another Harvest Host spot) we (I?) were not at our best.
We wanted to make a quick lap around the place, buy a glass or two of wine, and settle into the air conditioning for the night.
Toddler Snap—who I swear is destined to be a park ranger or botanist or someone who works outside—was so excited to be out of the RV. He ran and explored and laughed. And we followed.
Round Lake, MN.
Original Photo by SnapDragon X.
All rights reserved.
So on our way back to the RV, with the keys and a sippy cup in one hand, and Toddler Snap yanking at the other, Mama made a mistake.
Toddler Snap made a beeline down one of vineyard rows. Seeing a bunch of wires and not knowing what I was looking at, I panicked. Grabbed him.
Then we went inside the RV for a cool drink and some rest.
End of story.
Except, a few hours later when my Sweet Husband asked were I put the keys, I grew puzzled. I had the keys?
. . .
About twelve sweaty hours, three bug-biting lantern searches, two insanely in-depth, dewy-dawn retracing sessions, and half a nervous breakdown later, we found ‘em.
And by ‘we’, I mean a very kind vineyard worker who joined us in our search and after ten seconds literally stepped on them. In the grass.
The same grass we’d searched a dozen times.
Right about where Toddler Snap bolted for the grapes.
Major crisis averted, yo.
So we bought four bottles of their best wine, thanked them repeatedly, and drove straight to a hotel with ice-cold AC.
And vowed to keep our spare set with us from then on.
. . .
So the rest of the trip home was nothing special: a few hotel stops (a real treat for travel-weary RVers!) and one overnight at an RV park.
Oh, Dear Reader.
It’s so good to be home.
. . .
SnapDragon is a writer who almost always has cold hands.
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