It's Sunday. Becky and her girls usually come to Mom and Dad's house today. They visit after lunch to about dinnertime. Sometimes Dad and Becky work on putting together stamp books for APS. Mom will watch movies with the girls downstairs. Today, there weren't any activities planned. They came over and we all just hung out. The girls and I baked cookies, reduced some discarded prune juice (Dad decided he wasn't a fan), and drooled over the first episode of Nadia Bakes. I think they were as smitten with her as I am.
I had bought some fabric crawling with adorable bees to feed Blythe's obsession. I planned to make her a mask, but without elastic, I wouldn't be able to finish it. Becky graciously gave me some of her elastic, with the condition I had to sew up a bee mask for her, too. Not a problem. The cut I bought was large enough for three masks.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, they often say. So true of the sewer's heart. If you don't actually feel like sewing, you will have to take a seam ripper to your stitches. Every. Damn. Time.
I was nearly finished, but I'd had enough. I had to get out of the house, into the wide outdoors. One glance at Molly told me she was listless and thinking the exact same thing.
"I think I need to go for a walk. Molly, would you like to come with me?"
Her eyes widened. With her upturned mouth, she looked as though she had just won the lottery.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
During the first part of our walk, we talked about school. We talked about where she was going to live someday. Molly surprised me by saying Wisconsin. (She loves the farm, she further explained.) She chose the long way around the neighborhood, which meant she liked being in my company. I was being a cool auntie.
On the way back, I ran into a high school friend's parents. They didn't recognize me, not at first. I had on my oversized maroon and white UPS hat and a puffy winter jacket - how would they have known? I don't visit often in the winter anymore.
They asked the typical questions. How's my family? You aren't still in Fairbanks, are you? How many kids do you have? Was your husband able to stay at home during the pandemic? Have you talked to Jenny yet?
They filled me in on their lovable grandson and their own trials with his distance learning. Then Judith said, "The one thing I remember about you is that you used to draw. Are you still drawing?"
I laughed. "Mostly cute things with my boys. Balin and I will watch guided drawing episodes on YouTube. I mostly write and quilt now."
Then she asked what I write.
"Science fiction novels, mostly, about historical events. Right now I take pieces of the American Civil War and fit them into a more modern context. I question our use of technology and examine social issues under a futuristic lens."
Both seemed duly impressed. They wanted to know if I had a publisher.
"It's self-published right now. Maybe someday I'll find one, but for now it's kind of a fun challenge to see if I can even do it."
Then Doug, who had been mostly silent until that point, gave me the best compliment: "I never would have thought to put together science fiction and the Civil War."
It's a creative stretch to leap from the past to the future - that's the very reason why I write. Perhaps I'll never be a celebrated author or famous or even well-respected in the science fiction world. Connecting dots that aren't associated with one another is challenge enough.
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