Imbolc New (Bloodroot) Moon
Took a walk along the road that goes around the Monastery. A beautiful day with a blue sky and sun. The sun has, like me, been on retreat this last week, and it seems to have returned bright and shiny, ready to get on with its job of sending us truly elemental energy.
While walking, I talked to Kate. Cell phone reception is fine outside the Monastery, but inside, nada.
It’s rare for a person to find someone whose life and lifestyle fit so well as Kate and mine do. At least I think it’s rare. We both enjoy time alone and we enjoy being together.
She says the plants, the dogs and herself are doing well. The dog are outside and have been nearly all day. She’s been sewing and made grandson Gabe a new shirt, this one with trains.
Today I finished writing early, still putting out about 6,500 words. I tried to go further but the well was dry so I’ve been reading Conspirata, the Robert Harris novel about Cicero’s Consul year and his life immediately after. Cicero is a favorite of the conservative classes, but he seems more pragmatic than conservative, at least as Harris portrays him. It might be his deep suspicion of populist politics that gains their favor, but that seems more complicated in this fictional biography.
Just as I was in a Chinese phase last summer, I’m in a Roman phase right now, learning Latin, reading Roman novels, translating Ovid.
If our plans for a fall cruise congeal, at some point I imagine I’ll turn toward South America and its ancient and contemporary history. Read a few travel books on various ports of call. We’re leaning toward a 37 day cruise that starts in NYC and ends in Rio, passing through the Panama Canal and traveling around South America through the the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn to Buenos Aires and Rio.
My lunch table today had Hoosiers, monks from South Bend, north Terre Haute and Indianapolis. We talked about the old home place, Wabash College, Indy, the crazy time change rules.