Wednesday, we went to Bayberry nursery to get a tree.  We always get balsam.  I love the scent and the needles aren’t so long as the Douglas fir trees.  It’s easier to hang ornaments.  They had far more trees than when we bought one last year. They said that the rush hadn’t started yet.  They are expecting it this weekend.  Woody left the tree outside on Wednesday, as we were expecting my ooetry group to meet for the first time since my heart stopped.

However, only one person came. It was raining and everybody else had some excuse. She is the most serious poet in the group.  She writes strong, interesting poetry on a wide variety of subjects, submits and is published regularly, works hard and takes criticism well.  I wanta more serious poets in the group now.  We’re too few and there are so often excuses these days. 

Woody brought the tree in yesterday and set it up.  He did something we hadn’t bothred with in recent years – he attached it by a wiere to a hook on the ceiling. We suspect that Shaman may climb it.  We want him to get any curiosity out of his system before we put anything on it.  He has shone only slight interest so far and no climbing yet, so tomorrow, we’ll put the lights on.  Then, next week we’ll trim is gradually.  The whole lower third of the tree should be non-breakable ornaments.  It’s not as big a  tree as we’ve chosen in the past, but one that works better for  us.  It’s bushy but not huge.  Sometimes  we’ve had trees that made it difficult to move around in our rather small livingroom. 

With no solstice party, that’s not as big a problem, but it’s very symmetrical – a pretty tree even without anything on it.  We’re not giving a Solstice Party this year. Ia can cook for up to eight but cooking for 20-25 is beyond me doing it alone now.  Melenie has a residency up in Vermont during the time we’d be having the party, so without her help, it’s no go this year. We’re   considering a midJanuary party when everybody is looing for some company and excitement.

I am slowing down a little on my new book – have ritten 46 pages so far – as the manuscripts are coming in for my annual June juried intensvie poetry workshop.  I try to read one a day, most days. Mondays, I can’t.  I’ve gone through ten so far.  I try to figure out how is accomplished enough for the workshop to work for them and who is someone I’d really like to work with.  When the workshop fills, I usually accept two alternates.  Often when things get real in late Spril and they have to produce the balance of the fee and 15 poems to form the basis for the workshop, at least one poet drops out.

I have been doing 80% of the cooking.  That afeels good.  This coming week, I finally , finally see a cardiologist.  The pacemaker was installed on October 25th and I was discharged with hardly in instructions except all the things I wasn’t to do with my left arm and shoulder for sis weeks.  Six weeks are over next Tuesday.so I’m excited for all the chores I should be ready to take over – work I’ve always done.  It’s about time for Woody to get some rest  and some time to himself.  I know he’s sketpical, but I am very hopeful.