I began judging the Regional WOMR Jose Gouveia poetry contest.  That took most of my time this last week. There were 94 of them.  Then yesterday, I started on the Nationals, of which there are many more.  They all arrived from the station in a cloth tote.  When I picked it up and carried it to the couch, I threw my right shoulder out.  It’s been hurting ever since.  Of course, that doesn’t affect my ability to read poems and judge them. But it does make a lot of daily activities more painful. 

The damned smoke alarm downstairs goes off whenever I sear meat for a roast.  EVACUATE EVACUATE EVACUTE EVACUATE!!!!!  And a siren with it.  Drives the cats insane.  Drives Woody insane.  I’m used to it by now and just open the door and some windows that we left the screens on.  Finally it shuts off.

There are more entries in the contests every year and better ones.  I read through all of them and keep out any poems that show talent.  Then when I’ve gone through them all, I start on those I will consider.  I go through them as many times as it takes till I have ten.  That’s generally at least three and often more times.  Then I rank the ten I have chosen.  First, Second, Third prizes and 7 honorable mentions. 

I don’t get much of my own writing during this whole process, But I did at least write 2 regular poems [no haikus for a change] and a couple of pages of my new book.  That is a paltry output for a week, but the entries eat up just about all my time when I could and would normally write.

We had company last night.  Dale made two hors d’oeuvres.  I made a pork butt pot roast with small potatoes and the last parsnips from our garden. Woody dug [it was a mild day] carrots and lots and lots of onions, and I seasoned it with many herbs and powdered ginger.  Woody made his ‘famous’ Caesar salad (or so he calls it).  We had it with a multi-grain baguette.  For dessert, I made my triple chocolate mousse.  A pleasant evening. So, two dishes I invented, the pork butt roast [as a pot roast] and the 3x chocolate mousse.

This week, I hope to finish the nationals and get back to my own writing, but it’s a busy week.  Willow goes to the vet for her annual checkup and shots; both Woody and I go to the dentist on different days.  My poetry group meets Wednesday evening.  If it stays mild, I’d like to get outside.  And it’s time to start my first batch of seeds: 2 kinds of broccoli; two kinds of red cabbage; curly parsley, Italian parsley, cilantro and bok choi and salad bowl lettuce.  Weather permitting, they’ll go to the greenhouse when they sprout.  Parsley and cilantro take a long time.  The others should pop quickly.