The little friend

As part of my November resolution to work on the book every day, I’ve been taking the binder-clipped typescript with me pretty much everywhere I go, and even if I can’t really settle down to anything serious on the book on a particular day, I take it out and look at it while I’m having lunch or during some other lull in the day.  This alone has been tremendously helpful.  I’m seeing it fit together in new ways, if that makes sense, and I have gotten some significant work done.  This is among the many things for which I’m thankful today. 

I’m also thankful for the following updates:

• The Snork Maiden seems to have settled into SA socially, as well as academically.  Nothing’s perfect, especially in middle school, but she’s finding her way.  On the days I don’t go to NLNRU, she likes to go to the SA library and do homework with other kids from her class.  She’s being invited to birthday parties.  It’s going OK.  And her first report card was excellent.
• We are 90% finished with a big evaluation project at NLNRU and we have gotten through it in a timely fashion without too much hand-wringing. 
• Our nuclear and extended family are all healthy (knock wood) and I am mostly getting enough sleep.
• Somehow I have ended up with a surprisingly delightful group of ninth-graders this year. 
• My relationships with other faculty and staff, and other parents, at SA are changing, most of the time for the better, now that the Snork Maiden is there. 

I look forward to blogging about these and other things, but right now, I have to declutter the kitchen table so that the Snork Maiden can make her lemon meringue pie for tonight’s dinner (which we will enjoy at Stubb’s parents’ house).  I wish you–if you’re still reading this, or even if you’re not–a very happy Thanksgiving, or wherever you are, a very lovely day.