Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Another Winter Gone

 It's a saying we use up north and it's usually uttered cryptically, sarcastically or candidly ..

"Got through another winter."

There may be a wry note or a hike of expectation. It might be a declaration of success or an anticipation that no matter what you do, winter will come again.

"Got through another winter."

It's funny... and sometimes sad. Sad because not everyone makes it through a rough winter. It's not a guarantee.

I was thinking of this the other day as we were organizing the attic. My attic is finished. It's got two finished rooms, long before the advent of "bonus rooms" in houses up here.

FYI: Bonus rooms are a clever way of getting around a bigger septic system because the size of your septic system here is governed by the number of bedrooms in your house. So a 4 bedroom house must have a bigger system than a 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom and septic systems here are five-figure investments... So that adds up really quick. So houses have begun incorporating "bonus rooms" so that they're not flagged for a bigger, pricier septic system.

I love my attic. At least I will love it again when it's cleared out, so between yesterday and today we organized, filled totes, labeled and moved all those books to the big shed. The sales shed is 14' x 36' so it's like a small house. :) We love this shed. Built by a formerly Amish family in Pennsylvania, they trailered it up last spring and I honestly don't know what we did without it! But I digress, the two-room attic had become a hidden harbor for books. 

So many books! My books! The generosity of publishers meant I had hundreds of books to give away every year so even if I had 50 books that didn't get given away, over 11 years, that's 550 extra books. :) That's a lot of books.  So we've been doing book giveaways for assisted living centers, nursing homes, senior apartments or neighborhoods, fundraisers... we've been making sure that we're getting them out there, but there were still enough to fill 14 plastic totes of varying sizes, but we got smart.... We sorted them, got appropriately sized totes, labeled them and they're all living in their own spot in the big sales shed... My goal to reclaim my attic is near at hand. :) 

What does reclaiming the attic have to do with writing or books or winter?

Stories are created in a step-by-step fashion. They're never a single entity, they're a blending of setting, characters, plot, angst, desire, goals, conflict and resolution, and when an author finishes a book... when we do that last round of edits, that final polish, that slice-and-dice to tighten the laces on a really great new pair of boots, it's like clearing out the attic. Or a closet. Or a pantry. It's that feeling of success and satisfaction. Only--

At least at Blodgett Family Farm--

No one pays me to clean a closet or an attic or a room or anything, LOL! 

But they do pay me to write books, and that's a wonderful reason to finish the book, wrap it up, take a deep breath and move on to the next one.

In my life there's always another room to clean and in my professional life (so far)...

There's always another book to write because it's a lot like getting through another winter. The truth is that I love writing stories...

And I actually like winter because there's nothing like the anticipation of spring and color and grass and flowers and warmth once you've mastered winter. It's a natural high...

So I'm happy to say...

"Got through another winter."

And we're mighty glad it's spring! 





Bestselling inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is living the life she dreamed of a long time ago when she was a little girl, longing to write the stories she loved to read. Here she is, author of nearly 70 books and co-owner of a popular pumpkin farm that delights old and young alike. Come see her on the farm, friend her on Facebook, email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com , visit her website or visit with her here in Seekerville. She makes a mean cup of coffee and loves to chat with people! 


22 comments:

  1. We didn't have much of a winter this year. Spring has been nice but now were in Summer hot and muggy I want spring back. Hopefully next week it will cool down again.

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    1. Are you in TX, FL, LA or NM? :) We had a true winter... again. But we expect it because of our latitude, right? We're northern, therefore winter is a given. I'm such a big whiner in heat and humidity! And yet, being on a farm and having daily work outside, my options are to do it... and try and be nice. I am not nice, then Kim! Oh, saints be praised, I can be an idiot as needed when the heat index rises. Fist bump!!!

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    2. We had hardly any winter in Nebraska--no snow to speak of.

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  2. Enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the return of all the varieties of birds. I love feeding and watching them. The sun is shining this morning, the door is open, and the birds are singing. God’s music to my ears.

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    1. Same here! We were wearing bundle up coats 8 days ago.... but now, flowers are blooming, leaves are unfurling, pollen is doing what pollen does, and the birds and spring peepers are a chorus to my happy ears! YAY US!!!

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  3. Must be spring fever that's catching! I cleaned out a closet yesterday and purged six garbage bags of clothes that don't fit my kids anymore. :) r
    Reminds me of the editing process- purge and Chuck the words that don't work and tidy up the rest of the story.

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    1. Yes! What a feeling of accomplishment that is, to have something neat and clean and breathable. :) I love it. And yes, much like editing, polishing, cleaning. We do it because we know it's needed and because in the end, it's so worthwhile.

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  4. Ruthy, "Tightening the laces" and "cleaning out the attic" are as good descriptions of the editing process as I have ever heard.

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    1. Great analogies, right? :) Gettin' it done, Kathy!

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  5. We kind of got through another winter here in northern Utah--except it snowed a couple of days ago. We never know when winter will hit again. It's supposed to get up to 81 by next Monday, so from one extreme to the other. I wish the cleaning and purging urge would hit me. I need a Ruthy near me to motivate me! LOL

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    1. Hey, I just found the note that I need to send you a book and a sweet surprise! Forgive me, it never got filed in the right place.... Oh my stars!

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    2. Well, I'm always ready for a Ruthy book and a sweet surprise!

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  6. I'm thinking hard if there is a spare attic or closet or pantry in my tiny house. To clear out and claim for myself. It just ain't there. I envy you the space.

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    1. This house is huge. Which is why it is never clean. :)

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  7. We needed more winter than we got. We hardly had any snow. But I am enjoying spring.

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    1. I hear you although we had snow.... and for like 30 days it just kept snowing, each day. Not a ton... but an inch or snow, it was like living in a snow globe!!!!!

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  8. It's 80-plus in GA! Too hot this soon. Plus, I have book club this evening with outside dining so I need to dress for the weather, but my closet is still thinking winter. I need to clean out the old and bring in the new season. Good for you moving all those books. I have too many as well. I've been working on flowers front and back, but my story is calling me...

    Thanks, Ruthy, for an enjoyable post. I'd love to visit your farm some day! :)

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    1. It is 90's here today and tomorrow.

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    2. I would love for you to visit the farm!!!! And when we went to NC a few weeks ago for Katie's final performance with NCYTC I had to hunt in bins for summer things because summer was six weeks off up here! And NO SHOES... I tossed all my worn, awful, broken sandals, shoes last year and hadn't thought to buy more yet, so that was funny! Oops!

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  9. We really didn't have Spring. Today it was in the 80s, with high humidity. I used to love Summer but I always had Spring to enjoy also. So glad you got through another winter! Blessings!

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    1. We don't get much spring, either.... Lake Ontario winds keep us cold longer than when you're inland.... but we've got summer/spring now and it's so pretty, Connie!!!! Although 81 today and I'll be sportin' the bandana! :)

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  10. Wow, I envy you your attic space. We have a tiny cape cod, and most of my books get written at the dining room table. Change is in the wind, though. My husband and I will be experiencing empty nest syndrome for the first time in August. He told me to redo my daughter's room and make part of it my office. You'd think I'd be excited, right? But it's so bittersweet, like we're admitting she'll never move back home but only visit.

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