Hiddey-Ho Scribblers! J Monkeys here. Happy Saturday. Are you a glass-half-full person or a perpetual pessimist? Me, I like to find the silver lining whenever possible. Example: we here in northern CT have not had much snow in the recent past. Winter ’11 was brutal, but ’12 was The Year Without Winter (especially since the worst storm last year happened before Halloween!) and so far ’13 is shaping up to be pretty low in the snow-fall-total category, too.
In fact, the only snow storms we’ve had have resulted in wicked wet snow. Like Slurpee wet. Now for those of you not from snow-country, there are three basic kinds of snow around here: dry powdery stuff – excellent for shoveling because even a foot of it weighs nothing and pretty good for sledding, snowman-makin’ snow – wet enough to form a ball, but not too wet, and Slurpee-snow (named for the delicious drink available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide) which is so wet that even two inches weighs a ton-per shovelful and nearly impossible to play in.
My Twin Princes are young enough that they really didn’t get to play in the great snows of ’11, so when we’ve had snow this season, they have rightfully wanted to frolic in it. I mean, what’s the point of living in New England if you aren’t going to enjoy the great outdoors? In a rare moment of brilliance, I have devised the perfect outdoor game for Slurpee-snow days.
I bought a few cheap condiment squeezy bottles (I suppose I could have been really good and recycled a few actual condiment bottles) filled them with water and a couple of drops of foo
d coloring, and sent the kids out to “paint” in the snow. This resulted in nearly an hour of play. Yes, I had to refill the bottles every few minutes and one bottle seems to be lost in the icy wonder that is my back yard, but so what? The kids had fun and I got to get a little housework done while watching out the kitchen window.
“Wow, brilliant idea, J. Thanks very much for sharing your incredible inspiration. But what on earth does that have to do with writing?” you say…Funny you should ask. Is your writing sucking lemons these days? If it is, then turn that frown upside down. Channel your inner optimist.
You’re a creative person (you must be or you wouldn’t be a writer!) think of a way to turn those lemons into lemonade. Are you having trouble with your plot? Get a couple of your writer-friends together with a bottle of wine (chocolate fondue would probably work too) and talk through your plot. I’m sure your friends will be more than happy to give you ideas on how to fix it. Are you struggling to put your butt in the chair and get the work done? Find a community of folks with the same problem and challenge each other with word sprints or an online write-in. Is editing weighing you down? Find a partner with the same problem and trade papers like we did in 2nd grade.
Today’s Secret: Take some time to identify your lemon. It might not be immediately obvious. Once you’ve found it, squeeze the pulp out of it and made yourself a nice, cool glass of lemonade!
Today’s Question: What’s your favorite summer drink? I’m thinking about a strawberry daiquiri in my hand while sitting on a beach under an umbrella. Preferably with some manner of pool-boy nearby to fetch my next cocktail. It was a whopping 25 degrees out today. Sigh…New England.
Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes 
Wait a minute, first you used food coloring so the kids would play making snow colors outside so you could get stuff done in the house, then you talk about chocolate fondue and wine, then a strawberry daiquiri, who cares about anything now, I want some of that fun, and who wants to work when there is so much to play about. Am I mixed up? Beach umbrellas, beach boys, now that’s a sigh…Life!!! Really fun post J. Thanks.
Cruise – that’s really the only answer. Gotta go on a cruise!
Fun! I am an optimist, which is easier to be when living in sunny So Cal. My favorite summer drink is a Between the Sheets – 1 oz rum, 1 oz brandy, and 1 oz triple sec, plus the juice of half a lemon. Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker and serve in a martini glass…this makes one big one. If you do 1.5 ounces, you can make two smaller ones (depending on your martini glass size). But beware – one of these gets you WAY tipsy (do not drive!) and two puts you – you guessed it – Between the Sheets!
That sounds delish! I’m totally going to try it…when the kids aren’t around! 🙂
Glass half-full for sure. I’ve even taken to seeing that I just need a smaller glass to make it seem like it’s always full:-)
Favorite drinks? I’ll give you the short list: A glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay for a late afternoon/early evening treat, a good Cabernet with a fabulous dinner, and anything with tequila if I’m out partying with friends and I have a designated driver (usually hubby who gets migraines from alcohol). Of course someone introduced me to a certain new favorite–a fruity yummy drink that spread like wildfire at the MargaRita’s. What was that called?
That was the Hollywood – wicked yummy! My techie hubby told me last night that the glass is always full, just part way with a drink and the rest of the way with air. 😉