Life is an onion and one peels it crying ~French Proverb

This year I’m doing something different.

I’m not sure if it is because I “failed’ at #Octpowrimo. By failed I mean I had a choice between being able to do things with my family and keep track of my commitments (which I still didn’t manage all of them) deal with some intense and scary news, celebrate Halloween and our 12 year Anniversary (on the same day but our party was a few days before)  or stay on track with the Countdown to Halloween and #Octpowrimo.

I rarely start these and not finish ,but this time I flamed out around the 20th.  It wasn’t possible to do all that and still keep showing up for work.  Not for me.

Still I wrote poems, many of them did not suck and for the first time in 12 years. I can’t write a poem a day, not ever. It takes longer than that to recharge my batteries, but trying was a good thing. I found out I can write one or two a week. And I can stick to that.

We fell down on the countdown to Halloween because well…I don’t think we got over being blown off for our 10th Anniversary by local folks (not all, some). So this year we tried but not as hard. The prep was a few days not two weeks. So when people didn’t show up it didn’t wound as it did before. So that was actually good. And I was preoccupied with #Octpowrimo.

And the people that did show up? OMG it was great ,actually. Like my first true love and one of my best friends ever made this amazing edible eyeball centerpiece and new friends and old friends and their kids all there. We didn’t have mucho activities planned for the kids—we’ll try that next year. We already have ideas.

The decorations were inspired. The outside I mean. The inside…well mostly looks like that anyway sans big ass spiders. I keep thinking I need to make it more classy but for the life of me I can’t figure that out. So for now our house looks like Halloween had an illicit affair with a Southern bordello and then had lots of weird babies everywhere.

And this will be the first year since it started I won’t be doing #nablopomo, since it started. At first I felt like I was part of something, and last year being featured was really nice but I don’t feel like I connect with anyone.  So that push through November is not me now, or this year.

So what am I doing instead? My own damn blogging challenge. I’m writing twice a week. I’m writing a poem a week. I’m posting pictures and more importantly I’m visiting blogs and commenting and really getting to know some of the folks that have stopped by. So that is my November.

I was so overwhelmed this year I didn’t even take pictures at the party. Luckily my friend Danielle, who is quiet the talented photog did grab some. I’ll be posting more too.