I haven't posted in a while, mostly because it is prime substitute teacher season, and I have been busy. I have gotten some work done despite the subbing, though, since I decided to go with a hard copy of the novel draft - one that I can bring around with me (and bang against my head if necessary)! I have felt more like I know where I am going again after reading through some of it. As of today, I have gotten done reading through about eighty single-spaced pages of it so far, and written notes and ideas on there, as well as writing a summary on notebook paper for me to refer to as I go along, to make sure I don't get the story line too mixed up in my head. It is coming along better; even though I am not adding new stuff to the word count each day, I do feel like I am making progress again. That is reassuring. We are almost to the end of the school year now, so J will be home more before too long. He is still trying to convince the inherited tiller to work; his current suspicion is that it might have too much engine oil in it, and that is why the engine won't start. In the meantime, our seedlings are happily hanging out in small pots in the sun porch. I have a lot of cabbage sprouts, some sunflowers, lots of peppers, and melons and eggplant are also starting to sprout. It is fun to watch them grow and think I had a small part in their growth. Most of what I have been knitting these days is small pot scrubbers. I am hooked on using them instead of sponges because they are machine washable. After washing something like a greasy frying pan, it feels good to just stick it in the washing machine instead of trying to get it decent again with dish soap and running water. I am told that doing it this way doesn't give bacteria nearly the chance to grow, either. I am thinking about trying to sell some at craft fairs and summer events as the season goes on. I have a friend who does other handmade stuff to sell at those sorts of events, and he is willing to sell some stuff for me. I am also thinking about making some sort of cell phone holder out of recycled denim that can be buttoned to a purse strap or a belt loop, but that idea is still very much in the works. we'll see if I can figure it out.