Day 4

I sit (actually I am reclining) on my sofa in my room here in Taos where I am about to begin the 4th day of my week at the Summer Writers’ Conference regretting – that I do – in fact – have to work for a living. Life would be so wonderful if it was made up of yoga practice, reading, writing, good food and beautiful sunsets. I awoke at 4:15 this morning to finish the “homework” I hadn’t finished last night. I had opted instead for a date with John since my poor husband has been sorely neglected because of my involvement and commitment to my writing. We treated ourselves to dinner at The Stakeout where I enjoyed a scrumptious meal of pepper-encrusted halibut with yams while relishing an equally scrumptious sunset. Sadly, the horrible forest fires in California, Nevada, Utah and South Dakota heightened the beauty of the sunset. We neglected to bring a camera to record the sunset. Our fellow diners took turns standing near our table to have themselves photographed before the sunset. (Our host – Mauro – owner of the Stakeout – had seated us in the prime sunset-viewing spot his patio.) Mauro – a charming man from Italy’s lake region – entertained us at regular intervals with stories about his son, his parents, and a fellow Italian who had learned English in Houston and now spoke Italian with a dreadful Texas accent. Now I have to stop writing because John is awake and he is talking loudly on the cell phone to the salesman who sold him the Boston Whaler about towing packages, seven pin plugs and electrical connections and bottom paint and I have been abruptly evicted from the space where I believe I am really a writer.