What does an author do with an unexpected weekend at home?

Well — once she’s dealt with the surprise and disappointment — she hoards it, like a squirrel hoarding acorns for winter. In three weeks, you see, I fly to Italy and start my European tour, and I’m going to be gone for almost a month. I don’t have a lot of weekends at home in my near future. And weekends at home are the absolute best for writing, because on the weekend, distracting businessy things stop, and it’s easier for me to focus.

As I write this, the weekend is still happening, so I’m going to stop writing this now and get back to hoarding. I leave you with part of a lengthy text message exchange I had this weekend with my sister, secret codename: Cordelia, who is highly fond of a particular song from The Sound of Music:

Me: At trapeze class there’s loud music. Yesterday, Sound of Music medley. Have had Climb Every Mountain in head ever since, except in yr voice instead of reverend mother’s.

Cordelia: I hope you have it in your head every day of your life for as long as you live.

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There now, I bet I’ve got it into your head, too, dear reader. Just not in Cordelia’s voice, unless you’re one of the few people who have had the, um, pleasure of that experience. 🙂