Thanksgiving Morning

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke from an usually pleasant dream. I dreamt that I had submitted a novel manuscript to TOR, and at meeting for something, I was handed a sheaf of paper. The top page I cast aside, and beneath it was the first page of a contract for the novel. It had the title on it (which I don’t remember) as well as two columns of notes from various editors about what to keep and what to take out. This, of course, is odd for a book contract, but then, I haven’t had any real experience with book contracts. I remember being so happy, I felt I might burst into tears. Also, on the contract, it indicated how much I’d be paid: a $5,000 advance, $1,000 upfront, an additional $2,000 upon turning in the manuscript, and a final $2,000 on publication. I was thrilled. Then I woke up and it took me a few seconds to realize that no, I hadn’t actually sold a a novel to TOR. It had been a dream.

I got up at 6 am, dressed, and headed out for my morning walk. I walked in silence, watching the sky brighten in the east. At the 7-Eleven I walk to, I bought an orange juice, like I always do. Then I headed back out into the cold for the walk home. As I rounded the corner from the store, I saw there on the sidewalk a $10 bill. I looked around to see if there was anyone walking by who might have dropped it, but the street was empty, so I picked it up. Fortune, it seemed, decided to buy my an orange juice in lieu of selling a novel to TOR.

On my way home, I saw one of the foxes that I often see on my morning walk. I tried to get a picture of it on the trail, but it dashed into the woods and sat on the remains of a fallen tree. I tried to get a picture of it there from a distance, but it something of a fuzzy blur. If you look closely at the center of the photo, you’ll it staring back at me.

A little further down the bike path, I ran into a bunch of deer. They were crossing the path some distance in front of me, but didn’t really move away when I passed, and were kind enough to allow me to photograph them. In return, I warned them of the fox just up the way.

When I got home, all the kids were awake, and my brother-in-law had started making coffee. Since Kelly and I don’t drink coffee, it made for a usually pleasant smell in the house. I shed my vest and hat and built a fire in the fireplace. The kids (ours and my sisters) huddle around the fire and started watching Home Alone 2. Thanksgiving Day has started.

Happy Thanksgiving!