Day 757: Chicken stew

There was so much writing at Penelope this morning that we worked till 1:00.  Pat had written a delightful poem about how smiling tv weather reporters delight in reporting on disasters like the polar vortex and monsoons and hurricanes.  It was a rough draft, but really fun.  

Then Linda had finished her short murder mystery story.   It's beautifully written, smooth and unique.  She based the story on some frightening experiences she's had with a neighbor.  It acts as a cautionary tale.  If something happens to Linda, we know all the dirty details of the cruel pranks that he has played on her.

Next, we moved on to a four page grant application that Valerie had written.  That generated over an hour's discussion.  She is so ambitious and focused on community action that she wrote a proposal to address the causes of child abuse through a series of community workshops.  

I did not get to present my newest chapter, but that's ok cause I am still working on it.  I revised the list of rules for going potty again today and the headings are much funnier.  Mike B. is supposed to be writing up a description of an incident last May when the one of the boys left a poopy mess in the woods.  Usually, I have to take the whole crew of girls out to to clean up a pile of toilet paper.  For the first time, it was the men who had to do that job and I'm sure Mike made it both uncomfortable and hysterically funny.  

Twenty degrees and a harsh windchill means we did not walk outside, so I had to hit the elliptical again.  Jason is supposed to come this week and take down the trees in preparation for the solar panel installation.  I hate to see the sycamore go, but we have been afraid it would tip over onto the house for years.  Plus, I can plant a beautiful flowering tree in the spring in its place.  

A yummy chicken - sweet potato stew!