In Which I Begin My Four-Day Retreat

I am taking advantage of this four-day Thanksgiving weekend to retreat from my everyday schedule. I am not going anywhere - just staying holed up at home - but taking a break from my computer screen, errands, smart phone, and email. I do have Thanksgiving dinner plans but after that the only company I will be keeping is my own. 

Some folks plan a Writing Retreat in which they take a few days off for solitary, uninterrupted time to work on a creative project. I am switching that up. As of today, I am on a No-Writing Retreat. 

Here are my simple rules:

Screen time - None. That means no blog entries, no checking email, no online reading, no mindless surfing, no phone calls. I am putting my laptop in the closet and turning off my phone. And no television. Oh, wait. I don't have one. Well, I won't be watching any movies on my laptop either.

Writing - The only writing I will do is by hand. That means I can catch up on handwritten correspondence, brainstorm some plans for 2014, continue with entries on my book card catalog, and perhaps do a bit of sketching. I am looking forward to having my fountain pen in my hand.

Reading - Oh my. I have so many books in my To Be Read pile that I don't really know where to start. Perhaps with At Home
(that seems appropriate) by Bill Bryson, Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and As We Were by E.F. Benson. 

Domestic projects - There are a few projects here at home that I would like to work on before the end of the year - a bit of filing, decluttering, rearranging, etc. I also plan to take some time to sort and sift through books that I might be willing to send to another good home - donated or gifted away. (Perhaps this means a book giveaway or two from Belle, Book, and Candle. Stay tuned!)

In preparation for these four days, I have stocked up on food. I bought a new blend of herbal loose tea to sip on while I think. I have some yummy oatmeal/cranberry cookies from a local bakery to munch on. And I made a pot of vegetable-lentil soup that should last me a while and provide warmth and nutrition.

I don't plan on going anywhere in the car except to the park (five minutes away) where I walk every day. I kind of have a schedule in mind as to how I will spend each day but nothing written in stone. Let it unfold. Lots of naps. I want this time to be relaxing and quiet and not governed by a mighty To Do List.

So I will see you back here on Monday, December 2. I trust I will be rested, refreshed and refueled.