A Successful Day

Emma finally called at 5 a.m. (our time) from a phone booth by a canal in Amsterdam. She loves her room, the people and the fact that everyone seems to be walking their dogs. (Unlike here, back yards are at a premium in downtown Amsterdam).
At one point I thought Emma was going to be a vet because she loves animals so much. When I stayed with her in the summer, we made a couple of visits to her neighborhood pet store to visit the kittens and a Chihuahua she’d fallen in love with. No, it wasn’t a Paris Hilton type lapdog, but this very soulful doggie that was hard to resist.
I wasn’t able to work yesterday because I was wiped out from lack of sleep and worrying about Emma. However, now that I know she’s safe and sound, I’ve revived. Today I wrote 3 pages of my book and started another illustration. This typewriter – made in Canada in the 19th century – is part of it. David took the picture a couple of years ago and I spent about three hours in Photoshop cleaning it up.
As of today, I’ve finished 103 pages, so I’m almost two-thirds of the way there. If I’d been able to stick to 120 pages as originally planned, I would finish my book by the middle of September. But I’ve developed my momentum as the months have gone by and I don’t mind that it’s taking me longer. The best thing is that I’ve been able to stick to my schedule. This is hard to do with a long-term project. But if you make it your priority and don’t expect to do more than you’re capable of, I think it can work.