Camp has started out slowly for me. I find myself restless once more and desiring to work on other tasks. However, when I go to those tasks, I am entirely apathetic toward them. Nevertheless, Monday has been rather unproductive. The only non-writing task I completed, in my afternoon break from writing, was baking a dozen grain-free Banana Nut & Oat muffins.

Today’s writing was done with pen and paper. Staring at a computer screen was putting me to sleep. Most certainly not conducive to the writing process. I curled up in the broken over-sized recliner with my favorite brand of pen and a notepad then put forth five poems. Two for Xenium & Xyris, one each for Zephyr & Zinc, Elysian & Ether, and Nightmares & Nevermore.

My biggest issue with Monday has been a lack of sleep. I should have slept well last night as yesterday was long and kind of stressful. Family members came over to fix the swamp cooler – which broke the day before the 100+ degree mini heat wave – and they discovered several large holes in the roof. I wasn’t overly surprised by the roof damage considering two families of squirrels lived in attic space during the winter and spring. The squirrels still visit frequently. Over a few hours, the swamp cooler was fixed and the holes patched up. Once hail & monsoon season is done with, I will be getting a new roof. While I’ve known about the roof for quite awhile, its news proved to be exhausting and stressful.

My sleep was, once more, plagued by a common and problematic dream. It has been going on for over two years now. Its effects frequently show up in my poetry. I cannot shake the feelings and emotions it brings about. My mother says I am just too paranoid. It is difficult to be anything but paranoid when you constantly dream of unpleasant things and those dreams feel as real as breathing. I do not discuss them in depth with anyone out of concern I might jinx myself. Having aspects show up in verse is bad enough.

Perhaps the dream will leave me alone this evening, and allow for a very productive day tomorrow.

The day’s final word count total is 771, 36 words shy of the suggestion daily word count of 807 to meet my monthly goal of 25,000.