Thank you Wallowa County

The universe has unilaterally decided for me. It’s as though all I had to do was freak out, thrust my hands over my head, and shout: I give up!

Fishtrap wanted to hire me to pilot the new Writer-in-Res program, but didn’t have the housing to put me up. On Tuesday, Fishtrap got a call and now, thanks to a local, very active, well-loved family, I have a place to live for May and June. It’s a refinished 100-year-old historic home on Main Street in Joseph (that perfect little town in the photo on the top left of this blog). The owners are traveling in Europe almost the exact dates I needed housing. An undeniably sweet deal!

Also on Tuesday, an email came in from the Union County sponsor of the Writer-in-Res program, letting me know that two more schools had expressed interest in the pilot program and they were available to have a visiting teacher in their classrooms during the same dates that I’m available. Another perfect alignment!

So today I lost a few wrinkles on my forehead and gained a few smiles and sighs of relief. I called Ragdale to decline, called Interlochen College to inquire about the amount of my travel stipend (now that I know I’ll be flying—not driving), and…most exciting…

I walked into Arrowhead Chocolates in downtown Joseph and said Y-E-S to their standing offer to work 1 shift per week as a barista and beginning chocolatier beginning in April. By then I’ll be done teaching the college course, I’ll have a solid 3 weeks of writing retreat in Imnaha, and I’ll be working very, very part time on the pilot program. Earning a little extra cash will be nice, but what I’m more excited about is the balance this will give me to the very solo, very independent work of writing.

Thank you Wallowa County, for your open arms! Looks like I’ll be here until mid-June! Can anybody say yeehaw? YEEHAW!