First June Sunday Coffee Share

A Cup of Coffee and a Conversation

Iceland - I miss this coffee so much.

Thank you for joining me for a coffee and a chat today.

If we were having coffee I would tell you…welcome to June! The month of my birthday, the summer solstice, my husband’s Canada trip, an author visit and mini writing retreat trip for me, the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, and more seasonal adventures!

Today was breakfast day of course! We went earlier than last week. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday and some of that carried over to breakfast. I didn’t want to eat much even though it tasted good. Chris takes good care of me though!

If we were having coffee I would tell you…Chris and I went on the Chicago River Architecture Boat Tour on Friday. It has been something on our lists for a long time. The directions took us into the city more than we needed to drive. The parking that was advertised to me as being closest to the boat launch was non-existent. We had to walk a mile to get there so we missed our first reservation time. Luckily, it isn’t high season so we were put on the next tour without issue. We ate dinner at an amazing pizza place in the same inlet. The drinks we had were phenomenal as well. It was a great date!

Chris and I have loved buildings all our lives and heard great things about this tour. I didn’t realize there were many companies who held them. On our tour, a real life guide talks about the history of the city and the architects and stories behind the buildings we pass. It seems all the buildings along the Chicago River have nicknames! My notebook is full of notes about the buildings and the people on our boat. It was the perfect day for the tour: no rain, partly cloudy, a nice temperature , and a light breeze.

If we were having coffee I would tell you…Chris made me a new bookcase for my office with specific heights for my journals. I am getting closer to getting organized! HA!

If we were having coffee I would tell you…I used to do a reflection at the end of every month and stopped somewhere along the way. Cait Flanders’ substack reminded me of this practice. I had to look at my calendar to jog my memory but I felt good about making a list of what went well and what was frustrating in my notebook. Do you follow a monthly reflection process?

If we were having coffee I would tell you… I always choose a word of the year but forgot temporarily what my word was! I finally remembered Friday morning it was WINTERING. I am not sure it still works for me. It will be something I consider on my writing retreat later in the month. Revisiting the word of the year at the 6 month mark is part of my regular practice.

If we were having coffee I would tell you…I belong to the SmokeLong community of writers and the Summer Program started yesterday. This involves small group feedback on three prompts for the week. There was an opening party yesterday and a workshop with Steven Edwards today.

If we were having coffee I would tell you… I am meeting with my writing circle today. I am looking forward to it. I will work on my writing until that meeting occurs! A good way to spend the day.

If we were having coffee I would tell you… I made a seasonal wish list. It could be a bucket list but I don’t care for that word BUCKET. I need a better name! If you have a suggestion, please let me know. It is a living document but I have a picnic, participating in the library summer program , and Canada as some of the items.

If we were having coffee I would tell you… the FREE 10-minute Creativity Challenge started yesterday!

Thank you for joining me for coffee today.

I would love to hear something you did this past week that was fueling to you!

A little more about me: Tammy L. Evans is a writer, teacher, runner, and coach living in a tiny house on a peninsula with her husband and adventure cat. Her location device is her loud laugh. She is a reader for Reckon Review. She is the creator and host of the THE BRADBURY TRIO COURSE. Her poetry has been published in The Storyteller, FoxGlove Journal, Story Hall, Blue Insights, The Partnered Pen, and others. Her fiction has been published in Gone Lawn, South Florida Poetry Journal, Cabinets of Heed, Spelk, Five on the Fifth, Clover and White, Fiction Berlin Kitchen, and others.