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A Postcard from Cottage Country

Today was a frustrating day. Everything I wanted/needed to do on my computer really required a high-speed Internet connection -- and such a connection simply isn't to be had here at the cottage. My options are dial-up or an Internet stick (core network, two bars).

I'm trying to keep a sense of humor about the situation by selling myself on the so-called benefits of slow-speed Internet.

• It's forced slowness. I can't spend too much time online. It's too frustrating.
• I'm getting to experience the frustration that motivates young children to keep at a task until that glorious moment when they master it. (Staying in touch with her inner toddler is a good thing for a parenting author, don't you think?) Mastery when you're working with a slow Internet connection = completing the simplest of tasks. Writing a blog post, uploading an image, paying a bill, or (gasp) attempting any task involving video.

Sometimes my sense of humor goes AWOL, along with my Internet connection. The chipmunk-powered connection can only handle so much.

So now I'm trying a new approach. I'm reminding myself that I can "have it all" -- just not necessarily all at once. At least not in this part of Ontario quite yet.

I can have gorgeous surroundings and a break from my regular routine -- or I can have a high-speed Internet connection.

For now, I'm going to enjoy cottagey things. The Internet can wait.

Errors, Omissions, and, Please, Bring Me Up to Date on Your Life....

First things first. I've created a parenting resources section, which contains a lot of the content which used to be housed on the old blog. This way, I could make room for a lot of new content. (See the top right-hand corner of the blog for a list of pages.) If your link was on the old blog, would you please check to see if the link is still up-to-date? If you know your link should be there (because you know I adore you), but it's not, would you please add it to the comments section of that page? That way, I can tackle all the cleanup all at once (one of the reasons I switched to TypePad: to make my blogging life a whole lot simpler).

Secondly, it's almost a year to the day since my son's Aspergers syndrome diagnosis. I'm starting to feel like my life is getting back on track. (That's just part of the story, but it's enough for you to grasp in one sentence!) I'm finally starting to reach out to the outside world again after a year of quiet reflection and a lot of thinking and learning on many, many fronts. (I'll be writing a lot about this, both on and off the blog.)

But here's my question for you. How have you been? What's new with you?