No desk, no brain

I have no desk at the moment. In a pole barn that is about 50 yards from the house sits my desk. It is disassembled; the metal legs lean precariously and the top lays flat on a hopefully dry pallet. One good thing is that even if these things are not far enough from the small leak in the roof, they will still be undamaged. The sand floor in the barn does not matter to a couple of weighty, metal legs and a butcher block desk top. The desk is rather narrow front to back- maybe 24 inches, but it's 4 feet wide from side to side. It feels rather capacious when it's tidy, and never quite big enough when it's not.

Why am I so fixated on this very practical, rather uninteresting object? It's simple really. It seems my planning ability was disassembled two months ago with my desk. I have discovered I need my curriculum books to be on an open flat surface for my brain to weave all the threads together that make our school days. I have tried a couple of desperate things to bring this about without reassembling my desk. I have created difficult bookshelves on paint cans and boards in the bottom of my closet so that I might easily gaze at all books school related. I have spread the year's books carefully across my bedroom floor and made wild, random notes on seven different pieces of paper. I've tried a new recording system for my curriculum ideas. Tonight, I captured the dining room table in a bloodless coup. I am making progress.

I have a stack of math things sorted by child and collated by terms. I have a stack of books I will not need the first term. I have my lesson plan book laid out with a rough sketch of the first term, highlights like holidays, extra-curricular activities, and trips noted. The first two weeks are planned in great detail, page numbers of particular books marked lightly in pencil beside the child's name who will hear the story. I am feeling closer to content. I am feeling that I CAN start school on September 14th.

In the meantime, what about my desk? It, like the majority of our furniture, books, games, winter clothes, continues to wait in the barn until the floors are sanded. The current rumor is that the floors will be sanded and finished by Friday afternoon. I hope it's true. I sure need my brain back.