April 17, 2024April 15, 2024 ~ Jenny
When I get so tense I can’t think straight, I pick up a crochet hook and do something ridiculously easy, something that’s all one stitch, and I get lost in the rhythm and that repetitive motion calms me down. In this case, it’s a sweater I’m making from an antique bed jacket pattern. It’s all double crochet in the back loop, and the only places I have to pay attention are at the back turn where I have to do two double crochets three times to make the turn, and the front edges where I put the double crochet in both loops. Just miles and miles of simple double crochet. Better than valium. I still have a long way to go on this one, but below is one I made twelve years ago, during another tense week. Great pattern.
What did you work on this week?
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/theotherjenny/hobgoblin-jacket
Still working away at the blanket that was supposed to be a present for my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas. They don’t mind, I got them the associated cushion cover…
Fiction wise, I’m noodling around at creating a fantasy world, and working out my worldbuilding, mostly what to call places…
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That is so nice. Absolutely love it. Unfortunately, not done much last few days/week, have been rather poorly. But hope to go back to my embroidery soon.
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That’s so pretty!
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That is lovely! the colors and the collar
are so cute.
I have been thinking of learning how to knit or relearn crochet (my father’s wife taught me when I was 10.
I have heard it is the best meditation.Reply
Do you wear your 12YO bed jacket, or what? I like it.
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I totally want to know the answer to this.
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My week was simple. The closest I came to crochet was tying a knot in my house robe’s belt.
I made a soup that used up my crop of cherry tomatoes and green onions. Very low cal. I have leftovers.
I bought some Keto bread (for the low carb content) and some low carb tortilla wraps and a bag of mini-bagels. I forgot how much I love bagels. Bagels with cream cheese. Bagels as the “bread” of various sandwiches. I’m thinking of toasting some crab cakes or tuna cakes and spreading those on bagels. Although… if they’re spreadable, I suppose they would be tuna salad or crab salad.
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“The closest I came to crochet was tying a knot in my house robe’s belt.”
Thanks for that laugh!Reply
This talk of bagels tempted me into a bagel with cream cheese for lunch. (I generally eat my bagels at breakfast, but I’ve had them for other meals before this.) Only one bagels left!
I’ve found that bagels make good hamburger buns. Counterintuitively, nothing drips out from the bottom, nor squirts out from the top. (At least if you take a little care in assembly.) On the other hand, other breadstuffs also work for hamburgers (or vegburgers), while nothing else works as well with cream cheese.
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So pretty.
I’ve been working at getting the Baba Yaga books re-released and promoted (I hate promo) and signing a contract with Llewellyn for another nonfiction book (I love contracts…you know, until the deadlines kick in).Dealing with some physical issues.
And trying not to kill my contractors as they work at the speed of molasses in between days of rain. This is really a challenge, so I want credit for not burying dead bodies in my garden.
Also ran out yesterday and threw the first few seeds in the garden, come to think of it. Spinach, lettuce, kale, bok choy, and shelling peas.
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The bodies might beautifully fertilize those seeds, Deb. Not recommending, just sayin’.
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My very thought.
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I was going to suggest you do a binding spell; binding them to your job until it’s finished. But then I remembered the 10 times retribution thing. And I thought, oh my, what if she was bound to finish a book that she was having trouble finishing. Maybe not a good idea.
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I really like that version of double crochet. I made a hat out of it, once. That jacket is lovely. You are so talented!
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I finished a Google form to start an ARC team. Wish me luck.
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What is an ARC team?
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Indie authors often “collect” a group of readers that receive Advanced Reader Copies in exchange for reviews. I tend to ask my NL subscribers each time j have a release so it isn’t really a team, though I have repeat readers.
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I’m gradually getting the yard ready for spring. I found a bunny carcass under my Blue Spruce, and I think the culprit was either a hawk or an owl. The last three nights,, I have heard owls hooting at around dusk, not far from me. It has been nice enough to sit out on the patio swing and watch the sunset. Last night, it was a lovely soft pink for the longest time. It felt so peaceful. I even took Kali out with me, and held her while I rocked a while. I’m careful not to let her run free at that time of night. Having such a small animal means staying outside with her at all times.
I’m also cleaning, dusting, and getting junk put away, because I have company coming, soon, both of whom are OCD/tidy people. There’s no way I can match their level of clean and clear, but I can make it less cluttered.
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I love that stitch. It has been far too long (and will be longer) since I crocheted anything to wear.
I hung out my hummingbird feeder this morning, after reading that several people in my area have hummingbirds at theirs.
I had my second cataract surgery yesterday, which was as easy as the first, and I’m patiently recovering while the yard goes wild around me and I’m not allowed to garden. Patiently, I tell you.
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Congrats to even more reclaimed vision! <3
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It’s astonishing, and I don’t even have my new glasses prescription yet.
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I seem to recall being warned that vision acuity might decline a bit from right after the operation. If it happen with me, it was too slowly to notice.
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Whoopie!
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That’s really lovely!
I’ve been working on the YA novel that I started writing as a newsletter serial, back before I fell off the face of the earth. I’m not sure why, but it just flows. 3k+ words a day. Also started a Photoshop art project to go with it. Couldn’t find stock photos for what I originally had in mind, so I’m doing something else that I think will also be fun.
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Beautiful… I should relearn to crochet, I am a knitter really, knitting a few stitches is always nice, then you start remembering the pattern and if just flows after that. I am on holiday trying to recover from slight burn out.
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I love the jacket! I’ve not crocheted something to wear, so I may have to consider this.
I started a sewing project this past weekend. I lollygagged over cutting out the pieces and didn’t really start sewing until Sunday. Then I was not really feeling it, and also fighting with my machine (I had it “repaired”, but the same symptoms are recurring, so I don’t think it was actually fixed. I don’t think they found the actual issue.)
So, I’ve been going back to the blanket that just needs a border. It’s a double border, to encase all my loose ends, so I don’t have to weave them in – which is a bonus. But it means that while I’ve got half of it done, I’m still slogging through the other side. I *almost* made it around the first row last night. Once the first row is in, the rest should be easy-peasy! Hopefully pictures of a finished piece next week.
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I’ve never been able to finish anything I started crocheting, so kudos to you for being so patient. This week I’m working on decluttering my house, budgeting and starting to potty train my basset hound puppy.
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I’m in the slogging phase of a lot of things — fiction (3rd draft of the 3rd Bourbon B&B mystery), quilting (almost done with two baby quilts that just need labels attached before I can mail them), house project (prioritizing and trying to get the contractors to return my calls), scheduling medical stuff (finally got a date for my cataract surgery in late June). So it feels like nothing’s getting done, because nothing’s FINISHED. But I am making progress, so I need to celebrate that.
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I feel you, Gin!
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Thank you! You identified exactly why I’m frustrated. While I am moving things along, nothing is finished, so it feels like I’ve accomplished nothing.
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I have no craft skills, even of the more male, workshoppy sort. I do some things of a utilitarian sort when necessary. I occasionally cook beyond the utilitarian level, but not regularly.
I hauled out my summer clothes, which fortunately were easy to get to. A couple of days were into the 80°s F outside (above 27°C), but a lot of the problem is that I’m keeping the windows closed because it’s peak pollen season, and that traps heat indoors. No more 80°s in the 10-day forecast, so things inside should gradually cool off somewhat. It’s not supposed to be summer yet. Fans in the meantime.
Book club attendance continues worryingly low, but we stagger on in the hope of improvement. The Saturday discussion of John M Ford’s Growing Up Weightless was interesting despite the low attendance. A very ambitious novel that I think does not completely pull off what it attempts. If time permits, I’ll elaborate tomorrow on GBTh.
Annoyingly, somewhere along the line I misplaced the notebook I had brought along to the club meeting. Fortunately, nothing much was in it besides book club notes. I checked back at the library and it did not seem to be there, and had not been turned in to their lost and found. It could still be in the car or even in the house if it fell out somewhere really well hidden, or someone may have walked off with it, rightly deciding it was of little value. Feh.
Next round of voting on book nominations is in progress. I’ll want to familiarize myself with some of the other candidates; others I’ve either read or know enough about to vote.
Otherwise, I’ve been working on my chores and logic says I must be making some progress, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. Today I’ll likely run a load of laundry and finish unloading the dishwasher, then choose from any number of tasks that need doing. Sometime this week, grocery shopping is a must. The immediate urgency was lessened a bit when I remembered I had on hand some German long-keep bread.
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I’ve been deep cleaning this week, washing walls and doors, cleaning trim, going through cupboards and pitching stuff we don’t need. So far I’ve just done our bedroom and small ensuite and the hallway. It doesn’t sound like much but every spot the dog lay against needs a big scrub. Today is the main bathroom and catching up on laundry and dishes.
I bought some light blocking fabric and put that on the fixed pane of the bedroom window yesterday. It sticks on with Velcro patches so there are gaps but those are covered by the blind and curtains. There doesn’t seem to be such a bad light leak on the other side, the pane that opens, so it’s good the way it is.
This weekend we are renting a storage unit and putting our irreplaceable stuff in it in anticipation of another bad fire season. It seems like a small price to pay for the peace of mind.
It’s also dinner theatre and hang out with friends weekend so that will be fun.
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Can you come deep clean my house next?
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I am still painting, as time is dwindling down for my show in May. I have six done of the ten that I want. They are quilt pattern based, heavily abstracted landscapes, so once I get the pattern sketched out it is just filling blocks with color. It’s quite soothing, pattern based and methodical, like coloring. Color therapy.
I do think that I am going to have to take a break from them soon however and just play. I have some book page and Victorian style sticker decoupage hair clips that I started. I have the urge to pull out my glue gun and add faux pearls and other bedazzles.
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You know, we could use some links to pictures, please.
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Yes!
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I will try later. I can’t do it when I am at work and then I forget when I am home… Also, I am chicken.
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It’s okay and perfectly understandable to be chicken. Still, I would love to see them!
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I finished this crocheted pillow sham this week. I think it is the best thing I have ever made, LOL. It actually looks like the pattern!
https://www.instagram.com/p/C53rLBnRJgC/?igsh=MTc2NzVuZDRmdHhmcw==
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Beautiful
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Thank you! I’m very happy with it.
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That looks great with the throw on the back of the couch. Beautiful work.
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Thanks!
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Well, that’s clever and pretty, to boot.
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I thought so. 🙂
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Update to my above entry: I decided to search the car more thoroughly for the missing notebook. I usually store my bookbag in the footwell of the passenger side front seat. I’d already looked there, but I decided the notebook could have fallen out and slipped under the passenger seat itself. Groping under there disclosed a printout that had sat there since October 2019, but no notebook. I wondered if it could have slipped all the way through, so I opened the door to the rear seats. And there was the notebook, not on the passenger side but in the rear footwell on the driver’s side.
The notebook could, I suppose, have done an L-shaped slide, to the back and then across, but more likely I had put the bookbag there, possibly because the adjoining car in the parking lot was blocking easy access from the passenger side. (One of the joys of senior living is that your short-term memory weakens, especially for information that seems unimportant at the time.)
I was correct in remembering that there was nothing very important in the notebook, just book club notes and half a page of notes from a 2019 sf convention.
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Hooray that you found the fugitive notebook. Don’t you hate it when something disappears, and then it’s not until you start carefully, step-by-step, searching every possible place you’ve been since you discovered it missing?
It sometimes just seems that certain things have it in for a person — THAT’s why they lose themselves.
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Jinx, The really frustrating times are when I never do find the item, especially if it’s valuable, or a hassle to replace or needs canceling, such as ID or credit cards. Back when I was more reliant on library computers, I had to be really careful of a notebook I took there that had passwords in it. Written rather cryptically, but still.
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I was absolutely delighted that I finished my big excavation without doing my back in. Still need to finish refilling the hole, and do a third tip run with 25 more bags of rubble. I basked in the glow of achievement all day Monday. Now, alas, a neighbourhood cat has found it and is using it as a toilet. I need to improve my cat defences urgently, but I have a friend staying until the weekend.
Hoping the forecast holds, and it’s dry anough by the weekend for lots of gardening – planting, sowing, and defeating the neighbourhood cats.
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Well, free fertilizer, especially since you already plan to cover it with a whole lot of soil, which keeps it from making green plants turn yellowish and dead.
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That had occurred to me. Thanks for the positive spin.
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I’m working on getting back home from San Diego today, which is good because I’ve somehow managed to drop food onto six pieces of clothing which are now unwearable. How did I do this? Is this the beginning of the end?? No, don’t answer.
Also, there is no food available for purchase on our flight because the food workers are striking at Toronto Pearson. So they gave us each a $15 USD food voucher to spend in the airport. I hope the strike lasts forever.
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I’m not sure $15 will get you much more than a coffee, though…
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My phone is haunted today. I had written a response to your post, Tammy. It was – I wear my food well.
I don’t know where it went. But my previous comment which was just the word ‘beautiful’ posted randomly on a comment below that I haven’t even read yet.Reply
Play: memorizing my lines.
Yarn: still working on a long skirt and a dress you knit in panels.
Job applications: did nine this week.
Interviews: 2 this week, one later today and the other one I UTTERLY FAILED and was rejected for immediately. Honestly, I didn’t want the job once I found out what it was, but I feel very stupid that they were all, “what does a city clerk do?” and I have no idea what they do even after reading the website. Even they admitted it’s hard to tell, so….I did get a tentative offer officially (har) for the prison job. I am super conflicted about this to say the least, which is to say “scared, but I gotta take it.” It’ll be a huge pay cut and switching jobs means I lose my therapist insurance, which really sucks. I tried so hard to stay here and work in another position and the universe would not give me a break on losing pay/insurance, it seems. So right now I’m trying to figure out what getting out of here entails–probably having to cut a lot of things I pay for out of my life, learn to live poor. My mother offered to pay my rent, but we’ll see on that one. I’ll need to clear out the work computer, find out if there’s some way I can get health insurance for the first month since I’ll be cut off without any, probably cancel all my appointments in May. Scary stuff. Also whether or not I need to make myself over to be less of a conspicuous person–perhaps dye my hair an ugly color and wear all black to work so I blend in. Also need to get my hair done and the car serviced before I lose the ability to do that whenever I want.
I wish I could be happier about this. Have put in a big prayer to St. Expedite (and St. Anthony again), but frankly state employment may just not be anything that can be expedited by a saint.
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Do you really HAVE to take it? It sounds terrible.
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Yes. Because I’m permanently out of my job at the end of July, the jobs I was up for previously were pulled for budget cuts, and a major hiring freeze is going to drop any second now on state jobs. I have to get in before it’s too late and my only option is Wal-Mart. As long as I get started before the hiring freeze, then I can hopefully get into the system AND I can still take any lateral job offer.
Some people have told me it’s not that bad and they keep you safe, so there’s that, I guess. But yes, I’m pretty desperate and my time is running out.
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I want to gently say, if your mother is financially able to help you, maybe accept it. You have struggled hard & remained persistent in the face of what seems like cruel, gaslighting employers. If she can soften this blow a little, let her.
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Because mothers like to do things like that. It is a boon to them to let them do it.
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I’m working on pain-management. Physiotherapist Monday was concerned about how little there’s left of me now (she last saw me in October), but she did find some muscles on the side of my chest that might’ve been the cause of the side- and arm-pains. She massaged them some and said I have to wait and see, plus have a new appointment Monday next week. Haven’t had any heart-attack-sensations yesterday or today, so hopefully this means she found the right spots. My whole body is still screaming for attention from several muscles and joints in other places, however. For instance, yesterday my right shoulder started screaming in pain after I lifted a frying pan to pour pasta sauce over into an oven dish. It really feels like the entire system is staggering towards collapse. Sigh. Bleh. Argh.
Making mini-progress on plushie-project. Have emailed three printing-companies to ask them how I can best enlarge patterns so they can print them on huge sheets of paper for me. Have only heard back from one of them so far. At least I’m moving forward. Baby steps.
Sven and I finished an adventure-game we’d been playing over the last 2 or so weeks: The Vale, Shadow of the Crown. It was great. You play as a blind princess that gets thrown out into the wilderness after an attack on the caravan she was travelling with, and you need to find help and resources and learn to fight to get back to the city and your brother, the king. Normally I figure I have enough dealings with blindness in my everyday life to enjoy playing as a blind character, but this game was very well made in terms of gameplay, fighting and navigation, not leading you by the hand so much as encourage you to use your hearing to find your way yourself. We both really enjoyed it. The story was decent too. I might’ve cried in a few places. But that’s a secret! 🙂 I will go back and play it again someday and make different choices to see what happens.
For anybody interested: it’s on Steam, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. (I refuse to believe I’m the only gamer in here.)Reply
I’m so sorry about the physical stuff, Shass. I know all too well how scary and frustrating it can be. Hugs.
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Thank you! All hugs appreciated. Yes, I remember that you have a lot of struggles with pain and a body that shouts at you. Do you have any useful tips for how I can (gently) keep it going without overstraining? Not gonna go to a gym in this physical condition 🙁 but think it needs a bit of exercise. If I remember correctly, you’re also a supporter of natural medicine – is there any supplement, tea or other natural ointment/salve/anything I could use for pain management and/or joint/muscle care etc? I can of course Google, but first-hand experiences are good to hear.
Spontanious thought popping up: Maybe I should see if there are tai chi or qigong-classes somewhere. I miss doing martial arts something fierce, but my body can’t handle it right now… Maybe that’d be a way to meet halfway between my body and my brain. Hmm.
Thanks for making me think. <3Reply
I would support you looking for a tai-chi class or program. It’s gentle movement.
I’ve had a friend tout the benefits of CBD, which can also be applied as an ointment. Might be worth trying.
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CBD is supposedly very very good indeed! I should look into that. I remember our former GP *not* recommending taking the oil, but we were talking about it for sleep-problems back then and not muscle-/pain-management. That might be different. I will read up on it. Thank you very much!
I went ahead and googled on tai chi-classes yesterday, but haven’t found anything I feel good about yet. Not giving up though! I think this might be very good for me.
I like the closure at the top of your bed jacket it gives it a vintage look about it.
Yesterday I designated it ‘Ruthless Tuesday’ for going through clothes that I don’t have any hope of getting into again. I tend to hang on to them much too long. I have attachment issues. When I started to hang back on a few of them I called it a day. Now I have two bags to go to the Goodwill.
Today was a busy day for errands. Post office, bank, town hall, gas station and grocery store.
I then decided to make stuffed peppers with ricotta cheese stuffing over rice pilaf. Usually, I use a bit of spinach in the cheese stuffing but today I changed it up a bit. I cooked up a carrot and put it in the food processor to mash it and added it to the filling.
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Beautiful
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That beautiful comment was my phone misbehaving. Sorry.
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For some time now I have been working on getting my monthly expenses down since Florida has decided to make groceries major purchases. I need to do some budgeting. I’ve seen some success this week but it is draining; not physically but emotionally and mentally. So today I’m having a down day.I’m not doing anything except reading. I will take my thirty minute walk. That’s it though.
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Many books were taken to the Friends of the Library drop off point. Volunteers sort, sell and pass on books to other places, (of which, I know not), apparently none to the landfill. Huge win. Many more to go. Amazingly feeling much lighter.
Much gardening for tomorrow. Watching granddaughter play soccer (three school, grade 5 soccer league) tomorrow afternoon.
I rode a horse after many years, I think I posted that on a Sunday. Inspired to write a poem about it today.
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Shass, i’m having the same problems. I’m not sure why unless it’s the car crash but it seems it’s all over. I thought this week it might’ve been dehydration that I wasn’t drinking enough but yesterday I drank so much and the pain is still there. Right now I am icing so I get email and stuff
Jennie I absolutely love that crochet jacket! I haven’t done one of those since the 70s. The last thing I did was crochet scarves and hats during Jury Duty and that was fairly mindless since I had to keep my mind on what was happening. I think I got three hats and two scarves, but I like it is the colors. That was beautiful Yarn.
Tonight I’m babysitting And my episode of The Connors is on at 8 o’clock Eastern time and Pacific time on ABC. Fortunately a friend put YouTube live on my TV so I get to watch it.
Today I tried to do a lot of things. Write checks pay bills and I still have two auditions to do. One of them is very short and hope I hope to get it out tonight when Chris comes to drop off the boys.Reply
Looking forward to seeing you on The Conners. Have to wait for Hulu to drop the season though.
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Ouch, I feel you. Well, not that I have had a car accident (thank goodness), but handling a body that shouts at you that you’re doing it wrong is… a bit tiring. Hope you feel better soon, and grab a doctor by the ear if you don’t! <3
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After a few days of rain, I decided to pull out the gout weed that came back in my garden. I try very hard not to disturb anything in my yard until we’ve had 10 days of 10C weather but gout weed is persistent and I want it gone before I start planting. My interior greenhouse is full of seedlings and so far, they’re doing well. I’ve started marigolds and calendula inside and will also seed outside when weather gets warmer. Making cards for friends with April birthdays.
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I bought about half the annuals I plan to plant —impatiens, lantana, snapdragons, and a little creeping plant that I believe is called torenia . Also many many nasturtium seeds. I have been putting them out to harden. So this weekend I plant . Then I can buy angelonia and salvia and portulaca and also plant zinnias .
And spray (organic) deer repellent. A lot.
My irises are about to bloom and my Korean Cherries are in full bloom
And my lilac is almost there and my ferns are up and my lilies of the valley are spreading nicely .This is all sanity saving because I had important work in the day job and between work emergencies and emergencies with the divorce of dh’s friend who has Alzheimer’s none of it got done.
Sigh.
We have also been hosting my daughter’s closest friend who flew over to testify for Bernie Sanders about how to reduce drug prices only to have the hearing canceled because of the Mayorka impeachment non-trial. That’s work, sort of.
And it’s not work, but I have been helping ds plot the mystery he probably will never write. He hasn’t really done anything creative in the last 8 years so it’s fun to see him play with these ideas.
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Lilacs! I recently got it into my head that maybe I want lilacs in our back yard. They’re very resilient and they smell lovely, and I remember we had a lilac bush in the garden when I was a kid and I always loved to see the clusters of flowers when it bloomed. Might be too late in the year already to plant one? …if not, I will. They seem to have the amazing ability to take care of themselves, which is a trait I appreciate in growing things. If they’re not cats, I will probably forget to water them…! 🙂
Also gonna get more hibiscus! (We *think* it’s some kind of hibiscus, or camelia.) We have two already, planted by the previous owners, and they’re very pretty when they bloom. They’re also nuts enough to sometimes explode into bloom in November or so, but it brings me happy. I only wish they also smelled, but alas.
Hurrah for plotting together with DS! Plotting is half the fun of the creative work, if you ask me. 🙂
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More likely to be camellia than hibiscus at this time of year, I think.
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Dropped off more books for the library sale. I probably am passing on about 20% of the book hoard.
I’ve started cleaning up the flower beds.
And the usual meetings and doctor appointments.
I did finally find someone to rebuild my basem*nt steps and replace my recently deceased bathroom fan. That was the big win.
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I gave myself a four-day weekend which went to a ton of writer business, sketching out backstory for the characters in a new novelette, writing 3K of another new novelette, returning edits on the M/M/M Regency novella, and writing a new to-do list.
Monday, I went and got my hearing tested (normal) with follow-up on the vestibular therapy I got in January (all good).
Scanned another stack of detritus from the hoard. The digitization of clutter creeps along. And also, worked out a Visiting Parents and Turning It Into Vacation plan, action taken today = a week off scheduled in June. Huzzah!
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I’ve been trying to work on giving myself small victories. I’ve managed to cross a whole lot of little things off the to-do list, which has felt good, and dealt with a couple of bigger things that had me swamped this week. They’re not quite to the standard I’d like, but my darling husband tells me that just means I have brutally high standards for myself. I’ve also somehow sprained my thumb, which is proving to be a nuisance.
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You don’t start fully appreciating your thumb until you cant use it as normal. Hope you will feel better soon! The small victories are often the ones that count the most, so great work on practicing to cherish those. 🙂 <3
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You have over 700 projects on Ravelry! That’s a lot of valium.
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