tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60762937890818874422024-03-12T20:33:33.246-05:00The Not-Writing SpectacleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2911125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-79271614357665552442024-01-01T07:46:00.002-06:002024-01-01T07:46:25.282-06:00Happy New Year!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5Yc-TolLfVTY576yV18T7rFJB1b758xSILtVJeSFrGmMtWjUBYr5dWpTtHpvCOghn71MAIAq0np_bXrD60JaZTWWEqXRtT_0Zbm2OY1Qxii_n8Ff1mjv1l61ZMlhgbuHzzsPM_s74qOBti5qh50gzTUpfCOQ0SoEBW-IIqKRHMHGtbpVMOs8-S5M/s547/2024%20a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="547" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5Yc-TolLfVTY576yV18T7rFJB1b758xSILtVJeSFrGmMtWjUBYr5dWpTtHpvCOghn71MAIAq0np_bXrD60JaZTWWEqXRtT_0Zbm2OY1Qxii_n8Ff1mjv1l61ZMlhgbuHzzsPM_s74qOBti5qh50gzTUpfCOQ0SoEBW-IIqKRHMHGtbpVMOs8-S5M/s320/2024%20a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Well, the end of another year went by. 2023 wasn't necessarily bad. It wasn't necessarily good either. In the end it all balanced out. 2023... the Year of Meh.<p></p><p>I used to use a post like this to talk about my book sales. Suffice it to say, there's no joy in that particular section of Mudville. I sold 27 books last year and made about $28. Wrote nothing, published nothing. But I got a nice letter the other day from a reader, squeeing about my djinn books, so that was good.</p><p>The beginning of '23 saw a <i>thing</i>, which I am not at liberty to discuss. The end of '23 saw us completely out of debt. </p><p>I'm still working. Being out of debt doesn't mean I can afford to stop. Not unless I want to get right back into the mess that prompted me to start working after 18 years. (Thanks for the sucky economy, you know who you are.) On the upside, I'm pretty good at my job and I'm improving all the time, so yay.</p><p>2023 saw us head over to the pet rescue for a kitten and bring home two. They're both a year old now. Finn is still a cuddle-bug. Sawyer is still a tornado. But Sawyer is getting better. And we've all adapted to each other quite nicely. At a year old, Sawyer is 15 pounds and Finn is 11.75 pounds. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr39muxetElcHiDremOsn4-xa7yjq_qOv-sQ-MwatM718qczKjMeLgtDfIcrv4I35nEXb_6vAsnOKkC-usllpnWZSg6-7xnsHG-3Wl4OfDknbkieDxrlUVtTr_3P6LU6gR8GndsTu9kZLsk1aLwQyEkZwcI-mf788uu1N17p1ZfglwbXgkIJtjJVi9/s960/Sawyer%20-%20md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr39muxetElcHiDremOsn4-xa7yjq_qOv-sQ-MwatM718qczKjMeLgtDfIcrv4I35nEXb_6vAsnOKkC-usllpnWZSg6-7xnsHG-3Wl4OfDknbkieDxrlUVtTr_3P6LU6gR8GndsTu9kZLsk1aLwQyEkZwcI-mf788uu1N17p1ZfglwbXgkIJtjJVi9/w320-h256/Sawyer%20-%20md.jpg" title="Sawyer" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96t71_Wl0egHDRYlVOnuG3dgSl4RL-CV2VRVqlcPdXtMamV9djPI4q-A7XwqdvDVynOflR7Vhgngdmi_Wij2mS2FT34LJSv0zaD71DcDJUaSGPngRzJ5wbq9G4SD2dgi7fgN83OeRKM_XCkW61jALOMFRU0A8bi_Rrf7je2MVP8bYii9mKLBfh7RB/s960/Finn%20-%20md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96t71_Wl0egHDRYlVOnuG3dgSl4RL-CV2VRVqlcPdXtMamV9djPI4q-A7XwqdvDVynOflR7Vhgngdmi_Wij2mS2FT34LJSv0zaD71DcDJUaSGPngRzJ5wbq9G4SD2dgi7fgN83OeRKM_XCkW61jALOMFRU0A8bi_Rrf7je2MVP8bYii9mKLBfh7RB/w320-h256/Finn%20-%20md.jpg" title="Finn" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This past year, Hubs and I both traveled to see our mothers. They were separate vacations, but that's okay. I think we both needed to do that - have one on one time with the Moms. They aren't getting any younger, ya know. </p><p>I started 2023 at 165.2 pounds and started 2024 at 161.0. At one point I got down to 158, but that didn't last long, and for the remainder of the year I've been hovering between 160 and 162. It wasn't a super active year. I did start walking on my lunch this fall and managed to get myself up to 19 miles walked in 2023.</p><p>I didn't go fishing even once last year. As such, I never even bought a fishing license. =o(</p><p>One definite upside to 2023 is we didn't lose any loved ones. The Moms are still going strong. The sibs have their issues but are, for the most part, healthy. Owl is out there in the world, doing her own thing. Hubs and I are alive and well. Another year older, another year wiser perhaps. Still in love. This year, we'll celebrate our 20 year anniversary. Yay.</p><p>And that's about it for the yearly wrap-up. I hope 2023 was better than, and certainly not worse than, MEH for you all. Here's hoping 2024 is a better year, no matter how your 2023 went. </p><p>HAPPY NEW YEAR!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-10066104596680747032023-12-21T06:35:00.005-06:002023-12-21T06:35:59.577-06:00Thursday This n That<p>I don't have a lot of time this morning, but here I am.</p><p>Customer service is a lost art these days. I was thinking about it this morning and about my customers. Yes, I reached a point a while back where all these people are mine, and that's important, but we'll circle back to that. I've been working on a project where I'm building a sort of list of customers, what we do for each one, addresses, email addys, etc. It's for sales & marketing, but it's something more. It's given me an opportunity most people don't get. I have at least SEEN the names of every customer we have, because I typed them into the list. I didn't generate it using a report function. I Typed It In. So when Lorna Doone calls, even if I've never spoken to her or met her, she doesn't have to tell me she's a customer. I can greet her like I know her. "Hello, Ms. Doone. How are you today?" Good god, I can't remember the last time I was greeted like a person when I called customer service anywhere. And when I do what I do, I can hear the delight and sometimes shock in the customer's voice that I remembered them or knew them or even just didn't act like they were a number. It's kind of awesome. Circling back to that other point, I think reaching a point where the customers are YOURS means you take better care of them. You want to provide them with better customer service because they're yours. Jus' sayin'. </p><p>I don't know if I told you this, but when we first got the kittens, we would shut them in the office at night so we could sleep. Okay, when we FIRST got them... like the first week... they were free range kitties, which is why we started shutting them up at night. Mama needs her sleep. Anyway, a few weeks ago, we decided to let them free again. Those first few nights were not gentle slumbers, but eventually they're getting the idea that we sleep at night and they're settling into bed with us. Sawyer likes to wake up at 3am and play, but I just scoot him into the office and go back to bed those nights. For the most part, they're both becoming good cats. Yay.</p><p>Since I starting working again, my typing speed has accelerated. I'm not sure how fast it is now, but man... whoosh. Taking notes over the phone really sped the old fingers up. When/If I start writing again, look out. LOL</p><p>Okay, it's about the time to ponder whether I need a shower, and if I'm gonna take one, then I need to get 'er done. Some days, I just can't muster the will or the energy to shower. I'm thinking this'll be a 'wash my hair and call it good' day. </p><p>Well, whatever you decide and whatever your day brings, have a good one. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-24205731943985524422023-12-07T07:22:00.007-06:002023-12-07T07:22:56.108-06:00Thursday This n That<p>Dragged, kicking and screaming, into this decade, I am finally allowing Windows 10 into my home. I'm kinda forced to, and believe me, I wouldn't be doing it if they* weren't forcing us to. But nothing seems to be updating for Windows 7 anymore. Bastards. You see, Hubs needs a new computer because his laptop is like 13 years old and we're on tenterhooks wondering whether today is the day it's going to die. We stopped closing it years ago because the monitor/lid hinge was getting to where it was close to popping off the next time we opened it. Anyway, I hit Newegg and ordered it up last night - 'puter, monitor, keyboard, mouse. All for under $200. Yay. Yeah, they're refurbs, but I've been working on a refurb for 3 years. Once Hubs' is in and we're sure it works and junk, we'll order me up a new 'puter, too. Just the machine - I have a monitor, etc. Maybe afterwards, we'll be able to load stuff faster than the speed of snail. Freakin' browser with it's 'we won't update your software anymore you dinosaur' messages.</p><p>I know you haven't heard from me in a while. Work takes pretty much all my brain space these days. I wish I could talk about it, but there are eyes everywhere. :waves: </p><p>The kittens are 11 months old now. Sawyer is my chonky boi, but Finn's no itty-bitty kitty himself. They're the same length stem to stern. Sawyer's a bit wider and Finn is smidgen taller. We'll weigh them at a year. </p><p>Sorry, I had to stop there for a while because Hubs wanted to go over the budget. End of year, trying to figure out where the money went... Weeee. We're definitely better off this year than we were last year, and last year was way better than the year before. Hell, we're out of debt now. Woohoo. Say what you will about work, it does the trick, eh?</p><p>Speaking of which, I should probably stop here and start moving in a general workly direction. Have a great day wherever you are. </p><p>Peace out.</p><p><i>*The assholes who make computer software.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-86842687794962573402023-10-15T07:11:00.004-05:002023-10-15T07:11:54.900-05:00Sunday Update - Week Helifino<p> I really have a tough time writing anything these days... including a blog post. So, bear with me.</p><p>I finally finished a book yesterday. It was Silver James' latest - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198625984-crossfire">Crossfire </a>- and it was AWESOME. Her best yet and all the others were awesome, so that's saying something. Yes, it took me like a month to read it, but that's totally on me. Reading is like writing for me, in the fact that I've been having a tough time doing it. I lack focus for anything not work related. Which kinda sucks.</p><p>The other day someone gave me a box of books, too. And I want to read them, but when I will is anyone's guess. I have only read 17 books this year. So much for the goal of reading 50, eh?</p><p>Okay, so I lied a little. My lack of focus is not just work. It's kitties, too. These boyz take a lot of attention. I've had to get up twice now just in the space of typing the above. Sawyer's always into something, and Finn is often along for the ride, but he's also starting to instigate things himself. There's the third time... And now Sawyer's in the bathroom because he wouldn't leave stuff alone.</p><p>Anyway... </p><p>Life is pretty boring out here in the back of beyond. I work, I eat, I sleep, I attend to kitties (if only to give Hubs a break because he's home with them all day). Not much else going on.</p><p>But I'm not dead, so there's that. </p><p>How life treating you these days?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-5382614872948994392023-09-20T07:23:00.001-05:002023-09-20T07:23:09.607-05:00A Few Thoughts for a Nothing Morning<p>I wonder if the person who coined the term 'windbreaker' for that certain style of jackets giggles every time they hear it. "farter'... hehehe</p><p>For some reason, Sawyer is obsessed with feet. Socks on, socks off, shoes, no shoes. He must have the feet. Finn, on the other hand, is obsessed with used tissues. He couldn't care less about new tissues, but blow your nose in it and set it down... haHA.</p><p>I got the Boyz a couple of dog toys - a mallard duck and a raccoon. The duck was the goal, but I bought the raccoon, so they'd each have a toy to play with. Nope, they just love the duck. The first time one of them grabbed it by it's neck and ran through the house with it... achievement unlocked.</p><p>By the way, the Boyz have been weighed. At 8 months old, Sawyer is 11.5 pounds and Finn is 9 pounds even. Sawyer's my chonky boi.</p><p>So, I was laying in bed last night not sleeping and thinking about the demise of my writing. And wouldn't you know it, the answer of 'where the hell do I go with the next book?' hit me like a bolt out of the blue. Of course, I am up to my ass in alligators, so finding time to write will be difficult, and I may be burned to a crisp if I try to write while doing everything else, but there it is. </p><p>Speaking of busy, the past couple of days, I've been working 8 hours... with a half hour lunch in the middle... then coming home to do spreadsheets. And finishing at about 8:30p. Yeah, add writing to that... :snort:</p><p>Oh, and then I play with the kittens before going to bed, because I don't want to neglect the babies. Poor Hubs.</p><p>And that's about it. Time to call the Michigan office before I have to get ready to go to the Missouri office. Yay. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-88777832559961385432023-07-27T06:56:00.006-05:002023-07-27T06:56:32.661-05:00Thursday This n That<p>Wow. It's been over a month since I posted. </p><p>A couple days ago, I got back from a trip to Michigan - not a month worth, only a few days. It was great seeing Mom and the sibs. We did nothing but sit around, chat, watch TV, order in... like I said, it was great. Here's me on my vacay...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHWCex3WiS1sO0KHpo5m2FMZhGR8yKEoDqgJd3AGApNqiau4Hy6WUMA1qYZMjtZSIcKDBkyxvhFowBDtre9lYJ98cBgJUIcPkxis3mRw-757e4JgRk3iWx0VPs8kkRlNU7HcmT9GydWjjr84J0J7TePYWXx1UyLMre8Kauh6jrswrL8mxDa3nmEv9/s1395/Beth%20at%20Moms%20-%20cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1395" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHWCex3WiS1sO0KHpo5m2FMZhGR8yKEoDqgJd3AGApNqiau4Hy6WUMA1qYZMjtZSIcKDBkyxvhFowBDtre9lYJ98cBgJUIcPkxis3mRw-757e4JgRk3iWx0VPs8kkRlNU7HcmT9GydWjjr84J0J7TePYWXx1UyLMre8Kauh6jrswrL8mxDa3nmEv9/s320/Beth%20at%20Moms%20-%20cut.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p>Yes, I feel the need to curl my toes.</p><p>The Boyz are getting big. Sawyer is a giant among kittens. He's my chunky boi. Just kidding. He's not fat, he's all muscle. And Finn's no slouch either. My super-sleek house panthers.</p><p>Speaking of Finn, he's been distracting me from writing this post. He's such a cuddle bug.</p><p>It's been super hot and dry here. I guess while I was gone, the heat let up a bit, but it's come back in full force. Blerg.</p><p>I was screwing around on Etsy last night and I saw a candle that you can buy in various interesting (good but different) scents - including maple bourbon, pumpkin souffle, and Fruity Pebbles. The store had all sorts of sayings you could get on the glass the candle comes in. I liked "I'd shank a bitch in the kidney for you." but I'm demented.</p><p>Mom watches a lot of those court shows - Couples Court, Paternity Court, People's Court, Judge Judy - so that was watch I watched while I was there. It was fun. Man, people have messed up lives. </p><p>I also noted that up in Liberalia (aka Michigan) the commercials inundate people with social justice messages. No wonder the populace up there is so messed up. It's a blitzkrieg of brainwashing. Mom's got pretty good armor - I just feel bad that she has to sit through that crap to get to the shows she wants to watch. </p><p>Yesterday, I was back to work. Eh, it wasn't that bad. Only like 26 emails and I had picked a slow time of the month to go anyway, so I wouldn't have to come back to a pile of anything vile. Yay. I had warned several of my customers I was leaving, so they wouldn't call to talk to me. =o)</p><p>Speaking of work, I should probably start moving in a workerly direction. Have a great day, everyone, and don't be such a stranger. ;o)</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-35167445871680054092023-06-22T06:35:00.003-05:002023-06-22T06:35:20.227-05:00Thursday This n That<p>I don't post very much anymore because I don't really have much to say. Work, home, kitties. The occasional trip to Wallyworld. This is my life now.</p><p>Briefly touching on my old life, I signed up for the Smashwords sale next month. 50% off all my books during July. (Although, if I read it right, any book that's 99c now will be free. There are a few of those, so go for it.)</p><p>Today is my one-year anniversary of going back to work. I should get my review today. I think it'll be a good one. I've hit my goals, my customers love me, and I take on whatever is thrown at me. If not always with grace than at least with style.</p><p>The kittens are slowly settling down. Well, for varying definitions of 'settling down'. Sawyer decided it was fun to jump down behind the tall dresser. Unfortunately, once he was back there he couldn't get back out. The first time, he accidentally fell back there. The next several were intentional. So this morning, I moved the dresser flat against the wall so he can't get back there. We've moved or hidden so many things now. Our spare room looks like The Room of Requirement. I half expect to find a diadem in there.</p><p>Finn has become my little cuddle-bug. He's such a good kitty that he sometimes gets less attention because we're constantly having to deal with Sawyer's antics. Luckily, he's pretty much happy playing by himself.</p><p>We have baby turkeys. Yay.</p><p>And fawns. Yay.</p><p>Okay, well, that's about all I've got for this morning. Have an awesome day out there everyone.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-86063598656252552442023-06-11T08:25:00.004-05:002023-06-11T08:25:50.535-05:00Sunday Update - Week Huh?<p>Two Sundays in a row... I'm killin' it.</p><p>We saw our first fawn of the year today.</p><p>We introduced the spray bottle today in an attempt to curb the kittens' worst infractions - chiefly getting into the places where we have electrical cords that could easily zap them into kitty heaven. After the first squirt, Sawyer now squints his eyes when I bring it out and seems less likely to get into trouble, but the minute our backs are turned, there he is. He's a bull-headed little cuss.</p><p>I bought them a big, fluffy, decorative pillow to play with. It looks like a muppet or one of those things on the cell phone commercial - no eyes, just blue fur. Hubs named it the Blue Buffalo. Finn is already trying to kill it. Sawyer fears it a little.</p><p>Work is work. I'd talk about it more, but I can't. </p><p>I booked my trip to Michigan. It's been 9 years. Time flies. When I had the time, I didn't have the money. Now I have the money and don't have the time. Well, I made the time this time. We can mostly thank Hubs for that. He started it by going to see his mom and encouraging me to see mine, plus not worrying about the time I'll be taking off work. These are the first vacation days I've taken since I started there a year ago. (I had a couple days off due to illness and a couple due to weather, but these are the first days for just relaxation.)</p><p>That's right, it's been nearly a year since I started working again. Whoda thunk it. </p><p>Okay, that's about it for me today. How are things in your little corner of the world?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-38767184755268349372023-06-04T07:13:00.002-05:002023-06-04T07:13:16.817-05:00Sunday Update - Actually Sunday For a Change<p> Another week went by in a blur. Let's see what happened...</p><p>Well, Hubs got home from a trip. I try not to say beforehand if or when either of us is going to be away from home because that just makes good sense. But I can tell you afterwards, so there it is. He went to visit his mom for her birthday. Yay. And he had a nice time, so it's all good. No, I didn't go and no, taking separate vacations doesn't mean there's anything wrong. He needed to spend time with his family without me tagging along and it made good financial sense. Plus, someone had to stay home with the kittens. I'll go see my mom somewhere along the way.</p><p>So, I've taken a couple roadtrips back and forth to the airport - which is like 75-90 minutes away depending on traffic. It reminded me why I hate the city. Too much traffic, too many inconsiderate drivers and pedestrians. </p><p>I've seen a couple of deer that look post-pregnant, so the countdown for fawns has begun.</p><p>Work is work. The stress level seems to have reduced, which is good. I'm enjoying knowing the customers so they feel like people and not a number. I even had someone call in and comment 'wow, a real person and not a phone tree'. Yep. Although, they do get a phone tree if no one picks up before the 4th ring. I try to make sure the 4th ring never happens, but I'm not a god. </p><p>The kittens are growing like weeds. And getting into everything still. Except their growth means they've got the heft to knock over things they couldn't when they were smaller. The trick is to distract them. Take all the mischief energy and redirect it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Right this minute, I have distracted Sawyer with a jingly ball, so he's running around the house playing a solo game of soccer instead of trying to climb into the paper shredder again. Okay, in the time it took me to type that, he's back getting into trouble. :shrug: Finn is so much less troublesome, but we love them both. </p><p>Jumping back to the stress level... now that the stress is less, I'm gaining weight back. Not necessarily the happiest of side effects, but I'll live.</p><p>Well, that's about it for me. Time to start whatever passes for a Sunday around here. Ink Master marathon! I'm not sure why that show is addictive for me, but it is. Have a great day whatever you're doing. :hugs:</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-79296598626820738932023-05-29T07:48:00.001-05:002023-05-29T07:48:12.702-05:00Sunday... err... Monday Update<p> It's Memorial Day, so you know what that means, right? It's Monday but it feels like Sunday. And I'll be screwed up all week as to what day it actually is. Awesome. :note sarcasm:</p><p>Anyway, there hasn't been an update in a while because 1) I keep forgetting and 2) there's really nothing much going on in my life that you don't already know about. I work, I come home, I wrangle kittens and I watch TV.</p><p>I had an interesting (for varying definitions of interesting) thing happen yesterday. Well, two things really. First, I got online to find all my saved passwords had disappeared, so I had to re log into everything (after a virus scan, of course). While I was waiting for the scan to run, I did check my email. Nothing there. So, being bored, I decided to clean out my spam folder. There was an email from an old boyfriend, asking me to properly attribute a photo I had posted to FB as being a photo taken by him. The photo was from a trip to Yellowstone in 2003* and I have no way of knowing whose hand my camera was in when any of those pics were taken. (And neither does he, by the way.) Anyway, once I was sure my 'puter wasn't infected with anything, I got on FB and deleted said photo along with any other photo that may have potentially been taken by him. Problem solved. I also went back through my blog archives and deleted same. :shrug: No skin off my nose to delete them and it was way easier then trying to determine which ones were his and which ones were mine and putting verbiage with each. Plus, I don't need or want his name splashed all over my social media for all eternity. </p><p>Oh, and the virus scan came up clean, so here's hoping it was just my old computer and the fact that nothing supports my Windows version anymore. I suppose eventually I will be forced to use the latest Windows version, but I like 7. It works for me and, like the car I've had for 20 years, I'm comfortable with it.</p><p>Let's see... what else... Oh, the deer are super fat-pregnant. Should be any time now that we'll be seeing fawns.</p><p>Other than that, not much going on. I think I'll go call my mom and then maybe do some gardening. We'll see. Have a great day. </p><p>And remember, if only for a moment, why we have this three day weekend and all the freedoms we enjoy. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>* Yes, Mr. Petty decided to claim a photo taken twenty years ago on what was basically a 'family' trip. :eyeroll: He must be an extremely sad and lonely old man. =o(</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-92146387368520748052023-05-19T00:30:00.000-05:002023-05-21T19:33:06.038-05:002023 - Books Read<p>It's that time again. If you didn't already know it, I log every book I read throughout the year. I've beem doing it since 2007. This is that post for 2023. I start it when I finish the first book of the year and I keep moving it as I go along. And there are links to all of these posts on the left side, underneath the books I've written. </p><p>* = ebook<br /># = new to me and underappreciated (which means I haven't read this author before and it has less than 50 reviews on Goodreads)<br />if there's a number there, it's the book's place in a series (I do this if I remember, but I usually don't)</p><p>The book list is newest first, but they're numbered, so you can kinda guess that. Last year, I had a goal of 75 books and I only got to 72. This year, I'm going with a 50 book goal (because I'm now working full time.) Feel free to play along.</p><p>Anyway, let's get this party started...</p><p>16) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25417107-in-too-deep">In Too Deep</a> by Tracy Alvarez (5/21/23) - Romance*<br />15) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53408047-dead-set">Dead Set</a> by Martin Shannon (5/15/23) - UF*<br />14) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693660-never-turn-your-back-on-an-angus-cow">Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow</a> by Dr. Jan Pol / David Fisher (5/11/23) - NF<br />13) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/817209.The_Shivering_Sands">The Shivering Sands</a> by Victoria Holt (4/30/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense<br />12) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59040913-the-wrong-victim">The Wrong Victim</a> by Allison Brennan (4/4/23) - Romantic Suspense<br />11) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51380826-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-witchcraft">Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft</a> by Mandy M. Roth (3/31/23) - Paranormal Romance*<br />10) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4409753-rainbow-in-the-mist">Rainbow in the Mist</a> by Phyllis A. Whitney (3/28/23) - Romantic Suspense<br />9) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/932663.Blind_Man_s_Bluff">Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage</a> by Sontag & Drew (3/24/23) - NF<br />8) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/794560.The_Road_to_Paradise_Island">The Road to Paradise Island</a> by Victoria Holt (2/6/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense<br />7) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7694190-delicious-and-suspicious">Delicious and Suspicious</a> by Riley Adams (1/31/23) - Cozy Mystery<br />6) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1253612.Three_Men_Out">Three Men Out (Nero Wolfe)</a> by Rex Stout (1/20/23) - Crime<br />5) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2659335-domino">Domino </a>by Phyllis A. Whitney (1/17/23) - Romantic Suspense<br />4) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3974645-spinsters-in-jeopardy">Spinsters in Jeopardy</a> by Ngaio Marsh (1/14/23) - Mystery<br />3) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14335609-kill-shot">Kill Shot</a> by Vince Flynn (1/8/23) - Political Thriller <br />2) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54143360-what-lies-beneath">What Lies Beneath</a> by Adam Croft (1/2/23) - Suspense*<br />1) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62621171-snowflakes-and-sparks">Snowflakes and Sparks</a> by Sophia-Leigh Robbins (1/1/23) - Romance*<br />0) <a href="https://silverjames.com/2022/12/21/wednesday-words-the-cat-who-came-for-christmas/">The Cat Who Came for Christmas</a> by Silver James (1/1/23) - Holiday Paranormal*</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-61968043542947687492023-05-13T06:28:00.002-05:002023-05-13T06:28:22.493-05:00Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 5/12/23<p> Well, it's certainly been a while since I did one of these things. Frankly, I haven't been reading a lot or doing much with books, so you haven't missed much. Here's what's gone on since last I posted a Reading Wrap-up.</p><p>I picked up 3 books - all hardcovers. I got a NF, a compilation of HG Wells stories, and a compilation of stories by James Herriott. I read the NF already.</p><p>Books Read: </p><p>14) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693660-never-turn-your-back-on-an-angus-cow">Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow</a> by Dr. Jan Pol / David Fisher (5/11/23) - NF - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. I picked this up for $2 at the thrift store.<br />Review: "I love the show and I loved this book."</p><p>13) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/817209.The_Shivering_Sands">The Shivering Sands</a> by Victoria Holt (4/30/23) - Historical Romantic Suspense - 4 stars. Not new to me and not underappreciated. This one I also got for $2 at the thrift store.<br />Review: "This one was a little hard to get into but it ended up being enthralling. Too bad I don't have as much time to read as I used to, or this wouldn't have taken me so long."</p><p>12) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59040913-the-wrong-victim">The Wrong Victim</a> by Allison Brennan (4/4/23) - Romantic Suspense - 5 stars. Not new to me or underappreciated (although I always feel more people should be reading Allison's books). Another $2 at the thrift store.<br />Review: "Ms. Brennan nails it again. The story is enthralling. The characters are kick-ass. The layers in this are delicious."</p><p>No DNFs... who has the time for that? LOL</p><p>Currently reading... Well, now I haven't quite decided that yet.</p><p>I don't expect anyone to tell me the books they've read over the past 6 weeks, but feel free to tell me what's been going on in your reading world.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-40525015914947640632023-05-09T06:55:00.004-05:002023-05-09T06:55:31.725-05:00Random Update<p>First thing in the morning is a bad time to blog. I have kittens to wrangle and coffee to drink and I have to smoke out in the sun porch now, so I can't exactly sit here while I'm doing it. Then I have to get ready for work and whoosh, out the door I go. Nights ain't all that great either. I get home from work and I'm a totally toad. Eat dinner, watch a little TV, maybe read a few pages of someone else's words and then I'm off to bed. Weekends? Well, there are errands to run and I spend a lot of time decompressing away from the computer. Cuz like I sit in front of a computer all day long at work. So it's not like I'm quitting blogging. I still want to blog. I just don't have the energy or the brain power to do it as often as I'd like.</p><p>And there ya go.</p><p>I haven't been reading much. I haven't been baking at all. We won't talk about activity. And I weigh around 160.</p><p>They changed the office hours at work a smidgen, so we're not open until 5:30 now. Which means I get home a half hour earlier M-Th. Yay. </p><p>Sawyer has this thing where, right after Hubs cleans the litter box, the dang kitten jumps in and then attacks the litter. Totally ruins the feng shui in there. Weirdo. He's also our soccer star. And he's obsessed with the ceiling fans. Finn is our quiet boy, except when he talks to himself. Walking around the house meowing little meows under his breath. He also likes to play in my hair, which occasionally turns into attacking my hair. Scalp ouchies. Bummer.</p><p>We've been hearing coyotes a lot lately. Which does not bode well for the fawns should they arrive early. Hopefully, the 'yotes will move along before the actual fawning begins.</p><p>Well, that's about all I've got time for this morning. I'll try to remember to stop by on Thursday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-81452797251474830532023-05-05T18:50:00.001-05:002023-05-05T18:50:36.546-05:00Thursday This n That<p>Hey, look at that... I forgot to post on Sunday. Well, crap. I mean, it's not like there's anything going on in my life or anything. But still...</p><p>And hey, look at that... I forgot to post this even though I wrote most of it Thursday morning... So, read this like it's Thursday. k?</p><p>The coyotes were serenading me again last night. It was, of course, a full moon. At least it looked pretty full.</p><p>The boys are rambunctious this morning. Devil babies.</p><p>I ordered some kitty probiotic stuff. There's a powder to add to their food and a bag of treats. We'll see if that helps with the potty issues. They're fine in every other respect. They're eating, they're drinking. They have bright eyes and shiny coats. They are certainly not lacking in the energy department. So, crossing all of that off the list, it must be an issue with their gut bacteria. Thus, probiotics.</p><p>We're expecting storms later today. And the sky this morning is red. Jus' sayin'.</p><p>My customers love me. </p><p>I'm reading that book by Dr. Pol - Never turn your back on an angus cow. Wise words.</p><p>And now it's Friday night and I'm too tired to do much of anything but veg in front of the TV. Have a great weekend, everyone!</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-53262186516540853492023-04-28T05:56:00.004-05:002023-04-28T05:56:50.848-05:00Thursday This n That<p> Yeah, I know it's Friday, but I was busy yesterday. It was take the kitties for their wellness vet visit. They gave us something for Sawyer's sniffles and something else for Finn's intestinal issues, and something for both of them for general health, I guess. They made it down and back with minimal meowing, no pooping and, most importantly, no puking. The appointment was super quick and we were home before 10, which was good because I wasn't due in to work until 11. </p><p>The stuff they gave Sawyer for his sniffles went down like a dream. The stuff they gave Finn for his tummy was a fuckin' nightmare. And he's my good baby. I thought his head was gonna start spinning around he was freaking out so bad. Thanks for that, doc. And now he doesn't trust me. Double thanks. And the stress of the whole ordeal has made his poops worse. Blerg. Since the doc assured me it couldn't be parasites, I'm just going to hope he grows out of it. And I'll probably try my sister's recommendation and start mixing cat food with the kitten food. </p><p>It'll all work itself out.</p><p>Speaking of work, it's all starting to smooth itself out as well.</p><p>Not smoking at this desk is driving me nuts. The force of habit is strong.</p><p>Speaking of smoking, I do it. And I'm gonna keep doing it. Why do people feel the need to make comments on it when they would think it rude to make comments on any other personal habit? It's verboten to walk by someone eating and tell them that their hamburger is going to kill them. It's tacky to keep reminding people who drink about what alcohol is doing to their liver. Or that they could kill someone on their way home. And you'll never hear someone telling someone else that they're perfume stinks. But smokers are fair game? Bah. And feh. I'm perfectly respectful about smoking. I don't do it around people. I police my butts. Hell, if I'm smoking outside and someone who isn't smoking is nearby, I try to blow the smoke away from them. Or I walk away. </p><p>The deer are fat pregnant. Soon, we'll have fawns.</p><p>And on that note, Hubs is up and I should probably go find something else to do for the few minutes I have before I have to get ready for work. Have a great day, y'all.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-53592015358775045612023-04-23T06:31:00.004-05:002023-04-23T07:07:33.491-05:00Sunday Update - Week ?<p> The weeks... they blur together like... things that blur.</p><p>Work is work.</p><p>The cats are in the middle of a wrestling match ranging all over the office. Time out for litterbox.</p><p>This morning Hubs couldn't believe we've only had the cats for two weeks. But yeah, it's only been two weeks. Like I told a co-worker, it's like having toddlers with knives. I think my two most used verbalizations are 'Be a good boy.' and NO. They're going to the vet on Thursday for a wellness check. I should probably trim their claws beforehand. I mean, they're good kittens, but they are kittens. </p><p>To say I'm distracted would be putting it mildly. I have work, which takes all my concentration M-F (and some on the weekends because I can't make it stop) and I have the kittens who take all the rest of my brain power. I thought briefly about writing, but that's about the extent of it.</p><p>I'm reading the same book I've been reading for two weeks now. Every time I open the book and get settled, I have a cat on my lap... sometimes two. </p><p>No baking.</p><p>No activity. Weight 159.2</p><p>And they're back to wrestling again.</p><p>The birds are singing their brains out. I love Spring.</p><p>The deer are all fat pregnant. </p><p>And I think that's about it for the update. Have a great week, everyone.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-34280191233382619552023-04-20T06:42:00.007-05:002023-04-20T06:42:51.171-05:00Thursday This n That<p> I'm trying to take more pictures of Finn and Sawyer. They don't make it easy. They're so damn active a lot of the pics I take have to be tossed because they're blurry. Anyway, here's a mash up of pics I took of each of them...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYuCoHw9jGauG1cA-247S7uLdfd7d7DaawaptZM91il8ATf-Lb2qGchdAnoanqkSdFC_Yfeu9ixxR1epASAobM6X2QtHxOq1-kwzGcJDcvx2G7nMcFh13mHMW4gpfYl5N-AEtfkt6JuVgqwWupihKnI7_42Gq4PuWxINK57M1_rj105QLASW9wA/s1024/The%20Boys%20-%20md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1024" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYuCoHw9jGauG1cA-247S7uLdfd7d7DaawaptZM91il8ATf-Lb2qGchdAnoanqkSdFC_Yfeu9ixxR1epASAobM6X2QtHxOq1-kwzGcJDcvx2G7nMcFh13mHMW4gpfYl5N-AEtfkt6JuVgqwWupihKnI7_42Gq4PuWxINK57M1_rj105QLASW9wA/s320/The%20Boys%20-%20md.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Such an attractive pair and so refined. You'd never know by looking at this that they are devil babies. But I must say that shutting them in the office at night is making a difference in our sleep. Sure, we never were champion sleepers, but we were getting even less sleep than we were usually able to glean. Last night was actually restful. One in a row... yay!</p><p>I got kudos at work yesterday. They did their weekly meeting (which I am rarely invited to... yay... I'm not a fan of meetings) and I guess they were talking about me because afterward, the boss told me that they were all saying what a good job I'm doing. Yay. I try, but I don't always know... ya know?</p><p>I'm not spending an awful lot of time online these days. The boys are giving me ADD (no H... I can never be described as hyperactive.) I try to focus and then I hear them up on the table, trying to eat my sunglasses and hide my keys, and I'm off. Then I get back to my chair to find one of them sleeping. Not sure how they do that. </p><p>Because Half-Pint left the office, I now do the later shift - 9 to 5:30 - for the foreseeable future. I enjoy having more time in the morning, but not having less time at night. Derp.</p><p>Anyway, the boys are demanding attention, which makes it hard to type this post. So, I'm going to let you go. Have a great day, everyone!</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-74685382455843542062023-04-16T06:56:00.001-05:002023-04-16T06:56:05.766-05:00Sunday Update - Week 15<p>The week is a blur, but I'll try to recreate some of it...</p><p>Work, Cats...</p><p>That's about it.</p><p>Seriously, though... Work was busy, but good. We're learning to roll with fewer office staff. A lean, mean, fighting machine. Hoo ya.</p><p>The cats are filled with boundless energy. I wish I could harness some of that. Alas, they aren't sharing it. And their boundless energy makes me tired. LOL</p><p>I totally forgot to do my Saturday Reading Wrap-up again. I may just stop doing that. I didn't finish any books last week. Right now, I'm on a Victoria Holt. </p><p>Don't even ask about activity. I did nothing except for cat wrangling. Last I checked, I was at 160-ish pounds.</p><p>I saw a bald eagle yesterday. That was probably the last one I'll see for the season. I know, I said that the last time I saw a baldy, but this time I'm probably right.</p><p>Last night, to try and regain some sleep, we put the cats in the office with their food and water (the litterbox and their toys are already in here) and shut the door. They were no worse for wear. The office is like 600 sq ft and it has plenty of places to sleep/play/wrassle/run like crazy people. And we got sleep, too. Yay.</p><p>Yesterday, at the Wallyworld, I picked up some seed packets - tomatoes, bell peppers (mixed colors), and basil. We'll see if I can get any of them to grow and produce yummies. I'll settle for grow and at least fill in the bare patches in my gardens. :shrug: As long as the basil grows, it'll produce something edible, so there's that. I don't really have the time to mess with a garden these days, so they'll be on their own. </p><p>And I think that's about it. Have a great day and I'll yat at you later. </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-69008405390378055152023-04-14T05:07:00.009-05:002023-04-14T05:49:27.351-05:00Thursday This n That<p>I think my cats may be possessed. Or they're just kittens. Which could actually be synonymous. I was awakened at 1am by one of them nibbling on my fingers and the other one trying to sleep on my face. Right now, Sawyer is climbing my chair like some kind of Xtreme athlete. That boy's got skillz. He would also put Pele to shame with the way he handles the ball. Finn, on the other hand, is an instigator. The Finnstigator. He likes to start things up and then complain that he's being picked on. But I've got his number now. Last night they were REALLY good little kittens. Tonight? Not so much. </p><p>Devil kitties. Debbil kitties. </p><p>The coyotes are singing to me tonight. Maybe it's a full moon. </p><p>Friday... Well, whaddya know... I never finished this post yesterday. I didn't even get online after I got home from work. Derp.</p><p>I was awakened this morning at 3:45 by a kitten nibbling on my fingers and <i>then </i>trying to sleep on my face. Now they're chasing each other around with wild abandon.</p><p>Since I just watched the moon rise, I can now say it's not a full moon. </p><p>There isn't enough coffee on the planet to cope with my lack of sleep. I need mega coffee. Or a coffee IV. Not caffeine pills. I tried those back in 1988 and NOPE. Those thing'll kill ya.</p><p>I was with a guy back then who would try anything. Pills, pot, coke, booze... loads of booze... He even dropped acid. Oddly enough, he was very anti-cigarette. :eyeroll: I expect he's long dead now. But he had one of those common names, so I could never find him on an internet search. Maybe he died before the internet became a thing. :shrug:</p><p>Sawyer has learned to pick his toys up and carry them around. And he's such a toy hog. Of course, Finn only wants to play with what Sawyer has. Boys. </p><p>Okay, I should probably post this and make the rounds. Have a great day!</p><p>Oh, and I just took this... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxY_GcuUDGYonbp_EYyiSOKGrNQZ3FCmuZaCJdhCn0shogyQx3DPnCCiosDRMHwxhWxnL-GY91c4n7XE2D8hE5sDa1tC28Ei3t9chvdMCxlaf1JlVjugIDVVOlPFbWkXf58j2M7oCCEjVzjQC5imhT_GjyLq8N91yxzMK2COppbH7fqL6uteu9w/s890/Sawyer%20n%20Finn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxY_GcuUDGYonbp_EYyiSOKGrNQZ3FCmuZaCJdhCn0shogyQx3DPnCCiosDRMHwxhWxnL-GY91c4n7XE2D8hE5sDa1tC28Ei3t9chvdMCxlaf1JlVjugIDVVOlPFbWkXf58j2M7oCCEjVzjQC5imhT_GjyLq8N91yxzMK2COppbH7fqL6uteu9w/s320/Sawyer%20n%20Finn.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>Sawyer and Finn after having climbed Mt. Desk Chair.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-2522907110531921532023-04-09T07:15:00.004-05:002023-04-09T07:15:38.097-05:00Sunday Update - Week Cat<p> Well, we did it. Yesterday, we got a cat. Okay, we didn't get <i>A</i> cat... we got two - Finn and Sawyer. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuP42VRsZR6SaNzuirBOOvRGtw3iZxXOp7Jq0VBgnWAbc7kSB_rY8n_Mq18crG7gps1SZrZ1scFpiYQIzUUCWiKzs3CT3pbeTjT2GwrJEJeQkehSoYJgaAMaxNJGqxXTy-dagS3Q5x7r52DbpMm-Yje3UQUsRxYz_Rak-GC1J_KcQTP0Ir1PyXw/s926/Me%20n%20Kittens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="926" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuP42VRsZR6SaNzuirBOOvRGtw3iZxXOp7Jq0VBgnWAbc7kSB_rY8n_Mq18crG7gps1SZrZ1scFpiYQIzUUCWiKzs3CT3pbeTjT2GwrJEJeQkehSoYJgaAMaxNJGqxXTy-dagS3Q5x7r52DbpMm-Yje3UQUsRxYz_Rak-GC1J_KcQTP0Ir1PyXw/s320/Me%20n%20Kittens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Both boys. Both right around 14-15 weeks old. Finn is the all tabby and Sawyer is the tabby-n-white. They're supposedly from different litters because they came in from different sources, but I wonder if they aren't brothers. Finn was brought in as abandoned on 3/21 and Sawyer was owner surrender on 3/26, so they could conceivably be from the same litter. :shrug: They act like brothers and that's all that matters.<div><br /></div><div>Last night was our first night with the boys. Needless to say we didn't get a whole lot of sleep. But we got more than I had expected. The boys curled up between Hubs and I, and slept for most of the night. The brief interludes where they weren't on the bed, they were chasing each other around the house like madmen. They didn't wreck anything, so yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are no longer smoking in the house, which makes mornings really hard. I'm used to sitting here puffing away while I do my online things and drink my coffee. But we made a commitment to not smoke around the kittens, so there ya go. (Although, I smoked around Kira when she was a kitten and she lived for almost 18 years.) We also promised the shelter that we weren't going to smoke in the house and a contract is a contract.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Work is work... now with 50% more busy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Activity? Does cat wrangling count? And I haven't had a chance to weigh myself in a few days, but last weight recorded was like 159.8.</div><div><br /></div><div>I forgot to do my reading wrap-up yesterday. Cat brain, doncha know. I finished two books last week and got back on track. Whether I'll be able to read with two kittens in the house is anyone's guess. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the way from from work on Friday, I saw a coyote. Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh... Happy Easter. I'd forgotten until just now when I remembered that I'm supposed to call Mom this morning. Anyway, however you celebrate it, have an awesome day. I'll be celebrating with my two Easter Kitties.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's about it for now. I'll post more pics along the way. What's up in your world?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-25176572526016746992023-04-06T05:51:00.000-05:002023-04-06T05:51:06.810-05:00Thursday This n That<p> Ugh, it's Thursday. How did that happen? Where did the week go? </p><p>I feel like the underside of a public picnic table. I woke up at 3 feeling gross, but I made myself go back to sleep. I woke up at 4:15 feeling grosser. After several cups of coffee and more than a few cigarettes, I'm feeling a bit better, but meh. I cannot miss work, so this better go away.</p><p>You know how I was really busy at work? Apparently, I didn't know what busy was. The office is about to be one short until they hire someone new. And another short for the next week due to a planned vacation. For the past week or so, I've been training on some of person A's job in addition to my regular work, so I'm already behind. Hubs reminded me yesterday that I can only do what I can do and if things fall through the cracks, that's not on me. I reminded him that I don't work that way (and neither does he, btw). Not being able to accomplish everything I am given feels like failure. Even if the reality of it is that I'm being given more work than a single human can accomplish in 8 hours a day. Or 9 hours a day, if they approved overtime. Which they didn't. </p><p>The hunt for a cat has stalled. The cats we expected to hit the website yesterday did not, so they either got adopted right away or the vet didn't clear them to be adopted. :shrug: We might try again this weekend, if we call and they say they have more cats not pictured on the site. </p><p>I keep forgetting that Sunday is Easter. Which means my Saturday shopping trip is probably going to be packed with people. Blerg. Now that we don't have kids, Easter isn't really a thing for us. Oh, we do something special for dinner, but not really any other holiday happenins. </p><p>Two days ago, it was 87F here. This morning, the heater is kicking on. Ah, April in the Ozarks.</p><p>There was a show about rabbits on PBS last night. There's this gal in England that raises giant bunnies. She's got one that, when he stands on his hind legs, is about 4 ft tall. Now, <i>that's </i>a big bunny. </p><p>Okay, I think that's about it for my this n that. What do you have in your this n that today?</p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-64545133881876105982023-04-02T07:54:00.003-05:002023-04-02T07:54:17.627-05:00Sunday Update - Week 13<p> Okay, so... Week 13... </p><p>Busy busy busy at work. Work, now with 33% more busy. </p><p>The weather here has been interesting, but not bad. So if you've been seeing things, they are not here. We got a bunch of rain and wind. Then we got bunches of sun and wind. Loads of sticks everywhere, but no real worries. We went for a drive yesterday and could see where a rather large tree had fallen across the highway. But it was cleaned up by the time we got there, so no worries. It must've been a helluva surprise for the first person who arrived after it fell, though. Come around a curve and ACK! I hope they stopped and didn't hit it. I supposed I'll find out when the newspaper comes out.</p><p>Speaking of going for a drive, we went up to look at puddy-tats. We did not come home with one. There were some nice enough cats there, but none of them were quite right. Since Hubs is going to be the one home with it all day, he's leading the hunt. There was a beautiful, long-haired, black male. He has diabetes, so no. After years of dealing with a special needs kitty, we are not willing to go there. There was a short-haired, chunky boi tabby. The employee there kept saying that this cat could be kind of a butt. I did not find that to be the case. Unfortunately, he was a little older than we want. The flame-point Siamese mix was super unfriendly. Bummer. He would probably get over that in a home environment, but can't take the chance he won't. This will be our cat for life, no takesy-backsies. There was a gorgeous calico, but she may have something wrong with her and they won't say when or whether she'll be up for adoption. She loved me, but again, can't do sick kitty. They had an actual Abyssinian. She was gorgeous. I thought she was a kitten, but she was 3 years old. Too small. And after reading up on the breed, not really the cat for us. They had two actual kittens - one was super loud and the other one... well, I'm not sure why I didn't go for her, but she wasn't right. We'll know when it's the right one. We might try the other shelter near (for varying definitions of near) us today. Otherwise, we'll try again next weekend. </p><p>Ahem... umm... back to regular updates... </p><p>I finished reading a couple books this week and I'm halfway through another. I've almost caught back up to my goal progress with only one behind now.</p><p>No baking.</p><p>Not much in the way of activity this week. I keep saying I need to walk more and then I don't. Hubs is doing good on his activity, but that's while I'm at work. Blerg. No weight check because I haven't stepped on a scale in a while.</p><p>We're starting to be able to tell which deer are pregnant. Yay. </p><p>And that's about it for me. How are things in your world?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-58386615415890990742023-04-01T01:00:00.019-05:002023-04-01T07:06:01.584-05:00Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 4/1/23<p>Happy April First. No foolin' here.</p><p>It was a good week for reading. No new books, but it's all good.</p><p>Books Read: </p><p>11) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51380826-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-witchcraft">Cloudy with a Chance of Witchcraft</a> by Mandy M. Roth (3/31/23) - Paranormal Romance* - 5 stars. New to me but not underappreciated. Picked up off the Freebooksy newsletter, so free.<br />Review: "It took a little bit for me to get into this one, but once I was in, I was in deep. This is a fun romp with a good story, a bit of suspense, and romance to boot."</p><p>10) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4409753-rainbow-in-the-mist">Rainbow in the Mist</a> by Phyllis A. Whitney (3/28/23) - Romantic Suspense - 5 stars. Not new to me, but under 50 reviews, so a little underappreciated. Picked up from St. Vinny's for $1.<br />Review: "I think I read this one ages ago, but I didn't remember it very well, so it was like reading it for the first time. It's a little heavier on the supernatural than Whitney's other novels, but still pretty darn good."</p><p>No DNFs.</p><p>Currently reading... I finished the ebook last night at 9, so off to bed for me. I'll start something today. Not sure what yet.</p><p>What were you reading last week? </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-90827248112208908182023-03-30T01:00:00.001-05:002023-03-30T01:00:00.210-05:00Thursday This n That<p>I'm writing this at a quarter after 11 after having already tried sleeping for two hours and failing miserably. The hamster wheel in my head is spinning over every mistake I've ever made, and there's a jukebox playing every song I've ever heard. I got out of bed when it hit Supertramp's <i>Goodbye Stranger</i>.</p><p>I couldn't sleep the last two nights either - because I pulled a muscle in back while blow-drying my hair. You know that muscle behind your shoulder blade? That's the one. Well, that's not the problem tonight. Derp.</p><p>My brother had Supertramp's <i>Breakfast in America</i> album. He's going to be 60 this year. How the hell did that happen? </p><p>Speaking of which, I'm old enough to be a grandmother. Not sure how that happened either. I was at the first Monsters of Rock concert in the Pontiac Silverdome, for petesakes. I used to headbang and eat anything I wanted! Now I screw up my back blow-drying my hair and my innards get messed up when I consume too much bread. Getting old blows. Zero stars, do not recommend.</p><p>If you weren't paying attention... like I wasn't... Easter is a week from Sunday.</p><p>So, Hubs was talking with a neighbor today. Apparently, there are druggies using the abandoned farm to do... well, drugs... and they're wandering around through field and forest. And another neighbor's own big dogs attacked and killer her little dog and bit her when she tried to save it. Ummm... Yeah. So, now we must beware of roving addicts and vicious pooches while out and about. We live like 90 minutes from the nearest city and a half hour from the closest Walmart, but whatever. The neighbor is a young guy with a wife and a baby, so he's a little worried about them while he's at work. Hubs told him she could call here day or night if she needs to. I'm all for it, but it's sad. We shouldn't have to worry about whether a young mother and her baby will be safe in her own home out here. </p><p>It was super foggy this morning. On my way to work, I rounded a corner and almost ran over a rabbit. He just darted right out into the road there. Lucky for him, his fluffy white tail stood out against the dark ground and I hit the brakes. Silly wabbit.</p><p>Okay, well, I should probably go try to sleep again. I'll schedule this for an hour and twenty from now, so it'll post at 1 like it always does. And then I'll drag my butt to out of bed in about 6 hours. Yay. I'll definitely need extra coffee in my coffee for this Thursday, lemme tell ya.</p><p>What's on your mental plate today?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6076293789081887442.post-83602060654921445692023-03-26T06:58:00.001-05:002023-03-26T06:58:47.129-05:00Sunday Update - Week 12<p>Another Sunday morning and here I am...</p><p>Work was work, so let's get that out of the way. My customers love me. I got some nice kudos. I've made friends with the UPS dude. (Never underestimate the power of making friends with the guys who deliver the stuff you need.) I got paid again. It's all good, baby. Let's see if anything interesting happened beyond that...</p><p>I finally finished the non-fiction I was reading. Yay. I'm now into a Phyllis Whitney. </p><p>Yesterday, I ran errands. No Wallyworld trip this time because I had to head north for other stuff, so I just hit the grocery store up there. And I was super-excited because a north trip means stopping by one of my favorite thrift stores. Unfortunately, the dang place was closed for remodeling. Son of a motherless monkey. Once that was thrown out the door, I at least got to get these awesome little fruit pies Walmart doesn't carry. And pistachio ice cream. Yum. If I can't get books, I can be happy about food. Yeah, I lead a simple life.</p><p>Amazon still hasn't refunded my money from that instant breakfast tragedy. I even chatted with a live rep who promised they'd get it to me. Bastards. Amazon is pissing me off.</p><p>Hubs and I took a walk yesterday. I'm still only at like 3 miles for the year, though. I really need to get off my dead ass and get some exercise. Weight: 160-ish. And I'm back to eating pretty much normal again.</p><p>We have discarded the idea of getting a dog. It's the rational decision. Dogs are a lot of work and with me gone all day, all that work would fall on Hubs, which isn't fair. Now, I'm working on convincing Hubs that getting a kitty <i>now </i>would be awesome. Cats are easy. And then he'd have someone to keep him company while I'm at the office.</p><p>I saw a bald eagle on the way home from errands yesterday. She was sitting in a tree near the road leading back in to home. I say she because it was quite light, but I don't know for certain that's a gender-based thing. :shrug: Anyway, she was an adult - white head, doncha know - and she looked healthy. She's probably the last eagle I'll see until late Fall.</p><p> Other than that, not much going on around here. How was your week?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2