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I can't predict when I have the time to post a new blog, but check occasionally. I'm going to try at least weekly.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Fun diversity

Song of the day: “Payphone” by Maroon 5. Funny song. Not really deep, or anything, but what else can you expect of an earworm.

It’s a good thing I wrote 6 pages yesterday, and another four the day before that, because my focus today appears to be flying all over the place. I’ve been trying to start on this friggin’ blog for more than an hour, and yet I’ve only managed these two small paragraphs. *sigh* Have a total of 237 pages, yay!

Right. Let’s get to it.
For the most part the day before yesterday, and yesterday, were pretty much par for the course. There was the writing bit…am at the moment in the middle of a rather intense scene set in 1936 in pre-war Paris. It is a rather sad piece of grand hopes and dreams being nipped in the butt. I got all teary, and since the plan is to write the scene to the climax today, I’m thinking I’m going to be unable to keep my eyes dry. *sigh*
It’s a good thing that this book will be all about the drama, ‘cause otherwise I’d be in trouble. Hah.

There was gardening, of course, which involved yanking out vines, weeds and whatnot to discover hiding beets and such, not to mention knee-high grass. Yikes. I was itchy all over afterward. Totally needed a dip thereafter. At the moment bed-time is a bit of a problem for me. I just can’t seem to manage to get there before one in the morning (shoot over it by at least an hour, sometimes two) meaning that getting up at my usual time is more than a little troublesome. I’m going to have to do something about that because I don’t like it. Mornings are extremely nice, and I would like to keep them.

Cutting dog food, naturally. I’m practicing speed with the cutting, which was interesting since I was about a millimeter away from chopping off the tip of my finger. Yeah, yeah, I know. I was definitely not the smartest of the litter with a stunt like that, but I promise I’ll be more careful in the future. I mean really, I managed to do the veggies in less than 20 minutes. That’s worth some risk, right? Hah.

I’ve taken to feeding Knight II extra in the evenings, because let’s face it, Mr anorexic is a horrible eater and refuses to take more than the absolute minimum with any meal meaning he’s going to get two stuffed down his throat. Silly dog.

So let’s discuss the market. Yep, it was that day of the week again (ergo my reason for being late with the blog) and we arrived about ten minutes late because we left late. No matter, though we managed to unload fast enough (an hour and a half) and were putting the final touches to our stand. Sold two bags in the first fifteen minutes of the market’s start to some nice Italian girls who made a sport of haggling a five Euro discount because they took two. Hah. They were nice about it, so I didn’t mind all that much.

There was loads of interest throughout the evening, clearly the regular Spanish customers are back, meaning that there was an interesting mélange of foreigners and locals alike. Lotsa Russians today, along with a somewhat depressed-looking young Russian mother, who loved the snugglies, but couldn’t talk her partner into buying one for her. Poor thing was all disappointed, and I just kept holding my breath while I watched her walk around with that tiny little baby, so fragile, as she made her way through a boisterous crowd. So dangerous.
Not only Russians, but also Italians, French, Germans and Israelis. So much diversity, it makes it fascinating to watch.

Woman kept lingering over the purses, fondling the fur, leather and fabrics with obvious affection, and a French woman almost buying one, if only the shoulder band had been a little shorter. *sigh* I should have taken a sewing set. Could have solved that problem easily.

There was a Scottish mom of two who loved the carrier bags for dogs. When I asked, she explained that she had a yorkie mix at home, and she seriously pondered a colorful red and yellow bag, before muttering something about “next time” before moving on…while throwing glances back.

Also a British couple showed some real interest in a dog carrier bag. They kept coming back, and looking at it, turning it over as the woman explained that she has two Chihuahuas and a yorkie that she would like a bag where she can carry all three of them at the same time.
She ended up with a Tika Art card and the promise of sending an email with sizes and instructions. We’ll see how that goes. Nice couple, though.

There was a couple of Spanish ladies interested in the light blue dog beds, who said they’d be back near closing time. Another woman who said the same thing, but they didn’t actually come bye until we were done packing and already on our way. Hah. No problem, waved cheerily at each other and I’m left to wonder if any of them will be back next week.

An American lady was fascinated by one of the quilts done in bright blue hues. She came back three times in total, until finally digging into her wallet and finding that she was 25 bucks short. If it had been ten, I would have let her and her son have it, but 25 is a lot, and is also not my choice. The prices are low compared to the hours of work that are put in it.

Lots of interest in my tie dye again, though no sales. A few close calls, though. Not that close counts, of course. What’s that saying again? “Close is like a lingerie shop without a window”. Still don’t know what that means, but what the heck, you get my meaning, right?

The photographer was walking around again, but he has definitely giving up on us and no longer asks if he can take our picture. Success. Didn’t chat with him last night (bet he was looking for easier prey, hah) but watched him have people pose this way and that, while urging them into more obvious poses of “displaying” their merchandise. I do have to say that folks don’t mind being photographed these days. In fact, most seem to revel in it. Makes me feel like the last shy person around. Hah.

All in all, it was a fascinating evening of watching folks go bye and seeing the responses to rich fabrics. (Isn't diversity grand?) Didn’t get home ‘till one thirty, and by the time I’d greeted the dogs, changed clothes, jotted down notes in my diary, and got ready for bed time, it was after two in the morning. *sigh*

Well, all done. Better see if I can get some serious writing done still.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Another jog

Song of the day: “Manic Monday” by the Bangles. I know, ancient, right? Not to mention a day late, but what the heck. It is still a very cool song. Hah.

Just got back from another jog, thank you very much. It didn’t go as swell as the last time, but who cares. I went the distance, and where I couldn’t keep up the pace without making sounds like a locomotive, I managed to march at a steady clip again. Success! (Ya have to celebrate the small ones, ya know. No one else is going to do it for ya.) Hah.

Right. Yesterday is first, then we go today, so I can go to bed and prepare for tomorrow. *snort*
Had an extra half hour yesterday morning, which was, like, absolutely wonderful, if for no other reason than the fact that the temps were still down. I mean, really, lying there in the blower, the sun peaking over the mountain ridge, straight into my room while an eastern breeze cooled the air was absolutely divine.

But of course the getting up part does arrive. No getting out of it seeing as there are morning chores to get through. Ya know, all the fun stuff like laundry…but not until I had a dip and some coffee. I LOVE coffee, in case you didn’t know that yet. Hah.

After dog food, the dogs devoured it all, of course, and while big brother went down into the yard to finish the watering we didn’t manage completely the evening before, I worked on fixing up the new dresser/desk I want to put in my cabin. Put four inch paws under it. Removed the old damaged handles and put new ones up and, with the help of big brother, put it in my sitting room. It is still there, because let’s face it, where does one find the time to get all the mess from my sultan’s chest to make space for the dratted thing. *sigh*

Take this morning, for instance. Big brother and I worked in the igloo. I was on my knees scraping paint off the tiles while big brother hung the wash basin for our guest, who will be arriving at the end of the month. There was furniture to move around, storage stuff to pile outside and recover with plastic against the elements. It’s starting to look like something. In particular since I scrubbed the shelves and every other horizontal surface, until the dusty smell disappeared.
The dogs thought it a bit strange that we were working there, by the way. They were all looking very confused before they found a shady spot and started snoozing the day away until I had to quit to start writing again.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Yesterday’s writing was a slow affair, allowing me only three pages before it was time for big brother and I to head for town. There was a load of wood to pick up, and a few groceries to get, which we’d forgotten the other day.

Some relief, in regard to Sally. We might have figured out what’s up with her. The medication the doctor prescribed for her, (some really nasty stuff, that) could very well be the cause of all her symptoms, the worst of which are her loss of coordination and memory. Stupid doctors. Seriously, sometimes it seems as if chemical medication only makes stuff worse.
But anyway, she’s going to try to stop with the medication, slowly, rather than risk withdrawal symptoms, and see if her balance gets better. Seriously, for a while I feared that one day we’d find her with a broken limb somewhere. Let’s hope that the medication is the only problem.

Went down into the yard after we got home, watered stuff (same as today, actually) and harvested (ditto) some veggies. The, bringing down the crop fields, is working well. We need less and less water, seeing as the basin water is history. *sigh*

Today’s writing went a little better. It was a “connect” scene, by the way. The major ones were already there, but they needed to have something in-between. Ended up reading some of a fight scene I wrote several weeks ago, and I liked it. The flow was good, and nothing seemed off in regard to the plot. Yay. Hit the 70,000 word count mark.

Pulled loads of weeds, by the way. Along with several of the dying broccoli plants. Those babies held out long, by the way. So did the cabbages, by the way, of which we’re now working our way through the last ones of the litter. It was also good to do some massive weeding again. Nothing like getting your hands dirty when you brain wants to worry.

Like us, the dogs are really enjoying the cooler weather. Found Chaos moseying through the yard three times, while last week he cloistered himself within the cool confines of the bathroom. *snort*

Cut dog veggies, of course. Sometimes grandpa offers, and sometimes cousin Ed, but I do want to do it myself sometimes. It is a vital part of taking care of the dogs, and to leave it only to
to others. Besides, I’m starting to get good at the chopping thing. Seriously, I’ll be a chef yet. Hah.

Cooking…well there was that, of course. Yesterday big brother cheated and baked tortellini for supper. So today I went all out and made patties to go with nasi and baked pumpkin on the side. All of it pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. *sigh* It was yummy.

Anything else? Well, I did see “Cold Comfort Farm” the other day. You know that nineties movie with Kate Beckingsale, Joanna Lumly, Ian McKellen and Rufus Sewell. Such an entertaining little movie. Watched it while I went through my messages and chats of the day. Hah.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Sweltering a little

Song of the day: “We are young” by Fun. Not as cool as the other song, but doable for as far as earworms go.

Bit of a wow experience. Hit 7000 viewers for the blog today, and shot right over it, yay! Isn’t that awesome? You’re part of the 7000 clicks of folks that came by here, and that got me excited every time I was up another fifty hits. Yay. I wonder if I’ll ever make it to 100K. Ah well, I am going to be pleased with this number, thank you very much (I mean that literally, by the way, thanks for dropping by occasionally). I should do something special for the occasion, but let’s just keep it to a private little happy dance, and move right along.

Just got home from a much needed jog, so I’m running late once more (pardon the pun) and better get this thing done. Went well, by the way. Did most of the distance at a steady jog, and where the mountains were just too steep, I managed to keep up a nice marching clip. Yay. Not bad for a girl who didn’t run since she was seven, or so.

Okay, writing-wise I did well enough the past couple of days. Though yesterday started out crappy with only three pages during the afternoon hours, I did manage to make up for it in the evening by adding another page, bringing me up for my daily quota. Today, on the other hand, I managed a solid six pages, despite needing to dig into the internet in search of some facts, which always takes way too much time. Was really digging into the Greek mythology today, which was a first. Earlier in the book I did some mentions on the flyby, but now we’re getting to the gritty parts. Gotta love research. Hah.

There were the normal chores of course, along with a quick trip to town to get some cheese and other groceries. Had some serious temps while we were at it. 100 up here at home, then down there mid-nineties and near the beach low nineties, which was a welcome change. Good thing too, considering that every time we exited a supermarket you got a hit in the face from the heat. That’s why I hate the ACs you know. They make life a lot less pleasant, seeing as you constantly have to readjust to the changes. I much rather be used to the heat and just enjoy the summer, thank ya very much.

Had a couple of gardening sprees. Yanked weeds, watered some plants, and harvested a few veggies. Life as usual, only a little warmer. Hah. Had to take Chaos, Labhana and Gada in the pool, because the poor darlings were just breathing to heavily. While the labs were good girls and went in and out, both times The Chaos, decided he hadn’t cooled enough and stayed on the second to the top step of the stairs, leaving his lower body submerged for more than ten minutes. Smart Basset. Afterward he was all energetic.

Despite opting to stay upstairs yesterday, tenant did decide to come down to the basin terrace, after an early morning dip in the pool. Later in the day she doesn’t feel like it, because the path down is so very hot. Understandable, of course, but she does miss out on a lot of pool dipping that way.

Cooking was a hasty affair these past couple of days. Yesterday I made chickpea dough for patties, which I had for a meal with the previous day’s leftover chili. Ended the day with some French fries, because, let’s face it, there wasn’t time for much else (stupid, I know). Today there were pancakes for breakfast, partly because tenant joined us and because big brother had to go into the yard to water what we didn’t have time for yesterday, and because on Sunday we never have fresh bread. Supper consisted of red beets with rice, and tonight, after the jog, again chickpea patties with mustard, Maggi, sweet chilli sauce and cheese. Gawd, that was good. I ate too much. Hah.

Other than that…well, not much more going on. It is still warm, though the temperature is lower than yesterday, I think. I might actually sleep without feeling like there’s a hairblower on my face. Hah.
Okay, heading out. Got a new day coming fast.