Song of the day: Someone you loved, by Lewis Capaldi. Such a gorgeous song.

Life. It has a way of getting away from you...or at least it does in my case. So strange the way the world has changed, even since the last past here on the blog. As of today we are once again in lockdown, nuts, I tell ya. Totally nuts! But, it is what it is, right? The powers that be make a decision and we must all abide by it. I just can't help but feel bad for all those people who really can't afford this shaite. For the people who suffer because of these lockdowns and are losing everything.

But, the old mantra still counts. I won't care about things I cannot change. It has no use.So, let's see if I can bring y'all up to date to life as it is at the moment. What all has happened since the last time I wrote?

First there was school. I thankfully passed my exams with a respectable average of 9 (out of 10), so that was over and done with. Actually got my diploma last October so I've got that sucker in my pocket at long last. Was nice to see about half of my fellow students again, and to have a bit of a social distanced party with a shot of booze followed by a beer.

Work. Well, we have a forced close now again, but before that I had two lovely months working in the Buffet restaurant again. The formula was different, no more free for all buffet, but a 3 course dining experience instead. Though different from usual (and what I love most doing) it was still a nice challenge...until the corona measures got tightened again, of course,  meaning that our restaurants had to close and we were only allowed to offer take-away to our guests. But that, of course meant that we had too many chefs in the kitchen. So what does that leave for Sammie, you might wonder. Well, luckily I can be bumped to TD, meaning I get to help big brother out with the hated morning shifts.

The 4:20 wake up call is pretty much killing me, but work is work...or at least it was, considering things will change again now with the new lockdown. I might get lucky and won't need to start at 6 am until January, which should be awesome. I don't mind work, in any shape or form, but I do hate the early morning. Ha. We'll see how that goes.

Had friends over for dinner the other day. I miss cooking special stuff, so it was the perfect occasion to have some fun in the kitchen. Decided on three courses that started with a lovely fresh pumpkin soup decorated with fresh herbs and a blot of cream cheese in the center. The main course was a lovely experiment of red beet risotto topped by a bit of Parmesan. This dish had strips of veggies on the side and a yellow creamy sauce with saffron and rose. Last but not least was a strawberry tartlet made from scratch with a bit of whipped cream on top. Was a wonderful evening with friends and good food, so that was a successful evening in my book.

Been experimenting with bread, partly because I am playing with the idea of starting to do some kind of catering, or food take away on the side. I already have several people interested in my vegetable bread, which would be great if I can get regular orders for that in the future. They would be more interested in seasonal veggies, though, so that meant I had to do some experimenting. Ended up with 3 new recipes from that. One with cauliflower and carrot. One of three types of cabbage, and one with pumpkin and parsnips. Definitely fun to try, and there might even be a restaurant interested in it, so I will keep you posted on that.

As for Mr. Whitney, the absolute gorgeous fella (aka golden retriever) I adopted this spring is still with us. He's amazing. Such good company and hardly ever a bother. He's adjusted well to his new life with us, absolutely loving our 3x daily walks, and enjoying his very own home-made food. He's no longer skinny. He's got muscles now and his confidence is still improving daily. He's such a marvelous addition to our lives, I can barely remember a time when he wasn't here. He's been making sure that we go on plenty of walks, which is of course very good for us since going to the gym isn't actually in the realm of possibilities at the moment.

As for the house. My...our lovely house. We got quite a bit done in the months that have passed since my last blog. First of, we have upgraded our electrical system, meaning that now we can have a proper kitchen when the time is right. Added to that all the walls in the living areas that had to go out are out, so we could put in new floors in the kitchen, the office and the living room. Which makes sooooooo much of a difference. No more cold tiles under my feet, not to mention that the first 3 floors are so much more spacious now. It is absolutely awesome. Basically we now have the house's base exactly the way we want it. Sure, we'll have to remodel the kitchen, still, and the bathroom, a shed, and the garage, but there's no rush. It's all very livable until we've got some savings to do them proper. Right now I have added a kitchen island that gives me at least enough work space, and painted everything that needed painting, too, so let's see how things go.

Dealing with mom's passing is a sometimes it's okay, sometimes it still hits me by surprise, kind of thing. Sometimes I can still not believe it, and now that we are dealing with the aftermath of the house in Spain and such, it is very much back in my mind, I fear. I wish it wasn't, and yes I am working at letting it go and accepting it, but still, it isn't easy. Alas.

It has been slow on the writing front, but I have started on a new book because I needed something new, something different, so guess what. I am writing a paranormal/horror/thriller. I kid you not. We've got zombie killers and all that jazz. So much fun to do. Got over 11k words now, so I'm pretty pleased about that. Will be getting a couple of the older manuscripts out of the dust piles so we can start sending them out in the near future, but until then I'm having fun doing the creative thing again.

Well, that's about it for today, I guess. Hope everyone is doing alright and is keeping safe. I'll be back...

Strange...

Song of the day: “The Greatest day” by Take That, naturally. They’ve been in my head for several hours now. In the past I wouldn’t have minded, you know, considering that it IS Take That, an’ all, but however cute the song is, it is not one of my favs. *sigh*

So I have been feeling strange these past few days. I can’t quite put my finger on it, nor am I sure if I want to. It’s kind of indefinable, as if something is off, like we’re on the brink of something, but I am not yet sure if it is going to be a positive thing or not. Let’s hope it will be, had more than enough negative things happening this past year, didn’t I? Anyway, this feeling makes me restless, like I’m comfortable in my own skin, and I don’t like it at all.
Could be that it has to do with Sally’s passing: reminded of my own mortality, and all that carp, but I doubt it. I’m very positively minded in that regard. I’m aiming for 150 but if I end up somewhere in the middle of that that’s fine with me too…as long as the trip getting there was nice, right? Hah.
No. I can’t quite figure out this restless feeling inside me, nor do I appreciate it, if I’m to be completely honest. I’ve better things to do than wonder about the intricacies of my sometimes loony mind.

Alright then, let’s get down to business and see if we can get somewhere. What’s been happening since the last time I wrote.

Oh yeah, I got flashed, kinda. Seriously, I might be damaged forever. You’d think that someone would be more careful walking around in the buff while there’re people in the house, but nope, now I’ve got this image on my retina, which I’ve been having the hardest time getting off. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate the male form as well as the next person, but this was no Chris Hemsworth…Darn it!
Thankfully my chat buddies on the Amazon discussion fora were kind enough to give me some good imagery of the “Mighty” Thor to ease my suffering. *blissful sigh*

Did I mention yet that I’m thinking of organizing a dinner party in September? Well, it has gone beyond just thinking about it now. Of the fourteen folks I asked, half have expressed their regrets considering they’re out of the country, or too busy ‘till October (could I please reschedule). That means I’ve got the other half willing to come for a night of food, drink, music and conversation. Should be fun, shouldn’t it? Am now a bit worried, of course. It’s getting to be more than just plans. Now I’m going to have to put my money where my mouth is. Hah.
As to the menu (have settled on a buffet now) I’m thinking of bite-sized treats. Stuffed mushrooms and/or stuffed tomatoes, and/or stuffed peppers. Deviled eggs. A selection of my patties, possibly with buns for those who feel like burgers. I will do a couple of chicken dishes, and will probably have big brother fry some meat burgers for the carnivores that will be joining in. There should be salads (summer demands it) grilled veggies, sauces, allowing everyone to pick what they like, rather than having to eat what is put on their plate at an actual dinner.

Asked a friend from work if she wanted to come, and she was looking at me all worried when I explained the plan. First words out of her mind were, “Are you sure you can afford to?” No I’m not, but some things you just have to do, don’t you? I mean, most of these folks I’ve invited have been invaluable during last year’s trouble, and the other lot are nice new friends who will add to fun of the evening…money…well, is just that, money: We all need it, but on itself it ain’t that much fun.
Besides, I am good at economic cooking. I’m planning on a budget of no more than 200 bucks for food and drinks, and since folks have already offered to take something along, I’m suggesting wine so I can focus more on the food part, rather than the drinks. Hah. Did I mention that I’m planning of a few pies? Well, I am. An apple crumble, probably, maybe a cold cheese/yogurt cake, I’ll have to see what’s on sale in regard to fruit when the time comes.

My main concern at the moment are chairs. As someone already suggested tables you can get around with by using boards on saw horses, or some such, but chairs are going to be a problem. I’ll have to get creative, maybe make some benches for those who want to be old fashioned and eat while sitting, hah. I’ll figure it out.

Second concern is location. I rather not go too far on the property (it is a tad embarrassing, the way things look these days, after all) but the old horse paddock, nice and empty these days, could be getting too windy, come September. So maybe I’ll chose to take the corner wall of what used to be grandpa’s and tenant’s place. There’s a tile floor there, so that’ll work. We’ll have to wait and see. If the day was a particularly hot one, some wind might actually be appreciated by the guests.

Have been getting some sea time this past week. Since grandpa has to go to his acupuncturist anyway, we’ve been taking the opportunity to get some exercise in the sea. Rather wonderful what with the pool not in use this year (pump broke down, darn thing) cooling off has been hard…and taking a shower really isn’t the same. So I did some serious crawl, a bit of butterfly stroke to strengthen the back, back stroke crawl to relax, and some back flips in the water just for the fun of it. Hah. Marvelous. Might go again today, taking Knight along, since we found a piece of beach where dogs are allowed. Yay. Might be good for his foot…or feet, as is still the case; poor baby.

On the overall he’s been doing well enough. Am putting clean “socks” on him every day now, treating him with hydrogen peroxide and Betadine to keep him clean and allow him to heal. Little prick got his sock of twice already, and now has a matching wound on what used to be his good foot. Aaaargh. But anyway, it is clean at the moment, and semi-healing, so I’m going to try to keep positive and expect that there will be a time when I can take of those dratted socks without him wrecking his dratted feet.

We’ve got summer temps going at the moment. Some serious scorchers, which means that nature is even dryer wherever you look. I hate it. Not so much the heat, but the dryness. I’ve got chapped lips for crying out loud. At the moment we have a brisk wind, so it’s not as bad, but still it is really, really dry.

Been doing some cleaning around the property, especially by the terrace where we sit during the computer work days now. It was a mess, and those few sessions have done a work of good. The ground is actually flat now, which does a lot of the eyes at least.

Had a trip to punto limpio (the local land fill) to toss away old batteries and a ruined couch, found a rather nice wooden cupboard there that I’m going to hang in my room if for no other reason than the fact that I need the space. My sleeping corner still is a friggin’ mess, and anything like storage will be a vast improvement.

I am slowly getting over my exhaustion, thankfully. Have done the occasional naps, slept in a time or two, so in that regard I’m improving. Also, I’ve been careful to eat well, regularly (though I missed a few meals again, darn it) and with high nutritional value. Two meals a day with veggies, either raw or baked, at least that’s what I’m trying to maintain. Doesn’t always work, but one does what one can, right?

Been doing some computer work. At the moment I’m reading through the manuscript as is, to get my head around characters and plot twists so that I don’t get lost once I resume writing. What with all the distractions of the past months, I was getting more than a little lost. I like what I’m reading so that’s a plus. Hah.

Oh, before I forget. The dinner big brother and were invited to was nice. A quiet evening in a sea view apartment with four dogs for company. The meal was nice, in particular the Asian salad, and my chocolate cake without gluten went down well enough. Structure wasn’t perfect yet, but it was sweet and chocolate-y, so it served its purpose.

Been doing some exercises, naturally. Now that things have quieted down some, health should become way more important once more. Nothing too strenuous, mind you. Lots of stretches, some air kick boxing and of course the swimming.

Well, that’s about everything I can think of right now. Considering we’re well past three pages, it should do well enough for this week’s blog, I’m thinking. Let’s hope I’ve got something a little more exciting to talk about the next time, eh?

Getting there

Song of the day: “Pencil full of lead” by Paolo Nutini. Sometimes if have these types of songs in my head and find myself doing odd little dances throughout the day in the appropriate rhythms. It’s so incredibly cheerful, which is a good influence on my mood. Hah.

Nothing like a bit of sweating to improve on one’s physical wellbeing. Yep. I did a workout this morning, which had my joints creak rather badly, my muscles protest but my brain wonderfully blank. I love that blankness, thank you very much, not aware of anything but the count of reps, over and over again. Wonder if I did enough to be sore tomorrow. Hah. We’ll see. I do need to find a way to hang up my boxing ball, because I need to let off some steam, rather than this air kicking and punching. Way too non-violent for me. *snort*

Since today is my day off, I took the opportunity to experiment a little in the kitchen. I had an abundance of apples and all the ingredients I needed to make some. The kitchen smells wonderful right now, I tell ya. Apple with dried cranberries, coconut shavings and peanutbutter in the vanilla dough. My friggin’ mouth is watering just thinking about it.

You’ll be happy to know that my foot is not too bad lately. The other day I ran around for more than eight hours without it becoming excruciating. That’s what we call progress, don’t we? I like.

The doggies…well, the cramped space is not doing my little pack good, that’s for sure. Knight’s affection at the moment is more than a little painful. When I come home, he’ll be bouncing toward me, grabbing my shoulder, or wrist to gain my full attention, and then bouncing on the bed some more until I put him in a headlock on the mattress. Of course he likes this form of roughness even more, and will lie there writhing, gnawing at any part of me that he can get to like some overgrown puppy. Waaaaay too much energy. Am going to have to take him out for a proper run soon…and then keep him from retiring to the car the moment he’s had enough, and keep him going until he’s exhausted.
The same goes for Sitabah, who has taken it upon herself to wreck my corner of the porch when she considers her lockup has taken long enough. Every other day I will come inside to find something wrecked, and everything shoved off the shelves. It’s as if she’s making some sort of statement with it for sure. Also, she and Dax are even less controllable than before. The moment they are let loose they will do a circuit of the house, searching for something to hunt or eat as if they haven’t had a decent meal in weeks. It’s insane.

The weather is persistently pleasant at the moment. Not too cold, crisply sunny and very dry. We really will need more rain before the end of winter otherwise we’ll be in trouble. Grandpa is using his time wisely and it putting in a vegetable patch, which makes me incredibly jealous. I wish I had the time. Nothing calms you down better than some time in the yard. Ah well, such is the status quo at the moment, I suppose. The gardening will return some day, I’m sure. Did do a rather nice flower arrangement yesterday, which was wonderfully calming, too.

A few days ago big brother got a stomach flu, disabling him from work, and the day before yesterday it hit me too. Most unpleasant, last night I even had a slight fever. Thankfully it’s not to severe, because today I am almost myself again. At least it didn’t bother me during my workout.

The edit is going a little slower, but not bad still. Well past half now, and content with the changes. Some stuff really worked out well, giving a good sense of the ‘20s and its bootlegging gangsters. The humor elements had us laugh, in particular the unexpectedness of it, so…yeah, I think it will work out.

The other day grandpa and I worked on the fences together. We still have to fix some of those due to all the changes, and it felt like old times. Nice, regardless of the cuts in my fingers the work inevitably causes. Strange, huh, how you can enjoy cuts on your fingers and an icy wind biting your skin, just because you enjoy the work. Hah. Big brother is having his fun welding the old gate for recycled use in the yard. A few more days and we’ll have the fence functional again, which will be satisfying.

I am going to enjoy a change of scenery, though. Working outdoors is definitely better for me. Being inside so much is grating on my nerves for sure. I mean really, who wants to be stuck inside when you could be outside digging in the dirt, of piling rocks, or hauling stuff? Not me.

Well, I am sure that there is stuff I’m forgetting, but that is the down side of doing a blog once a week. Details fade from the mind so fast…much like this awesome dream I had the other day. I fully planned to write about it on the blog, but then by the time I was ready to jot it down, the details had faded. Remember that awesome dragon dream I had some years back, and that alien from outer space. This one was of such epic proportions as well. *sigh* Such a pity.

Gotta go. The end of the day is rapidly approaching, and I would like to get some more done in the yard before then.

A little jumbled

Song of the day: “Rapper’s delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. Such a cool little song. Didn’t know it until some months ago, and if you’d have told me years ago I would like it, I’d have laughed in your face, but there you have it.

I’m going to mess this up again, since the past couple of days were a mesh of events that don’t mean a whole lot to me at the moment. Not that it matters what I did today, or yesterday, it all comes down to the same thing, in a strange sort of way.

There were two gardening bits, yay. Watering of the plants, checking for bugs, harvesting. They had become the stuff of routine that are simply the best of the day, since this allows me to go down into the yard and spend some time in the sun. Sure my hands freeze from the icy basin water, and my feet will tend to do the same if I don’t make sure to find a sunny spot, but still. It is wonderfully relaxing to be down there. Added to that, yesterday’s harvest consisted of broccoli and cauliflower, making a nice mix for supper, thank you very much.

That panel of the Opel got spray painted properly at last, also varnished, which was the final step. With a little luck we’ll manage to put it back on the car tomorrow. But only if the wind isn’t blowing again, because then standing out there on the top of the mountain ridge, really isn’t fun.

We finished the 1st edit of V.L. last night. Yay!!! We did it. We got through it without killing each other. At this point I have to say I am pleasantly surprised that we didn’t end up going for each other’s throats. The thing is done, and now we’ll have to print the manuscript out and see what that first edit achieved. Was it bad? Will it need loads more work? Only one way to find out.

What else? Well, there was the cooking session. Yesterday Broccoli/cauliflower mix with baked ravioli on the side. It went down really well. Today (big brother cooked) a veggie mix (big part of our own harvests) with noodles and a spicy satay.

Since grandpa has been complaining about cold hands a lot, I finally decided to take pity on him, lined out his hands and started cutting. He’s been wanting those old-fashioned gloves, you know, the one with only a thumb and no fingers? Kids use them while skiing. But anyway, I cut them out, (four pairs, one set stuffed, the other fake leather) asked mom to drag them through her sewing machine and then started fitting the lot together. They worked like a charm too…only I think I’m going to have to replace the fake leather with real leather, one of these days. Grandpa’s happy at least.

Tenant’s been busy as heck. She’s been wanting to write to her daughters, but is having a hard time of it, really. I can imagine that it’s tough to do, but this is not something I can help her with, I think. Some things are private. I did spent a while taking photographs of her. She wants to add a nice one to her letter, so I shot several of them and will go through them tonight to see which ones worked out well. She’s difficult with that sort of thing, is sometimes ashamed of getting old, or something. Silly really, but understandable, I guess. It doesn’t help that a picture never does her justice.

Next, there was a workout session in the morning, which went well enough despite me being unable to find my shwung. And a couple of jogging sessions that worked out darn well for as far as I’m concerned. I did a full half mile stretch in one piece, thank you very much. I started out with sixty feet with a break, then slowly worked my way here. Not bad for sporadic training, eh? The foot didn’t even kill me last night.

Mom’s closet got installed in her working area in the morning, and it fit exactly there where she wanted it. Yay. She and the younger sibs put everything in the same afternoon and the thing is now filled properly with all sorts of fabrics. It looks good.

Also worked a little in the pantry, where for some unfathomable reason the big freezer had shifted off its perch, standing there crooked as heck. We cleared away the mess behind it, put it back in place and wiped the thing clean while we were at it, because boy was that dirty.

Took Chaos to the vet. The poor Basset appears to be feeling poorly of late and when I checked (against his wishes) I found his teeth to be rather dirty, and the gums too red. He was soooo scared at the vet’s trying to crawl into my lap (which he NEVER does) keeping his tail down (also something he rarely does) all the while. He had to be weighed, 88 pounds!!!, and then lifted onto the table so she could check him out. Nothing too serious, just a gum infection and a slight ear infection. She called him beautiful (Chaos perked up immediately and agreed fully) because most Basset’s his age have drooping skin. And he is. He’s the Gorgeous after all. Hah.
But anyway, he has an appointment for dental cleaning on Tuesday, and since he’ll be under for that anyway, the vet will clean his ears while she’s at it. I’ll have to start him on antibiotics on Sunday, which I hate because it has so many nasty after-effects. Ah well, he’ll have to overcome those.

Well, I made some extra shelving for my own room while I was at it. Books were starting to pile up on horizontal surfaces and since there’s hardly any room there due to clean laundry piles (I know. How lazy am I? I really should put it all away, darn it.) new shelving was getting to be essential. It looks nice and I got to put away all those loose books that I had been shoving here and there for the past six months or so. I love book shelves.

We’re starting on a new project. What with the tomatoes doing relatively well in the greenhouse, we’re going ahead with building the small greenhouse under the small pool. There will be some serious digging involved, a little masonry, but it shouldn’t take all that long, allowing us to start earlier with the big batches of tomatoes for spring and summer. Already hauled down several wheelbarrows with rocks for the knee high walls it’ll have.

As for freaky news…we had three screws in three separate tires of the Land Rover, which send the guy at the tire shop into a chortle. I know. It’s a little funny. I mean really, what are the chances of getting one in three tires? But there you have it. Luckily one screw was really short and didn’t cause a puncture. As for the other two, for twenty bucks he fixed them both while we waited. *sigh*

That about sums the last couple of days up. I’ve got stuff to do, a manuscript to print and then…well, I’m planning an early date with my bed. Hah.

Cars up the wazoo

Song of the day: “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor. From my point of view it is very appropriate. Jeez. At the moment I just want to go to bed and pass out for a bit. Right after I eat half a bag of cornflakes to fill the pit that is supposed to be my stomach. Seriously, I’m friggin starving and for the past hour or so my stomach has been wondering whether my throat’s been cut. Aaaargh.
I didn’t have time for it today…heck, didn’t have time for it yesterday either.
Which means I need to explain, don’t I?
Well, yesterday was a doozy due to the fact that I had to go out way too much. It started early with Sally who had to go to the doctor and since the Daewoo is gone I had to drive her there. This meant that I had to wait for her to be done, which took two friggin’ hours that would have had me scream if I hadn’t been smart enough to take pen and paper with me. I managed to get down a solid scene. Yay.
It did make me incredibly grumpy when I got home, in particular because tenant also needed help, which took another hour and by then the entire morning was gone. So I took some time to get started, but I did finally manage to get down to the basin terrace where I spent the majority of the afternoon writing on “V.L.” The scene I wrote in the car and part of another one, so, another yay, right here. *sigh*
There was some gardening, naturally (not as much as I’d like) and harvesting, and cooking, which is incredibly boring to write about, but the zucchini soup was great. I wish some was left, but on the way up a large portion sloshed over dogs and ground alike. Bye bye soup.

I really should take some time to do some decent cooking again, though. The days are just not long enough for frivolous things like food, unless I make them.
But anyway...the afternoon was cut in because Sally needed a lift to her new job, only to need another one three hours later. That was when (after dropping her off) big brother and I, along with Dani headed out for a jog. I was in serious need to let of some steam, and I think I actually managed a relaxed run, rather than using all those muscles I’m not supposed to use. I mean it, it went well. Didn’t pull anything, didn’t lose my breath too fast, so it felt pretty awesome by the time we got back to the car and called it a day.

Good thing I managed to get to bed early too, because it allowed me to get up early this morning. We made to appointments, you see, to see a Renault Kangoo and a Citroen Berlingo. The latter had our favor, right until this afternoon it turned out that the add lied and that to look at it we’d have to go a solid fifty miles, which wasn’t worth it.

The other one, well the price wasn’t right after all, so that got canceled. It wouldn’t have been bad if that meant that we could stay home, but mom found an Opel Astra Merit that should be affordable. So we went there instead to look at it (did I mention I hate car shopping. I do. With a passion!). Personally I didn’t like it all that much, in particular not the seller, nor the idea the car gave, but what the heck, I will hardly ever drive it, so...whatever.

On the way back (we have an appointment at our garage tomorrow to see if we’re not buying a barrel) we came upon a Hyunday Atos (similar price to the Opel, and much more likable in my eyes, hah) whose owner showed up within fifteen minutes of calling. There will be two appointments at the garage tomorrow, where we’ll hear what the mechanic says.

Of course, the potential buying of a new car means that I will have to get up early tomorrow morning to get my registration form at city hall, and while I’m there I’ll have to pay taxes for 2010 as well. Home taxes, roads, garbage, etc. Very tiresome, but it needs to be done.

While mom and little brother dropped off Sally this afternoon, I had to pick her up again, right before big brother and I headed out to get gravel. With a little luck we’ll manage to pour concrete in tenants room one of these days. And when that is done maybe her new kitchen floor, which is high time.

Not much writing today, only a couple of pages that brought me up to one third of the book. Yay. I wish there’d been time for more writing tonight, but it’s already past midnight and I have to get up in time.

Okay, Knight II’s making a racket and I need to get ready for some serious zzzzs. Gotta go.

New project? I think so.

Song of the day: “Love is in the air” by...hmmm, will have to look that up. Ah, John Paul Young. Okay. For some reason I’ve been thinking about “Strictly Ballroom” a lot. I really need to see that movie again some day. *sigh*

Okay, let’s get this over with. There is still some work to do on the in-between project, but on the overall it is done, yay, yay and YAY! It turned out all right, nice characters (however short the story), good, rounded story, and great setting. I’m definitely going to keep my mind open for a full length novel in the 1920s. It would be fascinating, really, bootlegging, mooch, goons, and tommy-guns. *sigh* Can it get any better than that?

Ah well, what else? Gardening, of course. Tomatoes in the greenhouse are really turning red now. Seriously, we’ve had several already, but by now we’ve got like fifteen almost done, along with a daily dose of cherry tomatoes. Yay! Got our first real batch of strawberries, meaning yogurt with cream, sugar and pieces of strawberries through it. Absolutely yummy and hopefully there’ll be another batch in the near future for more of that goodness.

Also had our first batch of broccoli, which was unlike any broccoli I ever tasted before. It was tender, almost sweet and nicely crunchy. Seriously, I was never a big fan of broccoli (cauliflower is more my thing) but this way, I can definitely eat it. Hah.

Had to build a couple of constructions of reed for the green beans that are shooting up into the air. Seriously, they barely got high enough to reach the first horizontal stem I put up when I place it the day before yesterday, and just this morning I saw that they’ve already grasped on. That means they grew over three inches in two days, for crying out loud.

Today is fondue day, by the way, on an old champagne base, no less, so that’s going to be interesting at least. Gotta get rid of that champagne one way or other, and the way I figure, it might as well be this way.

There was sand hauling in the past couple of days. Seeing as big brother and I might get a job this summer, we really gotta double on that sort of thing, rather than risk running out while we are too busy doing other stuff. Though the job (if we get it) will be a tough one (digging out a basement) four hours a day, five days a week, it’s going to be interesting to see if we’ll manage it. Guess I’ll have to keep you posted whether or not it is going to go through.

Right, new project is in the making. No, not the writing kind, but more like the building kind. The problem at the moment is that the temporary shower cell that we build in ‘98 is really running on its last legs, meaning that we’ll be without a bathroom soon. Yikes. That is not good, so besides the wall, a genuine bathroom has been shoved higher onto the priority list. The place that used to be the dog-food kitchen, has now been designated as the future bathroom This means that we need to break out the old (chest high) bath tub. It is a relic from back in the day when we still only had fifty dogs, and when we still could make healthy food for them. *sigh* We had so much less cancer with the dogs when they got home made food. Darn it.

But anyway, we have to break out the old bath tub, chop out old tiling, put in a door and post, and cut out a part of the wall for a window. Then we put in a shower-cell, plumbing, maybe a wash-basin, big closet for towels and everything. Easy as pie...or at least it would be, whenever we could squeeze in a hour or two here and there.

Another thing is that we’re going to have to spend some time in the courtyard, clearing out clutter, so we have space to hang up this big shelving section that will cover the entire wall, if we’re lucky.
That should allow for some serious storage, hopefully. But then, knowing us, it’ll be so full soon, that we’ll end up having to make more of the shelving after all. Aaargh.

Scary thing yesterday is that we found a massive amount of termites near the storage. Turns out a stack of our wood was infected with the buggers, so we sprayed the pile with anti-insect stuff, and hauled the wood as far away as possible from our supplies. Jeez. Let’s hope we got it all, because let’s face it, if that stuff gets into the house we’d be sooooo screwed! We looked the buggers up on the Net this morning, and jeez. Talk about horror. Did ya know that their “queen” is the same as the queen of Alien (you know the movies, right). I’m not kidding. I saw a picture of this fly-sized bug, with a sack the size of a hand behind her. Yowsa! Suddenly the Alien concept is no longer as original as I always thought it was. Hah. Just kidding.

Last night I had a really good work-out session of an hour and a half. Sure I was properly sore this morning, but it was a good session anyway. I’m getting better at the bag-pounding. Heck, the fabric is even starting to show wear, and I’ve already had to repair it with duct tape. Very “real” boxing gym look. Hah. I’m proud to say that I can now do eight push ups, which is like totally unheard of for me.

I did manage to do a bit of writing on the new project, which is good, seeing as the in-between is as good as done. It should stave off the post writing blues a bit at least. The characters are gradually taking shape, and that is an auspicious beginning any day. Hah.

Okay, I’ve got a letter to write, maybe some more novel writing to get down, and this fondue to digest before it comes back up. Yikes. I ate way too much that’s a fact.

Pix and an update. :-)

Song of the day: “Tired of being sorry” by Enrique Iglesias. Had it before, but I probably will again. Great one.

Well, it has been a busy couple of days. I am once more at a loss as to where I left off the last time, so I’m going to past in a couple more pictures for the heck of it.

Here’s the bed/closet for little sister. There’s another separate section with two big drawers, sort of like a bench (the same materials) but I forgot to take a picture of it, darn it.
As usual I started on the design before I actually took measurements, but it worked out, thankfully. The separate sections are exactly the length of a mattress and putting the lot in…after breaking the old bed apart, which involved quite a bit of work. Luckily putting everything in place went so well that we had the new bed was set up and ready in just a few hours.





Here’s also a shot of what soon will be a nice light yellow desk in my room. Isn’t it cute? As a little girl I would have killed for something like this. Hah.
This is restoring, by the way, not building. Had to replace some broken elements, but the design is not my own. *sigh*



Here’s my old trunk, which mom painted during the course of the past week, very Arabian nights, isn’t it.




But anyway, other than these fun little projects going on, big brother and I have been working on the new front gate off and on, which means that we have now finished one side of the gate, about nine by nine feet of metal and wood that is starting to become rather pretty and solid.

There was also a nice little half hour involving changing Tika’s cage (parrot), which she doesn’t like at all. She’ll be glaring at us every time like she’s saying; “Hey, those are my food reserves, get out of my cage!” while banging her beak against her food bowl. Such a character, our Tika.

The weather, much to my regret, is slowly turning colder again. We’ve actually had a wee bit of rain, aaargh.

Also had another nice run, where I worked on endurance rather than speed. I hate the endurance part, I wanna RUN, darn it…but the other bit is necessary too, I guess.

We had a good scavenge again. Lots of wood that’ll do the trick with future projects. Also metal, which won’t go amiss what with working on the gate at the moment.

I did two more workout sessions with our tenant, who is slowly gaining more balance and strength in her legs. She really enjoys being able to walk again, even though she has to be helped. Can’t blame her, really; there’s nothing worse than being bed, or chairbound.

In between it all I have been trying to discipline Knight II, who’s gotten to be so big that I decided he’s going to need to learn to stay on the couch, rather than get in bed with us at night. There just isn’t any room for him.
Of course, it took me over an hour to get him to understand that he couldn’t snuggle up, but on the overall, it wasn’t as disastrous as I’d feared.

And with that I’ve gotta quit today’s blog. I’m running way behind…I heard from my soldier with Operation Desert Swap for the first time, so I got a little sidetracked writing this really long email to him (poor fellow; far away from home and then he gets stuck with me yapping his proverbial ear off).

On to the next day!

New routine.

Song of the day: “Que Sera Sera” by Doris Day. Got that one a few times already, but it is so wonderfully easy. Hah.

We started early yesterday, considering we had to go grocery shopping…yes, it is that time of the month, darn it. We went a little early, too, figuring that if we got it all done in time we would be able to do a short edit afterwards.
First there was yard work, however. There are two wheelbarrows filled with plants that need to be put in the ground, but we only managed about half before time was up and we head to the car to leave for the planned grocery trip.

Everything gets done in four and a half hours…I had another question of a shop-owner about my weight-loss. She asked whether I had been dieting, or if I’d been ill. So strange. Last time I was asked about a diet and surgery. What is it with the incredulous looks, I wonder, when I say that I’ve never eaten as much as I have in the past year. I have…’cause let’s face it, every four hours or so, my stomach is acting as if my throat’s been cut. There are times when I fear that I don’t get enough food, since I really do not want to lose weight faster than two lbs a month…it’s been going steadily that way for several month; it allows my skin to keep up, I think.

But is it really true that the only conceivable way to lose weight is to diet, become terminally ill or have surgery? Makes you wonder why it is always something torturous, doesn’t it?

Be that as it may, it was a nice compliment. Hah. A nice tidbit of yesterday’s shopping is that we finally managed to get two pairs of shoes in big brother’s size. It is a hard thing to do since he’s got size sixteen, (47.5 European size) or something, which is downright impossible to get here in Spain, unless you visit a really expensive store (not something we are inclined to do).

As planned, we did a four-page edit when we got home, which was a relief after the debacle of the day before yesterday. I swear, we were so tired after pouring the concrete that we could hardly think. But the pages got done, some details were adjusted and that brings us almost to half of what needs to be edited before I can resume writing. I’m looking forward to it.

After the edit we watched Tom Hanks’ “Angels and Demons”, which I found to be a tad disappointing. It was a little weak, compared to the first one, and that’s pity.

Which brings us to today:
Thorgal (golden retriever) had a slight seizure of sorts this morning. It was rather peculiar; he just went through his back legs and started spasming.
Five minutes later, he was fine, but we’re going to have to keep an eye on him.

Before we got started on the day’s project, I went up to our tenant’s place, where I helped with her rehab exercises. This is the second one we’ve done, but it is nice to see her excitement when something new happens. Like the first time (Monday, I think) she could walk past the bar we made for her convenience without actual assistance. And then, while doing balance exercises, her lame arm, actually started to mimic the movements of her good arm. Since mobility and independence is what we’re aiming for, we focused on her arm most today. After a while, her arm once again started to mimic her good one, which thrilled her.

Then it’s time for me to start outside work. We’re only halfway through it now, so who knows what else is going to happen, but since I won’t have time to write tonight, I thought I might as well get through this right now and post.
Today we’re putting in the wooden partition on the southeast side of the carport, and it is looking grand. Sturdy too, and it replaces the bad fence that has been an eyesore for the past year…which reminds me, I need to get out there; the sibs are a mite impatient. Hah.

We’ll pick up here the day after tomorrow…maybe I’ll have time to post some pictures by then.

Lots happening.

Song of the day: “Temptation” by Wet Wet Wet. Wonder where it came from since I haven’t heard it in years. I used to be a WWW fan, but time passes and tastes change and all that. Maybe it was on the radio this morning, or something. Hmmm.

It was a hurried morning on the most part, considering middle sister has a toothache and grandpa made a dentist appointment for her. Big brother and I hurry our way through getting more basics of the synopsis down and before I know it, it’s time to get ready to drive to town.

On our way down the mountain, several police cars come squealing past, momentarily distracting us, but then we arrive at the office and it is time for middle sister to have her ache removed. It takes almost an hour, but when she appears she has had a local anesthetic and has been treated for an inflamed root canal. She needs another appointment next week.

Minutes later we’re back on our way up and discover that the police we saw coming past have locked down the entire village for traffic. Luckily we don’t actually need to go through there, and take the road that passes around it, curiously trying to catch a glimpse of the streets below that appear to be deserted for some reason.

Strange, but we really can’t imagine what is going on: A terrorist threat? A bank robbery? Or something more inane. Your guess is as good as mine in this case. When we arrive home there is a black car parked in front of the gate, stunning us, really, since we weren’t expecting visitors.

As it turns out, there are two men who’ve come to check up on grandpa. Seeing as he has a state pension, he is not allowed to live together with a “person of interest” without receiving a deduction, but considering that he is a single man with no interest whatsoever in having a romantic liaison with anyone, it is not a problem. The guys are gone in less than five minutes, making us shake our heads at the waste of such a check team.

Here they are, receiving wages and expenses to travel all across Spain from Madrid (an odd 700 miles away) to check up on a seventy-something year old man who gets a minimum pension. Even if he were living together with someone, I doubt that those extra fifty bucks would make up for the wages paid to such a team.

Ah well, their waste of money in the end. For us it is little more than a hiccup in the day, for them it was a near disaster, to even locate our address.
Since it already late, I have a quick lunch of a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, and then we get started on today’s work with rocks and cement.

I’m back to foundation I made yesterday, and the younger sibs work on their own section while keeping a constant eye on little Sita III, who’s bouncing around in ecstatic bliss most of the day. The majority of the pack treats her with mild indulgence. Some avoid her, and others get downright grumpy whenever she comes near. Hah.

The sun is pretty hot while we work, adding rock after rock to our respective projects, until we need to call today’s session to a halt. Excellent progress, naturally, but since we want to get some exercise in, we really need to stop before well before sunset if we still want to get a new load of rocks.

I help big brother with the last bit of another step he adds to the first stairs he created. While we were working with the rocks, he has been all over place, fitting in a tap for the washing machine and putting the large machine in place on the elevation, I made the other day. He replaces the broken handle of the back lid of the truck bed and helped mom while she tried her hand at tiling the new section of the skimmer for the pool.

Little brother and sister have already headed inside to start on dinner when big brother and I head up to the drive sweep for a quick run up the mountain. There really isn’t time for an actual jog…our tenant needs to be picked up from her rehab session, of course…and we’re just about done when the truck returns, right on the dot.

I barely have time to catch my breath when we depart (still in our sweats) to get a quick load of rocks, before the day is through. I gotta admit that I should have taken a breather, ‘cause by the time we’re done loading, my entire torso is screaming for rest, hah.

More than happy to have a quick dip in the pool, we arrive home, unload the batch and I hurry down to the courtyard to dive in. Cold and wet. It revives me enough to head inside, have dinner (chili sin carne) and then set up the computer for a final hour of editing, before midnight arrives.

Admittedly, we only manage a page or two, considering my eyes literally fall shut throughout the session, but still it is enough to settle my worries about not getting through it fast enough. Fifteen pages to go and we’ll have the rewrite-edit done.

I have a slight sunburn, I’m bone tired, more than eager to get to sleep and I’m done early with today’s Blog. Yay.

Excellent.

Song of the day: “Bad day” by Daniel Powter. Not a bad song, but since I only know the chorus it got to be a tad annoying. Hah

I have a relatively early morning today. There was a strange dream that makes me feel…well, weird, but I cannot remember the details for some reason, which in turn annoys me too. It gives that uncomfortable feeling that I can’t find the cause for…and thus not find a solution to get it out of the way. No matter, though. The day starts anyway.

The wrist is doing well enough, only a slight twinge now and then, so it doesn’t bother me too much during the morning chores of cleaning up the cabin and getting ready to face the day.

I head down to the house for edit right after the morning rituals. First, there’s the laundry that needs to be done, but then I set up the computer and settle down.
Admittedly, we don’t get all that much done, lots of other stuff that keep us distracted when we should be working. One of which is treating Njanna’s (golden retriever) ear and trim his fur to remove the dirty clusters that have accumulated during the winter.

We do stick it out behind the computer a bit longer than usual, which earns us another scene, but then it’s time to head outside to see what we can do today on the ongoing project of improving the quality of life in general.
Big brother opts to work on the gate (the one that fell on Bommel yesterday…Bommel’s fine, by the way) while little brother continues clearing out the tool room in the courtyard.

While they’re busy with that, both sisters and I open up the fence that keeps the small yard in front of the wall safe from the dogs, so we can remove the remaining dirt that’s still overflowing the section, and cart it up to the top of the wall. There it is supposed to create a rather nice terrace, later on.

So, I calculated six to eight wheelbarrows to wheel up the mountain…oh boy, major miscalculation on my part, aaargh! I end up hauling seventeen friggin’ loads up, breathing hard and leaking perspiration like I’m sieve, or something.

It doesn’t help at all that it is a humid day and really warm, like it’s summer, but still, the way I figure, I got my exercise at the very least. Hah. Nothing like going up and down with a heavy load as fast as you can, just to be able to get all the momentum you can.

Around load number fourteen a thick cluster of clouds gathers in the west, covering the sun completely. It’s a massive gathering that’s a fact, and moisture is heavy in the air with the promise of a proper thunderstorm later on, when the day turns from bright into murky in less than five minutes.

I take a quick dip in the pool, more to get rid of the perspiration than anything, do some stretches to get the kinks out of my back, get dressed and a bite to eat, and then head on up to the car. Yep, another load of rocks needs to be fetched, and I’m feeling remarkably well, considering I’ve spent the majority of the day running up and down with a full wheelbarrow, hah. Guess all the exercise these past few months has been effective after all.

A different location is picked today…we do like variety in our rocks…and we pick a section of the road under construction where a large selection of rocks are just begging to be taken along. Black, yellow, red and turquoise…oh my, the eclectic colors are going to be beautiful in whatever section of new walls we’re going to put them.

Thirty minutes later, with the truck bed fully loaded, we head back home on a scenic route. Overhead an impressive cloud formation is thunderously coming together and lightning slashes threateningly in the west by the time we arrive home and start to unload.

That done, and with nightfall hard on our heels we head inside. I do another quick laundry run…what with the heat this morning’s batch is already dry.
Little sister has cooked dinner, fried rice with peanuts and coconut shavings, and white endive with cheese. It’s delicious and the stuff gets devoured in record time.

Though it is already late, big brother and I decide to try another edit, and manage to ad another page before it is once again time to call it a day. I head on up to my cabin so I can feed my dogs and prepare for the night.

It was a good day…definitely.

Just a day

I wake up several times, but on the overall it was a good enough night, albeit a little short. There were lots of dreams, about travels from the past and present alike, creating a jumble of images in my head that I can’t even begin to unravel. A pity. It would have been nice to write another dream down on this day that will certainly seem boring.

What with the competition falling through, I take my time with the morning rituals, spending about an hour just reading (for fun), making the bed, and gathering laundry. It is then that I spend a useless fifteen minutes trying to find the key of my front door.
Sometime during yesterday morning’s release of the dogs, it got lost and I am unable to find it anywhere.

I am, of course unable to find it, so I give up and haul my laundry, computer bag, and my dogs down to the courtyard, setting it all away and then changing into my workout clothes. I certainly feel up to some exertion today, my body feels restless to say the least.

For some reason it takes up to eighty minutes to go through the routines, and I find myself enjoying the exercise that can be done in a workout top and trousers, rather than the long sleeved T that I’ve been using for the past weeks. The temperature today is actually warm, and it is invigorating.

I’m not even cold afterwards, and take my time to cool down from the workout with stretches and such before I head for the shower. Afterwards I have a light breakfast that doesn’t fall well at all, my stomach playing up once more.
With a mug of coffee I settle behind my computer and while away the last couple of hours before I have to get ready to go to town.

There’s another exchange for books (in effect reviews) waiting when I get online. I do admit to being quite curious about what the readers of the past few days think of the W.I. Investigations. Though I have heard some marvelous responses already, it’s always good to get another opinion. Hah.

In the meantime big brother is reading up on his updates about the LHC project in Cern and scoffs about the latest analysis where it is claimed that when they’re going to imitate the “Big Bang” it is PROBABLY not going to create planet gobbling black holes.

It baffles me how scientists take such risks. I mean, anyone taking such a risk would be cut off at the knees. But no, in the name of science pretty much anything goes in the end. What do we need to know about some big bang anyway? What possible good will come of using such an incredible force?
Does anyone recall the first moron thinking up the rather disastrous nuclear division? Yes, we’ve got power from it, but can anyone spell A-Bomb, radiation, nuclear waste, melt downs and God know what else? Duh! Hello! Any brain cells working over there?

Let’s theorize for a second and think what is going to happen if they don’t botch this test up and create…I don’t know, a new power source? Does anyone really think some twat isn’t going to get the brilliant idea to make some wonderful weapon of mass destruction? Don’t we know human nature a little better than that?
Like I said. It’s baffling. Does no one even remotely intelligent watch doomsday movies?

But anyways, after some chats, time has gotten away from me, and I need to hurry on up to get changed for our lessons in town. By the time I’m ready to go, and am at the verge of climbing from the porch step when a sparkle underneath it catches my eye. The key, it’s right there. Right where I SHOULD have been able to see it during my search that very morning…and didn’t. Aaaargh!

Stabbing it in my pocket, I dismount the steps, and then head for the car by the time big brother appears and joins me. With his arrival at the car we depart and start on our way to town.
We reach the school in little time and speak with our teacher for a bit, who says that it is about time for us to start on the harder courses now that we pretty much know where the computer tests “are at”.

Together we agree that if things continue the way they are, we’ll be ready for our exams mid-February, which is a reassuring thought, to say the least.
She’s in a cheerful mood today, very few students came by during the course of the day, we’re thinking. She’s joking with us, pleased with our progress, it seems, while we start doing lessons on paper once more.

The questions are insane, having absolutely nothing to do with what we’re there to learn, but we muddle through until two hours later the school is ready for closing and we need to call it a night.

On the way home, we visit the video rental store in hopes of finding “Wanted” or “Tropic Thunder” available to take home with us, but regretfully neither are is, so we head for the bazaar instead and buy a few items that we need.

By the time we get home the evening is advancing rapidly, and neither of us feels up to an editing, or writing, session at all. I’m still bit nauseous, and actually have some dry heaves, but still manage to choke down on a small dinner of yesterday’s meal.

Afterwards we check out Carla’s (orange Cocker Spaniel) foot soles, which appear to be bothering her. There appears to be some swelling, which is treatable by us. Then we haul Njanna (Golden Retriever) on the table as well, so we can check out his ear.

The poor dog has been suffering from bad ear infections for years, and while we thought that the last treatment finally had effect, we find that the ear is once again fully, and disgustingly infected. It is strange but Njanna has shown no sign at all of discomfort this time, which is why we are a bit on the late side checking out the damage.

A nasty smell comes from his ear, and for some time I keep the dog in a tight hold, so big brother can remove the puss, dirt and excessive hair for a better view. It smells awful, but most gets removed, after which we release the Retriever, so we can prepare a mix of boiled water and vinegar for proper cleaning.

That done, I spend a little while removing spider webs from walls and ceilings, and head for the courtyard to hang my laundry before I’m ready to call it a full day and start gathering up my dogs so I can take them up to my quarters.

It has started to rain, and I hurry on my way to the cabin, dispersing food for my dogs and spending half an hour of reading before I settle down for the evening and log on.

I'm going to rant a little. Never mind.

OMG! I know, this is not my usual way to start the day’s Blog, but it has to come out. OMG!…I’ll explain later. Promise.

So, I’m late waking up this morning. By some unfathomable reason I forgot to set my alarm last night, so I wake almost an hour after I was supposed to. There I went through a lot of trouble in order to get to bed in time, just so I’d have an extra hour for writing, only to win thirty minutes instead ninety. Bugger!

The air is moist today but the temperature wonderfully mild, making getting out of bed an not altogether unpleasant sensation since I can peel out of several layers without getting the usual shivers. Wonderful. I can actually move around without several fabrics obstructing my movements. Now, if only the sun would shine too, all would be perfect.

I hurry on through the morning rituals, skipping my few minutes of reading and head for the house with my computer bag and the dogs in tow. The Monster is alternating her position from behind, side, to front and back again, jumping on all fours like a lunatic as she tries to feint some attacks on my person. Thankfully, however, she seems to comprehend my dire warnings and stays a good yard away.

The dogs funnel at the gate of the courtyard, the way they always do, each of them eager to go through first as I hang on to the wall for dear life, and try to use my one free hand to open the latch so they can pass. It takes some fumbling, but in the end they burst through like a tide, swirling out into the courtyard in random patterns.

I’m first to arrive at the house, well the first human anyway, and set my baggage away before getting into my workout clothes. Since I’ve been feeling so on-edge these past few weeks, I figured, what the heck, I’ll fit in a few more workout sessions in order to blunt the impact of that emotional state a bit.

It goes well enough, some of the muscles protest during the warm up, but it’s not as bad as it was when I first started with the routines months ago and was still doing a five-days-a-week course. Some progress at least.

There are jumps, bends, pushes, punches, kicks and lifts, the usual sequence going right on schedule and bringing an hour to a rapid end. After the much-needed shower, and a foray into the laundry room I find that this is most likely the last day in a row where I won’t need to hang laundry. The piles are growing and I’m thinking that middle sister is going to throw in several piles during the night.

Breakfast over and done with, I take my coffee to the table and get down to business behind the computer in an attempt to get some serious writing done before it is time for us to leave for town and our bi-weekly lessons.

Though I had figured yesterday’s scene to be over and done with, it isn’t, and for the next two hours I pound the keys…I know that pounding is no longer required on the fancy new keyboards, but I’m old-school that way. Back when I learned how to type it was still on one of those mechanical typewriters so I’m used to it. Gawd, that’s gotta make me so old! Hah…adding another scene to the first.

The first true vampire scene, I’ll admit. Feeding. Now, I know that it has been done over and over again over the years, now that vampires are so popular, but the new angle on these types of vampires in my stories, give it a nice twist.
It’s more basic, I think. Not the sensual drama, or the “magical” aspect around it, but a basic need, nourishment that needs to be seen to. I like it better this way, less distracting and more…normal, perhaps? We’ll see.

I’m actually sorry when it is time to start to get ready for school. I would have liked to add more to the scene, rather than waste time changing clothes, going to town, sitting in that narrow little room staring at computer screens while filling in test after test.

It’s for the better good, however. It needs to be done, and that’s all there is too it. So there I go, heading up the mountain once more, changing into neat clothes and then climbing into the truck with my two brothers so we can go to town.

My dogs are all standing in the courtyard, looking up miserably as they see us moving back and forth in the carport, getting ready to leave. An occasional howl drifts up. Some yapping from Mosha too, while Dax squeezes his way through the fence and comes sniffing up to the fence that separates the carport from the main garden.

I keep a wary eye on the tiny dog that has a tendency to find narrow places to go through the fence up here as well, making a nuisance of himself because he can’t stand being left behind. None of them can, really. If it were up to the dogs they would all squeeze into the car and go where I went, no questions asked.

In the end we depart, heading down the massive mountain over-looking the sea town and mixing in with heavy traffic until we arrive at the school and are dropped off there to do our lessons inside.

We stay for about an hour and a half, going through tedious tests of A B C answers. On the overall it goes well, except for that particular one that has questions in it that have absolutely nothing to do with our lesson material.
It frustrates me that they put in trick question, inconsequentials and whatnot for what is really just a very basic thing.

It shouldn’t be like a quiz, for crying out loud! It is just a matter of what is allowed and what isn’t, for as far as I’m concerned, but whoever created the lesson material seemed to think otherwise. You’ve got stuff like: You can NEVER do this, and the next paragraph you’ve got: Except when this and that. So very maddening! It makes me want to go out and kick some butt. Idiots!

But enough ranting, the best one’s still to come. While little brother was keeping busy during the hour and a half, he rented three DVDs, which are going to see us through the weekend.

By the time we come home, I find that since all the sibs are ill (meaning that I’m likely to become ill too, soon. Drat!) no one cooked dinner, which of course obliges me to do that myself.

I decide on pasta with a couple of fresh tomatoes, onion, cottage cheese and some Italian herbs. Since it is such a light dish it is rapidly consumed by the siblings who come slinking down the stairs at the sound of “dinner’s ready!”

Our choice of tonight’s viewing is “P.S. I love you”…which is the reason for my starting OMG! I’m sorry to say. There might be some ***SPOILERS*** in my rant, so if you still want to see it, stay clear!

Seriously. Oh My God! I was bored out of my friggin’ mind watching the endless…well, whining about how “amazing” the Gerard Butler character thought his wife to be.
The wife, played by Hilary Swank, was an insecure, annoying and a downright pain in the butt character, for as far as I could see that I couldn’t live with if my life depended on it.

There was not one really redeeming character trait in the person she played, except, perhaps that she regretted that she’d been a whiner during the time when her husband was still alive.
Now, all this wouldn’t have been too bad, if the story had been remotely interesting. It wasn’t! There were some funny aspects, which mostly involved Butler’s character, but that’s it. Even the sad bits…or the bits that were supposed to be sad…failed to touch the right spot.

I think it was even worse than “The Notebook”, which is saying something since that one was horrid…or maybe not. Thinking back of that one, I might have to declare a tie between the two. Hah.

Now, what really got my dander up, was the Lisa Kudrow character who made some, so-called women’s lib remark when one of the guys (Spike from Buffy) called her worse than a womanizer, because she was treating men as dirt and then complained about not being appreciated as a woman. She started ranting about it being her right to treat men as such for all the centuries during which SHE had been suppressed.
She was allowed to behave like a cold-hearted b*tch because men had stared at her breasts instead of her face all her life. Because they had pinched her butt instead of greeted her with a handshake, and was generally looked upon as a pretty plaything rather than a person.

Now, if she were the personification of women all over the earth–through time and space–that would have been a justified remark on which the fellow female character responded with a lusty “Amen”, but since she was/is a modern woman in her mid-thirties who has undoubtedly had all the opportunities available to men and women alike in this day and age, that really just grossed me out.

Even if she HAD experienced all that herself (her character, naturally)–which I find unlikely that doesn’t make acting that way towards men any more right than the men who used to…and some undoubtedly still…do such things. How is such behavior of a sex that is purported to be more civilized than the clichéd Neanderthal, going to help making the world a better place to live in? Isn’t that just changing places?
Isn’t taking “revenge” as it is claimed to be in many of these chick flicks, just going to give men the same excuse a few decades from now, when they’ve been treated in the same fashion as they once treated women?
Way to make it all a vicious circle, Lisa Kudrow character.

I’ve got to admit that I don’t get it. Wasn’t feminism supposed to be all about making men more sensitive, like women, and not the other way around once the scales evened out?
So much for women being more civilized, I guess. Hah.

It’s sad really. It’s just women taking men’s places in the power games, which doesn’t make things any better for as far as I can see.

But enough of the rant: After that disappointing flick, I gather my things and head on up to the cabin to feed the dogs, do some more review reading and get online for my daily surfing on the Net.

Workout and writing. Best combination, ever.

Since I went to bed at least an hour early, I also wake an hour early, which does kind of defeat the point, and does very little to alleviate last night’s exhaustion. Still, I feel better when I wake this morning and for about half and hour linger between sleep and really waking as I try to decide whether or not I’m getting up from the bed.

In the end rising wins, and I drag my butt from beneath the warm and cozy blankets to hurry on through the morning rituals. I manage to read another short story from the book I’m reviewing and then head for the house. The weather is clear, slightly less cold than yesterday, but still not the way I like it.

Workout day has returned, albeit a day late, and I get to it with semi-enthusiasm just as soon as I’ve deposited my bag on the kitchen counter and changed into my exercise clothes.

Muscles and joints feel a bit gritty when I start the warm ups, turning the volume of the music a little louder in hopes that it can get my blood pumping. By the time I get to the “fun” part of the workout, kick boxing, everything is moving smoothly and a thin sheen of perspiration is already forming on my skin.

Perspiration, I have found, is essential to a good workout. If ya ain’t sweatin’ it ain’t workin’, hah. It goes well, I’ll admit and after about seventy minutes of punching, kicking, and weightlifting I’m actually sorry that I’m done.

When I’ve had breakfast and poured myself a mug of coffee I set up the computer and start on today’s writing session. It takes me a little while to get into the scene, but when I do, the words come out effortlessly, creating excellent imagery that make the characters jump out at me as they talk, act and generally live their lives on the screen before me.

I’m pretty much consumed by the scene, and somewhere around nightfall I finally resurface and am pleased to see that I’ve gotten down five solid pages that bring the total up to a third of what will be needed to make a full-length novel. A good day’s work, to say the least.

Since there are more than enough of last night’s burgers ready for those who want them, I don’t feel any inclination to make dinner tonight, and make myself a healthy sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, some cheese, onion and red bell pepper slices, soaked in a herbal yogurt sauce, instead, which goes down well enough and lasts me through the rest of the day with a couple of cookies to fill the gap.

By the time the new episode of “House” comes on the TV, I’m making a quick sweep at the glass doors of the kitchen closets, finishing up during the first commercial before I settle down to watch what Hugh Laurie (House) is up to today. Up to his shenanigans, as usual, I soon find out, smirking as he has his personal PI checking out his colleagues and boss.

I have to admit that I like the new (whether temporary or not) addition to the cast: The wacky Private investigator, who seems to have a very keen sense of what makes House tick, and gets along with him famously.

I don’t know how the writers, producers and whatnot manage to do it, but House is one of the few shows on TV that can pull off replacing/adding new characters without annoying me. Though, admittedly Vogle and the nasty cop made me a little less enthusiastic, the new cast is working very well for my viewing pleasure.

Next is the new show “The Mentalist” which hasn’t been failing in keeping my attention yet. Definitely a plus for new shows; since most seem to lose their “interesting” factor after the first few episodes.

By the time “Las Vegas” starts up, big brother and I get into a heated discussion about the action-reaction/cause-effect theory, distracting me enough to barely follow the episode, but by then the evening is drawing to an end and I pack up my things to take the dogs up to the cabin.

There’s a strange smell in the air when I head on up the mountain. It’s been raining most of the evening and there’s a mixture of an earthy and ashen scent swirling in the clouds that lay low overhead. It reminds me of the big fire, years ago when practically our entire mountain, minus our property, burned down.

I stand in front of my porch for a long time, peering at the low-hanging clouds and the fragments of the valley below. Suspiciously, I keep staring at the blackness, wanting to be sure that it is not a fire causing the smell, and then decide that it really isn’t possible what with everything wet around me.

I don’t remember until it’s time to feed the dogs that last night I used the last of the dog food supply in my room, and head on back outside to get the forty pound bag from the carport, and then feed the dogs their nightly meal.

A few more pages get read for the review, after which the time to get online has arrived. Just the Blog, messages and some fun chats to go and the time to go to bed has, once again, returned.

Slow days...I don't like 'm.

I wake at the usual time, but still being tired, I open the front door to let the dogs out and roll back under a blanket and snooze for another thirty minutes before I start with the morning rituals.

I’ve got quite a few kinks in my back when I wake the second time, but some serious stretches get most of them out before I get dressed and head on down to the house. It is workout day, and since I’ve been a tad lazy, I need to get to it fast, if I still want to do other things before it is time to bring mom to her doctor’s appointment.

What with not having done my exercises for three or four days, it takes me a while to get warmed up, adding about ten extras to every routine until the blood gets pumping.
Once my muscles are cooperating without protest, I grab my boxing gloves and start pulling them on. They’re a size bigger, and though they’re a little roomy over my palms, I do appreciate the extra length of support these gloves offer once I start on the jabs.

Like the other routines I add an extra ten to these, too, figuring that with my inactivity these past few days, the body can do with a little extra exercise.
Halfway through the punches and jabs, perspiration breaks out, requiring a pause when I’m out of breath, and right before the kicking is to commence.

It goes well. It seems that my body is finally adjusting to the new rhythm, accepting it and allowing for proper movements that are whole, smooth and pleasantly powerful. The boxing bag bounces around satisfyingly when the high shin kicks increase in speed and force, until at last the next routine needs to be dealt with.

The extras take quite a bit of time, making the entire workout last for up to eighty minutes when I finally cease and catch my breath with stretches, and the last routine of knee pull-ups on the bar. Eighteen today, meaning I’ve gone up eight since I first started doing them. Yay.

After my shower, a couple slices of bread (my stomach’s off again) and a mug of coffee, I settle at the computer to do some reading of the book I promised to review. It goes well, the story getting interesting and the first few paragraphs of the review written down. I manage two chapters, with big brother sitting across the table, asking me an occasional question about how he should write something down for the vampire book.

I’m actually sorry that there isn’t time to write today, but since I hate being able to get in only an hour at most with writing, I don’t even try since I will just have to quit halfway into a scene to get ready for our departure. Can’t stand such interruptions.

Book noting where I left off, I shut the computer down and head on up to my cabin to clean up a bit before heading for the doc’s office.

Luckily it takes little time, and when the sun disappears behind the horizon we’re back home to have the dinner little sister has prepared.
A wonderful vegetable mix on large thin pancakes, of which I eat as little as possible since I’m still feeling nauseous, that goes down relatively well if only because it tastes so well.
Next middle sister and I paint the storage closet doors for the last time, while I shift between doing that and helping big brother to attach the large clean laundry closet on the other side of the kitchen. As I’d feared, halfway through the meal comes back up again, but since I’ve had a good breakfast I don’t worry about it too much.

We had wanted to hang that door as well–it will match the others–but since we don’t have appropriate hinges we’ll have to postpone it ‘till another day. Big brother and I are in the midst of discussing whether or not we’ll add another metal hook to the bottom side of the large cabinet, when I notice something strange. Rather than my eyes being at mouth height, I’m staring at his nose.

That’s odd, and stating as much we take out the tape measure and check my height. 6’ 2”. Taking off 1” of the soles of my shoes it means that I’m an inch higher than I was since I last measured myself, several years ago. So, either something really weird is going on and I’ve grown a full inch, or the weight loss, along with the stretches that have me hanging on my arms have stretched out my spinal cord, which had undoubtedly been suffering some serious shrinkage over the years. Peculiar…and sort of funny.

Yadzia needs another shot today, so I deal with that after painting, giving the good dog an approving petting that has him wiggling his butt in enthusiasm right after the injection that he bears with a certain amount of resignation.
It worries me a little that the medicine doesn’t appear to have an effect at the moment, but I hope that by the time his second course starts in a month or so, the changes will occur.

Though it had been our intention to do more writing tonight, I’m a tad down from the doc visit, so we watch the Mummy III instead. It starts well enough, only to dwindle down, there at the end where a bunch load of action is crammed into ten minutes of images. What is it with the pacing in movies these days? ‘T is so very disappointing.

I would rant on about it for a while here, but since I’m going to try to get to bed early today, I’m just going to have to wrap it up here, and leave it for another time.

Upon arriving in my cabin–the temperatures have dropped considerably during the previous night, the heater is back on two bars–I feed my dogs and then spent some time transferring the photographs from my phone to the computer so I can load them onto Myspace some time in the near future.

Which brings us to the end of today’s recount. Not very interesting, I fear, but that is a part of life too, regretfully.

Bowled over.

A night passed that felt rather short...which could of course be explained because I was running dreadfully late last night, and didn’t actually get to sleep until six thirty. The dogs are never merciful, however, so the moment the alarm clock goes off, I get out of bed and throw the pack outside before they destroy something out of sheer frustration.

Still harsh winds with bright sunlight outside, which would be more suited for February or March, than it does December. I spent a few minutes watering the jasmine vine outside my window and gather my laundry that’s been piled on top of my closet for two days now. After I get dressed we head on down to the house–dogs eager to start the day–and enter the courtyard where big brother’s pack gives us a noisy welcome.

While big brother snaps the leash on the monster boxer, I toss my laundry in the machine–pretty happy that there’s no batch waiting to be hung, by the way–and get my workout clothes for today’s session.

My limbs are pretty tired today, and though I go through every motion, force isn’t really present. I don’t mind, though. I do these workouts for the sole purpose of exercise and try not to work on building strength since my body has a tendency to develop muscles a little too fast to my liking.

The last time I was doing workouts regularly I gained a solid sixty pounds in just 6 months. Now I wouldn’t have minded all that much if inches had been removed, but no, I just gained muscle tissue, which, apparently, is heavier than fat tissue. That would have been nice to know up front, in all honesty, but of course the chiropractor only told me that I needed exercise, not which kind. Drat!

Ah well, this time it appears to be working well enough. Guess the being busy all the time’s helping some too. Hah.

Anyways, I spend a good fifty minutes bouncing around, grunting, punching and kicking until finally all the movements have been made and I can hit the showers now that my limbs are protested pretty vocally…or they would, if they could speak.

I get down to business as soon as breakfast is dealt with, and with big brother sitting opposite of me; we go through about eight pages of the manuscript in the hours that follow. Having decided to skip the messages, since they always distract me way too long, I’m pleased with the progress and am relieved that we’ve already managed to scratch out a lot of words. Only 800 or so to go! We just might manage it after all.

By the time sunset has passed I shut down the computer and head for the kitchen to start on dinner. I’m of a mood to do baking and decide to prepare mushroom pies in the new oven. Much to my delight the sisters come down almost immediately to join in, and while little sister starts on the mushroom, onion and leek filling, adding some curry spices and herbs before stirring in the sauce hollandaise with cheese, middle sister and I get to work on the crust.

Rather than make a big pie, which would have been quicker, we decide to make separate pies in muffin trays and shove them in the heated oven by the time the filling is halfway done. Five minutes into the baking, the gas runs out, forcing big brother to venture outside in the chilling wind to get a new gasket.

It takes only a few minutes to replace the empty one, and thirty minutes later we’re all enjoying the day’s meal. Another experimental recipe turning out to be a success, it’s always a pleasure to see the eaters enjoy a meal. The small pies are filling, though, so we’ll be able to eat the remainder tomorrow.

We spent half an hour digesting the food, figuring that if we start a little early with the continuation of the kitchen’s remodeling project, we might be able to quit before midnight and get some more editing done. After the dishes are done, the counters swept and anything greasy removed we get cracking.

Today the klutz virus has latched on to little sister, who’s literally swearing by the time she finishes the first cabinet’s painting session and somehow knocks over the paint can that proceeds to spread out all over the new stove. She and middle sister spend a good thirty minutes cleaning up the mess while on the other side of the kitchen isle I continue to attach one drawer cover after the next.

The “no more nails” glue is working pretty well–though I use screws anyway, if for no other reason than to keep the two board pressed tightly together–and with last night’s drawers going through their last paint treatment, once the sisters have finished cleaning up, I manage to get three of them done to satisfaction.

On my side big brother’s working on the faucet re-placement, muttering occasionally when things don’t go his way either, but in the end he gets it done, and I can move on to applying a liberal amount of silicone underneath the board of oak that need to be attached to the counter.

It looks good, I admit when I’m done, telling big brother he can reattach the plumbing and start on fastening the bolts that are to keep oak, and silicone alike, in place.
The freezer is still in the way, however, since a part of the old kitchen is taking up the wall where both freezer and fridge will be placed by the time we’re done building, and he needs to twist into the most awkward positions imaginable to get things done.

Little sister and middle sister finish their painting, more mishaps covering the youngest with paint all over her arms. By this time brother declares that he’s going to need little sister’s help because she is able to crawl under the counter easiest. She grumbles a little but is game, as she gets her instructions, tools and is sent into what we’re starting to term “the underworld”.

By then I’m working on the last drawer, and just about start today’s cleaning-up when there’s a startling outcry from underneath the counter. While drilling holes, little sister has gotten a drip of silicone in her eye, and is shouting for cleaning water as she worriedly asks if the stinging goo will damage her eyes.

Having gone through that particular ordeal myself a time or two during the construction of the house, I manage to calm her down well enough as liberal amounts of eye-water are spritzed into the offended eye until she feels confident that it’s no longer bothering her. Bravely, she disappears underneath again and finishes the job.

In order to keep her company, I sit by the entrance, shining a flashlight to the area she’s working on, while we chat about nothing in particular. We’re all getting pretty tired by this time, five hours into the remodeling session, and actually go into one of those gasp laughs one always gets when something really isn’t funny, but exhaustion makes you laugh anyway.

It starts when little sister is crawling out from under the counter, finding herself halfway out, with her butt and spine just barely over the six-inch base of the counter, with not enough strength to heave herself up.

At last I manage to stop laughing long enough to offer her a hand, and pull her to her feet. Knight II decides he wants attention by then, and rears up like a horse, slamming his paws straight into my ribs when I least expect it, making me curse and then grab hold of his collar before he can try again. Ouch. The giant certainly knows where to have the most effect.
I’m actually surprised that he didn’t crack one of my ribs, and berate him sternly until he calms down some at last.

Little brother joins us by then, carrying with him a small Mac book and the declaration that he’s almost finished his project and wants to show the end result.
Having finished most of the cleaning by then, I’ve got the honor to look first, and am literally bowled over at the sight of what he has created.

During the course of the week, being cloistered in his quarters on the second floor he’s been making a movie-like trailer for W.I. Investigations/Shape Shifter and did a marvelous job of it, I’ll admit.

Right there on the screen is a collection of images with powerful music and intense action, showing me a clip of a story I created over the years in such eerie detail that shivers actually run down my spine. It is truly amazing, and looking at it I can only mutter “Oh, that’s just right!” and “That too,” and “How on earth did you manage it?”

I can see him preening with pride and pleasure as one by one we all gather around to admire his work. I’m patting him on the back every now and then, just because I need to do something to show my full appreciation of a clip he intends to put up on Youtube and everywhere else where he can manage it, just as soon as he’s filtered out the last few glitches…his words, not mine.

If it were up to me, I’d show it to everyone right this instant, but little brother’s a perfectionist that way.
I can’t wait for the clip to be dubbed “finished” so I can put it on my computer and watch it over and over again. The best part is; he intends to make one of these clips for every W.I. story, which means I get to watch my short stories as a kind of movie, if we play them all after each other. I’m totally psyched, that’s a fact.

With that little work of art burned in my brain, I head to my cabin not much later, not caring in the least for the cold wind sweeping right into my face as I set to feeding my pack and putting new cushions on my couch, before cleaning out the mop bucket I needed to use this morning.

I get some reading done, but the clip keeps spinning through my mind, even now as I’ve pretty much finished up my chats online and am working on this blog. Can’t wait to display the clip here and see what readers will think of it. Hah.

Knight II is still petulant about the berating he received, acting like a baby in trying to crawl on my lap at every turn. Big Lug! He seems to have no notion of his size at all.

Good day. Busy, but constructive and rewarding in the end.

Sundays... hmmm

Well, at least it was a sunny day again, which is always a plus, especially on Sundays when the world seems to have come to a sudden halt for no particular reason that I can understand or even find.
Sundays are slow. It doesn't matter whether a lot of activity is being partaken, or if I hang in front of the TV all day. It just is.

But let's go to the day as it was.

There is no magnificent dream to write about like last night. Nothing worth mentioning at all, as a matter of fact, which always depresses me when I open my eyes and find that whatever dream I had been participating in, has eluded my grasp before I actually remember to do so.

I'm slow to wake up today; my head fuzzy enough to warrant a dunking into the bathroom sink in a small pool of water that is cold enough to give me brain freeze. I do a quick read of only one chapter, since I realize I have dawdled in bed for a full ten minutes with the alarm ringing beside me and the dogs watching me as if I've lost my mind. Hah. A small miracle that.
Usually I roll right out of bed when it goes off, eager to shut the annoying disturbance up.

The usual burst of dogs rushing into freedom is remarkably quiet today, the four-legged creatures taking only a few minutes to do their business before they gather around on the porch and below it for some more snoozing while I try to decide whether to go down or just dawdle a bit more.

I decide on the latter -it is Sunday nonetheless- and take my phone to mess with the camera for a bit. Fifteen pictures later, some self-portraits that hopefully look better than I do, and several of the dogs safely filed, I finally get dressed for the day and head for the house.

Exercise day! I've been dreading it since yesterday morning and feel no more inclined to "have at it" at this particular time. Still, rules are rules, and I will keep to them especially when I set them myself.

Forty-five minutes of grinding, punching and crunching follows. An amused looking grandpa, who shakes his head and visibly wonders what the point is, really, witnesses the entire ordeal from his usual place across from me. Since he comes from a generation where exercise consisted of working day in and out on a farm, rather than a quick workout, I understand and actually roll my eyes dramatically every time I grunt involuntarily.

By the time my exercise comes to an end I'm forming a nice sheen of perspiration. Finally, having gone through all the motions, I call it a full session and head for the shower. My shoulder blades whine in protest as I turn the water on hot, allowing the gentle stream to pound on the stressed muscle and bone for longer than is really necessary before I return to the house and start the day's chores.

Laundry gets hung; a messy assembling of clothes and sheets alike, swaying gently in the late autumn breeze when I return to the house and do some quick cleaning while big brother sees to the release of the main pack that has been kept contained until I finished.
Breakfast is a matter of searching supplies in cabinets that should have been filled last Friday, but won't until tomorrow, instead. I don't really care either way. My stomach still isn't up for a full meal anyway, and after two small slices of bread and a glass of orange juice I deem breakfast to be over.

Behind the computer at last, I go through my usual routine top speed, since not much has happened during the course of Saturday night and Sunday morning anyway.
For a while I work on "The Chronicles of the Ashtah-Mahk" managing only a few pages of the rewrite when the responsibilities of my temporary job take me to the official Pet-Transfer website, where I'm to add a few more details that have been worked on during the course of the week.
The site still amazes me, but since I'm the one who urged the founder to open it in the first place, it is a matter of fact to me when others simply don't know what to think of it.

Since the creative spirit has obviously left me, due to the gearshift of my brain I decide to waste the rest of the morning messing around with Photoshop because an idea for a book cover has been playing on my mind for some time. Admittedly the human model will be different if I ever go this particular way, but still it is fun to do and alter my own appearances to such an extent that even I hardly recognize myself.

By the time dusk draws near, and the dogs are fed, big brother and I rouse ourselves from our separate exploits on the computers; knowing full well that we have lingered too long, and head for the bungalow at the top of the property to work on some more adjustments for when our tenant and friend returns.

Some mayor rocks need to be removed, which is no easy task when we find them firmly settled within dry clay. After several failed attempts to shift them from their place, grandpa gets the sledgehammer at my request. I actually laugh when the huge, hard rock breaks well before it comes loose from its clay cradle, and shake my head in exasperation as I ask big brother to do the honors in my stead.

A handicapped threshold needs to be laid, and while big brother and grandpa set to demolishing the five inch high one that is already there, I fill the wheelbarrow with sand and cement, and laboriously push it up the steep incline of the path that leads to the bungalow.
Even while I'm mixing water with the concoction, I realize that another trip will be necessary after the first few batches are piled in the open doorway, and say as much when big brother begins to create a smooth incline as a ramp for the wheelchair that will need to pass through it in the near future.

By the time I have hauled the second batch up to the bungalow and have mixed the cement and sand into a stiff paste, I fully regret this morning's decision for exercise. Muscles that were already taxed considerably during my morning exploits, now literally tremble when finally we are done and clean up the mess we've made ere heading back to the house.

Little sister has honored us with a wonderful meal, though today I would have appreciated something a little more substantial than rice and vegetables (potatoes or pasta, at best) it is still tasty and well worth a full serving.

By the time my body has come to a semi peace between muscle and bone, the evening is well underway with little of interest playing on TV. What with having had so much fun working with Photoshop, I restart my computer and spend a couple more hours messing around with the pictures I'd taken this very morning.

Around midnight, after younger sister has helped me give Trin Trin her injection I return to my cabin with the prospect of a wonderfully early night that should bolster me for tomorrow's busy schedule.

New gas tanks need to be picked up at the supplier, grocery shopping needs to be done for the remainder of the month, and our weekly lessons have come around once more. It's going to be a doozy of a new day in the spanking new week.