Song of the day: “Sunrise” by Nora Jones. This song is most prominent in my brain these past few days, and though I like it, it’s starting to get on my nerves. Hah.
Ah, Christmas Eve has arrived, and I had a free day allowing me to catch up on some long-planned activities right at home.
But first, let’s see what’s been happening these past few weeks.
Not a bloody lot. I mean, the days have been full, of course, but nothing that really stands out, if you get what I mean. There are the hundred hours or so at work, which I can’t talk about, even though I would love to, because there is much to say, but darn…I can’t! *sobs*
But anyway. The messes are more or less gone, except for the metal that we’ve gathered from all over the property which we are going to have to bring to the recycling guys in town one of these days, and the plating from grandpa’s old place, which we have to bring to the land fill. Right now we’re living very basic, with the dogs a tad stressed from the lack of space…not to mention grandpa who’s worried about his dogs not being outside enough. So worried is he, that he doesn’t even realize that my dogs are outside even less. *sigh* Sure, it worries me too, but this is winter, and what with all the fences within the property damaged or removed, there is little choice in the matter. Added to that, the weather is not cooperating, despite the fact that we’ve been having some sunshine at least. The temps are very low and the winds cold. Ergo, the dogs are spending a lot of time inside, the poor darlings.
Writing…well, editing is more accurate, I suppose. We’re about halfway through the paper edit, meaning that it isn’t going bad. I still like the changes, despite that there are little resemblances left to the original story. It used to be sweet, and innocent, which was the point. Now it is…less sweet, to the point of gritty. Not a bad thing, mind you. I like gritty as much as the next gal, but I really liked the sweetness that it was. You know, someday I’ll probably Kindle-publish the first version if…you ask nicely. Hah.
Would you like that? A sweet little romance (1st person narrative. I know, not my style, but there you have it) set in the rural twenties of Chicago. Well, let me know. If enough folks ask, I might feel an incentive. *winks*
Exercise-wise I’ve had three good ones…hmmm, technically I four, seeing as I consider hauling a bed up the mountain (not ours) on an endless stairs as exercise. Hah. As for the other three, big brother and I grabbed our bikes (did I mention that I bought a mountain bike a few weeks ago? Well, I did, figuring that it was a safer way to exercise for my foot. And it is) loaded them, Knight and Grandpa in the car, and then headed out to a good spot where we could practice. Never smart to just go on a public road if you haven’t been on a bike proper in a couple of decennia. Hah. But anyway, we went there, plonked grandpa behind the wheel, let Knight out with us and started. I need a new saddle. Whoever thinks that a racing saddle is the better option, is friggin’ insane…it came with the bike, you see…it was cutting up my butt within minutes. No matter, though. I quickly got a hang of it, and burst out laughing when I looked back to see Knight dither between the car following us at a distance, and me, up ahead. He couldn’t decide whether to follow me, or go back to the car where he could lounge in the back, silly boy. Made him run along for about a mile and then gave him what he wanted and let him back into the back seat. I did some more, about three miles I think, and I was downright proud of myself for having made it that far. Boy am I out of practice.
The other exercise sessions involved me air-kickboxing (because I can’t hang the boxing ball anywhere yet), bending like a pretzel for about half an hour and pumping iron. Yay! It was bliss, in particular today, which was my first free day in two weeks, thank you very much. You’ll be pleased to know that I am at least managing basics again, you know sit-ups, stretches, etc five times a week. Nothing like a real exercise like today, but some movement at least.
Have been busy experimenting with baking. I made several breads today. Yay! Three vegetable/herb breads, my old recipe, but with the variation of quark as the base liquid. It worked beautifully. The bread is absolutely delicious, and we’ll be enjoying it for several days to come. Since I was busy anyway, I also made onion/herbal bread, this one with mascarpone and yogurt as the base liquid, which worked out well too. Very tasty.
Added to that, I also made a sweet cranberry/quark based bread last night, which is working well as desert. *smirk* In other words, we’ve got fresh bread coming out of our ears. Hah. Definitely going into the cook book.
As for cooking. Lots of experimenting this week. There was the white endive with green herbs, chili pepper baked in cheese and cream. Yummy. And the carrot, sweet potato mix baked in green herbs with chopped leek, and the just barely done broccoli floating in a light cream sauce. Not to mention the pasta fungi I prepared the other day. Hmmm. I get hungry again just thinking about it.
Lately I’ve been seriously pondering making my old vegetable burgers again. It has been ages, and I do have a nice bag of bread-crumbs. Yeah, I’ll let you know how that works out.
Which reminds me. Do you remember that cape berry cheesecake I was thinking of making the last time I wrote? I did, and it was divine. A very good fruit for cheesecake. Made two, and they were gone within two days. Hah. And what I had left of the filling…or boy was it good dessert.
Knight II’s foot is not doing too bad. I managed to exchange his last sock before he ruined it, so he didn’t get a chance to lick it this time round, and while I put his new one on, I had a chance to ascertain that at least the wound has closed and is dry at the moment. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
What with my free day today, I finally managed to clean up my clothes a little. They were covering what little horizontal surfaces I have, and I took the opportunity to sort the summer clothes out and store them under my bed. Now if only I can get another free day to get the shelvings sorted as well, that would be grand.
Have been reading quite a bit, and as you must have noticed last week, I have been trying to be diligent in writing reviews for the hard working new authors out there. Posted one this morning, in fact, which I will post here within a few days. This time C.S. Marks’ “ The Fire King” which was an entertaining read to say the least. I’ll let you see for yourself soon. *wink*
As for everything else…the daily stuff, which is more than a little boring to share. Taking care of the dogs, of course, organizing our new living arrangements, daily routines (never forget the laundry, hah) and going out to get donations. A busy life with very little exciting to share with you, darn it.
Well, I better wrap it up. Past seven pm, and I still have to edit.
So, even though I don't have any plans other than going to work this Christmas, I do wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and in case we don't speak before then: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Showing posts with label sorting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sorting. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, July 2, 2012
Liking where it's going
Song of the day: “Sitting down here” by Lene Marlin. It flitted in and out of my mind most of the day, and though it is an oldie (comparatively) it’s still a good song.
I’m a bit behind again. (I know. What else is new, right?) Which is not surprising since I insisted on a nice jog tonight. The temps were so wonderful that I just couldn’t resist. So we (big brother, cousin Ed and me) packed up Niobe and Knight II, and headed for our usual spot. Did only a mile, or so, but it was enough. The running wasn’t anything to write home about, but the movement was rather nice.
And before that (might as well go backwards today), well, there was the dog veggies to cut for their breakfast tomorrow morning, preceded by eating the last bit of supper down by the basin terrace where we’d gathered after watering the yard. Luckily that was fast, since we didn’t really have time to eat before it. Had a few slices of zucchini with herbs and melted cheese (grilled it in the oven), and just headed out.
Spent the majority of the afternoon writing on the book, which went remarkably well. For some reason my focus was there, despite distractions, and got down a solid five pages, yay! Getting there, getting there. I also like where it’s getting so far, so that’s a good thing. The characters are interesting, they’re constantly surprising me with their responses, and there’re some new characters that appear to be working out rather well too.
Cutting off our Spanish reading session, was working at the igloo and sorting through the mess lying about there. There are spare mattresses, dog pillows, blankets. You name it, it’s there, and we had to go through it to decide what we were going to toss, and what we had to pile up to keep. Seeing as we’re going to have a visitor in September, we had to empty the igloo (aka guestroom) and have been postponing the sorting process ever since. It took almost an hour, but we made a good dent in it at least.
Fed the dogs, of course, did laundry, and skipped a dip in the pool because it wasn’t all that hot today, Yay! Seriously, the temps have gone down and now is definitely the Spanish weather I love round these parts. Cool winds, bright sunshine, dry air rather than the hazy mess the last few days. Love it.
Was on time waking up, and had a rather good night despite Sitabah waking me several times vomited. Silly dog decided to eat grass last night again, so I got to enjoy the consequences during the night. *sigh*
Yesterday.
Didn’t actually manage a second writing session in the evening, but since I did three pages that afternoon I wasn’t too upset about it. Instead I spent some time online looking at British real estate for the book. I needed to look at some styles and find that going to real estate agents is always the easiest ways to find typical descriptions.
After cutting dog veggies, big brother and I went to the igloo to get two mattresses up. The dogs killed his, you see, so we had to replace it with a smaller one and a piece to fill up the empty spot. Worked out well, big brother cut it up, and I sewed up the cover afterward. Took only half an hour that, but then we had to go to his room to drag his two hundred pound old mattress out . Oh. My. Gawd! Seriously, almost thought that we weren’t going to manage it. But finally we did, of course, and got the thing folded enough to tie it up and carry it up so we can bring it to the land fill one of these days.
Prior to that was yard work, of course, including yanking weeds, watering and harvesting. Zucchinis are still going strong and the green house tomatoes have reached their end. We’re going to have to start yanking the diseased plants out soon.
Cooked supper, which consisted of potato veggie salad that went down well. I still love anything potato, darn it. Seriously, I wouldn’t know what to do if they weren’t there anymore.
Another writing session preceded that where I only managed a few pages, which was frustrating beyond imagining. I hate it when that happens. Did finish a scene, however, so it really doesn’t matter in the end.
Did do a bit of Spanish before that, so that was good at least. Unloaded the car in the morning, before breakfast, of course, seeing as the sibs had to load up for their market day…same goes for cousin Ed, who spent most of the day preparing her own market.
I wasn’t in the best of moods, due to Sitabah, who drove me bonkers in the morning. She’s scaled the fence, and then stood barking on the roof as if she couldn’t get off…until I got out of bed and called out for her to get her butt inside before I got out there and throttled her for waking me up. Hah.
Am not happy with tenant at the moment, by the way. She’s still floating in her head somewhere and is letting her motivation for getting better escape completely. She’s doing less and less, and is then surprised when she finds stuff she’d gotten better at difficult to do again. I know that it is none of my business, and that it is her life, but there are times that it is more than a little frustrating. It is hard to see several years of hard work disappear because she has decided she’s too old for all the hassles. Makes me want to scream. *sigh*
And that’s it for today. I’m sure I’m missing something vital, but who gives a heck. There’s almost two pages going on, so…gotta go.
I’m a bit behind again. (I know. What else is new, right?) Which is not surprising since I insisted on a nice jog tonight. The temps were so wonderful that I just couldn’t resist. So we (big brother, cousin Ed and me) packed up Niobe and Knight II, and headed for our usual spot. Did only a mile, or so, but it was enough. The running wasn’t anything to write home about, but the movement was rather nice.
And before that (might as well go backwards today), well, there was the dog veggies to cut for their breakfast tomorrow morning, preceded by eating the last bit of supper down by the basin terrace where we’d gathered after watering the yard. Luckily that was fast, since we didn’t really have time to eat before it. Had a few slices of zucchini with herbs and melted cheese (grilled it in the oven), and just headed out.
Spent the majority of the afternoon writing on the book, which went remarkably well. For some reason my focus was there, despite distractions, and got down a solid five pages, yay! Getting there, getting there. I also like where it’s getting so far, so that’s a good thing. The characters are interesting, they’re constantly surprising me with their responses, and there’re some new characters that appear to be working out rather well too.
Cutting off our Spanish reading session, was working at the igloo and sorting through the mess lying about there. There are spare mattresses, dog pillows, blankets. You name it, it’s there, and we had to go through it to decide what we were going to toss, and what we had to pile up to keep. Seeing as we’re going to have a visitor in September, we had to empty the igloo (aka guestroom) and have been postponing the sorting process ever since. It took almost an hour, but we made a good dent in it at least.
Fed the dogs, of course, did laundry, and skipped a dip in the pool because it wasn’t all that hot today, Yay! Seriously, the temps have gone down and now is definitely the Spanish weather I love round these parts. Cool winds, bright sunshine, dry air rather than the hazy mess the last few days. Love it.
Was on time waking up, and had a rather good night despite Sitabah waking me several times vomited. Silly dog decided to eat grass last night again, so I got to enjoy the consequences during the night. *sigh*
Yesterday.
Didn’t actually manage a second writing session in the evening, but since I did three pages that afternoon I wasn’t too upset about it. Instead I spent some time online looking at British real estate for the book. I needed to look at some styles and find that going to real estate agents is always the easiest ways to find typical descriptions.
After cutting dog veggies, big brother and I went to the igloo to get two mattresses up. The dogs killed his, you see, so we had to replace it with a smaller one and a piece to fill up the empty spot. Worked out well, big brother cut it up, and I sewed up the cover afterward. Took only half an hour that, but then we had to go to his room to drag his two hundred pound old mattress out . Oh. My. Gawd! Seriously, almost thought that we weren’t going to manage it. But finally we did, of course, and got the thing folded enough to tie it up and carry it up so we can bring it to the land fill one of these days.
Prior to that was yard work, of course, including yanking weeds, watering and harvesting. Zucchinis are still going strong and the green house tomatoes have reached their end. We’re going to have to start yanking the diseased plants out soon.
Cooked supper, which consisted of potato veggie salad that went down well. I still love anything potato, darn it. Seriously, I wouldn’t know what to do if they weren’t there anymore.
Another writing session preceded that where I only managed a few pages, which was frustrating beyond imagining. I hate it when that happens. Did finish a scene, however, so it really doesn’t matter in the end.
Did do a bit of Spanish before that, so that was good at least. Unloaded the car in the morning, before breakfast, of course, seeing as the sibs had to load up for their market day…same goes for cousin Ed, who spent most of the day preparing her own market.
I wasn’t in the best of moods, due to Sitabah, who drove me bonkers in the morning. She’s scaled the fence, and then stood barking on the roof as if she couldn’t get off…until I got out of bed and called out for her to get her butt inside before I got out there and throttled her for waking me up. Hah.
Am not happy with tenant at the moment, by the way. She’s still floating in her head somewhere and is letting her motivation for getting better escape completely. She’s doing less and less, and is then surprised when she finds stuff she’d gotten better at difficult to do again. I know that it is none of my business, and that it is her life, but there are times that it is more than a little frustrating. It is hard to see several years of hard work disappear because she has decided she’s too old for all the hassles. Makes me want to scream. *sigh*
And that’s it for today. I’m sure I’m missing something vital, but who gives a heck. There’s almost two pages going on, so…gotta go.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Rain, rain and more rain
Song of the day: “The Flood” by Katie Melua. Strangely appropriate these past couple of days. Even infected big brother with it. Hah.
Rain.
It had been an annoying constant for the past couple of days, and for me it has been more than enough. I want the summer back. I mean it. Let’s skip winter and just go straight through to summer…please?…pretty please with a cherry on top?
My clothes are wet, and despite the fact that I changed into dry ones earlier, everything still feels wet. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with yesterday.
Thunder was roaring like mad when I woke about half an hour prior to my alarm going off yesterday morning. The ground was shaking, rain pounding down, and trees swaying like mad in the hard wind. It was not a workout day, so I headed down into the house to do some cleaning. Tackled spider webs, cleaned some glass, and on the overall tried to make the house remotely presentable. It did result in neck pain, regretfully. Darned high ceilings.
Afterwards, the rain still coming down, we went down to the yard to check everything, and found that the basin had filled up to two feet during the first rain. Excellent.
By then the rain got worse again, so I had breakfast and then went to the carport where I spent the majority of the day repairing clothes that had been lying about for just such a rainy day.
Fixed four pants, two tops, a bra and both body warmers, which were ripped in the back. It didn’t help my neck pain any, but what the heck. It was quite satisfactory to have my repair clothes box empty for a change. Hah.
While I was sewing, big brother worked on the moped. Remember how I told that grandpa went to the village and got caught by a flood? Well, it looks like the moped got the worst of it. In all likelihood we’re going to have to bring it to the repair guy again. *sigh*
Turned out that despite the bad weather, mom and the sibs had a good day at the market. Mom’s bags and dog beds are really taking off with the local foreigners, and they are getting to be much in demand. I do have to admit that the fabrics used in stores and such are deplorable, so I totally agree on that part. Mom’s fabrics are the rich and beautiful colored kind.
Rather than head inside, which I deplore these days, I cooked dinner on a one pit stove in the carport, and it was delicious. Tenant even came down to the terrace to share supper with us, and we ended up talking about the past, and India and some of our other travels. She does love those kind of chats, I must say. Her eyes start to sparkle. Wasted at least an hour chatting about such things, but it was worth it…especially since with this weather she is cooped up inside a lot.
Through the course of the day we had a sum total of three thunderstorms with rain and lighting, but luckily the sky cleared around dusk, allowing us to sit outside on the terrace during the daily edit. I do love that at the moment this seems to be par for the course. Rain all day, only for the sky to clear at the end of it, allowing for outside work in the evening. Soon it will be too cold for that, of course, but until then, I intend to fully enjoy the fresh air.
As cold wet days tend to do, I was pretty much exhausted by the end of the day and was more than happy to call it a day…which led to this morning’s workout, naturally.
Despite the wind and rain workout went rather well. Managed to go through all the motions, even though I shortened a few of the routines in favor of having to go out into the rain for them to be accurate. But I punched and kicked the ball, pumped steel and jumped around on the beat. All in all, not bad. Hah.
That done, and with grandpa and big brother on their way to the village to get fresh bread and dairy, I went up to tenant’s where we made white bean patty dough for tonight’s snack, and pumpkin soup of supper. The way I figured, tenant could use the diversion. You can hardly sit on a chair and read all day, all winter long without going absolutely bonkers. Luckily she likes helping with cooking.
By the time breakfast of fresh bread was over, grandpa came rushing up the mountain (fully geared in rain clothes and boots) telling us that the basin was already overrunning. We rushed down ourselves, getting completely soaked in the process of digging a new gutter to lead the river of water away from the main ducts. Having stopped the main flow, we headed for the garden pit and put in two hoses to drain the massive amount of water that was making its way towards the greenhouse.
By then there wasn’t a single dry spot left on my body, and I could feel water run into my waterproof boots by dripping down my legs and past my ankles. *sigh* Going through wet bushes to lead hoses down the incline is not a good way to protect yourself against the rain. Hah.
That done, and having changed into dry clothes and boots, I went to the carport to get away from the wetness and sort through a couple of pounds of mixed screws. Grandpa has this tendency to throw any screw he finds into one big box, meaning that we get to sort through about four of them during winter. Hah.
My dogs are not really all that upset by the weather, seeing as they much prefer staying in my cabin when it rains. Seriously, they’ll saunter inside, take up a lounging position, and look at me as if saying, “that’s fine, just close the door now, boss. That’s it. Nice and closed, leaving us toasty and dry.” *sigh* Sometimes I worry about my dogs not being normal at all.
Another trip to the yard to save cauliflower, broccoli, white cabbage, kale and red cabbage from drowning, didn’t result in another clothes changing session, thankfully. For the duration of that particular chore the rain stopped for a short time, allowing us to put the baby plants inside the greenhouse, and drain the outside table.
There was pumpkin soup aplenty, and since I put in a pot of lentils it filled our stomachs properly.
Well, that about sums it up. I would like to get some edits done tonight, and maybe a spot of writing, or otherwise reading in the review book, so let’s leave it at this.
Rain.
It had been an annoying constant for the past couple of days, and for me it has been more than enough. I want the summer back. I mean it. Let’s skip winter and just go straight through to summer…please?…pretty please with a cherry on top?
My clothes are wet, and despite the fact that I changed into dry ones earlier, everything still feels wet. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with yesterday.
Thunder was roaring like mad when I woke about half an hour prior to my alarm going off yesterday morning. The ground was shaking, rain pounding down, and trees swaying like mad in the hard wind. It was not a workout day, so I headed down into the house to do some cleaning. Tackled spider webs, cleaned some glass, and on the overall tried to make the house remotely presentable. It did result in neck pain, regretfully. Darned high ceilings.
Afterwards, the rain still coming down, we went down to the yard to check everything, and found that the basin had filled up to two feet during the first rain. Excellent.
By then the rain got worse again, so I had breakfast and then went to the carport where I spent the majority of the day repairing clothes that had been lying about for just such a rainy day.
Fixed four pants, two tops, a bra and both body warmers, which were ripped in the back. It didn’t help my neck pain any, but what the heck. It was quite satisfactory to have my repair clothes box empty for a change. Hah.
While I was sewing, big brother worked on the moped. Remember how I told that grandpa went to the village and got caught by a flood? Well, it looks like the moped got the worst of it. In all likelihood we’re going to have to bring it to the repair guy again. *sigh*
Turned out that despite the bad weather, mom and the sibs had a good day at the market. Mom’s bags and dog beds are really taking off with the local foreigners, and they are getting to be much in demand. I do have to admit that the fabrics used in stores and such are deplorable, so I totally agree on that part. Mom’s fabrics are the rich and beautiful colored kind.
Rather than head inside, which I deplore these days, I cooked dinner on a one pit stove in the carport, and it was delicious. Tenant even came down to the terrace to share supper with us, and we ended up talking about the past, and India and some of our other travels. She does love those kind of chats, I must say. Her eyes start to sparkle. Wasted at least an hour chatting about such things, but it was worth it…especially since with this weather she is cooped up inside a lot.
Through the course of the day we had a sum total of three thunderstorms with rain and lighting, but luckily the sky cleared around dusk, allowing us to sit outside on the terrace during the daily edit. I do love that at the moment this seems to be par for the course. Rain all day, only for the sky to clear at the end of it, allowing for outside work in the evening. Soon it will be too cold for that, of course, but until then, I intend to fully enjoy the fresh air.
As cold wet days tend to do, I was pretty much exhausted by the end of the day and was more than happy to call it a day…which led to this morning’s workout, naturally.
Despite the wind and rain workout went rather well. Managed to go through all the motions, even though I shortened a few of the routines in favor of having to go out into the rain for them to be accurate. But I punched and kicked the ball, pumped steel and jumped around on the beat. All in all, not bad. Hah.
That done, and with grandpa and big brother on their way to the village to get fresh bread and dairy, I went up to tenant’s where we made white bean patty dough for tonight’s snack, and pumpkin soup of supper. The way I figured, tenant could use the diversion. You can hardly sit on a chair and read all day, all winter long without going absolutely bonkers. Luckily she likes helping with cooking.
By the time breakfast of fresh bread was over, grandpa came rushing up the mountain (fully geared in rain clothes and boots) telling us that the basin was already overrunning. We rushed down ourselves, getting completely soaked in the process of digging a new gutter to lead the river of water away from the main ducts. Having stopped the main flow, we headed for the garden pit and put in two hoses to drain the massive amount of water that was making its way towards the greenhouse.
By then there wasn’t a single dry spot left on my body, and I could feel water run into my waterproof boots by dripping down my legs and past my ankles. *sigh* Going through wet bushes to lead hoses down the incline is not a good way to protect yourself against the rain. Hah.
That done, and having changed into dry clothes and boots, I went to the carport to get away from the wetness and sort through a couple of pounds of mixed screws. Grandpa has this tendency to throw any screw he finds into one big box, meaning that we get to sort through about four of them during winter. Hah.
My dogs are not really all that upset by the weather, seeing as they much prefer staying in my cabin when it rains. Seriously, they’ll saunter inside, take up a lounging position, and look at me as if saying, “that’s fine, just close the door now, boss. That’s it. Nice and closed, leaving us toasty and dry.” *sigh* Sometimes I worry about my dogs not being normal at all.
Another trip to the yard to save cauliflower, broccoli, white cabbage, kale and red cabbage from drowning, didn’t result in another clothes changing session, thankfully. For the duration of that particular chore the rain stopped for a short time, allowing us to put the baby plants inside the greenhouse, and drain the outside table.
There was pumpkin soup aplenty, and since I put in a pot of lentils it filled our stomachs properly.
Well, that about sums it up. I would like to get some edits done tonight, and maybe a spot of writing, or otherwise reading in the review book, so let’s leave it at this.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Another one lost
Song of the day: “I put a spell on you” by Nina Simone. I rediscovered it on youtube last night and now it’s stuck. Hah.
It was a busy couple of days, and even though the weather is still acting out of sorts, the overall temperature is steadily increasing. Strangely enough clouds keep returning. In fact, right this instant the sun has disappeared behind a stack of them. Looks impressive, sure, but I wouldn’t mind just a bit more stable summer weather, thank you very much.
Let’s get to the bad news first, shall we, that way we’ve got it over and done with. Last night little sister phoned me out of bed because we had to rush to the vet with Bhumi, one of our twelve-year-old cocker spaniels. Apparently the poor darling was screaming with pain and her stomach was swollen, meaning that an emergency trip was inevitable. We arrived to find the vet already waiting for us (mom had phoned ahead) and after an examination that basically left the poor dog prone on the table, we decided against further examination and had her put down. It was over in less than a minute, which was a relief for both of us humans and the dog. Most likely it was a case of colic, which is terrible painful, not to mention dangerous. I should know, considering we lost a horse to that once. *sigh*
It is a relief to know that she has a led a relatively long life in extremely good health, and had fun right until the end. Still, that age can hit them like that...
Well, I prefer to look at sad events like this as cause and effect. Cause: we took in more than a hundred dogs over the past fifteen years or so. Effect: We will lose them one way or other, one at a time.
I can be depressed about it, or enjoy the remaining pack. I’ve decided to do the latter, and will jump right to a fun bit. I went for a run with Knight II. He’s a lazy SOB, and the only way to get him to exercise is to be there right along with him. It’s good for both of us, and it is fun to do since he is such a klutz that there are times he trips over his own feet. Hah.
Another good bit is that the time to get the pool ready has finally arrived. Yesterday morning grandpa, big brother and I finally got around to draining the pool (in the basin, of course, earning us another couple of of days of watering for the plants), cleaning out stuff that’s been piling in there for the past half year (it was smelly, I tell ya) with buckets and then hosing the tiles clean. It went remarkably well too, making me wonder why it was such a horrible task in the past? I mean really, it took us a couple of hours at most. Last year we took half a day, I think. Ah well, all we needed to do this morning was sweep out some dry sand and have been filling her up for the remainder of the day. Yay.
After cleaning the pool it was time to head on out into the yard where the remainder of the day was spent watering the plants...all of them. Which was interesting to say the least because even though there were clouds, it was pretty hot, and I got sunburned again. Did managed to write a solid five pages while standing there waiting for the garden gutters around the plants to fill. A very peaceful job to do, by the way.
Afterwards I was considerably overheated, though, not minding in the least to cook a nice macaroni and fresh veggie meal on the outdoor cooking plate. Was good too, revitalizing me for the rest of the evening...well, sort of anyway. I had pain in my back, and I had to lie down for just a minute...next thing I knew a horse was coming right at me, I dodged and drove the Land Rover off a cliff right before I woke up. Phew. Apparently I’d dropped off there for a minute. Hah.
Right. Anyways, the book is coming along nicely again. Finally got to that dialogue I’d wanted to write in the first instance, even if it turns out they have it later in the day. Hah. Sixteen pages in total, so Yay!
While grandpa and Big brother were working on the roof of the courtyard (there’s often leakage where we hung the new shelving, I headed into the courtyard garden to pull a big load of weeds and saw off some excess tree branches. Boy does it look pretty in there now. Even a lot of flowers survived winter.
This morning, about a month too late, but what the heck, we finally got around to shaving Njanna (Golden Retriever) the poor darling was lugging around a huge load of excess hair and clumps of dirt, and now he looks like a badly trimmed poodle, hah. Ah well, he doesn’t need to win a beauty contest; he just needs to be comfortable.
After that big brother and I were forced to head for town. My bathroom sprung a leak and we had to get some new tubing rather than risk getting an even bigger leak during the weekend. Since we were there anyway we bought some dairy products and then went back home to get at least something more done. While big brother went into the yard to check on plants and veggies, I sorted through half our storage boxes to see if we could get some room for other stuff. Managed to sort through quite a bit in the end, so that was no wasted effort at least.
Next there was cooking, fresh beets with our own potatoes, cheese, onion and lotsa green herbs from the yard. I ate way too much, and since I really need to get to writing right now if I want some time left to do a kick boxing workout session tonight, I’m going to wrap it up now.
Not much else to tell anyway, seeing as the only thing there is left to mention is another sand hauling trip (sure it takes time and effort, but it is well worth the savings in cost) that’s okay.
It was a busy couple of days, and even though the weather is still acting out of sorts, the overall temperature is steadily increasing. Strangely enough clouds keep returning. In fact, right this instant the sun has disappeared behind a stack of them. Looks impressive, sure, but I wouldn’t mind just a bit more stable summer weather, thank you very much.
Let’s get to the bad news first, shall we, that way we’ve got it over and done with. Last night little sister phoned me out of bed because we had to rush to the vet with Bhumi, one of our twelve-year-old cocker spaniels. Apparently the poor darling was screaming with pain and her stomach was swollen, meaning that an emergency trip was inevitable. We arrived to find the vet already waiting for us (mom had phoned ahead) and after an examination that basically left the poor dog prone on the table, we decided against further examination and had her put down. It was over in less than a minute, which was a relief for both of us humans and the dog. Most likely it was a case of colic, which is terrible painful, not to mention dangerous. I should know, considering we lost a horse to that once. *sigh*
It is a relief to know that she has a led a relatively long life in extremely good health, and had fun right until the end. Still, that age can hit them like that...
Well, I prefer to look at sad events like this as cause and effect. Cause: we took in more than a hundred dogs over the past fifteen years or so. Effect: We will lose them one way or other, one at a time.
I can be depressed about it, or enjoy the remaining pack. I’ve decided to do the latter, and will jump right to a fun bit. I went for a run with Knight II. He’s a lazy SOB, and the only way to get him to exercise is to be there right along with him. It’s good for both of us, and it is fun to do since he is such a klutz that there are times he trips over his own feet. Hah.
Another good bit is that the time to get the pool ready has finally arrived. Yesterday morning grandpa, big brother and I finally got around to draining the pool (in the basin, of course, earning us another couple of of days of watering for the plants), cleaning out stuff that’s been piling in there for the past half year (it was smelly, I tell ya) with buckets and then hosing the tiles clean. It went remarkably well too, making me wonder why it was such a horrible task in the past? I mean really, it took us a couple of hours at most. Last year we took half a day, I think. Ah well, all we needed to do this morning was sweep out some dry sand and have been filling her up for the remainder of the day. Yay.
After cleaning the pool it was time to head on out into the yard where the remainder of the day was spent watering the plants...all of them. Which was interesting to say the least because even though there were clouds, it was pretty hot, and I got sunburned again. Did managed to write a solid five pages while standing there waiting for the garden gutters around the plants to fill. A very peaceful job to do, by the way.
Afterwards I was considerably overheated, though, not minding in the least to cook a nice macaroni and fresh veggie meal on the outdoor cooking plate. Was good too, revitalizing me for the rest of the evening...well, sort of anyway. I had pain in my back, and I had to lie down for just a minute...next thing I knew a horse was coming right at me, I dodged and drove the Land Rover off a cliff right before I woke up. Phew. Apparently I’d dropped off there for a minute. Hah.
Right. Anyways, the book is coming along nicely again. Finally got to that dialogue I’d wanted to write in the first instance, even if it turns out they have it later in the day. Hah. Sixteen pages in total, so Yay!
While grandpa and Big brother were working on the roof of the courtyard (there’s often leakage where we hung the new shelving, I headed into the courtyard garden to pull a big load of weeds and saw off some excess tree branches. Boy does it look pretty in there now. Even a lot of flowers survived winter.
This morning, about a month too late, but what the heck, we finally got around to shaving Njanna (Golden Retriever) the poor darling was lugging around a huge load of excess hair and clumps of dirt, and now he looks like a badly trimmed poodle, hah. Ah well, he doesn’t need to win a beauty contest; he just needs to be comfortable.
After that big brother and I were forced to head for town. My bathroom sprung a leak and we had to get some new tubing rather than risk getting an even bigger leak during the weekend. Since we were there anyway we bought some dairy products and then went back home to get at least something more done. While big brother went into the yard to check on plants and veggies, I sorted through half our storage boxes to see if we could get some room for other stuff. Managed to sort through quite a bit in the end, so that was no wasted effort at least.
Next there was cooking, fresh beets with our own potatoes, cheese, onion and lotsa green herbs from the yard. I ate way too much, and since I really need to get to writing right now if I want some time left to do a kick boxing workout session tonight, I’m going to wrap it up now.
Not much else to tell anyway, seeing as the only thing there is left to mention is another sand hauling trip (sure it takes time and effort, but it is well worth the savings in cost) that’s okay.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Ever, ever, EVER...
Song of the day: “Halo” by Beyonce, and “Crazy” by…hmmm, gotta check that. Oh yeah, Patsy Cline. I don’t know why, but for some reason that one is popping up every now and then during the course of today.
Let’s get this over and done with, I’ve been way too distracted these past few weeks, and need to catch up on the edits because I’m behind on schedule. Though the reading is going fine, making the alterations on the computer is quickly backing up.
I can, once again, not keep my days straight, so you’re just going to have to use your imagination and figure out where which activity happened.
I do know that the majority of today was spent in the old horse paddock sorting through our glass supplies. What with the greenhouse done, and lots of glass having suffered through the winter there were shards all over the place, and not a single clue as to what we still have. Considering that I do want to (at some point anyway) make my bedroom southwest wall completely of glass, I need to know about the amounts we have available. We just might have enough, but we’ll have to wait and see ‘bout that.
Luckily I ended up with only three or four cuts in my fingers (I remembered to wear gloves for a change) but since my hands were already cut up from working with the brambles and bougainvillea, they aren’t as appreciative as I’d like. Hah.
Suffice it to say that the stacks are neat again, and the new brackets we put up are sturdy enough to hold the lot for a while yet. We’ll get the paddock neat yet…I hope.
Since Knight II once again decided to take his bandage off (I still don’t dare leaving it uncovered, especially not now that he no longer needs his cone) I had to rebind the stub. Poor darling just let me, and lay there with his head a mere inch away from where I was messing with his tail. Let me do it too without a single complaint. Good Knight.
This night I had a rather annoying dream about the past, definitely not something worth sharing here since it is merely one of frustration and muddled memories that I won’t bother sharing. It wasn’t interesting at all, so…whatever.
There was a long afternoon spent in the yard, which I found absolutely wonderful. The sun had come out, even though both this morning and yesterday morning were downright pitiful with clouds and mist. We planted potatoes, weeded around chard and fruit trees alike, allowing for black plastic to be put around (the trees that is) to keep future weeds away. Still several to go, but we’re getting there.
I put up some more little reed fences to protect the new patch, because let’s face it, the dogs won’t stay out of it unless something sturdy is stopping them.
While weeding, I found a wealth of veggies hiding in the lower garden. Onions, leek, chard (of course) and even some of the herbs are coming back up, which is absolutely grand.
What else. Well, besides the yard work, there was some stuff to be done in the greenhouse. We’ve got pumpkins and tomatoes that need to be hardened for the cool outside air in the next week or two. This means that we have to take them out in the morning, let them be outside during the day and then get them back inside around nightfall. They’ll have to “cowboy up” eh? Hah.
There were of course edits, and since they’ve been going the way I already said they did, I won’t elaborate further. *sigh*
Oh Gawd, almost forgot. We basically finished my laundry table/shelves today. Sure the dirty laundry baskets still need to be put together and hung underneath it, but the basic frame is in place and it looks grand. Yay. It holds the wicker baskets and plastic ones perfectly. Almost like I measured them…which I didn’t, darn it. That was a close call. Phew.
Did laundry both days, of course. There’s loads of it, for some reason. Seriously, for some reason we’re turning two to three batches a day now, rather than just one to two. *sigh*
Made herbal cream cheese, and while I was at it, put on a big pot of pumpkin soup too. Both worked out grand, and will be a food source for several days I recon. Hah.
Which reminds me, that there was also a run squeezed in somewhere. The way up the mountain went rather miserable, I admit, but once we were back on our way down, I manage to run farther than I ever did before. Had me quite thrilled, actually, and somewhat in a “Oh my Gawd that is the first time I ever did that. Ever. Ever.” And so on and on, while trying to catch my breath and keep from fainting with the fierce pinch in my side. Hah. Seriously, though. It went well. And there I thought (slogging up the mountain) that I’d made no improvement at all these past few months.
Which sums up my couple of days. Feel free to pop in yours in the comment section. Hah.
Let’s get this over and done with, I’ve been way too distracted these past few weeks, and need to catch up on the edits because I’m behind on schedule. Though the reading is going fine, making the alterations on the computer is quickly backing up.
I can, once again, not keep my days straight, so you’re just going to have to use your imagination and figure out where which activity happened.
I do know that the majority of today was spent in the old horse paddock sorting through our glass supplies. What with the greenhouse done, and lots of glass having suffered through the winter there were shards all over the place, and not a single clue as to what we still have. Considering that I do want to (at some point anyway) make my bedroom southwest wall completely of glass, I need to know about the amounts we have available. We just might have enough, but we’ll have to wait and see ‘bout that.
Luckily I ended up with only three or four cuts in my fingers (I remembered to wear gloves for a change) but since my hands were already cut up from working with the brambles and bougainvillea, they aren’t as appreciative as I’d like. Hah.
Suffice it to say that the stacks are neat again, and the new brackets we put up are sturdy enough to hold the lot for a while yet. We’ll get the paddock neat yet…I hope.
Since Knight II once again decided to take his bandage off (I still don’t dare leaving it uncovered, especially not now that he no longer needs his cone) I had to rebind the stub. Poor darling just let me, and lay there with his head a mere inch away from where I was messing with his tail. Let me do it too without a single complaint. Good Knight.
This night I had a rather annoying dream about the past, definitely not something worth sharing here since it is merely one of frustration and muddled memories that I won’t bother sharing. It wasn’t interesting at all, so…whatever.
There was a long afternoon spent in the yard, which I found absolutely wonderful. The sun had come out, even though both this morning and yesterday morning were downright pitiful with clouds and mist. We planted potatoes, weeded around chard and fruit trees alike, allowing for black plastic to be put around (the trees that is) to keep future weeds away. Still several to go, but we’re getting there.
I put up some more little reed fences to protect the new patch, because let’s face it, the dogs won’t stay out of it unless something sturdy is stopping them.
While weeding, I found a wealth of veggies hiding in the lower garden. Onions, leek, chard (of course) and even some of the herbs are coming back up, which is absolutely grand.
What else. Well, besides the yard work, there was some stuff to be done in the greenhouse. We’ve got pumpkins and tomatoes that need to be hardened for the cool outside air in the next week or two. This means that we have to take them out in the morning, let them be outside during the day and then get them back inside around nightfall. They’ll have to “cowboy up” eh? Hah.
There were of course edits, and since they’ve been going the way I already said they did, I won’t elaborate further. *sigh*
Oh Gawd, almost forgot. We basically finished my laundry table/shelves today. Sure the dirty laundry baskets still need to be put together and hung underneath it, but the basic frame is in place and it looks grand. Yay. It holds the wicker baskets and plastic ones perfectly. Almost like I measured them…which I didn’t, darn it. That was a close call. Phew.
Did laundry both days, of course. There’s loads of it, for some reason. Seriously, for some reason we’re turning two to three batches a day now, rather than just one to two. *sigh*
Made herbal cream cheese, and while I was at it, put on a big pot of pumpkin soup too. Both worked out grand, and will be a food source for several days I recon. Hah.
Which reminds me, that there was also a run squeezed in somewhere. The way up the mountain went rather miserable, I admit, but once we were back on our way down, I manage to run farther than I ever did before. Had me quite thrilled, actually, and somewhat in a “Oh my Gawd that is the first time I ever did that. Ever. Ever.” And so on and on, while trying to catch my breath and keep from fainting with the fierce pinch in my side. Hah. Seriously, though. It went well. And there I thought (slogging up the mountain) that I’d made no improvement at all these past few months.
Which sums up my couple of days. Feel free to pop in yours in the comment section. Hah.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Files, files, and more files...and gardening, of course.
Another dreary day arrives with chilly temperatures that send me hurrying through the morning rituals, rather than loosing the warmth the night under my blankets offered. Instead of lingering on my usual reading, I immediately take the dogs down to the house and start on breakfast of fresh French bread and a mug of coffee on the side.
Tomorrow’s lesson is looming, and what with the rather nightmarish dream that haunted me this night, I’m valiantly struggle against thinking about tomorrow. I hate it when worries, such as lessons, keep intruding on the more important aspects of the day.
I mean, seriously, what use does anyone have of worrying about something that hasn’t even occurred yet? Nothing! It will just keep you from being constructive and that is what I dislike most. Besides, it’s not as if the lessons are that horrid. Its just correcting technicalities, for God’s sake, nothing more.
Once big brother and I have settled behind our computers we get to the edit project without delay.
Thoughts of tomorrow thankfully recede quickly, allowing the focus we need.
During the night big brother has done another quick read-through and only found a few remaining typos which we go through before resuming the actual job with renewed enthusiasm.
We manage four pages in the few hours that pass, and don’t stop until we’re running half an hour behind on the day’s plan of tackling the garden once more.
In the early hours of morning grandpa and our friend Danni went out to get a batch of rocks from a nearby dumpsite and it fills the back of the truck to the top when we come outside.
This is the first task of the day and for the next hour or so we transfer up to a thousand pounds of rock to where it will be stored for the next few months. Working as a chain, the work goes expeditiously, giving a nice pile to start with…some day.
It’s backbreaking, really, lifting the forty-pound rocks over shoulder height fencing, but since we don’t want to risk letting the dogs out into the top garden, it has to be done.
It is a future project we’re planning, really, and for the duration of spring lots more rocks will be necessary until we have enough to build the wall that needs to be erected on the north side of the courtyard. Until now this side is still a mix of natural rock and sand, slowly degrading during the rainy season, but one day a twelve feet wall will have to be put up to keep the soil from eroding. It’ll be a monumental task for sure, but once it’s done, it should look beautiful.
That done, we disperse all over the property. The two youngest sibs start on the weeds that cover the steep path down to the bus, while I attack the last section of vines and other growths, hemming in the large cacti right beside the basement door. Middle sister continues with the remaining mess on the terrace around the old pool, while big brother ascend into it to relight the fire for the burning of more debris.
Rapidly the smoke begins to rise again, and by the time I finish with the section I intended to clear today, we are discussing whether or not we ought to go down to the lowest level of the garden to start a fire there as well. Though we intended to leave the debris to turn into compost in time, we now doubt if we should.
However easy it is to just leave it all lying on the steep incline, there is the issue of when summer arrives. First of all, it’s a fire hazard. And second: Snakes! During the hotter months of the year they’ll be out and about, while searching for cool spots during the hottest hours of the day…which makes them a danger to the dogs, should they venture into the piles of branches and vines that are perfect hideouts for the slithering serpents.
By the time we make a decision it really is too late to start a new fire, and settle for the one we already have by lugging up several of the larger items. Since the fire is burning anyway, and no one is really feeling up to a cooking session, we repeat yesterday’s treat of potatoes and carrots.
While they’re roasting away, I tackle the dead palm tree, hacking my way through sharp spikes and pulling a variety of muscles when the stupid hard leaves refuse to give. I also get quite a start when, while chopping at the joints, I come upon a scaring amount of gigantic larvae. The big ugly round things are the size of my thumb, for crying out loud, and they move like a gullet swallowing, or something. Gross! I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the cause of the tree’s untimely demise.
Sporting several puncture wounds from the spiky leaves I finally give up three quarter through this particular task and start taking out the splinters that have lodged themselves in my arms.
By the time we finish–darkness is rapidly descending–the veggies are done and ready for eating.
With the nice stash in a couple of small buckets, we head on up to the house to wash up–I decide to use disinfectant due to the holes in my skin–and start on dinner. During the meal we watch a new episode of “Medium” (it wasn’t as good as usual, but still entertaining) before we shut the TV off and turn the computers back on.
For the next few hours I work on organizing my files, copying and pasting chapters together and then sitting back to stare at the end-result in triumph.
As it turns out I have 21 completed manuscripts for the “finished” file. They still need to be edited, of course, but still…I certainly like the number, no matter that it isn’t even. Hah.
Two more are complete as well, but they need a serious rewrite since they’re more than 300.000 words each. Aaargh. I’m dreading the day when I decide to tackle them. I imagine there will be a lot of eye rolling from yours truly, because I wrote them as a teenager. My writing has changed a lot since then…thankfully.
Then there is a file of “edited and done” counting up to a fun total of six, yay! Soon the one we’re working on right now will be added to that one, but until that time, I’ll just enjoy the (even) number.
And last but not least the “Work in progress” file of stories that are around halfway done. The wonderful list (I love well organized lists) goes up into the twenties as well, and leaves the last file for beginnings of stories I started with at some point, but haven’t gotten around to yet.
This file “future projects” will contain the remainder of my work…once I’ve managed to retrieve them from the maze that I used to call my dossiers. Hah.
Gawd, I never realized how much I’ve written over the past eighteen years. It makes me wonder how I ever managed it in the first place…well, maybe back in the day I had less on my plate than I do now, but still, it’s an overwhelming amount of data.
It’s amazing to go through old files the way I’ve been doing today. Reminiscing, rereading bits and pieces and thinking; “Heck, I forgot all about that one,” and “Did I write that? It’s actually pretty darn good!” Hah.
But anyways, once I’ve finished organizing the most important files and big brother has copied them for his computer as well, we resume editing for the last hour of the evening. Adding another page or two, we call it a day after midnight, and we each retire to our quarters for the night.
Once I’ve fed the pack, did some reading and messed around my cabin for a bit, I turn on the computer for today’s blog and get started.
Lots got done again, but considering that tomorrow will be taxing and busier than I’d like it to be (and not in a good way, since editing will not fit into it) that is a good thing.
Carpe Diem! Perhaps I should take that cliché phrase to heart tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s lesson is looming, and what with the rather nightmarish dream that haunted me this night, I’m valiantly struggle against thinking about tomorrow. I hate it when worries, such as lessons, keep intruding on the more important aspects of the day.
I mean, seriously, what use does anyone have of worrying about something that hasn’t even occurred yet? Nothing! It will just keep you from being constructive and that is what I dislike most. Besides, it’s not as if the lessons are that horrid. Its just correcting technicalities, for God’s sake, nothing more.
Once big brother and I have settled behind our computers we get to the edit project without delay.
Thoughts of tomorrow thankfully recede quickly, allowing the focus we need.
During the night big brother has done another quick read-through and only found a few remaining typos which we go through before resuming the actual job with renewed enthusiasm.
We manage four pages in the few hours that pass, and don’t stop until we’re running half an hour behind on the day’s plan of tackling the garden once more.
In the early hours of morning grandpa and our friend Danni went out to get a batch of rocks from a nearby dumpsite and it fills the back of the truck to the top when we come outside.
This is the first task of the day and for the next hour or so we transfer up to a thousand pounds of rock to where it will be stored for the next few months. Working as a chain, the work goes expeditiously, giving a nice pile to start with…some day.
It’s backbreaking, really, lifting the forty-pound rocks over shoulder height fencing, but since we don’t want to risk letting the dogs out into the top garden, it has to be done.
It is a future project we’re planning, really, and for the duration of spring lots more rocks will be necessary until we have enough to build the wall that needs to be erected on the north side of the courtyard. Until now this side is still a mix of natural rock and sand, slowly degrading during the rainy season, but one day a twelve feet wall will have to be put up to keep the soil from eroding. It’ll be a monumental task for sure, but once it’s done, it should look beautiful.
That done, we disperse all over the property. The two youngest sibs start on the weeds that cover the steep path down to the bus, while I attack the last section of vines and other growths, hemming in the large cacti right beside the basement door. Middle sister continues with the remaining mess on the terrace around the old pool, while big brother ascend into it to relight the fire for the burning of more debris.
Rapidly the smoke begins to rise again, and by the time I finish with the section I intended to clear today, we are discussing whether or not we ought to go down to the lowest level of the garden to start a fire there as well. Though we intended to leave the debris to turn into compost in time, we now doubt if we should.
However easy it is to just leave it all lying on the steep incline, there is the issue of when summer arrives. First of all, it’s a fire hazard. And second: Snakes! During the hotter months of the year they’ll be out and about, while searching for cool spots during the hottest hours of the day…which makes them a danger to the dogs, should they venture into the piles of branches and vines that are perfect hideouts for the slithering serpents.
By the time we make a decision it really is too late to start a new fire, and settle for the one we already have by lugging up several of the larger items. Since the fire is burning anyway, and no one is really feeling up to a cooking session, we repeat yesterday’s treat of potatoes and carrots.
While they’re roasting away, I tackle the dead palm tree, hacking my way through sharp spikes and pulling a variety of muscles when the stupid hard leaves refuse to give. I also get quite a start when, while chopping at the joints, I come upon a scaring amount of gigantic larvae. The big ugly round things are the size of my thumb, for crying out loud, and they move like a gullet swallowing, or something. Gross! I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the cause of the tree’s untimely demise.
Sporting several puncture wounds from the spiky leaves I finally give up three quarter through this particular task and start taking out the splinters that have lodged themselves in my arms.
By the time we finish–darkness is rapidly descending–the veggies are done and ready for eating.
With the nice stash in a couple of small buckets, we head on up to the house to wash up–I decide to use disinfectant due to the holes in my skin–and start on dinner. During the meal we watch a new episode of “Medium” (it wasn’t as good as usual, but still entertaining) before we shut the TV off and turn the computers back on.
For the next few hours I work on organizing my files, copying and pasting chapters together and then sitting back to stare at the end-result in triumph.
As it turns out I have 21 completed manuscripts for the “finished” file. They still need to be edited, of course, but still…I certainly like the number, no matter that it isn’t even. Hah.
Two more are complete as well, but they need a serious rewrite since they’re more than 300.000 words each. Aaargh. I’m dreading the day when I decide to tackle them. I imagine there will be a lot of eye rolling from yours truly, because I wrote them as a teenager. My writing has changed a lot since then…thankfully.
Then there is a file of “edited and done” counting up to a fun total of six, yay! Soon the one we’re working on right now will be added to that one, but until that time, I’ll just enjoy the (even) number.
And last but not least the “Work in progress” file of stories that are around halfway done. The wonderful list (I love well organized lists) goes up into the twenties as well, and leaves the last file for beginnings of stories I started with at some point, but haven’t gotten around to yet.
This file “future projects” will contain the remainder of my work…once I’ve managed to retrieve them from the maze that I used to call my dossiers. Hah.
Gawd, I never realized how much I’ve written over the past eighteen years. It makes me wonder how I ever managed it in the first place…well, maybe back in the day I had less on my plate than I do now, but still, it’s an overwhelming amount of data.
It’s amazing to go through old files the way I’ve been doing today. Reminiscing, rereading bits and pieces and thinking; “Heck, I forgot all about that one,” and “Did I write that? It’s actually pretty darn good!” Hah.
But anyways, once I’ve finished organizing the most important files and big brother has copied them for his computer as well, we resume editing for the last hour of the evening. Adding another page or two, we call it a day after midnight, and we each retire to our quarters for the night.
Once I’ve fed the pack, did some reading and messed around my cabin for a bit, I turn on the computer for today’s blog and get started.
Lots got done again, but considering that tomorrow will be taxing and busier than I’d like it to be (and not in a good way, since editing will not fit into it) that is a good thing.
Carpe Diem! Perhaps I should take that cliché phrase to heart tomorrow.
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