Category: Books

Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Gardening, Life, Love, Nature, Photography, Reading, retail, the World, Thinking, Travel, Writing

Weather or Not

1972italy

It has begun. If we get all the snow we are supposed to you may or may not see a post for tomorrow. We are supposed to get upwards of a foot (30cm) in the next 24 hours. I expect our deliveries at work will be off atleast a day. The only reason we would close is lack of staff. We’ll see what happens. We have been running a skeleton crew anyway.

Stella is still in bed. I find that interesting since she was trying to get me up at 7am. Archie is asleep behind me on the love seat. He enjoys the snow. I think he is the only one of us that does. He’ll play for hours out there running around and exploring. I am thinking about setting up a play area for him. Stella as well but mostly him because he will entertain himself by running and jumping and just nosing around. Stella is more of an interactive player. She wants someone to play with her.

Not much got done yesterday. Dishes, Stella’s nails got trimmed, toys got picked up. I have been reading Joe Hill’s The Fireman the past two days. I got it from Mom and have been waiting to read it since I ha some many other books going. So far so good. It’s from 2016 and has a pandemic. Normally I am not a fan of these kinds of stories. I don’t like “The Walking Dead” either. But this one caught my attention and I am enjoying it so far. It’s also the author’s favorite book that he has written.

I am continually looking out the windows watching the snow come down. I am just grateful I don’t have to drive all the way into Traverse anymore. Several people from work (including the owner) are coming back from vacation and flying in tomorrow. I wonder how many people will have delayed flights. And there goes a plow truck.

I supposed I will get this posted and start getting ready for work. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Aging, Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, dreams, Emotions, family, Friends, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Medical, Nature, Photography, Reading, Thinking, Writing

Cruising

1972italy

Parts of my back have flared up, badly. The muscle beneath aches and the skin feels like it is burning off. Good times! The temps have dropped (again) and we got enough snow over night to turn everything white (again). The wind is really blowing as well. What’s creepy is that the trees will be bent sideways with the wind, the next time you look all is immobile. Not a breeze to be felt.

Not much got done yesterday. I used it as a day of rest. I did water the plants. They are doing very well. My agave plant now has seven babies crammed into her pot. I need to repot all of them. But I am nt sure where I would put them right now. So I leave them in and hope for the best. If I can get my greenhouse put up this Spring that will open up more room for over the Winter. I have a few ideas I am exploring since it will be starting as a very basic greenhouse. Chris has put forward some very good suggestions as well. I am very excited about the whole thing.

I don’t know what will get done if my back doesn’t stop. I will atleast get the basics done, dishes and laundry. Last night just before bed I had a bad anxiety flare up. I manage to get things calmed down enough to fall asleep. Barely.

Some cool news though! My friend and I are going to the one day writer’s conference again this Spring! I went through and picked out what I wanted to attend. Some of them are the lesser of two evils. There are several sessions to choose from that do not interest me in the least. But I am paying for them and maybe if I learn about something else I can use it to fuel my own creative endeavors.

The second cool thing is that I won a contest on my horror app. It is called “Slasher” and is dedicated to everything in the horror genre. It is Facebook for horror fans. What is awesome about it is that everyone just becomes good friends. Nobody is pegged as weird or creepy because they like horror. We just share things we love and support each other. I have been on it from the start and it is awesome to watch it grow and flourish! Anywho, I entered a random contest on there the other day and I got a message that I won! Giggity! Other fun things we do on there have been a Secret Santa (the person that runs this incorporates various holidays so we’ve done it for other holidays besides Christmas), random give aways by both the app creator (who stays very involved in the group) and other app users…. It’s just a fun place to hang out. We dry each other’s tears and encourage as best we can. (Several people have finally been able to leave abusive relationships while others have fund people that understand what they are going through with their depression… did I mention a lot of friendships have been made on here?)

I guess I ought to get this posted. I might curl up with a book. I finished Kane Hodder’s autobiography yesterday so I can pick up something new off my shelves. I do have a few new titles that I haven’t started yet. Or I can get one of my writing books out and delve into that. Maybe one of each? Anyway, thanks for reading and stay safe!

Aging, Animals, anxiety, Books, Cooking/Baking, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Food, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Medical, Nature, Photography, Reading, Thinking, Writing

Looking For a Way

1972italy

Yesterday did not go exactly as planned. There were a few blips but all in all a good day. My concern is with Mom. She told us via text not to come over because her arthritis was acting up and she was crabby. Ok, we can do that. So we went out to dinner and got a few groceries for today (I’m making ravioli from scratch) and came home. Around 10pm she starts sending me text messages asking where we are and if we are ok. This morning I got several phone messages asking if we were ok. I sent numerous text messages to her last night saying that we were fine and at home. I don’t know if she did not get them??? I don’t know what to do. Dad is the same way. He never seems to “receive” me text messages or emails. If I try calling either of them I get put to voicemail more often than not. They freak out and think that I am not making an effort to keep in touch but I am. I just don’t know anymore.

I did not sleep well at all last night. I tried. This morning everything hurts and my anxiety is through the roof. So now I need to try to talk myself off the ledge. Chris’s gift seems to be on the move finally. It is in Wisconsin. I ordered him another gift off his Amazon list yesterday. It should be here Tuesday. I believe that is the same day he can go get his desktop for his man cave. I am excited to see his new gaming desk come together.

I got two sweet books that I wanted. The first one is called “Ocean” and it is like a guidebook to everything regarding the ocean. Not in depth on any one topic but enough to keep you safe. It’s hard to explain. But if you love the ocean I highly recommend it. It has the basics on sailing, surfing, survival, fishing, science, scuba and snorkeling….. The full title is “The Ocean The Ultimate Handbook of Nautical Knowledge” and it is written by Chris Dixon and Jeremy K. Spencer. The second book I got was “Supernatural The Men of Letters Bestiary, The Winchester Family Edition.” Now I have a version of this that is smaller that I received in one of my Supernatural boxes. I took it off my wish list but apparently Amazon put it back on. Regardless, I am excited to have it. I need to find a space to house my growing Supernatural books.

I purchased an extension cord yesterday as well. I plan to hook my scarecrow back up in the garage today. It was comforting to come home to him every day. For the past few months he has been in a heap on the garage floor. Time to resurrect him!

I am going to wrap this up and get it posted. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Gardening, Holiday, Learning, Life, Love, Nature, Photography, Thinking, Travel, Writing

The Wow Factor

1972italy

Things are getting crazy here in Michigan. They are shooting things out of our skies and there are shootings on college campus. And that’s just the past few days! Everything seems to just get worse and worse all over. I don’t know….

To add to the oddness of things poor Chris cannot sleep so he is up several hours before he should be. It means I can get started on the last bit of cleaning I have to do around the house but it means he will have a very long day and night at work.

Today is Valentine’s Day. We decided many years ago not to celebrate it like everyone else. Since our anniversary is a few days after we might as well just do one. I am always amazed at the people when they ask me why we don’t do both days. Don’t I want twice as many gifts? No, I don’t. That is not what those days are for. Those days are to celebrate what we have together. Not to spend all kinds of money. But maybe I’m just weird.

Sigh…. now the pups are going at it. Once Chris is up they know they can be loud and play. And they are. Which is fine. I want them to play. But it is very distracting when I am trying to write. I need to put the finishing touches on my article for Women of Horror month and get it sent it. Hopefully it will be one of the early releases. I also need to see if anyone else would like to be interviewed. We have a whole month for articles!

I also need to work on the novel today. Yesterday I focused on cleaning the house a bit. I only have a few more things to do around the house. I also came up with a plan for the bookshelves that Mom is giving me. So when we go into town on Friday we are taking the truck so we can bring it home. I need to order his desktop as well. We might be able to get that as well. There should be enough room for both in the back. While he puts his desk together I can move things out of the bedroom and get the bookcase set up.

Right. I need to get going on that article. I hope you have an amazing day! Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Animals, anxiety, Books, Cooking/Baking, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Food, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Medical, Nature, Photography, Thinking, Travel, Writing

Step by Step

1972italy

I slept as late as my body would let me. The sun was just starting to peek out. It is mostly blue sky again today. I hope to use that to my advantage. I have several work related things that I need to do today. But they shouldn’t take very long. I need to do a few things for myself today as well. I would like to try to do a bit of housework if I can. I would like to get things cleaned up a bit for us for our weekend together. I am rather excited to be making pasta for the first time on Saturday. I think I will make some ravioli. I am seriously thinking of doing the sauce from scratch as well. I have several recipes to choose from.

I also need to get my office clean. Part of that is the big pots of plants on the floor (the stacks of magazines and books aren’t helping either). I need to go through things in my office and figure out what I am doing in there. I would like to work more in there but there isn’t enough room to have the dogs. I need more bookcases (no, not less books). Mom has one that she is giving me but I need a space to put it. I have a few ideas but nothing solid. Every time I think I found a spot I see where it’s not going to work.

Nuts. My laptop has just gone into power saver mode. That means I need to pick up my pace with this. I hope to get some new photos to share soon. As the Spring and Summer progress there are a few new places that I would like to take the pups for walks that will have a lot of potential for new photos. We could all use the change.

I guess I need to get this posted. Sorry it is a bit rambly. I hope you have an amazing day! Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Aging, Animals, anxiety, Automotive, Books, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Friends, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Nature, Photography, retail, Thinking, Writing

Puzzling It Out

1972italy

This morning both pups are on the loveseat behind me. The morning has dawned dark. The weather zones for my state seem to have reversed this year. Normally up north here we get all the snow and cold for the winter. Lately, the southern end of the state has had all the fun. And they are welcome to it! We have had some snow and bitter cold to be sure but nothing like what is normal for us.

Mom and I talked for a few hours yesterday. She is so bored but doesn’t want to do anything. I mostly listened. We want to get together, but I need to make sure the car is ok first. That is all I need is the car breaking down in Traverse. But I am excited to give her her gifts. I think she will really like them,

The Girls did come over for a little while yesterday. It was good to see them again. We want to plan a girls’ day soon. I am going to push for the middle of February or so. I know that our anniversary is coming up but one of them is also going in for surgery at the end of the month. I think it would help to get us all together before then.

I read a little bit on a story idea but then I called Mom so really no writing got done yesterday. I haven’t been very good about that lately. Too much going on. I will have to figure out when to make time as my work week progresses. I am a bit disappointed in myself but to be honest I have tried. I just seem to sit and stare at the page as my mind goes over everything that is unrelated. After about 30 minutes of fighting myself, I just put my pen down.

My days off seemed to go so fast. Everything seems to go so fast anymore. I need to do bills today before work as well. I should call my mechanic to see about getting Angus in. But I won’t be able to until the end of next week. And that check needs to go to my car payment. We’ll see I guess. I will message him and see what he suggests.

I think I will wrap this up and try to get something done around here. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Aging, Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, dreams, Emotions, family, Food, Friends, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Medical, Nature, Photography, Reading, retail, Thinking, Writing

And We Wait

1972italy

It was one of the hardest things to do to leave Archie at the vet’s office this morning. I keep telling myself he will be ok but the way January is…. I just don’t trust it. So I am biding my time until 2:30pm when I can go get him. I took the earliest possible time. Stella has wadded herself up behind me on the love seat. I don’t knw how she managed to get the blanket so tight around herself. She is sound asleep.

I was worried about icy roads on the way in this morning. We, thankfully, had no issues. But I will probably leave early to go get him because I miss him and am worried. Everyone has been very understanding of my craziness lately. I am forever grateful. A coworker got me a bouquet of tulips that I wanted. I loved the colors but I decided against getting them because I needed the money for Archie. While I was busy dealing with a cooler that had gone down he got them for me. I did my best not to cry. It was a near thing.

I think I will make Chris breakfast if he wants this morning (or rather this afternoon). He’s not feeling well and I need to make sure I take care of him. He made us dinner last night even though he didn’t feel good. And he has had the patience of a saint this past month while I have tried to deal with all this crap going on. He needs to be taken care of too.

A bunch of friends from work are checking on me. Bless them. I am going to try writing today. I haven’t really done anything with my novel. Not even looked at my research materials. I also need to see about pulling that interview together. At the very least I want to print her responses to my questions. That way I have a paper trail.

I spent a bit messaging with my cousins last night. We have our own private chat outside of the normal family one. I don’t feel the need to include everyone in our conversations. But both are coping since their Mom’s death. My one cousin is quietly going through her Mom’s stuff trying to simultaneously clean out her Mom’s stuff and pack up to move. But all in all they are moving forward. It is hard to believe it has been two weeks already. One week since the funeral.

I guess I will wrap this up and try to keep myself distracted. I will try to include a photo of the tulips I got. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, dreams, Emotions, family, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Nature, Photography, retail, Thinking, Travel, Writing

Weirdness

1972italy

A lot of craziness going on here. Last night the whole state of Michigan had no 911 services for several hours. Then this morning I wake up to all flights have been delayed in the U.S. due to computer problems. What bothers me the most (besides the obvious) is that my Aunt’s body is due to fly out today. The funeral is Monday so there will be time but it is the principle of the thing.

I busted tail on my novel yesterday. I made some headway but I also found a possible issue. But I could have it work to my advantage. It will take some finessing though. Archie is his happy self but Stella seems a bit sad. It has been going on for several days now. I worry.

Nuts, My battery saver just went on. I forgot to plug both my laptop and Kindle in yesterday. This may be cut short. The day is again grey. It has been so long since I have seen the sun! I hear the birds out back. I did get the feeder refilled yesterday. It was completely empty with the exception of a bit of suet.

I don’t know how work will go. I hope well. I hope quickly. There will be a lot to do. I guess I will add a few photos and get this posted. My mind is all over the place. I am sorry of all the disjointed writing. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Aging, Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Friends, Gardening, Life, Love, Nature, Photography, Reading, retail, Travel, Writing

Adding a Little More

1972italy

What craziness…. All that snow we got last week? All but gone. There are patches of snow here and there but nothing significant. We are slated for more rain and the wind has gotten pretty strong too.

I just want this work week over. Today is when I do my inventory. One of my beer deliveries won’t come until Saturday so I am grateful for that. I have no idea how long my count will take. I am hoping it doesn’t get too crazy up front while I am in back trying to get things counted.

Yesterday I found out two of my customers have died. One was a widower that had just lost her husband this Summer. The other, and this is the one that hurts the most, was a young farmer. He was in several times a week and always chit chatted. Such a sweetheart. He was killed in a head on collision Monday.

After the chaos of work I drove to Tractor Supply to get kibble for Archie. I also got a bunch of toys and two gardening books for me. All the toys went over well. The pups played with each other and separately with the various toys. Hopefully they keep the pups busy while Chris sleeps.

I guess I should wrap this up and get today’s madness started. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Animals, anxiety, Books, Creativity, Dogs, Emotions, family, Gardening, Learning, Life, Love, Medical, Nature, Photography, Reading, retail, Thinking, Writing

The Craziness of It All

1972italy

The temps are on an upward trend. There is even rain in the forecast. Which means that there is going to be a lot of melted snow. The weather has been so weird! Archie just loves it. The only weather he doesn’t like to be out in is rain. But if I go out with him I can usually coax him out. Stella wants none of it. She will go running around playing with her brother in most weather though. For that I am grateful.

Yesterday was a bit underwhelming. My neck issue has turned into a migraine issue. It is a little better today. I am hoping that the heat from my shower will not make things worse. I need to take my shower before work because it is just going to be too crazy to do it before tomorrow night. I am going in at 11am instead of my usual 12:30am. It will make for a long day but I need to start my inventory prep as best as I can.

I did get work on my novel done. It is mostly back story. Oh and I ordered a few research books. I know nothing about the people of Norway so I got a map and a few books to research them. Part of the novel I think is going to take place there. As I tried to write I had more questions than I had answers.

Oh boy… I just got an email asking if I had a meeting last night. I think they forgot that I quit. Aaaaand I am an idiot. It is still December. BUT they did not have a meeting this month so I am covered. Times like this I am so glad that I quit. There is too much going on. It is hard to keep all the balls in the air. My editor was very nice and sent me back a very nice email thanking me for the past four years. Wow. Four years.

Nuts. I just looked at the clock. I need to get into the shower if I am going to have enough time before work. I also need to water my plants and check the bird feeder. That will probably need to be filled as well. Thanks for reading and stay safe!