I’ve lost track of the days. Yesterday, I was trying to remember if it was Sunday or Monday. Real shock when I checked the top of my computer screen and saw “Tuesday.” But I’m cleaning up the yard so the dogs and I can sit out there–it was GORGEOUS yesterday–and cleaning up the kitchen so I can cook and cleaning up Nita so I can get her out of the house, so this week, I am cleaning. Again.
What’s on your work list?
I’m redoing a temperature scarf and am almost at the point where I got to before I realized I had done it all wrong :p
I am taking the day off to work on my daughter’s birthday present. Trousers. If I can complete them before her birthday (Party on Saturday) I’ll post a link. Luckily I already finished the skirt she wanted and I bought her a teapot at the thrift store. She collects them.
Also, ghostwriting.
I believe I had something profound to say to you all today, but as usual, I’ve forgotten what it is. Don’t worry, it probably wasn’t as interesting as I thought it was.
I finally decided to block the little squares I made in February (and earlier). Here’s the process picture.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9l45M6B8iv/
Blocking 16 at a time, it will take the rest of the week to get them all done.
I’ve also been working on my new quilt project, and getting ready for the quilt show next week. Hopefully, we won’t be forced to cancel – we’ve got over 250 beautiful quilts of all sorts to show off next weekend!
I’ve been thinking I wish I had those little white gloves I used when I worked at quilt shows (to lift them up so visitors could see backs without getting finger oils on the quilts), and I’d start a trend of wearing them during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m not sure they’d actually help at all, but they can’t be any more useless than face masks (for the not-sick)!
Got the news yesterday that the quilt show is canceled. Sad, but we’ll make do.
I’ve promised myself to go sit out by the sea a short time today. It’s 48F, so with some wrapping up it’ll be fine. Working from home so I can do it. Just ordered a second monitor, in case the whole work from home thing us the thing to do for a while. Such luxury!
The great thing, worth mentioning before Sunday Happiness, is that a chickadee was singing by the kitchen door this morning, and I heard geese flying over last night.
I saw geese heading back to the creek across the street this week too!
I am cleaning dog poop. The floor, muddy dog feet. Feathers, from a pillow the dog took off my room and board chair. Dog food,why wouldn’t they want to spread the food evenly over the house so they can eat when they were hungry. And dog hair.
Gosh, I miss my big dog…
I sense a theme…
This morning, I finished the zine I’ve been making with my mom, which will accompany her art show opening next month (step one was explaining what a ‘zine’ is to my mom, but we’ve come a long way since then). It is a thing of beauty, and also contains a pretty good dick joke, so we’re happy. I also started brushing the first few handfuls of fluff out of the dogs’ coats; the early stages of the full spring blow-out that will soon cover every inch of my house in fur.
Afternoon will be spent writing my activist thingy so we can start nudging local/state officials, picking something up from my pottery studio, and getting outside to soak up some of this GORGEOUS sunshine. Dinner will be soup. Good times.
I made bread pudding and did a bunch of laundry early this morning.
Taxes. I’ve been ignoring them, but I’m self-isolating from the COVID virus, so I may as well get the darn taxes done. Oh, and I have to organize all my Trips brochures and notes, so I can set up third quarter trips for the seniors. Fortunately, the housecleaners were in yesterday, so my house is sparkling today! (I hate housework. Won’t do it.) And watching to see if the sun comes back out, so I can go for a walk.
I was being pretty productive (polishing a manuscript I’m planning to self-pub this summer so it can go to my editor, and brainstorming a final element for an unrelated series proposal my agent will be pitching to publishers soon) until today when I seem to have hit a wall.
Most of it is COVID-19 anxiety, not so much for myself, but for the country/world in general. I need to go offline for a bit, I think. But then I just get more anxious. I’m also fretting about a readers’ conference for my genre that’s the beginning of May in DC. It’s still on, but I suspect there’s going to be news in the next two weeks, as testing of COVID-19 ramps up, which may well lead to a cancellation.
On the plus side, I’ve got the final element for my series proposal and I’m excited about reworking the draft to include it, so it will be done by the end of this week, no matter what.
Mildly confident that I can hole up for a month now and not run out of toilet paper or tissues, if necessary.
I’ve been trying to decide whether to cancel my trip to France next month due to COVID-19 or not. The brother I am going to visit says not to worry, but I have had a lung disease (MRSA) and now I am not so confident about respiratory illnesses. My other brother keeps sending me links about travel insurance.
I’m juggling. Managed to finish the first proof-read today. Will start the other tomorrow. Their deadline’s tighter than the edit, but I really need to get that done too, and off to the author. It’s frustrating: if the proofs weren’t as urgent I could do them while the edit’s with the author; instead, they all need doing at once.
My seeds are coming up, which means I’ll soon have a lot to prick out. There’s a lot to be done in the garden, especially since Tony’s due to make the raised beds a week on Friday. I think the allotment’s going to lag behind this year – something’s got to give.
I haven’t lost sight of my fiction project and photo editing, but can only manage a bit on them here and there.
Alice Will Not Like Me as I made banana bread w/o chocolate chips or nuts.
Speaking of losing track of the days: I drove over an hour to attend a work conference today. The conference happens tomorrow.
I tell ya’, stress is a real mind-f*ck. Sigh.
I hear you. Swore I had an eye appointment today, early. But I hadn’t gotten any reminders. I did check before I left, though. No appointment. I scheduled for Friday. This will be the last scheduled medical appointment for 2 1/2 months. Given the pandemic, that’s a good thing.
Also meetings, voter registration, cleaning the kitchen. I have a feeling a lot of the meetings will be shut down soon. Still working on my granny squares. I’ll soon have enough for a nice sized throw. And all those yarn bits will be useful!
I will do paid work Friday and Saturday, I think.
Respiratory problems all week. Called in sick until Friday. I reached the point where, two and a half years ago, I drove myself to hospital for a week – CHF. I procrastinated past the crisis point and am on the mend, at home. I can’t convince myself that was the smart thing to have done – just a damned lucky thing.
Felt enough better tonight to use up all my bok choy and green peppers and green onions and beef and pork to make stir fry. Lost 8 pounds this week, gotta make it up.
Happy Wednesday!
Taxes are done – nothing owed! Car appt made for recalls! Almost done transitioning away from last position at work,and beginning to pick up the new. Puppy sick, but on meds. Interesting times!
Last Monday, I finished a baby blanket and edging a little vest thingie. I took on my aunt’s WIPs for crochet when she passed to give back to cousins as they have more babies. This brings the blanket tally to three, which is nice! Will have a scarf done hopefully by week’s end. Making more headway than I thought, which is encouraging.
My cousin is coming down in April, and I’d love to have a bundle to give her. I also dont want to be sitting on these particular WIPs for long – doesn’t feel right.
Once that’s done, I have a partial blanket going for hand crochet (dont like it), one complicated blanket to repair (no idea how yet), and then my momma’s big elephant blanket. It’s single crochet, but a pattern with color switching. Gonna have to figure out the how first, I think. Cant wait to get that started!
I got about a third ish through a baby blanket during work meetings and calls, but with the new role, I do believe my time for that will go away. One negative. >.< ah well! Still worth it!
I finished a logic puzzle (the germaphobes versus the viruses) this morning, a little earlier than usual — my cousin will be pleasantly surprised!
Canceled the visit to the large Pagan convention in Minnesota next week that I had been looking forward to for months. Sad, but it had to be done.
Paid my taxes. Ouch. My dad says not to be upset if I have to pay out larger amounts…it means I’m successful. He’s not wrong. Sad, but it had to be done.
I’ve been so distracted and frazzled over the last few days, I haven’t gotten much writing done. So I must go work on it now. Sad, but…well, you know.
Stay safe and healthy, Arghers. And for the love of goddess, Jenny, finish that book.
on my third start of baby blanket.
1st: oh mercerized black cotton looks greyish in strong sunlight, who knew(thousands of people, millions?).
2nd: lost the hook! start over with new hook or go outside to buy new one, at x3 cost of online, which could take days. Not only gotta go outside but outside during business hours on a day the shop is open. I started over, it was easier.
3rd round with slightly smaller hook is somehow larger gauge and the spiral isn’t twisting. Okay- watch (Agatha Christie)Poirot, not think about the news, while crocheting. Got to remember that. Like Poirot better anyway.
Today was yard work day. I cut the grass and pruned one large, unruly palm. Then I had to turn on the sprinklers tonight to chase away yowling cats that were making that awful noise they make when on the prowl. With the windows closed I thought it was a dog howling, but turned out it was cats. After I turned on the sprinklers, I looked out and there was a large fluffy gray cat of unknown origins sitting in our entry courtyard waiting for the water to stop. When I turned off the sprinklers in the front yard, it took off running.
I’ve managed to complete one watercolor a week for the class I’m taking. If I were my mom, I’d hang them on the fridge.
do it anyway. fridges need artwork on them, they work better. and when I say art I mean colorful or funny or loved or makes you happy to look at. Mine has postcards and magnets from travel, mine and other people’s. Plus dry erase notes about what’s in the fridge so I remember I bought stew meat and have not yet made stew. Useful is also good.
I am working on not killing my parents while travelling together. I like them a lot, but there’s a reason I live two states down. It’s been a really great holiday for the most part, but I have had to work really hard at not reverting to my teenage self.
Chuckle. Gurgle. Laugh. Good luck, Georgia!