This week, I filled a huge truck with trash and argued with Bob about a sex scene. I’d include the conversation with Bob, but this is a PG blog.
How did your work week go?
73 thoughts on “Working Wednesday, May 10, 2023”
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Argh Ink
More than you ever wanted to hear from Jenny Crusie
I am finally finished training younglings at work, which is a relief. I am not a social person, and being “on” for two in a row was a lot for me. And I have a little bit of time off coming up this weekend.
I am trying to catch up in the garden. All the rain has put me behind. We did manage to hang a gate to keep the deer out. Hopefully this will up my harvest this year.
We filled one of those 80 gallon trash cans and rolled it to the curb, just like every trash day. They took the can, too.
They took the CAN?
Admittedly, it was a damaged can, in that the bar that acted as a hinge for the lid was gone. We just didn’t use the lid. I have a number to call to see if the can will be replaced.
Monday, I washed all my cardigans, yesterday I brought them upstairs till next fall, also to make room for summer clothes. Today the heat came back on, so I tippy toed back upstairs to get one for warmth. Sometimes, no, all the time I have to grab onto the railing and use it to guide me up the stairs, for safety. I’m reminded of my five year old self when I learned to go up and down stairs with left foot and right foot (what an accomplishment) instead of right foot and right foot. And here I am back again.
Next on the agenda for this week is prepping the grandog for her rabies shot. I moved her records to her new vet closer to us. Then I found out the town is having a rabies clinic so we’re going that route. It advised that if your dog is aggressive to use a muzzle. She does bark a lot when strangers approach the house and when she was genetically tested she is part pit bull. So we’re not taking any chances. We brought her to Pet-co to buy a muzzle and she was not happy, she grabbed hold of the leash and tried to lead me out of the store. I told our son and he said that is where she was going to get her nails clipped and refused to cooperate. She remembered.
They remember all right. Our cat used to crawl under the brake pedal to avoid going back to the vet.
Our cats have always yowled angry/despairing things throughout the whole trip from the house to the vet. I used to stop at Roy Rogers fast food drive-thru places on the way home from the vet with Batsy (the affable, the low-IQ, the non-picky huge gray ‘n’ white cat we rescued as the 3rd or 4th owners) in his cat carrier on the front seat next to me. He would be chanting “miAOU, miAOU, miAOU” continuously the whole time in the car, but after I offered him a roast beef sandwich (“hold the condiments, hold the spices, hold the buns”) he proceeded to eat it WHILE STILL doing the “miAOU” chorus, but as he ate, it sounded like he was singing it underwater or in a shower. Very echoey, very staccato, quite mumbly, but not a syllable’s hesitation for a trip of ten miles despite my soothing noises to try to reassure him.
I read ” brought them upstairs till next fall” and thought “In Maine? I’m still wearing mine here,” and then the next sentence brought reality.
Oooh! Ooh!
I won the Derringer Award for my short story, “My Two-Legs,” which literally stars a dog named Star, so Argh should approve.
This week, we’re rehearsing Terminally Ill, a play based on my novel, and will present the opening at a workshop on Saturday (May 13, Lab O, at 6:30 pm, although I doubt any of you live in Ottawa). Hope Sze rescues Elvis the Escape King after he has himself chained and nailed in a coffin in the river à la Houdini, and Hope figures out who tried to kill Elvis. Elvis will be portrayed by an aerialist. Part of it is immersive, so the audience can follow characters like in Sleep No More. I wrote the play, will act two small parts, and worked very hard to get grants to pay my diverse crew. I’m proud of that.
I’m also trying to work on my latest novel on gluttony and must submit a romantic suspense short story on Sunday. FUN.
P.S. Our kids’ bus driver gives our dogs treats every morning. Roxy, who is ten years old, rushes the bus like she’s rushing the stage and gobbles her treat. Yesterday, she got *two* treats. Life is good.
Congratulations!
Congratulations on the award and best wishes for the play!
That’s wonderful!
Congratulations on the award and the play! Two treats!
That’s all so amazing! Congratulations!
Fantastic!
Bravo!
Applauding from here.
Congratulations! That’s a great achievement
I got an appointment for my truck, to have the loud, rattling thing repaired. It will not break the bank, thank goodness. Then, I researched hairdressers and made an appointment with a new one. I hope she can fix whatever the latest hairdresser did to my hair. For several appointments in a row, she was very pleased with it, but I was not, so I decided it was pointless to try to reason with her. I always take a photo of what I want, and she just began to ignore them, and do what she wanted. Some of them were of haircuts she had given me in the past! I weeded a lot. Every time I went out to check on things, I saw more weeds. The good news is that all the flowers I put in pots are doing well, and the 10 plants I put in the ground are also doing well. Four of those were Super Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. They’re delicious!
I’m so grateful for my hair guy. He’s been cutting my cowlick-crazy hair for literal decades. More than two, most of three, I think. And he’s younger than I am, so I don’t have to worry about him retiring in the immediate future, like everyone else I count on seems to have done recently.
I’m not very fussy about haircuts (except I hate having it touch my neck in the summer), so I basically just go in and say “do whatever you want, as long as it’s short and no-maintenance,” and he does. Sometimes in the peak heat of the summer, I ask him to shave it all off, and so far, he’s known I don’t really mean it literally, and he just makes it extra-short. One of these days though, he probably will shave it all off. And it’ll be fine, and I’ll still go back to him. He gets my weird sense of humor.
Yesterday was Get Rid of Trash day for me too. I hired a couple of guys to come with a truck and a trailer, and loaded it with all the crap that had accumulated in the barn over the last couple of years (since the last time I did a big purge). Some huge boxes (new furniture for the new porch, new desk chair, new electric mower last year), an old grill, and a bunch of misc. garbage that was too big or messy for me to take to the dump in my car. Plus leftover stuff from the recent construction that shouldn’t have been left behind for me to get rid of. (Thanks, guys.) I felt measurably lighter once it was gone. Now I just have to sweep the barn and neaten what’s left, and try not to let it accumulate again. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)
Still flattened by the post-Covid fatigue, going on a month now, but I really need to get into the garden. It’s beautiful out today, so I’m going to put on all my tick-proof gardening gear and see what I can get done.
Oh! What do you use for tick gear?
I have a few things. There is a spray with permethrin (natural and safe once it has dried) that I use on my garden pants and sneaker. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DR49WS8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 Plus I have a shirt, a neck scarf, and a set of long socks/arm gaiters that come with it already embedded. They can mostly be washed numerous times before they have to be retreated or replaced. Everything except the shirt and scarf can also go into the dryer on high, which is the best way to kill ticks. (Water doesn’t bother them, but being dried out apparently does.) Here’s the link for the socks. the arm gaiters can be found under InsectGuard. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711NCYX2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1
I have ticks all over my property, alas, including the fenced garden. I’ve gotten bitten a number of times, although always tested negative for Lyme, thankfully. But since I can’t take antibiotics, which are the only treatment for that, I err on the side of super paranoia. It takes most of the joy out of gardening to have to gear up from head to toes, but there you are.
As soon as I come in from the garden, the gardening clothes go into the dryer on high, and I do a check the best I can. So much fun.
” permethrin (natural and safe once it has dried) ” Unless, like me, you are allergic to it. 😉 Luckily I am NOT allergic to antibiotics!
A former co-worker of mine, who hikes, got Lyme disease about ten years ago; she now wears Seresto collars on her ankles, because there are OTHER tick bourne diseases she hasn’t had yet. (Lyme disease left her with the meat allergy.) It does keep the ticks off humans, not just dogs. In your case you’d need them for your wrists, too, which would get expensive, but if you put them back in the can after every use they last much longer than the guaranteed six months.
You need a family of Opossums to move in!! They eat ticks, lots of ticks. Although, it may be too cold for them up north, there.
That’s awful, Deb. Makes me thankful for my slugs and snails.
Deb, a suggestion to go along with your tick control routine. Use a lint roller (the kind with sticky tape) and run it over your clothing. Ticks will stick to it so you can get rid of them more easily.
My comment is in moderation because of the links. I expect it will show up eventually.
Hey, I’m doing a lot of stuff here. I got you out of moderation, cut me a break.
That was NOT criticism! I would never. Just letting Lupe know I’d seen the question.
BTW, Jenny, funny story for you. I had a dream last night that you invited me and a bunch of other people to your house for a murder mystery party based on a roaring twenties murder mystery you’d just finished writing. You wanted to try it out for filming. Krissie was there too, and I think Bob. Not sure who else. It turned out in the end my character was a young woman who got caught stealing things. Then it turned out that the filming was a final version and was going to be on TV.
Don’t even ask me where this stuff comes from.
Ooh, can I come? I don’t have the svelte figure of a flapper girl, but I could be a good dowager, or be the cook or housekeeper!
That was no dream.
Wow. I’d invite you to my house but it’s a nightmare. And I haven’t seen Bob in seventeen years, so no on that.
I did take a course in doing one of those murder mystery parties because I was going to do that in You Again. Huh.
Well, I wasn’t sure about Bob. Krissie was definitely there. And the house was kind of English mansion style, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t an actual representation of where you live…
The house was the film set, of course.
Last night I also had a dream about a bunch of us being invited to your house, Jenny, for a writer’s workshop. Except your house was near the Golden Gate Bridge, and we ended up going to a weird shopping center to find a special treatment for back pain.
Yes, my dreams tend to be on the nose.
I’ll come!
Me, too! I’d love to meet this bunch in person.
You people have much more coherent dreams than I do! And more pleasant. Can I come join yours?
Fingers crossed I will finish uploading the last company’s Year End to the accountants today. Payroll tomorrow.
Hardscping in the yard is on my agenda this weekend, but so are a dozen other tasks. Sleep might win.
I followed an unexpected impulse, and did my accounts and tax return. I think that’s the earliest ever (the deadline’s not until the end of January). Also worked out that my income exceeded my expenditure last year, despite the fact I didn’t do as much freelancing as I thought I needed to. Which has made me feel more relaxed. Plus I’ve just agreed to proof-read a biography of Monet, which sounds fun.
Otherwise, I’ve mostly been gardening – planting and weeding. Hope to do more this weekend.
Congratulations on being early and in the black!
I have about 160 plants to get in the ground. Plus zinnia seeds. (I need to stop picking up just a few more plants for color balance until I get these in the ground…)
I also need to sort papers before DH gets home from Japan Friday.
Unfortunately I am struggling with the fatigue and brain fog from my hyperparathyroidism. Fortunately the surgery is now scheduled for July 5; between now and then I have to marshal the energy to prepare for and attend DDs first commitment ceremony and keep the planning going for the second one. This week’s tasks include checking out local hotels and ordering things.
I may have done something unwise. I saw an ad for a dress for me for DDs party where I really like the color and lines . But judging by cost it’s probably made out of plastic. I went ahead and ordered it and plan to take it apart and use it as a pattern for making a dress for me… this may be completely beyond both my sewing skills and my energy levels.
Wow! That was enterprising of you. Good luck. Maybe you know someone who could help with the dress.
Yes, my best friend since we were 14 is a great seamstress who made a lot of historical costumes for fun. While she lives about 5 hours away, she is visiting the last weekend in May and will be fitting DDs dress for the August party, which she is making. So I envision a lot of sewing that weekend.
After sending my manuscript to the editor, I’m playing catch up on everything else. But all I really want to do is relax and watch tv. LOL
This past week, the local power company came and did maintenance along the main road, pruning trees away from the power lines. They were much more thorough than last time, but also dropped a lot of debris inside our fence. So, I grabbed DH and we spent our Saturday pulling out pruned branches and bagging that up. I was pooped afterwards!
When I was visiting family back in March, my niece requested a quilt she could cuddle up under while watching TV. She picked out the panel, which I put borders on. I’ve now quilted it, and managed to get it bound over the weekend. I’ll probably put it in the mail to her this week. I’ll also include one of the tote bags I made. Another panel, but it was pretty.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsD9ayrONW3/
Other than that, I’ve been feeling puny with a sore throat after travelling last week. I don’t have a fever, so I don’t think it is covid. Probably allergies of some sort, giving me some post-nasal drip.
I also had to put up a picture of my gardenia. We had taken out the privet bushes which were dying and replaced them with little gardenias. All of the gardenia bushes are full of buds, so it will be a treat to be sitting on the stoop for a while. I’ve also got a pic of the coreopsis that has overwintered for a second year in a row.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsBeY4xOalS/
Ignorant question from an Argher: What on earth is “minky’?
It’s a man-made material that has a nap. Think velvet – except not stiff. It adds weight, and is soft and snuggly. I’ve started putting it on the back of baby quilts because it just feels nice to wrap up in.
Here’s the definition when I googled the term:
a brand name for a type of cloth made of polyester (= artificial material) that is thick and soft, with one side like short fur, and that is often used for making clothes, especially for children: Minky is a super soft, warm fabric, produced from 100% polyester fiber
It is very soft and perfect for baby and little girl’s quilts. Comes in many colours and some have patterns. I’ve used it to back all the quilts I’ve made. Little ones love it. Lovely quilts Nancy. You are very talented.
And charming little boys, of course.
I spent Monday feeling crummy but re-potting and plant puttering. I spent Tuesday never going far from the bathroom, trying to sleep. Today I arose with less urgency, but not total confidence.
I did get out and finally sow the wildflower seeds in the newly-tilled beds, so that was a big moment. And of course, I need more seeds, and it’s only 10:40 a.m.! And now I’m going to go out every day and look for those darn seedlings, although I know they won’t be here. Also, it rained last week, but it was too much and now it’s sunny all week. Since we’re on a small well, watering isn’t really an option. We’ll see.
Thursday I was going to bus down to NYC to meet a friend and see La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera, but we both needed to cancel.
My laptop died, creating all sorts of havoc in my life. Still recovering.
You have my deepest synpathy
Rereading a draft of a novel I wrote about 15 years ago. The first part, which I had done a lot of editing on, and knew where it was going, was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed it! The next part had a lot more issues (less editing, less clear narrative direction), which was partly why I abandoned it.
I was also surprised to realise it was YA, which wasn’t such a thing in 2008, I think. It was a confidence boost to enjoy the first part so much, especially as I’m trying to get back to more writing.
Got all of the deck herbs and potted tomato plant planted (we have deer). Got maybe one quarter of the front walk border garden planted with annuals and one fifth of the invasive vines cut down on a small side hill. I will be buying more annuals today…I am buying them in small lots so that I can get them in the ground before they die from neglect.
Got the snow tires off my car yesterday. While I was sitting in the dealer’s waiting room, got call from DH in Tanzania. He had a a domestic client that needed help and needed the PC that he had left at home started so that he could connect to the client. Also while I was sitting in the waiting room, I discovered that I count not edit any word or excel documents and that outlook was being balky wanting additional authentication set up. AND the the tool that my husband uses to connect to other PC’s remotely did not like the authentication numbers he was giving me.
This morning, I have been able to get word and excel to behave. Outlook is still balky (I messed up the authentication tool I think). But all is good: I can edit the documents I need for Saturday’s meeting, and I still have an OLD (yahoo) mail account that I can use to send them to my husband.
There’s something happening on a collective level in cyberspace. We have had glitches in every software system we rely on at work. Very tired of it.
I’m not working on anything. Show’s over, nothing to do but wait for the next audition in a few weeks. My brain isn’t even really in my yarn at the moment. It’s weird.
Limbo.
I spent a lot of time trying to find out why my wi-fi didn’t fire up when I plugged it in today, but finally got my outlet to reset and thus got online. Unfortunately, I also discovered that I hadn’t written down the appointment I had this morning for a skin treatment and so missed that.
I did an emergency dog sitting for my sister’s friend, which paid much more than I expected. This was providential because when the super came to repair my lock this morning, he said the property management was charging me $50 for the repair.
My main project since I returned from puppy duty has been trying to get my sleep patterns back to some sort of normal. I am pleased to report that this morning my C-Pap machine reported I got a full 8 hours of sleep with less than 1 interruption per hour. This was the best report I’ve had in weeks, so I guess I should thank the TV Writers’ Guild for their strike, because when all there is to watch is (are?) reruns, it is a lot easier to resist late night television.
Edited to add- the landlord’s office reduced the fee from $50 to$3 without the intimidation I thought I would need to employ. Huzzah!
I’m still working on coming out from under funky personal gunk.
Also I am working on getting my mobile home repainted.
In writing news I am working on a new work in progress that is not dystopian, not utopian but something in between.
And I’m regretting that while he was alive. I never tried to pursue marrying Elmore Leonard.Think of all the character and plot problems that could be solved over supper.
I’m sure he regrets it too.
You all have been so productive! I had this hard push to get all kinds of stuff done and now I’m kind of noodling. I’ve done a bunch of those little puttering jobs that pile up but don’t sound impressive, like feeding the special food to the avocado and lemon and lime trees or adding support to a clematis. Keeping kids on track for the end of the school year. Not being buried alive in laundry. That’s about it.
Not so productive here either. I did almost finish last week’s board minutes. And I made an appointment to get my hair cut. And picked up most of the plants for my containers and some herbs and tomatoes. I need some peppers too but it’s still a little early for them. Now to get everything planted!
I worked on some more decluttering; successfully emptied out another small piece of furniture. I have a drawer fetish so basically all my case goods have drawers and when you have a drawer you fill it, right? Sigh.
Along with that, organized some of the remaining clutter. Also groomed the yard a bit.
Turned in final proof notes for the Ren Fest novella, which has a May 20 release date, and wrote 5K of a short story. It needs a bit more. June 1 submission deadline for that and I want to get it out of the house this weekend for reasons. 🙂
I want to read that Ren Fest novella. You’ll let us know when it’s released, please?
absolutely!
Assisting H with the balcony railing. Almost done. Looks really good. Neighbours like it too. Gardening and conference this weekend.
I spent the weekend at a painting workshop. The tutor wasn’t the best but we managed to figure out most of what he was showing us and I’m happy with my art. It was good to immerse myself in painting for the whole weekend too. I did my regular art class and semi-regular life drawing practice group too so it was a very artistic week.
Other than that, I’ve had guests twice in the last week, so my home is nice and clean. The second bunch of people talked about how none of us manage to motivate ourselves to just keep places clean unless we have an incentive like guests. I’ve got better than I used to be but not as good as I’d like to be.