Thursday Things

It is currently a whopping zero degrees at the Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. Wow. That’s not the wind chill factor, it’s the actual temp. I’m sure the wind chill would be much colder. Great day to sit, watching Rachael Ray while letting Lexie sit with me while I decide what we’ll do today. It’s the best part of each brand new day. Full of potential. Chock full of possibilities. Ways to make progress. A blank slate, so to speak.

We had a wildly successful Hamburger Night last night at the VFW. It amazes me how many people will brave the cold to get out and join us for a meal. It’s hard to know how many to plan for on days like yesterday. Luckily, there is a full service grocery store across the street, so if we need, there are more fresh beginnings available to create more meals. We were blessed with two families celebrating birthdays last night, and it’s always nice to see the whole family come out. I always think about how loved those families must be. It’s a nice thought.

Our family lives so far away from each other, it’s difficult, at best to get them together for anything. I hope that changes over the next few years. We all get caught up in our own lives and activities and sometimes we forget about those who love us from afar. Hoping we all get our loved ones contacted to share our love with them. Life is too fragile to let it slide. A friend can be gone before we know it. Keep them close. Talk often.

I’m hoping the Babe and I assemble our new bookcases this weekend. They’re about 47 inches high, and 36 inches wide. Three shelves. One will go in the bedroom, one in the Babe’s office. One will be all my books about creating and writing. I have run out of room in my office, and need to get more organized. A part of having several creative hobbies is keeping everything orderly. That’s another area I need to make progress this year. I will be able to access whatever I need for any hobby when it is orderly. It will become a way of life the more I practice. It will be lifelong orderly, as I used to be.

And of course, the time wasted looking through several piles of books randomly placed about the house will be used for creating. I look forward to it! I’m getting started by vacuuming and dusting the bedroom and living room, and finishing cleaning the wood floor in the kitchen. It’s amazing with all the Swiffer products that exist, that the item I like best for cleaning the wood floors is a plain old broom. Nothing sexy about it, and not dashing about like a choreographer.

Have a beautiful day, wherever you are. This day will be what you make it. Make it a good one! Let’s see each other tomorrow. Be safe out there.

Thursday Thoughts

Goldie was a little pest this morning. It’s nearly 11:30 a.m. and I’m just now writing. She is persistent when she wants to play. I know it’s important for her to play, but gosh, I have stuff to do! Now I feel guilty as she lies on the floor in my office and sleeps. She’s finally played enough. All she wants now is to be near me. What a sweetheart.

And she stands and barks a single yip, sharp to my ears, in a tone that hurts, and picks up her frozen rope yet again for me to throw. Wow. She loves it so much. When she loses sight of it and it falls down in the fresh snow, she sniffs it out. It’s funny. It’s 22 degrees outside right now, with the wind chill it feels like -13! That’s beyond nippy. Of course, she has a beautiful golden yellow coat to wear. She loves the snow, too.

It’s a day of interruptions to thoughts and deeds. I have taken a break or two to make a cup of tea, to get water for the dogs, and talk to my favorite brother-in-law in Sioux Falls. That phone call helped me put my mood in perspective. Have you ever had an in-law you just were grateful for their friendship? Brad is that guy. We have a ton of computer analyst jokes between each other. I admire his ability as a web designer, his faith, and his love for his family. Just glad to have him as a friend.

Staff meeting time at the Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. Goldie brought a snack, her favorite bone, and Lexie is napping on a soft, fuzzy blanket in the barrel chair by the window. Keeping our secrets safe from any beast who passes. When I get frustrated, it’s best to remember how I would miss them if we didn’t have them. The companionship of pets is important to me and the Babe. Even when they are be a pain.

Interruptions are frustrating. Some days it feels as if there is nothing accomplished at all. My list for today? I laugh at how bold I was at eleven this morning. It’s now 1:45 p.m. One To-Do item crossed off, and it had nothing to do with my writing. The unexpected phone call was a source of joy and reset my mood. Some days are just like this. What do other creatives do? 

Oh boy, it’ll be time to make dinner before I know it. The best thing to do now is finish what we can for the day and try again tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, I take Mom for her COVID shot in the morning. I’ve heard the site moved people along well, and there was very little time wasted. That will bode well with her. She gets pretty anxious in public anymore. We will have to dress warmly, it will be Artic again tomorrow.

I do like the news story telling the elderly to wear short sleeves when getting their COVID vaccines. It allows for modesty in a socially distanced room, and that matters to elderly ladies. They mentioned it helping them prepare for the experience in the best way they can. I see it as thoughtful. Good job, doctors!

Off to finish the most important of the tasks on the rest of the list for today. For tomorrow? RELAX. Thank you for reading today, and we’ll see each other again tomorrow. Hope it’s a good evening for everyone, and you all stay safe. Be well.

A Saturday in January

This is about the coldest it has been in Nebraska in a while. All the Babe and I need to do is dig deep in the closet to find the warmest gloves, scarves, and hat. And we each have several coats to choose from. We are so fortunate. Yesterday, the Babe went through his closets to find warm coats he no longer wears. He has four or five of them, ready to go, in a plastic garbage bag. We know two ladies from the Post who volunteer at a Veterans Homeless Shelter, and they will take the coats to the shelter this week. He didn’t want to donate them to Goodwill, etc., because it sells them. He wanted them to go directly to a veteran in need, for free.

We did a little office work at the VFW today, getting ready for a mailing. Every year they have a fundraising initiative to raise money to maintain the building and grounds. I like this to be my volunteering so I can apply my clerical skills to helping in any way I can. It helps the Babe, since I can type faster than he can, and then he is finished sooner than later. It was a good day.

We went to Walmart for a few groceries. Few people were out. It amazed me there were so many people much older than we are. Usually we are the oldest ones there. Maybe they go on Saturday, but it just seemed so cold out for them. I think frigid temps are so hard on older people. I know it adds to aches and pains; it aggravates arthritis and other ailments most people acquire as time goes on.

Tonight, I’m writing by the fireplace as my studio is frigid again. The dogs love the fire and lay in front of it until they become too hot; then they move away quickly. What lucky pups. We heard about two men who abused a lab pup somewhere near a lake. They threw the dog, so it landed on its back, the ice broke, and the pup fell in the freezing water. How terrible. I hope the state does not allow them to own another pet. Ever again. People who do that to animals usually abuse children and other adults in their lives.

The football season is nearing the end tomorrow with the last two playoff games. The Super Bowl will follow. We are cheering for Kansas City and hoping they come out ahead. The young quarterback is fun to watch.

Tonight will be a little more reviewing my first chapter and assess if it’s still making the cut for the rewrite. One important thing I have learned is how authors try to cram the entire backstory into the first chapter of the book. Nothing much happens, it just gets dumped out, and the action doesn’t start until Chapter Two. I did it, too. Thanks to my editor, I have learned how that approach could make the readers drop my book like a hot rock.

Thank you for reading today. I appreciate it very much. As usual, I’ll be here tomorrow, and I hope to find you here, too. Stay warm!