Cobblestones, Laundry and Work...

Stage Five doesn't have a lot of topography, but oh those cobblestone
roads! There are nine separate cobblestone stages in today's race which
will be a real test of both man and machine. I just hope the weather
is fair. If they have rain or even mist on top of the stones, it could be
quite dangerous. 

Today is Stage Five of Le Tour de France and it's a cobblestone stage. The boys had one small stretch of the stones yesterday and that was bad, but today they have nine separate stretches of cobblestones to ride over in their quest for a stage win or points for themselves or their team, and it may be brutal. They will be using heavier bikes with broader wheels, but I think everyone will breathe easier after today is behind them. Of course, they still have many days ahead of them including the Alps and the Pyrenees, so there's lots of bike riding remaining.

This is the German squad for the World Cup. I love the
multi-colored shoes. Like other kinds of sports, I only
get interested in the finals. I wonder who will face them
in the final game? 

On the World Cup front, bravo for Germany! Very well done seven times over. The other semi-final match will be played today between the Netherlands and Argentina. If the Netherlands prevails, it will be an all-Europe final. Having been born in Germany, I guess I'll have to cheer for them, but I'm not a big soccer fan so anyone winning well deserves it and congratulations to all.

Mark Twain had it right. Seize the moment, take the chance! 

Usually Wednesdays are my day off, but Chickie is off gallivanting on her vacation which leaves me to pick up the slack *sigh* - LOL. No ... she well deserves her vacation and so far she seems to be having a wonderful time. I'll drop by her place again this morning to take care of her cat.

I dodged a bullet with my insurance costs, for sure! 

I finally got the updated insurance cards, etc for Minion in yesterday's mail. I was quite pleased to see that my insurance premium is only increasing $28/year for the new car. I had feared the insurance would be much more, so this is very affordable. Dodged another bullet with that one!

I can't cook - at least not today. I have to work at the shop instead.
Day three is upon me, only three more days after today! 

Of course, since I have to work for Chickie today, I can't do grocery shopping, can't cook dinners for the next few days, can't do laundry except at odd hours (one load is in the dryer as I write this and it isn't even 5:00 am yet) and, unfortunately, can't chat with Aearwen today. It's a total bummer, but sacrifices have to be made every now and again and this is necessary. I'll be glad when Chickie is back working again, though. I miss hearing Aearwen's voice when our schedules don't mesh.

Words don't have to be complicated to be magnificent. I need
to remember that as I craft my stories and novels. 

I'm finally catching up on some of my backlogged story assignments, but I have to keep my eyes on my deadlines for Ardor in August too. Pounding out a drabble a day is great, but I have less than two weeks (approximately) to finish my Ardor story and submit it and I know I'll need some serious editing time. I may have to shelve the drabbles again for a short time to do some get-down work on Ardor.

Posts are born from small ideas and they grow and grow. They're
alive with words and pictures by the time I hit post. They expand
to fit the space of my thoughts for the day. 

So here we go - a post where I thought I had nothing to say grew and grew again. It's rather like possessions in a house - they tend to expand to fit the empty spaces. At least they do in my life - LOL. Have a truly wonderful Wednesday filled with positive things and beauty. And for my friend from the Netherlands - Go Netherlands!