Monday is a Deadline - Sigh!

It's Saturday, which for many of you is the start of two days off. That's not been the case for me for almost 40 years, so I guess it will be a "new" experience, to have weekends back. The store is getting there - DH was in my face yesterday evening about how I was dealing with the photos, while I was trying to make sure that I had every photo needed, and in the correct format and size. I finally grouched at him enough that he went to bed early, which allowed me the time to go through the complete photo file of slightly less than 50 photos, make sure they were the sizes needed, and identified appropriately, and I now feel much more confident about uploading all of this on Monday morning. 

We have a LOT of photos that we'll need to upload to Travis. I 
sent him a quick message yesterday to find out if he had a 
preferred service for that. There are two I'm familiar with, 
one that we've used in the past, one that we're a bit less 
familiar with. But they both work well. Then it'll be up to 
him to resize things as needed. 

But, I also realized there are a few photos that still need to be taken - mostly on the main floor. The various displays we use for our beads might have some resale value ... or not. Hard to say on that since we made the displays that we use. There's also the main desk that DH and I share - it's old, probably purchased from the used office supplies company down the street - but it works just fine and I'm quite sure there is some resale value. I'd love for someone else to deal with getting it out of the place, in any case - LOL - it's REALLY heavy. There are a few other small things to add to the list, but in the main, we've caught everything and have them measured, photographed, described and ready for upload. 

The 9th is a hard deadline for us, and we've been working 
to have things ready for that date for the past six weeks. 
It's been a LOT of work, but without the deadline, we would 
still be running in place. At least I feel like we're starting 
to get somewhere now, and if the deadline tasks go smoothly, 
I'll be extremely grateful. 

Since I'm on a Monday deadline to get everything uploaded, and I don't have Chickie helping me in the store on Mondays, I'm trying my best to be ahead of the deadline, maybe uploading tomorrow instead, when I'll have time to fix things if they don't go smoothly. 

Once again there is war in the Middle East, and this 
time it was the USA who started it. WTH??? Why? 

And, of course, there is war in the Middle East once again. I know that contentiousness and territoriality is built into human DNA, but all too often it's an excuse, not a driving factor. Such and such an area is important to religious beliefs or a nation's history is often a good excuse in the Middle East. Also, the total lack of faith in each other over the decades. Add in that the fact that the USA bombed the Middle East ... well, I think we overstepped our bounds unless we were specifically asked to help Israel or another nation of the area. But I'm a "peacenik" from the days of Vietnam, and I don't see myself changing my internal guidance anytime soon. 

Deadlines - we need them, but they're not fun to have 
on the receiving end - LOL. 

So, have a really excellent weekend. I've got a TON of stuff to still get ready for uploading on Monday, and a few bills that I need to get paid. The tension/pressure of all of this is building a large and high fence between DH and myself for the time being. We'll see how we come out of all of this afterwards, but right now, deadlines loom. I'll be back on Monday, although it might be a quick post. Slava Ukraini. 

Challenges - LJ Idol and Retainers

Although today is a "day off" and I have a ton of things to finish before DH returns home from the shop tonight, I have to take time and write my offering for the current LJ Idol challenge. I didn't have any time over the past two days, just snippets here and there. I'm not sure if today will be any better, so I'm scrapping what I had written and my original thoughts on the subject matter and going into a shorter format. It'll still require some thinking and it won't be "thrown" together with ease, but I think (I hope) I can have it ready to post by deadline (and remember to put the link down on Gary's post, which is something I often forget until the following day). *sigh* Just one more thing to add to my busy, busy day, but something that I enjoy and a challenge. I've always loved a writing challenge. 

I enjoy a writing challenge, but after having attempted 
two times already to complete this week's challenge, I'm 
almost at the end of my rope. But, a thought came to me in 
the shower (as they often will), and I'm going to give that 
a try. Deadline's tonight, the clock is ticking. 

My "Graduation Gift" from my Orthodontist was a lovely Yeti 32 ounce metal mug with a magnetic lock for the lid. It's wonderful. I really like it a lot, and the best thing about it is the handle is just slightly above the cup holders in Minnion, so I can easily transport it in the car with me. I actually read the instruction sheet (I know ... what WAS I thinking! Actually reading the instructions??). I have to wear the removable retainers (and they fit VERY snugly) 24/7 except ... I can remove them when eating, brushing my teeth(well, THAT makes sense - LOL), swimming (I was pleased about that) and when participating in contact sports. Well, I don't do contact sports, so that's irrelevant to me. Still, I don't have to wear them 24/7, just 22/7 or so - LOL. 

My new Yeti cup is quite similar to this, 
with my Orthodontist's business name 
imprinted on the reverse side. I REALLY 
like it. It's heavy, so won't fall over 
easily, and it fits perfectly in the cup 
holder of my car. Win/Win

After the first week, even better! After the first week, I have to wear the retainers when I sleep, but they can be off while I'm awake. I suspect that most of his clients sleep for more than 5-6 hours a night, so I'll probably leave them in until breakfast and put them in again when I go to sleep. That will put an additional hour or two of wearing time into the schedule. The instructions also note that if the retainer feels tight when placed (and it seems that way all the time right now), increase the amount of time wearing them. Also, if I miss a night or two (which I doubt will happen), I'll need to wear them full-time for a few days. 

I did order a Zima ultrasonic cleaner for my 
retainers. I want to keep them looking clear and 
lovely for as long as possible. Even though 
I'll only be wearing them overnights starting in 
a week or so, I still want them fresh and clean 
and not scuzzy, dirty or smelly. I can always use 
the cleaner on my jewelry if I decide to branch 
out a bit more - LOL. 

I did order a sonic retainer cleaner to add to my usual toothbrush and toothpaste. I suspect these will look scuzzy quickly if I don't take super good care of them. BUT, I'm also not supposed to subject them to heat sources - hot/boiling water being the first one on the list. OOPS well, I'm NOT going to stop having my tea. My herbal tea in the morning and throughout the day is what keeps me going. So ... I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it, but right now, I'm thinking my tea (which I don't drink SUPER hot anyway) will be OK. It'll have to be - LOL. 

I'm not sure all of the blame can be placed on this 
adorable dog. If he/she managed to eat THREE sets 
of them, then someone isn't putting them away 
carefully overnight. Replacement retainers are 
expensive, so I'd be a Dad who would make his kid 
work off the expense with extra chores around the 
house and a temporary cut in allowance funds. 

Oh, and I also have to keep the retainers away from pets. I always thought that was a folk tale, but I do recall one time when I was in the waiting room and a young man came in for a new upper retainer. Apparently his dog had gotten hold of it and chewed it up. I moved the "folk tale" up to "true" on my mental list with that young man's tale, and am grateful that I have no pets. A husband, yes, but no pets. DH's far too labor intensive to add any other critters to my care schedule. On that note, I'm out of here. I have a story to write! Have an excellent Friday and I'll return to wrap the week up tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Tempus Fugit - It's Two Weeks Until Christmas Day! (Panic is Setting In)

I spent my lunch time yesterday with a ball winder and eight skeins of yarn, refashioning them into a wound cake for the machine knitter. I have eyes on a sweater or two I'd like to dive into making next year, and wanted to have the materials ready to put on as soon as I was finished with holiday gifts. I'm excited to be moving on to larger and more complex projects. Sweaters are a love of mine, both pullovers and cardigans. 

The first sweater I want to make for myself is this one - 
the Amber Pullover. I have a beautiful golden-yellow 
yarn for it, a shade I dearly love. It's a fairly easy 
pattern, and will be my first time to attach shoulders and 
sleeves. It should be a good intro to a larger project. 

I also watched an instructional video of how to make fingerless gloves for Chickie's holiday gift. A couple of weeks back she mentioned that she used to have a set and wanted to find them to help keep her hands warm at the shop. I know Chickie - the chances of her actually being able to put her hands on those old gloves is slim-to-none, and I know I can make her a set that will work well for her. If they work up easily, I might even make her two sets - one in acrylic and one in wool. 

I think fingerless mittens are a wonderful 
idea. I might make myself a set after I'm 
finished with the ones I want to make for 
Chickie. 

I need to motivate and get Sharon's gift wrapped and sent off to her. It's sitting next to me,  but sitting next to me isn't getting it any closer to the Post Office. I'll have to brave the craft room closet and pull out a roll of wrapping paper from storage - not that difficult, but it's cold in that room - LOL. The things I do for dear friends *le sigh* - LOL. 

Time is running out to get my packages for 
the holidays into the mail. And I still have 
one holiday card to mail (although I could 
deliver it in person since it goes next door). 
Still, tempus fugit and I have to get moving! 

Can you believe it's two weeks until Christmas Day? It seems unreal - time that was creeping along in the summer is now rushing by at warp speed. I rather doubt the clock has actually sped up, but it does seem like it. I have nothing to give DH this year and no ideas at all either. This is really a Christmas that both of us are just working on rewind back to last year. Bummer. But, maybe I can think of something today. In any case, I hope you have a wonderful day - be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Breakneck Speed - That's Me Right Now

I'm bouncing a few texts and graphics in the background right now while writing this, crossing my fingers that I don't close the wrong window - LOL. I't my "day off" that isn't today. Chickie was up at 4:00 am and her Dad's open heart surgery begins in an hour or so, so I'll be keeping her family in my thoughts today while I work her shift. It's still cold (curently -3F  -19.4C), and I'm still in the final stages of my holiday cards. I'm running a bit late on these, my firm deadline for getting them into the mail is Winter Solstice, and that's approaching at breakneck speed. 

I'm cruising at a breakneck pace right now - lots of things
and lots of fires. I'll get it all done, but it's crunch time. 

I'm in the final assembly stages, though, and if all goes well and I get a chance to do envelopes on Friday, the lot will hit the mail on Saturday/Sunday. Yeah - cutting it SO close. I managed to contact FedEx regarding the mis-shipped package and arranged to pick it up from a local FedEx hub store on my way home from work tonight. What a mess. At least I managed to get that somewhat OK, though. I don't think I'll be ordering from that company again, though. 

I've got a video to share with all of you. Click on the link here to watch
this short, 2+ minute commercial for a Filipino phone company. You
don't need to understand the language to appreciate the dedication
of these two young men for their friend. A true winner for this holiday season,
and a Star Wars tie-in for those who care. Make sure to watch it through
to the end to get the twist. 

I have a good LJ friend who had a problem adding a comment onto yesterday's post. I went into my profile and all of that stuff, but can't really find any reason why she would suddenly not have permission to post a reply to my blog. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. She's a long-time friend and she's certainly posted comments to my blog in the past - quite often, in fact. I don't understand why she suddenly had a problem with that. 

On that note, I'm going to get this posted, rescue my laundry from the dryer, and try to get a bit more done on my cards before heading to work. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow and I'll miss talking to you today, Aearwen! Next week for SURE!!! 

Thinking Ahead - The Pool and the Workshop

It's going to be a rainy weekend, which will put a hold on many outdoor activities. DH was going to pick up meat to grill on Sunday, but decided to hold off since it's supposed to rain all day. It was raining on and off all night last night, sometimes heavy enough to awaken me. I enjoyed my last day to "sleep in", though. Next week I'm back to the gym again, machines for three days and then ... FINALLY ... returning to the pool on Thursday. The outdoor pool opens on Saturday, hopefully with a temperature outside that's a bit warmer than today's 50 degrees. It is as it is, though. Last year was exceptionally warm and the pool in late May was inviting. This year seems to be a bit colder, so it might be a bit harder to push myself into the outdoor water initially. 

There's something mesmerizing about swimming in the outdoor pool over
the summer months. I suspect that eventually our pool will be incorporated
into a larger swimming area and transformed into a combination
pool area that will be indoors only. That's happened at several of the
other YMCA locations over the past two decades. We have one of
two outdoor pools, and the second one is closing after this season. 

The second push for my eyeliner tattoos worked a treat! Things are still in the healing stage, but I'm MUCH happier this time around, and think Heidi finally accomplished what we had been trying for. I'll know a bit more in another week or so, it's only been a few days, but the difference between the first application and this second one was light night and day. 

For several decades, Andy Cooperman has been making
marvelous and unusual jewelry based on sound techniques
and a quirky imagination. My techniques are a bit rusty,
but I'm hoping to make something I won't be ashamed of
during my three-day workshop with him. 

Of course I'm also planning and thinking about my upcoming workshop and trip to Milwaukee. I've assembled a box of interesting things to potentially use in the "Innovative Captures" workshop, but I haven't firmly made up my mind, yet. DH has been been spending his time working on bookshelves for the house as we continue to merge our life from the shop into our home. We're counting down - still many more months to go, but we're on a schedule. 

Here are more pieces by Andy Cooperman. I don't want to copy
his aesthetic, but I love using non-traditional materials, and
incorporating them into my own work will be fun. I do have to
edit though, it's only a three-day workshop. 

I'm going to take a bit and catch up with my friends postings on LJ and DW, get this posted, and call it a day. I'm looking forward to breakfast and a relaxing hour or two before I unlock the shop doors. Have a wonderful Saturday and a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday. 

Thank Goodness It's TUESDAY????

I'm almost happy that it's Tuesday? OK, I know that sounds weird, so let me roll back a bit and explain. 

I'm actually really happy that it's Tuesday. Maybe I can
get some work done early this morning before I have
to open the shop to the public. 

When I first awakened shortly before 3:00 am, I mentally reviewed my to-do list. I focused on what I needed to do on Thursday, when I needed to go to the bank, and what things I needed to have completed by then. Panic set in. I hadn't accomplished nearly enough on my "needs to be done by the end of the week" list! 

Such a silly goose! I'm so happy that it's only
Tuesday. I have more time to panic before I'm
behind at the end of the week. 

But then I breathed a sigh of relief. "Silly goose," I thought. "It's only Tuesday. You still have two days before you've fallen behind and, if you actually do what you're supposed to do, you might even manage to not fall behind at all." 

I'm falling behind my scheduled goals. Maybe if  I hadn't stopped to help that
little girl wearing the red shoes and carrying that cute little dog? 

Of course, that is unlikely. I'm pretty sure I will still be behind schedule on Thursday morning. But, I probably won't be AS behind schedule as I might have been if today actually was 48 hours from now. So, I'm quite grateful it's Tuesday. What a relief. 

So that's my crazy Frozen Northlands rant for the day. Have an excellent TUESDAY, and I'll be back tomorrow. Now to find pictures, post, and then off to the pool. 

Life Goes On - Successes and Flowers

Did you hear that "squeak"? That was me squeaking in just under the deadline for this month's SWG Challenge story. Due today, I posted it last night after writing it in bits and spurts over the past month. It's a ridiculous way to have to write a single story, but better that way than not at all. So, another one bites the dust. I can't wait to read what the next challenge topic will be - I'll be fighting a different deadline for the May/June tale - the posting deadline will be during my annual trip to Bead and Button, so I'll have to push things up because internet access there is always spotty and very slow.

It was tight and right to the deadline, but I got my
SWG Challenge Story posted last night. If you get
a chance to read it, it's called "An Education in Stone"
and features my favorite sculptor - Nerdanel. 

Today starts Week Three of my foot healing. Yes, the damned toe still hurts, but the multi-color swatch of bruised skin seems to be settling down to a more normal palette. It's my day off today, so of course I have errands to run, laundry to do, and personal projects to work at. I don't spend a lot of time contemplating, I just dive right in.

I don't stand around waiting for things to happen, I just
dive in and see if I can swim. Usually I'm OK doing it
that way, but sometimes I need DH to throw me a kick board. 

During this last flight from LJ, I ended up with a lot of friends shifting over to Dreamwidth. Although I post there too, and know that some of my friends are also posting there, I'm not getting their posts on my daily message board notifications over there. It's frustrating, but I guess I'll have to live with it - no choice. I've massaged my own settings as much as possible and that doesn't seem to be making any difference, so I'll stick with what works, take what comes, and try to enjoy my quieter LJ.

I saw this while photo browsing this morning and had to
share it. So true! Go for it today. Do something wonderful
for yourself. 

Up here in the Frozen Northlands, I'm super happy and very bouncy. The flowering trees are at their peak, the lilacs are almost ready to pop, and tulips decorate yards everywhere with their colorful heads standing so proudly. It's a great time to be out and about, and I plan to enjoy every errand I have to run today!

I adore lilacs - their beauty and their sweet scent. It's a part
of spring that always makes me very happy. I noticed on Monday
that the lilacs are almost ready to burst open. Happiness! 

Have a super happy Wednesday and enjoy your day. Feed a duck or two if you can - ducks need love too and they have little fuzzy ducklings to take care of.

Dodging a Bullet

Sleep would be a great idea, but it doesn't seem to be happening for me lately. Too much on my mind? Maybe, but I don't think there's any more stuff in there crowding to break free than at other times. I guess I'll just put the blame down to stress, try to work some of it off in the swimming pool this morning, and hope that tonight's sleep will be less restless and actually last until my 3:15 am alarm. Still, that extra 12 minutes I got yesterday and again today has been welcome time.

I'm still not sure how we got so lucky, but I'm sure grateful. I really
didn't want to deal with icy roads and lots of snow yesterday. 

We dodged a bullet yesterday, and I'm still not sure how we got that lucky. We were supposed to have six hours of an icy rain followed by another six hours of snow depositing 1"-6" of the white stuff. We did get a frozen drizzle which made walking a bit tricky for a few hours, but the streets were generally OK for driving and the salt and sand trucks were out and about. The snow also came and it looked really pretty, for the less than 15 minutes that it was falling. I'd say we got a dusting. Excellent! It's only February and we have lots of winter still to come, but yesterday's miss was a nice surprise.

These are my current slippers. Pretty pathetic, aren't
they? They're Sketchers and they've lasted for several years,
but they are on their last legs. I need a new set of
slippers desperately! 

Today I have to shop all over town. I need stuff at Target, Trader Joe's and at the grocer, and I desperately need a new pair of indoor shoes/slippers. My current pair are in tatters and are barely holding on to my feet under optimal conditions. I probably won't have the time for shoe shopping, though.

Editing is just as time consuming (if not more) than the actual
writing. The difference is that the plot and storyline has already
been written down and now it's time for polish and symmetry. 

I also have to edit a story I'm writing for the Taboo challenge. It has to be uploaded no later than Friday, so the clock is ticking. It's pretty much in the can, meaning I can do a lot of editing on it but the basic parameters and structure are there. I usually spend far longer on the editing process than I do on the actual composition of any story, so this has to get done.

Editing can be an intensive process. It's helpful to have outside eyes
when editing, but beta readers and new eyes aren't always available.
Sometimes I really miss the old Lizard Council group.   

Usually I can take some computer time at the shop to edit and catch up on emails, but we finally got a long-awaited shipment in on Monday and my time will be wrapped up in packaging product for the rest of the week. I'm happy to have a day off today to give my hands a break from clutching tubes while filling and packing them down; it can be hard on me after several hundred tubes. Unfortunately, I'm not as young as I used to be.

So I'm hoping for clear roads, easy finds at the various stores, and clarity of thought when I sit down to edit. Easy requests, right? LOLOL Have a wonderful Wednesday - don't work too hard and spread some unexpected kindness today, we really need some positive vibes in our world.

Hmmmm - Sometimes I Wonder ...

So this morning I had two mail orders waiting for me - sortof, kindof, maybe? It's on days like this that I wonder if my customers were awake when they were going through my website, or if they just were mesmerized by all of the pretty colors.

Beads can be mesmerizing, and the multitude of colors are amazing
and incredibly beautiful. Maybe they were just so pretty that my
customers lost themselves in the shine? 

The first order gave me all of the purchaser's information - shipping and credit card. But they didn't actually order anything. The shopping cart was empty and there was nothing listed in the comments section. There was no accompanying email waiting for me listing the products she wanted to buy, and no notifications of any kind. What does she want? It's a mystery. She got a return note from me asking what she wanted and telling her that I'd happily shred her information if she sent it to me in error.

It's really hard to fill a mail order that doesn't list the
products they want to purchase. I don't make a good
mind reader, and I'm mystified by this order. 

Order number two was from a local customer who wanted to pick the order up later today. She said she had it all ready to go, either on the website or as a list that she could phone or fax to me. And she wrote me a long email telling me when she'd like to pick the order up. But did she list the items on the email to me? Or attach it to the email? Or actually send the order through the website with a note that she wanted to pick the order up later in the day? No. Of course not. So I ended up replying to her email telling her to phone the part numbers or product information to us this morning so that we can have everything ready for her. But really ... why not just list it on your first email? Save yourself the extra work of a second email?

It is equally hard to fill a mail order that doesn't list product, especially
when they could have just added the items to the long email they just sent
telling you that they want to place an order for pick-up. If they had attached
the list, we could have had it ready to go as soon as we opened the shop. 

If that's what my Thursday is going to be like, can I just go back to bed and hibernate for the day?

I'm not this organized (nor do I have extra boxes for this), but
I'm using a system quite similar to this. A lot of things get shredded, others
are put into my car to take to Tech Dump or Goodwill, there are a
few things that I might try to sell, and a lot of trash. I found a few things
that I thought the kids next door might enjoy so I dropped those off to
their mother yesterday afternoon. Baby steps ...

On a positive, I cleaned like a demon for several hours yesterday and started making some inroads. Not enough inroads, but at least a decent beginning. I allowed myself to have an hour's rest while enjoying my weekly conversation with Aearwen. Also, the person I wanted to win "Survivor" actually won, so I was quite pleased about that. Now to finish my blog for today and get over to the gym. Happy Thursday, everyone!

Too Much To Do and It's COLD!

I have one fic due tonight which I'm ALMOST done revising, and picked up another quick one due in two days. That one won't be a masterpiece, but I'll do my best to compose something interesting and fun to read. Of course we got two major shipments in at work which will keep me away from my computer during the day (sometimes I can catch up a little bit over lunch time), so it's a total crunch time for me. I should be able to get some serious work done this morning after my time at the gym, so that's what I'm shooting for - productive writing time on my laptop at the shop before I unlock to the cold, frozen hordes just dying to buy beads and leather.

I'll be ready to open my doors to the invading beading hordes
at 10:00 am. But who will want to shop on a -16F day? 

Yes, today is a cold one. It's currently 0 F degrees with a stiff wind that makes it feel like -16 F. Ack! I think I'll be plenty happy to overheat on the bike and treadmill this morning. I'll hate having to go back out into the cold, but getting warm on the equipment will be a joy.

I think I'll continue with the virtual programs. I get to run
through some pretty spectacular scenery when I do that. 

Yesterday, despite oversleeping (majorly) and having to put out the garbage and shovel the driveway, I still managed to get to the gym on time for my drowning guppy day. Actually, I'm seeing real improvement there, so I'm almost graduating to "Gasping Guppy" instead of drowning one. Little steps...

Guppies are actually very pretty fish. They have these
great fanning tails in many colors. But they're small, so
they tend to be in a lot of poorly kept aquariums and fish bowls. 

So not a lot going on right now. My mind is flinging plots through the aether in hopes that I can whip one onto the computer screen in record time, and I just need to settle down and finish the final bit on my other story. I'm suddenly glad I didn't ask for elements in one other open writing option I had. For some reason I just kept putting it off. I'm very glad that I did.

Everybody stay warm today!

Have a productive and cozy day.

A Day Off Never Really Means A Day Off

Wednesdays are my "day off" from the shop. Of course it doesn't mean I'm not there, just that I'm not there by the time the doors are opened for the public. I'll still be there early this morning putting some things away, cleaning up, pulling items for a mail order and turning on the computers before I leave for the bank, the grocer, and to get gas for the car. After all that, then I can go home and start the laundry, make the beds and settle down at my computer keyboard to finish my Ardor in August story and watch the rebroadcast of Le Tour.

This is a total beast of a stage with a Hor Cat finish at the top of
the mountain. Ooof! The legs and lungs will be hurting today. 

Speaking of Le Tour, we're in Stage 17 today and the second of three days in the Pyrenees. It's a total BEAST of a day and I can hardly wait. Just look at that stage profile! Yummy!

I did this pencil drawing for Chaotic Binky's
OEAM 2012/13 story. I'm still not 100% happy
with it, but there was a lot of good in it too. 

The call-out for OEAM Big Bang went out today for those who participate. I've done this in the past, but have been pushing my time toward NaNoWriMo in November instead for the past two years. I've signed up to do artwork for Big Bang in the past, and I may do that again. I always have fun illustrating the stories of my friends and future friends. But I have a bit of time to decide on this. Right now I have to finish my Ardor story and then catch up on my latest set of drabbles - birds. I think they posted the fifth bird type this morning and I haven't written for any of them yet. My bad, but time has been hard to come by.

Today's bird prompt was "Raven". (Shades of
Games of Thrones!) I think I have story ideas for many of
the assigned birds, and raven isn't really a problem, but I don't
think I've ever met a Thrush (last week's bird) and I'll
have to do a bit of research to get a feel for that bird's approach. 

I've been totally tied up at work and unable to keep the laptop on after we've unlocked the doors, so my responses to commentary on my blog has been minimal and delayed more than my norm. I apologize and hope that things will get better by the end of the month. At least I'm trying for that goal. I always check in at least once a day and I'm trying to keep up with friends posts as well to the best of my ability. Right now deadlines have me a bit pressured and they have to come first.

Oh those deadlines. I keep them in mind all the time and they
still creep up on me. I have to finish my Ardor story TODAY! 

So I'll be bouncing around town today doing my errands and then getting home to do my work here, but I'll still have my weekly conversation with Aearwen (a true sanity saver for me) and a chance to hopefully catch up a bit by the end of the day. Have a truly wonderful Wednesday, I'll be thinking of you while I'm out and about.

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!

Productivity - What I Need to Do & Nature's Wonders

It's Wednesday, it's my "day off" and I will be sitting at my computer keyboard for the day because I'm SO far behind. Because I need to be super productive, I'm looking for pics of productive critters... Here we go!

This is a picture of a large field of termite mounds. I looked to find out if
the pic was from Australia or from Africa, but unfortunately the specific
designation was missing. Still - these little critters all gather together to
make large, sometimes twenty-foot-high, mounds in which they live and
work. Rather like a miniature New York City, insect-style. 

I have a drabble to do and even though it isn't a firm deadline, I would like to have it completed by Monday.

I almost missed out on the LOTR Monthly Challenge due to my funk a week or two ago. I now have five days to pound a story into shape, when normally I have at least two weeks *sigh*. I hear the clock ticking.

Speaking of small critters, just look at this small section of Australia's
Great Barrier Reef. How truly spectacular! Coral is a bunch of small organisms
who gather together and form large colonies. Many coral reefs around the
world are dying because of ocean pollution and UV devastation. NEVER break
off a piece of coral, and make sure that any coral jewelry you wear is
either appropriately harvested or antique. 

I have to compose a bio for my B2MeM story and my B2MeM artwork for the e-compilation. I also have to send the revised story to the editor since there were two small, but important, changes to the text and I want the proper one to be published, not the one with such silly errors.

I have to write my monthly diary submission for Monday - just didn't get to it yesterday.

And I promised my dear friend in Germany to get some beta work completed on her latest chapter.

I'm allergic to bees, so this gives me a bit of a shiver, but I can't deny that
honeybees are productive. Bees are tremendously important
in agriculture and their honey tastes pretty darned good, too. 

So instead of getting exercise, yadda-yadda-yadda ..., I'll be sitting at a keyboard and typing, typing, typing. I will, however, still do laundry and grocery shopping, as well as banking stuff and a quick run with a package for a friend to the post office. So I guess I'll have some opportunities to get out and smell some fresh air today, but not many. *sigh*

Finally, productivity can be measured in many ways, including
the above. This little pug was very productive indeed! 

Hopefully, by tomorrow, a great deal of the list above will be into revision process or completed and sent off. That's the real mark of an accomplished day off for me. I wish all of you a productive day. Happy Wednesday!