More Dear,

Dear Dryer,
You suck. Taking 12 hours to dry one load of clothes is unacceptable. So is the holes and grease you left on white shirts and underwear. I am going to stuff you with dynamite and send you to your final resting place.

Dear Cold Germs,
You also suck. Half of the household is infected with you. Where did we pick you up and when are you leaving? I do not like the way you make me feel.

Dear Calendar,
Why do you have to move so fast and be so full? How am I supposed to keep up? Today is the last day of November. I'm thrilled that this means 2010 is nearly over, but give me a few seconds to catch my breath at least.

Dear Mother Nature,
I know I'm a rarity, but can you please turn the rain into snow? Snow would go perfectly with me laying on the couch and moaning today. Snow would be awesome. Please?

Dear To Do List,
Please read the note to Calendar. This applies to you as well.

Dear Holiday Season,
I am not ready for you. I do not want you yet. Please excuse me for being a Scrooge this year. Or don't, because I'm not making any excuses for my attitude. It is what it is. Decorating? Psssh. Whatever. I do not care at this very moment.

That is all for now.
Behave!

Dear 2010,

You suck.
You have four weeks left to do something besides bring grief and woe. Four weeks. I'm giving you one final chance, though in my heart I know you are already over. You didn't even really try to be good this year, did you?
I had such high hopes for you and besides a few good things, you have not delivered. Sure, I got a high school graduate and a beautiful granddaughter, but you also brought death and injury and job losses and difficulties galore.
You suck.
I should write you off now, but I'm willing to give you your final month to straighten up and make all of the crap worthwhile. Four weeks. Do you hear me, 2010? Consider yourself warned. Because if you don't turn yourself around, you will go on record as being the worst year ever.
Please!

Dear 2011,
Take notice. I'm not putting up with any crap next year. You either start off right or I will cancel you! No lie.

That is all.
Behave!

Random Saturday...

*Today is K2's 19th birthday. I don't understand how she can be older and I still feel the same age I did when I had her. Happy Birthday, baby girl!
*My dryer is done in. It makes a terrible noise and is putting holes in all of the clothes. Plus, it shuts itself off after only a few minutes. We are out of towels, socks, and dishrags. Sigh.
*It's cold today! I spent my day tossing Christmas trees with the Boy Scouts. I'm sore, but it's done. Unbelievably, the entire time we've been in scouting (15 years) I have never been there for tree sale set up. Now I know why.
*While tossing trees, I dropped one to the ground only to have a mouse in my face. He was cute, but he surprised me so I screamed a little.
*I usually don't get poison. A lot of the trees were covered in poison and I moved them. I'm taking bets on if I will get it this time.
I think that's enough. We're not having a party for K2, but we are having game night and I'm about to have a house full again. Like any minute now...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday...

Here's the list:
1. Having family and friends around.
2. The support of my husband.
3. All of my chicks being in the nest.
4. A warm fire.
5. Abundant food for our Thanksgiving feast.
6. My granddaughter's smile.
7. K2's birthday, even though it makes me feel old.
8. The kids laughing together.
9. Sleeping in this morning.
10. Weekend plans.
Going to stop there.
Enjoy your weekend.
Behave!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a wonderful day, even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving!!
We had a crazy, hectic, chaotic past two days and I have loved every minute of it. Tons of food, music, tons of laughter, and hanging with people I love to be with.
I hope you've had a chance to remember what you're thankful for today.
More later...maybe I'll even tell you about the traumatic teeth and the no stick spray....
Behave!

Ready!

Cleaning: Check
Pies made: Check
Turkey thawed: not check
But I'm ready. The cleaning took a little longer than I expected, but the minions were fantastic and so very helpful today. Now I'm waiting for the turkey to thaw. Candles are lit. I have a lovely drink in my  hand. Dinner is almost done and I'm definitely ready for a relaxing evening.
I hope your tomorrow is wonderful and that you remember everything you're thankful for.
I might be around later...
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday Fail!

No Tall Tale this week!
Maybe because I'm lame. Maybe because I have nothing. Maybe because I've spent my day running around like a freak...not cleaning for Thursday...not cooking for Thursday...(okay, so it's a little too early to cook, but you get the point) I did spent most of my day volunteering at the middle school for County Chorus day. That was pretty awesome. A long day for K3 - at school before 8 and not home until nearly 9 - singing all day. He's exhausted, but wound up after a fantastic show.
But tomorrow is sleeping in for a little, cleaning, and then cooking. Sleeping in! How awesome is that? And minions to do my bidding! I have a plan and a list and my list isn't terrible, but there are some crappy things on there (like cleaning the crapper and cleaning the cat's crapper). Oh and I have to write at least 50 words to stay in my writing group challenge, so that's on the list, too.
And I will be ready for Thursday.
I swear!
Behave!

Stink Bug Surge

In preparing for the holiday, I spent some time helping K4 clean her hideously disgusting bedroom so she and her cousin have a place to escape the crowd and hang out. Maybe not a good use of the little bit of availablecleaning time I have, but necessary. Two bags of clothes for charity, a big garbage bag of trash, and many many stink bugs. It really wasn't that bad, but her room is small so it looked worse than it was. I have learned not to freak out about the dozens of qtips, tons of paper, and other things that are really garbage. It seems to be the way it is, especially with my girls. Junior hoarders...or something. I don't know, but it is a passing phase.
But the stink bugs...
Her window covering had fallen and as I reached for the edge, it flipped...revealing probably thirty stink bugs. This is after finding at least ten of the little suckers just hanging out on the front. I was disgusted. I took the whole thing down and threw it in the yard. The stink bugs were everywhere. Everywhere. I'd move something and smell the stink. I guess we stirred them up, because the next thing we knew, they were on the walls. Disturbing and disgusting. B thinks they're coming in around the air conditioner that needs to come out. I duct taped the edges for now - until we can get it out, so they better not find another way in.
Anyway. It was gross and disturbing and horrible. Her room is very clean now and I am monumentally relieved the chore is done.
But she couldn't sleep last night. She said she felt like they were crawling on her. I don't blame her. That's all I could think about when I went to bed.
*shiver*
Behave!

Passings...

My friend lost her battle with cancer over the weekend. She died at home, in her husband's arms. Her suffering is no more and I am glad for that, but she left an enormous hole behind.
I don't think you can ever fill those holes again. Maybe you just get used to them, so they don't hurt as bad, but they're always there - the place where a piece of your heart was.
It seems so wrong that she should have to go away and I'm not sure I'll ever understand. I will miss her more than I can ever say.
Behave...

Feel Good Friday

Well, here's the list:
1. Making good progress on the wip, despite it being a mostly crappy week.
2. Finding nearly all of the missing towels.
3. Belonging to a volunteer organization that is full of some of the best people I know and those people uniting to do something significant for someone in need.
4. Knowing I have more to be thankful for than many. I know it's early for Thanksgiving stuff, but it's relevant.
5. Being almost done with this pie sale for Scouts. 227 pies will be in my house on Monday and hopefully all be gone by Monday night. As in picked up gone, not eaten gone.
6. K2 coming home soon!
7. Gingerbread candles.
8. Good coffee.
9. New Supernatural tonight.
10. Being able to say the things I needed to say to my dying friend and knowing she heard them. I may never understand why she has to leave and I will miss her terribly. I don't want to say goodbye...
And there it is. An odd, good, and sad listing of this week.
Behave!

Thursday Funny...

Because I don't have anything else...
..... Uh oh! I think he recognized me!
Behave!

Answers!

1. My niece is a full on vegan. Except she'll eat turkey. Just turkey, but not if you've used butter to baste it. How weird is that? Nah! She is a full on vegan. And there is no way you could get her to eat any kind of animal product.


2. One year, a very long time ago, I had to deal with someone hosting Thanksgiving that was so controlling she even described what color dish the food had to be brought in. And what kind of vegetables and butter had to be used. Nope. Never happened. Though I've heard about this kind of thing.

3. We might use sturdy paper plates for Thanksgiving this year. True and why not? With the amount of people coming we'd have to eat in shifts to have regular plates or I'd have to borrow some and that just seems like too much.

4. When I still lived with my parents, I made Thanksgiving dinner one year because my mom was working. I was probably sixteen or seventeen. She had this fancy way of making the stuffing and I intended on duplicating it. Except I wasn't quite sure how she did it, so I improvised. It could have been a disaster...Also true. I used Cream of Wheat instead of corn meal. It turned out okay, but we still talk about it.

5. I'd put together this centerpiece of leaves and nuts and gourds at the last minute. It was in a basket, lined with a fall-colored cloth. I was very proud of it. Except when we sat down to eat, the basket was covered with bugs. Maybe because it was super cold outside and the heat of the house reanimated them or something. Getting the basket off the table with the food and out the back door was interesting. The bugs kept jumping out of the basket and landing in dishes. No. I'm not sure what kind of bugs they were. I just hope I never see them again. Nope. Even if I was that crafty...

6. One year they were having a Thanksgiving feast at K1's school. I think he was in 3rd or 4th grade and we'd been having some issues with him saying he was sick when he actually wasn't. He got up that morning, said he was sick, but, of course, I didn't believe him. I sent him to school and then a few hours later, got a call to pick him up. He'd puked in the middle of the Thanksgiving feast. True. I earned the bad mom award that day, even though the school nurse said she would have done the same thing.
 
So there you have it. I'm getting a little more organized for my hosting duties. I think things just might come together. I'm also considering just leaving the leaves the dog brought in on my living room floor. They're kind of festive.
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Thanksgiving style...
Which are the lies? (There are several)
1. My niece is a full on vegan. Except she'll eat turkey. Just turkey, but not if you've used butter to baste it. How weird is that?
2. One year, a very long time ago, I had to deal with someone hosting Thanksgiving that was so controlling she even described what color dish the food had to be brought in. And what kind of vegetables and butter had to be used.
3. We might use sturdy paper plates for Thanksgiving this year.
4. When I still lived with my parents, I made Thanksgiving dinner one year because my mom was working. I was probably sixteen or seventeen. She had this fancy way of making the stuffing and I intended on duplicating it. Except I wasn't quite sure how she did it, so I improvised. It could have been a disaster...
5. I'd put together this centerpiece of leaves and nuts and gourds at the last minute. It was in a basket, lined with a fall-colored cloth. I was very proud of it. Except when we sat down to eat, the basket was covered with bugs. Maybe because it was super cold outside and the heat of the house reanimated them or something. Getting the basket off the table with the food and out the back door was interesting. The bugs kept jumping out of the basket and landing in dishes. No. I'm not sure what kind of bugs they were. I just hope I never see them again.
6. One year they were having a Thanksgiving feast at K1's school. I think he was in 3rd or 4th grade and we'd been having some issues with him saying he was sick when he actually wasn't. He got up that morning, said he was sick, but, of course, I didn't believe him. I sent him to school and then a few hours later, got a call to pick him up. He'd puked in the middle of the Thanksgiving feast...
That's enough for today. Which are the lies?
Behave!!

Monday...

I got some bad news yesterday.
One of my oldest friends is dying.
Just a few weeks ago her doctors were confident they could beat the cancer that started in her breast, even though they'd discovered a spot in her brain. Last week she found out it's moved into her bones and liver. There is no hope now.
She probably won't make it through the week.
I met her when we both worked at a local grocery store while in high school. She was a lot of fun and had this way about her that made you want to follow her, despite knowing you were probably going to get in trouble. We remained friends through the years, even after she gave me the absolute worst perm of my life. (I looked like Annie, I kid you not.) She was the kind of friend that it didn't matter if we hadn't seen each other for a day or two years, everything was the same. We could pick up the threads of our friendship with ease.
And then life happened. Her kids were involved with sports, so were mine, and they played for different teams. She started working, then I did. And we drifted apart. Instead of talking to her nearly every day, we went years without more than a Christmas card or an update passed through a mutual friend. It shouldn't have happened, but it did.
And now she'll be leaving.
B and I went to see her yesterday. It was hard. Really hard.
So, let me just say this:
If you have someone like that in your life, get in touch with them. Now. Don't wait until they're sick and dying. Don't wait until so long has passed that you have to be nervous about visiting. Let them know you still think about them. Make the time.
You won't be sorry.
I'm going to miss my friend.
Behave

Random Thoughts Upon Waking...

Thanks to the dog, for the second morning in a row, I've gotten up far earlier than intended.
See...the family was all away this weekend, except for one adult child. I've been blessedly alone for 99.99% of the weekend. Blessedly. Don't get me wrong, I miss them and I'm more than ready for them all to come home and return my life to a state of chaos, but this little break has been kind of nice. I think we all needed it. I found my mojo and ended up having an awesomely fabulous writing day yesterday. Like really awesome retreat-type word count. And it's not nonsense!
Anyway, back to the random thoughts.
*I do not want my clothing to smell like fruit. Why would I buy detergent to make them smell like fruit?
*The sun comes in my window at a very odd angle and gets right in my eye.
*I heard a stink bug fly around.
*Why spam? Why?
*Coffee is the nectar of the Gods.
*How the hell is there a fly in my house? And why is it divebombing my head?
*The living room floor has nearly as many leaves on it as the patio. They weren't there last night. I swear.
*Cooking shows should not be shown late at night. Or I should not watch them late at night. I had dreams of roasted garlic and chocolate cake and cheesecake and I woke up very hungry and wondering if I had enough garlic to roast.
*I have to rake leaves today. I am sure you will hear about that tomorrow - mainly me moaning about sore muscles and blisters. ha!
Okay. That's enough for now. The family is returning soon and I need to get a few more words written before this house explodes.
Behave!

Saturday Soapbox

I've been having a lot of trouble focusing lately.
A lot of trouble.
My writing friends know this and I'm sure they're sick to death of me whining about it. But, they also understand. Though they're willing to get the boots out and kick me in the butt to get me moving. And they do.
But the things is no one can make me stay on the page. No one can make me unlock my brain and get the words out. I have to do that. Somehow.
It's not that I'm not making progress. I am. But it's little compared to what I should be putting out, where I should be with the projects I'm working on. And knowing that doesn't help. It spins the tumblers on those locks and makes it even more difficult to get in. It's not writer's block. Not at all. Some of it has to do with editing because that tends to make your eyes bleed and often has you questioning if you can even put together a coherent sentence. Sometimes I stare at the page and every single word looks the same.
Still...I don't despise editing. Editing means the project is one step closer to being done, no matter how many more passes it needs before it's shipped off to the critique partners.
So what do I do?
Well, for one, I started something new. A brain cleaner, if you will. It's completely different than the story I'm editing. And it's in first person - something I never write and I'm not sure I even like my first person voice. But, it's done the job. I am feeling more focused and more in control.
And that's what I needed.
It all boils down to this: At the end of the day, the only person I have to answer to is myself. If I have a sucky word count or none at all, I'm only sabotaging myself. Maybe I needed to fully realize that to break through the lack of focus, despite how many times I gave that exact thing lip service.
So there you have it.
Do it. Or don't. The only one you're disappointing is yourself.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

It's late and here's the list:
1. Peace and quiet.
2. No cooking.
3. New Supernatural! Whoot!
4. Making progress.
5. Did I mention the peace and quiet?
6. The Thanksgiving countdown!
7. Sleeping in tomorrow!
8. A relaxing weekend. I hope.
9. Good parent-teacher conferences. One more to go.
10. Being on time nearly every day this week.
It's a short list. And a weird one. But it is late and I'm beyond exhausted.
Lots of writing on the agenda for the weekend.
Behave!

Old Home Week

I recently discovered that I can search all of the photos I've put up on my blog since it's inception. Very cool. It brings back a lot of memories, though, for the life of me, I can't remember why I posted this picture.
I *think* it might have been from our winter cabin trip with my sister and brother-in-law, but I'm not sure.

Then there's this...
The gnomes during happier times.
I think I must have done something wrong. Gnomes are supposed to be good luck, not harbingers of sin. The booze and loose women have to stop. I've tried rehab, but that's not going to work unless they believe they have a problem. And they don't.
I'm not sure what it's going to take for them to wake up and smell the coffee. Until they do, I have no choice but to wait. I love them and want them to be happy and healthy, but I can't force them. Sad, sad gnomes...

And then I found this...
My favorite beach.
Now I'm sad.
I miss this beach very much. I have no idea when we're going to get to go back. Probably not in 2011, despite my original hopes. My old 'burban is having some serious health issues and won't survive the drive. Which means an expensive transmission repair or a total vehicle replacement. Either way we're out.

I think I'm done looking at old blog pictures for today. I'm also done with 2010. I had such high hopes for this year and it has really been one thing after another around the old homestead. Some of it good, but most of it not so much. We'll get into that another time though. Maybe.

And who knows? I might post more old pictures soon. ha!
Behave!

Answer!

Okay. Here's the answer:

1. A stuffed animal left out in the rain. Nope. I think we did that one already??
2. A ground hog - dead - at camp. Yes. My sister's dog killed it like this Rambo dog all gung ho and vicious-like. Which is odd, because my sister's dog is the sweetest dog in the world. But I guess she felt we were all being threatened. The girls were saddened by the little guy's death and carried it off into the woods on a shovel to bury it all proper like. The white stuff is flowers they picked. I'm uncertain if there was a eulogy involved. I do not know why they felt it necessary to take pictures. All of this happened before we could even set up camp.
3. Roadkill. Also no.
So there you have it. Oh and the library worked out better, but I did end up with someone sitting practically on top of me at my table, and then staring at me for nearly the entire time she was there. At least I felt comfortable enough to use the facilities. I guess that's something. I will try it again for sure.
Behave!

Ten Reasons...

I'm currently in a coffee shop, trying to get some writing done before an appointment.
This isn't working for me, and here's why:
1. There are people on all sides of me. In particular, a table of women who can't seem to keep their eyes off my computer screen.
2. I have to use the facilities and would prefer not to walk away from my belongings in such a busy place.
3. My cup of coffee cost $4.
4. This chair makes my back hurt.
5. The table leans to the left and I keep tilting my head to make things straight.
6. My coffee is gone.
7. The news is on and it's a little loud and keeps capturing my attention.
8. I only seem to get a sentence or two edited before another group of people walk in and bring the cold air with them. (plus, you know, I've got people looking over my shoulder.)
9. I forgot to bring my iPod and headphones in with me. See #2.
10. I find myself doing more people watching than focusing on what I have to do.
On the other hand, people watching is a good thing. The snippets of conversation around me, the news I never ever watch, hearing the staff discuss where things are. It is somewhat comforting here. I like hearing the machines run behind me and the pleasant way they treat customers. And today is the first time I've ever tried this, so since it's new I may not be as productive as I will be in the future. We'll see...
Tall Tale Tuesday answers later today! There's still time to guess.
Behave!
*Edited: Things went bad shortly after I wrote this post. There was a man behind me constantly clearing his throat. The women beside me became even more entranced with watching me and the subtle coffee machine sound was replaced with the mutilation of ice cubes being transformed into smoothies. Too loud. Couldn't take it anymore. So I left. My appointment is finished and now I am at the library in the blessed (nearly) quiet, with my headphones and nearly the entire mezzanine to myself - at least this side of it. I'm still having trouble focusing, but I'm hoping it's a transitory thing. We shall see....(continue to behave!)