Back to Myself

I assume that the Packers game is just over and that they won, because I was just treated to a fireworks display or anyway the tallest part of one that I could see over and through the trees between my window and the stadium. That means more green and gold football, doesn't it?

Today, for the first time in at least a month, I feel like myself.  I can hear.  I can breathe.  I'm not coughing.  So I ignored the sunshine and temps in the 20s and hunkered down to write.  I got my earbuds out and cued up the sound of ocean waves, powered up my Alphasmart, and made words appear on the little screen.  Then I downloaded it all to the laptop and tidied it up.  After that I converted the very first novel I ever wrote from Word Perfect to Word so that I can inflict that on you next, you lucky ducks.

Yesterday we were threatened with six to eight inches of snow to go along with the high winds we already had.  We didn't get it.  Instead we got three-tenths of an inch of snow.  See?  Not even enough to cover the grass and leaves that never got raked because they didn't fall until a big snowstorm knocked them down and now they're too wet and soggy to be raked up.  I can't wait until spring comes so I can deal with them.  Not.

12 January--Barbara Malcolm, Spies Don't Retire. 

“Everyone should get one bottle of water,” George said. 

Bunny ducked down below decks and handed up a case that George passed out to the others.  Jeremy and a couple other men decided to go over to the island to make a fire thinking it’d be warm and serve as a signal fire.  Those left on the boat laid out their towels and shared the PFDs for use as pillows.  It was beautiful under the clear sky. 

The stars looked close enough to touch as George lay on his back with his hands under his head.  “Do you think our wives will be worried?” Dimitri’s voice came out of the darkness. 

George laughed.  “I think first they will be angry that we’re not back when we said we would be.  Then they will call the other wives to make sure that you and I aren’t the only ones missing.  Finally, as the night grows later, I think they will be worried that we’ve had an accident.”  He sat up and looked at the fire blazing on the beach closest to Bonaire.  “I wonder if there’s anyone doing a night dive that will see that.  Or maybe a fisherman will see it.” 

Dimitri grunted.  “I am thinking that I won’t mind staying here for the night.  It’s peaceful and no one is goading me to do my job.” 

“Do my job,” George said, “I wish I had never opened that envelope.” 

I can't tell you how great it felt to feel like myself today.  Such a nice change.
--Barbara