20,640!

That's how many words I've written since I started doing NaNoWriMo last Thursday. Yahoo! I don't have a title and I'm not even sure what it's ultimately about but I am so thrilled to be able to crank this out, you have no idea how thrilled. I have four more days of needing to write two 1,677+ word segments a day to catch up to where I'd be if I had started on the first. Maybe by then I'll have some idea of the whole story. I suspect that this is one of those years when I'll get to 50,000 words and not be done with the story. Hopefully an inkling of the whole story will appear soon so that I can have something to aim the rest of my writing toward. Or I'll just keep typing away and eventually get there someday. But for right now I'm happy to be where I am.

The sun came out for a few minutes this morning and that's when the Cardinal came to visit the feeder so I have a picture of a red bird for you.

The white-bellied squirrel came back to the suet pellets, chasing away two other squirrels and fending off a couple more while it was up there. Evidently now the pellets belong to that squirrel and that squirrel alone.

The lesson today in You Can Draw It In 30 Minutes was to draw puffy clouds. I didn't do very well. I thought my first attempt looked more like mountains. The second try was a bit better so that's the one you get to see.

The bonus challenge was to write "Hi!" in puffy letters. Ho hum. I was tired by then so I didn't crack open a Dr. Seuss book to copy one of his creatures. I ordered another drawing book today. I can't seem to stop.

 

After supper I surfed Ravelry, the fiber website, found a hat pattern for bulky yarn, and cast on a new hat. I seem to be stuck on rainbow variegated yarn these days. I tried to go down a needle size but went too far with the odd  American numbering system. I used a needle gauge and realized that the metric system would be a much better and more accurate way to size needles. Anyway, I switched to a bigger needle after and inch or so and think it will be okay. This yarn is rough wool but I think it will make a warm hat.

Today's toss was a small stack of kid's artwork. I didn't keep my kids' artwork and I'm not keeping my grandkids' artwork. I have the latest on the fridge and cabinet doors but once new stuff comes the old stuff goes. I keep my own artwork but I don't tape it up on the fridge, I post it on here to inflict it on you. You're welcome.

The prompt today said to write an ad for an umbrella in Shakespearean style. Oh my god. What a concept. So I wrote a little bit paraphrasing the balcony speech from Romeo and Juliet. It's pathetic.

I did the laundry today too. It's something I could do around writing and drawing. I highly recommend getting lots of underwear and socks then you don't have to do the laundry more than once a month. Try it, you'll like it.

Since the dentist said I'm going to need two crowns and maybe bridges to go with them I called and asked about Dental Insurance through P&G Retiree Benefits. It isn't too expensive and covers a little expense but a little is better than nothing so I signed up. Lucky call since Friday is the last signup day for a year.

--Barbara