Well, That Didn't Work Out

There was a snafu in the bed delivery. Seems the salesman typed in "Full" when he should have typed "Queen" and I didn't notice it. So they brought a full size bed. Not what I wanted. I called Verlo and they'll deliver the correct one on Saturday. That's a relief.

 

I spent quite a bit of the rest of the morning finishing wrapping gifts. I have two piles. One under the tree... (see the cute Sunday Peanuts comic strip paper?)

 

and the other in a basket in the guest room. They're separated by family and time of gifting. We'll exchange gifts with DD's family Christmas morning and with DS's family in the late afternoon/evening.

 

I remembered two other people I wanted to send Christmas cards to which meant I had only one left so I painted a few more after supper tonight. Just in case. And I just remembered someone else to send one to. Good thing I painted tonight.

 

I sat down and caught up on three days' of gratitude journal pages--Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Good thing I keep a Bullet Journal so I remember what I had to be grateful for on those days.

 

The Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up on the suet nuggets today. Naturally it landed on the back side of the feeder so only its head and tail were visible. But it's been days since I've seen any wildlife so I was glad to get a glimpse. In the afternoon I caught sight of the squirrel just getting out of the feeder. And a gang of Starlings came through mobbing the suet cakes and nuggets but I didn't take their pictures.

 

Words came extra hard today. I worked for two hours and only got 693 words. I felt like I was floundering in the story and couldn't see a way out so I doodled a small scene with Iggy and one with Rose overhearing an argument between Geneva and Silas and called it a day.

I just made an enormous shopping list for the weekend. I need to make Party Mix and English Toffee and have food to feed DD and her family when they're here next week. NEXT WEEK! Christmas is a week from tomorrow. They're arriving a week from today. Just when I think I'm on top of things time speeds up. Actually I'm not doing too badly. Gifts are all bought and wrapped. The tree is up. I bought all the nuts at Fleet Farm yesterday (they're cheaper and better there). And the bed's coming Saturday but DD's family isn't staying here because I don't have room. They've got an Airbnb about a mile from here which will be just right.

It got above freezing yesterday and today. 35 degrees! It was sunny too so a lot of the snow melted off the roof and driveway and street. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and then get colder. Crazy. Just as long as the weather holds so DD and family have an easy drive next week.

--Barbara 

In The Grocery

I went to the grocery this afternoon because I was out of bananas, grapes, and Vitamin C. Also tooth fizzies (Efferdent). And a last Christmas gift. (I swear, I'm stopping.) Look at what I saw walking from the back of the store to the checkouts. It's Zambaldi Beer! It was on sale and it looked like someone had bought some. I was tempted to face the Good Dog Porter so it was at the front of the shelf but I resisted.

 

Today's drawing is of the Sun & a Grill. Both easy and fun to draw and color. I was tempted to get out my paints and make more Christmas postcards because I've saved a few more examples off Instagram but instead I carried a basket of gifts to wrap downstairs so it's out of the way tomorrow when the bed delivery guys are here and then watched a little TV before coming back here to blog.

 

Here's another flaming ornament. This one is glass and wearing a Santa hat. I realized that this is just the tip of the flamingo iceberg on my Christmas tree. More photos need to be taken and I might have to shift some so that they aren't covered by another ornament. See, my wire tree isn't like a real tree. The branches are wire sticks so the ornaments line up on them and tend to cover the ones behind them.

 

This picture was taken of the three Book Women at last Sunday's sale by another vendor. My first thought when I saw it was, "gosh, I'm short." Like that's a surprise.

 

Today was OJ's holiday concert. He wore the suit from his godmother's wedding a couple months back and looked very sharp. He'd hoped to wear a candy cane shirt with a big hat but was dissuaded because the hat is very tall and would have overshadowed the kids behind him. I can't share any pictures because of the creeps that troll the internet. Rats. But, trust me, he was awesome.

I wrote 761 words today. I decided to make J the plumber a guy from Green Bay who moved to Anguilla like Rose did and I made him live as close to where she used to live as the real J the plumber lives to me. It was fun and made me smile. 

--Barbara 

I Got a Package

Christmas gifts that I've ordered have been coming. Two of them came today, but there was a third package I couldn't figure out what it was. When I opened it I was so happy. It was the super bulky yarn I ordered a while back. They hadn't sent a shipping notice so I wasn't expecting it but there it was and it made me so happy. See?

 

Tonight I had to cast on a hat with the Licorice yarn. When I looked on the Knit Picks site for the yarn a particular pattern calls for, it was a big disappointment that the yarn is discontinued. Rats. So I had to search for other yarn of the same thickness and I found this Alla Prima super bulky roving yarn was on sale. Yay! But there were only two colors. Boo. So I ordered a couple skeins of each color. Sun Haze is peachy golden and cream. Licorice is cream, black and fuschia. If I'd had other color choices I wouldn't have picked either one of them but now that I see them in person, I like them. It took me three tries to cast on the 42 required stitches. The first time I didn't have enough yarn. The second time I had too much. The third time it was just right. I knitted the first two rounds of ribbing.

 

Today's drawing figures are Easter Basket & Cactus. They don't really relate to each other but they were both fun and a little challenging to draw. The fun part was the coloring.

 

Another of my favorite ornaments is this flamingo with a feathery skirt. This is the back side of the ornament. The front is covered by another ornament and I'm too lazy to shift them around. I have lots of flamingos on the tree. I like 'em.

 

The word count today was 844. I struggled with it a bit and managed to get inspired just at the end of my writing time so I'll have a good jumping off place tomorrow. I added a new plumber today. His name is Jerry. He's not going to be a predator like the last plumber. He'll be a good guy. I also got a suggestion from CV about ways I can add conflict. Thanks! I'm thinking about what you said. 

I got to do the afternoon school run today but only picked up OJ because LC stayed home because she has influenza A which her cousin gifted her over the weekend. Wasn't that considerate? She looked like she was feeling a little better when I stopped to check on her. 

It's supposed to get above freezing tomorrow. I'm so excited!

--Barbara

Eighth One Done

Whew! Today's vendor show at Townline Pub & Grill was the 8th book or vendor fair that GBB and I did since October 5. We're tired. I did pretty well today. I sold 12 books, 7 of them Christmas at Seaview, so I was glad I had extras in the car because I needed them. My knitting friend, NS, stopped in to buy some books to give as gifts. It was great to see and hug her and chat for a little while to catch up. (That's EMB photo-bombing)

 

The only bird I saw this morning was a Mourning Dove huddled on top of one of the crooks. It was sitting there in the wind and I wondered why it didn't perch someplace out of the wind. But then Mourning Doves aren't the smartest birds in the nest.

 

I didn't draw today. Once I got home from Townline, I unloaded the car and then unpacked the books from the rolling backpack and carried all my show gear downstairs. Shows are tiring and then loading and unloading in the bitter cold really takes it out of me. Thankfully GBB's partner, JM, was there to carry my table and load it into the car for me. That was a big help. So instead of a drawing I'm showing you another of my favorite ornaments. It's a Lego reindeer that OJ made for me. Isn't it cute? He loves Lego and he's terrific at building things with them.

 

All along I've been loading the table and chair first and then the books, etc. second so I had to take the books, etc. into the venue before I had the table up. When I loaded the car the other day I slid the book backpack and the orange tote that carries my tablecloth and other things in through the back passenger door, shoved the box of extra books forward, and put the table and chair in closest to the hatchback so that I could take them out first and then have a place to put my things. Worked slick. Too bad it only took me eight tries to get it right. 

 

Here's the redone start of the Fiesta & White Crocheted Hat. I didn't have to smash it down to take its picture like I did with the first try. I have to say I love the colors of the yarn. So bright and cheery!

 

I almost didn't write today. I felt so bushed that I just sat around after supper listening to an audiobook, but then I realized that I've written every day since October 26th and didn't want to break my streak. So I came back here and squeezed out 400 words just so I wouldn't miss a day. They're not terrific words but they can be a bridge to something else more interesting. Did I tell you that yesterday I had two couples sharing a bed in Seaview and the bed broke so they were discovered? Racy stuff! I didn't write what was happening before the bed broke, just that they were all naked and in the hall after it happened. Iggy laid down the law that only two adults were allowed in each bed. I don't know how I think of such things. They just come to me and squirt out my fingers. 

It's still cold but not below zero cold. Right now it's 5 degrees and supposed to stay above zero tonight. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 19 degrees. Heat wave! 

--Barbara 

Now You Don't

I didn't know when JS's friend D would come to get the king size bed but I got a text from him a little after 5 o'clock asking if now was a good time. Sure, I said, come on over. He and another guy showed up and made short work of dismantling the bed and frame and carting it away. The amount of dust under it was astonishing but I got out the vacuum and took care of that. Now I just have to wait until Wednesday for the new one to be delivered. In the meantime I'm happily snoozing in the guest room bed.

 

You could tell how cold it was this morning when the Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up. Usually it's all sleek but not today. Today it was fluffed up as much as possible because it was a few degrees below zero but there was a wind which made it feel like -25 degrees. I had to move my car out of the garage so they could load the mattress, etc. and I can attest that it was bitter cold. Not unbearable in the short term but I wouldn't want to be out in it for long. 

 

The figures today were Hatch & Birdbath. My hatching chick needs work. I made it too tall out of the shell but decided it was just a bigger chick and left it. I like the three little birds on the birdbath. They were fun to draw.

 

 I drew a gratitude journal today. I'm most grateful for having the bed gone and for spending part of the afternoon downstairs wrapping gifts. I bought a roll of wrapping paper with Peanuts Christmas comic strips printed on it. I'm using it for everybody's gifts this year. Because it's Linus and Snoopy and Charlie Brown. I love them.

 

I frogged (ripped it, ribbit) the Fiesta & White Crocheted Hat down to the first round after supper and was much more careful to have the correct number of stitches in each round. It makes a world of difference. The hat no longer is cone-shaped, it's flatter and will fit someone better. I didn't take its picture.

Writing went well today. Seems like it goes well every other day, doesn't it? I sat down this morning and wrote 1,675 words in a few hours. Yay!

I loaded my vendor fair things yesterday so I didn't have to spend time hauling the stuff in the bitter cold today. It'll all be frozen when I unpack it but it'll warm up fairly quickly. I loaded it the opposite way--books and tote and book rack in first, table and chair second--which makes more sense for unloading. I can set up the table first and then haul in the things to put on the table instead of the other way around. Now that it's the final show, I've figured that out.

--Barbara 

Hat Done

Tonight at Friday Night Knitting I finished the Fiesta Crocheted Hat. I only had a few rounds left to go so it only took me about an hour to be done. There was a lot of talking and laughing involved tonight so things took longer. This is a medium size hat.

 

Then I started the Fiesta & White Crocheted Hat using the same pattern, but I may pull it out and start over. I wasn't very precise in my counting so I think that I have too few stitches for as far as I'm supposed to be in the pattern. I'll count the stitches to see how far off I am one of these days. 

 

The Red-bellied Woodpecker was back. First it landed on the suet nuggets, then it flew over to the square green feeder and cleared the Sparrows off the perch it landed on. It wasn't shy about poking its beak at any Sparrow daring enough to try to share that perch. Not shy at all. You can just see its tail at the bottom of the picture. Naturally it wasn't on my side of the feeder.

 

Today's drawing is Daisy & Tulip. Two flowers that were semi-easy to draw. The daisy was easy but I had to do quite a bit of erasing on the tulip to get it as right as it is. I should try drawing the tulip again since I'm not thrilled with the way it turned out. Maybe tomorrow.

 

I managed to take a decent shot of the Charlie Brown Tree that lives in the bathroom. Not too many bathroom-y items in the picture, just the vanity counter and shower curtain. I love this little tree. Every year it gets a little shabbier so every year it looks even more Charlie Brown.

 

Durwood was especially enamored of Hummingbirds and I was lucky enough to find this little Ruby-throated Hummingbird ornament. It's wood. I was hoping to find a flashy glass one but this is what there was at Taylor Creek, our best local ornament store. He loved it.

 

Words came slowly today. 1,192 of them. I was working through a scene where a guest is attracted to Geneva the housekeeper because she is nice to him. I didn't get to the moment of crisis but that's coming. I also laid the groundwork for a problem caused by four other guests, two couples with flexible, um, let's just say that the same people don't always make up the couples. They're interchangeable. Even the unflappable Rose will be shocked. 

I'm hoping that the guys come to get the king size bed tomorrow. I've got all the bedding bagged up and all ready to go. Last night I slept pretty well in the guest room. The new bed comes on Wednesday so the old one has to be gone by then or the delivery guys will take it away and I'll be stuck getting rid of the steel frame and the hairdresser will be out of luck.

--Barbara 

Blue or Red?

Quilts, not politics. I told you the other day that I bought a new mattress, box springs, and bed frame. It's queen size so my king size bedding won't fit. That means I need a new cover for my bed. I've got sheets, both flannel and cotton, a summer blanket and an electric blanket, but I don't have a pretty cover for the bed. So I went downstairs to dig out a couple quilts that Mom made to see which one I want to use. First up is the Blue one. Now, blue isn't one of my favorite colors but Mom made this one for me so I love it. She embroidered her initials in the corner with the date: MKA '79.

 

Second up is the Red one. Red is my favorite color. This quilt is embroidered in little cross-stitches that make floral wreaths in the blocks. It has a scalloped edge. Very fancy. I don't think the red one is signed. Mom appliqued the flowers on the blue quilt and embroidered the blocks of the red quilt. Both were hand-quilted by Grandma and the quilting ladies at Grandma A's church in Evansville, IN where we came from in 1962. 

 

Wildlife returned today! First, the chubby squirrel leaped up on the suet cakes, then to the top of the crook, then to the top of the square green feeder. It looks around but can't figure out how to get anything to eat and eventually gives up.

 

Then the skinny squirrel jumped up and right into the square green feeder. It stayed there for a long time, throwing a little seed out.

 

This Mourning Dove discovered the fallen seed and made short work of it.

 

I drew a gratitude journal page for today this evening. I was grateful for my haircut which I desperately needed but even more grateful that my stylist wants my king-size bed. She'll send her partner and another guy over for it on Saturday, so I spent today stripping the bed, packing up all the bedding, etc., and crawling around getting out the few things I had stored underneath it so it'll be all ready when he gets here to haul it away. I'll be sleeping in the guest bed until the new bed comes next Wednesday. It'll feel odd but I'm just happy to have a nice bed to sleep in because the loveseat is too short to stretch out in. 

 

Today's drawing is Hearts & Rose. I was amazed at how easily a few lines and a swirl look like a flower that I consistently have trouble drawing. It looks like a rose.

 

Last night, KE gave each of us a bag of her Hidden Valley Ranch baked pretzels. DM calls them crack pretzels because it's nearly impossible to stop eating them. This is not the end of mine. I'm trying to ration them but it isn't going well. They're so good. I will never make them because I would eat them ALL.

 

Writing was a struggle today. I didn't have a clear thought of what to write but managed to introduce another guest character and had an idea of what he and the other new guests can get up to. All in all, I managed to ramble on for 1,112 words but it took longer than my usual 2 hours.

 

I went to TJ Maxx after my haircut looking for a bed skirt for the new bed but had no luck. I did find a cute Christmas penguin sweatshirt I just might wear to the last vendor show on Sunday when it's supposed to be all of 9 degrees. Nine! Yikes! I also found a roll of Peanuts wrapping paper, a set of flannel sheets so I don't have to put blue sheets on my new bed, and a pair of new pillows. One of the pillows on the guest bed is extra firm and nearly impossible to sleep on so I wanted one new pillow. They only come in pairs. *sigh* I had to order a bed skirt from Amazon. It's supposed to be here on Saturday.

Oh, KE texted me the other day that she needed two more copies of Christmas at Seaview to give as gifts. Sure thing! That felt great. I hope the giftees like it.

--Barbara 

1,129 Words

That's how many words of the story I wrote today. I'm moving the story along but still don't know where it will end. What will happen to Rose and Iggy? What about Silas and Geneva? Are they really a couple or will Geneva decide Silas isn't husband material after all? So many questions to answer. I've got over 65k words written. Not all of them will stay in the finished story but most of them will. My manuscripts usually end up between 80k and 90k so I'd better figure out an end pretty darned soon.

 

Snowstorm Clara left about 6" of snow overnight. It had pretty much stopped by the time I got up just after 7:30. It was a good thing I put on my boots when I went out to top up the birdbath because it was deep out there. The birdbath and the birdseed cans look like they're wearing white fur hats with the snow piled up on them like it is.

 

I had to go out twice with the snowblower. The first time I cleared everything and then once I was inside and warmed up, the plow came and flung the plow drift at the end of the driveway so I had to go out again to clear that snow away. Already I think I've been out with the snowblower more this year than I was all last year. And I hear we're in for a "traditional" winter. Oh goodie.

 

One of my oldest ornaments is this seashell with a bow from Malaysia. I bought it in the Penang airport about 42 years ago. I know I bought more than one but this one is the only one left. I have no idea what happened to the other ones.

 

Today's drawings were Clouds & Umbrella. I could have drawn a happy cloud or a
super angry cloud but I chose to make it only kind of sad.

 

And I drew a gratitude journal page for yesterday this afternoon. I was most grateful that the snow held off until after LC's band concert.

 

I didn't see one bird or squirrel today. They must have been nestled under the new snow in their nests staying warm.

I went to the grocery this afternoon and got a lime to put in the garbage disposal per J the plumber's advice. He says that the lime juice acidity cleans the blades and the inside of the disposal. I shoved the lime in there but when I flipped the switch it only hummed. The blades didn't turn. I searched all over for the Allen wrench to loosen it but didn't find it until the second time I went through the tool drawer. I cranked the wrench, then pressed the reset button, and it worked. Hooray! Now that I know how to fix it I won't need to bother J. I hardly ever use the thing so I'm not surprised that it gets stuck.

We had knitting tonight only we didn't knit. We just talked, mostly about politics and what we're watching on TV. We ate well though. Ham & cheese sliders, hot honey & pistachio cheese spread, little cheese balls, and coffeecake. They had wine; I have water. Our next meeting isn't until February because KE will be away in New Jersey visiting her son and grandkids for over a month. That's okay. I'll be hostess. That'll give me time to figure out what to make. Maybe soup...

--Barbara 

And It's Snowing Again

They're threatening us with another snowstorm tonight. I'm just glad it's happening at night when most everybody is tucked up at home. I just got home from LC's winter concert (she was amazing!) and the roads are getting slick. So much fun. Not.

 

I saw the Red-bellied Woodpecker this afternoon. It was having a high old time pecking out globs of suet nuggets and gulping them down. I know that suet is a high fat, high energy food that's important for the birds during the winter and keeping the birdbath topped up and thawed at least a little is important too.

 

This morning I drew a gratitude journal page for yesterday. I was most grateful for J the plumber who fixed the tenant's faucet and my garbage disposal AND took 2 books home with him.

 

Here's another of my favorite ornaments. It's a big octopus gripping a globe. You can't really see the globe because I didn't hunch down so the flash hit it but, trust me, it's there.

 

Today's drawing is Gingerbread & Elf. I especially like the way the elf turned out. It was a little more complicated than her usual simple drawings but I managed.

 

The word count today was 1,202. I was a little surprised at that because I didn't think I wrote very much but evidently the words add up. Now I'm over 62k for the whole manuscript and I still don't know where I'm going with it. That's kind of disheartening but something will turn up, I'm sure, if I just keep plugging away at it.

--Barbara

Birds Were Here

When I opened the drapes of the patio door this morning, I looked down and saw these delicate little bird footprints on the step outside the door. I love seeing them pressed in the snow. I worry about birds' feet in the winter. They don't have feathers they can fluff up or boots they can put on. I wonder why they don't get frostbite.

 

The sparrows were congregating under the square green feeder this morning. Yesterday's squirrel visitor must have tossed out a bunch of seed because that little area was very popular today. Last night too as you can tell by the rabbit raisins in the snow.

 

The Red-bellied Woodpecker appreciated the full suet nuggets feeder today. It didn't have to contort itself around to cling to the mesh and still get something to eat. You can see how dreary it was today because the picture's so dark--and I lightened it up! I saw a Downy Woodpecker on the suet cakes at the same time but it flew away when I picked up the camera. Dang it.

 

One of my favorite ornaments and the biggest one (it's about a foot long) is this parrot. It hangs right in the middle of the tree every year and keeps watch over the whole thing.

 

Another ornament I love is this blown glass ball made from volcanic ash. I have
a few of them and I am amazed at the colors that come from gray ash.

 

This morning I drew a gratitude journal page for yesterday. I was most grateful for the sunshine all day. And that's all the art I did today.

 

Today's word count was 766. I wanted to write more but I wrapped up a scene that has grown over the last few days so I need to think of someplace else to take the story next. I had a critique Zoom this afternoon with cda and she's enjoying the story and is helping me make it better with her comments.

 

On Saturday I got a text from my tenant that the bathtub faucet was dripping and wouldn't stop. So I called J the plumber this morning and he was able to come this afternoon and fixed it. He's a good guy and fun to talk to so we chatted and I mentioned that I'm writing my 9th novel. He didn't know I write and said he reads all the time. I handed him a copy of Better Than Mom's and he was amazed. He asked how much and said he'd take the price off his bill. Then he asked if I had any stories with islands in them. Oh, do I have island stories! So I told him about The Seaview and he ended up taking one of those too. I've gotten three texts from him since 2 o'clock about how much he's loving Better Than Mom's. He's already on Chapter 8. So gratifying! Plus while he was here he fixed my garbage disposal and didn't charge me. J the plumber is a good guy.

 And JR the used car guy texted me that he can help me dispose of the steel bed frame. That's a relief. JR's another good guy. 

I'm so lucky to have such great guys looking out for me.

--Barbara