A Day of Yarn

I had big plans for the day. A long list of things to do and accomplish but a chance phone call from DS led me to text LC, inviting her to lunch and an afternoon of crochet. She said yes! So I picked her up, we had lunch at Home Town Cafe, and spent the afternoon crocheting. We got out the pattern for the little amigurumi monsters, picked new colors of yarn, and got to work. In just a few hours we each had a new tater tot monster, complete with eyes, mouth, and hair.

 

This is mine. It's a boy and his name is... something starting with E. Maybe Emery, yeah, that's it. Emery. We had so much fun making them that I got on Amazon, found a package with 100 pairs of safety eyes, and ordered it. We plan to make a lot of them. LC says at least 26. One for each letter of the alphabet. She's got Alfred and Bellatrix so far. I wonder who'll show up for the letter C.

 

I also embellished Phoebe, the first tater tot monster I made with LC. I added a pink smile and pink hair last night. Just because I could.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Vases, Jugs & Containers so I drew my favorite pottery jug/vase. I bought it when I saw it because it has fish on it. One day I'll find something to put in it but until then it lives in my closet on a high shelf so it doesn't get broken.

 

And here's a old fashioned orange day lily. Just because.

 

Yesterday I managed to pull a muscle behind my right knee. I'm not sure how I did it but it sure hurts. Only when I stand up or walk. I console myself that the most painful day is the second one after the injury so it'll feel better tomorrow. I'll have Aleve for a bedtime snack.

--Barbara 

 

 

Pink!

The last remaining Stargazer lilies bloomed the other day and today I managed to get out there with the camera to take their picture. They grow through the fence so I have to go in the neighbor's yard to take the picture but she doesn't mind. I planted a few of them about 20 years ago but this one is the only remaining plant. Maybe rabbits ate the others?

 

Near the Stargazer lilies and the other day lilies on the west lot line are these Queen Anne's Lace flowers. I didn't plant them. They're volunteers. Maybe some bird planted them. 

 

Today's drawing prompt was Fish. So that's what I drew. Just a couple made up fish that I colored with colored pencils. I probably should have drawn other underwater stuff like sea fans and sponges, maybe a seahorse, but I didn't think of it. Ah well, another time.

 

I finally finished my crocheted blue monster. The eyes are pretty big, might be too big for the monster, but I kind of like them that way. I thought about embroidering on a mouth but didn't have any black yarn handy. Now that I think of it I have a little bit of pink yarn I could use. Maybe tomorrow.

 

And I managed to draw a gratitude journal page this evening. I'm mostly grateful for the cooler, less humid weather today so I mowed the lawn. And I raised the mower deck so I didn't have to use the bagger since I don't know where I'd put the grass clippings.

 

I spent computer time reading emails. I got one from a British author who'd seen my FB page and wrote to me asking about my author journey. I looked her up on Amazon and she won the Booker Prize a few years ago. That's a huge award for authors. I don't imagine I've got anything to share that will affect her author journey. No writing work got done today. I'm kind of at a standstill.

I'm glad I got the lawn mowed this morning. They were threatening us with showers but they never arrived. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has spread here and our air quality is poor but fortunately that didn't bother me when I was mowing. I wasn't any more out of breath than I usually am. 

I need to call a pest guy tomorrow because I had mice in the basement last winter and don't want a repeat. I think I might know where they got in and need someone to check and plug up the hole. Or holes. Being a homeowner isn't always fun, is it?

--Barbara 

48 Hours and 7 minutes

That's how long the audiobook I'm listening to is. It's Barbra Streisand's autobiography and she reads it herself. I can not imagine writing a book that takes that long to read. My longest audiobook is just over 10 hours and I thought that was long. I'm not sure I have the attention span to get it all listened to in 14 days. I'll let you know. (I just checked. The hardcover is 992 pages!)

 

It was sheer luck that I was looking out the patio door when this pair of Goldfinches visited the finch feeder. It took the male a little while to settle down on a perch to have his picture taken. The female landed and stayed in place like a good girl.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Transport. I thought about drawing my beloved red car again but decided to switch it up and copy the drawing of a bicycle on the page in the book. I know what a bicycle looks like but having one to look at while I draw makes it so much easier.

 

In honor of the Goldfinches I'm posting a picture of a Black-eyed Susan. They're blooming in a big way and are such a joy to see poking out of the weeds.

 

After rereading the critiqued chapters of Christmas at Seaview again and making tiny edits, I went into the kitchen and dived back into a prompt notebook. I'm surprised at how many of those story starts have a body or blood in them. I was very gruesome 10 years ago.

 

This evening after supper I went to the grocery. I rarely go that late but it's been so hot I thought it'd be more bearable then and it was. My bill was quite a bit higher than usual but I blame the 3-pack of toothpaste. Actually I bought some things that I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't seen them so I blame myself. It's supposed to be at least 15 degrees cooler tomorrow. I can't wait. I HAVE to mow the lawn tomorrow. It's getting so long I could comb it.

And the A/C tuneup tech called in sick today so the company called early (and woke me up) to reschedule. Now he'll come in August which seems an odd time for an air conditioner tuneup but fortunately both of the units are working just fine. Whew. This would be a very bad time for them to fail.

--Barbara 

Another Good Thing

About being retired is when it's beastly hot and humid you don't have to go outside if you don't want to. I went out yesterday to top up the birdbath but then I stayed inside the rest of the day and all day today too. I'm planning not to go anywhere until Wednesday when it's supposed to only be in the 70s. Thinking of mowing then too. Since I told you I didn't go outside I'll share a flower picture taken a couple days ago. The dark pink day lilies are pretty much done. They bloomed a long time though.

 

This squirrel worked very hard to get the last remnants of suet nuggets today. Unlike the previous feeder, this one has a solid bottom so they can't nibble from the bottom and get them all. This is the one that checks to make sure there's no jelly left and also takes a few nibbles of the suet cakes on the way to the nuggets.

 

I was lucky enough to nab a shot of another Chickadee this afternoon. It was trying to get at the last nuggets too.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Something Beginning With... and I chose B. Because I can draw a banana, a bee, and a barber pole. And because it's my initial.

 

Watching TV tonight I worked on the heel flap and turn of the Iron Pyrite Sock. For some reason the heel turn worked out perfectly this time. Usually I have one too many stitches on one end or the other and have to add a row or two to account for it. This time I didn't. Now comes my least favorite part--the gusset stitches that narrows the stitches down to the original number for the foot.

 

I wasted hours on FB this afternoon. I don't know why. There wasn't anything uplifting or educational on there but I couldn't stop scrolling. I did post the third rewrite of the blurb for Christmas At Seaview to see if anyone had suggestions about how to improve it. Then I sat at the table reading in a prompt notebook to see if anything sparked a story. I marked a bunch of things but didn't find anything I couldn't pass up. Yet. I have faith that I'll find something in one of those notebooks.

--Barbara 

A Quiet Sunday

I didn't do much today. Mostly I put away the things from the book fair yesterday, put them back in the basement where they'll be out of the way until I need them in October. I'm kinda bummed that I don't have a fair for two full months but I'll survive. One thing I was thinking about was how to get people to buy all of The Seaview Series books at once. So I made up a couple signs to stick to my poster. Which one do you like best? The "Take" one or the "Get" one? Let me know in the comments because I can't decide. I think the woman that bought The Seaview from me yesterday went online and ordered Open For Business and Spies Don't Retire on Kindle. That's what it looks like anyway. I don't really care, I'm just glad someone did.

 

Well, I tried painting the rust and yellow day lily today. It turned out okay. I should have painted the background in pale gray to finish it off. Maybe I'll take another stab at it in a few days. I'd like to figure out how to paint it with less sharp edges, more watercolor-y.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Spots & Dots. I used markers to make dots on the page and then used a black Micron pen to add designs on them. They're okay. Not as arty as the author's page but she used watercolor and that's a whole different ballgame.

 

The Bluejays were back! Three of them! I didn't manage to take a picture of all three together but I think I got a sharper shot of one today. They must be young ones because they're sticking together and not as skittish as adults.

 

 What flower do you get today? How about a pair of yellow day lilies? They're pretty and I like them. That's good enough for me. I think the day lilies are really liking the hot and humid weather we've been having since they're blooming like mad. I could do without the stifling heat and humidity. It's supposed to cool off on Wednesday. I can't wait. The lawn is getting out of hand but I'm not going to kill myself out there to cut it.

 

This morning I worked on finishing my next writing progress letter. I polished it up, added a couple of pictures, and sent it off to KM so she can get it scheduled to send out on August 1. Like I said, I didn't do much. I reread the chapters I submitted for critique for tomorrow's Zoom and rearranged a few things. Naturally those changes won't be in the pages I submitted last week so I made them red so I know I've changed them. Then I played solitaire while listening to the end of a Debbie Macomber audiobook. It was all right. I don't think I'll make it a point to find more of her books to listen to but I won't say never. It is the same genre I write in, after all.

--Barbara 

Book Fair Day

Today was the Art Garage Summer Reading Book Fair. It ran from 10-3 and I did well. I sold 6 books, 3 Better Than Mom's, and 1 each of The Seaview, Horizon, and Island Dreams. The keyrings were a hit. I laid them out instead of piling them in a basket so they were visible and the little bowls of soup made everyone stop and look. The crowd wasn't as big or continuous as we'd hoped but JB commented she thought that it wasn't the best time of year for a book sale. My next outing isn't until October 5. By then I'll have Christmas at Seaview published and will be anxious to see if people buy it. I need to figure out a way to get people to buy the Seaview Series. Maybe if I make a special series price. I'll have to think on it.

 

This morning I looked out to see a Mourning Dove on top of the platform feeder and a male House Finch inside. It looked to me like the Dove was waiting its turn. Doves are so big, it amazes me that they can cram themselves into the feeder but they can.

 

I looked out this evening to see two Bluejays cavorting around on the patio chairs and on the patio. One of them tried to make a squirrel move out of the way so it could eat some fallen cracked corn. The squirrel didn't budge. It was so rare to see Bluejays long enough to take pictures. Usually they land and leave almost immediately. The photos aren't sharp but at least you can see what they are.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Butterflies & Moths. I'm thrilled that the author doesn't draw both sides of the insect's wings because I can never make them the same. If she can draw only one side, I can too.

 

Here's a lily picture just for something pretty today. I didn't take the picture today but I'm posting it today anyway. I badly want to paint this lily but every time I try I do it very badly but I suspect I'll try again tomorrow.

 

I have to figure out how I can mow the lawn without dying of the heat and humidity. It's been so oppressive and the lawn (weeds) are getting long. I just checked the weather app on my phone and it looks like Wednesday will be the day. I have to dig out the lawn mower manual and figure out how to raise the deck since the grass is too high to use the lowest setting like I usually do. I know how to raise and lower the front but not the back. How hard can it be?

--Barbara 

They Came!

I wasn't at all confident that the business card hang tags would arrive in time for tomorrow's book fair but they did. I ordered 100 hang tags and the smallest quantity of strings I could buy was 1000. (I won't run out of those anytime soon.) They arrived in time for me to sit at the table and string them onto the keyrings. I got all of them strung and clipped the hang tags together so they hopefully won't get too tangled in transport.

 

When I picked up the camera there were four Sparrows on this feeder. By the time I got it turned on and up to my eye, there was one left. Birds. You just can't depend on them.

 

The other things that came today were the Foldie travel cross body bags. One for me and one for DD. Hers is purple and I mailed it this afternoon so it should arrive on Monday. They were buy 1, get 1 free. I had to get some. They say the belt resists cutting and it's lined with RFID fabric. You know, the stuff people can't access your credit card numbers through.

 

I didn't have much down time today but I did do a little prompt notebook reading in the next notebook. Man, I wrote a lot ten years ago. A couple of the Friday Night knitters asked when I was going to publish my short stories in a collection. I'd never thought of that. They're so different from my novel style, maybe putting them on Substack is enough.

 

At Friday Night Knitting I added an inch or so onto the Llama Boyfriend Hat. It needs at least another inch, probably two of the hat body before I start the crown decreases which will entail actual thought instead of the knit 3, purl 2 I'm doing now.

 

I had a wonderful time visiting with BV this morning at Luna Coffee Roasters in De Pere. We talked about husbands, kids, old friends, and memories from high school. She'd asked me to bring books so she could see them and ended up buying one of each title. That really blew me away. I really appreciate support like that. She plans to share them with friends to build my readership in Minnesota. Thanks a million, BV!

This morning I got an email from MK about a watercolor class at the technical school and wanted to know if I was interested. Yes! She sent me the link, I read about the class, and signed up. DT is coming too. So the three "old neighbors" are going to go painting together for 6 nights in Sept. and Oct. Should be fun. 

I've got the books, bag of tablecloth, etc., and poster loaded into the car. I filled my water bottle and started putting a few things together for lunch so I can get up, get ready, and get down to the Art Garage for the book fair tomorrow. It'll be a long day, 10-3, but hopefully it'll be busy enough to make the time pass quickly.

--Barbara 

So Muggy

It wasn't so hot today--83 degrees--but the humidity was 81%. Muggy. I went out in the afternoon to fill the bird feeders and was damp in an instant. Ugh. This young Sparrow was the first to arrive at the filled feeder. It didn't stay long but long enough for me to snap its picture.

 

While I was out there I strolled around in the muggy taking flower pictures, mostly lily pictures. The lone little pink lily opened another flower today. It's kind of hidden behind a struggling shrub so it's difficult to see but I spied it and snapped a shot.

 

Next to the pink lily is the yellow & rust one, well, two today. I like the rust against the yellow and the shade of egg yolk yellow.

 

There's a long row of the rust & yellow day lilies on the end of the retaining wall. Why I didn't remember all of them I do not know but I'm happy to see them blooming away. 

 

One late-blooming Stella d'Oro lily has a single flower on it still. It's representing for the string of them on the retaining wall.

 

Next in line is Black-eyed Susans. They're fighting their way through the tall weeds that I'm too short to reach.

 

After that is the dark pink day lilies. They've still got a few buds and some flowers blooming but they're slowing down. 

 

And finally comes the plain old fashioned orange day lilies that have been around forever. I think some of the ones under the kitchen window and on the west lot line came from the house I lived it when I was a kid.

 

Before I went out to fill the feeders I was lucky enough to snap a picture of two Chickadees. Two! One on the feeder and one on the crook. They're usually so quick I can't even catch one but today I got two. Amazing.

 

The drawing prompt today was Balls and, once I got over my inappropriate first instinct, I tried drawing a few balls with a continuous line. It worked okay until I got to the soccer ball and then things went bad fast. I scribbled it out and quit. Take that, uncooperative drawing.

 

I went downstairs and grabbed a handful of old prompt notebooks, some post-it flags, and started reading. I found a few, okay, more than a few things I might be able to turn into short stories. The book I looked at was dated late 2014 and early 2015. A lot of them center around a body and a pool of blood. I don't know if I'm up for exploring those rather gruesome stories but maybe. In those days I bought myself an Art Page-a-day calendar and used the art as prompts, one every night before falling asleep. It amused me to see the pencil scribbles when I fell asleep while writing. There are probably 25 notebooks in the carton so there are lots of potential stories in there.

 

For the last two days I haven't been able to get on Substack. It wouldn't load and I couldn't even contact Support. I kept trying and then leaving it alone thinking they were working on it but this evening I got tired of it and searched how to fix it myself. First thing I tried was using another way to get on, so I went on Chrome and got right on. That told me that my Firefox was the culprit so I figured out how to clear my cache (don't ask me what that means, I followed a little video) and it worked! Hooray! I'm so relieved. I love posting a story every week.

Tomorrow I'm meeting my high school friend, BV, for coffee at Luna. I haven't seen her in at least a year so it'll be good to get together for a little while. 

Oh, and I checked the tracking on my hang tags and they're supposed to arrive tomorrow. If they do, I'll be able to have them on the key rings on Saturday. That will be amazing.

--Barbara 

All Day Short Stories

Today almost all I did was read, redo, and tidy up short stories. It was very much fun and I have a long file of stories that I'll be able to post on Substack over the next weeks. I don't have as many stories as I thought I had so I've got to get my rear in gear and write some more. There are a couple that need finishing but then it's back to the drawing board. I was thinking, though, I have a carton of prompt writing notebooks downstairs that I can mine. There are bound to be story starts in them... Oh boy, more stories!

 

I looked out and saw this vivid pink House Finch on the feeder and hurried to take his picture. It's blurry, dang it, but I'm sharing it because he was so beautiful. I must not have held the camera still enough or something. Better check to make sure the stabilizer is on... yep, it is. I have no other excuse.

 

Today's drawing prompt is Kitchen Utensils and I followed the author's lead and drew them in a continuous line. I think I'll try that technique again. Maybe tomorrow.

 

The food keyrings I found on Amazon came today. They're tiny bowls of soup. I love them! Homemade soup is a continuing theme in Better Than Mom's so they're totally appropriate. I got notice today that the hang tags shipped but there's no way they'll be here in time for the Book Fair on Saturday. *sigh*

 

And here's today's gratitude journal page. There's only three things on it but it was a quiet day that I spent mostly at the computer. I tried making Jell-O pudding yogurt again only this time I used one box of chocolate fudge pudding powder and soupier yogurt. It's better than the lemon stuff, better by a long shot, so I might make it again some day. And, no, I didn't eat it all today. There are three servings left.

 

Guess what I saw zip across the patio this evening after the rainstorm. The rat. I was sure it was gone but, nope, it's still here. If I knew where it lived I might be tempted to pour some rat pellets down its hole but I suspect it either lives somewhere under the ferns or in the giant hostas next door. I'm not trolling through all those plants to look for it.

 

I really enjoyed spending all day revisiting story after story, tidying them up, and saving them. One thing I ran across was something I wrote about learning to dive. I'd forgotten how scared and intimidated I was in the beginning but I pushed through and did it. I'm more stubborn that I thought. God, I loved diving in the ocean.

--Barbara