One More Room Done

It didn't take nearly as long to give the bathroom what-for as it did the living room on Saturday.  It had better not.  It's about 1/3 the size plus bathroom dirt's just ooky and must regularly be beaten back to an acceptable level, and I do that.  I do see a pressing need to paint the bathroom soon, once it's warm enough to leave the windows open.  All those steamy showers take a toll.  The male Red-bellied Woodpecker is spending lots of time on the suet lately.  Durwood's tried taking his picture but through the screen doesn't do well.  At all.  And one of the hawks has been hunting too.  Durwood's not sure if it's the Sharp-shinned Hawk or the littler Cooper's Hawk but it sure is fun to watch.  He never fails to tell me what I've missed, the darling man.  The scale has registered a .4# weight gain the last 2 days, proof that my guesstimate that at least one of the pounds I lost during that 4 day shakes & fast diet was due to lack of salt.  I'm not fussed, I'm back on the straight and narrow with my points and there's nothing that's more aerobic (and productive) than cleaning and hauling winter clothes and excess random crap downstairs.  I love putting things away.  A place for everything and everything in its place... I'm getting there, slowly but surely.  I sent off a check last week and paid in full for my week at The Clearing in September.  Even though this blog blabbering and my nightly prompts are all of my writing these days I still am looking forward to a week of focused writing and working on that novel manuscript that needs a little tweaking and some additional fleshing out in the later chapters.  I know that it's mulling around in the back of my brain and something semi-brilliant (or at least serviceable) will come out when I need it.  I can't leave Rose and whatshisname out there on that island all unsatisfied and unfulfilled, can I?  No.  No, I can't.  And I won't.  Because that would just be wrong.  There's a guy coming to patch the tiny nick and incipient crack in the rental's fiberglass bathtub in a little while so I'm going to wrap this up and make sure I'm decently covered (or at least have my hoodie zipped up to hide my saggy and unfettered boobs) when he arrives.  Or I suppose I could grab a quick shower and fetter things so I look humanoid... yeah, maybe, if I quit blabbering and get going.

May 7--Anatolia, Seated Goddess with a Child.  She looked benign, that golden face about the size of a quarter.  Mariel smiled back at her and, taking her softest brush in hand, began to gently move the dirt out away from the face it see if it was a complete piece or just a fragment.  A burst of laughter from the camp reminded her that night had fallen completely and she was hungry.  Her hands kept moving and smoothing the soil, each movement revealing more of the figure.  Soon it was fulling uncovered.  the goddess in her ceremonial headdress and jewelry sat on a chair with cat feet, holding a boy-child on her lap.  "Adenab," Mariel said aloud.  The goddess of creation in the Hittite culture that had thrived in that place around the 13th century B.C. still held a place in the lives of the locals.  Many little girls were named for her and many women built small shrines to her in their homes.  Mariel sat staring down at the small golden statue small enough to fit into her hand and thought about the reaction when she revealed her find.  She knew she should go right away so that Dr. O'Neill could photograph her where she lay and then put her in the safe in his tent.  It would be foolish to leave the little treasure out there now that it had been found and uncovered.  Mariel had just put down her tools to go announce her discovery when she thought she heard a footstep in the gravelly sand behind her.  "Who's there?" she said.  Her voice sounded loud to her and she was surprised to hear it shake.  She turned to see if there was someone out there when her lantern when out.  The blow came out of the darkness, knocking her out before she could scream.

OMG!  That's not half-bad.  I wonder who it is out there in the dark.  Hmm, I may have to do something about this story bit.  Plus I was thrilled that I pulled a goddess name out of the ether so late at night last night.  Pretty good, eh?  Hey, have a great day and I'll talk to you tomorrow.  Hasta la vista, chicas.
--Barbara