~News Flash~ Aunt B Has Snow In North Carolina!

At least right now she does and it is North Carolina, after all, but it'll be gone by the end of today of that I'm certain.  There's no way our snow or cold will be gone anytime soon, although it's not supposed to be so bitter cold, just regular cold the rest of the week.  Regular cold I can  deal with.

My good friend, Lala, just emailed me some goals of hers, things she's been wanting to do, things she can do to make her life a bit more satisfying, and that made my mind trot out a few doable goals for me.  Nothing outrageous, nothing too crazy.  Maybe I should print them out and paste them up (maybe on the inside of my eyelids so I see them every time I blink) so I am reminded that I should do things that aren't housework or for someone else.  See?  I shouldn't be sitting down a lot, I should be out and about.  (all those "shoulds"! I need to stop with the "should"-ing, give my psyche a break)

Even with the not-above-zero-all-day temps yesterday I had a few customers at the dive shop.  I tried really hard to get the last guy, who is leaving for the Florida Keys tomorrow, to let me come along but no dice.  I think he was afraid his wife would misconstrue my participation in their vacation.  Piffle, any woman should understand that it was just a ploy to flee the deep freeze but, no, he had to wimp out on me.  He did buy something, though, so I can't be too peeved about the whole thing.  I had high hopes for the big box the UPS guy brought, hoped that there'd be a whole bunch of little things I'd have to sort and price and put away.  It was a big dive bag and a couple little doodads, 6 items total, in a box almost big enough for me to get in.  *sigh*  It took me about 20 minutes to deal with it all and put it away so it looked like it never came.  I did manage drag out her directive to start an accessories order, then I called a supplier's tech support department for battery changing info on a dive computer, then boxed up said computer and I'll ship it on my way to work today.  Those two tasks took maybe an hour and a half.  Days are long in the middle of winter in a SCUBA shop.  (this working EVERY day is a drag, how do people do it?)

January 29--Beauty Nxgongo, Lidded Basket.  It was Chia's job to put the seeds in the basket.  Mai had thrashed the grains from the stalks and then she and Chia winnowed out the chaff by tossing it in a flat basket.  Mai had to go back out to cut more and Chia was left behind to put their grain into the basket where it was stored to keep it dry and to keep bugs and rodents out of it.  She bent a leaf to use as a funnel and she scrounged up an old gourd for a scoop.  She didn't hurry, it was too hot to hurry.  She visited with old blind Bisa who sat in the shade at her daughter's place.  Bisa wanted her to read a letter from her son but Chia said that her eyes hurt from the chaff dust.  Bisa told her she was a lazy girl and to go away.  Chia dawdled back to the pile of grain to find birds flocked around it, most of the seeds were long gone, there was hardly any left to put into the basket.

I need to find out today when sign up for The Clearing summer classes is.  I've got my deposit saved up and I know which class I want to take, Women's Writing Retreat at the end of September with my friend Writer Connie, now all I need to know is when to limber up my dialing finger.  I'll do some research later today, for now I need to get cracking on posting this because I need to stop at the bank and post office on my way to work and I don't want to be (too) late.  Good thing I'm already dressed.
--Barbara