Writering

I told you that I didn't manage to get anything written yesterday when ACJ and I met at The Attic Cafe & Used Books to write for a couple hours.  So today I put my butt in the chair, got out my Alphasmart, and tapped out a page and a half of what promises to be nearly the last scene of the novel.  If it turns out to be the last I'll put the manuscript aside for a couple weeks and then go back to read it from "cover to cover" (so to speak) to see where it needs more of something or a little tweaking.

This morning I had an appointment with my financial advisor to figure out where to invest the proceeds of Durwood's employee stock account.  I couldn't leave it where it was and wouldn't want to anyway because it was a perfect example of having all one's eggs in one basket.  If that stock dropped, our money dropped, but he kept it because he'd worked for the company for so many years.  Not a great plan, so I kept some of the P&G stock for old time's sake but had her sell most of it to reinvest in other sectors of the market so if one of my stocks drops a bit chances are another one will be up.  I like my advisor, she makes me feel smart by winnowing my choices down to a couple and then she gives me the info I need to make an informed choice.  So far it's working, my investments are making money and according to her diagram I can live to be 100 and not run out of money--as long as I don't go on a huge spending spree, that is.  I don't plan to do that.

I spooned the last of the fruit & booze syrup on the fruitcakes today, put them back into the big zipper bags, and carried them downstairs where it's cool for them to age and mellow until Christmas.  When I took the lid off the pitcher with the syrup in it I got a big whiff of bourbon.  Those cakes should be tasty when the time comes to slice and nibble on them.

It snowed this morning, not much, just enough to cover the driveways but not the grass.  It warmed up so it was sloppy while I was running errands after the broker appointment but not slippery which is always a relief because this is the time of year when there are extra people out and about.  Sorry I didn't take a picture.  And we're supposed to have a mix of rain and snow for the weekend.  Goodie.

I didn't take a picture of today's toss either.  I went downstairs and pulled out the next box in the darkroom equipment area, sorted through it, and dumped the stuff into the trash.  Then I noticed a pair of old mic stands and a Samsonite overnight bag that Durwood used to use so I hauled them up too.  They went into the back of my car.  A friend suggested that I call a local coffee house that hosts open mic nights to see if they might need the stands.  I'll do that tomorrow.

After supper I finished knitting the Bodhi Leaf washcloth I started last night.  The colors remind me of sunset so that's what I'm calling it.  I like it so much that I might just knit another one.


29 November--Rear View of a Girl viewing paintings in an Art Museum.  The art was hung on the walls like paving stones.  The effect was nothing less than chaos.  Still lifes bumped up against allegories next to landscapes frowned over by portraits.  The frames were gilt, silver, wood, elaborate, plain, rococco, modern, every style and material.  Standing in the room made Ann dizzy.  She wondered if the paintings had been bought all at once or had spread across the walls as they were acquired with no thought of how one looked with the next.

The people across the street have their Christmas tree up and the whole front of the house is outlined in lights.  If I want to put the flamingo out I'd have to repair or replace the stand and it's just too cold to do it now.  I meant to fix it last summer but I was a little crazy and a little busy.  Maybe I'll manage it for next year.  It would be a shame never to put a flamingo out again.  Maybe I can get that little one DD's friend gave me up, see if it still lights, and put that out.  I'll study on it.
--Barbara