The Simplest Solution

Last night's adventure with the Amazon Customer Service people taught me one thing--the simplest thing is often the solution. I solved my Kindle problem this morning when I clicked on the information about the new Kindle Fire and discovered that its email address is different than the email address I was trying to send my manuscript to. I wonder why none of the techs I spoke with or chatted with thought to ask about the email address. The old email address worked before because I hadn't de-registered a trio of old Kindles that no longer worked. Last week I weeded out the old, recycled Kindles on my account so the old email address didn't work anymore. Once I used the new email address the manuscript document showed up. So I spent an hour this afternoon reading the manuscript and making notes on what needs changing. Progress was made.

The Sparrows discovered that I filled the feeders. They also discovered that I used a different birdseed. At first they were a bit flighty about it but eventually they found the sunflower seeds in the mix and made inroads. The squirrels like the cracked corn that the Sparrows toss to the ground.

Speaking of squirrels, this one had a lovely time hanging upside down on the suet cakes feeder nibbling away.

And at one time there were five squirrels at the feeders--one on the cob corn, one below the cob corn, one on the suet nuggets, one on the suet cakes, and one on the ground scarfing up the cracked corn. I could only get these two in the frame. P.S. I just noticed a third squirrel on the ground right where the grass meets the retaining wall.

Alexa let me know that I had a couple shipments arrive this afternoon and it was the rest of my author copies order in two boxes. Part of it arrived yesterday, two copies of Horizon in a box with a Christmas present. I don't understand why they split the shipments like that. But I'm happy to say that the copies of Open For Business have the correct title on the spine. Oh, and without consulting me, Amazon made the print smaller in Horizon so now the book is thinner. People like the bigger print. They comment on it.

Today's drawing is called Kanga the Kid, even though a little kangaroo is called a joey. It was fun to draw and I was amazed at the difference the shading made to make it seem almost 3-D.

Tonight at Writer's Guild we had a Christmas book exchange. We each brought a wrapped book without an identifying name on the outside of the paper. The books were passed out and then they played music for a minute and we passed the books from hand to hand until the music stopped. We got to keep the book we had (unless it was the one we brought). I got this one. I haven't heard of it but I look forward to delving into it.

Tomorrow the furnace tuneup guy is coming. I thought at first I wouldn't need him to come since I had that service call last week but the filter didn't get changed and the humidifier isn't turned on so I guess I need him after all. Good thing I belong to the Comfort Club so the tuneups are included, I just have to pay for the filters. Whew.

And I read somewhere that it's supposed to snow tomorrow. I hope they're wrong although LC and OJ and their parents want snow to ski on so part of me thinks okay we can have snow for them.

--Barbara

Buds

I took a look at my Christmas/Thanksgiving cactus this morning and was amazed at the number of buds on it that look like they might actually mature into flowers. When I look at the picture I took I see the clutter on my kitchen counter but you can see all of the buds in front of it. The first flower is almost gone but the next one is just about to open and more are warming up. Keeping my fingers crossed!

First thing this morning I caught a Downy Woodpecker on the suet cakes. You can see how frosty the grass was. It looks almost blue in the morning light. I went over to Fleet Farm for a bag of different birdseed to see if I can't slow the Sparrows down but I don't have a lot of hope. It has a lot of cracked corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, and is doused in cherry juice. I think they'll like it. We shall see.

Today's drawing is from Seuss-isms. Dr. Seuss asks if you've ever flown a kite in bed. It's hard to see the blue sky the boy in the bed is flying through but, trust me, it's blue.

And I managed to draw a gratitude journal page after supper too. I had a lot more to be grateful for today. I had a Zoom with two writing friends, stopped at Metro Market for fresh, cut up pineapple, had lunch with the St. Agnes Class of '65 (or at least a tenth of it), went to Fleet Farm for birdseed where I ran into another St. Agnes grad who hadn't been at lunch, then to Meijer for my fruit and lunch food shopping. When I got home I filled the birdfeeders but it was too late in the day for a bunch of birds to come check it out. I have faith that they'll arrive in the morning.

I have just spent more than an hour on chat and on the phone with Amazon Customer Service to no avail. I've been trying to send a document to my kindle for a week and didn't get the verifying email so I asked for help. The chat guy, at least I think it was a guy, tried and had me reboot my Kindle twice and resend the document three times. When that didn't work he sent me over to a phone call Customer Service person. She thought I was trying to send a manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing and didn't really understand when I just wanted to email the manuscript to the Kindle device. She switched me to another rep who quickly told me that they couldn't help me and hung up. *sigh* I know that it isn't impossible because I've done it before. Why is it such a problem this time? I do not know. I'm peeved, to say the least.

--Barbara

Yarn & Suds

I got a text yesterday afternoon from CS asking if anyone might be interested in getting together to knit at Zambaldi this afternoon. I quickly replied with a resounding Yes! Unfortunately no one else could make it so it was just CS and me today but we had a nice 3 hour knit and chat. She had a beer; I had root beer. I got a few rounds added to one of the Christmas projects. Maybe I'll make the deadline after all. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that CS brought me a little box of her special Thanksgiving leftovers casserole. I had it for supper and it was delicious. Thanks a bunch, CS!

It was colder overnight. See the glacier growing in the birdbath? I went out to top it up again so that the warmer water would melt the ice a bit. I don't know where all the water goes. Maybe it evaporates in the cold and wind. However it goes away I have to make sure to have the heater covered as much as possible so that the heater does its job.

This squirrel figured out how to get some bites of the suet cakes. It hung there for the longest time shifting this way and that looking for the choicest bits of the fatty, seedy treat.

Today's drawing is called Traffic Jam. I'm not sure how it got that name since it's just a pile of boxes all crammed together. It was kind of fun to draw and figure out how to slant the eyes in each one. I enjoyed the shading too, especially around the eyes which made them look like they popped out of the surface.

The watercolor wildflower today is Cowslip. I don't think I've ever seen it but it was fun to paint although I don't think I made the higher flowers big enough. That's okay. It looks fine.

And I drew a gratitude journal page for today too. Again I managed it on the day rather than waiting until the next day. I might be getting the hang of this again. I probably shouldn't say that because that's a sure way to skip a day or two.

I put fresh sheets on the bed and fresh towels in the bathroom today. I did a bunch of other house things too, like put the jingle bell wreath on the front door and carry up the clean laundry. I didn't fold it yet but at least it's on the same floor as my dresser.

Did I tell you I caught a mouse in the basement the other day? I went down to get something from the pantry shelves down there and I noticed that the glue trap had moved. I looked more closely and there was a little mousie stuck to it. Ick. So I got some gloves, swapped in a new glue trap, carried the old one out to the trash and while I was at it I replace the empty Decon tray in the garage with a new one. I know it's almost impossible to keep mice out especially this time of year but... ugh.

--Barbara