Run-by posting

I still have family in town, so this week will be more of a quick summary than an actual post. Graduation went well and we've been visiting. Dad and Linda got home safely yesterday, and Mom and Stepdad will be here until Wednesday morning, just in time for me to go back to work.

Writing: I worked on my snowflake some at the beginning of the week, but I don't think it was anything significant. I don't remember exactly; I've slept since then.

Clutter: More progress here. I cleaned out the closet under the stairs, thinking that I was going to have to go to Sam's and buy paper supplies for when the Boys are here. Once I dragged everything out, I found an extra case of paper towels and two partial cases of toilet paper, so I don't have to go shop for them after all! The closet looks way better, too. Mom and I made some progress on the yard and cleaned off the patio yesterday. There is so much more space there now with the old patio set gone.

Health: Weight held steady this week despite eating out a lot the two days Dad and Linda were here. I was flying blind on that, too, because we didn't decide in advance (or far enough to do research) where we were going, so I'm pretty darn pleased that I made decent choices. Not sure if I'm counting points this week. I have said before that I'm not going to and then gone ahead and done it, but this might be a good opportunity for a dry run at post-WW living.

Misc: I think that's about it. So never mind about the quick summary. Apparently I can't come in here and get it done quickly! Time to get back downstairs.

Week 25

Twenty-five weeks.  2011. Time sure flies. Here's what's been going on:

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):  Still working on Lesson 12 but since hubby's back in town, work is more sporadic .
 

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.  My 750words account has been moved to the login I'm more comfortable with.  My streak is on track -- I have earned the flamingo badge and am scribbling furiously toward regaining albatross status when I get to 30 days -- I'm up to 16 now.

Internet Responsibilities:
- Done the stuff for FM

- Blogged a couple times

- Have my Merry-Go-Round Blog tour post in the queue on my blog.  Still need to queue my post on the Merry-Go-Round blog.

Pets:
- They're all still here.

Property:
- I dug sticker burs this week until hubby got here and he resumed doing it.

- We got one inch of rain on Wednesday, but I'm going to have to resume watering soon.

- Hubby  grumbled about the curtains but hasn't said anything else

- We got new beds.  Sleep number beds arrived Monday and I assembled them Monday and Tuesday.  I've been sleeping better.  Hubby's complaints don't seem to be bed-related, so I think we're good.  We have a third bed to replace at some point, but we'll probably be able to just keep the best of the three traditional sets we have for it.

Health:
- Pretty light workout week, but I've gotten some stuff done.

- I lost 1.4 pounds this week for a total WW loss of 36 pounds.   

- I added 20.22 miles to Walk Across Texas. 

 

General News:  We spent more time working on the plan for our Amtrak Grand Tour 2012 this week and have made some minor revisions.  Did some planning for the San Diego/LA portion of the trip. We're trying to get the framework finalized so we can buy our tickets as soon as the reservation window opens so we get the arrangements we want.  The details of off the train parts of the trip can be filled in later, but we have to know enough about them to know if they impact the train reservations.  So far, we made one important change in the Northern Tier part of the trip.

Here

So everyone else posted, and I'm going to, also, if only to be part of the pack even if I seem to be bringing up the rear.

Health: Went to the doctor for a follow up on my chlorine gas experience (don't try it; not fun) and also had a General Health Panel. Basically that means we ran a lot of tests. Got the results Thursday. Most came back good. However ... my A1C came back 8.8 ... and my blood pressure was slightly high at 128/88 ... and my Vitamin D level was extremely low at 20. Well, the doctor prescribed a Vitamin D supplement, 15 minutes in the sun, and one cup of Vitamin D fortified milk per day. The elevated blood pressure we're just going to watch and hope exercise and eating right will bring it down; if it doesn't, meds. But the A1C ... that was a blow since I really thought it would be lower because of the walking and dietary choices I've been making. So ... more exercise and stricter diet and if it hasn't come down in four months, more meds and probably insulin. I confess to being very discouraged. Diabetes is a tough opponent, and I'm finally realizing there is a good possibility that it might eventually win if they don't find a cure. And you know what I want to do when I'm down? I want to eat. I want to eat sweets and pasta and ice cream and watermelon. There's a certain irony in this which doesn't escape me.

Writing: I wrote a bit on Murder by the Mile. I just lack two pages on the rewrite on Chapter One. I plan on finishing it this week and maybe Chapter Two. I posted on my blog, tweeted enough to keep a presence there, same for Facebook. Too depressed to do much else even though I should.

Clutter: No progress. Not even keeping up with the filing, but I hope to work on that this week.

Budgets: Things are getting tighter here, if that's possible and it is. Been trying to sell more books. A few sales have resulted. Every little bit helps.

Anyway, I'm still here. I posted. And sorry to generally be such a downer. Things will improve. Been enjoying Tammy's snippets. Jean's a busy bee as is Wendy. Y'all are awesome! Awesomer! Awesomest!

1619

The rest of the scene, to the end, written this afternoon. There's some pretty bad language and sexual content below the cut. But the scene's done and I'll quit posting for awhile. 

Sunday again?

Wow, that was a fast week. It's been a quiet weekend. Alex drove back up to the college with a friend to take our patio set to the frat house and bring back his loft so we'd have an extra bed when the boys come. Unfortunately he didn't realize he'd forgotten the allen wrench he needs to disassemble it until this morning, so he's bringing back the mattress. Oh well. My patio is bigger, and he can sleep on the floor when the boys are here!

Writing: I've been working with the Snowflake Method to plot Honor. It's been helpful. I can't say I'm enjoying it because it's pretty intensive, but it's helping me think through the plot a lot more than I ever have. It's a little strange for me to be thinking at this point about why my heroine is at the battlefield just after Culloden, and how logistically she could help the widows and orphans in the aftermath without her family finding out. I'm looking at it as getting through the hard part early so I can just write when I'm done. The other good thing is that when I have ideas I can start a snowflake and build on it while I'm writing other things. That should help with productivity in the future.

The other thing I need to do is start editing Hope. I signed up for a paid crit at the conference, so I'll have a deadline! A real deadline! Not sure exactly when it will be yet, but I need to get to work on that.

Clutter: I have started getting the house back in shape for company. Two graduations in two months is something I'm super glad I don't have to do every year! I should have more to report next week.

Health: Frustrated. I gained half a pound despite increasing my exercise. I know, it's only half a pound, and that's to be expected from time to time. It's totally normal. I'm just so close to the goal. Three more stinking pounds. I just want them gone so I can go on maintenance for a while. I have thought about going on maintenance for a couple of weeks and starting back a little earlier so I can lost a preemptive couple of pounds before the conference.

I do need to contact my doctor about getting my vitamin D levels checked again. I finished my prescription a few weeks ago and have been trying to get out in the sun more, but I still find myself fresh out of give a crap sometimes. Not as much as I did over the winter, but it seems like it should be gone by now, especially since I'm now getting regular exercise, eating better, and getting plenty of sleep. Maybe it's the ADD and my age, and that's just how it's going to be.

Misc: Jeli is a week post-op and is feeling so much better. She dive-bombed Ryan from the top of the cat tree last week. Oh, and Eric and I went to the St. Andrew (Scottish) Society social last week and had a great time. Nice to have a real date (dinner, drinks, AND dessert, which is maybe why I gained that half pound), and we made some new friends. I think we're going to join the group. They're pretty active in educating people about the Scottish culture and doing community work.

So, having gotten all this down on "paper" I see it wasn't as blah a week as I thought it was, and I have a clearer picture of what I need to be working on. I'm glad I posted today.

tambometrics

It's that time of the week again. ;)

Writing
All in all, about 2000 words of fiction this week, most posted here. Was nice to write again.

No new declinations for M. Still sitting at 5, and Kensington has had it a while (not sure who else) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's very encouraging yet frustrating that all of the editors have enjoyed the book and/or my writing, but couldn't buy it. It'll find a home, somewhere. 

Life

Posty Office officially released the compiled data from the public meeting and all that mess, so in about 30 days we should have a definitive answer of if they'll close (already almost certain) and when the final date will be (probably 60 days after the definitive answer. As I know more, I'll post more, but we're likely relocating in September sometime. Still no real idea where, but Bill has volunteered to go to Rochester, MN, if they have an open job he's qualified for.

We're really hoping for Rochester.

Laura's still vomiting, but not as much, and all in all is doing really well. She looks awesome - got that 'glow' thing going on, I think, and she's taking a couple of classes at the community college starting July 5. VERY good news there.

My mood's been rather blue. Spent a lot of Friday crying. I really don't want to move and I'm still super overwhelmed.

House
Other than re-detail cleaning the kitchen and a few little things (like touch-up painting some scuffed-off spots on the moulding) the house is DONE. We've been on the market a bit over a week now, but have had no showings. Rather aggravating, but our Realtor's office is coming through for a tour on Tuesday. Hopefully that'll help. As much as I don't want to move, I DO want the house sold and all this done so I can quit fretting over it, if that makes any sense. 

Health
Down a bit more, but not much. Holding steady at 7.4 lbs down from where I was in mid March, when all this started. I really, REALLY need to exercise, but I am having a hard time feeling motivated. For once in my life I'm not stress-eating, it's more food avoidance, which is weird for me, but I guess it's okay, all in all. Bill and I talked about me going on Weight Watchers like you guys, but I just can't fathom adding One. More. Thing. to my already cramped and stressy brain. But I dunno. 

Got my one-year-post-lasik exam yesterday and everything looks great. I have 'weak' 20/20 in my right eye and am .5 diopter toward near-sighted in my left eye, too small of deviations to need glasses or more corrective surgery. All in all, I see pretty well, but things aren't quite as 'crisp' as I'd love (a bit 'smeary', especially if the light's low or if I'm tired), but I'm totally functional in my regular life and only need my reading glasses for reading small print, like on my vitamin bottles.  All in all, it's pretty good. 

Tuesday, I'm seeing a dermatologist about my stooopid Rosacea. Not holding out much hope for good news there, it's almost certainly an exercise in futility, but the redness, stinging skin, and bumpiness are really bugging me, so I'm going in. She's a new doc for me, and maybe, just maybe, she'll have an idea that might help.

Been trying to take my vitamins regularly, but I hate taking pills, so it's a struggle. 

Woke up this morning with a head cold and sore throat. Sigh.

Everything Else

Went to Des Moines today to visit with some extended family who were visiting from Oklahoma. Was great to see them and other local relatives I haven't seen in a while. 

Mostly things are going all right, just waiting for the big change that's coming. 

Week 24

We're 24 weeks into 2011. Here's what's been going on:

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):   I've been hard at work on Lesson 12 of HTRYN.  I posted separately and don't have anything to update, but this is an important lesson that will take me several weeks to finish, I believe.
 

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words seven of seven days.  My streak is up to nine.  After Holly's experience with Facebook, being hacked, and FB shutting her account down as if she posted that junk, I realized I needed to get my 750words login off the Facebook login.  I inquired what it would take, and they've moved me to my Yahoo login.  (I wanted to know now, because I expected I might have to just delete that account and start over, and I wanted to do it before I got my streak built back up again.)  I'm just waiting for my patronage to get transferred, then I'll be deleting the Facebook 750words account.

Lesson to keep in mind -- don't have multiple logins dependent upon one source.  If that source disappears or you get locked out of it, you lose all the other stuff.  It hadn't caused any problems for me yet, but I didn't want it to.  Unfortunately, all the login methods for 750words seem to be dependent upon another source, but Yahoo has been reliable for me for 14 years now.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I've done the bare minimum.

Pets:
- The dogs had a great time at the resort.  When I picked them up on Monday morning, they were both out in the big fenced yard playing with three other labs who were being boarded, too.  Well, Dazzle was just trucking along the fence, but she was out and moving.  Millie was running and so were the labs -- they all seemed to be having a great time.

- The cats ran mildly amok.  The curtains on one of the kitchen doors were pulled down (it's a metal door, and they are on magnetic holders, so they're easy to put back up).

- I've found Dazzle lying down with her head up more this week than in recent weeks.  She's been a little more restless.  I put her outside this morning while I cleaned her room (I pick up the rubber mats, take them outside, hose them down and let them dry in the sun and mop her floor with a bleach and water mixture).  By the time the outside temperature reached 90, her room was ready, so I brought everything back in and set it up for her.  She was up and walking around, so I walked her around the yard a few times and brought her into the cool.  We're at 103 now, so she's been in comfort from mid-morning on.  

- Yesterday morning, I heard a horn honking in the driveway, and it was the mailman.  I opened the door, and he yelled, "Millie's off her chain!"  He pointed me in the direction she'd gone.  I thanked him and went for the truck (she will only come to the truck).  I drove around the block and picked her up across the street from the house.  She got to ride 100 feet in the truck, but she was happy with that.

Property:
- I dug sticker burs and mowed the lawn this week.

- I watered the yard

- I bought curtains for the bedrooms last week and hung them this week.  I didn't tell hubby, so he may be happy when he gets back on Tuesday.  I wanted to make sure I liked them before having to hear him grouse.  I'm calling them long-term temporary, because I'm sure he has something in mind that he'd prefer to what I found at Walmart, but we're no where near ready to deal with that.  (Anytime I suggest something for the house that doesn't fit the picture he has in his mind, it gets poo-pooed.  Lucky for him I'm not super particular.  Or maybe it's lucky for me.  Grin.)

- We made a run to the ranch last Monday and put down some more road fill.  Naturally, I brushed something that doesn't agree with me, and I'm itchy all over again.

Health:
- Pretty light workout week, but I've gotten some stuff done.

- I gained 1.4 pounds this week.  Not too surprising, since I've had a couple of good loss weeks.  I figure it's a normal part of the pattern. 

- I added 19.74 miles to Walk Across Texas.

And Then There Were 27

I'm on Lesson 12 of How To Revise Your Novel.  When I first went through my Polar Bear on the Loose manuscript, I came up with 52 characters. That was in Lesson 6.  Fast forward to Lesson 12 where I've gone through and redid my story based upon what I've learned I think it should be.  I'm relooking at those characters.

So many just made a brief appearance on the page -- or never appeared at all and were just mentioned.  Guess what?  Some of you already know the answer.  They aren't characters.  They're blinkies with human shape.  How cool is that?

As I'm redoing my character list for Lesson 12, I identified 15 blinkies, dropping my number of characters to 37.  As I continued through the list from Lesson 6, I'd already made notes about some characters uselessness.  They were simply too weak to live.  I rubbed out five more, dropping my total to 32. (This is fun!)

Finally, there were characters that could be "smooshed" together or merged.  They were fragmented and with enough therapy, I think we can eliminate five more characters by integrating them into characters with enough personality to remain in the story.  Which brings me to 27.

As I work through this lesson, I may still find a couple more blinkies and a couple more mergers. We'll see as I work through this a little more. These are tough economic times, right? Can't afford to have too many characters on the payroll -- especially if they aren't contributing.

Lesson 12 is huge.  I'll be working on it for several weeks, but it's an important step in the process.  It involves going through the characters, documenting each scene's purpose, and, I believe, marking up the manuscript some -- maybe even finally being able to "X" out whole sections that are nothing but dead weight to the story.  There's a lot of important steps here, and I'm trying to get them done right.

1035

Thanks for bearing with me. These are tonight's words, but it's after 3 am now and I'd better go to bed.

331

More of the scene - still more to come; it's maybe 1/3 done. Ish. I wrote 295 words on something else last night, too, so that's a total of 626 words for the day. Creeping up on that 750.

Is it okay that I post this stuff here? If not, I'm happy to stop.

Yesterday's words are below the cut (and you get to see some of what's in the box)

300

I wrote 300 words of fiction last night - not quite the 750, but 300 more than I'd done in a long, long time.  They're pretty stiff and out of practice, but I've put them below the cut, if anyone wants to see.

4 Metrics

I really don't have a lot to report. Still not writing - but I'll get on 750 words with Jean tomorrow. I WILL, dangit! - but the house is pretty much ready to go. Bill's still painting in the basement, and I need to detail the kitchen again, but otherwise the house looks sweet, especially the bathroom.

Been struggling with depression and stress. Weight is holding within one pound of steady - down about 7 lbs since all this erupted in March.

Laura and I took a walk tonight, the first in quite a while. It wasn't as long as y'all are doing - just down the street, around the corner, along the roads outside of the park, and back again, maybe half a mile or so, all together - but it was good to do.

I'm still not sleeping well, between stress and uncertainty and my problematic sinuses, but hoping as we finish up work on the house it'll settle down again.

Otherwise, we're all fine here. :)

3

It's been a busy day. I had church, and went from there right to work. Now I'm done, and I have no place I need to be until Tuesday at 6 a.m., which is good, because my van is in the shop. Eric took it for an oil change yesterday and they discovered it needs to brake pads, rotors, and bearings. I know, those aren't related to oil, but I have noticed it's been driving different lately, and that's one thing we haven't done on it yet.

Writing: I downloaded The Snowflake Method software the other day and started plotting Honor in more detail. I did get some other writing done, too, before that but not really that much. A few thousand words. I have high hopes for this software. If it helps me get the hard stuff out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of the process, I'll be a happy camper. If nothing else it should help with the synopsis.

Clutter: Hmm. Nope. I was doing good to vacuum and keep the dishes under control this week.

Health: Down another 2/10ths of a pound. I've slowed to snails pace. I have gotten a fair amount of walking in at work the last few days, enough to earn some activity points with steps. I'm thinking it's time to quit being stubborn and start swimming. I used to swim laps when I had to take my kids to the pool, but they don't need me with them now. It just seems like so much trouble to swim laps, but I guess if I do it a couple days a week it won't be too bad.

Misc: Gearing up for the next two waves of company. My family comes back in 10 days for Eric's graduation, and a few days after they leave, the Boys will be here for the reunion. I was looking at my calendar last night, and it's packed until July 9th, when the Boys leave. Then it drops off to, "work, yoga, band practice". Thank goodness. I've had the hazy crazy days of summer. I'm ready for a little lazy.

A happy second

I actually intended to post early this morn and beat Jean to the punch. But once again, she wins a race with me that she didn’t even know she was running! Jean’s a winner in all things, but I’m trying for a happy second now. Also, I have to post, or I'll have a mother hen from hell after me. (I've been warned this will happen.) So here's my latest update.

Writing: not much to tell here. I have mostly been working on getting reviews on Amazon.com for Floozy and Other Stories. Reviews help your books sell, or so they say. I never actually met anyone who bought my books based on the reviews, but I rarely meet the people who purchase the books through online retailers. I have seven great reviews, and I would like to have 10. I have also been attempting to fix the problems in Murder by the Mile. I have several chapters in Murder by the Mile that have turned out nicely. Unfortunately, they're surrounded by chapters that aren't so good. I truly think this is what happens when I attempt to write a book without an outline. I don't intend to make that mistake again.

Health: I've been walking as often as I can fit it in, and I've been attempting to walk 2 miles when I do walk. Sometimes I can only fit in one mile, but I’ve noticed one mile doesn't give me the workout that I need. In a couple weeks I have to see the doctor again about getting my diabetes medication prescription refilled.

Job search: No joy here yet, but I did take another course at the local technology center. It was Intermediate Excel. I didn't do as good this time. We rapidly got over my head. I had to ask for help several times. I think the instructor was somewhat frustrated at me, but when I stopped asking, other people started asking questions. Although I had taken the beginning Excel class, the material and instructor assumed more familiarity with the material than I had. Still, I got my certificate for taking the class and can add it to my ever growing resume. My resume, by the way, may be my finest writing. I see a time in the future when it will hang in a museum, and people will come from around the world to marvel at its simple, clean beauty.

Outside: Been working on my pool a lot. It’s a stinkin’ green mess, but it’s slowly getting better. I’m hoping to have it clean and sparkling by next weekend.

Writing again: Tomorrow I start writing in earnest again. I’m decided to not let depression and health issue totally derail my dreams. I have no plans other than being at my computer early tomorrow and working on either Murder by the Mile or Debt Free At Last! A Beginner’s Guide to Money Management. Or maybe something else as the spirit moves me, but so help me Josephine, I will be writing!

And that’s what’s going on in my life.

Week 23

We're 23 weeks into 2011. Here's what's been going on:

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):   Since hubby's been back home, I haven't gotten much work done on Polar Bear on the Loose.  We're on the road this weekend, so I've been focused on other things.
 

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words six of seven days.  As some of you noticed, I missed writing on Thursday.  That broke my streak at, I believe, 359 days.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I've done the bare minimum.

Pets:
- The dogs are at the resort this weekend, and the cats are probably running amok at the house.

Property:
- I think I did something this week.  Can't really remember.

Health:
- Pretty light workout week, but I've gotten some stuff done.

- I am at 35 pounds lost on the WW program.  

- I'll add 18.77 miles to Walk Across Texas when I get back to the main machine.

Not very metric

Just a quickie post to check in. Most everything here is keeping on keeping on, but other than finishing touches in the bathroom and a bit of touch-up-painting, the house is ready to go. We'll probably list Wed or Thurs, after the bathroom's scrubbed and polished.

A couple of gals from my writing group came over for lunch and gabbing yesterday, and it was really fun. It was even nice enough outside that we sat out on the patio. Laura joined us. Much girl bonding was had by all!

Received another declination for M but it's already off to two other publishers. Yippee! I'm feeling kinda good about these two.

Planning on working on Dubric #4 today. Somehow. It's not that I have so much other stuff to do that I'm too busy and distracted, it's more an issue of me getting the focus and desire. But I need to get back to work on something, and I don't have any good ideas that are similar to M. So, I guess it's Dubric.

I hope you all have a great week!  {{huggs}}

Happy Sunday

This week we had at least a semblance of routine, and I wasn't quite sure how to react to it!

Writing: I did! A little, anyway. I got the first 1200 words of Honor, and all three of my main characters have been introduced. So far I'm even sticking to the outline, but I expect someone will go off on a tangent. After all, I didn't know until Thursday that the two guys were old school friends before they joined the Army, even though one is now the other's commander. I love that about writing.

Clutter: Erm, no. Have to get back to work on that. Company coming again in a few weeks.

Health: Down another half pound. At that rate I should hit my goal the middle of July, and then I'm going on maintenance until September 1, at which point I will decide if I want to go down 5-10 more pounds. My current goal is near the top end of where I want to be, so I probably will, but I'm not thinking about that right now. This last 5 pounds is enough to deal with.

Misc: Jeli goes to the vet on Thursday. Finally. Eric is out of town on business for a few days starting tomorrow. I'm working all next weekend. I think that about covers it.

Week 22

We're 22 weeks into 2011 and closing in on Memorial Day.  My favorite number. Here's what's been going on:

Polar Bear on the Loose (Revision, using How To Revise Your Novel):   I blew through Lessons 10 and 11 and am working on Lesson 12.  Lessons 10 and 11 was all about taking the things I've learned over the last nine weeks (year and a half, in my case) and mapping out the way ahead for the book.  In The Monastery, I came up with 78 scenes.  I put them in order and evaluated how much rewrite is required for each one (adding a few cards for the details I forgot that were still important).  There's a four card color scheme with red requiring almost a complete rewrite, orange half to three-quarters rewrite, yellow less than half rewrite required, and green for just minor rewriting.  I have 2 yellow and 2 green cards.  The rest are orange or red -- mostly red.

Then I got into Lesson 11, which involves calculating the right scene size and number of scenes for the length of book you want.  Since I had four scenes that basically worked, I took their average scene length and divided that by the length of book I wanted.  I had too many scenes, but that was actually a good thing.  I was concerned that too many of the cards were repetitious, so I was able to combine many scenes into one.  I was still short a few scenes on subplot, so I decided to add five scenes for Zero (Inuit's love interest and the father of her cubs).  I think it will develop him more as a viable character and should flesh out the story.  Pretty exciting stuff after all the trudging I've been doing.

 

Lesson 12 is where we evaluate our characters, and I anticipate this lesson will take me some time to complete, but I'm looking forward to it.
 

750words.com: I've written at least my 750 words each day and have a  current streak of 355 days.

Internet Responsibilities:
- I blogged this week

- Took care of a few FM beginning of month responsibilities.

Pets:
- They're all doing fine.
- I blogged about the cats and their complete and total domination.  Hubby, when I told him about Lady and Tarzan trying to get into the hamburger this morning said they were going to try to make his beef stroganoff.  (They love Daddy's cooking.)  Just a few minutes ago, I heard something in the kitchen, then I heard the plop of feet hitting the floor and decided I better check on things.  Sure enough, there's Lady on the counter amidst a sea of lentils.  I plan to make beef and lentil stew for supper tonight and had the half package of lentils on the counter.  I have to commend Lady and her housekeeping instincts, but sheesh.  (And yes, it's Tarzan's telltale foot plop that tends to alert me they're up to something, so he's just as guilty.)  I'll wash the lentils, and they should be fine to use.  I just chased her off my kitchen towel.  Nothing like being run over roughshod by a couple of 8 month old kittens.

- Dazzle is almost out walking me when she's trying to get by me to escape to the street.  I take this as a good thing.  Why is she so single minded about getting to the street?  I'm not sure, but she's had a long history of escaping the yard in the spring.  I guess her spring fever still burns strong. 

- My life has been ruled by dogs and cats for the last couple of weeks, but that is about to change next week.  Hubby comes back to town, and he'll take over -- or they'll all gang up on me.

Property:
- I got the yard mowed at the house

- I got the yard mowed at the store

- I shredded the sticks in the back yard

- I shredded nearly a full tub of linoleum over at the shop for road base material

- I got laundry done and general clean up around the house

- I got all the gas cans refilled (gas in town was down to $3.59)

Health:
- I've gotten plenty of workouts in this week -- mostly walking the dog, digging sticker burs in the yard, and mowing at two places.
- I am at 32.2 pounds lost on the WW program.  I officially have less than 100 pounds to lose.  That's pretty exciting.

- I'm mostly wearing XL T-shirts now.  I had to get a new belt, and I've felt comfortable enough a couple of days this week to tuck in my shirts.
- I added 23.51 miles to Walk Across Texas.