Fuzzed

I'll get this, but right now, I'm feeling fuzzed. I think most of us are, even if it's for different reasons.

Here's what I did get done this week:

• Dentist appointment rescheduled
• Made good progress on floors.
• Lady, Tarzan, and Daphne are all taken care of.
• I got a few more Polar Bear on the Loose PACTS sentences done, but I'm not finished.
• Medical Power of Attorney signed and witnessed.
• The VA rep isn't there on Tuesdays, so I'll go back on Wednesday this coming week.

I'm not going to focus on what I didn't get done. For tomorrow:

• Proof BSF
• Fill in tax forms and check numbers.
• Check over the Wildlife Management Report
• Draft a book review I promised to a friend (due March 12)
• Make four copies of Medical Power of Attorney

For the Week Ahead:

• Visit with VA Rep on Wednesday and determine what paperwork I'll need to file
• Turn in Medical Power of Attorney at VA
• Be here Monday for the HVAC guy to do more extensive troubleshooting on the system -- a limiter switch is tripping, but he believes there's an underlying cause, and he wants to ferret it out. He's done what you're never supposed to do and bypassed the limiter, so the unit is working. (Amateurs, don't try this at home.  Only have a trained professional perform these feats.)
• Try out the recliner I think I want. The version available is in a size that may not be right -- I'll see when I "try it on for size."
• Pick up prescription refills. When my doc gives me my new prescription in June, I'm going to find out how much it will cost me to get it filled at the clinic. I don't seem to care about making that extra hour's drive to the post to get them for free and suspect what I pay for the Tricare co-pay may be cheaper than the gas to go get them. (Even with them jacking up co-pays.)
• Try to find a KMart for a piece of luggage Mr. L wants for the trip.
• Get the recliner situation resolved so I can focus on preparing for the Grand Tour and enjoying it.
• Schedule more blog posts.

On Sale March 30!

Quick update

Disclaimer: I'm posting from my iPad. Please excuse typos.

Mom and I have been downstate since Monday getting the house ready. Vicky and Emma (Alex's girlfriend) were here cleaning yesterday, and it's a good thing because I was sick. The short version is be careful when you dump juice from a package of cut fruit into a smoothie. Take extra care to be sure there's not a stray silica pack in there because if you drink it, it will tear you up. I promise.

Anyhow, the gals got a ton of cleaning done yesterday, and since I was feeling a little more human by dinner time I took them out to dinner. They earned it and more. Mom, Emma and I finished it off today, and the first realtor seemed to think we could get a quick sale and good price. She had suggestions about staging and didn't tell me I HAD to paint but suggested we neutralize the office if nothing else.

Tomorrow, the second one comes, and then MOM and I are going back to Chicago for a few days. I have a friend coming to visit--it's been planned for a couple months--and will allow us to get a breakaway and gather supplies. We will be back part of next week to touch up paint and pack stuff going to storage. I plan to make at least one Good Will run and need to figure out where to donate appliances and large furniture. Salvation Army doesn't pick up here, and the one our old church sponsors doesn't take what I have.

Needless to say, the only writing related things I've been able to do are read the new stories going into Blackbirds. Honestly, writing this post feels great. It's been so chaotic it's nice to be alone with the fireplace for a while.

So that's where we are. I keep reminding myself this is a season, and the sooner I get done what I need to, the sooner I can get on with life. It's hard, but having mom here has helped a lot. She's such a trooper and the girls were a godsend. Are. They are a godsend. This house has never been this clean! I'll post pics later.

Hope y'all are staying warm and dry.

Winter Advisory

They are different in Texas than up north, but it's chilly and dreary today, with cold and dreary forecast for at least the next two days, possibly with ice involved. Our upstairs heater, the one that heats the front bedrooms (yes, ours) has a fan running constantly. Probably a relay, but that will mean another service call from our trusty heating and AC guy. It will be a good time to request an estimate for replacing these two units (Mr. L wants another heat pump to replace the two upstairs units). We want to do it in April after the cold usually leaves and before the heat arrives.

February is roaring to a close, and I still have a few things to accomplish toward my goals for this month. I did more research on Total Knee Replacement. Did you know there's an app for that?

I have not looked at the Wildlife Management Report. We have the draft of taxes completed. I completed the next block of Scene Sentences for Polar Bear on the Loose.  I want to finish all for the book this week, which, at this point, is ambitious.

The Week Ahead:

• Polar Bear on the Loose PACTS sentences for each scene (I have most of them, but they tend to be missing conflict)
• Review Wildlife Management Report and ensure it's ready for Mr. L's approval before we sign and submit (not until he gets back from San Antonio the first week of March)
• Review taxes and begin filling in the final version of the forms for mailing off.
• Focus on floors this week
• Get my new medical power of attorney signed by two unrelated witnesses and make copies to turn in at the VA and King's Daughters Clinic. Addresses and phone numbers changed from my old one, so I need to update it, especially with the looming surgery.
• Physical Therapy appointment at the VA on Tuesday.  While I'm there, I need to arrange for an exchange of medical records between my two PCMs.  I also need to talk to a VA rep about the process for filing for temporary full disability and increase in rating due to the total knee replacement (TKR) (I've been hearing the VA grants a temporary 100% disability rating for up to a year with TKR).
• Reschedule May dentist appointment to before the surgery
• Proof BSF
• Pick up Lady and Daphne and take Tarzan in for his annual exam and vaccinations

Probably other stuff, but that's more than enough for now.

I Leveled the Weeds

I failed to put the fall weed and feed down, so, once again, I have winter weeds growing like, well, weeds in the yard. I think they grow even if I remember to apply the fall weed and feed, which may be why I keep "forgetting" to do it. I can't forget to do it, because it's on my Things list, staring at me prominently with a red highlighted box telling me I'm 96 days overdue on that task. Today, I backed out the lawn mower, and leveled them, placing the bags by the side of the road for the trash guys to whisk away tomorrow.

The exciting news, already posted elsewhere, is the orthopedic surgeon is happy to do my knees whenever I want. Of course, now, my mind is picking at that saying, what's wrong with this guy that he's not backed up for three months and can take me whenever I want. He has five star reviews on the web, and I felt comfortable meeting with him on Friday. I'm calling to set up the first surgery and pre-op stuff on Tuesday. Preferred date is April 21 (that gives me two weeks after we return from the Grand Tour to unwind, prepare the house for me to be on one floor, and to do the pre-op appointments -- blood work and and EKG. I presume I'll meet with the doc to go over what to expect from the surgery. I imagine that will all take place in one day. I want to schedule the second one for three months later on July 28, but I guess we'll have to see how this one goes first.

I'm doing the physical therapy. I got the Lycra sleeves for my braces.  Brown Lycra is on sale at Hancock Fabrics for half price ($9/yard instead of $17/yard), I'm thinking about getting some and making a few more sleeves. Use the ones I have for a pattern, stitch the seam up the back, and maybe even hem them. That's a lot less than $50 a pair, and I'll have a few pair to alternate to allow time for washing between wearing.  Tammy, stretchy fabrics can be tricky. Anything special I need to do? Or should I take the fabric to my mom and have her whip them out?

The pre-programming of dinner into Lose It! is making a difference. I'm doing a better job of meeting my goal, and weight is going in the right direction.

I finished the Wildlife Management report this week. I need to look it over and have Mr. L approve it, then we can turn it in. We started looking at taxes last night, but until Mr. L does his royalty calculations, we can't do much more. We need to find one bank statement from one of Mr. L's accounts, and we'll be able to push ahead. I got more yard work completed and have a tentative plan for the next bit to do. Not much work accomplished on Polar Bear on the Loose this week. I have the book broken into parts and have color coded the scene sentences and am working on those.  I have the first part documented and am working on the rest.

The Week Ahead:

• Heading to Dallas Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to see a friend, the kids, and walk a swap meet. It's supposed to rain the whole time. Joy.
• Lady and Daphne will spend the weekend with Dr. Val and her staff. Lady will get her annual exam and shots. I'll take Tarzan with me on Monday when I pick them up, and he'll get his annual exam and shots.
• Work on Polar Bear on the Loose
• Continue Total Knee Replacement research

Oh, look, it's snowing again

We've been having lake effect flurries on and off today, which is odd because when it's not snowing, the sky is blue with puffy clouds. Most peculiar.

There hasn't been much going on. The weather kept me inside for several days and depression started to kick in. Fortunately I recognized it as cabin fever and invented a few reasons to get out and about. The extra activity and recent sunshine helped quite a lot.

Since my Blackbirds obligations are mostly done, I started reading through Keeper of Doves. I made some notes of things I need to change, found a few inconsistencies which are already fixed. I need to lengthen it quite a bit. It's a bit shy of 45,000 words, so it's not a marketable length. Too short for a novel, too long for a novella. I might need to add a subplot.

I found out this morning I have a paid storytelling gig in May, and maybe a volunteer one next month, which I hope will be an audition for another paid one. It stinks to be an artist in a world where people take art for granted and don't want to pay for it. If they decide they want me for the one next month I'm at least going to wangle free clan space and some food vouchers out of them.

Next Sunday my mom is coming. She'll be here overnight, and Monday morning we're going downstate to work on the house. I have two realtors coming in to give me estimates on listing prices and to see what they think needs to be done to sell it fast. I wish it was over already.

Chicago is a weird city. For some reason, the people here think if you dig out a parking space on the street to get your car out, the space should be there when you come back. They call it dibs, and it's illegal, but they still do it. No one does anything to stop them until the snow melts, at which time the city workers come and collect the trash on the streets. They'll put lawn chairs and buckets and all manner of junk in the space to keep people from parking there. If you move their trash to park in the spot, you risk being yelled at, sprayed with a garden hose, or having your car vandalized. I read a story about a lady who parked partially in a dibs spot, and when she drove away her brakes lines had been cut.  It's a very divisive issue. Some think it's a time-honored tradition that should be legal from November to April. Others think it's a travesty and those who do it should be tarred and feathered. There doesn't seem to be any in-between ground, except of course for those of us who have garage parking and think the whole issue is silly.

I think that's about it. We're dealing with the cold and the associated inconveniences of city living.Y'all have a good week, and stay warm.

"Blackbirds First Flight" Interview with author Stephen B. Bagley

We've dented well into February

It's after 11 on Sunday night and I've been up since a little after 6 am - after getting to bed well after 1 am - so I'm pretty tired. SPORE's ebook page proofs are proofed, tho, on time and under budget as I like to say, and I only had 11 little things to fix. Two were, I think, dangling participles (I am, frankly, pretty much ignorant on the intricacies of grammar terminology) where I'd have something like 'he pulled his pants on' instead of 'he pulled on his pants'. So twice I had to move prepositions a couple of words to the left. I missed an 'a' and a 'the', had three instances of repeating words in close proximity, one screwed up chapter graphic - totally my fault - and a few slight formatting changes at the beginning of the book. Otherwise, it seemed to be clean and hopefully perfect.

I'm confident I've missed something, no book is perfect, but it's as close as I can get it to be and I'm delighted. I've asked if this will be the only set of proofs or if we'll have to do it again with the print version. I'm kind of new to this simultaneous print and ebook realm.

I'm back on STAIN tomorrow. with luck.

Since Laura is working full time now, I'm hanging with my granddaughter pretty much every day for about 10 hours, give or take, mostly give. The house doesn't seem to settle down until 10pm or later, which is, frankly, too late to get started on writing, especially if I have to be up around 7am or so. Whee. She also has the car, so LittleMiss and I are totally stranded until either Laura or Bill gets home which, with all his overtime, is around 7pm or a little later. We're totally stocked with food, though and I filled up the fridge w/ produce on Saturday.

Therapy is going well. I'm taller. I know it sounds bonky, but when I walked out after one session week before last I was nearly TWO INCHES taller. It's weird being obviously taller than Bill. I've always been a smidge taller (a quarter inch or so, most of the time depending on shoes and where we're standing) but I am now Definitely Taller. I'm also taking less shit, which is probably for the best. I have a feeling she's almost done re-wiring my brain. It's been a journey, but a good one. This week, I've resumed tracking food via fitbit and have exercised once. It should have been more, but page proofs sucked up all my non-munchkin time.

Got my teeth cleaned this past week for the first time in probably a decade. I know that sounds gross, but we simply did not have the money, we just didn't. We'd just added dental insurance coverage in December, tho, which gives 2 cleanings and full xrays twice a year, so I went in. Bill'd already started his new dental journey last fall and he'd had major work done despite being a compulsive flosser. I was worried. I try to take really good care of my teeth since both of my folks had dentures and/or partials for most of my life. I did have some cavities, six REALLY TEENSY ones which will be fixed in March, but that's it. I'm not thrilled w/ the idea of six dinky cavities, I'd only had two fillings, ever, one because of the calcium depletion of having a baby (thanks, Laura!) and the other because I broke a tip off when I bit on something hard (I used to eat ice), but it's a helluva lot better than root canals, pullings, caps, or whatever. The technician said they looked great (and she couldn't see anything at all wrong besides some tartar! Yippee!) but one showed up on xray and the rest while the dentist poked at the grinding surfaces of my molars. Utterly painless, teeny, itsy bitsy dots. Thank goodness.

To celebrate finishing proofs, I went out by myself tonight (aaaah, solitude lol) and saw American Sniper. I thought it was an excellent film. Since I've never been in the military, I cannot vouch to its authenticity, but as a PTSD sufferer... yeah, that I totally empathized with. Eastwood is a fantastic director, the entire cast did a great job., and, considering the subject matter, I found it balanced and thoughtful.

The only thing I've sewn since last weekend was a patch for my chambray shirt.

Anyway, I'm fine, good even, just crazy busy being a gramma. But that's just fine. :)

Have a great week, everyone!! {{hugs}}

"Blackbirds First Flight" Interview with author Wendy Blanton

Blowin' in the Wind

Everything's great.  Really. Surprisingly, it is. I still feel discombobulated and unsettled. I'm pretty sure I'm in the place (or close enough to it) where Tammy was when she had to completely redo Ghosts in the Snow before publication. And Ghosts in the Snow is a beautiful masterpiece. So, yes, I feel as if I'm completely redoing Polar Bear on the Loose. More wild bear time. More troubled transition to figuring out human culture. Conflict. An antagonist (or two). I agree these are essential to the story. Sigh. Chopping some things and adding others.  I'm so darned s-l-o-w at this. I'm frustrated by myself. I have to figure out this writing thing, but I feel as if I'm running through tar pits as I try to figure it all out.

But what's great? The glass inventory is done (except for a few more pieces I found in the dining room last night as part of this month's decluttering effort), so January's decluttering task is declared a success. This month's focus is on the dining room. Most of the dining room is stuffed with Mr. L's car part and Legos and his glass, but I have enough things in there that need to be dealt with, because there is no reason to have anything other than a few trinkets in the dining room. I'm also dusting and doing a general sprucing up of things in there as I work. I found my Leica camera in the antique icebox. I'd been looking for it to send to my uncle, who collects cameras. I'm trading cameras for 1/16th scale models of the '46 Mercurys. My decluttering goal for this year is on track.

Surprisingly, and at a great risk of jinxing us, Mr. L must have set a goal for himself to be more agreeable with me, because since the first of the year, we've had far fewer flare ups between us (I set a similar goal). I know we should talk these things out, but that rarely seems to work. I have mentioned his agreeableness and how much I appreciate it, and he said he's been trying.

USAA is displaying my credit score on my page now. It said it had three positives and three negatives.  The three negatives are no recent mortgage information (I'm not going to get a mortgage to improve my credit score.  No way.); no recent loans (this could be a problem, because someday, I might want a loan, and I remember the troubles I had getting one when I hadn't had one--I'll probably finance my next truck and pay it off over six months or so); and no carry over balances on my credit cards (this should be fixed after the last several months when I've been carrying over some balance, but I'm still not wild to do this). All this to say my financial goals are on track.

I've started programming the evening meal into LoseIt! in advance.  This helps, because I can see what's planned for dinner and as I track throughout the day, I can keep myself from going over my goal much more easily.

The city must have had troubles programming the new water rates into the computer, because our water bills, which usually arrive on the first, didn't get here until the 4th this month. Our new standard water bill is $210 a month. Averaging $70 a month each  for water, sewer, and trash (we have three, and one doesn't have a sewer charge, so the actual price is really higher). I don't like to pay it, but I can handle it.  I think of all the people in town who struggled to pay the old water bill, which was between $30 and $50 a month, and am sad for them. The city needs to replace their water plant and infrastructure, so I couldn't protest it when they put the increase before the city council, but...man.  Once I paid that, I was able to schedule the last bill for the month, so bills are paid.

I did no actual work at physical therapy on Tuesday.  I talked with the therapist who offered me a set of what I think he called "off-load" braces before giving me a couple of sheets of isometric exercises to do which will help strength my supporting muscles to help my joints be more stable. I love the new braces. I can almost walk normally with much less pain. They're big and bulky, but, oh, they make such a different.  I'm tempted to hug that man at the end of the month during my follow-up visit. I also stopped at my primary care physician's office and asked for the orthopedic consult.  They're supposed to call me when it comes through to schedule an appointment. After a couple of days, I've been able to get my recumbent bike time back up to twenty minutes.  I had some chafing problems with the new braces, but I'm getting them worked out (ordered some sleeves to wear underneath, but in the interim thigh high hose work well).

Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so I did a little more of my winter yard work.  I did it during the two hours I could wear my new braces, and it really helped.

The Week Ahead:

• I need to tackle the Wildlife Management report this week. I want it done before we depart for the Grand Tour. This means selecting and printing photos of the work we've done, copying receipts, and finalizing the report and printing it. This is not hard work. I keep delaying it.
• We need to begin looking at taxes.  I'm not sure if we have all the 1099s yet or not, but I think we do. We'd like them to be done before we depart for the Grand Tour, too.
• Keep exercising and staying within my goals for calorie intake. I'm hoping the civilian doc will not hold my age and weight against me, but I do understand less is better for this procedure. I'm discouraged by my past failures, but I also understand that doesn't mean I can't succeed now and in the future.
• Keep moving forward with Polar Bear on the Loose revision to the revision.
• Weather is supposed to be gorgeous this week, so I plan to get more yard work completed.

"Blackbirds First Flight" Interview with Author Jean Schara

Greetings from the White North

It's not snowing as hard as I thought it would. Even so, we've gotten a good 5" of snow if I'm guessing right. There's a telephone pole outside my window where it's accumulating nicely. It's not supposed to stop until early tomorrow, and we may yet have blizzard conditions. I'm good with that. My pantry and fridge are stocked, and I've cleaned and filled the guest bathtub in case we lose power. I'll start chili cooking in the crockpot in a little while. I've got nowhere I need to be, some I'm content to watch it snow. The road crews are going to have their hands full just keeping snow routes clear. Even with the weather, I'm so glad to be home.

I have my feet back under me, but it took a couple days. I didn't feel fully rested until Thursday. I spent Monday and Tuesday snacking and have that under control. I still have gear to put away, but the suitcases are unpacked and stowed, and the laundry I brought home is washed. What we've accumulated since I got home isn't, of course. Laundry is never done.

We've finally figured out gluten doesn't like Eric. We suspected he might have that sensitivity, but it wasn't until after Christmas he finally made a concerted effort not to eat it. He's been back to it the last few days, and the old issues have returned, so it looks like we'll be adding wheat to the list of things to look for on food labels. We'll be eating paleo before it's all said and done!

This week:
- Fix Fairy Repentance
- Go over Anne's short and send it on
- I have a couple evening meetings this week (church stuff)
- Buy a shovel after they restock from the blizzard

I think that's about it from here.