M. Jean Pike's Blog, page 20

Another one finished… And another one starting?

I finished the cat puzzle. Once I got going it wasn’t as difficult as I’d thought it would be, and truthfully it was really fun to watch as one by one all the cute kittens took shape.

I know I said I was taking a little writing break but… I’d started a new story months ago, before I decided to work on a new Christmas novella for next year, and kind of forgot about it. A funny thing happened while I was puzzling. My abandoned “people” started whispering to me… Remember us?

I was about three chapters in when I set it aside, but after I finished my puzzle, I opened the file to refresh my memory. Turns out I do remember them, and I like them very much! I don’t really know exactly where I was going with their story, but I have a feeling they are about to tell me

The party no one went to

There are things that just seem to stay with us, aren’t there? Things that have made such an indelible impression, have become such important life lessons, that we return to them again and again in memories. One of those things for me was a birthday party. The party has appeared more than once in my stories in different variations.

I was probably eight or nine when I received the party invitation in school one day. I will never forget the girl’s name, but for the purposes of this post I’ll call her Sally. I remember the groans and smirks of my classmates as Sally handed out the invitations. Under our teacher’s watchful eye, we dutifully stuck them in notebooks and pockets, but later they could be found in wastebaskets, and strewed in crumpled, pink piles on the playground. Nobody was going to the party. I felt bad for Sally, but I wasn’t one of the popular kids myself, and I was not yet strong enough in my character to stand on my convictions. I wasn’t going either.

I didn’t throw my invitation away, and few days later my mother came across it in with my school work. She wanted to know why I hadn’t told her about the party. I told her I wasn’t going. And I told her why. She asked me how I would feel if I had a party, and no one came. At that point in my life I could bear just about anything except my beautiful mother’s disappointment. We bought a gift, and the following Saturday she dropped me off at Sally’s house.

Sally’s family was so happy to see me. I remember the little party bags all lined up on the coffee table, waiting for kids that would never receive them. Sally’s siblings were there, along with assorted aunts and uncles. And me. We played the party games. We ate the cake and sang the song. After Sally opened my gift, we went outside and played in the creek until my mother came to retrieve me. I learned a life changing lesson that day. About kindness, and empathy. About not thinking others are beneath you.  

Did I have a good time? I honestly couldn’t tell you. As often as I have been back to that party, you’d think I would remember.

Muffins and some cats

We got another couple of inches of snow on Saturday, so I caught a ride to work. I could probably have gotten my car out, but it was a closing shift, and I was afraid that with new snow sitting on top of what we already had, I might not see my path in the dark and might have trouble getting back in the driveway. (During a snow a couple of years ago I ended up in my neighbor’s yard, lol.) Since I had yesterday off, I spent about 20 minutes shoveling , just to knock down the high spots. I have chronic back problems, so 20 minutes was plenty. Before I went out, I made a batch of Banana Nut Muffins, adding some of the blackberries I had put in the freezer from last summer. With a cup of coffee, it was a nice little reward when I came back in from shoveling!

Our library had another puzzle swap this week. I had planned to go but with the weather being what it has, I never made it over there. The cold weather has definitely put me in puzzle mode, so I pulled this one out of my closet and started it. It’s very cute, but the pieces are a little smaller than I like, and a lot of the cats are similar in color and markings so it may take me awhile to get it done.

But hey, I have all winter, right?

So far…

We are now twelve days into the new year, and I wanted to check in and share my progress on my goals. I wanted to do a ‘No Spend” month but had to divert from that twice, one for a happy reason (A friend from church had her first baby girl on the 3rd , Yayy! I just had to spoil the little angel with a baby gift ) The second spend was not anywhere near as much fun. We got hit with a foot of snow, and then freezing rain, so I had to withdraw some money to have my driveway cleared. The weather has not been kind so far and I am so thankful for the kindness of my neighbors. I hope this is not how the winter is going to be…

Needless to say I haven’t ventured very far from home this week so as far as my Do Right goal I haven’t had a lot of opportunities. I did manage to get to work every day, so I did my part to keep the store open. Being a pharmacy, it is important to be open so people can get their medicines.

I have been able to stick with my “No Sweets” plan, though, and have been trying to make healthier dinner choices. I made a cabbage stir fry the other night. It was delicious!

Being hunkered down here I have made quite a bit of progress on my list of pleasures, lol. I finished a 1000 piece puzzle and have read two books and am about halfway through a third. Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta was a super interesting read about a young woman with Chronic Lyme Disease, with a little romance sprinkled in for good measure The Letters by Luanne Rice was a lovely story of a marriage restored, told through letters between a husband and wife. Currently I am reading The American Wife by Chrystyna LucyK-Berger. I love World War II stories and this one, about the American wife of a diplomat in Austria, has been sitting on my Kindle for quite some time. So far I really love it.

As for my writing, I have completed my first round of edits for my new book, SUPERHEROES! I am anxiously awaiting my cover art. Always such an exciting time. I made this little video to try and generate some early interest. What do you think?

Something New

So I am off to a pretty good start. How are you doing with your goals?

First puzzle of the new year!

I finished it in just over a week. It has been quite some time since I’ve tackled a 1000 piece puzzle but the different squares made it easier than scenery would have been.

I got this at a garage sale last summer, so I was pleasantly surprised all the pieces were there. It was kind of silly, but a fun way to pass a few hours on some cold, snowy days.

Now I am anxious to start another. It’s quite an addicting hobby!

The park in winter

On Sunday, overnight our little corner of the world turned very white and very quiet. I think we got just over a foot of snow, which was not unusual in my home state of New York, but is not very common here in Southern Ohio. Pretty, but I forgot how much I don’t miss it. Not when it comes by the foot. I have spent the last couple of days dealing with snow removal and trying to stay warm. They had warned of power and Internet disruptions and I am thankful that didn’t happen. I thought you might like to see a pic of our park blanketed in snow.

The Sheriff’s Department closed the roads to unnecessary travel for two days. It was strange to see Main Street so still. I saw this meme that morning and had to chuckle, because it seems so “me!”

I didn’t go for coffee, but I did have to go to work that day.

What’s the weather been like where you are?

It’s Gotcha Day!

Ten years ago today she came into my life, a rowdy one-year-old who chewed up my socks and ate from my garbage can. I didn’t know what I was going to do with her. Now I don’t know what I would do without her.

Happy Gotcha Day my sweet girl.

My faithful friend.

My Miss Emma.

Pleasures

Good morning! I hope your 2025 is off to a great start. This is my first day off in a few days and I plan to thoroughly enjoy a quiet day at home, mindful of simple pleasures. After putting a pork roast in the crock pot for a pulled pork dinner tonight (one of my favorites!) I threw my bedding in the wash and cleaned up the dishes. Nothing like the pleasure of crawling into bed at night with freshly washed sheets. Then I’d planned to spend some uninterrupted quiet time writing, but…

My neighbors are getting a new roof put on today. Right outside Miss Emma’s window. She couldn’t be more delighted, as this will give her a full day (maybe more) of barking pleasure.

But speaking of pleasure, is there anything as comforting as a new pair of slippers and some fuzzy socks? My workplace sells both, so every year on the day after Christmas when they go on sale, I treat myself!

Life’s simple pleasures really are the best

For Today

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what changes I want to make in the new year. I’ve decided to make no grandiose plans that I can’t and won’t follow through with, but just take small steps every day to improve some areas of my life.

I’d like to get my finances under control. Between Miss Emma’s vet bills and some medical bills of my own, I find myself with an uncomfortable amount of debt just now. I saw that another blogger was doing a “No Spend” January so I have decided to try it myself. Other than the essentials, rent, car payment, groceries, utilities, and gas, I’m going to try not to spend any money. Whatever I manage to save this month I will throw at my bills and hopefully I can make some progress.

For today, I did not spend a penny.

I also need to take control of my health. I stepped on the scales this morning and I was not impressed. I’m sure when I go for my checkup on the 30th my doctor won’t be either. In addition to the No Spend, I’m also going to try a No Sweets month for January. Maybe cutting back on the sugar will decrease some of the inflammation and ease my chronic back pain. If I lose a pound or two, that will be a welcome bonus!

For today, I did not eat any sweets.

Do Right. Years ago when my son played high school football his coach said something that has stuck with me. He told the team that the most important two words they could live by in every area of life were DO RIGHT. I want to do right this year, in my thoughts and actions. There is a scripture verse that God keeps bringing to my attention. Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (NIV) As I go through my days, I pray that God would open my eyes to the works that He has prepared for me and help me to be faithful to do them.

 For today, I did my regular work at my regular job, but I tried to be more mindful of doing it well.

I want to take the time to do the things that enrich me and bring me pleasure. I set a very ambitious goal of reading 60 books this year. I will try for five in January.

My writing. I have a new book coming out in 2025 and I’m so very excited about it. (More about that soon!) The bulk of my writing time in the next few weeks will go toward editing and working on my marketing plan.

I’m setting this all down to keep myself accountable. For today I did OK. And really, today is the only one we can be sure of

What are your goals for the year, and what steps will you take to get there?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my awesome blogging friends! May God bless you richly and may your sweetest dreams come true