Tues. March 26, 2024: When You Leave the House Without Coffee
Image courtesy of Engin Akyurt via pixabay.comTuesday, March 26, 2024
Waning Moon
Partly sunny and a little warmer
How was your weekend? How’d you like the lunar eclipse?
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 175: The Seduction of Money
When it comes to corruption, “follow the money” is a sensible philosophy.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 80: Dinner with Tom and His Dad
Tom brings his father to see Nina’s show; their pity that she has to work on the holiday grates on her.
I was out of the house early on Friday morning. Headed first to Wild Oats for a few things. Swung by the pharmacy to pick up my mom’s prescription. Went to Big Y, where I bought more than I planned, sort of meal plan on the fly.
It was too early to go to the library, so I hauled everything home and put it away, then did the three chapters’ worth of edits on CAST IRON MURDER, and did the DEADLY DRAMATICS videos for the week.
By then, we had to have an early lunch so that we could go up to the hospital for my mom’s echocardiogram. It went well, and the tech told her that her heart is in such good shape she’ll be around until she’s at least 105, which cheered her up. She asked why her blood pressure was up, and he told her there are plenty of theories, but no one knows.
We rolled down the hill and stopped at the library on the way home; lots of books came in, including an antique book in special wrapping from the Worcester Library.
Grabbed a stack of scripts for the beginning of the week to earn some cash.
Was a cat mattress for the short remainder of the afternoon, then baked salmon in honey soy sauce with green beans and sweet potatoes roasted with cinnamon and cumin. It was delicious.
Slept pretty well Friday into Saturday. The plows woke me at 3:30, but I went right back to sleep and dreamed I ran a workshop for kids. I hope it paid well.
It switched between snow and sleet on Saturday.
I did some ancestor work early in the morning. After breakfast, I went back to CAST IRON MURDER. I finished the draft a little after 10 AM, which felt good.
I had to adjust my mom’s medication a bit. The blood pressure numbers have steadily gone up the last few days, even though she’s feeling better.
I turned around the four small coverages I hadn’t done on Friday. I did the episode videos for the week for DEADLY DRAMATICS and got them uploaded/scheduled to TikTok.
Tried a recipe that didn’t work as expected. It still tasted good, although it didn’t look like much. I found another variation on it, which I will try in a few weeks.
Finished DEAD LAND by Sara Paretsky, which was very well done. She’s able to fit such a large scope into a tightly woven story.
Read a memoir by someone I mostly know via social media. We were in NYC at the same time, but our paths did not cross, because we were part of different worlds which only occasionally intersected. While I respect the writing a lot, this is someone I prefer from a distance.
Didn’t sleep well Saturday into Sunday.
The snow had stopped overnight. We had around 6 or 8 inches off and on all day on Saturday, sometimes turning into rain, then switching back. It was a big, mucky mess.
Sunday was sunny and bright, although cold. I read for pleasure during the day: D IS for DEADBEAT. I forgot how sad that one was. E IS FOR EVIDENCE. Still not sure how I feel about that one. Started F IS FOR FUGITIVE.
I remember, when I first read the series, how disappointed I was at the fact Kinsey drank white wine. It seemed too girly for me; not feminine, but girly But then, I’m someone who prefers red wine, although in food pairings, I’m coming to appreciate white more with particular dishes. And I drink chilled rosé most of the summer.
In between the reading, I did a deep clean of the room right off the front porch that we call “Tessa’s room” because that’s where her food dishes are. It’s a small room, but the deep clean took most of the day, off and on. I had to polish the wood, clean the glass-paneled door to the porch, clean the rug, wash the knickknacks, decide what to do with various items that migrated there over the course of the winter, but don’t really belong there. I kept picking things up with, “Do I really want this here?” and when I didn’t, I found a new place for it.
I am not a minimalist. If people like minimalism and don’t want stuff around, that’s up to them. I like having items on shelves and tables and bureaus that mean something. I don’t mind cleaning them when they need it, because it gives me a chance to reconnect with those items and their stories.
I’m looking at a lot of joyful decorating on IG lately. Some of it is not my style and would be a bit much for me to live with, but I like looking at it and getting all kinds of ideas, even if I tweak them to suit my likes. It’s a lot of fun.
I tend to scroll past the sterile rooms in neutrals, though. Especially if they don’t have bookcases.
Anyway, the slow work of going room by room to deep clean has begun. I cleaned the lovely ceiling trim and the trim around the doors and the windows, too. We live in a city and we like windows open when the weather allows. Things get dirty, although it’s not the oily dirt we had on Cape Cod, much of which was due to gas powered leaf blowers and chain saws being run 24/7 as the environment is decimated for short-term rentals.
I still have to break down some boxes and clean the heating vents and behind the door, but, for the most part, that room is done. It looks and feels more cheerful now. I still have to hang a painting in there, too. I’d like to hang the horse tapestry, but not sure how to fasten it without putting holes in the wall. And, with the painting, it might be a little too much and make an already small room feel closed in, rather than cozy. The tapestry might do better in the sewing room.
Mid-afternoon, I went down to dig out the car. Not fun, especially since the plow had pushed piles of snow behind the car and it froze down, and I had to chip that all down and move it out of the way. But I didn’t want to have to deal with it in the morning.
Did not sleep well Sunday into Monday, fretting about the car repair.
Up early, morning routine, had the car at the garage by 8 AM. I noticed on my way there, how many women had taken the time to dig out their cars yesterday, and now got in their cars and drove off, while the men just tried to force their cars over the top of ice piles and wondered why they got stuck. And yes, yesterday I saw a good many women in the neighborhood out there with shovels!
Took a cab home. Walked to the bank to deposit the check that arrived from Llewellyn. The sidewalks were treacherous, but all of us who were on foot helped each other over the snow piles left on the sidewalks by the plows at the sides of driveways. They really need to do something about the sidewalks in winter.
Deposited the check, came home, and had a terrible time concentrating.
Finished F IS FOR FUGITIVE. Worked on the other big grant proposal that has to go out this week. I have to finish the budget and then it can go. All the other work is ready; although I have to figure out the specific pages I want to include as a work sample.
Finished the book for review, although I didn’t write the review. I’ll get that out this morning.
The car was ready by about 3 PM, but it took an hour for the cab to pick me up and get me over there. But I got there, held my breath and paid (it was only about $50 more than the estimate), and drove home. It feels good on the road, so let’s hope this solves the problem.
But I was wrecked by the time I got home. I mean, I’d figured by about lunchtime this would be a lost day, but still. . .
Dipsy Effing Doodle moved his car to straddle his space and mine as soon as I left yesterday morning. And yet, when I returned, I still managed to thread the needle and get into what was left of my spot. He left a couple of hours later (he had to enter the car on the passenger side), so I moved my car to where it should be. At this point, after an effing YEAR of conversations, it’s not carelessness. It’s him being a jerk.
Nancy Hendrickson’s ANCESTRAL TAROT arrived. I found it much more confusing than her ANCESTRAL GRIMOIRE, but maybe it’s because I haven’t yet sorted out the genealogy/tarot balance yet. I’m curious to try some of the techniques in the book. I don’t want to wait until I’ve worked my way through ANCESTRAL GRIMOIRE (which is a year’s worth of work, even though I did the first 3 months’ work this month to catch up). But I think I will wait to try anything until the eclipses and Mercury Retrograde are done. Because I’ll have my hands full with those.
Yeah. Mercury Retrograde during End of Play when I’m finishing THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. Fun times. Yes, that was sarcasm.
Speaking of which, the bridge collapse in Baltimore is horrifying. Not surprising, particularly, but horrifying.
Last week, I’d been thinking about an old friend, who was very important to my early years in NY. She left New York, shortly before I made the leap from off-Broadway to Broadway, returning to Ohio, to be closer to her family and take a teaching job. We lost touch, but I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. I went to hunt down her contact information last week – and learned she died last year.
I’ve been mourning her loss for most of a week now. Yesterday, I decided that I will include her in the inspiration women art project (that of the bowls and wooden spoons). She would find that hilarious and love it. I miss her, and wish we’d kept in closer touch.
Overslept. The cats rousted me out of bed at 5:54 this morning. I flung food in bowls, scrambled into clothes, and made it to the laundromat by 6:10 (I always pack everything the night before). I was home by 7:30, but I still need to fold it and put it all away. One set of fleece sheets is ready to pack away until next Winter Solstice!
On today’s agenda: get the videos for this week’s episodes of LEGERDEMAIN and ANGEL HUNT done and scheduled. Get the review written and out the door. Work on at least one episode of LEGERDEMAIN (I run out of episodes this week and only have one ready for revision). Work on the grant proposal. Turn around a couple of coverages. Work on a pitch for a regional magazine.
I want to go to both hours of yoga tonight. I was going to say, “that will be my reward for getting my work done” but no, just no. I don’t need to earn my yoga class. It’s vital to my wellbeing.
My mom’s doing better, and we’re slowly adding activities back in. Let’s hope it continues.
I finally had my first cup of coffee (imagine – I left the house without coffee this morning and nobody was mortally wounded. Progress). About to eat breakfast and then get back to work.
