Tues. Dec. 17, 2024: Flexibility is a Good Thing
image courtesy of Pexels via pixabay.comTuesday, December 17, 2024
Waning Moon
Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter, Mars Retrograde
Mercury DIRECT as of December 15 (Phew)
Rainy and raw
How was your weekend? I hope you had a good one.
If you missed the link yesterday to the Community Tarot Reading for the Week, it’s here.
Friday the 13th was, overall, a good, happy day. I wrote and submitted two book reviews in the morning and got my next two books assigned. I dealt with paperwork. I dealt with marketing. I did a library and grocery run.
After lunch, we headed out the door to Pittsfield. We finished our gift shopping – within budget! Since we were pleased with ourselves for that, we indulged in a stop at one of the thrift shops we regularly have in our rounds. We found a set of 6 glasses with a leaf pattern that match the water goblets we’ve had since we lived in Chicago in the 1960’s, and the set of smaller glasses I found at another local thrift shop a few months ago. They were very inexpensive at 99 cents each, so I got the whole set. They are lovely, with a really nice shape to the bowl of the glass. I posted the three styles in this pattern together on Instagram, Threads, and FB.
We also found a small schoolhouse to add to our holiday village, again, at a very reasonable price, and it matched the style of the various pieces we’ve picked up over the years. When we opened it, we discovered it came with 4 small trees!
Another terrific find was a very large, sectioned serving platter by Pfaltzgraff in the Winter Berry pattern. I have several pieces in that pattern – some dinner plates, some small plates, some berry bowls, and a large, square pattern – that I’ve picked up over the years. This was a large platter – for $2.98. I figured it had to be a mistake, they must mean 12, not 2, but it was 2! The entire haul was just under $10, which was within budget.
I didn’t find the devilled egg platter I want (to replace the one that broke), but I can use the Winter Berry platter for the Capacity Art Share evening in February, using two sections for eggs, one for crackers, one for coconut lime balls, and the center for dip.
These dishes make me want to start entertaining again! And make me want to write the comic tale that’s been rolling around in my head with the working title of “Dish Rescuer” because there’s nothing I like better than finding vintage dishes in thrift shops.
Of course, my protagonist will actually have the space for them. Because, you know, fiction.
Came home, unloaded, did some work on a coverage that came in. Didn’t finish it on Friday, so I had to do so on Saturday.
Cooked dinner, and spent the evening reading a book for pleasure, THE FRENCH INGREDIENT by Jane Bertch. Turns out I already follow her Parisian cooking school on Instagram. I love synchronicity.
Slept reasonably well. Up a little later than usual, but not late enough to feel like I’d seriously overslept. Got the cats fed, had a good meditation session, had a good longhand writing session.
Did some more decorating, finally getting the tree skirt under the tree, the reindeer around it, and then the rest of the stuffed animals distributed where they needed to go. Re-dressed the long table in my office, which had been used to cool cookies.
Made the coconut lime balls. They’re really good, but I can’t make a large enough volume of them fast enough for them to viable in all the cookie platters, so I have to figure out who is most likely to need a gluten free option. I’ve ordered some vegan and gluten free holiday-themed cookbooks from the library, so I can get some ideas for next year.
Bea was puzzled – why did I smell like dates, cashews, lime, and coconut?
Don’t worry, I took a shower and scrubbed down.
I turned around one small coverage and finished a medium coverage. Then, I had to rush to wrap the hostess gift for the party, put together some cookies, get dressed, and get the makeup on, and switch from my regular purse to a fancy dress purse (taking only my license, bankcard, a couple of bucks, keys, and lipstick).
Murder Maps, of course, tried to kill me twice, and brought me first to one random person’s house that I figured was wrong before I rang the bell, then took me the most unnecessarily convoluted route to the right place – which turned out to be in Greylock Works, and a restaurant I knew by another name in its previous incarnation.
But the moon was pretty!
The party itself was lovely. It was so great to get to hang out with fun people, drink prosecco, have some good food. I stayed longer than I meant to, but not for the whole five hours. Drove home under a clear, moonlit sky, which was beautiful.
It was lovely to spend some social time, and in a situation where, instead of feeling drained by the time I left, I just felt good.
I was full and didn’t need dinner; I’d eaten plenty at the party. My mom just wanted something simple, so we fixed that, and then I read the next book for review.
I got a notification that my Google storage was completely full – how could that be, when it was 89% a day ago, and I’ve been deleting material? I worked on deleting a lot from email, the drive, and I have to do more with photos, but the needle’s not coming down. In other words, they’re extorting me. NOT happy about this. I’m trying to pull some more stuff off and onto my hard drive, but I have a feeling I have no real choice. I wish it wasn’t right now.
Up too late, trying to deal with Google, but finally went to bed and fell asleep. I slept reasonably well, although I was in a familiar dreamscape living that life, so I didn’t feel particularly well rested when I woke up.
Fed the cats. Realized I forgot to set up the coffee last night, so had to do it Sunday morning. Had a good morning meditation, a good first writing session.
Finished reading one book for review, started reading the next one.
I had an online program at 10 (I’m in it all week), that had a little too much of familiar information for me, but some good new perspectives. Charlotte, was, of course, delighted.
The rest of the day was spent writing the domestic holiday cards. Even though I had just under 50 to write, it took all afternoon. I did a little work on the ghostwriting project; I think I’m in pretty good shape. I have to figure out a few things, including the climactic sequence, but I’m on track.
Finished reading the next book for review.
Slept reasonably well into Monday. Wrote and submitted the two book reviews; got my next assignment. Sat down to start work on the ghostwriting project when a friend contacted me. She had to take her car into the shop (in VT) and couldn’t find a ride home (in NY). I am in MA. We’re in that weird little corner where all three states kiss.
So I rearranged my day, which I am grateful to have the flexibility to do. I put on some Real People clothes, put as much gas as I could afford into the car, and headed for Vermont. The mechanic is in Pownal, on the way to Bennington, so it’s not far. It was doing a rain/snow mix when I left, and I braced myself to drive in bad weather, which I try to avoid as much as possible.
I got there before my friend did; she had to coax her car slowly. The mechanic is really nice, and she trusts them implicitly, so it’s good to have another mechanic on the roster. She lives in Hoosick Falls, near one of my favorite stores, the Treasure Hut (where we got the pale blue dresser in the sewing room and some bookcases and some of our favorite vintage ornaments, and the clock in my office). My friend showed me a much easier and direct way to get to and from Hoosick Falls, not the convoluted way Murder Maps takes me.
I dropped her off, headed home, found it without trouble (because I listened and followed her directions, instead of worrying at every intersection I’d get it wrong – AND I ignored Murder Maps, which kept trying to take me in weird directions). I’m very glad that I was able to help, and that I have the flexibility to step up and help a friend when needed.
But that was the morning. Came home, had lunch, cancelled the afternoon plans. Instead, we wrapped and packed gifts that I will mail at the post office today, with bated breath that I can do it within the budget. Although I was paid yesterday from the biggest client, it was a little under a third of what I should have earned this pay period. Yet more proof it’s time to replace this client.
Tessa let Bea share the big wingback chair with her yesterday evening, and Bea was so happy!
Texted with the friend who rescued Bea; one of her cats has to go in for surgery today, so fingers crossed it all goes well.
Everything is wrapped, boxed, and ready to go out. This morning, I will head to the post office and mail everything. So if you usually get a package or a card from me, it will be on its way today, and hopefully get there by Christmas Eve next Tuesday. Otherwise, consider it a New Year’s card/gift!
Once everything is at the post office (and they get their cookies), I have to come home and do up a bunch of the cookie platters and make those deliveries.
Somewhere in there, I need to put in a good chunk of work on the ghostwriting project. I want to finish the draft, so I can spend the next couple of days polishing.
I hope I can get to yoga tonight, but I’m not sure. It depends on how the rest of the day shakes out.
I have a strong sense that I will spend most of Christmas Eve and Day sleeping (when I’m not cooking). Which isn’t a bad thing.
I have a lot on the list today, and I better get going. Have a good one!
