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I'm an Irish WomanJust because I'm old enough to not have to take anyone's crap but still young enough enjoy my life. |
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Well, it's far enough along to let the cat out of the bag. I'm writing a book! It's a story of a wizard who visits a widow with a message to move forward and find love again. It follows Neela's path of re-entering society, starting a small business and finding acceptance & love.
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May 05 Focusing in on what's important.This past month Dad has gotten much better....not back to his normal but better than what it could've been. I've also been busy with work, the yard and that's only between rainstorms. I've been trying to do a little weeding every evening when it's not pouring rain and my grass is looking like a pasture. It's next to impossible to find a time that the grass is dry enough to mow. I made a list of oddball fix-its and other preventative maintenance stuff that needs to be done around the place. As soon as wedding/graduation season is over, I'll be able to tackle them one by one on my days off. I still have a few things to do next door. I have a vacant unit so I'm losing 1100 bucks a month....it sucks! But there's for rent signs everywhere, I'm not in any predicament that any other landlord is in right now. Rent money that James pays me helps but things are pretty tight around here for any kind of extras. I've put a few things like retreats & Belleek meetings on the back burner and put off a couple more things until I can get the apt. rented.
I'm going to be having the next 3 days by myself here. James is driving down to Oregon to visit with his son, Gabriel who is 10 yrs old. Sometime in June, he'll be here for a few days. Molly and he should be able to wear each other out.
It's been working out very well with James here. He does his own laundry and isn't wigged out about folding mine if needed, he's been real good at getting his own errands done instead of expecting my to do them for him and most of all, the way he plays with Molly. She is head over heels, just bonkers about him....much more than she ever was with Scott.
Molly has gotten used to James coming home in the mornings and he's sweet enough to feed & let her out, so I can have that extra 10 minutes of wake-up time.
Molly now knows the vacuum cleaner as "The Turkey". She thinks that barking at the front hall closet must be a form of showing "the turkey" who's boss.
My hopes for this next few days here alone, will be to jump feet first into getting my book closer to being done and to work on a quilt project I started last week. If the weather is nice, yard work will take a priority over the indoors stuff during daylight hours.
Well, it's time to take the garbage to the curb and then finish up a quilt that's being picked-up tomorrow. I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go! April 13 Aging FamilyToday is Mom's birthday and she has the best gift that she could have...Dad home with her. Last week, while out in his garage, Dad suffered some weakness and inability to control his right arm & leg. Thank God it was Mom's day off. He made it to the house and Mom called 911 and had the ambulance take him to the ER. He had a stroke....somewhere between a TIA and a major paralyzing kind.
He stayed in the hospital for a few days and is home now. Mom has taken a month leave from work to make sure he stays home and does what he's supposed to do. He'll be having a physical therapist come to the house to work with him, but he's doing pretty damn good already. Eating, combing his hair, tying his boots and spending time in his garage are the commonplace things we don't even think about but, he's stubborn and refuses to go down without a fight. I went to the sporting goods store and picked up a set of walkie-talkies so he could be in the garage and Mom wouldn't have to hover.
After a month of being home everyday with him, she'll be thankful to go back to work for some rest! ha ha Dad had to clean out his stash of cookies, candy bars and other crap he's not allowed to eat anymore. He may get desperate and dive into Babe's cookies...she has some lemon sandwich kind that Dad keeps on hand for her. That wolf was about to go nuts without Dad at home. I've been going down every-other-day or so to see if there's anything I can do from brushing Babe to running to the store if they need me to.
So far so good, we'll be watching and hoping he doesn't have another. March 28 Losing people you love.Last week my longest all time best friend moved with her son to Louisiana. Shelley has been my friend for nearly 20 yrs, a quilting buddy for just about as long, my renter & neighbor for the last year. In that year, I've grown to know her better than I've ever known anyone. She not only has been my friend but she has become what a sister should be.
It would be selfish for me to want her to stay here, her job there will give her the ability to do so many things in her life for herself & Ian that she never would be able to do here.
Last week I took her to the airport and at the curb, gave her a hug and I didn't want to let go. Then I cried most of the way home with some interjected smiles & laughter remembering all the good, the funny and the heartwarming moments with her and Ian.
Yes, I'm sad to lose them because a little piece of my heart goes with them. I will miss them both but most of all, I'll be happy for them.
Ian & Shelley....I love and miss you. March 01 I've been a "Cougar" and didn't know it.Well, I have been told that women who date younger men are "Cougars"! I've been one for over 3 yrs and didn't know it. The whole time I was with Scott, who was 6 yrs younger, I'd never heard that term. Now James who is 10 years younger is going to be living here with me. Just call me "One Happy Kitty" what can I say, he makes me purrrrrr. January 13 New Year, New BeginningsWell, it's a new year and things are starting to get back to normal after Christmas & all the snow. I went to my best friend's daughter's place for the holidays. I hadn't found anyone special in the way of a boyfriend to spend the holidays with, even if I had, it would've been a bit early on in a relationship to expect doing such a family oriented time, could've been more than a little awkward. I had fun, was relaxed and happy. Let's face it, compared to last year, even having wisdom teeth pulled would've beat Lodi at Christmas.
I started taking down my Christmas decorations this evening, I'll drag the boxes down from upstairs and take down the tree tomorrow sometime. I've only taken down the garland and a few things and it looks bare in here. I'm leaving the Snow Village all set up until Feb. Pretty much through Winter. By then, I'll be ready to get some plants back in the window. It's still not rotten hot out but it does feel warmer compared to the snow. The temp. does dip down when it's a clear night and we're still getting rain...that's even getting better.
Work has started to pick-up a little. I've been putting some extra time doing some sewing on the side. I'm making aprons, the old fashion kind like Aunt Bea wore on the Andy Griffin show. Aprons are really popular right now so I thought to take advantage of it and make some. A customer of mine is into selling stuff at various craft fairs around the area. Got my fingers crossed that they sell well and I can make a small amount of extra money. I've gotten the time it takes to put one together down pretty fast. I've been trying to get like-kind colors together and make 2 or 3 at the same time like an assembly line.
I've managed to blow my New Years resolution already. I wanted to get back in the sleep habit to go to bed early & get up early. Whatever, I'll keep trying to get back on track....and my treadmill.  Yah, I need to get some exercise routine going to take off about 20+ pounds. Having a back injury & exercising isn't going to be easy, no matter how slow I take it. But I really have to.December 07 the On-line thing!I've scaled down a couple of the on-line dating sites, couldn't see spending the money right now and wasn't getting anything else done due to sitting here and typing for hours on end....Yah, right so now I'm typing here.
I've been to dinner a couple of times, out to coffee and taken a few phone calls. I just get this feeling that guys are stepping around the committed relationship issue. They talking the talk and when it comes to talking about something personal, they just don't much at all. It just seems like we're doing a little dance and he's looking over my shoulder at the door (or in this case, the computer) waiting for the next possibility to log on. I am trying to keep an open mind and write back to each person that writes me. I've even found a few who know how to spell and put a cohesive sentence together.
Work is starting to pick-up a bit but I'm making old fashion aprons that I can sell. One of my customers does the "Craft Fair" circuit with her tote bags and I'm hoping we can go together on booth space. Along with the aprons, I'm making wrist & ring type pin cushions. I picked up a cute pattern for kids tonight and can make a "Mommy & Me" set, I've already cut out a "His & Hers". I've got about 8 or 10 in the works now with near 10 finished ones. I'm making some of the half aprons along with the Retro-Aunt Bea style. It's all good for making a few extra bucks and keeping me away from the video games.
I've got Bunco at my house on the 8th, it was changed from a few weeks ago due to snow. If this rain keeps up, it may get canceled again due to flooding. I'm off to bed and hope my house hasn't floated away by morning. November 18 On line dating!I recently signed up on a few of these On-Line Dating sites. It's time for a new horizon and this is what I wrote for a profile.
Hey guys...I've got my own Home Depot account and know the difference between a flat head screwdriver and a cordless drill. I'm a true believer that a roll of duct tape and a few whacks with a hammer can fix most anything...Got your attention yet? Well, wish me luck. I've been typing 'til my fingers are sore, I just hope it pays off and I meet a really wonderful man. October 30 "You Learn" by Unknown PoetAfter a while you learn the subtle difference Between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning And company doesn’t mean security, And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts And presents aren’t promises, And you begin to accept your defeats With your head up and your eyes open, With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child, And you learn to build your own roads On today because tomorrow’s ground Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your own garden and decorate Your own soul, instead of waiting For someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure. That you really are strong And you really do have worth. And you learn and learn…. With every goodbye you learn.
October 26 New Horizons Well, I never expected to feel as relieved as I do, so happy just to stay home and clean my own house for a change. I regretfully called it quits with Scott
 . It's like a little trickle of water that just wore away at me until what it once was or was supposed to be, was hardly recognizable any longer. I care deeply for him but I just couldn't take the negativity any longer. It was very difficult to always hear about how the glass is half empty for him, how his day was soooo bad because of stupid things that others would've just been able to shrug off and get on with their day. I will most likely feel a bit lonesome for awhile but I look forward to new horizons and what may be waiting for me there. I may take another painting class or see what else is out there to learn & do. I know I'm going to really enjoy doing & finishing some projects here at home and be able to take the time to do them well.
I'm actually looking forward to Christmas this year and oddly enough, I'm not upset about being by my self and really don't care. I have my Bunco Dice group night at my house for December this year, so I'm eager to get the whole place decked out for Christmas. I'll be able to share it with someone special, who will appreciate the joy & warmth of my home when it's decorated up.....Myself! ....& Molly too
 . October 01 October & MoreOctober looks like it'll start getting colder, to this point have had days sunnier & warmer than Summer. Did a lot of fix-up and winterizing around the house last weekend. Painting, pressure washing, caulking gaps, cleaning out flower beds, and still was able to hang a load of laundry outside to dry. Awesome days!
Tomorrow is Dad's birthday. I'll call him first thing and sing Happy Birthday.
I started a space for Molly, how about that, my dog has her own space. Complete with pictures, a funny dog video and an Extreme Kitty Catcher game. Not to mention she also has an E-mail too. She's one spoiled baby for sure.
Heading into Christmas seasonal work and trying to stay focused for that. New renters moving in as soon as I can get the place cleaned up and repairs done.
Right now I'm going to bed! Long day and a busy one tomorrow too. |
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