How the heck did the year pass so fast that there's only two more weeks left of it? Life is flashing by at a prodigious rate, and I'm wondering how the heck it happened. But there is hope for things to be done. Mom's lap quilt certainly won't be done on time for Christmas, but it's coming along nicely, in spite of the current butterly being a bit problematic with all the partial stitches. Tonight's weather is not going to be much fun, though. Light wintry mix this afternoon before work, and then an extremely good chance of rain most of the night. The house, however, is cozy and comfy, and all the afghans on the bed make sleeping a delight. (I don't sleep well when I'm cold, sadly.) The only downside to the day is that I don't feel that great. Even with short shifts the last couple nights, I'm exhausted. Wish I could just stay home and sleep, but for a while yet, that's not an option. Just gotta keep on keepin' on. And heck, it's Wednesday already, so the week's basically half over. Almost time to sleep in for a couple of days!
*****
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
COLD
It's a chilly day here on the farmstead, and I'm okay with that. Cool weather is nice weather for sitting under a warm blanket and working on all kinds of things. Only problem is, it's chilly enough that I'll potentially have to take Mom's lap quilt into work with me, into the breakroom. As long as the truck cab's warm enough, I'm sitting out there to work on it, because I'm just plain tired of folks walking up and grabbing at it to look at it, as if I don't care about them getting their grubby hands on it. Seriously, show some manners. I have two butterflies left, and the finishing work. Soon as the butterflies are done, that sucker's staying home to get worked on, because it'll have to go in the quilting hoop anyhow. Yeah, I know, I'm crochety about it. You would be too, if someone came along and started grabbing at what you're working on that's important to you, and messing it up.
On the other hand, I'm getting a bit of extra time to work on things, with work being what it is for the winter. Folks eat less chicken in the cold weather, so second shift plant hours are a bit short, though not much. Give it a few weeks, when weather starts warming up and folks are hauling the grills out, and hours will increase again for us on second shift. I'm not complaining about the hours, though, as it's nice for a short time to get off at a reasonable hour instead of being exhausted all the time. There are times I wish I was still on first shift, but then again, there's the shift premium for second, second gets the overtime, it's easier to do appointments without taking a point or scheduling way after work, etc. (Though I really do miss getting more done around here ... I might go back to first once this winter's over ... I'm not THAT fond of second shift.)
*****
On the other hand, I'm getting a bit of extra time to work on things, with work being what it is for the winter. Folks eat less chicken in the cold weather, so second shift plant hours are a bit short, though not much. Give it a few weeks, when weather starts warming up and folks are hauling the grills out, and hours will increase again for us on second shift. I'm not complaining about the hours, though, as it's nice for a short time to get off at a reasonable hour instead of being exhausted all the time. There are times I wish I was still on first shift, but then again, there's the shift premium for second, second gets the overtime, it's easier to do appointments without taking a point or scheduling way after work, etc. (Though I really do miss getting more done around here ... I might go back to first once this winter's over ... I'm not THAT fond of second shift.)
*****
Monday, December 15, 2014
Late fall weather
It's not officially winter till this weekend, when Yule is here on the 21st, and it's comfortably cool but not too much so. However, the rain last night could have been a little less ridiculous. It poured buckets and gusted up to 30mph at times. Not my idea of good sleeping weather. Speaking of sleeping, I have to redo the bed again. I have a tossy hubby, and when it comes to blankets, it's a good thing that we have plenty and I don't usually need many, because he manages to steal the good majority of them, especially the afghans!
I didn't get much done yesterday, as the weather made me too sleepy to do a lot of anything other than, well ... sleep. Guess I needed the rest! I got a good look at Raffles last night, as she and Tinkerbell have started being a bit more social at night. They like to come down and play with my shoes. Apparently, Tink thinks I am hers along with Bouncer and Smudge, because she rubs her face all over my shoes, marking me/them as hers. Raffles just likes being a kitten and playing with my shoelaces. I noticed Raffles last night is almost as big as Tink now. She's certainly filled out being indoors, and grown a lot!
I found out a while back that my daughter is moving out from Mom's, where she stays for college. She's got a regular part-time job, and has a second one for now, plus classes ... and she and a friend are moving the weekend after Christmas. The deposit's paid, the short-term lease is signed, etc., and she's excited about it. We all think it will be good for her and Mom. DD will be about a ten minutes walk from campus and work, so if she forgets something, she can dash back to her apartment for it. If the weather or roads are not too great, she can walk to campus so Mom doesn't have to drive in crappy weather. And since DD often has things going on until the wee hours, it also means Mom, with her bad night vision, doesn't have to be out and about after dark, in the middle of the night, since the busses aren't running. It also potentially helps Mom get some old household stuff out of the basement which I stored there when I moved to Arkansas, because the youngsters can have it. LOTS of kitchen stuff that just needs some elbow grease to clean it up. Dishes, flatware, utensils, glassware, pots, pans, baking dishes, dish drainers. I think there's some hot pads and dishcloths, too. So if they want the stuff, their kitchen will be pretty well set.
*****
I didn't get much done yesterday, as the weather made me too sleepy to do a lot of anything other than, well ... sleep. Guess I needed the rest! I got a good look at Raffles last night, as she and Tinkerbell have started being a bit more social at night. They like to come down and play with my shoes. Apparently, Tink thinks I am hers along with Bouncer and Smudge, because she rubs her face all over my shoes, marking me/them as hers. Raffles just likes being a kitten and playing with my shoelaces. I noticed Raffles last night is almost as big as Tink now. She's certainly filled out being indoors, and grown a lot!
I found out a while back that my daughter is moving out from Mom's, where she stays for college. She's got a regular part-time job, and has a second one for now, plus classes ... and she and a friend are moving the weekend after Christmas. The deposit's paid, the short-term lease is signed, etc., and she's excited about it. We all think it will be good for her and Mom. DD will be about a ten minutes walk from campus and work, so if she forgets something, she can dash back to her apartment for it. If the weather or roads are not too great, she can walk to campus so Mom doesn't have to drive in crappy weather. And since DD often has things going on until the wee hours, it also means Mom, with her bad night vision, doesn't have to be out and about after dark, in the middle of the night, since the busses aren't running. It also potentially helps Mom get some old household stuff out of the basement which I stored there when I moved to Arkansas, because the youngsters can have it. LOTS of kitchen stuff that just needs some elbow grease to clean it up. Dishes, flatware, utensils, glassware, pots, pans, baking dishes, dish drainers. I think there's some hot pads and dishcloths, too. So if they want the stuff, their kitchen will be pretty well set.
*****
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Busy day
Because it's Sunday, and generally, there's just a lot to get done. Today was mostly get yesterday's laundry put up and get the trash together and burned, but I also had a little fun. I got the .22 out and did a bit of target shooting. I need to get more shells, but every place I check, they are often out or the orders didn't come in or something. I may have to see if there are online places to get shells that can legally ship to Arkansas and go that route. I'm down to just under two boxes of shells, and for serious target shooting and general varming control, you need more than that.
I am not having a happy with Mom's lap quilt right now, though. I'm down to the last two butterflies, and the eighth one is a bugger. LOTS of partial stitches in it, and the parts of the pattern where they are is really tiny, so I have to use the magnifier frequently to see what goes where. This one has several black spots on it, so I'm doing them first and then I'll fill in around, as that's where the majority of the partial stitching is at, and it's driving me nuts. This one, I have a feeling, is going to take a while. But it's time for food and book hunting and general laziness for a couple hours, and then a ton of other indoor stuff like more sewing on that darned butterfly!
*****
I am not having a happy with Mom's lap quilt right now, though. I'm down to the last two butterflies, and the eighth one is a bugger. LOTS of partial stitches in it, and the parts of the pattern where they are is really tiny, so I have to use the magnifier frequently to see what goes where. This one has several black spots on it, so I'm doing them first and then I'll fill in around, as that's where the majority of the partial stitching is at, and it's driving me nuts. This one, I have a feeling, is going to take a while. But it's time for food and book hunting and general laziness for a couple hours, and then a ton of other indoor stuff like more sewing on that darned butterfly!
*****
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Seed catalogs!!!
Oh, this is nice. I got a bunch today, including Pinetree, Baker Creek, Totally Tomato, Johnnys and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Happy, happy, happy, because now, even if I don't put anything in next year, I can still get seeds to put away for when a place is bought or lots more room here is available. Oh, what JOY a day of seed catalogs brings! Also, other than some of the backstitching, Butterfly #7 is done so I just have two more to go and the finishing work, and the darn thing is finally done! I just don't know what embroidery thing to take with me next for before work and at the laundromat.
*****
*****
Friday, December 12, 2014
Quiet start to the day
Mainly because I don't have hubby rattling around. He's off this morning to the dentist to see about getting what's left of his teeth out and get dentures, which I told him would be prohibitively expensive, even with the insurance, but he's determined to give it a go. So it's nice and peaceful and quiet and I'm enjoying it while I can, because with him taking a vacation day to do this, I also don't have to rush to get together for work and can instead take my time and relax a bit before I drive myself in. Considering he usually insists on driving us in the truck to "save gas," whilst driving a gas-guzzling truck that gets half the mileage of my car, I'm not sure how that works out, but okay.
Got butterfly #7 done barring the backstitching for the details, which I got started on last night, but didn't get too far. I kept getting interrupted by various things, including hubby going to bed early to allow him to get up super early for the dentist this morninng, and cats snuggling and wanting to be held. So here I am, just a little before Christmas, still working on things, and generally enjoying a day. Time to hunt down books, whee!
*****
Got butterfly #7 done barring the backstitching for the details, which I got started on last night, but didn't get too far. I kept getting interrupted by various things, including hubby going to bed early to allow him to get up super early for the dentist this morninng, and cats snuggling and wanting to be held. So here I am, just a little before Christmas, still working on things, and generally enjoying a day. Time to hunt down books, whee!
*****
Thursday, December 11, 2014
I need a vacation
Things are so busy, here and at work, that I'm completely whipped. I've got arthritis aching, and a fibro flare from Satan's demense that is killing me for energy. The amount of energy I've got is just not enough to get me through everything, and while I wish it was, wishing doesn't make it better.
Serioiusly, there's stuff to cut down in the way of junk brush and dead wildflowers that needs burning. There's good wood to cut for the woodpile. There's trash to burn. There's scrap metal to pick up or yank off the Merlot and run to the scrap yard. And that's just the outside chores. Never mind cleaning the house, getting some needlework done, and writing that's not getting done very quickly, and you have a recipe for too much to do and too little time already, even before work gets tossed into the mix.
I think adulthood sucks. I want to stay home and get stuff done outside, then come in, make cocoa, and snuggle under a warm blanket with my needlework and have the TV on for background racket while I putz around with my stitchery. Is that really too much to ask? Apparently so, because in order for bills to get paid, I gotta work on SOMETHING that brings in a steady paycheck for a good while longer. Thus, I need a vacation. Now, I get Christmas and New Year's off, which will help, but then nothing after that unless I take a sick day until late April at the earliest. This is going to be a long slog to get to my anniversary holiday, Memorial Day, birthday holiday and vacation days, along with 4th of July and Labor Day to get me through the summer next year. Oh, says others, it's only four months till your anniversary date at work again. Right now, that feels like four months too many, haha. I need a nap before work today, so bye till tomorrow. Hugs, all!
*****
Serioiusly, there's stuff to cut down in the way of junk brush and dead wildflowers that needs burning. There's good wood to cut for the woodpile. There's trash to burn. There's scrap metal to pick up or yank off the Merlot and run to the scrap yard. And that's just the outside chores. Never mind cleaning the house, getting some needlework done, and writing that's not getting done very quickly, and you have a recipe for too much to do and too little time already, even before work gets tossed into the mix.
I think adulthood sucks. I want to stay home and get stuff done outside, then come in, make cocoa, and snuggle under a warm blanket with my needlework and have the TV on for background racket while I putz around with my stitchery. Is that really too much to ask? Apparently so, because in order for bills to get paid, I gotta work on SOMETHING that brings in a steady paycheck for a good while longer. Thus, I need a vacation. Now, I get Christmas and New Year's off, which will help, but then nothing after that unless I take a sick day until late April at the earliest. This is going to be a long slog to get to my anniversary holiday, Memorial Day, birthday holiday and vacation days, along with 4th of July and Labor Day to get me through the summer next year. Oh, says others, it's only four months till your anniversary date at work again. Right now, that feels like four months too many, haha. I need a nap before work today, so bye till tomorrow. Hugs, all!
*****
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