Once more, as we speed around the sun, National Novel Writing Month AKA NaNoWriMo approaches. Yes, November is coming and coming fast. Are you ready?
Of late I have repeatedly said, I'm not going to do it this year. And, of course, each year I plunge into extravaganza event, thrashing about, ignoring sociability and family in my pursuit to write 50K in 30 days.
Seems this year will be no different except I've decided early on to engage in wild abandon.
How many years have I entered into this pursuit? I can proudly say I started participating in 2000. That was the 2nd year of its existence. I'll be honest, I attempted to do a cookbook. Let me tell you a little about that - DON'T ever try to write a cookbook for this event.
The following year my father passed away in October and I considered attempting it but realized I had too many obligations to ignore... so I didn't participate.
Okay, first year I failed to complete the 50K words, but I did get 35K written. Good attempt. The following year I skipped out for personal reasons.
Since 2002 I have participated and completed the challenge. That's right, folks. I have 13 novels written. And, yes, some of them have been published... not only self-published, but also via other publishing companies.
Now for the sordid truth. Some of those novels are so bad. In fact, once of them I went back and deleted almost 35K words. There are those who would claim that the effort was an obvious waste of time if I deleted all that text. Not really. I got the story down. I know what I want it to be. I deleted what I don't want and now need to rewrite what I do want.
Call it editing. I have several of those novels that have some text deleted that I wrote just to get my 50K words in. They were finished stories. They weren't the best stories. BUT they are being edited to make them better stories. Four of them have been published. So that leaves me with 9 novels to be edited. Let's just say they are in various stages of completion at the current time.
So, how to prepare for this event?
1. Get your research out of the way. Do it now. Get it all saved, printed, stored, whatever - so you can access it quickly and not waste a lot of time. Make copious notes.
2. Prepare you mind. Going in with the proper mindset is critical. You have to know you can do this. Thinking you can will work against you. If you want to win, you have to see the finish line and that means you have to know you will do it.
3. Realize that each day you will need to write a minimum of 1667 words. I set my goal at 1700 words each day with a final word count of 51K. That allows for some gravy on the word counting app to verify your winning at the end. I made myself a little word counter printout that I'm willing to share, if you're interested. It is 1700 word per day. Simple to use. Know today's date? See the number of words you should have written to be on target. Get It Here! Print it out and give copies to your friends. I've had mine taped to my desk hutch upright for about 8 years now.
4. If you fall behind, apply yourself and catch up.
5. If you're having a good day writing and can actually write more than the required word count, by all means, do so. I've had days where I was able to write 5, 8, even 10 thousand words. Now, if you do have a great day like that, don't sit back on your laurels because you're ahead - stay ahead. The next day, write the required words.
6. Remember that Thanksgiving Day (that's for all U.S. residents) is during the month. The family will expect you to come out of the cave and socialize. Be sure to shower and cleanup before doing so and enjoy the day. Of course, there is a two-fold blessing to the holiday. If you work, you most likely will have off that day and maybe the Friday, too. Use them to your advantage - WRITE.
7. Now this is the one that really is hard. Don't edit. Don't go back and fix. Don't . Don't. Don't. I mean it. The object is to get the story down - bad or worse... uh, er, I mean, good or bad. If you need to correct something - make it a note and continue on. I changed my main character's name about half way through - I typed: (RSN-NAME CHANGE - Mark is now Daniel, go back and fix) and continued writing.
8. When stumbling for a name of a character or place that you can't remember - do as I do. Type your initials and what you want. For me that would RSNFirstName, RSNName or RSNCity and continue on. When it is time to edit, the first thing I look for is "RSN" and see what I need to fix. Did you note the RSN in my #7 rule? Whenever I need to make a note, I toss my initials out there, that way they're easy to find later on.
9. Some writers will suggest that you lock yourself in your room or designate a certain amount of time at a certain time of day. That doesn't work for me. My life is hectic and varied. I write when I have the free time and free time means sitting at the doctor's office, riding to work or home on a bus, late in the evening, early in the morning, during lunch. You'll be amazed how much writing can be accomplished in 15 or 20 minutes. When I worked in the big cities and would get caught in rush hour traffic or an accident snarl, I would dictate into a small cassette recorder. (I know, giving away my age here.) Use your cellphone and when you get home, type it into your laptop. Of course, if you have your laptop with you, depending on the situation, you 'could' attempt to enter it direct, but I'm not really suggesting that. Much easier, safer and conscientious to dictate. Oh, I don't recommend dictating while driving. You want 50K words, not 50K words of spoken eulogy.
10. Enjoy yourself. If you don't succeed in the event, don't beat yourself up. Remember, if you only have 18K words when November 30th arrives, that is 18K more words than you had one month earlier. If you do succeed, congratulations, you now have a novel that needs an immense amount of editing, re-editing and maybe another set of eyes to review before you edit yet again.
Now, I need to get busy on my research. I have a great story to write this year. Getting excited. In fact, I think this novel will easily reach 80K without any trouble - maybe even bigger! I won't give all the details right now but I'll tease you - it will be somewhat historical and is based on a segment of "Aliens" I watched on the History Channel. Giorgio Tsoukalos and that gang can get my imagination jumping and then, can I write fast enough to get it all down?
Until next I ramble on...
Showing posts with label plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plans. Show all posts
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Doing Nothing
We went camping a week ago and had a great time. While I was sitting there, near the awning, and in the shade of a lovely maple tree and by the firepit, I had an epiphany.
Doing nothing while sitting at a campsite and doing nothing while sitting on your front porch are two totally different forms of relaxation. Actually, one is relaxing, the other is more of 'taking a break' event.
What do I mean? The answer is simple.
When I sit on my front porch, doing nothing, relaxing (or so I think I'm relaxing) I tend to let my mind wander to different things like...
Of course, I do have a 'busy' lifestyle on my Saturdays. LOL. I have my 18 hens which are now giving us a daily total of 10 eggs. I'm expecting that number to increase over the next couple of weeks to an assured even dozen or more every day. I'm discovering, much to my wife's chagrin, my hens enjoy watermelon. They really enjoy the red fruit but most of the time they get the rinds which I cut up into small 1.5" X 3" pieces. This way, everyone gets a chunk to peck at. They still like their grass and leaves. My wife swears I'm spoiling them since they hear me come out of the house, yell "Here, chick, chick, chick" and they all come running like little raptors from Jurassic World. She can come out and call them and they ignore her. Maybe it's because I give them treats and she usually comes out to collect the eggs. Okay, we'll call her the meany. LOL.
Regarding the 'ranch' as we have it. We're thinking of downsizing. That's right, going smaller. Do we, a 'maturing' couple need a home of 1840 square feet AND a basement of the same size? I've been looking at lakeside cottages in Indiana. My wife is enamored with tiny houses - and these cottages, even though they are year round - are only about 700 square feet. BTW, I am talking by the lake, not on the other side of the road or a couple of blocks from the water. I want to have some beach area and a dock for a pontoon. I will be able to go fishing as often as I want. Yes, I know I will have to give up some of my farmer aspects like the chickens, but I can still do a little gardening. Of course, I could be just daydreaming. We'll see.
What else do I have planned? I don't know. I guess I will need to go camping and just let my mind wander as I sit by the campfire. Heaven knows I can't think on the front porch... too much to think about what to do around the house. I won't have time to think about what I want to plan.
Until next I ramble on...
Doing nothing while sitting at a campsite and doing nothing while sitting on your front porch are two totally different forms of relaxation. Actually, one is relaxing, the other is more of 'taking a break' event.
What do I mean? The answer is simple.
When I sit on my front porch, doing nothing, relaxing (or so I think I'm relaxing) I tend to let my mind wander to different things like...
- Moving the yard
- Weeding the garden
- Taking care of the chickens
- Trimming the bushes
- Running the weed-whacker
- Cleaning the shed
- and the list continues...
When I sit in my chair at the campsite, doing nothing, relaxing, I tend to do... well, nothing. I relax. I enjoy the breeze and the heady scents of other campfires, listing to the birds, watching and talking to other campers as they walk the campground, passing by my RV. I let the mottled sunlight caress my face, I might snooze, daydream about a writing project or just let my mind wander.
Did you notice the difference? I'm retired, I basically run my life like 6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday.
BUT, it was a shock to realize that when I'm camping, I actually do relax more than I do at home when I attempt to do nothing.
Of course, I do have a 'busy' lifestyle on my Saturdays. LOL. I have my 18 hens which are now giving us a daily total of 10 eggs. I'm expecting that number to increase over the next couple of weeks to an assured even dozen or more every day. I'm discovering, much to my wife's chagrin, my hens enjoy watermelon. They really enjoy the red fruit but most of the time they get the rinds which I cut up into small 1.5" X 3" pieces. This way, everyone gets a chunk to peck at. They still like their grass and leaves. My wife swears I'm spoiling them since they hear me come out of the house, yell "Here, chick, chick, chick" and they all come running like little raptors from Jurassic World. She can come out and call them and they ignore her. Maybe it's because I give them treats and she usually comes out to collect the eggs. Okay, we'll call her the meany. LOL.
Regarding the 'ranch' as we have it. We're thinking of downsizing. That's right, going smaller. Do we, a 'maturing' couple need a home of 1840 square feet AND a basement of the same size? I've been looking at lakeside cottages in Indiana. My wife is enamored with tiny houses - and these cottages, even though they are year round - are only about 700 square feet. BTW, I am talking by the lake, not on the other side of the road or a couple of blocks from the water. I want to have some beach area and a dock for a pontoon. I will be able to go fishing as often as I want. Yes, I know I will have to give up some of my farmer aspects like the chickens, but I can still do a little gardening. Of course, I could be just daydreaming. We'll see.
What else do I have planned? I don't know. I guess I will need to go camping and just let my mind wander as I sit by the campfire. Heaven knows I can't think on the front porch... too much to think about what to do around the house. I won't have time to think about what I want to plan.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, February 29, 2016
Farmer Bob
Even the best-laid plans go astray!!
I have been planning and discussing the idea of chickens and eggs with my wife over the last few years and finally, this year, I decided to do something about it. I even got my sons involved and they have the wood to make me a shed/chicken coop. After several "talks" with my lovely bride, we decided that six chickens would be the best number, giving us the eggs we need and extras, too.
We were going to get them on Weds morning with a trip to Angola to Rural King for the chicks and necessary equipment AND a little side trip to a couple of other stores for some things we thought we might want but didn't really need.. We awoke to a snowstorm and decided that two old farts didn't need to be out on the highways in that kind of weather. So it was delayed to Thursday.
Thursday came and our #3 son called needing some help and could we come to the Detroit area. We said, weather permitting. So we headed to Detroit on Thursday with hopes of getting our chicks on Friday. That idea quickly dissipated when we realized we would be staying overnight and probably not be getting home until late on Friday night.
Our #4 son called to let us know he was coming to visit over the weekend. He had no idea what I had in plan for him! LOL.
Saturday morning, my #4 son in tow along with two of his daughters, my granddaughters, Zora and Keeley, ages 6 and 5, we headed to Rural King in Angola, Indiana.
I was informed I needed to buy EIGHT chicks, one for each of the younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren. HUH? I was buying egg layers, I wasn't buying pets!! My lovely wife instructed me to get one chick for each of the grandchildren - Hailey, Cora, Zora, Keeley, Jaxson and Makayla plus the great-grandchildren, Gracie and Easton. Guess I was buying pets that also laid eggs!
Okay, not my original plan but something doable. Hey! I was getting my chicks!!!
Here they are:
I have been planning and discussing the idea of chickens and eggs with my wife over the last few years and finally, this year, I decided to do something about it. I even got my sons involved and they have the wood to make me a shed/chicken coop. After several "talks" with my lovely bride, we decided that six chickens would be the best number, giving us the eggs we need and extras, too.
We were going to get them on Weds morning with a trip to Angola to Rural King for the chicks and necessary equipment AND a little side trip to a couple of other stores for some things we thought we might want but didn't really need.. We awoke to a snowstorm and decided that two old farts didn't need to be out on the highways in that kind of weather. So it was delayed to Thursday.
Thursday came and our #3 son called needing some help and could we come to the Detroit area. We said, weather permitting. So we headed to Detroit on Thursday with hopes of getting our chicks on Friday. That idea quickly dissipated when we realized we would be staying overnight and probably not be getting home until late on Friday night.
Our #4 son called to let us know he was coming to visit over the weekend. He had no idea what I had in plan for him! LOL.
Saturday morning, my #4 son in tow along with two of his daughters, my granddaughters, Zora and Keeley, ages 6 and 5, we headed to Rural King in Angola, Indiana.
I was informed I needed to buy EIGHT chicks, one for each of the younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren. HUH? I was buying egg layers, I wasn't buying pets!! My lovely wife instructed me to get one chick for each of the grandchildren - Hailey, Cora, Zora, Keeley, Jaxson and Makayla plus the great-grandchildren, Gracie and Easton. Guess I was buying pets that also laid eggs!
Okay, not my original plan but something doable. Hey! I was getting my chicks!!!
Here they are:
 |
| 3 of the 8 chickens |
 |
| 5 of the 8 chickens |
 |
| All 8 huddled together |
The last picture does have all eight chicks in the picture. There is one hidden at the very top, getting a drink - you can just see her butt. Yes, her. These are all pullets - hens. No roosters. These will be our egg producers.
Actually, I call the last picture - Everyone in the pool since they all went scurrying up to the water tank when I stuck the camera in to take a picture. They are currently "homed" in a 55 gal aquarium that once was a turtle habitat. I figure that the current residence will be good for at least two weeks, maybe even three. Hopefully, by then, the coop will be a reality, otherwise, I will need to figure out something else until the coop is built.
BTW, two of them already have names. I didn't plan on naming them but since Zora and Keeley went along, one is named Emily, another is Hannah. Don't ask me which one is who, I don't want to get to friendly with my future food. Yes, food, at some point, but not pets. No pets!!
They will soon be visited by their cousins - another 25 chicks I will be buying for butchering after raising them for 8 weeks. If that works, my wife says we may consider another 25 to definitely fill the freezer for the winter.
ALSO, I will be getting two tom turkeys to raise. Then again, we might up the ante on them to 3 or 4. I mean, turkey is good. My nephew raised one several years ago. Come Thanksgiving, it dressed out over 32 pounds and was soooo delicious. I'll be happy if they are 25 pounds when it comes time to butcher.
Well, this is Farmer Bob signing off...
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, March 2, 2015
Plans Awry!
Remember when I made my resolutions back at the beginning of the year?
CRAP! Things just don't seem to be going the way I want.
A refresher for the new people. I wanted to publish 3 books this year. I wanted to lose 25 pounds.
First things, first. I've gained weight, not lost weight. The scale is going the wrong way. It doesn't make sense. I've been trying to work out on the treadmill and some times on the stationary bike. Okay, somewhat in my defense, this past week things got out of hand and I wasn't home for almost 8 days and therefore couldn't work out, but still... One would think if I were to gain a little weight, it would be nominal. I'm pushing TEN pounds.
I'll be so glad when summer gets here and I can be outside and more mobile. Right now with all this cold weather, all I want to do is hibernate in a chair with a blanket to keep me warm. I can see I will need to be a little more aggressive in my exercise and really put forth an effort to lose the weight. As I see it, I now have almost 35 pounds to get rid of. I reaffirm, I will lose the weight.
As to the publishing effort. I intended to have my Amish book finished and ready to publish by the end of February. The book is coming along with the final edits but is currently on the back burner since I need to do some editing for clients. I am currently in the throes of editing for one client and have been forewarned that another project is coming in sometime after the 1st of March. Uh, that would be now. I also have a 3rd edit project coming but unsure of the exact date of its arrival.
Of course, getting a new laptop with a new operating system has given me a little curve to deal with since I need to figure out how to get my old stuff to work. A slow process, for sure. But I think I've got it all under control now.
Hopefully I will be able to get my Amish book out by the end of March, end of April for sure since I have to deal with people over in Shipshewana, Indiana and will need the hard copy by May 1st.
And, speaking of springtime events. I've got to get my buns busy and get my tomatoes planted. I'd hoped to do it this week but that didn't happen. I will get those seeds started this week since I want a nice sized plants to put into the garden in May.
Oh, and if things go good, I think next weekend I will be purchasing my clutch of chicks, at least 15 of them, for butchering later on. Got to get the freezer stocked.
Today was a snow day. We got about 5 more inches. Yay! What that means is simple. My son was over to plow the driveway and once again more snow has been pushed in front of the RV. No, I don't have any plans to travel any time soon but I want the snow to melt away so I can get to the RV and get measurements so I can finalize plans for the conversion we've got planned for the coach. I need to get the square footage of flooring, space available for the new furniture and whatever else I think I can pull off. I found a 55-inch LED screen on sale for a great deal but my wife informed me it was TOO big - there was no way she was going to sit in front of a huge screen. I think I might have a better chance with a 32-inch LED screen. I really need to get inside the RV and get the measurements so I know where I can place things.
To make matters worse - I've had three ideas hit me over the head for novels and I've got the outlines written down. If you know anything about the Muse, she doesn't like to be put off and is now shoving flaming matches under my toenails in hopes I will begin work on them. I can't. I have too many other sticks in the fire - including getting the fire pit out in the yard finished with an in-ground brick circle to hold back the gravel area. Somebody suggested I build a "tree house" out near the fire pit and have a suspension bridge from the upper side-deck to it which would carry the electricity and water for the tree house. As soon as I find the buried treasure chest with all the money necessary, it will be done.
Until next I ramble on...
CRAP! Things just don't seem to be going the way I want.
A refresher for the new people. I wanted to publish 3 books this year. I wanted to lose 25 pounds.
First things, first. I've gained weight, not lost weight. The scale is going the wrong way. It doesn't make sense. I've been trying to work out on the treadmill and some times on the stationary bike. Okay, somewhat in my defense, this past week things got out of hand and I wasn't home for almost 8 days and therefore couldn't work out, but still... One would think if I were to gain a little weight, it would be nominal. I'm pushing TEN pounds.
I'll be so glad when summer gets here and I can be outside and more mobile. Right now with all this cold weather, all I want to do is hibernate in a chair with a blanket to keep me warm. I can see I will need to be a little more aggressive in my exercise and really put forth an effort to lose the weight. As I see it, I now have almost 35 pounds to get rid of. I reaffirm, I will lose the weight.
As to the publishing effort. I intended to have my Amish book finished and ready to publish by the end of February. The book is coming along with the final edits but is currently on the back burner since I need to do some editing for clients. I am currently in the throes of editing for one client and have been forewarned that another project is coming in sometime after the 1st of March. Uh, that would be now. I also have a 3rd edit project coming but unsure of the exact date of its arrival.
Of course, getting a new laptop with a new operating system has given me a little curve to deal with since I need to figure out how to get my old stuff to work. A slow process, for sure. But I think I've got it all under control now.
Hopefully I will be able to get my Amish book out by the end of March, end of April for sure since I have to deal with people over in Shipshewana, Indiana and will need the hard copy by May 1st.
And, speaking of springtime events. I've got to get my buns busy and get my tomatoes planted. I'd hoped to do it this week but that didn't happen. I will get those seeds started this week since I want a nice sized plants to put into the garden in May.
Oh, and if things go good, I think next weekend I will be purchasing my clutch of chicks, at least 15 of them, for butchering later on. Got to get the freezer stocked.
Today was a snow day. We got about 5 more inches. Yay! What that means is simple. My son was over to plow the driveway and once again more snow has been pushed in front of the RV. No, I don't have any plans to travel any time soon but I want the snow to melt away so I can get to the RV and get measurements so I can finalize plans for the conversion we've got planned for the coach. I need to get the square footage of flooring, space available for the new furniture and whatever else I think I can pull off. I found a 55-inch LED screen on sale for a great deal but my wife informed me it was TOO big - there was no way she was going to sit in front of a huge screen. I think I might have a better chance with a 32-inch LED screen. I really need to get inside the RV and get the measurements so I know where I can place things.
To make matters worse - I've had three ideas hit me over the head for novels and I've got the outlines written down. If you know anything about the Muse, she doesn't like to be put off and is now shoving flaming matches under my toenails in hopes I will begin work on them. I can't. I have too many other sticks in the fire - including getting the fire pit out in the yard finished with an in-ground brick circle to hold back the gravel area. Somebody suggested I build a "tree house" out near the fire pit and have a suspension bridge from the upper side-deck to it which would carry the electricity and water for the tree house. As soon as I find the buried treasure chest with all the money necessary, it will be done.
Until next I ramble on...
Monday, February 23, 2015
There Are Plans...
and there are plans.
This weekend was supposed to be a somewhat restful, yet busy, weekend. The plans included a Friday night out with friends to a seafood all-you-can-eat buffet and fish fry. Saturday would be a day for me to start planting seeds for the garden, relaxing and watching the snow come down since the weatherman was threatening us with approximately 4+ inches of new snow. Come Sunday, it was the day to elect officials for the next church year with a potluck afterward including some great fellowship with the members. Of course, that was if church would be held on Sunday morning pending the snowfall.
Okay, that was the plan. As I stated... and there are plans.
Wednesday was an evening with the eldest son and his family and a great meal of Mexican food. So far, the plan was still in place.
RING! RING! RING! (Telephone)
#3's car needs to go in for repair. #4's wife has doctors' appointments - and she is expecting twins and their one daughter needs to be picked up from pre-school.
Mom and Dad to the rescue. We are now headed to Michigan, an area south of Detroit to help out
Today is now Sunday evening and we've stayed with #4 for a night, then #3 for 2 nights and now back to #4's for tonight. What does the next 2 days bring? Not sure.
Tomorrow's plans: #3's car should be repaired and ready for pickup. BUT, will be it be done before he needs to go to work. Only time will reveal that answer. #4's wife has a doctor's appointment at 8:30am - should be easy enough. Oh, wait. Their daughter has to be at pre-school at that exact time, too. My son will take his wife to the doctor and I was scheduled to drop my granddaughter off at school.
Yup! That plan got changed. She doesn't have school. It has been so cold in the area, the schools are not opening since they don't want the kids out in the sub-zero weather. Personally, I think we're pampering today's kids too much. I remember walking to school, in foul weather including cold winds and the walk was a full mile - each way. And no, I'm not over-exaggerating. It was 1954 and if you want me exaggerate - it was uphill, both ways. I've shown my kids and they found it hard to believe... they wanted to know why grandma didn't drive me. It was beyond their comprehension that we only had one car and dad had it to go to work - mom stayed home. But that's a different story.
So, now we hang in until we find out what the status of the car is and also, #4's wife goes back to the doctor on Weds which is the same day #3's daughter's pizza sales comes in and needs to be picked up. That would be 300+ pizza kits she sold. I don't believe my son's car can carry 300 pizzas.
With a little luck, maybe, just maybe, I'll get home late Wednesday night. If so, on Thursday I hope to plant my tomato seeds.
Oh, my #1 son had scheduled himself to plow all that snow out my drive so when I got home, it would be all clean for us. From what I've heard, a skiff of snow, less than an inch, fell. As he said, barely worth the effort of driving over to plow. So I'm guessing he didn't plow the driveway.
If things calm down, maybe next weekend I'll get the wood necessary to build the new chicken coop. We'll see what happens.
Plans get changed and I'm willing to go with the flow. In fact, I got my first edit job to work on and have two more scheduled to come at me over the next couple of weeks. Everything is subject to change. I'll just take a deep breath and move forward.
Until next I ramble on...
This weekend was supposed to be a somewhat restful, yet busy, weekend. The plans included a Friday night out with friends to a seafood all-you-can-eat buffet and fish fry. Saturday would be a day for me to start planting seeds for the garden, relaxing and watching the snow come down since the weatherman was threatening us with approximately 4+ inches of new snow. Come Sunday, it was the day to elect officials for the next church year with a potluck afterward including some great fellowship with the members. Of course, that was if church would be held on Sunday morning pending the snowfall.
Okay, that was the plan. As I stated... and there are plans.
Wednesday was an evening with the eldest son and his family and a great meal of Mexican food. So far, the plan was still in place.
RING! RING! RING! (Telephone)
#3's car needs to go in for repair. #4's wife has doctors' appointments - and she is expecting twins and their one daughter needs to be picked up from pre-school.
Mom and Dad to the rescue. We are now headed to Michigan, an area south of Detroit to help out
Today is now Sunday evening and we've stayed with #4 for a night, then #3 for 2 nights and now back to #4's for tonight. What does the next 2 days bring? Not sure.
Tomorrow's plans: #3's car should be repaired and ready for pickup. BUT, will be it be done before he needs to go to work. Only time will reveal that answer. #4's wife has a doctor's appointment at 8:30am - should be easy enough. Oh, wait. Their daughter has to be at pre-school at that exact time, too. My son will take his wife to the doctor and I was scheduled to drop my granddaughter off at school.
Yup! That plan got changed. She doesn't have school. It has been so cold in the area, the schools are not opening since they don't want the kids out in the sub-zero weather. Personally, I think we're pampering today's kids too much. I remember walking to school, in foul weather including cold winds and the walk was a full mile - each way. And no, I'm not over-exaggerating. It was 1954 and if you want me exaggerate - it was uphill, both ways. I've shown my kids and they found it hard to believe... they wanted to know why grandma didn't drive me. It was beyond their comprehension that we only had one car and dad had it to go to work - mom stayed home. But that's a different story.
So, now we hang in until we find out what the status of the car is and also, #4's wife goes back to the doctor on Weds which is the same day #3's daughter's pizza sales comes in and needs to be picked up. That would be 300+ pizza kits she sold. I don't believe my son's car can carry 300 pizzas.
With a little luck, maybe, just maybe, I'll get home late Wednesday night. If so, on Thursday I hope to plant my tomato seeds.
Oh, my #1 son had scheduled himself to plow all that snow out my drive so when I got home, it would be all clean for us. From what I've heard, a skiff of snow, less than an inch, fell. As he said, barely worth the effort of driving over to plow. So I'm guessing he didn't plow the driveway.
If things calm down, maybe next weekend I'll get the wood necessary to build the new chicken coop. We'll see what happens.
Plans get changed and I'm willing to go with the flow. In fact, I got my first edit job to work on and have two more scheduled to come at me over the next couple of weeks. Everything is subject to change. I'll just take a deep breath and move forward.
Until next I ramble on...
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