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Grateful


Sometimes something amazing happens. An answer to prayer shows up so unexpectedly.

Today I found out I can afford my cataract surgery. My daughter by marriage told us she’s sent the money. I’m blown away. I’ve been crying off and on all day.

Love you, H.β€πŸ’•πŸ’œπŸ™πŸ™πŸ˜‡


Way to Go, Linda. Eight years of Streaming Consciousness Saturday!

Sometimes in a person’s life they need more ‘atta girl’s. Not always. Sometimes just everyday keeps us going. But I have found that when I feel least alive and I can’t find motivation for even breathing, I need to stop and take stock of my day, week, life. While it is nice when others congratulate me. I find my own boost in saying, “Look at that! Look what you survived, created, loved!”

This blog has been that for me. Day-to-day can be dull. Downright angsty. Especially these last two years. So I am learning to see small accomplishments. Not earth-shattering wins. But things that make me smile and feel alive.

Today’s win is I ran out of Haven 2 to edit. There were 52,053 words altogether. There was no ‘the end’ and quite a few undeveloped characters, scenes, and plot bunnies to work on. I have a better working title: Haven, Above, Beneath, Beyond. My next step is to work toward 60k a full story, minus stuff that needs to be deleted.


Sorry. Not sorry. Just didn’t finish the Sunset Beach. There was only straightening, sealing, and painting a frame, but for me the straightening is the hardest. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll ‘gird my loins’ and face it.

The socks are nearly finished. Just putting on the ribbing.

And it looks like I’ll have just the right amount of yarn for both socks.

Editing/reading first round is nearly done. I’m happy that I almost doubled my goal for February. I set up this months’ goal as just finishing. Though the project has nearly 58k I set the goal (extended last months’ goal) to 60k. That will encourage me to write a couple thousand to build a few characters up.

Sorry cell picture of the computer screen doesn’t do well. But hopefully, you can read it. I have 45,190 in my project so it seems an easy goal.

Beautiful Sunset


I wish my phone captured these as my eyes see them.

Who Knew?



The Five WoundsThe Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Libby, the library app, recommended this book as a social read for all. My friends and I all got the notification for it simultaneously. Since we all saw it, we ordered and tried to read it at the same time so we could discuss it later.

It was a challenging read. The writing was okay. But the topic was complex. So how is it I give it four stars?

The book gives five characters a chance to share their point of view. Each has damage to overcome. But, we’ve all seen people that refuse to grow up and accept responsibility. It seems, sometimes, that the pregnant teen is more mature than the rest of the cast. It is through her eyes I could tolerate this story. She gets it and is working hard. Ugh. Until she doesn’t. But she’s human. Right?

The author portrays the story through the LatinX culture in New Mexico. It is also slanted Catholic. Being raised in Southern California, I knew and loved friends of Mexican or Spanish heritage. And though I was raised protestant, many of my friends were Catholic, so I had a bit of an understanding. If you didn’t have a religious background or never participated, this might lose the reader.

If the book doesn’t get you culturally or religiously next, it might generationally. It centers on a family led by the matriarch, soon-to-be great Abuela, two offspring, a granddaughter, and finally, the new baby. I think the author does a good job stepping into each character. They are full of faults and virtues. And each is conflicted due to their past and family.

I must say, some might give up. I almost did several times as it is too real. But stick with it, and you will be rewarded in the end.

Gary Tiedemann (Narrator) did a flawless job. What I mean is that he read females and males with equal grace. I never felt the narrator mocking any of the characters in his voice. Yet, there was a change in characters, so you never feel lost about who is telling their story.

View all my reviews


My passion this week has been my reading, first edit of Haven Above and Beyond. Or until I choose a better title, Haven book 2. My goal when I started February was 25,000 words read/edited to yWriter7. I have ended February with 45,190. Nearly 50k! I’m more than pleased. And I’m excited about the project. I can’t wait to dig in and rewrite, elaborate or kill parts of the story to make it better.

The heels are done on the socks. It won’t be long now!

My body hasn’t cooperated to finish the last bits of the Diamond Painting. Maybe tomorrow.

I have started working with the Trapp recorder book as it is for the English/Baroque. Then I review what works from the other book. I’m starting it over sadly. I had finished that book.

Now I need to go finish a library book that is due tomorrow.

Found on Facebook



Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is β€œrest.” Use it any way you like. Enjoy!

Rest your bones from your labors.

Yikes! I went Biblical.

But I did just nap. Why do I sleep better during a nap than any time during night?

Somewhere there has to be research proving how to important naps can be.

That time when my babies slept became a ritual for me. When I went back to work, I had a boss who shut down the office. He’d close himself in his office and told me to rest in mine. It certainly made a productive day. We never had that difficult after two time.

Twenty minutes is all I need. In fact, longer than that I’d get grumpy and sluggish.

That same boss set up walk time, too. I wished I could have afforded to raise four teens alone on $8 an hour for part-time. It was a fun job that I learned a lot.

There’s more but I’ll give it a rest.


Well, not quite but close.

Still need to straighten, paint on the frame, and seal.

Almost ready to heel. Well, the one on the left.

Yay!

I did meet my February goal of 25k words moved into yWriter7. In fact, I surpassed that number and set up for part two of Haven book two overall edit.

And on this Finishing Friday we started with the freezing fog. Pogonip or rime. Here’s how it looked from the warm side of the curtains:

It is like snow as you get light flurries. But you can watch crystals form on the bannisters. It’s like that science experiment of growing rock crystals. So awesome to look at and just an incredible sight.

Anyway…

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