Sedentary

I live a sedentary life.  I work at home, my commute is less than 40 steps from  bedroom to home office.  I drive a few miles to pick up the kids - maybe 100 steps round trip car-school-car.  But I was still surprised when the pedometer after a normal work day for me said less than 3,000 steps taken from 6a to 8p.  I am now joining Lily is walking /running laps in the house... Hopefully, I can get that number closer to 8K.

Friendly Cat

When I was a kid, my mom did not want cats - it's funny because she has now had a cat for most of the last 25 years.  At one point, I had 4 cats.  All of these cats were primarily friendly.  There was one hard case in bunch.  But she was indoor/outdoor, she came to you if she wanted attention.  And even that cat came back after my brother put her out to walk on a frozen pool.

For the last 9 years I have been living with an "attack cat".  One who attacks my ankles or bites that hand that pets her. A cat that loved to sit on the back of the couch and hit the kids in the head when they were learning to walk.  Thankfullly, she has been declawed.  (A friend of mine insists it is the declawing that makes her attack, I contend it was the years of fight training/playing with my husband.)

But yesterday, a friendly cat has come to call in our backyard.  Even if we don't keep her, even if she disappears unexpectedly, it has been nice to have a friendly purring cat to pet when I go in the yard.

The joy of Kindle advance book purchases

I got a surprise today - a new Jim Butcher book came out - and it was already loaded on my Kindle when I woke up.  If I had stayed up until 9p last night, I could have started reading it last night - at midnight ET.  But since I am still on ET from our Thanksgiving vacation, I started reading it at 4a instead.

I remember going to the bookstore on the day a book was released and not seeing it out for sale.  I'd have to argue with the staff that it really was available for purchase.  I don't miss that at all.

How time flies...

I can't believe it has been a year since I posted something here, but time flies.  Or maybe it was just me flying around the world - usually for work.  I think I have averaged a trip a month since I wrote last.  That is my ideal amount of travel.  It's just enough to get me out of the home office and keep me from going stir crazy.  I was home for several weeks in a row in June, so I made up for it by going somewhere every weekend in July.  Taking a break from the regular routine and knowing that we can plan an overnight trip on the spur of the moment make me happy.

Pretty blue walls

So, I finally finished with my office transformation.  Over a year ago I built the desk.  Even before that I had picked out some paint samples.  Earlier this year, I finally got test patches on the wall.  This week - a friend helped paint it.  My office is now a turquoise-robin's egg blue with brown (almost the same color as my desk) on the bottom and white trim.  The walls are all bare right now and I am thinking about what I to pick to decorate them.  Right now, I am just enjoying the thought of possibilities.  I ordered some frames for kid's artwork from dynamicFRAMES.  I hope to keep the kid's art clutter contained.

In the past I had lots of little pictures, but I think I want some big things this time around... oh what can I do...  Of course, the first order would be to try to keep the actual desk clutter to a minimum!

But that's my happy thought for the day - pretty blue walls and the possibilities...

Down in the dumps

I have been feeling guilty about everything lately - or at least all the things I think I should do that I JUST DON"T WANNA!  I should do the budget to make sure we keep money working for us - yes, I have been taking the easy way out and just keeping an extra cushion in checking.  I should be playing with the kids instead of letting them watch hours and hours of tv.  I should be making dinner rather than resorting to going out for breakfast 5 - 6 days a week. I should plan dinner too - more than just - fish sticks? quesadilla?  or getting ready to heat foods from the farmer's market (although, I guess that is better than fast food, right?).  I should pull those pesky weeds.  I should do the laundry before we run out of clothes.  I should exercise - those 10+ lbs. I gained this year are not going to disappear if I wish hard enough.  I should call my friends - because I know if I talk to them, I will feel better.  Heck - I should go visit some of my friends too...  so many live far far away.  I should paint the half tested blue walls of my office - a sign of laziness to face every work day.  But, I just don't wanna!  I want to curl up on the couch and read books and watch bad tv.  I want to sit by a river and watch it go by.  I want a lap cat to pet (but ours is an attack cat...).  I want all of these things to magically do themselves.

But for today, I am going to take my aching head out to the Day-lily Farm in Amador - maybe tomorrow I will wanna do something...

Frazzled - smile more

So, I am overwhelmed - at home, at work, at life.  I am tired, I am over-committing  myself.  In the face of overwhelming responsibilities (both externally and self generated), I tend to pile on more things I should do.  But last night, I did stop and enjoy a quiet moment.  I sat in the dark with a cold beverage and watched a small fire with Higgy.  That makes me smile more. 

Of course, today when I had to find a way to fit in all the things that I didn't do last night.... cranky!  I need to find some balance.