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Fiction and hard choices ahead
Apr. 2nd, 2019 10:22 pm I've been keeping busy. Posted a story I started in November 2016...on my phone...several phones ago. It was one of those things I didn't have a clear destination in mind for...I ended up chopping it off at the point that made logical sense, i.e. before it descended into lengthy subplots. Of course, now I'm pecking away at a sequel of sorts; the premise of the first tale was two characters changing places and followed one of them--naturally, now I need to follow the other one!
In addition to posting another chapter or two to "Step Right Up", I added "Winter Widow Soldier Spy", wherein Bucky and Natasha are on a mission to rescue a whistle-blower from the Russian embassy in Bucharest--without creating an international incident, which is the tricky part. That one was fun; there's lots of banter, plus fight scenes, car chases and moments of suspense. (Because face it, even if we do eventually get a Black Widow movie, it's probably not going to be THAT movie.)
Surprisingly, Albuquerque has three tearooms (at three different price points). Back in 2013, GK and I went to an event at the budget-friendly one...I enjoyed it, as I recall, but since it was before I had my cataracts done, it was literally all a blur. Then last year--I think it was last year--we went with a friend to the high-end place, where we had a private room and it was quite posh. Then last Friday, we went to the mid-range establishment, which was quite fun.
They were having a themed tea, the theme being "Alice in Wonderland". I spent a couple hours putting together a fascinator to go with my outfit...wore a bright pink dress under a black and white striped sweater with pink and red flowers. The fascinator has a black and white striped base embellished with a pink felt flower and a cascade of white and black ribbons (which were rescued from a Christmas gift, as was the black and white striped paper used for the base). Even went so far as to wear black tights.
It was all quite yummy, but alas, I ate and drank too much! When I got home, all I could do was shed my bra and tights and curl up on my bed ruing the extravagance. Ended up nodding off until four a.m..
However, i'm more determined than ever to get my house into a fit state to be able to have people over for tea. For which I'll also need a tea stand--I used to see them all the time, before I knew what they were--but one's bound to turn up. Meanwhile, I've come to the painful conclusion that more downsizing is imperative. That's going to require parting with things I love, but it's not so much a question of what sparks joy as much as, how much joy does it spark, and how useful is it really.
I've been here in this house for a bit over two years, and there are still quite a lot of boxes out in the shed I haven't gone through. There are things from Florida that may or may not have survived--between incompetent "helpers" and storage shed bandits, I just don't know if I still have a bunch of stuff like my beading supplies, various pagan artifacts, my Fiestaware...at any rate, I've been thinking about getting one of the estate sale companies to take a look and work with me...partly to clear the place out and get organized, but also to make some money. My monthly income is enough to get by on, but that's all it is. In order to have some money for extras, things like concert tickets once in a while or travel, I need to make some sacrifices. After all, when I'm gone, I don't have kids to pass it on to. GK gets everything, and I know darn well she won't cherish my treasures the way I do--she'll have a sale, pocket the money and what good does that do me?
I'm going to be 59 this year, which is older than quite a few dead people I've known. Not that I anticipate kicking the bucket in the immediate future (although one never knows), but clearly I have less time ahead of me than behind me. The odds are, this is the last place I'll live in, unless I win the lottery, and it's just not big enough to hold all my stuff. Even the two sheds are crammed full, and like I said, I haven't gone through most of the stuff out there because there's no room to spread it out and look at it.
If I could winnow out the surplus, I've also had the thought that I might be able to make a little money on the side selling some of my crafts--but again, I have to have room to work in. So that's the agenda for the upcoming months. I know it isn't going to happen overnight, but it needs to happen, period. I'm dangling a carrot in front of myself--if I can get it sorted and sold by this time next year, I want to take a chunk of the proceeds and go on my bucket list trip to the Winchester Mystery House. I've literally wanted to go there since I was nine, so there's some motivation!
Love to all!
...
In addition to posting another chapter or two to "Step Right Up", I added "Winter Widow Soldier Spy", wherein Bucky and Natasha are on a mission to rescue a whistle-blower from the Russian embassy in Bucharest--without creating an international incident, which is the tricky part. That one was fun; there's lots of banter, plus fight scenes, car chases and moments of suspense. (Because face it, even if we do eventually get a Black Widow movie, it's probably not going to be THAT movie.)
Surprisingly, Albuquerque has three tearooms (at three different price points). Back in 2013, GK and I went to an event at the budget-friendly one...I enjoyed it, as I recall, but since it was before I had my cataracts done, it was literally all a blur. Then last year--I think it was last year--we went with a friend to the high-end place, where we had a private room and it was quite posh. Then last Friday, we went to the mid-range establishment, which was quite fun.
They were having a themed tea, the theme being "Alice in Wonderland". I spent a couple hours putting together a fascinator to go with my outfit...wore a bright pink dress under a black and white striped sweater with pink and red flowers. The fascinator has a black and white striped base embellished with a pink felt flower and a cascade of white and black ribbons (which were rescued from a Christmas gift, as was the black and white striped paper used for the base). Even went so far as to wear black tights.
It was all quite yummy, but alas, I ate and drank too much! When I got home, all I could do was shed my bra and tights and curl up on my bed ruing the extravagance. Ended up nodding off until four a.m..
However, i'm more determined than ever to get my house into a fit state to be able to have people over for tea. For which I'll also need a tea stand--I used to see them all the time, before I knew what they were--but one's bound to turn up. Meanwhile, I've come to the painful conclusion that more downsizing is imperative. That's going to require parting with things I love, but it's not so much a question of what sparks joy as much as, how much joy does it spark, and how useful is it really.
I've been here in this house for a bit over two years, and there are still quite a lot of boxes out in the shed I haven't gone through. There are things from Florida that may or may not have survived--between incompetent "helpers" and storage shed bandits, I just don't know if I still have a bunch of stuff like my beading supplies, various pagan artifacts, my Fiestaware...at any rate, I've been thinking about getting one of the estate sale companies to take a look and work with me...partly to clear the place out and get organized, but also to make some money. My monthly income is enough to get by on, but that's all it is. In order to have some money for extras, things like concert tickets once in a while or travel, I need to make some sacrifices. After all, when I'm gone, I don't have kids to pass it on to. GK gets everything, and I know darn well she won't cherish my treasures the way I do--she'll have a sale, pocket the money and what good does that do me?
I'm going to be 59 this year, which is older than quite a few dead people I've known. Not that I anticipate kicking the bucket in the immediate future (although one never knows), but clearly I have less time ahead of me than behind me. The odds are, this is the last place I'll live in, unless I win the lottery, and it's just not big enough to hold all my stuff. Even the two sheds are crammed full, and like I said, I haven't gone through most of the stuff out there because there's no room to spread it out and look at it.
If I could winnow out the surplus, I've also had the thought that I might be able to make a little money on the side selling some of my crafts--but again, I have to have room to work in. So that's the agenda for the upcoming months. I know it isn't going to happen overnight, but it needs to happen, period. I'm dangling a carrot in front of myself--if I can get it sorted and sold by this time next year, I want to take a chunk of the proceeds and go on my bucket list trip to the Winchester Mystery House. I've literally wanted to go there since I was nine, so there's some motivation!
Love to all!
...