Blog Humbug

Blog Humbug!  I've just been in a mood lately - and it's no mood that feels like blogging.  Part of it is that I'm too damn busy to make the time, part of it is the ol' "what do I have to write about" garbage, part of it is that I need a BREAK!  So, there ya go:  3 parts equal the whole.

The washer's broken, and the laundry is thigh high.  The mower's broken, and the yard is knee high.  Dropped the mower off today to be repaired and also found a possible fix-it-myself for the washer.  (Cross your fingers!)  And, tomorrow, I'm trading some nannying hours for quality time with the washing machine at Baby Girl's house.  Shee-it:  just looked down and there's a tick embedded in my sweater.  Hang on.

'Kay, tick has been roasted on stove burner.  Thank gawd I'm not afraid of THOSE particular creepy-crawlies!


Did you notice that I actually said 'sweater'?  Yes, the weather FINALLY broke yesterday, and its glorious now.  The miserably hot (87 degrees still at 8 PM) weather and high humidity is gone.  Let's hope for the rest of the summer!  That said, I still had the A/C goin' in the truck today . . . but that might have been just because neither of the windows on the driver's side open.

I'm really disgusted with the jungle-like appearance of the yard right now, and that probably affects my mood.  Lawn mower should be done by the end of this week, at best, or on Monday.


I bought a (well-used) piano a couple of weeks ago and had friends help me move it last Wednesday night.  It's nestled into its corner of the livingroom now, and it even sounds really good - although I need someone in to tune it up (literally AND figuratively):  it has quite a few sticking keys.  No, I don't play, but I've always wanted to play something I could sing along with, and the guitar just does NOT come naturally.  So far, I can plink out (with one hand) "Blueberry Hill".  Maybe when life slows down (hahahahahahaha!) I'll take some lessons.


After being on the waiting list for well over two months, I FINALLY got the dogs in to be groomed today.  Maisy is so shiny and clean with her feathers trimmed, and Tucker lookssocute!  I took "before" shots last night and will take some "after" shots to post.


Probably another reason I haven't blogged, I now realize, is because I'm still dealing with these Big Things I'm having to research and make decisions about.  But am still not ready to talk about.

But, my from-March-to-June work with a lawyer that I (may have?) alluded to is finally finished.  It all had to do with zoning and a business idea:  to see if I could legally do it out of Swamp River Ridge here.  And, the upshot is that no, I can't.  That was going to be a secondary source of income, anyway, and there were some big cons to the idea, so it's not a great downer.  And, at least I know now . . . and isn't that what we hire lawyers for?


The other Big Thing has a deadline that is FAST approaching, so I'm actually taking almost two weeks out of the office to focus on and finish that up - the rest of this month and maybe a titch into August.  (August, already?!  There's ANOTHER shee-it!)  That will officially begin on Friday (the two weeks out of the office).  That means, too, that I'm taking no more website jobs until all this has fallen into place.  I've taken one little graphic design job on, but it's small.  And, I'll do as much as I can on my existing jobs from here at home.  I'll have to run into the office from time to time, but that will coincide w/ needing to grocery shop or get gas, too, so that's fine.


The local arts festival came and went.  Our summer one, anyway.  I split a table with a friend this year instead of manning one by myself since I felt like I needed to establish my (gallery) presence in town, but that was a joke.  My location, at just one block up from the main drag, just does NOT garner walk-in traffic.  Lovely sandwich board or no lovely sandwich board.  But, my point in mentioning the arts festival is that I suddenly find myself on the newly-established (but needed) board of directors.  

We had (yet another) huge hub-bub with our director / coordinator this year.  And then, after very publicly resigning the day before the festival, she (within 48 hours) re-appointed herself as director w/o talking to anyone else first (also very publicly).  She has since, rather unceremoniously, been "disbarred" and a board partially selected.  Of which I am a member.  Guess that's what I get for being a fairly level-headed person, huh?  ;)


What else?  Remember my oldest girlfriend who's building a cabin just 9 miles from me?  Whose two little ones I took care of over Memorial Day Weekend?  Well, following that massive storm a week or so ago (when I lost 8 trees), I finally (!) got over to their cabin to make sure it made it thru okay.  And, in the big picture, it did.  But, for the here and now, it didn't.  All the tarping was ripped from it, and the (finished, mind you!) downstairs flooded with between 1/2" and 4" of water, depending.  Thankfully, their floor is one that can take a little damage, but I went back there last night, mop and sponges in hand, to take up all the standing water.  Meanwhile, her husband immediately pulled together all his remaining vacation hours, and, with her sister stepping in to take care of the kids over the weekend while my girlfriend works, he's heading up here tomorrow night to work through the weekend to repair as much of the damage as possible (and make even more progress towards completely enclosing the cabin).  I wonder how his finger's feeling?  (He broke it over Memorial Day Weekend.  Working on the cabin.)


My birthday's come and gone and it feels good to be 40 . . . but it will feel even better to be 40 + a month or so:  when I have these Big Things finally all under control.  And maybe I'll even be able to tell you about them then!  ;)