*sigh*

After waking and finding yourself in a clearing surround by an evergreen forest that looks the same all the way around, you have two choices:

1. Make camp and stay where you are or
2. Choose a direction and start walking.

I think I am just going to pick a direction and start walking, even if it is only mental and emotional and not physical. Make sense?

Work and Work

There just isn't any getting around Mondays is there? You have two days to rest from five days of everything possible crammed into them, and just when it seems you almost have recovered your energy Monday comes again. O. Well.

While working at the "day job" today, i.e. call center - my head kept returning to the story I am currently working on, as well as some ideas for cleaning up a short story I have recently completed.

A couple of years ago I would have been so annoyed that there just wasn't enough time to get the story written that it would have made it almost impossible to complete. Now, with time really crunched, it seems there is more time to write now than when there was all the time in the world to do nothing but write. Why is it that when you have enough time to do what you need you never get around to what you need to do, but when there are constraints upon your time there is suddenly time to do almost everything you need?

This is truly one of the greatest mysteries of the universe!

Not Quite the Weekend I was Expecting

My arthritis has really kicked up on me for the past week. It has rained here in Lexington practically off and on all week. It has rained today and is still feeling like rain in my body although the sun has actually managed to peek its way out from behind the clouds.

The rain is going to really help the leaves be beautiful for when they turn, however. So, complaining about the weather doesn't really do any good about it at all. In fact, it is quite useless. Still, just to be able to say, "Hey, I don't feel good" does help just a little more than suffering in silence.

Despite the tears shed in pain, I am going to encourage today to be better than what it otherwise normally would have been. There is knitting planned for later as well as a little on-line shopping for a couple of things to decorate my journal/diary pages with; and there are movies to catch up on as well. Even though there are things to do today to keep me distracted, the main thing I was looking forward to, mostly, was the St. Andrew's Festival at my Church. Every year since joining, and even before joining, Hubby and I have managed to work at the bookstore booth each and every year. This is the first year we have not worked it together. The festival is a weekend event, so there is a chance I might be able to work at it tomorrow after Church, I am not at all certain this is even possible.

Moving for me today is so painful all I have been able to do is move, get from point A to point B and then dissolve into tears. Yes, there is pain medication I can take for such a bad day, but I am only taking half of the dosage because I really would prefer not to sleep the day away, but I might just have to take a second dose - usually I try to take one dose and suffer through the rest of the day because I want a DAY, not a snooze fest.

So, despite the fact this weekend was not what I was expecting it to be - I am still hopeful it will be as good as it can possibly be.

Something Cute on a Dreary Day

Isn't this just adorable? This is Cappa (Cappuchino). She rules this house with a gentle, but firm paw. As you can tell, she has it hard in taking care of all of her duties. She must eat, sleep, amuse her human, keep the dogs in line, and, of course, make certain her beauty naps are correct in number for the day - especially on dreary days such as today. It is hard being a kind and gentle princess over such a domain. It just wears a kitty out!

Personally, I am ever so glad Friday has arrived. There is a great deal going on here at home: This is our annual St. Andrew's Church festival and for the first time in ever I will not be helping Hubby with the bookstore tomorrow (Saturday), because of the weather and my current pain level. My arthritis, limbs, and chest all say that it is going to rain quite a lot tonight, tomorrow, and possibly the next day. We shall see, of course, if I am right. Either way, the pain is here and it is planning on staying put for a while. So, tomorrow, I will be home while he is there. He will, of course, be in my thoughts a lot. We have done this together almost every since we have been in Church!

In other news, my paper journal is becoming nice and fat from photos, drawings, and knitting patterns. It is growing so large with a collection of swatches that I am going to have to keep a knitting journal for real, not just in pretense! I am quite surprised by it actually.

The dreary, gray sky has my mood somewhat down. It will perk up soon.

Have a great Friday y'all!

Here is a cute picture that simply makes me giggle each and every time I see it because Chewie, herein pictured, is the sweetest, most gentle creature on the face of this big planet. He won't harm a single thing and puts himself between danger and whatever he is trying to protect, whether that is me or a cricket! The Beware of the Dog sign in our back yard is there for our babies' protection really more than anyone else (human wise). Still, Chewie underneath it is just an oxymoron for me.

Today has been Monday. All. Day. Long. I am glad the work part of it is over because it was simply rough. The call volume wasn't out-of-this-world and the people, for the most part were nice and really just wanted the paper they had been given to go away, which is a) my job; and b) something I don't mind helping anyone do! Still, there were technical difficulties involved. At one point my head-set just was not working. On another call the person on the other end could not hear me, and the few Spanish-speaking calls I received were dropped because I could not get hold of anyone fast enough.

Hubby didn't go to work because he still had a fever from whatever was going on with him this weekend. However, he would not deny work and actually did some from home, which, in the end, helped to make him feel better. Surprisingly I understand this action. Since I have returned to the work-force again not working through the week feels really odd, although having an occasional day off wouldn't be so bad, or being able to take it off even if I didn't would be absolutely lovely!

Besides it being Monday it has rained all day off-and-on and the temperatures have dropped down into the low 70s. This encourages my arthritis to be very upset and since it cannot be upset in peace and quiet it tries very hard to make me miserable, or at least acknowledge its ever constant presence. Yeah, I've hurt today. It wouldn't hurt quite so bad if I could turn off the A/C but Hubby needs the cool because of the fevers, so I have been wrapping up as best I could. It hasn't helped all that much, but it has helped some. Part of me is actually looking forward to having the heat turned on because it will help push the arthritis back further than it is willing to go at the moment.

If this doesn't get better in the next little bit I believe I am going to pull out ye olde water bottle and fill it with hot water and hug it to my chest in perfect bliss!

Vampire Effect Makes Me Smile Every Time I Watch It

Vampire Effect is one of those corny martial arts movies that makes me smile each and every time I watch it. Now I have just discovered there is a Vampire Effect 2 somewhere roaming around in the world.

I needed a good smile and Hubby found it on cable and recorded it. Already I have seen it twice and he is watching it again...his second, my third. It will probably get one more viewing probably before the week is out, and of course, if it remains on the DVR it will get watched around Halloween. Yo. Vampires, dude. Perfect for Halloween.

Middle of the Week and Marching Forward

It is Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday work was nothing but call after call. Today it was actually quiet and I even managed to get some knitting done! Yes, there was much rejoicing!

Plus, The Tale of Desperaux came in from Netflix, which means we will be watching a really cool movie this evening, unless we can't get So You Think You Can Dance to record on the DVR. Yes, yes. I know. Addicted I am.

My tum-tum has not been fantastic today because of the stress and, perhaps, letting the stress go. This means I am probably ordering some egg-drop soup and some soothing chicken dish which will, perhaps, let my stomach settle. Potato chips were the only thing that stayed in place.

Now, the weekend approaches and a baby shower. I need to get back to knitting!

Difficult to Explain

It is hard to write these words, and I have actually delayed for a long time to put them out here. My beautiful fur-baby JoJo passed away on September 9th around Noon.

According to the vet she had been fighting an auto-immune disease that was robbing her of her ability to make red blood cells. We all know that, without red blood cells you simply can't live. Dr. Taylor went so far as to give her a blood transfusion which seemed to have been the perfect cure, but after a week in the hospital of observation JoJo had another turn for the worst. Dr. Taylor gave Jo another blood transfusion, but it didn't take. We were hoping for her to be able to get home so I could see her one more time and if she was to pass she would be surrounded by people who loved her more than anything. Unfortunately JoJo just couldn't make it home and she passed at the hospital. It actually hurt Dr. Taylor to tell us she was gone, because we had done everything we could for her, and so had he.

I had her cremated and Hubby is bringing her home today. Later on he will take her out to the farm to bury her, but she is going to make it home one last time.

This is really hurting. She was my baby girl. She was the youngest of all of the dogs so should have been the next in line as lead for the dogs, but she isn't. Hopefully in her three or four years of life she had a wonderful one here with us. I know she was spoiled and everyone who came into the house - well, almost everyone - was greeted and she made sure to let them know she was approachable and pet able. Really, she didn't mind to be petted at all! Plus, she had a smile to prove it.

Things are really quiet in the house now. I didn't realize how much life JoJo put into the house, but she did. She filled the house with living, loving, and play. I miss her terribly, and will for a long while.