Mental Meanderings

My schedule has been juggled, thank goodness, working 52 hours last week nearly kilt me. Dead. We negotiated and I'm now working a much more reasonable 2-3 days a week; more than plenty after a decade of not working, in my opinion. More may be possible after I've had the opportunity to build up my stamina... in the meantime, it's very lucky my employer is understanding and willing to keep to our original agreement. This also frees up energy and time for writing (and for visiting your blogs). 

We're living in a small retirement community; most of the residents are currently 'up north' and won't be returning for a month or two. It's quiet here and not a lot of demand for community gatherings, etc... just yet. This I find quite agreeable, Cranky as I am. About 50 ft. beyond our place is an unmarked wall with no entrance; something about it intrigues me. Perhaps it's the brief glimpses of a roofline through the trees, maybe of a set of flats, or it could be the occasional sounds of people talking and children laughing. It could even be the occasional soft cock's crow which piques my interest.

I keep picturing a late-middle age woman in shorts and hiking boots, carrying a backpack, perched on the wall with a smile on her face... leaping suddenly to other side, laughter trailing behind.

Dunno for sure but methinks there might be a story in there somewhere; what do you think?

It's been a while so here's some food porn.

Above: Chicken salad with pecans, tart apple and sharp cheddar. Below: Liquid pizza aka tomato soup with sausage, pepperoni, minced green pepper, mushrooms, onions, and black olives with slices of fresh mozzarella. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

And an odd day it's been; bittersweet, even cranky. I'm finally getting down to work tomorrow (almost today) and none too soon; I'll be sore for a while but that was partly sorted by a change of medication at the doctor today - the rest will have to sort itself the old-fashioned way; by going through it since there's no way around.

It's also my birthday today, Happy 55th!

Mom made me a birthday brownie, took me out for Chinese... which came with it's own surprise... 

tomato bunnies! She also bought me classic red roses.

The kidling and I spoke on the phone, but she is still a thousand miles away. That seems very far today.

Have also been pondering other thisses and thatses; like the fact that both my father and Two Bear were very much into things like numerology and how they would be lecturing me about the transition from a nine year to a one year as I move from being 54 to 55. For once in my life, oddly enough, they'd be quite gratified by how my life is closing one chapter and beginning another just like the numbers predict.

Tomorrow - today now - is a huge step; proving to myself and others that I can get a job (and I'll damn well keep it too). If my pride causes me to over-reach, what of it? At least I'll have regained some self-respect and it's nobody else's circus or monkeys.

I'm not cranky with, or at, any of my blog friends; have just spent too much time thinking and analyzing of late. My head will empty and I'll demonstrate my usual shallowness soon, I promise. In the meantime, enjoy a little beauty in miniature:

A Tasteful Canid?

If It's Easy, a short story by my longtime pal, Carolyn McBride. (Click on her name to go to her blog.) You can also visit her Amazon Author's page --> Here, and her Facebook author's page is Here. *Carolyn was kind enough to share an author's copy with me but all opinions are my own, as anyone who knows me would know.

This is the tale of Coriander Wolf, a lonely author with a flavorsome name and a cynical  view of romance. Beginning with the prophetic announcement from a djinn trapped in her computer, and continuing on to a meeting with an exotically beautiful stranger, Cori is about to learn more about the universe(s) and all they contain than she could ever have imagined... One suspects that her adventures will not end with this one short tale and that is definitely a good thing.

Carolyn and her wife, Betty, live in Southern Ontario, where Carolyn continues her tradition of writing strong lesbian protagonists and Betty keeps her in line! 

Now for a few photos!

A lovely, celebratory bowl of succulent mussels. Yup, I got the job! Have to wait to start until they get the results of (standard procedure) obligatory urine test and I-9. For those not from the States, the I-9 is to determine if one is eligible to work in the US. It takes a while and I'm not inclined toward patience just now; despite having been sent (before I'd even arrived home) an email stating my pay rate, etc...

We had rain and storms most of the day yesterday, the sky boasted some unusual colors as the sun was setting; looking straight up:

And to the right...

This next one, however, looks positively sulphurous.

Thought I'd share an earworm with you in farewell. You're welcome!

All the Pretty Pictures

Why yes, the post is a bit photo-heavy tonight.

First, the Sebring Diner, where Mom and I had lunch today:

Good diner food, great service and reasonable prices. Can't beat that.

Last weekend we took a short drive to the town of Lake Placid, (not the one located in New York state) which has the nickname of Town of Murals.

This tidy little cathouse was up for sale...

Still working on my little tale; it suddenly struck me that I'd begun the story in the middle and needed to rectify the situation. It may, in fact, end up not being as short a tale as I'd originally intended. Ah well, at least I'm back in the swing of things.