lord I’m coming home to you

Today was mostly fantastic - still lots to do, but I was more relaxed than yesterday. I spent the morning in my hometown kicking off the coca-cola mural here - the garden club was out in force to help out, and the painting went really well. My family was also out in force - my mom is in garden club and I called in reinforcements at different times from my dad and [censored]. I think we jointly made half a dozen trips to the lumber yard today, but it was all good. And I even got to sit in a lawn chair in the shade and watch the painting for a bit, which was a delight.

I then did a few things at home, went to town (the other town) and did stuff at the main festival site. I escaped a little before four and got some illicit tacos, then went back to my town and checked on coke progress. And then I went back to the festival and manned the check in office for a couple of hours.

After closing the office, I got one of the fair board guys to make me a bourbon and lemonade, and then I wandered and talked to the artists and Tim pictures. And then I came home and gets my house guests - Aunt B and Uncle B arrived tonight, so we talked for a couple of hours. And now, I must sleep - goodnight!

good times never seemed so good

The Walldogs are officially kicked off! It was a very long day - I was at the fairgrounds by 7:30am and got home at 9:30pm, which is earlier than I probably should have come home but definitely later than my body wanted.

But it all went as well today as it possibly could have - everything was pretty smooth and there were no disasters, so I'm delighted by that. And my dad, mom, and [censored] all helped in different ways, which was much appreciated. Probably none of them has as much fun as the old guy (whom I've known forever) that I gave full permission to drive a golf cart around and give people rides, but not everyone can have such a cushy gig.

But now, I desperately need to sleep and begin it all again tomorrow - goodnight!

on a buffet of pills

The mural festival starts tomorrow! And, shockingly, I feel like we're mostly ready for it. There's still a lot to do tomorrow, and we're winging a lot of the volunteer timings, but otherwise we're in good shape. I spent the morning sending emails and doing spreadsheet stuff in my pajamas, and then I took a speed shower, made a speed sandwich, and sped to the fairgrounds for a committee meeting + setup time. I got out of some of the setup because I had to do allergy shots, but I did a respectable amount of stuff and things are looking good.

Then, I grabbed dinner with some committee people + some lead artists who've arrived - I should perhaps have come home, but I had no food here, and the idea of a cheeseburger was v. appealing. Dinner took a long time because the restaurant was understaffed, but then I came home and did some last-minute printing and prepping of stuff.

And now, I need to sleep since I have to be at the Fairgrounds at a time that is too early for my delicate constitution. Goodnight!

another night in the hills

I'm pretty tired, but things are cranking here - I spent basically the whole day doing mural festival stuff, but all the badges are printed and I did a million other tings, so I feel good about all of that. I also hung out a bit with [censored], who was working on day job stuff instead of mural stuff - but [censored] helped me set up my new color printer, and also helped me navigate the idiosyncracies of Word on a v. old PC laptop. While I am #googleforlife with my product choices, mail merges really only work in the Microsoft world, and that was the only way I knew how to print the badges. It ended up being an overly-complicated multistep process, but they look great, so at least there's that.

Yesterday was a similar slog - a little more relaxed, perhaps, especially since I spent some quality time with my parents (and made them think I was so busy that they ended up grilling hamburgers and making fried potatoes for me, which was a real treat). But the festival officially starts in less than thirty-six hours, and then we'll see what happens....

And now, I really need to sleep so that I can save a bit of energy for tomorrow - goodnight!

looked in the mirror, so many people standing there

I'm v. tired, but today went as smoothly as it possibly could have gone. I got up and at 'em, and while I was slightly late getting to the fairgrounds, I was still there by around 8:20am. We really had no idea how many people would show up, or whether we'd have sufficient help - but we got lucky with the weather and also have a lot of community enthusiasm for the murals. Long story short, we sanded, cleaned, mounted, and primed all of the panels for the fourteen murals that we're painting at the fairgrounds. We had planned that this would take two days, and instead it took us seven hours.

Needless to say, this was delightful. We decided not to do any more setup tomorrow, and instead to finish setting up on Tuesday. That doesn't mean I'm out of the woods or totally free tomorrow - I still have a million things to do. But at least I don't have to prime anything tomorrow - it was fun today, but my shoulders will need a break.

After we were done, some of us grabbed a margarita from the Mexican food truck and chatted for a bit. Then I came home and descended into complete torpor; I just wanted to veg, so that's mostly what I did. I took a shower at some point, and I also ate a toasted bagel with some salmon that needs used. But for the most part, I did nothing, and it was glorious.

Now, though, I must sleep - goodnight!

calling Baton Rouge

I have nothing to report today - but if you guessed I did mural stuff, you'd be correct. I worked all morning, had a quick lunch with [censored], went to a mural meeting, then crashed Garden Club to talk to them about the mural festival (and help my mom out, since I basically gave her program for her).

Then I came home, picked up stuff at the lumber yard, did some more stuff, and conned [censored] into helping me take it to the fairgrounds. Then we had dinner in garden grove, which was as tasty as usual.

But now I need to sleep so I can do a million things tomorrow - goodnight!

someday i'll come out from under you

No blog tonight - I'm knee-deep in mural stuff, but I also had to run to Des Moines to get my oil changed (my Audi prefers Audi dealers). While I was there, I picked up a couple of tings for the festival, then came back home, did some mural stuff, went to the lumber yard, etc. [Censored] and I also got takeout from the Mexican food truck in town - I miss the actual restaurant, but at least they have an option while they're renovating the inside.

And now, I really need to sleep - I haven't been sleeping enough and I'm starting to drag. Goodnight!

sun down to sun rise

Yes, today was more mural stuff. No, I have nothing else of interest to report. I did take a break in the evening to make some chicken burrito bowls - not entirely necessary since I already had some food in the fridge, but I needed to use up some chicken I'd thawed out and cooking it now means I won't have to cook for the next couple of days. And it was a good reward for [censored], who dealt with a v. strange and complex phone situation for me. It was like Christmas when [censored] got home tonight, since we feasted on burrito bowls and then played around with devices (although this is nowhere near as exciting as playing Duck Hunt for the first time as a kid).

And now, I need to sleep, since there is (as usual) lots to do tomorrow. Goodnight!

oh my starry eyed surprise

My brain is fried from too much screen time today, so I'm going to try to log off after this. But I got a million tings done for the mural festival - not the other million tings I have to do, but at least it was something. I worked on it for three hours when I woke up, then took a v. quick shower and made a v. boring sandwich to take with me to my weekly meeting. I did a bunch of stuff after it, got some allergy shots, came home, and continued making progress (with some breaks because I'm not totally a machine).

At some point, I cooked - I prepped some cobb salads for the rest of the week, which is labor intensive now but #worthit later. Then I did some more stuff - alternating between mural stuff + personal stuff that I've been neglecting.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

i'm gonna shake it like the thunder tonight, oh my

You can guess what I did today - I did mural stuff. I slept better last night, though, because I slept in my guest room, and I discovered that [censored] has been living like a king on the main floor while I've been sweltering upstairs. I do not want to have to clean out my basement this fall, but I think it will be #worthit for the HVAC project that I intend to embark upon....

But that's a problem for Future Sara. Today, I did a bunch of mural stuff, ran into town to see Nancy, did some more mural stuff, ate a bologna sandwich, etc. I did take a break to talk to Alice, who was on my team for ages before I left my job - we hadn't caught up in forever, so we had a video chat, and it was lovely. Then I ran into town to check on some mural tings, bought a couple of groceries, came home, and did some food prep - I made sweet potato hash, and I also poached chicken for cobb salads.

The sweet potato hash turned out quite well, and I ate it with fried eggs. Then I did mural stuff for the last three hours. And now, I'm going to try to go to bed before midnight so that I can recoup some brain energy before it all starts again tomorrow - goodnight!

the higher ups will tell you what you can't eat, where you can't go, how to dress, how to act decent

I'm bogged down in mural stuff, but it's going to be great, so I'm trying not to let it get my down. Yesterday, I wrote in the morning, and then went into town and watched the Old Settlers parade. This is not something I've done in decades, but it was [censored]'s reunion year, so I thought I should see their float (among other tings, some more ridiculous than others). I got a bit of inadvertent sunburn and was way too hot by the end of the parade, and I attempted to recover with some loaded french fries (which were definitely tasty).

Then, [censored] and I went to Chariton to look at phones, since I need to do something about the fact that I never have service here. I was going to cook last night, but I was pretty wiped out from the heat, so I did some mural stuff and took a brief nap. And then [censored] and I went to Leon to check out our beloved (temporarily closed) Mexican restaurant's other location - it was just as tasty, and it was worth going even if I usually don't leave the county twice in one day.

Today, I did a million mural-related tasks. I took a break to go out to my parents' house and chat + proofread something, and then I came back and did more mural stuff. I also said farewell to [censored], watered tings, did some house stuff, and ate an easy dinner of cheese + salami + a tomato that my mom had given me, which was tasty.

And then, you guessed it, I did more mural stuff for the last three hours. But now I'm going to decompress and go to bed (in the guest room, since my own room is way too hot in the midst of an excessive heat warning) - goodnight!

i guess i didn't know you

I had a random day - I took care of odds and ends, made two trips into town to take care of various tings, and also got allergy shots. And I sat on my balcony and wrote for awhile, and I also wrote for a couple of hours tonight. But now it's after midnight and I need to go to bed more than I need to document anything else about my day for you - so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

and all your weight, it falls on me, it brings me down

I had a v. productive day today, if you consider my volunteer activities for the mural festival to be productive. That's basically all I did - there were some tedious things that required deep focus, so I holed up in my office, put on some old techno, and got to it. I did take a break to make some scrambled eggs for lunch (which I ate with leftover roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts; [censored] only had the eggs), and I took a break for a bit after, but then I got back to it.

By seven or so I was beyond done, so I stopped and ate my last leftover taco and rice from yesterday (with half an avocado). Then I sat on my balcony for awhile since it was nice out and it's about to be broiling again. Then I talked to [censored], came upstairs, did a bit of mural stuff, and wrote for an hour.

And now, my eyes feel like they're about to fall out, so I need to go to bed - goodnight!

i'll sing myself to sleep, a song from the darkest hour

I'm tired, but I had a good day. I got sufficient sleep last night, and I spent the morning doing an excessive amount of mural stuff (mostly emails and press releases, etc., written while I was still in my pajamas with my glasses on). I waited until after noon to shower, and then I was ravenous and ate a bologna sandwich (lunch of champions).

In the afternoon, I did some more mural stuff, talked to my dad (who graciously mowed my yard), talked to a writer friend, and then ran some errands. I went to the lumber yard to correct a couple of things on the order we're placing, which was fun. Then I went into town and gave a list of names to the motel so that they know who is staying with them. And then, in the most exciting bit of news, I was able to go to the brand new taco truck operated by the local Mexican restaurant. They're in the middle of a total remodel and I'm missing their food (and the ability to get consistent takeout once a week), but they got their food truck going, and I'm excited. I had their street tacos, which were actually excellent - and I came home and made myself a margarita to go with them. They don't have the fajitas I usually order, but if I can get the occasional taco order, I may make it through the summer.

Then I came home, ate, messed around, did some laundry, etc. I also talked to [censored] for a long time, since he needed help staying [censored]. But he made it home, so that's good. And I wrote a couple of pages tonight - nothing groundbreaking, but better than nothing.

And now I need to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow - goodnight!

it's just a question

If you guessed that I did mural stuff all day, you would not win any prizes because it was too easy to guess this. I didn't sleep well last night, and woke up at three a.m. suddenly weirdly panicked that maybe I hadn't locked the back door last night - I actually went down and checked, and I was correct about having left it unlocked. On most Sunday nights a murderer might have gotten [censored] first, but [censored] was gone last night, which probably contributed to my sudden need to make sure the door was locked. But I survived until morning, so that was quite exciting.

However, I did mural stuff most of the day - while it's not totally crunch time yet, it is crunch time in terms of ordering anything or getting anything printed, so I'm trying to power through everything all at once. This is not good for my post-burnout-recovery brain, which does not want to sit at my desk this long. But things are coming together, so hopefully I can keep powering through and feel done with most of my tech-related tasks this week so I can focus on setup towards the end of next week.

At some point, I ate a v. sad lunch (a frozen gluten free burrito that I had wanted to try, since it was the same brand as my beloved Amy's enchilada - verdict was it was fine with sour cream and salsa, but not exciting), did some more work, and then took a late afternoon trip to the next town over to stock up on some groceries I desperately needed. I'm going into sandwich mode the next couple of weeks and I was out of bread, so I got enough stuff to get me through until the festival. Then I came home, took my trash to my dad's shop, tidied up, and ate a frozen gluten free pizza that I'd bought at Walmart - I actually thought it was pretty tasty, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Then I did mural stuff for the last three hours, and now I'm going to try to decompress for just a little bit before sleeping - I don't do well if I try to go straight to bed after working, and I need to remember that from ye olde corporate days. Goodnight!

lavender haze

I'm very wiped out, but it's been a good couple of days. I didn't get much done yesterday because my sister was at my parents' house and I went to see her, and then I went to the grocery store and relaxed a bit before making burrito bowls for dinner. Then, in an unusual move, Katie came and spent the night - she left James and the kids in Des Moines with his side of the family and came down here to revisit her old stomping grounds. We had a bottle off rosé on the balcony (and inside after the mosquitos got rid of us), and [censored] and I were delighted that she came.

This morning, we had some cold brew before Katie left, and then I made brunch for me and [censored]. Then I showered, procrastinated a bit, and then wrote for several hours. I took a break to talk to [censored] and eat dinner, and then I did some mural stuff and spent several hours doing some graphics stuff. So after all that screen time my brain is fried and I need to sleep - goodnight!

maroon

No blog tonight...I have nothing to report, but I also get calls asking if I'll dead when I don't write, so let's try to keep that from happening. Goodnight!

the rust that grew between telephones

Nothing to report today - I alternated between doing mural stuff, napping, and doing more mural stuff (and more napping). I also scrounged around for food since I didn't feel like cooking, with mixed results. And now, I need to sleep so that I can get more stuff done tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm the wind in our free-flowing sails and the liquor in our cocktails

I'm extremely tired - not enough sleep the last few nights, and underconsumption of caffeine today giving me a headache. But today was a good day, all in all - I woke up and got cracking, did a variety of mural tings and writing tings, had a long conversation with Katie, etc. I saw an article today that one of our favorite restaurants, Fifth String, is closing, which is a real bummer - but it looks like they're finding a new space, so hopefully we'll be able to go there the next time I see her.

sssanyway, I have nothing else to report, so I'm going to roll the dice and hope that an early bedtime serves me well. Goodnight!

the scent of a lemon drips from your eyes

I had a rather frenetic day of mural stuff - we're three weeks out and there are a million things to do, which is making me equal parts excited and stressed. I did a bunch of stuff this morning (and also took a walk to pay my water bill), and then I had the usual weekly mural meeting, where we discussed a multitude of issues. Then I ran to the hospital and got allergy shots, which gave me thirty minutes of blessed downtime since I had to wait to see if the shots killed me (spoiler: they didn't).

Then, I went to Nancy's office to help her compile the order for the artists' paint - it was pretty gnarly since 16 murals requires a lot of random paint colors in a variety of quantities. I felt like I was giving my Bob Ross vocabulary a workout, although I don't actually know how to pronounce some of the paint types, which I found embarrassing even though I have no reason to know how to pronounce 'quinacridone magenta' (a color Bob Ross would likely not have used, much to his loss).

When we were finally done with that, it was almost five, so I came home and ate popcorn and stared at the wall. Then I did a whole bunch of stuff around the house, some more mural stuff, etc., before eventually eating leftover salmon. And now I'm going to go to bed even though it's absurdly early for me - goodnight!

you can take back your memories, they're no good to me

I had a long but mostly great day, thanks for asking. I got up this morning and took unusual care with my makeup so that I could go into town and give a talk about writing at the local museum. It's part of their "coffee and conversations" program, and I was delighted with how it went - there were almost twenty people there, which was way more than I expected. Several of my former teachers showed up, and various community members, and it was a really fun group. I gave a wee bit of background about what I've been up to, and then we had a conversation about writing historical novels and memoirs. It was fun to get back into some writing discussions for the morning, since I'm spending a lot of my time on the mural festival at the moment....

After my talk was over and I'd said farewell to the people who stuck around, I came home and ate lunch with [censored]. Then I worked on mural stuff most of the afternoon, with a long interlude at the parents' house to deal with an email issue my dad was having. Then I came home, said farewell to [censored], took out my garbage, ate some leftover salmon, and messed around / relaxed with a glass of wine on my balcony until the mosquitoes became too threatening. I'm sad that it's starting to get dark earlier, since I can feel the steady drumbeat of winter coming, but for now I'm glad my balcony exists.

Then I came inside and worked on mural stuff for the past couple of hours (including a call with Nancy, who knows I would much rather talk to her at 9pm instead of 9am). And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

he wears the coolest suede shoes when i come in with the blues

I had a v. lowkey, slightly Sunday Scary-ish day. I did manage to prep for a talk I'm giving tomorrow, and I thought a lot about my book, and I even wrote a couple of new pages, which was v. exciting in retrospect even if it was less exciting in the moment. And I did two loads of laundry, did some stuff for the mural festival, and made a v. tasty salmon teriyaki for me and [censored], so it wasn't all terrible.

However, I have more to do this week than I want to do, which is probably why my Sunday Scaries feel like they used to feel when I had the day job. Happily, I don't actually have to go to the day job tomorrow, but my body doesn't seem to realize that. I do have hope, though, that once I get through my talk, my body will stop thinking that it's going to have to sit in meetings for nine hours like it used to. We shall see, we shall see. Goodnight!

you don't know how to keep your business clean

I got a head start on the Sunday Scaries today - which mostly meant that I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I wasn't completely lazy, but this morning was a bit of a haze - I drank coffee, took care of various small tings that were on my desk waiting to be handled, etc. I also did some journaling / writing, which was productive. And after I finally showered (at a stupidly late hour), I bucked down and got some tings done with the mural festival.

I think I'm procrastinating because there's so much to do with the festival - but I'm starting to chip away at the backlog. I was v. diligent for two hours before dinner, and then [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's for dinner. I had procured some sweet corn for them yesterday, and so Mom fixed that while Dad grilled brats and hot dogs, and it was all very tasty. Dad also made a cake (peach upside down cake, which is a new innovation), and it was tasty as well. And [censored] attempted to help a kitten, with unclear results (which is not unusual, since feral kittens don't usually appreciate help).

When we got back to my place, I spent ninety minutes doing more mural stuff, and now I'm going to unwind and hopefully go to bed. Goodnight!

at the body shop, doing something unholy

I had an extremely lazy day, which is what I needed after a week of socializing. Veronica was about as wonderful a house guest as you can ask for, but after taking her to the airport yesterday and then going straight into a mural festival meeting and allergy shots, I was a little wiped out.

So, I let myself do basically nothing today. I did do some writing - mostly in the living room, which felt v. atmospheric since it rained off and off (which we desperately needed). I had leftover steak and caprese salad for lunch, messed around in the afternoon, had a couple of phone convos, etc. And I did a couple of loads of laundry and threw together an impromptu attempt at slow cooker chicken tacos using some chicken I'd thawed out and changed my mind about. The tacos turned out quite well, if I do say so myself, so they may have to go into the rotation.

I wrote a bit before [censored] got home, and then I ate (late) tacos and chatted with [censored]. When I came upstairs, I wrote some more, but I'm falling asleep on my chaise, so I think I should call it early. Goodnight!