everybody talks too much

I had a lovely day in Castle Rock. I slept a little fitfully last night, probably from wine + altitude + too much going on in my brain. But I felt good this morning, and I chilled with Aunt B in the kitchen. She had some really excellent gluten free muffins from Trader Joes that I indulged in, which excited me for my new garage fridge + freezer that will make stocking up on such tings more feasible.

Eventually we did a fashion show to see possible dress options for Drewbaby's wedding, and then we went to Park Meadows to wander around the mall. We didn't buy much - I got a couple of cute tshirts, but mostly we just windowshopped. We also had Panda Express, which is not gluten free, but we both chose things that look as close to gluten free as possible there (although secretly all I wanted was orange chicken like everyone else in America).

When we got home, I took an unexpectedly long nap and then did a bit of scribbling. We then had a v. leisurely dinner - Aunt B made Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo, which is naturally gluten free and v. tasty) and the scandalous pirate uncle grilled steak. It's been a really nice visit and I'm glad we got some quality time together, since usually our visits in either Iowa or Colorado are pretty abbreviated.

And now, I should probably go to bed so I can get some work done tomorrow before heading to Denver - goodnight!

crazy 's my new best friend

I had a successful travel day that turned in getting to see Aunt Becky, so that was all a delight. I woke to feeling in it to win it, and I packed and watered plants and said goodbye to [censored]. Then I drive to Des Moines, got through security in record time, and sat with a glass of rose and a salad until it was time to board. 

The flight was smooth, and Becky and Brian picked me up from the airport, which was v kind. We came home and threw together some snacks, and then we tailgated at the concert venue. Unfortunately it rained off and on from the time we got there until the main band played. It still wasn't as uncomfortable as the country festival I went to earlier this year, but it's too bad the weather wasn't better. 

However, we had a great location for our lawn chairs, and I had some tasty tater tots with cheese from a food truck. Also, the bands were we Crash Adams and Neon Trees - I hadn't heard of the first one, but neon trees is pretty great. 

But now I need to fall asleep because I've been falling asleep for ages since starting this - goodnight!

it's an art

I had a headache most of the day and still have a bit of one, which has been a most unwelcome development. However, I did get some decent work done, so at least there's that. At some point [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's house for dinner - they made brats, potato salad, and baked beans, and it was all v. tasty.

We couldn't stay because I had to come home and pack - I'm going to Denver tomorrow, and I needed to throw many tings into a suitcase. I'm mostly done, although I have several plant-related tasks to do tomorrow before I go. So I think I should go to bed and hopefully get enough sleep to make the morning easy - goodnight!

in stilettos for miles

I have v. little of interest to report tonight. I did a bunch of work, and I took a break at some point to go into town to visit the courthouse and also mail some tings. Then I came home, worked some more, and then went back into town to have a library board meeting. All of that was fun enough, even though I felt like I didn't get enough day job stuff done.

But I didn't work tonight either - instead, I made nachos for dinner, which was pretty clutch. I put a whole bunch of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, used the beef barbacoa that I made last night, added black beans, nacho cheese, onions, and jalapeños, and baked the nachos until they were perfect. [Censored] and I quite enjoyed them - I can't eat nachos every night, but tonight they were great.

And now I'm going to bed - goodnight!

in a pipe she flies to the motherland

I have been told by many fans (okay, three fans... okay, three close friends and family) that I am not blogging enough. It's rather crazy that I have blogged almost every day for twenty years -- that's a wild choice to have made. I'm glad I have the record of my life, but I admit it's hard to feel excited about blogging on the days when my life feels pretty dull -- although I guess that didn't stop me on all the days when I wrote some variant of "I was supposed to write a book today and didn't.

sssanyway. Work was fine today; I am procrastinating on something I was supposed to write there, so it feels very much like I'm fully integrated into the job. I did various tings today, and the house smelled increasingly amazing while I did -- I tried a new recipe for beef barbacoa in the slow cooker, and eight hours later it was fantastic. [Censored] came home early today and so benefitted from the barbacoa experiment -- and luckily, we both liked it, since I made it with four pounds of chuck roast. At some point in there I also talked to Katie so that we could make some plans and I could make her jealous of all the small town gossip I hear. And now, I need to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

rock cyclone tree

I had a v. productive day today - probably because I woke up and started working almost immediately, before showering or doing anything other than pouring myself some cold brew. I do tend to do better when I focus before anything can distract me. Unfortunately the weather was weird all day and I had a pretty bad headache this afternoon, which I attribute to the weather. But despite that, I managed to get a lot of tings done.

At some point I took a break to run into town and get some groceries. Then I came home, worked some more, and had a chat with Heather (aka dear respected madam), whom I hadn't talked to in ages and was very much overdue for a conversation with. I took most of the call from my balcony, but it was a million degrees out and too humid for human consumption.

I did a bit more work after that, started some brown rice in my rice cooker, and then journaled for awhile. I was going to make a stir fry tonight, but by the time I got ready to cook, the sky was looking ominous. So I put my cooked rice straight into the fridge and ate leftover spaghetti and meatballs. It was tasty, but definitely not a tofu stirfry. Still, it was the right call to skip cooking - the power flickered a bunch and I would have been v. unhappy if it had interrupted my attempt at making dinner.

So, I ate my leftovers, came upstairs, and did a bit more work. And now I'm going to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

don't be a drag, just be a queen

I was informed that I should be spending more time updating my blog. This comment came from [censored], who is most likely to know what I did on any given day - but it was because [censored] was excited to read about all he got done yesterday and then didn't have a record of achievement to review. This is a real mixed message since [censored] is [censored] because [censored] doesn't like being blogged about, but I guess I'm sorry??

sssanyway, yesterday [censored] did many tings around the house (fixed a door, hooked up my grill, mowed, string trimmed, etc.) while I mostly stayed in the shade and wrote / journaled / read something a friend wanted me to read. I also experimented with making meatballs - I've never made meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs before, but after mastering ham balls, I feel like a good meatball needs to make it into my repertoire. Last night's experiment was pretty good - it was super easy, since the only thing that required chopping was some parsley from one of my outdoor pots. The meatballs were quite tasty, and went well with a jar of marinara sauce. I'm going to keep trying before settling on a final recipe, but this one was good for starters.

After making meatballs, [censored] and I ate a late dinner while watching some clips from various Conan podcasts. Then I went to bed, slept somewhat poorly, and had trouble falling back asleep because of my neighbor's dogs. So I didn't get around as early as I intended today, but I did pull myself together and slog pretty much straight from 10-7. At some point in there I said farewell to [censored]. After the slogging was done, I walked downtown to pay my gas bill (and steam myself, since it was still almost 100 degrees and the humidity was high), and then I spent some quality time on my balcony with my journals. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

traffic lights and a transmitter radio

I guess I haven't blogged in a couple of days - but there hasn't been much to report. I had a frustrating eye appointment yesterday, but the frustration was entirely due to the incompetence of the office staff; the optometrist is lovely and v. efficient, and my eyes hadn't gotten worse, but the staff turned the whole thing into an ordeal.

But other than the ordeal, the rest of yesterday was good. Today, I didn't do much - I did do some writing off and on throughout the day, but it was interspersed with a lot of procrastination. It was too hot to do anything outside, even sitting on my balcony in the shade, which made me sad because sitting on my balcony is all I really wanted to do. I did put in some v. minor effort to help my mom water the planters in town, so at least I felt like that was an accomplishment.

At some point, [censored] and I went out to our parents' house for dinner, which was v. tasty - Dad grilled hamburgers and Mom made fried potatoes, which is one of my favorite meals. Unfortunately we had to leave abruptly because a severe thunderstorm warning suddenly sounded. [Censored] and I got back to town just in time to put both of our vehicles into garages, and then we watched some of the Olympic trials for track and field while the wind picked up and we got some heavy rain. I don't think we sustained any damage, but we'll see tomorrow.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

like so much deja vu

I had today off, which was a nice interlude in the middle of the week. It was rainy off and on most of the day - nothing particularly impressive, but certainly much-needed. I slept in, and then I spent most of the day doing various household chores that I never seem to want to do on the weekend. This mostly meant fully cleaning my bedroom / office, doing a bit of work stuff, going to the grocery store, etc.

Since my weekend plans are currently up in the air, I invited my parents over for dinner tonight to ensure that I would get to see them in case I'm not around. I made shrimp alfredo, which my dad really likes, and it's pretty easy for me to throw together since I usually have frozen shrimp in the freezer. We had a nice chat over dinner, and they stayed long enough to see [censored], so that was all a delight.

After they left, I cleaned up the kitchen, talked to [censored] for a bit, and then came upstairs to fold laundry, mess around online, and do a couple of work tasks. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

all you talk is money, money

I had a pretty good day, although the timing of it was odd - I got up much earlier than I usually do so that I could go to a 7am meeting of the Optimists Club. I was there to hit them up for money on behalf of the library board, and I think it went well - but I also got my second invitation to join them, and I feel like the third invitation invokes some required bond, so I maybe should avoid their meetings for awhile.

After the meeting, I finished my coffee (at the bowling alley, which is not a usual 7am gathering spot most places) while talking to Mark, whom I hadn't seen in quite some time. Then I came home and got into work mode (although I did take a quick shower at some point, since I didn't have time to shower before the meeting). I slogged through most of the day and into the early evening, and I did a lot of the slogging from my balcony even though it was far too hot to be outside and my fitness tracker indicated that I was 'stressed' because of it.

At some point it was time to call it a day, so I filled a bunch of water jugs and went downtown (if you can call it that) to water the planters. Then I came home, ate some supper, sat on the balcony and journaled until I couldn't see, and then started reading a book (NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, which I'm enjoying quite a lot). And now I need to go to bed - I have tomorrow off for Juneteenth, and I think I'm going to take it easy. Goodnight!

tangerine come on back to me

It was a million degrees today, and I spent most of it inside slogging. However, I had to emerge from the safety of my air conditioning to take out my trash and water the planters in town. This required filling sixteen milk jugs with water and then dumping two gallons each into the various planters on Central Ave. The errand was about as efficient as I could make it, but it still felt too hot at 7pm to do it.

However, then I came home and ate a sandwich and wrote on my balcony - it was also too hot on my balcony, but it was shaded and there was a breeze, so it could have been worse. And now I need to go to bed since I have many tings to do tomorrow - goodnight!

she drives me crazy

Happy Father's Day! I did not do that much today, but I certainly did more than yesterday. I did a couple of loads of laundry, cleaned my new fridge with baking soda to get any residual plastic smell out, tidied up various tings, etc. I also wrote for three-ish hours, which I will definitely take. And my mom and I watered a bunch of flower planters in town - now that I'm part of Garden Club I have to water sometimes during the summer, and mom and I signed up for this week together. Of course it's going to be like a hundred degrees all week, which makes watering both necessary and annoying, but it feels good to do something for the town.

In the evening, [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Dad grilled v. tasty hamburgers, and Mom made baked beans, and we also had salad and potato salad and fresh watermelon. It was a nice way to end the weekend - although since we usually eat there on Saturday, I am now slightly confused about why I have to work tomorrow.

But that's a problem for future Sara (in about ten hours) - goodnight!

fine young cannibals

I had a v lazy day today, which was not my intention - but it was gloomy for part of the day, and that often has a high chance of wrecking my focus. However, I did make chili for dinner at [censored]'s request, and we watched some fine comedic programming before I came upstairs and wrote in bed for awhile. 

And now, I'm going to go to bed and hope to carry this late night momentum forward to morning - goodnight!

making it spin or else you win

Things have been pretty dull around here - not that working is any less dull than my writing life, but there are days when I don't feel like blogging because nothing happened.

And then there are days like yesterday where I don't feel like blogging because a lot happened and I needed to go to bed. Yesterday was jam packed - I had a bunch of work, and then I had a library board meeting, just barely enough time for supper, and a PEO meeting. Today wasn't quite as hectic, but I had to go to the dentist, which required driving thirty miles to the next town over. Luckily the dentist was fine, and I was able to grab a couple of things I needed at Walmart before heading home and slogging.

I slogged off and on pretty late since I wasn't around in the morning - but I did take a break to journal on my balcony. And now, I think I shall go to bed, since I have a similar combo of errands + slogging tomorrow. Goodnight!

whether you're rin tin tin or anne boleyn

Today was a pretty good day, all in all. I got up early ish since I had a delivery coming this morning, and it's a good thing I did because they got here fifteen minutes before their two hour window. I treated myself to a new standing freezer and also a new fridge for the garage - the freezer felt v necessary since I need to stock up on food differently with a job, and the fridge was a splurge so we can have more room for drinks and leftovers. Costco had some good Memorial Day sales and also inexplicably offered free delivery despite me living eighty miles from the nearest store, so that all worked out. 

After the delivery, I chatted with [censored] for awhile, and then I slogged all day. It was pretty nice as slogs go - I talked to Adit for a couple of hours, and I also spent the entire day working from my balcony. Eventually I threw in the towel and made pad Thai for dinner, which was delish. And now I need to unwind and go to bed - goodnight!

i'm almost me again, she's almost you

I really did not want to do literally anything that I did today, but I somehow managed to drag myself through most of my task list. I cleaned my bathroom this morning, which I was overdue for. I did three loads of laundry. I planted the last things that I hadn't planted, and we'll see if they perk up since I should have planted them two weeks ago.

I also did a lot of cleaning in the garage - I'm getting a new garage freezer and fridge delivered this week, which required moving a bunch of stuff. Much of the stuff in the garage was sitting there because I hadn't taken it to the basement because of the HVAC project, and then I never bothered because I was lazy and didn't need the space. But it all looks much better, so I'm glad I got it done even though it was a slog.

And now, I'm going to try to go to bed early (for real!) - goodnight!

you're too sweet for me

I've been falling asleep while trying to write this, so I'm going to keep it brief. Yesterday I indulged my vanity by taking a v. quick, v. early trip to Des Moines to get my haircut, and then I came home and slogged for the rest of the day. Today, [censored] and I dropped my old stove off to donate it to the local secondhand store (it has only been sitting in my garage for eighteen months!), and then my mom and I went to the cemeteries to pick up the decorations she'd put out for Memorial Day.

We ended our cemetery tour with some soft-serve ice cream in Seymour, which was a nice treat. Then I came home and spent the afternoon doing various tings around the house. [Censored] went above and beyond and installed a new thermostat for my upstairs hvac zone, which was the final icing on the cake of that project. I cleaned up some stuff in the garage in preparation for a delivery I have coming this week. And eventually [censored] and I picked up Mexican food and took it out to the parents' house, where we had a nice time talking about various tings we've learned from recent D-Day coverage.

And now, I need to sleep - goodnight!

corn

I had a decent day, all in all; I didn't sleep particularly well last night due to the neighbor dogs early on, but I wasn't really worse for wear because of it. I had some meetings off and on, and I also got some work done - nothing particularly exciting, but better than sometimes, so I guess I'll take it.

By 5:30 I was feeling done, so I thought about taking a nap and instead sat on my balcony and journaled for awhile. Then I made burrito bowls because I am a good sister and [censored] deserves some joy in life. We watched some country music videos while eating, and then [censored] rewarded my patience by showing me John Oliver's segment on the corn industry, which is well worth watching. His pieces are comedic, but they're incredibly deeply researched and include clips from decades of past reporting on corn and Big Ag. I thought it was pretty nuanced. If I could make that kind of piece regularly, I would quit my job and do it - but given how long it's taking me to write a book, making a weekly twenty-minute heavily research video seems out of my comfort zone.

And now, I need to sleep since I have an errand to run early tomorrow - goodnight!

we took a little bacon and we took a little beans

I had a pretty decent day, but it was a bit discombobulated because I had to get up early for an 8am doctor's appointment. This was the second day in a row that I had to leave the house early, which was a real indignity; yesterday, I had to go into town by 9:30 to meet with some of the economic development board to discuss the budget. Today's doctor's appointment was pretty quick, so I was home by nine, and then I had to convince myself to focus on work.

Luckily I was vaguely interested in the stuff I had to do today (and one of those things was talking to Adit for an hour, which is always a delight). I did take an illicit nap for twenty minutes to make up for getting up early, which helped. And I ended the day with a long-overdue chat with Alice and Kelly, who were on my team many ages ago - it's almost impossible to believe, but I left my previous job two years ago this July (and two years ago right now I was on leave and had already decided to resign). It was nice to chat with them both, and since Alice is still on my old team, everything she told me verified that I made the right call to go.

sssanyway, after that, I did a tiny bit more work, then sat on my balcony and took care of various personal tasks. Eventually, [censored] got home and we talked and I was treated to an extensive history of 1950s country music. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

head in the clouds but my gravity centered

Today was the usual Monday - I had a bunch of work and a bunch of meetings, but I got to briefly discuss whole house generators in one of those meetings, which would make [censored] proud. And I did some of my work from my balcony - it was super sticky out, but being outside is way better than being inside. I'm not sure how I'll fare when I have to do my job inside during the winter, but that's a problem for Future Sara.

But for now, the best way I can help Future Sara is by going to bed - goodnight!

helter skelter in a summer swelter

I had a pretty good day today, despite potentially committing involuntary birdslaughter. I slept until almost ten, which was amazing. Then I successfully stayed off my phone and was able to write for quite a few hours - broken up, of course, by the need for coffee, and lunch, and dinner. It all almost went off the rails before it began because I went around the front of the house to move my doormat (which was in danger of getting birdshit on it due to the birds nesting in my front door wreath) - and when the mama bird flew out at my approach, three baby birds jumped out after her.

This was quite a shock, and I didn't know what to do - the birds were definitely fledglings and seemed *almost* capable of flight, but not capable enough to get back up to the nest. They all hopped/sorta flew away from me, though, and I was too stunned to do anything. After a bit of googling and consulting the Audubon Society page, I determined that I should leave them alone - and as far as I could tell, they all made it to the base of the nearby tree that the mama flew to, so hopefully they make it.

sssanyway, I spent the rest of the day mostly writing. I took a break to make supper - I made potatoes au gratin and baked a ham that had been sitting in my fridge, and it all turned out quite well. After I cleaned up the kitchen, I said goodnight to [censored], came upstairs, put fresh sheets on my bed, and wrapped up some stuff I was working on. And now I should sleep so I can switch into corporate mode tomorrow - goodnight!

grapevine

I did v. little today, which is fine considering I worked late last night and needed a day to recharge. I did take care of some minor tasks, and I enjoyed my coffee, took a leisurely shower, and spent some quality time thinking about writing (with my eyes closed, but I count it) for a couple of hours on my balcony.

Then I threw together a batch of chocolate chip chewies, and [censored] and I went out to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Dad grilled brats and hot dogs, and Mom made baked beans, and it was all quite tasty. After dinner, I continued to do virtually nothing - for some reason I've been mildly obsessing over the Ottomans recently, but I think I've learned just about everything I need to know about them, so it soon will be time to find a different wikipedia hole to go down.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!