Last week was mostly quiet. Did a bit of work outside with more to come due to the landscape work likely getting done this week, had a few other things to do, and took an overnight trip to Philadelphia.
We found out that the landscapers are probably coming to do the work we wanted this week rather than in a month or so. Seems they have had some plant suppliers delay shipping so they have some open spots. They are starting either late Wednesday or early Thursday. We are having the front hill garden extended at the top just a bit to take it all the way over the top edge of the hill. Then, they are going to install a patio area for the grills and eventual outdoor kitchen, and an area for a fire pit in the back. The rest of the back yard will be power tilled, leveled, topsoil added, and reseeded with a short wild flower mix. That’s a temporary thing in a lot of areas because eventually I want to add actual native plant gardens, but this will get the yard nicely set up for that. Right now, there are a lot of low spots and dips out there. And having a nice stable spot for the grills and pizza oven will be perfect, as will the fire pit area. We do like to spend time out there in nice weather, so this should be really lovely when done.
I took our one remaining cat to the vet on Wednesday. Guinness is 14 and from what the vet said, is in great shape for his age. He does need some dental work done, but that’s not unusual for an older cat. He got his rabies vax updated, as well. And, of course, since he’s been home, he’s been off eating. Likely not a reaction to the vax since it’s persisted through the weekend. Possibly the teeth are bothering him from being irritated during the exam. Or he’s just being a cat. He’s on squishy food for now. And I will get an estimate on the dental work. Not sure I want to know, but I suppose it’s better than being surprised by it.
On Friday, I went with our middle daughter to Philadelphia to see Taylor Swift. Now, I am not much of a Taylor Swift fan. That’s Stephanie, but she needed someone to go with her, and I said I would. She did manage to get tickets in the free-for-all disaster that was the pre-sale for those tickets months ago. We drove down Friday afternoon, checked in to the hotel she arranged, and drove to the stadium. That was fun. Not. Most of the concerts in venues like that I have been to have had signage and people directing the ridiculous lines of cars to the parking areas. Not here. Took us a little bit to find the parking areas, but we finally did.
Our seats were definitely nosebleed height. From our spot, Taylor Swift looked about 6 inches tall. Not a good spot for someone with height anxiety (me). But I managed without too much fear. The show was good. Like I said, I am not necessarily a fan, but her music is decent, she does put on a spectacular show, and she seems like a pretty decent person. One cool thing was when you entered the stadium, you got a bracelet that had light in it. It was triggered by some spots in the show, so when you looked around the audience, you saw a sea of flashing, color-changing lights everywhere. That was pretty neat, especially as it got darker. I would go to one of her shows again.
One of my sisters lives in Philly, so on Saturday, we went to her house for breakfast. It was nice to sit and talk, eat some yummy food, and just chill before the ride home. That wasn’t too bad. Some slow spots of traffic but none of the stop-and-go we hit on Friday. Overall, not a bad trip.
As for writing, the story I am currently working on (working title: Deuces Wild) was a bit more of a mess than I first thought. I usually use yWriter (think something along the lines of Scrivener Light for those unfamiliar) and when I set a project up initially, I add a lot of housekeeping stuff that helps later on as I get into the story more. Characters, locations, things, stuff to keep me on track- lots of not actual writing things but stuff that does help as it progresses. This time, I apparently didn’t do that. Likely because this started as a NaNoWriMo project and, in typical me fashion, I probably left it to the last minute to start and didn’t have time to do the side stuff. It is hurting me now, though, so I took last week to clean all that up. I did get a bit of writing done, and now, going forward should be easier. I think. I hope. We’ll see.
A bit more of a week than we’ve had lately but not bad. The weather has been lovely, the trees are leafing out fully, and my gardens are growing. I am good with this.
Make it a good week, okay? Drink your water. Eat a vegetable. Get outside and refresh. Be nice to one another.
My latest published book:
“Crossed Wires and Other Very Short Stories”. Twelve scifi and twelve fantasy short stories that can each be read in minutes. Available now Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and most other e-book retailers. More information here
I have written science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy stories. There are novels, novellas, and shorter pieces to fit everyone’s reading time. There are even some free stories, both here on the site and in other places. You can go here to find out more about the books I have published. They are available at Amazon, Smashwords, and most ebook retailers. Thank You
And So On... 