It was a lovely week that went by too fast, as they all seem to be doing these days. Part of it, I'm sure, is because I have so much to do. I wish the days were longer...if they were twice as long, I just might have time to finish some stuff.
Having a lot of work is a very good thing. A blessing. I've often said that my idea of Hell is waking up in the morning with nothing to do. I'm not a workaholic, when I say 'nothing', I mean no books to read, nothing to draw, paint or write about, nowhere to walk, no cookies to bake, no furniture to refinish, nothing to stare at...nothing.
I'm an artist. You shouldn't be surprised to hear that I spend a lot of time staring at stuff.
This week has been dedicated to getting needlepoint canvases painted, pictures framed, the roof shoveled, the smokers series added to and getting outside in the cold.
After 54+ years in the upper Midwest, I've decided to embrace winter. It's gorgeous, which counts for a lot with me. The worst things about it are the cold, which can be handled with modern technology and the difficulty of travelling over ice and snow. A decent set of tires and a good pair of boots handle the second part. Plus, as with so much of life, attitude counts for about 90%. Yes, it's going to take longer to get there. Deal with it.
Yesterday, I talked my sister into walking around the lake with me. There was a light snow falling, no wind and the lakes haven't frozen yet so it was very much like spending an hour in a hallmark card. When I first suggested a walk, she protested that it was too cold. It was 20. In a few weeks, double digits will seem like a balmy dream around here. The walk was delightful. Yes, my face was stiff with cold when we finished but I don't mind that. My ears, fingers and toes were fine and that's what counts with me.
In the afternoon, my daughter came over, straight from the Humane society, to introduce me to her new kitten, Meryl Beyoncé. She named the cat after "The two greatest women in the world today". I don't know how many cats it would take for her to name one "Punkin Mary Louise". She did tell me her second choice of a name was "Josie", so there's that.
Kate's been wanting a cat for a long time. Her husband is an avid outdoorsman and he's is on a hunting trip. She's her mother's daughter and doesn't mind him being gone but he may have to get used to new pets when he returns from these trips. She likes animals for more than just dinner.
After yesterdays snow, we have an accumulation of nearly two inches. It's beautiful. Jay did the drive last night around ten, so he could get out easily this morning but it continued to snow last night so there's a dusting I'll have to take care of before I head out. The roof needs to be done as well or we get ice dams. That's my part; me and my bad shoulders. Because I'm not afraid of ladders or climbing on the roof. In fact, I like it. The view of the park from up there is wonderful. And its quiet. The older I get, the more important that is to me.
I'm reading four books right now and two of them are depressing. To keep things balanced, the other two are The Witch Family, a children's classic I loved as a kid and had forgotten all about and The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. When a book for 6 years olds and a collection of cartoons are the balance, you know you're reading some heavy shit.
I need some good old fashioned chick lit. But not the kind Oprah loves; no dead baby stories. Unless they're written by Gillian Flynn who makes even stuff fun. No, I want something entertaining that I can't put down.
Actually, its probably a good thing I don't have a stack of entertaining novels right now: who has time?
Speaking of time, its nearly 8:00. If I get to work now, I can do two hours before mass and the game.