August Review

In Maine, we visit with family and the puppy learns to swim.

At home, men come to repair the foundation.

The puppy gets sick and goes to the ER. I cook for him for more than a week.

There are lots of neglected chores to do.

One of them is a mountain of clothes to be ironed.

I clean out my closet and dresser and drop giveaways in the PlanetAid bin.

Many hours spent weeding gardens and the driveway.

Evenings watching Mr. B&B play softball.

Outings with friends new and old.

Immersed in my novel that is slowly coming together.

Now, I come up for air.

Blasted Busy-ness

I am so busy this semester! I had no idea how much interning at Teen Voices two full days a week was going to impact my leisure time. I miss blogging every day. I miss having the free time to devote to it, to just thinking about what is going on in my life, in my mind and writing it all out.

Instead I am writing papers, editing articles, fact-checking, interviewing magazine writers and authors, and reading lots of books (currently: Little House on the Prairie and Where the Girls Are). Plus that whole having a husband and keeping up with the housework thing.

I miss you all so much and I refuse to give up on finding the time to write and interact with all of you. Please don't give up on me. xoxo

Valuing Time

I have written about concepts of time before. So, I won't get on my soapbox, again.

Thursday I got an email from my neighbors informing me that the energy audit guy was coming on Friday to check out the whole house, but neither of them would be home. Mr. B&B would not be home either, leaving this task to me. I was told the man would arrive at 10:30. As a formality, their unit was scheduled for 10:30 and ours was scheduled for 1:30, but since the units make up one house, he should be done by 1:30.

Energy Audit Man was late, one hour late, yesterday which pretty much derailed my whole day. It is amazing the difference one hour can make. He also stayed a bit later than expected which was good because he was thorough, but bad because it meant things I needed to do had to be cut out of my day.

My morning shower, cut. This was half my fault because by the time I looked up from doing some reading for school, it was 10:15. Energy Audit Man was expected at 10:30 and I didn't want to answer the door in a towel. Half the man's fault, because had he called to say he was running late I would have known I had time to shower.

Finish a paper for school that is due Tuesday, cut. I could have worked on it and probably completed it in that hour I was waiting for the man, but I didn't know when the man would arrive and didn't want to start something serious only to be interrupted five minutes later by the doorbell.

Sewing, painting, etc., cut. This is not really a NEED, but I would like to post more items in my new Etsy shop where I am trying to generate a little extra income for our family. Can't post items I haven't made yet.

Nature Journal entry and finishing reading for school, cut. Mr. B&B and I are going to the ACLU Conference today (Saturday). That means I will probably have to do this and my paper and finish my reading on Sunday. Not so fun considering Mr.B&B will be home and I would rather spend that time with him.

It is times like these that cause me to wish that others valued and respected time as highly as I do. Energy Audit Man did not even offer an explanation or apologize for being late.

I managed to eat a late lunch/early dinner, do the housework, and make Mr.B&B's dinner in the few precious hours I had, though. That is something.

M.I.A.

I have been M(issing) I(n) A(ction) for two days! You have no idea how much I have missed blogging and all of you!!!!

Wednesday I was volunteering at Perkins School for the Blind in the morning. Normally, when I come home from Perkins (around 12:30 or 1:00) I blog, but it had snowed the night before and the driveway, sidewalk, and front porch were a mess. So, I dropped my stuff inside, grabbed a shovel and two hours later the job was done. By this time, I had to grab my school bag and walk to the bus because I had class at 4:00. After class the commute home took nearly twice as long due to disabled trains and buses. It was dinner and bed for me.

Thursday I was at Teen Voices from 8:40 to 5:00. Again, on my commute home there were disabled trains and a bus accident had backed up all the buses. I didn't get home until almost 7:00. Then dinner and sleepy time. I was just exhausted.

So, that is my sob story, but I am back! After the Energy Audit people, who were supposed to be here an hour ago, come and evaluate the house, I'll write a real post.
'til then, be well! I'm glad to be back!