By the Way, I Need a Bigger Crock

I've been doing a good job of keeping myself busy. Mostly.

I may have found cabbage on sale and started another batch of sauerkraut.

I did some from the garden this year and it is not enough! Had to have more. I enjoy canning and otherwise preserving my own foods. This way, I know exactly what is in each jar.

I've been busy with yarn.
Crochet was always my go to, but I've been working on improving my knitting skills as well. I'm down to the finishing touches on the knit jacket.

Which means get those cords sewn on the rest of the way. (Sewing will never be my friend.) You can see I made a hat to match. There are a pair of mittens(or oven mitts). Those are likely to be unraveled and a new pair that are less large made. I also have started working on a matching purse. Yes, I know. I'm somewhat insane. But they made me buy way too much yarn!

Working on "scoodie's" for the grandkids. Have two done, but need to find orange yarn for the youngest. She loves orange.  How do I not have orange yarn?

Have the pink one for the middle kid. Her favorite color, or so I'm told.

And was able to modify the pattern into a kinda spiderman design for the boy. 

I may have some other patterns to play around with as well.

In other stuff, I signed up to do Nanowrimo. Again. (I may have mentioned that before.)

The big kick off is this weekend. Just maybe, I'm ready for it this year. Maybe.

As long as I keep writing.

I have managed to do some flash fiction over at the other blog, and have been working on a couple odd short stories that I keep hidden in the Scrivener.

Even doing the random rant here keeps me writing. So, wish me luck!

At least as the word count insanity ensues, I'll have yarn. Yarn is therapeutic. 

Wonder if that is tax deductible?

Wednesday?

Been keeping myself entertained.

I've managed to write some stuff. You are more than welcome, in fact encouraged to check out the other blog, Elsetime & Otherwhen where I hide write the weird stuff I see in my head and relate the stories those voices keep telling me.

And for reasons I can't explain, I have begun crocheting Christmas presents. I have attempted this in the past.
It has never gone well. I clearly remember wrapping up half finished projects for my family. Strangely those projects never did get finished.

Whatever. That was fifty (OMG) yes, fifty years ago.
Things are different now.  I'm old.

Ping is in the Air! (and some writing prompt sites)

Ping!
I love that sound. The sound of a mason jar sealing.
I was gifted about 30 pounds of apples by our neighbor. That resulted in 7 quarts and 1 pint of apples put up for future baking and 14 half pints of applesauce.
And this scary pot of peelings and scraps.

Why do I save peels and scraps?
To make apple peel jelly  of course!
Why use up the apple meat for jelly when I can simmer the scraps? Should end up with about 10 or so half pints of jelly.
But, since I'm out of sugar right now, I decided to sit here at the keyboard instead.

While I'm here, I'll share some writing prompt sites.

My friends Stephanie and Amanda have created a place for writers. Our Write Side

You want to check this place out, if you haven't already. I may have mentioned it here and there.
They offer writer's services, tips and tricks, a forum for writerly chat, and several writing prompts every week.
One of my favorites is Professor Stephanie's  Master Class Monday I've participated in this prompt on different sites and in different forms for a couple of years.
On Thursday, enter The Darkroom where Tara will offer a picture prompt.
Stephanie also handles Fractured Fridays which show up on, wait for it...
Fridays!
And next week, Amanda will fire up the Coldly Calculating prompt. I may have done one of these before as well.

I also signed up for Yeah Write. Haven't jumped in, yet. They accept fiction, memoir, poetry, and micro fiction. There are loose prompts and not so loose word counts for each one, due on different days. There will be voting.  I'm interested in the micro fiction. I love having to watch my words.

There is one more site I've been exploring and taking the occasional shot at. # 7Words operated by an old school friend of my daughter's. I'll be following her on the twitters momentarily. (We're already FB friends.)
Ok. Followed.

Now that I have all that out of the way, maybe I'll go grab a prompt. And write something for the other blog, that twisted place I put the stuff that doesn't quite go here, Elsetime & Otherwhen.

By the way, I can be found on twitter @2old2tap (I joined twitter umpteen years ago to win a contest on an iPod game I played. TapTapRevenge. I was the second oldest tapper, most players were 18 to 22 year old guys, hence the handle.)

Another Day in Paradise

Yep.  I have been lax in the writing and posting thing.

Sometimes things just get away from me.

Life.

I have been jotting notes for the Nanowrimo coming up in November. Scribbling random ideas for other stories as the whoosh through my head.

Also working on that jacket I showed the first few pieces of in a prior post. It's coming along, just a few more finishing touches.

The pattern had me buy a carload of yarn. Much of which is left. So I will likely have mittens, a hat, and a scarf to match. And maybe a purse as well. 

Last week was spent working on my car.  I was drafted to help the husband install front struts and wheel bearings.  It only took two and a half days to screw up the right side.  We will be attending to that this week.  The left side only took five hours.  We learned a lot on the first side. And remarkably have spent less than half of what it would have cost to have done.

If you don't count the four fingernails I destroyed in the learning.

I also had the opportunity to read an advance copy of a book from one of my favorite people. I will have more on that later. Though I can say I giggle-snorted through the whole thing.  WIN!

Will have more to show and tell later!