Random Rambles from a Day Off

I should be ashamed.  I haven't posted here since February.  I have been writing.  Sort of.  On my other blog. Elsetime & Otherwhen, where I practice my writing.  Cause I am a writer.  There.  I said it, or wrote it.

Now, from the more mundane world of me.  I was going to do this yesterday, but just didn't get it done.

Yesterday was my day off.  And it was a good one.  I managed to get the kitchen cleaned, again.  Get a roast in the crockpot and write a couple hundred words on a story I'm playing with.  All by noon.  Go Me!!

Then I did a lot of nothing.  Isn't that what days off are for?

Yes.  I thought so.

I have been busy though.  The restaurant takes a lot of my time.  Worrying about the restaurant takes a lot of my time.  Although things have been going a lot better than this time last year.

And the garden is doing well.  Already harvested radishes and peas.  The green beans look good, and the tomatoes are blossoming already.

I canned some peas and froze some.  I've eaten most of the radishes.  I have this awesome recipe for cooking them. 

Just take some radishes, small can be left whole, halve or quarter larger ones, add some green onion, saute in browned butter for a bit.  Then add about a half cup of water, salt and pepper to taste, cover and simmer until fork tender.   MMMMM!

I've also been obsessively been spinning yarn.  I have a drop spindle and apparently way to much time to waste.

Next I want to save for a ridiculously expensive loom so I can weave my yarn into something useful.  I had the opportunity to play with a loom a couple weeks ago.  So much fun!

What else can I babble about?

Hmm.  Oh yes.  Grandchildren. (You knew that was coming, right?)  The grandson is my great love, he's so smart and quite the character besides.  The granddaughter, (yes I love her too) is such a handful!  Very independent and headstrong.  She has to be watched all the time or she's into something.

That's about all the excitement in my world.  How about yours?

I've Got Coffee!

I'm excited to share on Whatcha Got Wednesday with Brandi at Go Team Duncan!  I usually link on the  Duncan's StoryDam site from by other blog, Elsetime & Otherwhen, (that button to the right with the glowy kitty eyes).

But for this, I'm back at my original blogsite.  So, what've I got?

I.  Got.  COFFEE!

For those not subjected to my twitter feed, I received a Keurig Platinum Coffee Brewer for Christmas.  I have coffee on demand thanks to my wonderful, extra loving, daughter.  (It is awesome!) (So is she!)

However, I have limited counter space in my kitchen.  And I already have a percolator, and an espresso maker.  The Keurig is rather space hoggy.  What to do?

Well, in the junk extra bedroom was shoved my mother's old computer cart.  When we moved into this house with my Mom, that room was our personal living room.  After she passed away a year and a half ago, it became a catch-all room.  We were trying to clean it up for the grandkids as a playroom.  The computer cart was destined for the trash.

Until I stared at it for a while.  As it begged not to evicted to the junk pile.

I had a vision!  Re-purposing.  An annoying yet handy catch word in a throw away world.

So I rolled it to the kitchen....and....

                                             
Voila!  My very own coffee kiosk.  The Keurig is the big monster in the center.  My little old espresso maker to the left, and the old percolator peeking from behind.  The baskets hold assorted K-cups, I have my mug tree, and even a space for my travel mug.

I am caffeinated!

http://goteamduncan.com/2012/02/whatcha-got-wednesdays-link-up/

My Intro

Hello Story Dam Peoples!

I'm Renee.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone over the next couple of months.  I'm doing the insanity called NaNoWriMo, so I may be a sporadic poster in November.

So far? It's good days and hard days.  It's really not as easy as I hoped to write crap!

I used to write in high school, but then got involved with a job and life.  I returned to writing, after 40 years, through The Red Dress Club, now known as Write on Edge.  I have enjoyed it thoroughly, and am looking forward to get into writing with Story Dam.  Brandi and Brandon have really put a great thing together here.

Besides writing, I enjoy bowling and crocheting, and all other fiber arts.  If there's a hook or needle and some kind of string, yarn, or thread, I love it.  I've even spun some of my own yarn with a drop spindle.

Oh yes, and my BIG enjoyment right now is my grandkids.  Because they are just awesome.

I keep two blogs, one (this one) for everyday stuff, I call  Random Rants
The blog I use for creative crap, er writing is Elsetime & Otherwhen

I also spend a lot of time on Twitter  @2old2tap

Thanks again to Brandi and Brandon for this opportunity!

This Thing is Huge!

I was at Walgreens today. Had to pick up cat food and dog treats. It's easier to stop there than run 120 miles inside the super store to the pet aisle.

While I was there, I checked out the kid stuff. I don't have a ton of toys here for the grandkids. I wanted something new for the next time they're over.

That's when I found this:

OK, so it's just a cardboard playhouse. But I thought it was cute.

The grandson will be able to color it however he wants.

The granddaughter will just want to be where her brother is.

Of course, they'll have to fight the cats for it. They're sure I got it for them.

By the way.  This thing is HUGE!!

Poop Diary

Today I am writing about poop.  Yes, poop.  Turds and stuff.
It's not my fault. 
An employee and I were talking about our pets.  I was pleased that my less than intelligent dog seemed to be learning the rule of not pooping in the house.  It's been a struggle, requiring the use of treats as a reward for doing the deed outside.

Anyway, as this conversation progressed, we got into the category of cat poop.  I remarked that Sir, my extra-large tomcat, shits er, poops dog turds.  She understood having had a large cat of her own once.

And Herself, Cat, Mistress of All, poops little dry pebbles of poo easily swept up if she chooses other than the litter box.  Not that she would.  Often.  This elicited an "aw" of sympathy for the trouble it must be to pop those dry pellets out.

Then, there is Wee, who in perfect accord with cat mythology, leaves in her litter, perfectly formed little tootsie rolls.  Which the dog never, ahem, attempts to eat. (Did I mention my dog is less than intelligent?) 

We then look at each other a moment.

We are talking about pet poop.

As though this is an important aspect of our lives.

That we can tell which pet is which by poop.


We need affirmation that we are not alone. 

Please.

Advice From a Crappy Mother

I linked to Mama Kat's  this week. I chose prompt #5.) Advice to new mothers




I can hardly be called an expert.  I have only one child, because I'm not a natural mommy type.  Children always made me uncomfortable.  I lack patience, a necessity when dealing with young people. 

So, who am I to advise a new mother?  I'm an observer, a watcher. 

My first bit of advice?  Relax, New Mommy!  You're doing fine.  All the advice your friends give, all the stuff you read on the internet?  It's all someone else's opinion, it may have been good for them.  But, if it's not comfortable for you, it's not going to give you confidence.

During my scary passage into motherhood, most of the advice I received was from my own mother.  Most of that advice was good.  But, I found the best lessons I learned came from my own experience.  My own experience and listening to my inner mother.  Because i had that, though I didn't recognize it until much later.  I had that "instinct" to take care of, to love my child.

Did I do a stellar job?  No.  I did not.  That lack of patience was a problem.  My own selfishness, my need to not lose myself into mommydom, was a problem.  Being a single mother was harder than I thought it was going to be.  Then marrying a man who, even though he loved my daughter and myself, had control issues that made ours lives less than pleasant at times, was a problem.

Looking back, my biggest mistakes make up the advice I would give.

Say "I love you" more often.
Play those endless children's games that make you crazy until the child is finally bored.
Hug your child every minute you have.
Do not put anyone else in your heart before your child.
Take more pictures.
Listen to everything they say, it's not all baby talk.
Listen to your inner mommy, it's smarter than you think.
Say "I love you" more often.
No matter how tired you are, pay attention to them, let them know you're there.

And if you make mistakes, don't panic.  My daughter turned out fine, in spite of her mother.  She even lets me hang around with the grandkids.

If I Was a Hoarder...

I wrote for prompt #2 If I was a hoarder...








If I was hoarder, what would I hoard?

That's hard, because I'm not a hoarder.

Oh, I have several dozen bandannas. In different patterns and colors. But they fit into two small dresser drawers.  And they have a function. I wear them, one at a time if course, at work.

I have a rather hefty yarn stash.  For projects I'm going to do someday.  Those people that gave it to me were just going to throw it away!  That?  Would be wasteful.

I stopped saving glass jars and margarine tubs a long time ago. I didn't have room for my teapot collection, so they just had to go.

And doesn't everyone have a dozen, or so, Christmas trees?  They all need lights and ornaments. And matching tree skirts.  And the three dozen nutcrackers were inherited from my mother. And the acrylic Christmas decorations from Avon are so pretty. And the Christmas carol singing mice started with my dad.

And the husband is putting a floor in the huge attic for storage.  So we can have the guest bedroom again.


So, since I'm not a hoarder, I just can't think of anything I'd hoard.