What’s Going On.
Another week already? Well, then! Time for a “Things Happened, I’m Sure Of It” retrospective roundup, in which we will all discover together whether I did, in fact, do something last week.
And I’ll try to organize myself for the rest of this week while I’m at it.
First, sharing a big happy. I got a wonderful review for Traveling Show! (Last week in a given month, I run a check of online sales & reviews. A review and a sale. Such is the exciting life of an indie author who does minimal promotion & does not put out a new book every six months.) ANYway. Lookit these happymaking words.
That makes 4 reviews on Amazon, which is where the folks still go for research/reviews even if they buy elsewhere. I still want more. At 25 reviews, Amazon would generate a summary for buyers, which would be nice, but I would be at least temporarily satisfied with 10 reviews. That is a nice round number.
Anyway. Other than checkin sales and doing inventory, it feels like all I did since the last post was read books, play cat games, and stare out the windows while thinking about story things.
But I also:
Made a batch of shortbread that met with much approval from coworkers
Killed weeds, moved leaf mulch, broke up a bunch of perennial stems & set them to mulch along the fence line, tidied up garden beds, and laid down diatomaceous earth around the house to deter the coming horde of ants.
Changed sheets and did All the Laundry (four loads, plus loads of towels and the sheets) And cleaned up around the house.
Took a day trip to Chicago Botanic Garden on a blustery day under dramatic skies, & a late lunch at Our Favorite Deli.
Made cheesy chicken pasta bake & garlic bread (4 nights of meals
Baked some apple stuff (it doesn’t have a recipe, it’s made with apples and has a biscuity crust) Best batch of it I’ve ever made.
Spent a whole afternoon working with a friend while they did a craft project. There was good cat, but I was also able to do research and work on graphics stuff while they were there.
Made a list of the people who asked to receive Hope Crow stickers/clings & their addresses. So I can actually mail things soonish. (I’ll let folks know when they actually ship, I promise!)
kept up with my online writing prompts, and did online book promotion like a pro.
It looks like more when I write it all down, which is nice. Still doesn’t FEEL like much, though. The annoying reality is that I never feel like I’ve accomplished anything unless I’ve added new words to a writing project. And none of my projects are at a good adding-words stage.
Plans for the rest of this week are all about making plans for next month. Spouseman & I are taking a short road trip, and we have a start date for the “fix the damned sewer line” driveway project. Both those things require preparation. (Sigh.) I need to contact the house-sitter, make a list of questions for the plumbers (like, “how long does this take, and can we live in the house while you’re doing this work?) apply for days off from work, and reschedule a dental appointment.
Shopping for envelopes and consulting on “How To Mail Stuff” are also on the to-do list, along with making myself some kind of physical record as an incentive to putting down Moar Words in a Moar Consistent fashion. “Accountability” posts are all very well and good, but nothing works better for me than a little wall chart that I can write on. Worked for toothbrushing when I was five, still works for almost any task today.
And now that it’s light outside early in the mornings, I want to start a “Write Something Before Breakfast” routine. Because the way I start my days does powerfully affect how the rest of the day goes.
I’ll let everyone know if it works or not.
That’s all for this update. And now, the pictures portion of the post!
Profile in Feline Annoyance. Someone learned how to sit on the light switch where he can press buttons to change the brightness and warmth & got himself exiled from the desktop.
Happy pretty purple anemone flowers from the garden.