Well, my plumber came out just now to unclog the sewer line.

Turns out the shitter wasn’t just full…it was BROKEN.

This cost a metric shit ton to fix.

A shit load of crap to deal with.

However, we’ve got it colon cleansed for now. And for now, that’s all we need.

My friend that started me on this Outlander series just posted something over on my FB page about how she’s on book eleventy-umpteen, that it’s like crack that takes a reaaaaaaaaaaly long time to smoke.

Crock Pot Crack is what I think it is.

I too am on book well, four. not eleventy upmpteen, but with over a thousand pages the last few books it does FEEL like that.

Kizz read the first one and gave just a great commentary over at 117Hudson. She also talked about another series which now I Have (capital H) to pick up and read.

I’m enjoying these books, sometimes I skim because for craps sake woman, LAND THE PLANE already! But it’s good. I haven’t had a big thick series to sink into in awhile. The thing is I have a ton of other stuff to get through AND lines to start learning soon! I need to get finished with this fourth book and hold off on the others for awhile. If I can do it.

I’m also beginning a writing project with a friend of mine, Pink. She’s actually the best friend of PseudoSis3, who I have come to love in my own life. About a year ago, one of the Sister’s made the statement that Pink and Zelda TOTALLY needed to write a book or a blog together. I’ve never read anything that Pink has written. I know she wants to write, that she began NaNoWriMo this year. I don’t think she reads here. But again, at Christmas this year, another Sister said the same thing. It’s as if the Universe is screaming in our faces, in a nice sisterly way. So. We’re going to do it. Pink has a few other women who she’s asked to join the project, so not only do I get to get the creative poncho out from the back of the closet with the fat clothes and wear it again, I get to meet two new writers!!! Life is good and I shall keep you posted! Since we all live in different places, states even, let me just say once again, God Bless the Internet and God Bless Facebook.

In homestead news, I freakin love this little spaceheater what I got for Christmas. I’m keeping the heat down, and the house is still warm! The new insulation is helping, I can totally tell. There’s nasty snow on the ground out there and it’s NOT freezing in here…But.

You know there’s a but…nothing goes that smoothly for that long.

Monday I was doing laundry and the floor drain started bubbling up. Gurgling and flooding. Gah. I poured boiling water down the drain per Joe’s suggestion thinking it may have frozen up during the storm. Nope. Still with the flooding when I ran the washing maching. Then yesteray morning when I flushed the toity, the strange and gurgling noises that came from beneath my bathtub sent me RIGHT to the phone to call my friend who is a plumber. He said it’s probably a sewage backup. And perhaps it’s something going on with the street/city due to the storm, but he’s going to come check this week. I’m not in any danger, and have sufficient clean clothes until then so I don’t have to use it…when flushing last night and today no gurgling so…fingers crossed. GAH!

Work was nice and busy yesterday. I’m not booked but am getting call-ins and some new clients. I’ve looked at the books in Jan, and am working to fight the dismal feeling about them. Staying rooted in the positive and the hopeful.

I need to run to the grocery store this morning OR this evening, black eyed peas for the salsa on Friday…but man. It’s gonna be difficult to get off this couch!

Happy Wednesday!

Most people dread/loathe/are ambivalent about this time of year. I for one love it. I love New Years Eve. I don’t have to have a sparkly dress and fancy schmancy plans, in fact this year I’m not even hanging out with friends as I’ll be bartending someone else’s wedding reception. I just love the fresh start. Everyone starting out at the same pace, everyone with a clean slate. I know I type these words year after year, but I seriously LOVE IT!

Christmas is such a time of big big emotion. For everyone, there’s something mixed in, be it stress, or money, or travel issues, or family, or some type of dysfunction, or just too little time with those we love. It’s just a lot.

These few days between then and NYE…we can take a breath. We can count our blessings. We can look back over the last 12 months and see what a blessing this life of ours is, the peaks and the valleys, the choices that we’ve made, and those we’ve yet to make. This week, above any of the year is a slower time to take stock. And make choices for the new year.

The economy is kicking us all in the butthole. I don’t know anyone who isn’t feeling it. The new year brings us hope and promise. We have graduations upon us, weddings of our kids, opening nights, birthdays of mild importance…it’s coming!

We’ve got two more days, kids. Two more days to take stock, check off the list, breathe in and out and enjoy this year. It’s not over yet!

When suddenly the unexpected happens, Zelda, it’s always me… just getting everything ready for the time of your life.

Love you, mean it –
The Universe

It’s been many a year since I’ve had to shovel anything…the Michigan Years, Clemo was the HMFIC of snow removal. And frankly, that’s the last time I’ve seen this much snow. I got outside today and unloaded the car, shoveled more of the driveway and chopped the ice into removable bits. Got the walkway and steps and porch cleared too. Those were treacherous last night. I felt badly for my mail carrier today…hadn’t quite got to it yet. We’re supposed to get another 2 inches tomorrow night…egads! so I wanted to take advantage of the time while I could today.

I surveyed the Gazebo damage…it’s a goner. This makes me verra sad…we’ve had some good times under the Gazebo. She’s going to be severely missed…come the spring time when I dismantle her and put her out for Big Trash Day. Sigh. Keep your eye’s out folks, for some crazy bargain Gazebos…it could happen!!! Until the thaw…I’m just leaving everything as it is out there. bleargh.

I decided not to hit the grocery store tonight, will go tomorrow afternoon. I need to get some stuff for New Years Day, purchase a few staples, but other than that, I have pleanty on hand to get thru this cold wintery week.

I’ve enjoyed my day today. I still need to run the Dyson, and unpack my actual suitcase. I’ve got the laundry going and that has posed quite the plumbing issues. My floor drain…isn’t. I did pour boiling water down it to thaw whatever is down there out. That seemed to help, and I started another load so I’m about to go check that out. Crossing fingers. So it’s been an accomplished day, including a catnap and watching The Hangover. I wanted so badly to watch this with my sis and b-i-l this weekend but just ran out of energy and time. it was hysterical…

ok. that’s it. I’m hungry. Time to make the chili-mac.
slurp.

Man oh man, it was an exciting adventurous holiday here in The Plains. The Great Blizzard of 09 hit Thursday morning…I woke up at 8:15 to the sounds of horrible winds, pelting sleet, and panic filled me. I called Mom, we agreed that I needed to get my arse on the road twenty minutes ago so I threw (literally) a handfull of clothes and shoes and things I’d been saving for my sister, and rushed around the house getting the cats set up for a long time away from Mama, checked the litter boxes…and VAMOOSE. Was out the door and into the elements. It was horrible. I didn’t get above 45 miles an hour for about an hour and a half to two hours into the trip. What usually takes three an a half hours took well over four. I did get ahead of the storm and was thankful, but was just tweaked out for the night. I watched online as the weather trapped people on the road, 20 and 50 car pile ups on the interstates. It seemed, as we watched the interstates close down and the toll roads closed down, that I got out just in time.

Christmas eve was spent opening presents, which if you have children in your family, you know how awesome that is. Wonderbaby got a Bert doll, and the minute he pulled it out of the sack, stuck his head back into the sack and started saying, “Earnie? Earnie?” hysterial. Wonderboy got lots of Trio things, which are sturdier building leggo kind of things. I got some beautiful GEORGEOUS clothes and a new robe (mom saw the condition mine was in last visit!) Mom made THE BEST turkey, her first brining and roasting experience and it was amazing. It was a good night. She then proceeded to give me what could only have been horse tranqualizers and I dont remember much till 4pm the next day! Ok, not that drastic but we were all zombies the next morning for Santa…en route I almost slid off the side of the mountain as the weather had come our way overnight…GAH. Scared. Wonderboy cried, “Aunt Zelda is SAFE!” when I got to their house. (still cracks me up about every five minutes)

So, we watched the boys play with their Santa stuff, Wonderbaby is the most vocal thing ever and let out some random vocalizations before pulling the door off of his Elmo Kitchen set. I swear, the child is like that kid on the Incredibles that can buildings and stuff. We all just crack up and shake our heads. He does this noise which sounds like he’s crying or mad or hurt or something and it always winds up into this maniacle laughing that just cracks me up. Funny funny child.

Christmas afternoon was spent napping, reading, playing Bejeweled, sipping tea by the fireplace. Sigh. I miss that this morning.

Mom, sis and I hit the post Christmas Walmark sales where I got a pre-lit tree for next year, we got some discounted decorations, lights, wrapping paper etc. I got a little space heater and had the foresight to pick up some ice melt. It was just some nice quality time…packed with a billion things! We all had a meal at Dad’s new home on Sunday and it was awkward for I think almost everyone involved but relatively painless. The food was delicious, the conversation was…stilted but for the first “hey lets all pretend like we’re a family” event, it was fine. Dad and his wife were very gracious and hosting but you could tell they were on edge a little too.

I drove home and the roads were all clear and fine until I got into my neighborhood and it’s still, a war zone. gah. I had to shovel the driveway in order to get the car in the garage. A trip to the grocery for toilet paper, cat food and litter. There were tufts of cat hair all over the house…I can only imagine what the three of them did to survive the snow…

One tragedy of the storm? My Gazebo. It is no more. I can’t even get outside to start picking up the pieces, but surveying the damage this morning in the daylight…it’s sad. But the pipes seem to be holding up, the house is warm and fine…I think I survived just fine.

It was a good time with family, and this morning a little lonely but for the company of Chrome who spent the night last night. She and Gert came over and we chatted the night away till the wee morning hours. Good stuff. Good stuff indeed…

I hope yours was just as fabulous. Today I must unpack the car and get the house in some order for the working tomorrow. Happy Monday ya’ll!

I awoke this morning in my bed to the sounds of gusty winds and sleet…I stumbled into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of ambition and feed the livestock and turned on the weather and holy shit!!!

So. sleet. ice. 60mph winds. near white out conditions to the west…I was headed east today and thought I’d better get a move on. I’m lucky to have gotten out when I did. The toll road I take has been closed down. Interstates are closed. There was more than one multi-car pile up. People were stranded. The driving conditions were shitty, but I persevered and at the rate of forty five miles per hour I made it to the front of the storm and hauled ass the rest of the way to my mom’s in Arkansas. It’s headed our way, to be sure we will see a White Christmas…

We had a lovely traditional dinner of turkey and dressing. We opened pressies and ooh’d and aahhhh’d at the kids. They’ve gone to their house to get the kids to bed and prepare for Santa.

I have anxiety about my home and my cats. But I’m sure they’ll be ok, tomorrow will bring better conditions for being mobile and LT will be able to feed and check on them.

I’m going to take a fistfull of pills and hit the sack and wake up bright and early to bear witness to my nephew’s Santa haul and begin the fun!!! For now, I have my 4th Outlander book that I’ve been saving and a nice comfy bed to climb into…

Boys and Girls, snuggle in tight and dream sugar plum dreams…Santa comes tonight and so does the snow!

and I’m brokedownpalace. Tired from all the baking. I did a good amount of my to do list yesterday and holy canole that feels good! This morning I’m going to gulp down some coffee, get in the shower and finish that list.

I’ve got clean laundry strewn about. This is something I should work on in the new year. and more in the dryer to bring in. I’ve begun the packing by putting stuff in piles on the guest bed. We are going to get the snow, apparently tomorrow. Could be up to 6 inches??? who knows man. I just hope to drive to the Arkansas without any trouble…ok. I just saw some news and it says it’s going to start late tonight and get really bad early tomorrow. Huh. Ok. Well, I have all toll roads and interstates and those should be clear but I may have to leave later and just go slower. No worries. I’m having anxiety about being away from the house during the weather. . . I’ll leave a faucet dripping and keep it moderatly warm as opposed to turning the heat all the way down to save $…

I’m getting up to go in and get more coffee and move stuff from the back yard to the shed. That’s been worrying me…

I can feel the excitement of the season nipping at me. I’m ready for the list to be finished. For the trip to be complete and to have a goodly amount of time to do hair, to read (starting on my fourth outlander book!) work on my script, and just hang out with the Wonderkids.

I hope you have a fabulous Christmas Adam (because Adam came before Eve) ZING!

here’s our note from the Universe today. It’s a jewel.

Each person in your life is there for a reason, Zelda, and that reason always has something to do with love.

Like me,
The Universe

I’ve been baking cinnamon rolls like a meth addict, I’ve got one batch left then done with that. Working on laundry and keeping cats in check…no sign of Stormy Soprano the last day and a half so….fingers crossed on that. I’ve got a lot of my stuff marked off the to do list

bank deposit
oil changed
gas filled
fridge clean
trash out
laundry running
rolls baked

Tonight I watched Mixed Nuts with Steve Martin and Madeline Kahn…God I miss her. Followed by Postcards from the Edge…one of my favorites of all time. I just truly love this movie…this bit especially.

I think it sums things up quite nicely.

I felt a little stressed last night at the sheer amount of stuff that I felt needed to be done before I take off for Arkansas, and I know it was compounded by only having Sunday off which I used for sleep, laundry and reading. I started making the dough for cinnamon rolls that will be made tonight. and I don’t have any appointments past 4 today so I may can get some of this done:

1) fill up car with gas
2) get oil changed
3) remove some of the backyard furniture to the lil shed in prep for nasty weather that will appear whilst I am away
4) clean out fridge and take out trash
5) get started on the packing
6) pick up house and have it ready for my trip
7) get catfood and litter prepped for LT to take care of livestock
8) get LAST TWO GIFTS for sis and b-i-l which LOOKIE THERE there’s the commercial for what she’s getting right there on tv this very minute!!! it’s a sign. I was on the fence, but that kind of seals the deal.
9) Clean out the car for travels
10) begin the great cinnamon roll bake off of 2010!

So I was stressing about getting this done and feeling like I needed to do more, or feeling like I haven’t done enough because it has been done for me this year…then I got my note from the Universe:

What people rarely give themselves credit for, Zelda, is that their giving continues giving, even after they’ve forgotten giving, and even when they didn’t know they were giving, forever and ever and ever.

At least I’m keeping score,
The Universe

It’s the little things, folks. Take time this week to give attention to the little things…