Welcome to the first Friday in March.  Hard to believe that it’s almost spring, but the new lilac bush that I planted a few weeks ago is budding like crazy, so spring can’t be too far away.  Lent (for those who observe it) started this week–the colorful Mardi Gras King Cakes in the local bakery were my first clue about that.

Sadly, I missed Shrove Tuesday, though I did venture out of the house yesterday for breakfast, which did include pancakes, so I think I’m covered.  What wasn’t covered were the faces of the people around me at and around the restaurant.  Mask mandates are going away in many places, though people had to show proof of vaccination to get in the restaurant, so there was that.

I was supposed to be off work yesterday and today, but the five days of work this week that I tried to fit into three days didn’t quite fit, so I wound up working yesterday after all (after those pancakes).  Ah well, one day off is better than none.  

I haven’t decided what to do with my day off –so many books to read, so many projects to finish.  Earlier this week I finished the baby blankets I was making for a friend who is expecting (as we speak), but the next blanket I made didn’t turn out the way I wanted so I think I will unravel it and start again.  Annoying, but at least it was a small blanket.

Other than that, I’ll try to avoid watching too much news and give today’s writing prompt and random words a try instead.

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Well this week sure took a turn for the worst, at least from a world peace perspective.  Just as COVID restrictions are starting to be relaxed and interacting with others seems like a definite possibility, pandemic fears have been suddenly been replaced by the specter of war.

I can’t even imagine.

Makes the people complaining about wearing a mask and getting a shot for the good of society seem like a bunch of whinners when one watches news coverage of people leaving everything behind and sheltering in the subways with the sounds of bombing in the distance.

Perspective.

I’ve had the news on all day, with the hope of hearing something positive, and have been crocheting baby blankets as gifs for a few soon-to-be-arriving babies, as a way of focusing on something positive.  Good thing I’ve got a big yarn stash.

One advantage of being a writer is that if you don’t like whatever might be going on in real life, you can always write a revised version that turns out the way you want.  I think I’ll do a little reality-revising after work by giving today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Welcome to the end of another week.  I hope yours was a good one.  Mine included a day off, so it was certainly a quick one.  For many in the U.S., this coming Monday is a holiday too — President’s Day — so that will make two short weeks in a row for me.

Yay!

Last week I spent my time-off getting ahead of the weeds in the garden, planting a new climbing rose, and wandering up and down the aisles at the local garden center, where a new lilac plant somehow made it into my cart and subsequently into my backyard.  I love lilacs and one of my old established bushes had an unfortunate run-in with some pest that ate away its entire root-structure.  This replacement plant is a variety I’ve never grown before, but I’m hoping it will flourish.

We’ll see.

In the meantime, I’m working on finishing some of the many in-progress craft projects that are cluttering up my sewing area.  I’m trying to streamline a bit, so finishing projects seemed a good step.  I’ve already finished two decorative pillow covers (with zippers!) and am getting ready to start on a quilt top.  At this rate I’ll be done somewhere around forever and never.   

Somewhere along the way I think I’ll give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Happy Friday, Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Monday, or whatever you feel like celebrating! 

I’m just glad it’s the end of the week and the start of a 4-day weekend.  I’m definitely looking forward to a few days away from the office–or from the corner of my couch that has been serving as my temporary pandemic office–since I just wrapped up doing annual reviews for my team at work and that surely deserves a treat.  My team is great, but the review process and paperwork leave much to be desired.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with my time off.  Last week I spent my day off removing some plants, relocating some others, and planting a few new ones for good measure.  My arms are still sore.  I think maybe I’ll find something that doesn’t involve quite so much digging this week. 

The weather has been beautiful here these past few days, with blue skies and short-sleeve temperatures.  Maybe that’s a signal that I should make sure the automatic sprinklers are working and ready to be turned back on.  I’d hate for my new plants to wither away if there is no rain on the horizon.

Regardless of whatever else I decide to do, I definitely plan to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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I can’t believe I almost forgot it was Friday.  All week I’ve been getting my days mixed up.  Fortunately, today is a day off work for me, so I’ll have plenty of time to get things all straightened out.

I don’t know what the weather is where you are, but where I am there have been clear blue skies for several days now, with shirt-sleeve temperatures–at least when the winds aren’t blowing.  The nice weather means it’s time to venture out into the backyard and tackle the weeds that are springing up before they manage to get any bigger.

I’ll also be spending part of my day off today giving my climbing rose bushes a severe trim.  They grow like crazy, but there is a lot of deadwood in the middles and sucker-shoots growing in random places.  It’s time to cut them back, fix the broken trellises behind them, and get them tidied up.  If all goes well, they should be back to trying to overgrow the house in no time. 

I’m not sure what else is on the schedule today, though I definitely plan to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Happy Friday.  For those of you who have been celebrating “Dry January”, the end is in sight!  I have friends who have been following “No Sugar January”, “Meat-Free January”, and even “Juice-Fast January” (not all at once).  That kind of sounds like “No Fun January” to me, though to each their own.

I have been gloriously resolution-free so far this year, enjoying sugar, meat, and even the occasional adult beverage–in moderation, of course.  My choices might make a dietician cringe, but I’m still spending time on the elliptical, so I figure things will all balance out.  Probably.

These past few weeks I have been enjoying watching Jeopardy and the current long-term winner (who just happens to be from my area of the state).  I am often amazed at just how much I don’t know, but I do get a kick out of those rare instances when I know the answer to the final Jeopardy question and the contestants do not.

Now that today’s episode is over, I can focus on wrapping up the work week.  January is a busy time at the day job (oh, who am I kidding–every month is a busy time), but once I’m off the clock I’ll be giving today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Welcome to the end of another week.  I don’t know about you, but I felt like this week must have had a few extra days in it.  Or maybe it just seemed that way with days full of meetings at work.

The weather–at least during the day–seems to have had enough of winter.  It has been sunny and warm enough for me to leave the door to the patio open, without the furnace feeling compelled to turn on and heat the great outdoors.

Most of the plants are still hibernating, but my little grapefruit tree, which has been working on mastering the art of producing edible fruit for a few years, finally seems to have figured things out.  The result looks like a grapefruit on the outside, but I haven’t cut into it yet to see about the inside.  Fingers crossed that it’s edible.

This week started off with a day of volunteering in honor of MLK day–I made no-sew blankets for the homeless (I’m pretty sure actual sewing would have been faster).  That was followed up with getting new portraits taken for work (not my favorite activity).  Fortunately, everything went smoothly enough, although I feel like I have a kind of startled look on my face in the portrait.

Now that all of that is taken care of I can focus on wrapping up the work week.  There is a lot on the ToDo list, but I definitely plan to make time to give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Happy Friday.  I hope you’ve had a good week or at least that nothing terrible has happened–the bar is pretty low for “a good week” these days.

Someone said “January is almost over” in a meeting today and made me think, for a minute, that I must have slept through a few weeks.  Fortunately, the calendar clearly shows that the month isn’t even half over yet.  A good thing, since there are still some holiday decorations piled on the table waiting to back into the cabinet in the garage.

Some of the rose bushes in my front yard are bravely blooming, despite the chilly temperatures.  Perhaps they’re thinking of spring, or at least February.

I’m busy thinking about performance reviews and year-end reports at the day job, which has left very few functioning brain cells for creative writing endeavors.  I know exercise is supposed to help with that so after work I think I’ll head off to the elliptical machine for a workout and then give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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Welcome to the first Friday Writing Sprint of a brand new year.  I hope things are off to a good start and that you’ve all managed to stay out of the grip of Covid.  Several of my team members tested positive this week but, unless it’s actually a computer-virus, I should be safe here in the writing castle.

You’d think all this sheltering in place would mean I’ve been able to make a real dent in my to-be-read pile and gotten thousands of words on the page but, sadly, not.  Possibly due to all of the home remodeling/decorating shows I’ve been watching.

Nah, that can’t be it.

Whatever you are doing today, I hope it is something enjoyable.  I began taking down the holiday decorations the other day, once the tree left the house.  I miss having a big sparkly object in the living room, but the tree had started to lean toward the sliding doors–apparently attempting to make its own escape–so I took the hint.  The end of the holidays always means a clear-out for me.  I have a car full of things that will either be going to a local shelter or a local thrift shop.  The trick will be to keep new things from making their way into the house . . . at least for a time.   

First up on my list after work today is some quality time on the elliptical machine.  The holidays disrupted my routine a bit but now it’s time to get back to it.  After that I think I’ll give today’s writing prompt and random words a try.

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