Covid Journal, Day 320: Lists

28 and snowing this morning. It's not supposed to get any warmer, but the snow has stopped for now.

Lists. Do you make them? 

When I was a working woman I made many lists, for all kinds of things. Priority lists at work--I even had a series of folders organized by color for priority: red for top of the list, then orange, yellow, and so on. It did help keep me on track so that I didn't just tackle the things I wanted to do, leaving the harder things for later. The list below includes the following: tree trimming; asbestos in boiler room; janitor meeting; finish annual (huge) ADA report for the Department of Justice; interview new security officer; finish letters to bar certain people from the libary (an event that happens more than you'd think, because of behavior issues); fire drill date; safety meeting; humidity issues at a branch library; Fibernet (no idea what that was about, probably internet issues) ; carryover budget requests. Do you wonder why I wanted to retire, LOL?     

At home, I made lists too. Grocery shopping, of course, although many times I didn't bother, just stopped off at the store on my way home. Which resulted in many duplicates in the cupboards. To-do lists for home projects, storytelling, gardens. My husband isn't a list kind of guy, just wanders from one thing to another, and expects me to keep us organized. Sometimes, I have to admit, he resents that. He doesn't always want to do the things that are priority to me, and I have learned to let go--I can be on the OCD side I know, so I will wait--and sometimes wait and wait and wait--for when he's ready to get on with whatever the thing is I had at the top of my list. 

Today, I'm really not as list-driven. I tend to keep my lists in my head now, and only write them down when it seems like there's too big a pile to keep straight in my brain. With no storytelling in my life now, a huge lot of to-do items are gone--things like creating promotion materials and mailing them out, scheduling performances and sending out contracts and invoices, researching stories, practicing stories, packing for trips, keeping up an online presence in social media, responding to questions on line and in phone calls, interviews, and on and on. I did not realize how much of my time was devoted to some part of my storytelling career. 

These days it's eBay and booths, and putting up or preparing food, that occupy most of my time. I try to list on eBay every morning, and pack sales almost every afternoon. Except Saturdays. That day I do not deal with packages because I just need a break. Soon it will be garden time and there will need to be lists made again. But for the moment, I am list-free.

I kinda like this feeling.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Home Work And Me Work

Ah, Spring! Such a beautiful season, but...

we are finding many small and not-so-small jobs that need to be tackled, and things that will cost money to fix or replace. We already checked a few off the list--a new riding mower, a replacement farm tractor, and new electric fencing around the gardens.

There is still a lot on the list, though:

• the garden hose and the outside faucet by the house both need to be replaced
• the porch needs to be pressure-washed and so does the porch furniture
• the patio metal chairs and glider need washed too, and some pieces need to be re-painted
• we need to replace some of the siding on the back of the house
• and we are still trying to find the leak in the roof that only seems to leak into my dustpan that hangs on the side of a cupboard.

There are probably other things I missed--lots of "Harry Homeowner" tasks, as we call them. But the grass is greening up, the apples and cherries will soon be in bloom, and although the daffodils are sadly fading, other flowers will soon take their place.

On another front, I have been going to physical therapy twice a week for my right knee, which has been a pain, literally, since 2008. It's not like it needs replacement--it's more arthritis and a tiny tear in the meniscus that cause the trouble. It doesn't slow me down much but it does make me limp sometimes and often keeps me awake at night. Then there's my old friend sciatica that flares up from time to time. So I am working on both of them because I want to be in good shape for my trip to England this summer.

I admit I enjoy the therapy, although I begrudge the time it takes out of my mornings. I am only going twice a week, but it seems so disruptive to my routine, and I fret over what I could be doing instead. But it is what it is, and I appreciate the good it's doing me.

I fuss about these things--the home work and the me work--but I realize that I am blessed. I have a paid-for house, after all, and after listening to people talking at physical therapy I can see that my two therapy visits per week are a drop in the pan to the many doctor/medical visits some people have.

So onward and hopefully upward!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Round Tuit Kind of Day

I have been feeling dragged down and foggy-brained this week. Maybe it's the weather, or maybe it's just winter. I bumble around like a bee trying to get into a honey jar, trying first one thing, then another and never feeling like I've accomplished anything. But today, I got to some of those little things that wait until I can "get around to it."

First was defrosting the freezer in the gas refrigerator. I love my fridge; the electric bill took a nosedive when we installed it and it works beautifully on our free natural gas. The only downside is that it needs to be defrosted once or twice a year. I hadn't planned to do that today, but when we got up we discovered that the freezer door hadn't shut properly last night and the process was already started.

As we were clearing out all the packages we had literally stuffed in there, I found tonight's dinner: packs of frozen cabbage, green beans, green peppers, celery, venison, corn and carrots. All I needed to do was combine these ingredients with some onions and potatoes, a few spices and I had a huge pot of soup. So, two round tuits accomplished before noon. (You can see my recipe for this soup here.)

While I was on the hunt for my missing ring the other day I moved my jewelry box and managed to dump most of the contents on the floor. The result was a tangled mess of necklaces, pins, rings and earrings. I'd been meaning to sort these things out soon anyway as I seldom wear much jewelry now and when I do it tends to be the same favorite pieces, especially the earrings and rings made by Robert Riffe of Mystic Crystal. Since I didn't seem to be able to focus on anything else, I sorted my jewelry and ended up with a lot of pieces that will go to one of my booths to be sold. (Costume jewelry, nothing special!)

Then there were the totes we brought home from the booths the other day. Selling is a stuff-in, stuff-out kind of business. If something doesn't sell within a given time, I take it out and either take it to another booth, put it on eBay or take it to Goodwill. So the totes returning can have an odd assortment of all of the above. Today I worked through them and re-organized so they're ready for the next trip out.

The lingerie dresser is another of my "round tuits" for today. How do I end up with so many odd socks? It amazes me that with only 10 steps from the bedroom to the washer I still lose socks. And there were all sorts of other weird things in those drawers too--little bottles I stuck in there because I liked them and didn't know what to do with them, the battery radio for when the power goes off, greeting cards from my sons, a broken belt...the little dresser is right by the bedroom door and apparently I think it should be a catchall.

I did a little eBay work too, looking up prices and was pleased to see that a second piece of furniture sold through an eBay listing. I haven't tried listing furniture before but lately I've added some of the pieces for sale in my booths to my eBay listings with a "local pickup only" option. A dining table and chairs I've had since May sold last week, and today a china cabinet sold. I'll be doing more of these kinds of listings now that I've seen that it works. The cabinet to the left is currently getting a lot of lookers online. Larry repainted this one, painting the inside back red, and we bought replacement vintage pulls for it since the ones on it were not the right kind. I think it came out great. You can see my eBay listings here if you're in the mood to browse.

Last thing I accomplished was reviewing my list of stories for my program Saturday at Ohio County Public Library in Wheeling, WV. I am looking forward to being in Wheeling again, and to lunch with good friends and storytellers. Even with this yuck kind of feeling, that makes me perk up and smile!

So it was a day of no major accomplishments, but lots of little to-do's checked off the never-ending list. And that's enough.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Busy Sunday

Cold frosty morning on the hill.

Cold day! Frost on the ground and ice on the puddles and buckets. It's past time to be ready for this, but somehow we're not. Our first killing frost is usally around October 10th, so we've gained a week this year.

Larry split firewood today. The building is almost chockful and he still has many logs to cut and split. This is a good thing because with the fireplace we use a lot of wood, and my sense is that may be a cold winter so extra wood will be nice to have.

I sorted out my summer clothes and ended up with two large bags for Goodwill. The summer things are packed away and the winter clothes are hanging in the closet. I remember when everything I owned fit into the closet, but now I seem to need several wardrobes: going-to-work office clothes, storytelling clothes, going-to-town clothes and working-around home clothes. Shoes are the same way. And coats. When did life get so complicated? Oh yeah, I remember: when I started working full-time and then added storytelling to the menu.

I've been working in my office for the past two days, trying to recover it from summer's mad rush. It's not a one-weekend, project, I think. I am trying to get all my West Virginia history books and ballad books into this room, which means other storytelling books need to go to the big shelf in the living room. The WV books are the ones I reference most often, except for my two volumes of Storytellers Sourcebook. Those two books are essential to a storyteller's collection. Some tellers are lucky enough to live near a library that owns these books and can go there to use them. I don't have that luxury so I bought my own copies when I first got into storytelling and I am very glad I did. Back then, the set cost me almost $400. Today, the books can be found online at used booksellers' sites for about $20 each! That should upset me I suppose, but it does not because I've had acces to me copies for almost 10 years now. I can't imagine trying to be a storyteller and not have them.

I discovered as I cleaned and sorted that I have duplicates of several West Virginia county histories. So I'll need to find a way to sell them. I snatch them up whenever I see them for sale (most often at my library's used book sale) because I can't remember which ones I already have. If you know anyone interested in the histories of McDowell, Pendleton, Tucker, or Nicholas counties, or a copy of The Allegheny Frontier by Otis K. Rice, send them my way.

Tuesday and Wednesday I will be telling stories for the WV Storytelling Festival at Jackson's Mill near Weston, WV. The festival has become a schools-event only; there are no public performances this year, only hundreds of elementary and middle school students coming by bus to the Mill to hear stories. We're limited to what we can tell: no magic, ghosts, giants, or scary stories. That presents a challenge, but there are many good stories that can be told that do not contain thise elements, so I am sorting through my tales to find ones that will suit the criteria and be of interest to the age groups we'll be telling to.

When I return from the festival, I'll be preparing for next Saturday's Author Extravaganza at the Bridgeport, WV library--about 10 West Virginia authors will be on hand to discuss their work and sell their books and CDs. I am hoping against hope than my CDs arrive from ESP, the company doing the printing and packaging, in time for this event. The same day (October 24th) I will also be tellign ghost stories in the evening at Tygart Lake State Park in Grafton as part of their Halloween fundraiser. That will be a full day, and I think a very fun and interesting one.

Two wooden clothespins are sealed in ice in this ashtray on the porch. Can you see them?

I am glad for the heat from our stove on this chilly day, and glad for a husband who keeps it going so I can stay focused on my to-do list. Now, back to it.

To Do List: What Got Done?

Here's the to-do list I posted last week. It's time to check in and see how we did.

In the gardens:
*Hoe out the new strawberry patch. Done by Larry with the little tiller and me with the hoe

*Mulch the new berry canes.* Not done or even thought about. oops

*Plant herb seeds, and cucumber and squash hills. Done, although I had to make a new planting bed in order to get all the herb and flower seeds in.

*Plant tomatoes and peppers. I planted the peppers, Larry did the tomatoes while I made jam.

*Hoe the little garden. Done--and fenced too.

For storytelling:
*research stories about races/racing for 4-H camp. I looked through the tales I already tell and found several to fit the theme. Need to get this done this week.

*research insect stories for Summer Reading programs. Not yet. First the race stories, then the bugs. But I did print out Jackie's marvelous online book of insect stories, so I've got a great start.

*get the newsletters labeled, stamped and ready for mailing. Yep, all done except for about 1/2 of the labels. Requires a trip to the store because I ran out.

This weekend:*go to the Vandalia Festival at the state cultural center this weekend. Oh ,very well done. And fun too.

*get up early Friday to go to the Ripley on Sale event in town. Done and came home with bargains.

*enjoy grandkids James and Michaela (and their parents, of course, who are coming to help with Derek's house). Oh yeah. Enjoyed immensely. They helped clean, cut grass, change oil in vehicles, start the tractor, and a ton more stuff.

*visit Larry's family graves and decorate with flowers. I wimped out here. Larry and Hannah went while Haley and I stayed home to rest my knee and work on the newsletters. Larry and Hannah decorated all his family graves and added a few flags to veteran's graves that had no decorations.

*enjoy my family, my home, and the incredible variety of my life. Completely done. What a great weekend.

*Add : party with friends (until wee hours). Stargaze on the ridge and see a huge shooting star. Roast marshmallows in the outdoor firepit. Cook out. Eat watermelon. Fire off the potato gun: at night so we can see the flames shoot out of it. (Okay, this could have been a "hey yall, watch this" moment, but we all survived.) Tell the story of Wicked Jack to friends around the fire. Listen to music with Haley. Miss my parents.

*do not think about work. Not a problem at all!