Small and large accomplishments

My small accomlishment that I forgot to announce in yesterday's post is a Weight Watchers report: I lost one ounce last week. But, hey, it's better than gaining. And it was a week fraught with stress in which I decided for several meals to give up the diet. Then I rationalized I had already paid for three months so I'd keep it up but not obsess about it as I was. So for the past two days I've gone slightly over my daily points limit, but I am doing so much better than I did when I look at what I'm eating. I've almost cut out chocolate, no bread and butter late at night, etc. And tonight I had 2 oz. of chicken (ahhh, but it had mushroom/wine gravy on it). Fruit is a problem--adds more points than you'd expect--and today I had half an egg salad sandwich--but egg salad is high. And drinking wine doesn't help, but it soothes the spirit.
A bigger accomplishment: I got to the end of my second mystery tonight. Is it good? No, not yet, but I have hope it will be. And at least I figured out the basic structure, just kinding of putting words on paper. Now I have to go back and make it into a living thing, where the people really come alive. Plotting is always hardest for me, and I'm not sure I've got it right yet, so I may ask my mentor to read it in its raw state. But I feel a sense of accomplishment. It's been almost six months since I submitted the first mystery to a publisher who requires an exclusive--I can't send it to anyone else as long as they have it. I'm hoping that's a good sign. At least they didn't send it back in the next mail. Uncertain about how long to wait before inquiring. I have this superstitious feeling that if I inquire I'll jinx the whole deal.
And the Dallas News editor suggested a column that I'm really interested in working on. And the publisher of What We Eat When We Eat Alone happily agreed to send me a review copy, so maybe that's the first step in turning this blog into a review one--or finding some other avenue to review food writing. I'm up about all this.
A wonderful storm blew in tonight. I know it brought hail in other parts of the county, but just before it hit thunder rumbled and wind blew and I stood out on the porch enjoying it. When I was a kid my family had a cottage at the very foot of Lake Michigan and I loved to watch storms roll in down the length of the lake. I still love it, though I know Texas storms can be dangerous. After I stood and enjoyed for a while, I relented and went to bring Scooby inside. He does not at all share my enjoyment of them--in fact, I used to have to tranquilize him--the problem being the pill took sometimes 4-6 hours to take effect and by then the storm was over. I guess he's more secure now, because lying at my feet seems to be enough tranquilizer for him. The storm has passed now but I understand there are more due during the night. My problem then is always to get Scoob to go out in the morning.