An ordinary day with a few light spots

Nothing on my calendar today, just a day at my desk—which I like. But there were a few lighthearted moments—and of course a big reveal!

This morning my computer was agonizingly slow. I needed every ounce of that patience Jordan talks to me about. And the TV wouldn’t come on at all, Finally I turned off the TV and rebooted the computer. Computer had speeded up. Then I turned the TV on—nothing. Jordan tells me to wait patiently, so I went about my business, spent a frustrating hour trying to get into the Origin’s (skin care) website (I am sorry, but I truly cannot understand people in India or the Philippines whose English is heavily accented and I resent companies that farm out their telephone help lines). In all that time I forgot about the TV. But when I got up to get supper out of the freezer, all of the sudden the cottage was filled with loud voices. For a nanosecond I wondered who had come in—and then I realized the TV had finally come on, though I’d missed the news segments I like to watch! I’m sure some mystery writers would make a scene out of that—I just turned off the TV. But it did startle me—and Sophie.

If any of you have grown children, you know how old you feel when they begin to go back to the college reunions. Now, my dog has been invited to a reunion! Sophie will be twelve on May 18, but I don’t think they’re celebrating her birthday or the day she came home with us—in July. Apparently, Safari Doodles has a new kennel in Aubrey, a small town (suburb if you will) north of Dallas. I think it would be fun to go, but there’s no way—the Burtons will just have gotten home from San Miguel, Colin will have left the day before for Tomball, and Jordan leaves that day for an extended work trip. It’s probably a good thing—I might have lost all my resolve and come home with another dog, though with regret I know that I am not capable of ever again training a pup. I think Sophie would have enjoyed all the other dogs, but then again, you never know.

Jordan and I planned a light supper of subway-style sandwiches tonight, and Christian requested a three-bean salad, which I made. A meal they all like. Only Christian and Jacob both came home and fell asleep. Finally at seven-thirty, Jordan and I ate lonely sandwiches. I ended up with two helpings of salad, because I snuck one when I began to get hungry.

Nice surprise that made my day—a reader I don’t know at all wrote that she really enjoys my newsletters and recently used my shepherd’s pie recipe to serve lunch to two friends, each of whom went home clutching a copy of the recipe. Of course, it would have been nice if they’d been clutching copies of my books, but I’ll take whatever attention I can get. The writer asked if an old book, Libbie, was mine, and I assured her it was. She was getting ready to order the new Irene, and said she really likes the Irene books. So all that boosted my spirits.

And speaking of faux French chef Irene, the latest adventure will publish this coming Saturday. Today I have an advance sales link. If you want to order Kindle or paperback, you can go here: Irene Deep in Texas Trouble: An Irene in Chicago Culinary Mystery - Kindle edition by Alter, Judy. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. My longtime friend/mentor/critique expert, Fred Erisman, says it’s the best of the Irene series so far. I hope you’ll check it out and see what you think.

Happy trails, everyone. I’m going to spend the evening with a Scottish culinary mystery. What joy!

Game Day and other things

 

 

 

Megan and grandson Ford at the game

I suspect that almost anyone who reads my blog is watching the TCU/Georgia championship game at this moment. As I write, it’s halftime and not looking good for TCU. On the other hand, they have pulled off some amazing second-half recoveries this season, and it’s not over until it’s over. Jordan and Christian are at a watch party, Megan and grandson Ford are actually at the game, and Colin said he’d be watching. Jamie is like me—it’s on in the background.

I forgot to ask what channel it would be on, so I texted Jordan just before the game began. She gave me directions which did not work at all. So she said Christian was coming home at half-time to feed the dogs and would show me. Meantime, I pulled up what the Star-Telegram said would be streaming coverage. It was just that, full of yards and downs and passes and things this lukewarm fan has never learned to master. So occasionally I pull up a page that says simply, “TCU football” and check the score.

A former TCU football team member, years ago, recalled on Facebook the time he played, when paying football players got you in big trouble with the NCAA, when there weren’t so many bowls and a bowl invitation had meaning, before schools realized the financial benefits of a winning team, and football was a Saturday afternoon thing. Yes, I remember those days at TCU too, and our win record was abysmal, but still I cling to the idea that that is the way college football should be. Color me a curmudgeon.

On to other things. I wrote 1200 words in a flurry this morning, because it was something I’d been writing in my head for days—came quickly and easily. Then tonight, I struggled to get not quite 800 words on a blog possibility that just came my way today and has to be in by Saturday. Whole different process. I’ve now put the blog away for tonight and will revisit it tomorrow. Maybe it will sound better then.

Sophie is still improving but not quite ready to come home yet. Jordan is right that we don’t want to bring her home, only to have to take her back. But the cottage has a hollow feeling to it, an emptiness. And sometimes I hear noises that if she were here, I would attribute to her rooting around in the rug or turning in her crate or something. Without her I have no explanation for things that go bump in the night. It’s both lonely and unnerving.

My good news for the day is that I went to the cardiologist for a routine appointment, and he said they don’t need to see me for a year. Jordan thinks it’s because life in the cottage agrees with me, and I think she may well be right. Which means I have a big debt of gratitude to all my children but especially to Jordan and Christian who get twenty-four-hour responsibility. I try to be as independent as I can, but there’s no longer the possibility of driving myself to doctors’ appointments. So Jordan and I had a bit of together time today.

Christian has gotten the game on my TV or me—he pressed the same buttons I did, but for him it worked. I will never understand why that happens with phones, TV, computer, etc. My touch is sometimes electronic death.

Do I really want to watch this?

My world is back in order, sort of

This is one of those nights when I really miss daylight savings time. By six tonight, the world seemed dark and gloomy—and a bit lonely—to me. Maybe more so because I briefly lost contact with the outer world. My computer and my TV, my lines to life beyond the cottage, both went out. I knrw what happened, just not how to fix it. And Sophie is the culprit.

For some months now, the crate that she appears to adore and that is too big for my tiny space has blocked her access to her favorite chair—my mom’s old wing chair. Yesterday, Sophie somehow figured out how to weasel her way up into it (Mom would not approve), but in so doing she disrupted the tangle of cords behind my desk. Last night, my computer screen told me to check the cable connection. I found an unattached cord but after much stewing and studying couldn’t find where it goes. Took a quick nap and figured it out—it had nothing to do with the wall power sources but connected my computer to my remote and much bigger monitor. Problem solved.

This morning, just a few minutes after I turned things on, both the computer and TV quit. I had to move the crate, leave my walker behind. and hold on to the desk to get back there, but I did it. Checked every connection, and they seemed fine. Jordan checked, said she thought the plug was just a bit loose from the wall, and fixed it. Computer came on; TV did not. Via distance, Christian said it needed rebooting. Jordan tried—nothing. She tried again—nothing. She came out this evening and tried—still nothing. Christian came out when he got home, turned it on, and there was a live picture. He had a good laugh, and we decided Jordan is an unrecognized genius.

So now I’m connected to the world, and what a day, a week it has been. I watched the impeachment hearings sporadically but was much impressed by George Kent and Bill Taylor and loved the standing ovation Marie Yovanovitch got today after her amazing testimony. It’s not been a good week for trump—in addition to the hearings, Federal courts have ordered the release of his tax records and the records of his International Trump Hotels, plus Roger Stone was convicted on all seven counts of perjury, and Giuliani’s buddy, Parnas, has apparently flipped. Giuliani himself is under study by Federal authorities I watched it all with glee.

On a different note, I’m struck by the innovations in technology, from various countries, that speak to replacing plastics with biodegradable materials—people are using lots of things in creative ways: clamshell containers made of coconut husks, vegetables wrapped in banana leaves rather than plastic, a biodegradable plastic made of fish scales, bamboo architectural elements that are apparently as strong as steel, disposable flatware made from avocado pits. All those point to ways to save our planet. Will they catch on? Probably not. The inventors have no money to develop their inventions, and, at least in America, the plastic industry is too entrenched and profitable. Just look at trump’s brief campaign for plastic straws. Discouraging.

But overall tonight, with my TV on “Washington Week,” I feel encouraged—by advances in world-saving technology, by triumphs of justice. It’s not just my world that is in order, but I really believe that the larger world is working its way back to sanity. A good friend tells me I’m dreaming, but sometimes dreams come true. Keep the faith, everyone.