So fickle…

Umm, I changed my mind.

The whole reason I left WordPress (back in–what? March?) was because I couldn’t install the Shelfari bookshelf, and that annoyed me (oh! but look–I took a picture of my on-screen Shelfari shelf, and now you can see my books if you click on the photo! Ha! So there!).  I couldn’t even entertain the possibility of getting ads through Google AdSense.  So, in a fit of pique, I moved to Google Blogger.  But I don’t like it, and I haven’t been writing.  What can I say?  It is my prerogative to change my mind, right?  I’ve decided to abandon all hopes of making any pin money whatsoever, and just go back to what I like to do–write.  It helps to relieve my stress, and it’s either this or wine, and I think writing may be the slightly healthier option. At least at 8:03 a.m. Unless I decide to go all Dylan Thomas on you, then 8:03 a.m. and wine would not be at odds with one another.

Why the stress?  A job with a split schedule, so I basically feel like I work full time.  Fortunately the split schedule will soon go away and things will be more part-timey feeling.

And children.  Aren’t children just inherently stressful, even when said children are all grown up?  I just read Stephen King’s new book Joyland (which I very much enjoyed),  and at one point a character says that children are such a risk.  It’s true–you love them so dearly it leaves your heart very, very vulnerable.  These children, what with all their…their…milestones and life changes and independent decision making…well, they are stress inducing.  But I wouldn’t change it.  I look at people I know who don’t have children, and they look so young!  “Oh, it’s hard to believe Biff is 57! He looks like he’s in his early 40s!”  Well, that’s because Biff doesn’t have kids!  I, on the other hand, look about 72.  But for all the wrinkles I have from worry, I have just as many from laughing. And Biff doesn’t have that kind of laughter in his life.  My children are both floor cleaner and dessert topping (remember that old Saturday Night Live skit?)–wildly difficult and wildly joy-giving.

And then the apricots!  They got ripe the same week I had a sit-down dinner for 20, and I had to set aside time to make jam!  Yes, I could have just let the fruit drop and let the deer have it, but I just couldn’t do that.  And anyway, even after two batches of jam and one of apricot syrup (which, by the way, is the best thing EVER on pancakes), the deer, turkeys, and rabbits still got to eat their fill–there are hundreds of apricot pits on the ground.  The deer are all a bit round of tummy (nothing wrong with that–ahem!), they have water from a leaky dripper–no stress for the deer here.

I guess that sort of lightly skims over the topic of my stress–I won’t talk (this time!) about what’s going on with the weather–the apricots and figs were ripe a full two to three weeks earlier than usual, there are yellow leaves on some of the trees–what’s up with that?  Climate change? Or natural random weather patterns? Fortunately I’m not stressing over it too much.

It’s supposed to be sooo hot this weekend, so I will be awash not only in chlorine, but also in Sauvignon Blanc (mixed with seltzer water! and ice! in a plastic cup! what a rube!)–after all, I have to stay hydrated.  Well, I guess I’m back now, and I’m pretty sure I won’t change my mind.

Oh!  I feel so much better!

A Few Things I Love (not in any order)

First and foremost, any book by D. E. Stevenson.  Her books are characterized as “romance,” which dismays me.  While, yes, there is romance, there is no bodice ripping, no Fabio on the cover, no heaving bosoms.  These books take place in England and Scotland and they are gently funny and truly uplifting.  Lots of talk about redoing houses,  stopping for tea, and economizing.  But even in light of all that, they are not sappy in the least.  Beautifully written (after all, Robert Louis Stevenson was her father’s cousin), they take place any time from the 1930s to the 1960s.  Oh please read one! My favorites are all the “Mrs. Tim” books, Bel Lamington and its sequel, Fletchers End, Amberwell, and…well, I love them all, really.

Brawny Pick-a-Size Paper Towel.   Annoying at first, because whenever I wanted a big piece I invariably got a small piece, or vice versa.  Now I’ve got my yank velocity down, and I easily get the size I need.  It’s so handy!

Always Infinity Pads.  Let’s just say, if you remember Stayfree pads from the 1970s, these are nothing short of a miracle.  I am totally serious.  Life changing.  Light colored pants all month long is no longer a pipe dream. And it has to be the Infinity kind, not just the regular ones.

Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s inexpensive and very tasty.  There is even a hint of effervescence.  It’s absolutely acceptable for guests, but cheap enough that you don’t feel guilty drinking it out of a plastic cup while floating in the pool.

Lancome Virtuose Mascara.  I like my eyelashes to look thick and feathery, not spiky.  This mascara delivers. It has a curved brush, which I think is instrumental in making the lashes fringey, not spidery.  Not cheap, but worth it.

Nature’s Gate Tea Tree Body Lotion.  I have sensitive, easily irritated skin.  This is the only lotion I can use on my legs.  It’s got the usual pungent smell of tea tree oil, but the scent dissipates very quickly. I even use a teeny bit on my face if I have dry patches.  The tea tree seems to calm any skin irritations I have.  Very inexpensive.

Smashbox Photo Finish.  Sometimes I am willing to work a bit harder than usual to look put together.  When I want my makeup to look particularly good, I break out the Smashbox Photo Finish.  It’s great.  It’s like gap-filling paint that smooths out my pores and wrinkles, leaving my skin looking much smoother than usual when I apply my foundation on top.

Okay, well, that’s enough for now.