Diary 2019: Advent

12/1/2019: First day of December and the Advent Season. Well, last night I drooped and drowsed through Dimitrios, and it was threaded in my dreams. Woke up to go to the bathroom just as it ended a little after 1 AM. Went back to sleep and finally up at 5:30 AM from a dream about taking a test on Tolkien. Wrote it down and ready to start the day, I guess.

Showered and dressed. Prayers, catechism, and Bible. Walked to church. First Day of Advent; the church was all done up in purple and a tree (with cards to take to give presents to those in need) up by the altar. Very windy when left. Came home just in time to bring Andy the paper. Went in and was able to watch “The Mask of Dimitrios” properly, except for the first 15 minutes. Ate an apple for breakfast. Found an e-mail from J late last night, praising the end of CH2 and saying they spent yesterday decorating with a new tree. Napped and up at 12:30 PM; went in and got ramen. At 12:50 PM S&A got home from town. Went in at 5 PM and grabbed a ramen and two apples. Evening of animations; no new Rick & Morty tonight, so bed at 9 PM. Distractedly hungry all evening.

 

12/2/2019: Up at 5:30 AM, dressed, prayers, catechism, and Bible. Posted at Power of Babel, played WWF. Scouted for art on the sites and started listening to GGACP. Cold this morning. Just tried to get the Christmas stuff down [from the ‘attic’] but found out the bin in front was toys and the Christmas stuff is farther back; I will need assistance with that.

It’s now 2:30 PM, and somehow (it seems a miracle that I’ve got this far) the wash is basically done – I was going to skip the towels but did them anyway – and the broccoli salad is finished. Kam got off to school, despite the bus being very late. I am weak as a kitten.

As the day went on, I felt a little better as more chores got done. Kam came home early at 3:30 PM -just as I was letting the Chihuahuas out. Made sausage, cabbage, and taters. Took my meal into the guest house, ate, and after a bit I prayed my rosary. Finished the last few episodes of “Green Eggs and Ham”. When I went in to clean up saw Susan had made a pack of rolls (they were delicious). I thought I was done but at about 8:45 PM Kam called and wanted his corn dogs, Texas toast, and taquitos. Now almost 9:30 PM and ready to sleep again, I think.

 

12/3/2019: Up about 5 AM. Slowly, slowly, I got ready, dressing, prayers, catechism Bible, washing dishes, posting on my blog, pondering what I can accomplish today. It’s now almost 7:30 AM.

I had tried to put that bin back up yesterday but couldn’t. Today I managed it, so that makes me feel a little better. Thinking about looking through my “wall of bins” today, to see what’s what.

Went in at 9 AM, got the stuff to make Kam’s bacon and eggs. Got Kam going at 10 AM and had to find him a shirt and pants. Got him off at last about 10:40 AM, went in and finished my breakfast. Went through bins until I found the fold-out Christmas house, then put stuff back. Laid down and napped until 1 PM. Watched DW shows and “House” on and off all day. When I took the chihuahuas out to grass at 3:40 PM Ginger, like a ding-dong, went into the raccoon trap. Made fish rings and Herbed Chicken couscous and dinner rolls for supper. No writing; I don’t feel up to it just now, so I’ll probably wait until morning. Feeling urges for all kinds of sweet Christmas snacks, especially chocolate, and that’s very distracting, as is the fact that I haven’t seen John for three weeks. If I won the lottery and didn’t really need the money, would I keep writing? Is this year my last Christmas [obviously not, now], and if so, will I last that long? All day it was cool but sunny.

 

12/4/2019: Up at 5:30 AM, then laid around a while, thinking about Chapter Three and the man who sells the Frog-Boy to the Bureau. Then really up at 6:20 AM, prayers, catechism, Bible, and getting dressed, totally forgetting about going to get a TX Lotto. Ate breakfast of leftover couscous (kept in the microwave overnight), using a bit of olive oil to hydrate it from its dried-up state; I think it was this break from routine that made me dismiss the lottery journey from my mind. But that’s okay. S&A a little late leaving this morning because they went to get Cricket’s stitches out. When I went in, I peeled Kameron an apple and got that hamburger that S said I could have. I skrizzled it and had a couple of sandwiches for breakfast. Got Kam off to school. I started really applying myself to Chapter 3, and after a short nap did so all day until at about 7 PM I had 11 pages, which I sent to John, in the hope that he’ll pay me early so I can ride to bus to HEB Friday morning. Made pork chops and brussels sprouts for supper, and quinoa. At 8 PM I went in, cleaned up, and had the leftover sprouts and quinoa. It’s now 9:18 PM, and I’m getting ready for the rosary. But first I reviewed my Diary, to be sure about my writing schedule. Checked what the mysteries of the rosary were today, and I’m pretty sure I prayed it already early this morning. The Glorious Mysteries.

 

12/5/2019: Up at 4:30 AM. I dressed, prayed, catechism, Bible, said the rosary, posted, and laid down again. Up at 9:10 AM and started my breakfast; “Gargoyles” is on TV right now at 9:40 AM. No reply from John just yet. Got Kameron off in pretty good time (about a minute late) then boiled the bratwurst – which took quite a while. Watched many eps on YT of people talking about Seinfeld. Ate about 1 PM and napped again. Woke at 3 PM and shucked corn, then grassed dogs and started supper. Made chili, rotini, and corn. Kam home at almost 4:30 PM. Ate supper.

In the noon hours the weather cleared and dried up pretty well. John finally managed to e-mail me and promised to bring the pay over in time; things have been busy at Babeloth, which I can understand with Grampa’s hospice.

I was looking around at my shelves and bins and thinking that I haven’t really disturbed them for months, maybe even over a year. Why? I think probably because I am already familiar with it all, my book hoard is not growing, so I haven’t turned them over in a while, like a farmer who fails to turn his oats and so they get musty. Also, as I grow weaker, they get harder to reach or unpack, and I weigh the cost of disturbing the order. Might there be more to it? Has it grown less important after my baptism and my book published?

 

12/6/2019: Up a little after 6 AM. Prayers, catechism, Bible. Finished up the Seinfeld documentaries on YT, at least the ones I wanted to watch. Ach, take the day as read, ramen and all, and a rosary on the front porch. Weather very nice and fallish, streaked with warmth, passing clouds, and cold in the shade.

 

[Notes: I have since written a guide to what is where in the bins. It has been very useful, but after I look for something, the order can get disarranged. Maybe I should just label them. Right now, I’m facing the same dilemma of getting the ‘Christmas bins’ out, but at least they’re not up in the ‘attic,’ a sort of high cubby that also houses the water heater.

My YouTube viewing tends to go in little spurts of fads and fashions. Right now, I’m watching a father-and-daughter team as they react to Laurel and Hardy films. It’s a great way to review shows that might not be available completely.

‘Babeloth’ is the property where both the Babels and the Loths live, in separate houses.  Can be sung to the tune of ‘Camelot’, which I often do in my head. It was my job to feed Kameron and get him off to school on time. Texas weather around here is like that, with periods of cold and fallish into January, when it’s just plain cold.

Man, I thought I was weak then.]