Life in progress

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#SoCS – I Can’t Believe it’s not Margarine

I grew up on butter, never margarine. My family hated the taste of it. And back when I was a child, it had a terrible flavor, kinda like butter that had gone slightly off. I don’t know how my mother always kept the butter so fresh. She must have used a lot of it, because it was never kept in the fridge. There was nothing quite as frustrating as trying to spread cold butter on fresh bread.

When I was an adult, I gave up on butter, but by then, margarine had improved. When I moved to Quebec (the province), I regularly bought what started out as margarine but they changed the name of it. To “Non-Hydrogenated Soy Spread.” No mention of margarine anywhere on the container. But it tasted like margarine, which, by that time, mostly tasted like butter.

I’m back to “Margarine” now–at least that’s what it says on the container. I miss butter. But we still call the stuff we put on our toast “Non-Hydrogenated Soy Spread” because why not?

It’s funnier. And it’s a mouthful. And who doesn’t want a mouthful when it comes to non-hydrogenated soy spread?

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This very late, definitely non-hydrogenated post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/03/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-march-6-2021/


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#SoCS – Misty

As I come to the end of a full year of being sequestered in my home with my three kids, I’m looking back and thinking never has there been a year so slow and yet so very focused. So focused, in fact that there aren’t many moments I think I’m forgetting. It’s the least misty year in my existence.

Because I haven’t done anything. I can remember details like beginning the year going to the grocery store on Fridays, and gradually working all the way back to Thursdays, Wednesdays, Tuesdays, Mondays and now Sundays. I haven’t been inside a store on a Saturday all year.

Imagine remembering that kind of thing in a normal year?

I’ve written stories–books, even. I’ve published two books and one short story. I’ve moved from sitting on the couch to a desk in the spare bedroom. I’ve been to two–count ’em–TWO live concerts in Japan without leaving my house. And I’ve learned that “zoom” isn’t just what cars do as they go by. I’ve walked more than a million steps without leaving my neighbourhood.

And I’ve had the honour of spending more time with my kids than I knew I could without going insane.

How has your year been?

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This very late, decidedly unmisty post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/02/26/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-27-2021/


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#SoCS – The Nerve!

What nerve I’ve got, almost two days late responding to my own prompt!

But you know what? It’s like that meme that’s going around. We’ve been at this “stay at home” thing for so long, there’s nothing to talk about. Nothing new, anyway. So I sit here at my computer, waffling over what to write. I actually get nervous. (There’s those nerves again.) And then I wonder, what’s the point?

Just Jot it January was easy for me, because all I had to do was make stuff up. Fiction is so much more interesting than real life these days, isn’t it? In fiction, we can pretend sickness doesn’t exist.

Maybe I should make up a fictional life for myself. Then I could live vicariously through the fictional me. I’ve even got a picture of the fictional me in mind. Aren’t I cute?

Photo: A snowman made out of a pointy snowbank with a single ball of snow on top with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and two twigs for arms sticking out of the snowbank.

Yeah, looks like the fictional me has about as much of a life as the real me.

sigh

Sorry I’m late with my SoCS post. Almost a SoCM post now.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This sad post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/02/19/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-20-2021/


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#SoCS – Above and beyond

Okay, so what’s the opposite of above and beyond? Below and back? Below and insufficient? Doesn’t have much of a ring to it.

My expectations for myself, for the future, are often on the side of above and beyond. Which leaves me in a state of feeling inadequate and causes me stress. Which sucks.

Yet, those expectations are often what pull me through and help me succeed. I’m one of those types who waits until the last minute to do what I need to do in order to hit a deadline. Most of the time. I’m much better when I’m editing for a client. My self-control is far better.

So what’s that about? Basically, when you boil it down, it comes down to my caring about other people more than myself. The old, “It’s just for me, so it can wait” thing.

Turns out self-care is difficult.

Can you relate?

Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovers out there. For the rest of us? Let’s love ourselves a little bit more today. ❤

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This off-the-rails post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/02/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-13-2021/


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#SoCS – White Flag

This post started off in my head this morning. I was thinking about a white flag, not because I am or was waving one, but because I didn’t. For a while there, it looked like I might not get my novel ready to upload in time for the preorder date I have set on the retailers. On most of them, it’s not a big deal: you can change it. On Amazon, if you change your preorder date for a later one, you lose the privilege of setting a preorder date for a year.

But, against all odds, I managed to get it finished and uploaded. I never waved that white flag.

So why didn’t I post this post this morning when I thought of it? Because of a song.

It’s one I hadn’t heard in years. I listened to it all the time about ten years ago, though, and all I could remember was one line that went something like “I will not lie down.” So I searched the Internet. I Googled, I wracked my brain. Nothing came up. I couldn’t remember the name of the song nohow.

Until I stopped trying.

And damn me, the name of the song is “White Flag.”

Doh!

P.S. The lyric I was trying to remember that I got wrong was “I will go down with this ship.”

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This age-showing post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/02/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-6-2021/


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#JusJoJan 30 & #SoCS – A day

(NOT FICTION)

At the end of a long, long day

that consisted of editing a novel that feels like it’s never going to end

I wonder how I’m going to make it to bed,

with so much still to do.

Because as it turns out,

A new day has already begun.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This tired not-really-a-poem post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January! Find the prompt here and join in!https://lindaghill.com/2021/01/29/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2021-daily-prompt-jan-30th/


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#JusJoJan 23 & #SoCS – From

(NOT FICTION)

“From.” A word that assumes you’ve been somewhere.

“Oh, I just came from …”

The kitchen. That’s about as far as I go these days.

I just bought a treadmill today, so I have no excuse not to walk even when it’s cold enough to freeze the nuts off a squirrel, or hot enough to melt, … um … the nuts off a squirrel? I wouldn’t know. Squirrels tend to bury their nuts, so I don’t keep track of them.

Hopefully the squirrels do.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah. So I might not even be coming in from a walk unless it’s nice outside. I might be coming from the treadmill. I hope it fits in the living room.

My “point and write” word came from the manuscript I’m working on. A really original word, isn’t it? I’ve used it 37 times in the 8032 words in the first four chapters. I’m sure you wanted to know that valuable nugget of information.

What is the book, you ask? Well, let me tell you. (Because I’m sure you want to know.)

It’s The Magician’s Soul, the third and final book in my paranormal romance series, The Great Dagmaru. And it’s coming out in 19 days!!

You can preorder it by clicking on the picture of the cover. (It’s an Amazon affiliate link.)

Ahhhh!!!

Isn’t the cover great? It’s a lovely cover by the even lovelier Belinda Borradaile.  Or should I say “from” Belinda…?

Nah, apparently I’ve used that word enough.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This shameless promo post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January! Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/01/22/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2021-daily-prompt-jan-23rd/


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#JusJoJan 16 & #SoCS – The first thing

(NOT FICTION)

The first thing I should do in the morning when I sit at my computer with coffee in hand is open up whatever I’m working on. Supposed to be working on. Because if I don’t and I end up on social media instead, I get lost. And the next thing I know, I’ve finished coffee, breakfast, and it’s half way to lunch time and I’ve got nothing done.

Why? Why is social media so damned addictive? Is it really the whole FOMO (fear of missing out) thing? Or is there a secret ingredient on those pages somewhere that they’re not telling us about?

Salt. Probably salt. Or chocolate.

If I’m lucky during the day, I get out for a walk. I got a picture of the snowmen again … they’re a little worse for wear. You can see what they looked like last week here.

And now? It seems Mrs. Smith Sr. has lost her head as has little Bobby Smith, and Mrs. Smith and little Susie are nowhere to be found.

Things do not bode well, at first glance.

Last thing I do at night before I go to sleep? Read a book. Necessary to get out of my own head. It’s very crowded in here. Especially with the FOMO.

 

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This potentially disturbing post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January! Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/01/15/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2021-daily-prompt-jan-16th/


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#JusJoJan 9 & #SoCS – Limitless

(NOT FICTION)

Let’s start with unlimited bread sticks, shall we?

They call them limitless, but what happens when the kitchen runs out of them? Do you go to another restaurant? Do you get your meal for free for false advertising? That would be a disaster of a night for the establishment.

We call things countless the same way we often use the word “literal.” Given enough time and patience, most things on earth can be counted. Literally.

I’m talking about physical things, though. What about dreams? What about ideas? What about love?

What about that moment you look into the eyes of someone you love? It may only be a moment, but it can last forever in memory. Does that memory die when we do? I don’t think so.

BUT! Can bread sticks be limitless if you love them enough?

Now there’s a question.

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This dusty post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January! Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/01/08/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2021-daily-prompt-jan-9th/


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#JusJoJan 2 & #SoCS – In the corner

(NOT FICTION)

In the corner of my mind …

In a dark corner of my mind …

I wonder all kinds of things.

Like, why does my mind have a corner? It’s not square, is it?

Or maybe it is square.

A box that I keep my memories in, that might start leaking as I get old.

Hmm.

That kind of makes sense, if you think about it.

The corners of my mind are cluttered. Stuff I stick there to “do later” that never get done.

Never get done because they get hidden by dust bunnies.

Dust bunnies in my brain … that explains a lot.

Maybe a lobotomy is just a good spring cleaning.

Like a house fire that takes all the photographs with it.

Wow, this is getting depressing.

I think I’ll keep my dust bunnies, thanks.

Problem is, they multiply like bunnies …

Hey! Bunnies! Stop doing that in my brain!

No wonder I write romance.

HA!

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This dusty post was brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January! Find the prompt here and join in! https://lindaghill.com/2021/01/01/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2021-daily-prompt-jan-2nd/