Fire on the Fingertips

Gainesville

My last day of this week's vacation, and I made the most of it. Finished the Comics Collection consolidation to the point where I could finally take down the card table I used for staging. It's lovely to be able to move around in here again.

I've got the Blessings reasonably up to date, even got the bills paid before sitting down to write this. Best of all, I made huge progress reading "Heartbreak Soup," to the point where I'm able to read a page or two of Hatfield without spoilers. Once I made up my mind I needed to bypass "Locas" for now, it became much easier to read and keep track of characters.Now I need to acquire more: I only have 1-7, 13 and 20.

But if this week has been a preview of retirement, I'm so up for it. What I am not up for is the hoopla that is supposed to attend this particular transition. There are so many people making exits of one kind or another right now, that just one more seems like wretched excess. Besides, I've left here so many times already, with Goodbye Parties, that it's redundant. Plus, since I became "Mrs. Director," the few casual friends I had around here have shrunk away in fear that anything they say to me might be heard by my husband. Which indeed it might, unless they swear me to secrecy--but what a drag, and a gamble that is for them. The intrigue is miles deep. My Brilliant Career ends with a whimper. How appropriate!

Well, where did that rant come from? I'm always surprised at what pops out at the end of my fingertips late at night.

It's good to hear you are progressing with decluttering too, Mom. FL is right-- it is essential to understand what is important to you, and get the other stuff out of the way so you can actually concentrate on doing it. And the 15-minute rule is critical! When there is something I know I need to do, but don't want to, setting that silly timer and just seeing how much of it I can get done is an amazingly powerful tool. It's a fulcrum of sorts.

It is ungodly hot here. I mean, even for Florida. Our AC is not up to it-- needs some overhaul. If it doesn't rain soon, we'll need to go somewhere where it does. Or else stand in a cold shower several times daily. Seems like I did that a time or two while house-sitting in Shannondale.

What are rice chips?

Can't help but notice that Dan starts calling him "Leo" by the end of the long letter instead of "Pa."