Slowly

Exhibiting some small signs of what could be called forward momentum today.  Guess that's a step in the right direction.

We've got a box of stuff to take to the animal shelter this week.  Remnants of caring for Klink.  J. made a trip to Petsmart and returned what we could.  While a part of me thinks we should hold onto things like litter boxes and water and food bowls ' 'cuz you never know - we may end up with another cat someday', we figure if that ever happens (unlikely), we'll just get what we need.

I've worked on my desk and finally figured out how to use the fancy label maker.  Culled out the file drawer a bit so the files are neater.  Feel accomplished with just that small step.

Spaghetti dinner is on the stove and scone dough is getting cold in the freezer in preparation to make scones for the first Cabinet meeting of the new school year.

In the tidying, I found this:

Finish every day and be done with it.  You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm going to work really hard on embracing that this next week.  Just take one day at a time.  Don't think about all that is to come.  Don't think about the myriad of complicated, difficult, problematic stuff that may lie ahead.  Just do today.  Just this one day.

I can do that.  I'm pretty sure if I can just shift off the switch in my brain that links to all the complicated stuff that looms, I can manage a day at a time.  The stuff looming is going to arrive when it's ready and fretting about it all at once won't change any of it.

OK - other stuff -

We did see the International Space Station last night and it was as incredible as ever.  It travels 17,000 miles per hour and circles Earth once every 90 minutes.  We didn't get up early enough to see it this morning - but we watched it for six minutes last night until it faded.  It fascinates me.  Totally...and I feel so glad for the Internet which brings us information that we would otherwise never know.  I can't wait for the next alert.

J. has made several trips over to the neighbors behind us - their dog has been howling for days.  Today, we all noticed it wasn't as much howling as crying - and we all became concerned.  The crying stopped.  The dog's been totally silent for hours now.  J. hasn't wanted to risk going into their yard (we don't know them) - but a neighbor does know them and is going to go check.  I sure pray the dog is OK.  It pisses me off so much that people can leave a dog unattended and uncared for days on end.  We aren't bothered by the noise - but we know animals don't howl or cry without reason....and it's just so damn sad to hear his mournful baying - and then so darn terrifying to hear nothing at all for hours now.

I sure hope he's OK.

I rented the movie Beautiful Creatures on Amazon - the movie that I watched on the plane flight home that I didn't get to see the ending of.  It was worth the rental - and now I can't wait to read the books.

Dinner time!!  Yum!  J. says it's 'the best sauce ever'.  I think making big batches and freezing it in Ziploc bags (flat) in the freezer is the best idea I've had from watching The Pioneer Woman.  Chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes - make them in bulk, cool, bag, flatten and freeze.  Take a bag out in the morning and dinner is ready in no time.  The sauces actually get better tasting as the flavors blend more in the freezing and thawing out process.  Amazingly delicious!!