Sometimes I believe I was placed here to make others feel better about their own lives.For instance, today.Well, it started early this week when I was thinking, “Amy, if you’re gonna make cookies, you need to get on it.” And I answered, “ehhh, I’ll do it Thursday night and that way I can deliver Friday.”So last night I broke out my recipe book and flipped to the back to my beloved peanut butter cookies. I don’t eat them, so they’re about the only truly selfless thing I do for others.I’m gathering ingredients. I had conveniently forgotten you have to bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. Dang it. No way to hasten that without breeding bacteria.I read on.Chill a minimum of three hours.Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap.By the time I got ingredients to room temp and everything mixed, it would be 7:00. Three hours puts me at 10:00, also known as Amy’s bedtime. But in a stroke of brilliance, I figure I can just take the batter to work and bake them there. No fuss, no muss.Well, I woke up at 5:11. Not on purpose. I just did. So I went ahead and got up and decided to bake the cookies.Hmm. That’s odd. Dough was still sticky and very pliable. I vividly remember in years past wishing…

It has been a very long day. I tried to pace myself, and start strong with coffee and breakfast. I usually treat myself to Bojangles after the doctor, but I’d be treating myself to some dirty martinis later, so I figured I could make my breakfast. I get to the dermatologist and the waiting room was PACKED. It was only nine in the morning, I think they start seeing patients at 7:30, so this was surprising. The guy sitting next to me was reading a Bible. He was about my age. I hope he was ok. Or maybe he was the driver of someone and he was in the word for them. I commented on it to my doctor and she speculated maybe he just liked reading the Bible. “As we all should,” I acceded. Surprisingly, I like my new doctor better than my old one. This one may not look as carefully, but she still found plenty to freeze and cut on. “Plenty” being three spots total, but that’s enough. And what I really liked about her was her easygoing demeanor and ability to smile. Amy was very serious. When this one said, “your chest looks good,” I replied, “that’s what all the boys tell me.”I thought her and the nurse both were gonna fall out. I have to wait two weeks to know the results of what my previous doctor called “a bug bite that didn’t heal correctly…

I started a new book. I didn’t think I was gonna like it much after reading the summary, as it revolves around a lesbian. But the rest of the message was sound, and I had been in line for it for some time, so I decided to give it a whirl. If I could tell right away it wasn’t my cup of tea, I could give myself permission to quit. It’s a Reese Witherspoon pick, and she’s usually on target, so I am taking my chances. And so far, it’s really good! I know I tend to say this in the early stages of all my books, and then come back at the halfway point, whining, and then at the end, saying it pretty much redeemed itself but it was slow. I know how I am. So I’m going to withhold further comment. Emily got me this morning, talking about finally throwing away seeds in her fridge that had been in there since before her daddy died thirteen years ago. She started to dig the Silver Queen corn out, but ultimately decided against it, saying, “I do not need emotional support corn, I’m a big girl.” We have adopted that as today’s mantra. It started snowing here about nine. JA checked in a little after eight, quite excited about the size of the flakes. He acted like they were out to get him, specifically. Jodi wasn&#8217…

Today was the Christmas party for NRCS. I am happy to go, it’s the only time I see some of those people. So I fixed breakfast and had my coffee and although I didn’t have to be there till 10, I was still almost late. Time just gets away from me of the morning. I tend to get involved with a little housework or whatever and then there I am, rushing around. And I couldn’t wear my planned outfit because it was already over 60 degrees. I decided to take those brownies I made a few months ago and froze. They were so rich, I made them like I make my box cakes where you substitute butter for oil, and milk for water, and add an egg. It’s too much for brownies, in my opinion. I figured I could eat them with ice cream to cut the sweetness, but I never did, and this presented the perfect opportunity to get rid of them. Especially since I didn’t care what this bunch thought. It ain’t like I see them every day and have to hear about how awful they were 🤣🤣I cut each full sized brownie into fourths. That might make them more palatable, too. I arranged them on one of my pretty Christmas platters, since presentation is half of it. Again, not that I expected this bunch to notice.JA called right on cue at 8:05, when…

Monday, Monday…. It’s getting to be that time of year where everything speeds up. My to-do and to-buy lists are already uncomfortably extensive. It’s not like Christmas sneaks up on me. I’m in Hobby Lobby pretty regularly and they start preparing in June. So why am I always running around in a mild state of panic this time every year? I’ve got cards bought, but not stamps. I’ve got a list of who to buy for, but not many ideas. I know what all I want to eat, but not much desire to fix it 🙃 I went by Food City on my way in and didn’t have any trouble being refunded the $6.76 where I was overcharged. She said they had experienced a few issues. I was relieved I wasn’t expected to tote the whole roast back in. I have never in my life met anyone as outwardly disgusting as Jake, nor as lazy. I was very clear with him for days ahead of time that I would be leaving Friday at 1:30 and he seemed to be on board, even reaffirming that a field visit that morning wouldn’t adversely affect my schedule. So imagine my surprise when I came in this morning and there were THREE missed calls, the first one coming in at 2:18. So, he clearly left right after I did. I could STRANGLE him…

Writing prompt: “What could you do less of?” Well, overthinking, for one. Reading comments on public posts, for another. Neither one do me a bit of good and I become pretty short tempered and disgusted with humankind (and myself). So maybe I’ll start this next week by limiting myself on Facebook. Although, I have had the timer set for an hour for several months now. That’s not very much. It only takes one comment section to aggravate me, though, so I don’t think a timer is the answer. I finished The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. My favorite quote that sums up the entire book was buried in the acknowledgements: “She lived through four very different and very passionate love stories, taking on four different last names, only to return finally to the very name that had been hers all along. In my opinion, this is ultimately the story of a woman finding her own indelible strength and identity, and embracing a power and a life force that set her apart. Is this a love story? Yes, it is many different love stories and I believe the most powerful one of all is the love story that Marjorie Merriweather Post ultimately found with herself.” The book irked me a little. Despite all her philanthropic work, and her travels, and the ability to sail through the Great Depression and two world wars, the book concentrated primarily on her husbands. Another book was suggested…

Saturdays are for cleaning house. I decided since I cleaned my kitchen cabinets last weekend, today was the day for the bathroom ones. Thankfully there aren’t nearly as many. I really do need to paint them. My house is so dated. But I just know I’ll bite off more than I can chew and get mad at myself for undertaking such a task. Angela sent me some spring rolls from her pedicurist (yes, I know exactly how weird that sounds) and a scarf she made for Chessie, very sweet. I hung my new wreath on the inside of my door since it was too poufy for the outside side. I’m not opposed; it will last longer this way, plus I get to admire it more. After I got my cleaning done, my brain evidently decided to reset and I thought it was magically Sunday. 🤦‍♀️ I’m so glad it isn’t!! I called my aunt and made plans to go put up her tree tomorrow, because if I don’t do it, she won’t put it up, and then I’ll feel guilty. But I know she’ll wrap me in for the whole evening, so I have to get mentally prepared for that. Writing prompt: what positive events have taken place in your life over the past year? Why is it my mind said, “Well, not as many as there were negative ones”? It started off…

I’ve mentioned that my friend Emily and I exchange three thankfuls every morning. She has also been in the habit of telling me good morning in a different language every day as well as a little tidbit of information about the country it hails from. It intimidates me to think about traveling to foreign countries because I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to effectively communicate. And I don’t just mean directions to the restroom or ordering supper. Like, what if I get over there and have an attack of appendicitis and I can’t convey my symptoms to the doctor? Yes, I’m aware of the invention of Google translate, but still. Time is of the essence! So she also includes how much of the population speaks English, that way I can add it to my list of potential vacation destinations if it sounds like a nice place to visit. We are finding that our perceptions of other countries are a bit biased. We’ve decided that our geography teachers led us astray. We think it’s because we’re conditioned to believe that the United States is the greatest country on Earth, so why in the world would be want to leave? England is nice if you’re into history and the royals, and Australia could be worthy of a visit if you stick to the coastal regions. Maybe when we were in school all…

I did not sleep very well at all. Maybe I got too full last night. Sometimes that happens. I felt like it was a very light sleep, and I just didn’t rest. Chester sure did, though. He was piled in next to me, snoring contentedly. Every time I flipped over he huffed. Excuuuuuuse me. I finally gave up and got up at 5:30. I don’t know how long I’d laid there thinking I’d fall back asleep. I don’t know if I’m optimistic or just deranged. Once I got a couple of cups of coffee in me, and felt that my defenses were up and in place, I decided I could face the day. And the internet.Turns out there was a fire over here off Creswell, so maybe it’s the sirens that kept me up all night. Or maybe that blamed wind. I don’t think I can blame the moon this time. JA checked in, as is his normal (except it was via text and I was glad). I was in no mood. “I’m here. Mad at the world and I don’t have a reason and I can’t help it.”He wisely left me alone for several hours. The more I read about the local brush fire over by the house, the more I was concerned about my cousin. The news reported no loss of…

I dreamt I went up here to the Sistine Chapel attraction in Pigeon Forge. It was in a hotel, and my favorite part was how they had transformed the pool area into a Greek oasis, with all these jungle type trees and foliage. I tried to spend all my time in there. I was with somebody, maybe Kevin, I don’t remember. And then, for some reason, they brought in three longhorn bulls for display and were trading out the tired bulls they’d been using. I don’t know what that was about. Well, I do know. Emily asked me if I was planning on going the other day, and I hadn’t heard about it and looked it up. It looks fairly interesting, and something that Rhonda would like to take in. Then last night coming home I noticed a billboard on 66 advertising it. So there ya go. All kinds of great things happening today. First and foremost, Jake Right now is in Knoxville. A very pleasant day ahead, indeed. Also, Scott fixed the driveway yesterday afternoon while I was out on the Christmas tree excursion, so that’s a bonus for sure. It was about a crater out there and I know Maggie appreciates his efforts. I texted Chas as I was headed out this morning and she said she was gonna have me over and casually suggest that her pantry would look a lot better with the door installed and…