Being the Scenery

 I am getting close to the end of the rewrite of what might be called LOOMING DANGER.  There are always surprises as I fill out the characters.  It feels like they somehow exist on their own by now and have their own thoughts. One of the characters, Doris came to the yarn retreat to get a change from watching her retired husband watch TV all day and ask what was for dinner while he had breakfast.  She is glad to be out and about and  get dressed up for the Saturday night dinner at Vista Del Mar.  She says that her husband whose attire is either sweatpants or baggy shorts with a ragged T-shirt doesn't get that he's her scenery.

Okay, I admit that while Doris said it, it is something I think about.  It's why I like graphic T-shirts with fun images.  Also why I get dressed first thing in the morning.  It makes me feel together, but also gives off a cheerful impression to everyone here that I am looking forward to my day.

I am fascinated by looking at how people dress and what it tells me about them.  We were stopped at a Starbucks on the way to Disneyland.  It was late afternoon and the local high school had let out and the kids were walking through the parking lot and some came into the Starbucks.  I was curious about their clothes and what the style was.  If it reflected how they feel, then they were a joyless bunch.  The two boys who were came into the coffee place were dressed in baggy dark clothes.  Their hair was long on top and sort of fluffy.  They had drab backpacks and a slouchy demeanor.  I watched the other kids going through the parking lot and they all looked about the same.  Even the girls wore baggy clothes the color of storm clouds. 

On the opposite end of things, seeing little girls in princess costumes at Disneyland always makes me smile and think about how I imagine they feel dressed as Belle or Cinderella. 

Hot, Hot, Hot!

             I was pretty happy moving to Los Angeles many years ago. I came from an area where winters were really winters, with cold and snow and all. Here in L.A. winter was always somewhat temperate, even though we got rain—which we needed.

But these days nearly everyone has issues with the weather wherever we live. Our temperature this week is hotter than it’s been in March for ages, maybe ever. I know it’s a whole lot better than snowstorms and tornadoes, and I’m even feeling a bit ashamed that I’m even mentioning the heat here when so many people are suffering from really bad conditions. And I still think I live in a good place for weather—although I do wish we’d get a lot more rain than the large amount we had a few weeks ago that stopped quickly. I’ve always been more of a fan of cool weather, though not necessarily freezing, instead of heat. Needless to say, I’m not exactly thrilled about our current weather. But I’m not really complaining –much. Those of you who’re reading this could have it a lot worse.

            So what do I do in the heat? I stay at my computer in the AC and, yes, write and edit. And I’m also glad we have AC for our furry pups. 

Yay Crochet!

 

 It's national crochet month, so I finally have gotten back to it.  My former craft room became Jakey's  pad and all my yarn. hooks, etc got moved around.  I knew where everything was and now I don't which was an obstacle to starting to work on something.

I finally decided to start with small pieces from a book I got that has pattern for fun little items.  Then I had to locate the yarn that I had gotten to make such items.  I had put the package of small amounts of different colored yarn in a plastic box which I had to hunt down since someone else moved it.

At last I had everything together and started to started to make some small items.  It felt good to be using a hook again.  

I want to work on a knitting project, but I'll have to start by finding my knitting needles.  

The confusion is worth it as Jakey loves his pad.  He's at the age where his space is his world.  When he is here, he only comes out when he's hungry and even that he often takes care of himself.

For now, my craft spot is the living room and I'm confident that I will figure out where all my stuff is.  I am glad that I can adapt. 

   

Movie As Research

           What do you do when you hear about a movie that sounds as if it may have some similar aspects to a book you’re interested in writing? You go see the movie! Which I did, though I’m not going to tell you which one. But it was enjoyable, maybe gave me some more ideas, but if I write what I’m considering it will still be quite different. So, I consider it research.

            Meanwhile, yes, I’ve been working on the manuscript revision I’ve mentioned before. Some progress, at least. And my sweet pups are definitely keeping me company as I work, as always, but I’m sure they still sense my somewhat stress.

           But hey, I always want my books that get published to be their best--so here we go!