Tag: frommydesk

#stinewriting Blog From my desk

From my desk: May 8, 2022

First let me say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, wherever the children may be. Today is a hard day for me as I struggle to enjoy beautiful memories while trying to acknowledge but not let sad memories prevail. Motherhood, if it is right for you, is wonderful. For those who don’t have children for whatever reason…I’m sure you are just as important to someone, so celebrate the day!

Next….

My Frog Problem!!!

So, we have a bit of a frog problem. At first it was when we hadn’t gotten the pool chemicals all straightened out so I thought it was probably a good habitat. But since then, we keep it diligently clean and still, we have a frog issue. Now when I say frog issue…take a look at last weeks morning photos!

Absolutely horrifying! It took a lot of skimming and vacuuming to get all that gloppy jelly out of the pool. Well, the other night we went for a swim and I saw one. I had done a little research into the problem, as I don’t want to kill them, just get them out of my pool. So I spread a layer of coffee grounds around the outside of the pool and for almost a week no frogs. We had rain twice this week and I thought I should go back out with the coffee but was lax about it. I have not gone out yet this morning but I was woken last night to a chorus of frog sex and partying! I ran out with the coffee, scooped the few in the pool, and kept my fingers crossed before going to bed. If the problem is bad, I will post pictures later. I just can’t have my morning ruined by that now.

Anyhow, we have googled many things about the frog issue and it seems that one of the problems may be the small solar lights I have around the yard. Apparently, although not the lighting they show on the internet, maybe that is enough light to attract bugs which then attracts frogs. Poison is not an option. I don’t want to sterilize my backyard.

Have a beautiful day and if you don’t see a frog problem post from me, you can take it that I walked out to a clean pool. Otherwise it will be a few hours before I horrify everyone with my frog pond pictures!

Peace!

#stinewriting Blog From my desk

From my desk: April 11, 2022

Picture this…..

I’m outside in the front of the house. I have my Dollar Tree broom, my Dollar Tree rake, and my Dollar General upright/stick dustpan. I am scooping dead leaves and other debris into the dustpan and emptying into a large black yard bag, as today is pickup day. I’m happy the front of the house is looking neater.

Across the street, where there is a sweet young couple with a toddler, a big truck pulls up carrying yard equipment. Three burly men get out. One grabs the edge trimmer, one a blower, and one looks like he will be getting on the rider mower. I know that the young man’s parents pay for their yard care. No biggie….I wouldn’t mind the service either.

Anyhow, it made me laugh. I was perfectly content with my $8 equipment. I don’t know how much they pay for weekly yard care. I was almost expecting one of the guys to come over and offer some help! Hahaha, no way!

From my desk

From my desk: April 6, 2022

My interview got rescheduled for tomorrow…thank God! I just got to the car dealership for service on my car and this one is a big one…I will be here all day! So, if you think you’ve seen a few of my posts, get ready, I’ve got all day! Lol.

I am realizing planting a garden in the south is very different than a garden in the north. Not sure how successful my first year will be. My Rosemary seems to be happy and a few of my tomato plants. My lettuce not so much and it may be just too warm for peas even though the package said it was okay. Kale, good in one pot, bad in another. I am using coffee grounds, egg shells, and banana water so I know everything is healthy.

Peace to you all!

#stinewriting From my desk

From my desk: April 4, 2022

So if you’ve ever been a teacher, whether it was for one year or thirty, you know there are those students that you click with, that you know will be in your head and in your heart forever.

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about seeing Pileated woodpeckers in Georgia at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savanah. These two things go together….

I just finished dinner and decided to bring the dog out back to tinkle and I could check my garden. As I am walking out I hear a woodpecker outside and other birds, a few dogs, and of course chattering squirrels. I turn on my phone and see that I have a message on Messenger. The message is from an old student of mine. He and I clicked from the start. He was so much like my son, had the same type of humor, just an all around good kid, like my son. Anyhow, we’ve kept in touch and he graduated last June. I was so proud. Its especially nice to hear from him because he did seem so much like my son, it is nice to have that relationship. Anyhow, I opened his message to see that he just passed his test for his motorcycle license. At that moment I looked up and saw that the “knocking” was a pileated woodpecker. I’ve never seen one around here, I moved here in December. I started bawling my eyes out. Maybe that means my son will keep an eye out for him when he’s out riding. I just hope and pray he stays safe.

I might be going back to work – private tutoring. I am super excited as I miss working with kids. Last year during the pandemic I was a tutor via Zoom and loved it. It would have been better to be there in person but at least I was teaching. We shall see…second interview is Wednesday.

I’m bringing home tons of pottery. I’m getting better at most of it and have made a few pieces that really impress me! Lol. I am thinking about taking a hand-building class to maybe do some sculpture work. We’ll see. If I get this job then I will be very busy between that and seeing my dad.

A really great friend of mine from CT was here to visit this past weekend. It felt so good to see an old friend and laugh and enjoy each others’ company. She was here with her wife, who is also a great friend. It was really a fun time.

I just had to share my night. Thanks for reading. Have a safe and peaceful night!

From my desk

From my desk: 03/07/2022

Hello!

I haven’t been on WordPress for the past day and a half or so…The other day I decided to download a program to help “clean” my computer. It was called “cleanmymac”. It got rid of a lot of stuff including my access to my own downloads folder. So yesterday and today I spent time, a lot of time, online with the people from the program and from Apple support to try and get this fixed. The only reason I knew this happened was I wanted to post a flower I photographed the other day on Flower of the Day. Anyhow, I uninstalled the program and got a refund. Apple walked me through a ton of things to do but still nothing. I installed Mojave on my mac which was great to have the update but I had to delete so much stuff to get the room to install it, which took forever, going through and deleting then restarting the computer to find out I had to delete more…blah, blah, blah…

Sunday after being on the computer for over two hours David and I went to get lunch. He dropped me off, so he could run to Home Depot to get some cement to fix the pool. (That is another long story!) Anyhow, I cleaned the guinea pig cage and painted the kitchen so it would be ready for the new cabinets. David came home and hated the color I chose. I was disappointed and upset but went to Home Depot to get a new paint. In the end it worked out well because I absolutely love the color I ended up with! Then I went back on the computer to try and fix the problem.

Next thing I know I get a call from Memory Care that my dad fell. He was alright but sent to the ER for a check-up. I left my house at 9:30 pm. He is fine, just sore. I got home at 5:30 am. The contractor came at 8:00 am. I slept from 6:00 am-ish to 7:45 am. Then….I called Apple Support.

I was on the phone with them for almost two hours! Still not fixed!

So here I am now, 8:00 pm, home, everything hopefully ordered for the kitchen, nothing else done, no blogging….and I still am not “allowed” access to my own download folder!

I could tell you all about the multiple mistakes the guy at Home Depot made back in December when I ordered my kitchen…that I only found out now that things have arrived and are being installed…but that is too much to get into.

I think I will peruse WP, read some good writing, visit my “friends”, and write a little.

Have a peaceful night and thanks for stopping by to listen to me rant!

#stinewriting Blog From my desk

From my desk: 02/11/2022

I have a few questions…

  1. Why does Blogspot not have a like button for their bloggers?
  2. Why do stories come up in my feed that are so old?
  3. After comments on a post there are often “related” sites to check out. One today was a post from 2010, hence my question #2. Okay, that’s not really a question.
  4. If the world were to start spinning backwards would that make the other side of the world a day behind rather than a day ahead?
  5. Where exactly is that line, the longitude I believe, between today and tomorrow?
  6. Is #5 the same question as #4 but worded differently?

Feel free to answer all or none. I just had to get them out of my head!

#stinewriting From my desk

From my desk: 01/29/2022

It is sooooo windy today! It is 51 degrees but the wind makes it feel so much colder. I wanted to go pick up my dad and bring him out for ice cream but I am afraid he will freeze before we even get in the car. Perhaps I will bring the ice cream to him.

I picked up another piece of my pottery!

I am quite proud of it!
I signed up for the next pottery class. I don’t know yet if I like throwing pottery on the wheel but I love the trimming, finishing and glazing. I’m hoping to pick up a few finished pieces today, if they got fired.

Short and sweet….Have a peaceful weekend!

#stinewriting Blog From my desk

From my desk: 01/25/2022

The shed is being assembled as we speak!
After moving into our new home we realized it is big enough for two but there is barely any storage. It is a block house on a concrete slab so no basement. After realizing we won’t have enough room even after downsizing a million times we decided on a shed. Tuff Shed from Home Depot. Great quality and a pretty good price. Beats putting an addition on the house!


This isn’t necessarily what ours will look like but it is an example of the sheds they build.

8x10_GARDEN_RANCH_1.jpg (1000×667)

I got a call that the kitchen cabinets are coming tomorrow. Once they arrive David and I have to check to make sure none are damaged and then the contractor will come to install them. Right now we still have the sink and dishwasher but once they start we have to tear those out. I am quite nervous because the counter won’t get installed until after the cabinets are in and they come out to measure. Who knows how long that will be! Our bathroom sink is so small I don’t think we could wash a coffee mug. I guess maybe the tub or outside! As it is we are eating so much processed food because we have no way of cooking. No complaints for real though…I’m lucky to be getting it done.

I have been listening to a lot of stories on Audible, especially while I build my miniatures. I have three custom orders to fulfill now! I will be posting the book reviews. Most of the stories are good, some I could have lived without. One story that I loved, which I may or may not have written a review for on my blog (I will have to go back and check) is The Marriage Pact. The Institute by Stephen King was also amazing!

Have a peaceful week!
My ETSY store is now called Stine Miniatures!
I would love to change my blog to StineWritingshire but that is still in the deciding phase…I love “shire”.

#stinewriting Blog Flashback Friday Friday Flashback From my desk stinewriting

Fandango’s Flashback Friday — January 21st

Check this out on Fandango’s site

Well, unfortunately I don’t have any creative writing from January 21st of last year. I have a “From my desk” post which I will copy below. I guess it will be interesting to read where I was perspectively a year ago.

From my desk: 01/21/21

Hello WordPress! I miss my blog, my interactions, my writing. I am in Florida caring for my father and stepmother. Stepmother has not been well. She finished a chemo treatment last week that has left her so very sick. We took her to the hospital today because she was vomiting, dehydrated, and her blood count has been so low. She is there for fluids and a transfusion. My father is so unhappy as he doesn’t remember all the details and is so accustomed to her being with him. For anyone who prays, please say a prayer she gets better.

I miss my daughter and my David! I miss Brody and my guinea pigs. I DON”T miss the cold northern weather! Florida has been “chilly”, only in the 60’s mostly. Better than the 20’s!

I started tutoring. The young man I am tutoring is very kind and nice. You can tell he loves his family. The planning is taking a lot of my time as I haven’t been in the classroom in almost two years and even then I was in high school and my new student is in 6th grade. The one super-wonderful part of this is I have reconnected with an old friend who is an Occupational Therapist, who I worked with many years ago, but will be working with again.

I hope to get back more to my writing. I miss the challenges and the interactions. I miss reading all the other great work of my fellow bloggers. Feel free to tag me in a post if you think it is something I would really enjoy. I feel like I am missing so much!

Thanks for following and for reading. I miss this blogging family but should be back “full-time” soon.

©2021 CBialczak

#stinewriting Blog From my desk stinewriting

From My Desk: 12/27/2021

Wow, the best of the holidays are over and now to prepare for the new year!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday, no matter what you celebrate. I was able to spend the time with David, Lindsay, and my dad. It was awesome and I am so thankful for them. We also saw David’s brother and other friends. We had tons of good food to eat and I ate it all!

With the upcoming year I am hoping to get back in to my daily blogging like I have been doing for almost two years now. With moving homes and holidays, my participation has been lax and I miss the community most of all. Thank you to everyone who participates in Simply 6! I can’t wait to get back to all of the challenges I love.

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution? I don’t. I hate doing it to myself, because it is always something that gets sidetracked or screwed up within the first week of January. Instead I am hoping to do the things I love like crafting, writing, and spending time with loved ones. I will be moved in to my new home soon and I am looking forward to being settled in a place I plan on staying in for the rest of my life!

Peace to you all and stay in touch! I look forward to reading everyone’s works as soon as I can get back in to my schedule.

Happy New Year!