I was so intensely busy the last two months that I'm finding it difficult switching into rest mode, or simply a slow-going pace. I feel like I ought to be doing something productive. Not doing big things such as repainting the garage door or writing my family history. No. It's more like the other day when I rolled up nearly a hundred bucks in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters or like today when I did an editing sample that was not requested. If this is my rest mode, well, good for me. :-)

Wildfires are happening in the counties surrounding us, two of the biggest ones roaring since mid-August. All the fires are slowly, but surely being contained, thanks to the many firefighters and others involved. We live in San Benito County, part of Central Coast California, and we're very fortunate that our only problem with the fires has been poor air quality. Since mid-August, the weather has alternated between HOT and smoky and cold and smoky. At the moment, the sun is doing its best to break through the layers of fog, ashes, dust, and smoke. Last Sunday afternoon was the hottest day of our last mini heatwave. Our power went off for several hours. No big deal for me. I slept and slept. But, before I fell asleep, I heard fireworks go off in the near distance. Some people.

Hope all's well with each and every one of you. It's nice to see you all again.  I've been in my cave figuring and writing serious stuff the past several weeks. I'm happy to say  I successfully made my deadline and I can rest easy for awhile. Now to turn to some things, including this blog. I'll be posting now and them, but not joining any of the usual cool linky parties for awhile. I'll do my best to visit though. The next two weeks I'm putting my ducks in order (quack, quack) around the house so I can enjoy recovering from my cataract surgery. That's right, I'm finally getting my other eye done. Primary Doc convinced me it's safe to have the procedure done, and if, by surgery date, things have changed, it'll simply be postponed. Nothing lost. I look forward to seeing out of two eyes at the same time. Until later.

How's everyone doing? Are you managing to keep your humor through all the natural and man made devastation right now? My gosh!

1. Thank you, dear friends, for checking in on my silence. I would be moaning up a crappy creek right now without the Husband and Molly the pinky-nosed (wild) Cat. Their sweetness and even keel help me keep my anxiety at bay.

2. Our heat wave is over, hurrah. After sweating through more than a week of 90s and triple-digit temperatures, I'm feeling chilled by the 65 F degree weather at the moment. I'm fine with that. It's easier to get warm, then to cool down. 3. We woke up this morning to thick haze and the strong smell of smoke in the air.  The burnt smell came back late yesterday afternoon, after a couple days of barely unhealthy air. It was a nice reprieve. 4. Our poor avocado tree has been shedding its fruit. The Husband says its stressed from the heat and smoke. Today I picked up a couple dozen or so of immature fruit. That's scary. 5. …

Sweet Pea Song, my computer, is whining loudly. She's quite hot to the touch.

At least we're not in Death Valley right now. Weather experts say it's 130 Fahrenheit. Ouch!

In our neck of the woods, the temperature has inched up to 102 Fahrenheit. Seven degrees less than yesterday's high point. Hopefully, that's the highest it gets around here for the rest of the year. Tomorrow, the temperatures ought to start dipping  into the 90s and  stay that way for the rest of the week. Yippiee!

The heat has kept me indoors. So, I've been playing with new things. Embroidering (kinda), for one. I drew an elephant on what was once the bodice of Mama's dress and outlined it in green backstitches and regular stitches. This is my first piece since I was 9 or 10. I finally have the patience and attention span to keep on practicing hand and embroidery stitches. So I think.
Back in February, I bought a set of watercolor paints. On Saturday evening I started playing with them. Si…

I've a lot of stuff on my desk. Who hasn't, right? Here are 13 things on my desk that I double like, no, make that triple,  quadruple like.

1. Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl action figure. She was a gift from the Husband, along with Woody and his horse one Christmas or birthday.

2. My tarnished sterling silver baby cup. I put paper clips and whatever else in it.

3. A coffee mug from Calavera Coffee. That's the specialty coffee shop in town owned and run by a kind-hearted and determined young man. He recently moved into his own store front. May he have the success he wants and more.

4. The Kanger survival multi-tool. The size of a credit card, this stainless steel thing has a knife, a sharpening tool, scissors, and a magnifying glass. It also has the ability to file fingernails, fasten flathead screws, measure things, and open cans and bottles. I think the Husband gave it to me to carry in my purse, but I could be wrong.

5. A solar calculator from the early 1980s. This was Mama&#…