Cleaning It Up: my blog needs a lot of updating!

This is such an old blog, it needs cleaning up. I've had this blog since before Blogger.com was sold to Google.

I started blogging on a plain HTML website in the year 2000. At the time I didn't know about blogging sites and platforms. When I found out about Blogger.com I transferred my efforts over here. That was apparently in 2002, as that is when the earliest postings on this blog are from. If I ever find my earlier blog postings, I'll add them in. They are probably on some hard drive around here somewhere. I save everything, so much as I can. A lot of my early computers were trashed when I got them. It was hard, in those days.

Anyhow, there are a lot of dead links and missing images from early postings on this blog, and I'm going through them now to update, delete, and fix. So much work to do. That's what happens with old blogs.

Gratitudes:

1. I'm grateful for my blogging hobby. It has been a wonderful way of life.

2. I'm grateful for my new Fitbit. It reminds me to get up and walk 250 steps, then, when I've reached 250 steps, it buzzes me again and congratulates me! So sweet.

3. I'm grateful for blue sky and sunshine today, even though it is really, really cold out there.

Plan for the day:

1. Continue updating this blog's old postings. What a mess!

2. Clean the coffee pot.

3. Edit one of my novels.

Currently reading:

1. The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer - reading chapter five

2. 12 Month Guide to Better Prayer for Women - I'm in chapter four.

Snow is Coming to North Idaho - You just know it is because it always does

I've lived in North Idaho since 2013. I've been through five winters here and am about to go through the sixth. Each winter has been different. One winter it was extremely cold, with occasional snow. The next winter there was some snow, but very little. One winter there were many hail storms. One winter the snow got deep and stayed for months, and months. Brrrr... the memories. One winter we had a lot of electrical storms.

Now, looking at my sixth (and what may be my final North Idaho winter) I wonder where the hail storms and lightening went. I could really do without that lightening. Also, hail is not cool. Well, it is cold, but not good... I have one dent on the hood of my car from hail - but that happened in New Mexico while I was on the way home from Texas in 2017. Still, I'm hoping for no hail.

I live in an apartment ... and there are more cars here than the awning will shelter. Sometimes I get a sheltered parking space and sometimes I don't. If we have to have hail, I'll be parking under the shelter and leaving it there. I can live without going anywhere. I did it before when I didn't have a car. There are ways to get food delivered - I don't have to go out for that.

The weather report shows rain this week until Saturday, and then two days of snow. Our first snow this year was November 9. Well, looks like we're in for it. Today I'm going out to Coeur d'Alene to get things done before the snow comes. Might as well get on with it.

Gratitudes:

1. I'm grateful for the car my mother gave me in January 2017. I was so destitute without a car for three and a half years. This has helped tremendously.

2. Grateful for the food supplements I have on hand, though I need to buy more Vitamin E.

3. I'm grateful for my new Kindle Fire ... I'm getting a lot of use out of it, both for Kindle books and Audible audio books.

Plan for the day: do errands before the snow comes

1. Go test drive the van

2. Shop for a new cell phone plan

3. Go see Tina

Currently reading:

1. The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah. I read about fifty pages last night. Almost half way through the book.

2. Never be Fat Again, by Raymond Francis . . . I'm reading chapter 11, about food supplements.

The Story is No Story Today

I want to have a story for you every day, but today's story is only that there's no story. My imagination isn't racing, it isn't producing, it isn't revealing anything for me to share with you.

Oh, I could go into fiction and create a story that way, but what do I have to tell you about my life? I'm sitting in my apartment, the evening news is on TV. I've had the remainder of this post written for a while now... the gratitudes, plan for the day, and current reading list. All that had to wait until I could find a story to tell you.

I am serious about sharing my life stories on this blog. One little story per day. Can I do that? Honestly, I don't do well with consistency. The words "every day" are anathema to me.

Recently I bought a book about story telling from life - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story. I've only read a few pages, so far. Apparently I'm supposed to find a better story by living a more interesting life.

Well, hang on there! I'm planning to give up my apartment to move into a van... would that make life more interesting?

My main reason for doing that is ... well, there are a lot of reasons. How can I choose just one?

1. If I stay in my apartment for the next 20 years it will cost about 150,000 dollars. Living in a van would cut my expenses.
2. I've been desperately wishing for road trips. Well, in a van, my life will be nothing but road trips.
3. I have a blog called Journey! California that I've wanted to develop ever since the early days of the internet. What's been stopping me? Mainly - the opportunity to travel. But now I'll have that opportunity - though I won't confine my efforts to California only.

So, my no-story day has turned into a bit of a story. My story today is that I need a more exciting life, and the plan is in the works. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll test drive that van.

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Gratitudes:

1. I'm grateful that I've got an audio version of the Bible. Some days I don't feel like sitting at my desk to read, and it helps to play the audio Bible instead. Today I listened to a few chapters of Proverbs, and some Psalms.

2. I'm grateful for the many friends I've made at Booktube.

3. I'm grateful for a day without rain (hopefully) tomorrow. That will help a lot as I want to test drive that van.

Plan for the day:

1. Pay bills

2. Bullet journal border video

3. Install and use new scanner

Currently reading:

1. The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, chapter 1

2. The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah

I've been reading both The Nightingale and People of the Book. Last night I decided that I must choose only one ... two novels at a time - that's just too much for me. So I decided to finish The Nightingale first.

Compliments

Compliment #1: (to my 14-yr-old daughter)... "I think that's really neat how you sat down and did your homework this morning right away when you got it. Its great that you love learning so much." Reaction: She shrugged, lifted an eyebrow or two, and then shrugged again. Didn't know what to make of it. lol

Compliment #2: (to my 12-yr-old son)... "Wow, you're cleaning the livingroom again? How nice! I just love the way you move the furniture around and make everything look fresh and beautiful in here." Reaction: Enthusiastic, he grabbed the broom saying, "I just moved the couch out like this so I could sweep behind it!" (Big smile.)

Compliment #3: (to my boyfriend)... "I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you getting all that wood for us and working so hard to make sure we'll be warm tonight. That was really thoughtful of you and we appreciate it." Reaction: He gave me more advice on how to build the fire.

Compliment #4: (to Mairi)... "Good doggie!" Reaction: She wagged her tail and looked at me with luminous, love-filled, brown adoring eyes.