A Time For Everything

One of the things that I've "learned" from the Atomic Habits book that I started reading this past week is that I'm not a bad housekeeper for being unable to keep my house at the level of clean I'd prefer.

(more on the book in a future post)

In reality, it's that the system I've been using isn't the best one for me. <grin>

So what did I do?

Researched housekeeping systems on Google.

And what did I find?

That our household is doing most of the things recommended...except for the regular "deep" clean. The house is mostly being kept up. Well, it was until spring of this year, but that's another story.

• The bed gets made every morning.
• The floors get swept on a regular basis.
• The bathrooms get cleaned weekly.
• The laundry is kept up with.
• The dishes don't pile up (often).
  

So it's primarily the larger tasks that aren't getting done. The thorough dusting. The regular mopping. The windows.

I could hire someone to do those tasks--I'd prefer to hire someone to do those tasks--or I can come up with a new system that allows me to get things done.

Of course, the years are creeping by and I'm not feeling as spry, shall we say, as I once did not so long ago. <sigh> Some of that is not just old age, and I'm working to resolve whatever the issue is, but, regardless, I'm not up for an extensive session of deep cleaning. I have better things to do.

Alas, someone's got to do it and it falls on me. Oh boy.

We pay a guy to mow the lawn. One of these days we're gonna pay someone to clean the house.

But, sadly, that day is not today. So I need a plan. I mean... I need a better system.

So what did I do?

I bought another planner. A smaller weekly planner. One with three lined sections per day so that I can list and track whatever housekeeping tasks need to be done. There's also a small section for notes, but that I could use for reward stickers if I were so inclined.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

And if you have any tips on keeping the whole house clean, please do share. :0)

As I mentioned a couple (a few?) months ago, we brought my mom to Texas due to health reasons. Unfortunately, that health reason is stage four lung cancer, which has metastasized to various places. She (and we) now seem to be in the final stages of life. The length of this journey depends on the one taking it--Mom, in this case, and not the ones living vicariously along with them--so there's no telling when we'll say the final good-bye.

I'm trying to line up topics and write up the blogs to be ready to go on Mondays, but should a Monday or three get skipped, you can probably infer we've reached a crisis point or she's passed and we're taking care of all the posthumous tasks...

I hope I don't sound as if I don't care...I do. It's my mom, you know? I've already shed some tears and I'm sure I'll shed some more, but Mom and I haven't been close in two+ decades, so in some ways it's a tad bit easier to walk this road. Also--something I haven't mentioned in a long while (lol)--my personality strengths probably have a lot to do with my journey through this.

Also, my husband has been a rock. He keeps asking what he can do for me, which is much appreciated, and it's really been a matter of taking things off my plate. Unload and re-load this dishwasher, for example.

I also know that being a care-giver requires me to take care of me...and mostly that means keeping as much normal as possible in a situation that's completely abnormal. Making dinner, doing laundry, and other random chores actually help me stay on an even keel... Also thinking about and writing and scheduling blog posts... :0)

If there's not a book, there needs to be one covering all the things to think about when a loved one is in the final stages of life. This has been a whirlwind journey for DH and I as we make sure all Mom's ducks are in a row so that there's not a huge mess left behind for anyone involved once the dust settles.

Luckily, her ducks weren't terribly complicated. Ours, on the other hand, definitely are, so we'll working on making sure we make as many arrangements in advance so that our kids won't be left scrambling, especially if we die unexpectedly.

As for the picture of Mt. Shasta at the top...even though Mt. Shasta in in Northern California, it's viewable not specifically from Mom's house, but as you drive from Klamath Falls to Keno where she lives. She wants to be cremated and her ashes sprinkled in the forests of Oregon, the home of her heart. I'm happy to make that happen. As a side note, I think we drove down that exact road on the first stage of our journey from Oregon to Texas.

I know death can be a bit of tetchy subject, but it's what's going on in my life at the moment, so here you go.

Hope you have a good week, no matter what mine brings.

Aaaand...GRL is now in the rear-view mirror.

Overall, the experience was a good one. Between my two author lounges and the book signing, I talked to a lot of people and was able to get a good dozen people to download book one of the Ten Rigs series which is always free.

My roommate and I are friends outside of the conference through fandom/fanfic for the BBC's Robin Hood. She did invite me to attend the con in the first place, back in 2017. It was in Denver that year.

As I've mentioned numerous times, I was reassigned from a storyteller panel to a general author Q&A panel due to life circumstances of two of our original panel members....

The Q&A in and of itself was fine. I never had to go first, so I could contemplate my answers for some of the more thought provoking questions, and I kept from putting my foot in my mouth. On the other hand, only a handful, and by a handful, I mean maybe 10, people were in attendance. Needless to say, I was terribly disappointed. That's not to say it was anyone's fault. I don't lay blame anywhere but on crappy societal circumstances.

GRL will not be on my radar for at least two years. Now that it's off my plate and off my mind for this year, I can devote brain power to planning 2022.

* * * * *

So what's in the forecast for the next year...?

Good question!

I'll be pondering the action items for the following:

• finishing the fifth hockey book
• planning / writing the sixth hockey book
  
• planning / writing the next Christmas book
• pondering the planning / writing of two new three-book series that are little more than a few vague "what if" ideas
• doubling down on learning some aspect of my craft--specifically plotting
• coming up with some sort of advertising / marketing plan for my books that won't take a lot of time and won't break the bank
• and more...
  

Hope you had a super weekend. Catch you later!

For home it's a matter of getting aaaaall the laundry done so DH has enough underthings to get through two weeks without necessarily having to do laundry and laying in enough groceries in advance. I usually shop on Sunday mornings, but I'll be out of town for one, and I'd rather avoid a major trip to the store at any other time and any other day. Might need to pop in for some fresh veggies, but that would be it. Thanks to my mother-in-law, I now have a second fridge to store extra perishables in. :0)

For work, it's a matter of making sure all the bills are paid in advanced or scheduled to be paid, as well as making sure the employees are prepared for my absence. Sure I can take care of stuff while I'm gone if something crops up, but getting things taken care of in advance is preferable. I won't be on vacation per se, but I won't be in regular work mode either.

As for the conference itself, it's checking last years' lists for notes about what worked and what didn't; what might be good things to have handy during various events (scissors!), and what are must haves. Then it's packing up what's needed for those events: SWAG and cover images and orange mints and Sharpies among others.

This year was going to be different in that I was supposed to participate in a panel discussion. Unfortunately, two of the four authors had to withdraw and us remaining two got relegated to author Q&As. I'm really disappointed about that... I don't know anyone in the group I've been assigned to, so I should go check out some of their books, read their bios on their websites or on Amazon and pray I don't make a fool of myself. This kind of un-prepped interaction is not my strong suit, but it is what it is and I'll make it through I suppose...

Hope you're having a great week...