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Monday Missive – Oct 18, 2021

Maggie
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

It’s hard to believe we are beyond the halfway point in the month of October. We still are not doing much as far as social interactions which makes me ponder what lies ahead. It looks as if booster Covid shots from Moderna and J&J will be recommended and approved soon at least for some.

  1. Siri tells me there are only 14 days until November 1st. 😳
  2. That means only 14 days until NaNoWriMo. I hope I’m up to pushing out 50,000 words in 30 days. Are you writing this year?
  3. In preparation, I am going to write a few more fiction pieces here on my blog. I may pull back from some of the weekly prompts. Time will tell.
  4. I decided not to participate in InkTober this year. It was a good decision. It was too much to try and do both month-long challenges back-to-back.
  5. How is your holiday shopping going? I have managed to get a good start on mine. We shop mainly for our grandchildren and they are more than willing to tell us exactly what they want with the exception of our oldest who has never given us any suggestions. He worked a summer internship over the summer and banked everything he made.
  6. The entire back of our living room is glass. Yesterday a huge hawk flew into the window. It is so upsetting when that happens. This time of year is tough because the sun shifts and the reflection of the trees in the glass gives an illusion the trees continue. Luckily he was okay, but it scared the daylights out of me.
  7. Is it me, or are some bloggers actually blogging less frequently of late?
  8. I only have two more days of physical therapy left. It’s odd just how much I think I will miss it.
  9. Our weather has been rather chilly. Temps dropped down in the high 40° F range the last two nights. It’s too early to turn the heat on, so we are bundling up a bit more and throwing some extra blankets on the bed.
  10. It’s ‘open season’ for Medicare healthcare plans. Between emails and physical mail, we are inundated. This is the time set aside to change your plan if you choose to do so and the marketing is out of control.
  11. Colin Powell passed away. I had a great deal of respect for him. Rest in Peace. You served your country well.

What’s new with you?

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25 thoughts on “Monday Missive – Oct 18, 2021”

  2. We have double-glazed windows with heat deflecting glass that is semi-reflective. Recently, a wood pigeon flew into the kitchen window at speed, making a sound that made us think someone was trying to smash the window. I found the bird dead in the garden, with a broken neck. Forunately, the glass was undamaged.
    My wife has already bought all the Christmas presents, and wrapped some of them too. We have also booked a table for Christmas dinner on the 25th in a nearby restaurant, so our Christmas is almost over bar the actual day! 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was so thankful the hawk was not injured. at is a big bird and the sound was horrendous. we have sadly had birds hit that did not make it

      It sounds like Julie has everything under control. I am trying to get there. We never dine out on the holidays, but I think it might be nice once in a while.

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      1. We started to eat out 4 years ago. All Julie’s family came for Christmas dinner the year before, 10 of us and a toddler, crammed around 2 tables. It was so stressful, we decided to never do it again.

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  3. A good update, Maggie. Birds flying into the windows are always a frightening experience. Colin Powell was one of the good guys. Sadly he was taken by COVID. Good luck on the NaNoWriMo. I’m not doing it (nor have I ever) even though I think it would be a good thing. All my shopping is done. Now I have to sweat getting the gifts. ONe delivery is earmarked for December 6th. I hope that isn’t a guesstimate. I hope you have a good week.

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    1. John, I have been participating in NaNoWriMo off and on for years. I have not always made the 50,000 words but usually because I lost interest in my own story – that should tell me something! Predictions are rather dismal for shipping this year which is why I am trying to shop early. Sounds like you had similar thoughts. I hope your packages arrive on time.

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  4. So sorry about the bird. I am glad it was OK. We were promised rain today. Less than five minutes of rain and the sun came out. Oy vey. A big drop in temperatures here. I’ve started some gift shopping and hope to get more done soon.

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    1. It has gotten chilly here, too, Lauren. We have had a few days of dry weather, but it is unusual for us to go too long without rain. I cannot imagine living in such a dry climate. I am finding online shopping easier for girls than boys.

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  6. Hi, Maggie-
    We’ve got the wood stove going, even though our lows tonight here are higher than Asheville’s for tonight! Being cold isn’t fun, in my opinion.

    Good for you for being up for November’s writing – I skipped Inktober this year, since I’m spending so much time on my Quebec narrative and blog posts about being here, too. I’m totally enjoying the second round of the AWA writing workshop, and hopefully we’ll have the same group for another 6 weeks, too, if folks are up for it.

    Thankfully, I have no holiday shopping to do, although we have extended family on Tim’s side coming to Asheville for Thanksgiving — they’ll be in a large house in Montreat, where we’ll have a large family dinner. Thank goodness we’ll be staying in our own house, not with the large family group! We’ve enjoyed sharing time with all of them over the last 5 years or so, in various East Coast places after simple Thanksgivings for many years. It’s been nice (and interesting) to join in.

    I haven’t even thought about Christmas. It’s a similarly quiet holiday for us, although in pre-Covid times, we always enjoyed a lovely Christmas Eve lunch at Deerpark in the Biltmore Estate.

    Glad the hawk was fine — it’s always distressing to have birds of whatever size hit our windows.

    Enjoy the developing fall! Here in Quebec, leaves are falling, although the color is still nice. Unusually, there hasn’t been a freeze; this has been an unusually warm fall. But happily, that’s meant that the fall colors have lasted a LOT longer than normal, according to friends here.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa, it looks like your trip to Quebec has been a joyous one. I am so happy for you both because I know how much you missed it.

      It’s windy this morning. The trees are swaying back and forth. It definitely sounds like fall out there.

      I am so glad you are enjoying your writing class. I hope to be up for so etching like that soon, but NaNoWriMo is all I can fit in during the holidays.

      When do you plan to return to Asheville?

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  7. I am doing Inktober. Since most of my drawings are fairly minimal, the only thing that takes up time is deciding what to draw. I am going to do NaMoWriMo again. Last year was my first and I did 30K in 7 months. This year I plan to plan more.
    Are bloggers blogging less? I know I’m not.

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    1. Good for you for tackling both Inktober and Nano. I did that last year and it was a lot! I look forward to reading your writing updates.

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  8. Well, Maggie, you asked.

    I got a good laugh yesterday when my brother suggested I watch an online video titled “Homegrown Tomatoes.” Being an AVID lover of homegrown tomatoes, I took time to watch it. Maybe you and your readers will relate to the song’s message, as I did.

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    1. Debbie, I love this song! We were just lamenting about a long winter and spring without fresh tomatoes! I hope you are well.

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  9. I agree that there is less writing. I wonder if it is because for a long time in the pandemic there was more writing. I am about to find some new blogs to follow since so many of the ones I followed seem to have dropped away.

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  10. We do have the heat on. I’ve thought about NaNoWriMo, but November is always a very busy month around here. I write more in February. Good luck with the challenge. I’m glad the hawk wasn’t hurt (and glad he didn’t crash through into your room). I was sad to see Colin Powell pass away. We need more like him in government. He did serve well.

    I hope you’re having a good week.

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    1. I would imagine it is a bit cooler where you are. Our night time temperatures are just in the huh 40s low 50s and the daytime temperatures are still in the high 70s most days. I am looking forward to the concerned effort it takes to finish NaNoWriMo. We shall see how I feel about mid-November. 😂

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