chronicwriter: (Tracker)
I found this weekly planning tarot spread on Pinterest. I use the Sacred Circle tarot deck.

1. Weekly theme: Knight of Disks - Husbandry
2. Beginning of the week: The Tower
3. Middle of the week: 7 of Cups - Delusion
4. End of the week: 2 of Cups - Harmony
5. The weekend: 5 of Disks - Restriction
6: What am I to learn?: Initiation

This week looks pretty standard, although we're beginning to deep clean in preparation for the baby.

Today my primary focus is the entryway closet. It's jammed. Not overfull, just disorganized to the point we can't open or close the door without a fight.

I had to start the baby blanket over. I'd gotten careless with my stitch count, and "wonky" barely covers the results. Two thirds of it, unraveled and balled up, back in the basket while I cuss myself for an idjut. But if I do ten rows a day I can have it done by the end of the week, or by the end of next week if I pace myself to five rows.

I decided I don't want to learn French - Canadian or otherwise. I'll pick up on what people are saying around me on an as-needed basis. I'm going back to Esperanto. My goal is to be able to create materials for other learners and speakers of the language since there's so little out there.

This week I'm reading Write Blog Posts Readers Love, by Henri Junttila. I'm considering this blog as a practice blog. Eventually I want to set up one that can be monetized. We're going to need all the financial help we can get!

I'm in the thick of doing revision notes for SotN Draft 0. I figure they'll be done by the end of September, even with a generous fudge ratio. Normally I would then start typing Draft 1 in October. Instead I'll peck at worldbuilding and little side quests, probably until December, so we can get ready for / enjoy the arrival of my first granddaughter. 

My health is getting better in proportion to the work I put into it. Slow, steady increments with the occasional low-energy and/or high-pain day. Getting enough fruits and veg in my diet continues to be difficult. I may do a seven-day challenge this week to get between three and five servings in every day. I did reboot my 30-Day Plank Challenge because I'd missed more than I achieved. I'm doing wall planks, because there's no way in hell my disabled ass is getting up and down off the floor. I've been pretty good at getting up at 6:00 am and being in bed by 10:00 pm, except for the last few days, and my overall energy levels have suffered as a result.

My praxis has been non-existent. That's because I'm Hekatean, and Hekate is customarily worshiped at dusk. Well, by then I'm usually tired, overstimulated, and totally done. I don't have any energy or focus to give Her. So I've decided that it's better to do my praxis at a non-customary time than not at all. I'll be working out when and what that is as I go along.
chronicwriter: (Default)
            
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5 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
6 Days Until the Kids Come Home❣️

20 Days Until the End of Project 50
27 Days
 Until Allen's 57th Birthday
35 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

41 Days Until We Move?
68 Days Until the End of the Third Quarter

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up at 6:00 am ✔️ and go to bed at 10:00 pm  
Allen didn't come to bed until I was getting up.

Two: Morning and Evening routines
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: 
Three: Restorative Movement ✔️
 
Four: Read one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  
  •  
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill 
  • Blogging: How to Start a Profitable Blog, Chapter 5
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet  
  • Plants: 
  • Water: 0 oz.
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  
  • Wellness Tracker: 

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy 
  • 1/3 water change and clean the fish tank
  • Laundry
  • Wipe down the kitchen  
If I Can
  • Vacuum upstairs 
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: 
  • Physical energy: 
  • Pain: 
  • Emotional state: 
  • Other: 
Homestead
  •  
Household
  • Nothing got done, by either of us.
  • The kids had a failure to prepare that actually did constitute an emergency on our part, and we handled it as best we could.
Writing 
  • I lounged in bed and wrote on an app on my Kindle Fire. Now I have to figure out how to print it... 
Other: 
  •  
Tomorrow
  •  

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



   
chronicwriter: (!?)
            
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6 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
7 Days Until the Kids Come Home❣️

21 Days Until the End of Project 50
28 Days
 Until Allen's 57th Birthday
36 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

42 Days Until We Move?
69 Days Until the End of the Third Quarter

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up at 6:00 am ❌ and go to bed at 10:00 pm  
I turned my alarm off with my middle finger and had a lie-in.

Two: Morning and Evening routines
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Restorative Movement ✔️
 
Four: Read one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 12
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • Blogging: How to Start a Profitable Blog, Chapter 4
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet  ✔️
  • Plants: 4
  • Water: 60 oz.
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  ✔️
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Tidy the bedroom ❌
  • Vacuum upstairs ❌
  • Wipe out the mini-fridge ❌
  • Laundry❌  
  • Wipe down the kitchen  ❌
If I Can
  •  
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Good
  • Physical energy: Low
  • Pain: High
  • Emotional state: Wrung out
  • Other: We hooked the A/C up so I was finally able to rest without feeling like I was in a Crockpot.
Homestead
  •  
Household
  • Nothing got done, by either of us.
  • The kids had a failure to prepare that actually did constitute an emergency on our part, and we handled it as best we could.
Writing 
  • I lounged in bed and wrote on an app on my Kindle Fire. Now I have to figure out how to print it... 
Other: 
  •  
Tomorrow
  • Reset 

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



  
chronicwriter: (I Should Be Writing)
           
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7 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
8 Days Until the Kids Come Home❣️

22 Days Until the End of Project 50
29 Days
 Until Allen's 57th Birthday
37 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

43 Days Until We Move?
70 Days Until the End of the Third Quarter

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up at 6:00 am ✔️ and go to bed at 10:00 pm ✔️ 

Two: Morning and Evening routines
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Restorative Movement ✔️
 
Four: Read one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 11
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • Blogging: How to Start a Profitable Blog, Chapter 3
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet  ✔️
  • Plants: 4
  • Water: 66 oz.
  • 👍 List: 4
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  ✔️
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Clean the sanctum ✔️
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
If I Can
  • Vacuum
  • Walls and woodwork
  • Mend my armchair ✔️
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Good
  • Physical energy: Okay
  • Pain: Ow!
  • Emotional state: Wrung out
  • Other: It's what passes for "hot" in Downeast Maine. Our bedroom is right over the parking lot, and gets stifling during the afternoon. But it's the only place I can lay down and rest.
Homestead
  • Allen made an offer on the house! 
Household
  • Darned a hole in the seat of my armchair 
  • Tried out the new juicer
Writing 
  • Sprint 1: Updated my index
Other: 
  •  
Tomorrow
  •  

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



  
chronicwriter: (redhead)
          
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8 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
9 Days Until the Kids Come Home❣️

23 Days Until the End of Project 50
30 Days
 Until Allen's 57th Birthday
38 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

44 Days Until We Move?
71 Days Until the End of the Third Quarter

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up at 6:00 am ✔️ and go to bed at 10:00 pm  ✔️

Two: Morning and Evening routines
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ❌
Three: Restorative Movement ✔️
  •  Stretching and breathwork
Four: Read one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 10
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill 
  • Blogging: How to Start a Profitable Blog, Chapter 2
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet 
  • Plants: 4
  • Water: 68 oz.
  • 👍 List: 6
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  ✔️
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Vacuum ❌
  • Clean the bathroom ✔️
  • Clean the upstairs landing table ❌
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork ❌
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Okay
  • Physical energy: Low
  • Pain: I fucked up...
  • Emotional state: Ecstatic!
  • Other: 
Homestead
  •  
Household
  • My oath-mother surprised me with a visit! 
  • Talked to my kids for a few minutes 
Writing 
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 Page 2 
  • Sprint 2: SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 Page 3
Other: 
  • Took in the pajama pants I like to wear after my shower

Tomorrow
  • Clean the sanctum

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



  
chronicwriter: (Tired)
         
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 Week & Day Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
1 Week & 2 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month
 Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 1 Day Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month & 2 Weeks Until We Move?


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up at 6:00 am ✔️ and go to bed at 10:00 pm  ❌

I was wakeful, and Allen was on the phone working out the travel plans with the kids. Loudly. I couldn't have slept even if I had been sleepy.

Two: Morning and Evening routines
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Restorative Movement ✔️
  •  Stretching and breathwork
Four: Read one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 9
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • Blogging: How to Start a Profitable Blog, David Lim: Introduction & Chapter 1
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet ✔️
  • Plants: 3
  • Water: 66 oz.
  • 👍 List: 5
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  ✔️
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Dust ❌
  • Floors ❌
  • Wipe down the kitchen ❌
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: okay
  • Physical energy: low
  • Pain: low 
  • Emotional state: okay
  • Other: 
It's going to take a while for my meds to rebalance. Right now I'm wrung out and still a bit jangled.

Homestead
  • Talked to a different realtor about another house 
  • Conflab with the kids
  • Set up a separate Pinterest account for homestead stuff
Household
  • Donated some books that I don't want to move
Writing 
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft O Plot Turn 2 Page 1 
Other:
  • I ran out of the yarn for the main body of the blanket, but we're going to order more and the yarn for the edging. 
Tomorrow
  • Clean the bathroom
  • Clean the upstairs landing table
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



  
chronicwriter: (Tired)
        
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 Week & Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
1 Week & 3 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month & 1 
Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 2 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month, 2 Weeks & 1 Days Until We Move?


It has been 1 Day Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)  

I zonked at 9:00 pm, woke up from 1:00 to 3:00 am, went back to sleep, and got up at 8:00 am.

One of the things I need to do is fix my sleep cycle. This month has been dysregulated to the point of FUBAR. I've decided to carve out a bit more quiet time in the morning by waking up at 6:00 am and going to bed at 10:00 pm. Otherwise I won't be getting any time to work on myself and my own projects!

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions 
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
"No distractions" is a tall order, if not an impossibility. I'm just happy if I achieve the routines I've set and that are working for me! And they are. Once something is part of my routine it becomes automatic and I can save brainpower and energy for the things that require more effort.

Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan ✔️
  •  Stretching and breathwork
I stretch and do breathwork in the shower every morning, allowing the hot water to loosen my muscles. Up until now I'd been working on my lower back but now I'm working on my upper trapezius as well.

On days that I can, I do planks against the wall because that's the most effective way to strengthen the muscles that need to be worked on. Then I "mosey" - take a tiny walk around the utility building of my apartment complex. The point is to recondition myself after being bedbound or sedentary for so long. My mosey will eventually increase to two laps around the building - or the equivalent distance when we move.

Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Book 8
The stoic masters are a refreshing break from modern self-improvement books.

Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • Crochet: Put three rows on the blanket
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Honestly, I haven't learned anything to improve my crochet since I started this. I'm using a simple single stitch row after row, to keep the weave of the blanket tight to avoid tangling itty fingers. I'm going to quit counting this as a new skill unless I'm practicing a new stitch or technique. 

Six: Follow a healthy diet 
  • Plants: 2
  • Water: 33 oz
I looked up foods that reduce cortisol, and foods that reduce inflamation. Both lines of research brought me to the Mediterranean Diet. When we get re-situated I'll poke that with a fork for a while and see what happens.

Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal:  
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Put away the clean clothes ✔️
  • Living area ✔️
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Barely
  • Physical energy: No
  • Pain: None
  • Emotional state: Blah
  • Other: 
Homestead
  •  
Household
  •  
Writing 
  •  
Tomorrow
  • Dust
  • Floors

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard



I woke up feeling hung over - or, what I imagine being hung over must feel like. My brain felt like scrambled eggs and I moved around the house like a reanimated sloth. My morning shower and stretch helped but I'm still pretty wrung out.
chronicwriter: (!?)
        
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 Week &  Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
1 Week & 5 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month & 2 
Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 3 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month, 2 Weeks & 2 Days Until We Move?


It has been 0 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
Well, that was a clusterfuck.

I had my quarterly check-up on June 30 and met my new doctor (as the Nurse Practitioner I've been seeing for a decade retired). She asked me, "Why has no one been treating your Fibromyalgia?" 

Huh. Well...

So she started me on Cymbalta. I must say, I haven't had so much as a twinge of Fibro pain since. But to do that she had to take me off my Zoloft since the two don't mix. The doctor assured me that the Cymbalta would also help my anxiety. I was glad that I might be able to take one pill to do two things and lighten my pill case a little.

Looking back on my wellness tracker, I can see today coming like a storm rolling across the prairie. Within days of the switch-over I started having almost daily migraine symptoms if not full-on migraines. My migraines stem from the base of my skull, triggered when physical tension in my trapezius squeezes the arthritis in my vertebrae. That is caused by... y'all guessed it... anxiety. 

The migraine symptoms were the tornado sirens. Today was the tornado.

I woke up anxious, as if I'd had a 5-Hour Energy Shot with a chaser of Red Bull followed by a 2-liter of Mountain Dew. By noon I was shaking, hyperventilating, near tears, either unable to speak or talking faster than an Arkansas auctioneer. I had to be prompted to take 5 mg of Diazepam, because I couldn't think clearly. My brain was pure static. 

Allen called the doctor on my behalf, because I couldn't phone - though when he put the phone on speaker I was able to talk to the nurse well enough to get my point across. Right after that the Diazepam kicked in. I found a calming music video on YouTube, put it on, and zonked. The doctor got back to me ninety minutes later and I was much calmer. She was sympathetic and apologetic. 

For now, I'm back on the Zoloft. She's going to explore other avenues to help with my Fibro, but my CPTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder are much more vexing and I won't go off the Zoloft again. 
 
chronicwriter: (Mysteries)
        
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 Week &  Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
1 Week & 6 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month & 3 
Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 4 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month, 2 Weeks & 3 Days Until We Move?


It has been 1 Week & 4 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)  ✔️

Zonked at 10:00 pm, up at 5:00 am. This will give me a couple hours of quiet before the neighbor kids start seeing who can shriek the loudest.

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions 
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan 
  • Stretching and breathwork
  • Looked up stretches for loosening the upper trapezius muscles because that's what's causing my migraines - my muscles tensing around the arthritis in my neck
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day  ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 7
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • Crochet: The actual-baby blanket is 40% done. I need one more ball of the variegated yarn and the edging yarn
  • French: Duo Lingo and Drops
Six: Follow a healthy diet ✔️
  • Plants: 3
  • Water: 66 oz.
Seven: Track your progress in a journal ✔️
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal: ✔️ 
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Clean the bedroom? ➖
  • Clean the refreshment bar? ➖
  • Put away the clean clothes ❌
  • 1/3 water change and clean the fish tank ❌
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Good, once the migraine eased up
  • Physical energy: Okay, but taking it easy
  • Pain: Migraine
  • Emotional state: Generally annoyed, until the migraine went away 
  • Other: After the migraine fxcked off I was calm, relaxed, and in a good mood.
Homestead
  • Allen and I spent most of the afternoon lounging around in conflab about modifications for the house we're most likely going to get. It was 💕 
Household
  • We got the pantry re-organized, finally. We must have taken five full grocery bags of food over to our apartment complex's Pantry Exchange. But now we have just what we'll eat over the next six weeks before we move and a clear idea what we need to get special for the kids. 
Writing 
  • Finished brainstorming SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 
Tomorrow
  • Call my doctor about the home sleep study
  • Call in prescriptions
  • Make sure Allen takes his shot
  • Call Allen's doctor about him not sleeping for days on end
  • Clean the kitchen 

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
Okay, let's try this "getting sh!t done without pushing/crashing" thing again.

🌻☁️🌖

The ravens are noisier than usual today. I don't hear any gulls - probably because the ravens are on a tear. I bet an owl has taken roost in the ravens' favorite tree again. For all people say that owls are wise my observations are to the contrary.


 
chronicwriter: (Tired)
        
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 Week &  Days Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
2 Weeks Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month & 4 
Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 5 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month, 2 Weeks & 4 Days Until We Move?


It has been 1 Week & 3 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)  ✔️

Giving the way my sleep cycle has been lately and how I've felt, I've decided to try an experiment. I'll be working toward aligning my own rhythms with that of nature, settling down and sleeping closer to sunset and waking closer to sunrise. Last night I nested at 9:00 pm and went to sleep shortly after 10:00 pm, and I set my alarm to wake me gradually at 6:00 am. 

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions 
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: So tired and sore I just crawled to bed.
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan ✔️
  • Stretching, breathwork 
  • 16 sec. plank, mosey
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day ✔️ 
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 6
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill 
  • Started the baby-sized blanket
  • Did not study French
Six: Follow a healthy diet 
  • Plants: 4
  • Water: 66 oz.
Seven: Track your progress in a journal 
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal: By evening I couldn't have written my own name, ffs
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Clean the bedroom ❌
  • Change the sheets ✔️
  • Clean the refreshment bar ❌
  • Laundry ✔️
  • Reorganize the pantry ✔️
  • Wipe down the kitchen ❌
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Good
  • Physical energy: Fluctuated
  • Pain: Moderate
  • Emotional state: Anxious
  • Other: Over-did
Sorting and re-organizing our food supplies was exhausting, painful, and anxiety-inducing but it had to be done. Maybe not all at once, but leaving it partially-done would have been even more anxiety-inducing.

Homestead
  •  
Household
  •  Started a pot of stock
Writing 
  • Sprint 1: Half of the rough plot of SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 1
  • That got messy
Tomorrow
  • 1/3 fish tank refresh and cleaning 
  • Put away the clean clothes
  • Rest!

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard
Today as I was going about my morning routine I glanced out my window and saw a bird picking at crumbs on the table outside. It was brown, longer and leggier than the adorably round feathered balls I usually see. I spent a good thirty minutes trying to identify it. Finally, I came to the conclusion that it was a female Brown-headed Cowbird



chronicwriter: (Tired)
       
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Weeks Until SotN Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
2 Weeks & 1 Day Until the Kids Come Home?

1 Month & 5 
Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
1 Month, 1 Week & 6 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

1 Month, 2 Weeks & 5 Days Until We Move?


It has been 1 Week & 2 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)  ✔️

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions 
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan ✔️
  • Stretching, breathwork 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 5 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • 30 min. French 
  • Balled yarn for the next part of the baby blanket project
Six: Follow a healthy diet ✔️
  • Plants: 5
  • Water: 66 oz.
Seven: Track your progress in a journal ✔️
  • Morning Journal: ✔️
  • Evening Journal: ✔️
  • Wellness Tracker: ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Tidy my sanctum ✔️
  • Continue unfxcking my craft closet ✔️    
  • Clean the bathroom ✔️
  • Clean the upstairs landing table ✔️
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork ✔️
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
Functionality
  • Mental clarity: Not great
  • Physical energy: Not great
  • Pain: 5 (Migraine, low back)
  • Emotional state: Meh
  • Other: This, too, shall pass.
Homestead
  • We're doing an end-run around the realtor that's giving us problems because of our USDA loans, and have a chance of having a house before I'm a grandmother. 
Household
  • It occurred to me that A) it's time to rotate our pantry because we've had a pretty good supply delivery over the past three days, and B) our needs have changed. Instead of two (sometimes three) people for the foreseeable future, we now have two (sometimes three) people for the next two weeks and four (sometimes five) people for four weeks after that. So now a total pantry, freezer, and fridge overhaul is in progress. 
  • I'm not dragging a literal year's supply of food all the way to the Canadian border. We'll take the basics and restock when we get to the new house.
  • Also, we're going to need a new smoker/grill. They should be on sale in September.
Writing 
  • I finished SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2, amazingly right on schedule despite hells breaking loose around here. 
Tomorrow
  • Clean the bedroom
  • Change the sheets
  • Clean the refreshment bar
  • Reorganize the pantry

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard





chronicwriter: (redhead)
      
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 2 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
17 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

24 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
37 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
45 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

52 Days Until We Move?


It has been 8 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight) ✔️  

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions ✔️
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan ✔️
  • Stretching and breathwork 
  • 16 push-ups, mosey 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day ✔️
  •  Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 4
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • I got the main body of the large blankie done!
  • Now to start the actual baby blankie...
  • And order the brown yarn to trim them. 
Six: Follow a healthy diet ✔️
  • Plants: 6
  • Water:  66 oz.
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal ✔️

 
The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

To-do
  • General tidy ✔️ 
  • Clean the bathroom ❌
  • Clean the upstairs landing table ❌
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork ❌
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
Functionality
  •  Napped from 10am to 2pm
Homestead
  • Read some articles on gardening and seed saving 
Household
  • Made strawberry syrup, and only got about two Tablespoons down the front of my t-shirt. 
Writing ✔️
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 9 
Tomorrow
  • Tidy the sanctum
  • Continue unfuxing my craft closet
  • Clean the bathroom
  • Clean the upstairs landing table
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard


I will not save anything else on Pinterest until I cull and organize the things that I have.
I will not save anything else on Pinterest until I cull and organize the things that I have.
I will not save anything else on Pinterest until I cull and organize the things that I have.

I've gotten so used to waking for an hour or so in the wee-smalls then going back to sleep that I've decided to embrace it and make it part of my day. I'll use the time for certain tasks and indulge in certain healthy snacks when available. This morning, obviously, I'm cleaning up the mess I habitually make of Pinterest. I also happen to have a punt of strawberries and a recipe (on Pinterest) for making strawberry syrup out of the tops. To get the tops for the syrup I need to eat the strawberries, so... 

✍️
 
I dunwanna get dressed and adult. I'm so comfy in my after-shower loungies. But I guess this diem isn't going to carpe itself. /sulk/

chronicwriter: (!?)
     
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 3 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
18 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

25 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
38 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
46 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

53 Days Until We Move?


It has been 7 Days Since My Last Freak-out


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight) ✔️

Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: ✔️
  • Evening: ✔️
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan ✔️
  • Stretching and breathwork 
  • 16 sit-ups, mosey
Reconditioning is going pretty well. It's hard not to push myself on my good days but I'm staying within my baseline until I feel comfortable scooting it up a notch.

Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day ✔️
  • Meditations of Marcus Auralius Book 3 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill ✔️
  • I spent way more than an hour working on the blanket. The body of it's almost done.
Six: Follow a healthy diet ✔️
  • Plants: 4
  • Water:  66 oz.
33 oz. is a funny number, but 1,000 ml / 33 oz. is what my water bottle holds, so that's what I drink. x2

Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal ✔️


The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

Functionality
  • Start of a migraine; Excedrin and 5mg Diazepam, 53mg caffeine; neck stretches
  • Otherwise a pretty good day.
Homestead
  • Checked the updated list of invasive plants for the area we're trying to move to
Things are up in the air. Every house we've nearly got, the buyer has backed out because they don't want to bother with the USDA loan. We're starting to suspect it's the relator who doesn't want to be bothered with it. One of my goals in life is to not be a Karen, but I'm about to speak to her manager. There are a very limited number of houses in an even more limited number of communities that meet our needs, and we're on a deadline. We have to move and get kind-of settled before the grandbaby is born!

Household
  • General tidy ✔️
  • Dust and floors ✔️
  • Wipe down the kitchen ✔️
  • Put groceries away ✔️
Writing ✔️
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 8
My favorite part of the writing process is Pinch 2. It gets so 😱💩💢

Tomorrow
  • Clean the bathroom
  • Wipe down the walls and woodwork
  • Increase my dose of Cymbalta 

I woke up at 4:00 am to go to the loo and discovered that Allen had yet to come to bed. He came upstairs a few minutes later and I played a game until he settled enough I felt like I could safely go back to sleep.
chronicwriter: (Rainbow Keyboard)
     
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 4 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
19 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

26 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
39 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
47 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

54 Days Until We Move?


It has been 6 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • Up at 7:00 am
  • Back to sleep 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Morning pills, tended the critters, made my bed, ablutions and shower, morning journal and brainstorming, got dressed
  • Evening: Tended the critters, dinner; evening pills, praxis, GYST; evening journal and brainstorming, ablutions
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretching, breathwork 
  • 14-sec. plank, mosey 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Book 2 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  • Added a couple rows to the blanket 
  • Did a lot more while watching TV with Allen
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Plants: 4
  • Water:  66 oz.
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal
  •  
Functionality
  • Came in from my mosey, lay down and used the massage function on my bed while I read my chapter. 
  • I ended up zonking again, but at least this time it was relaxing and I woke up feeling good.
Household
  • General tidy
  • Cleaned the living area 
Writing
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 5 
  • Sprint 2: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 6
  • Sprint 3: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 7
Tomorrow
  • Dust, floors
  • Learn to use the Dremel 
chronicwriter: (Rainbow Keyboard)
    
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 5 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
20 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

27 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
40 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
48 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

55 Days Until We Move?


It has been 5 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • Up at 6:00 am
  • Oppressive zonk from 9:30 am until 2:15 pm
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Tended the critters, made my bed, morning pills, ablutions and shower; weighed, got dressed
  • Evening: Tended the critters, dinner; evening pills, relaxed and played games; electronics off, praxis, GYST, journaling, ablutions
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretched, breathwork
  • 14 squats, mosey
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Book 1 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  • Added a row to the blanket before the zonk set in
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Plants: 3 
  • Water: 64 oz. 
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal
  • Simplified my tracking system  
Functionality
  • Well, that's a thing... 
I woke up from an unexpected and very unpleasant nap feeling even worse. When that happens it's usually because I'm dehydrated. Yes, I can drink 60+ oz. of water and end up dehydrated because my body randomly decides to stop absorbing that water. Also leading to peeing a lot, meds for that or no. A little bit of Tang or some Gatorade usually sets it right so that I can start absorbing water properly again. This has happened a couple times lately, to the point that part of my GYSTing is now going to be making sure I have around 8 oz. of Tang prepped and in the fridge with which to knock back my morning pills. CFS is weird, y'all.

Household
  • Allen cleaned the kitchen and made the necessary phone calls. Bless him! 
  • Put away my clean clothes and the clean linens
Writing
  • Sprint 1: SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 4
Tomorrow
  • Clean the living room
  • Call in a prescription 
chronicwriter: (Tired)
    
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 6 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
21 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

28 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
41 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
49 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

56 Days Until We Move?


98 Days Until the Grandbaby's Due Date


It has been 4 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • Bed at 11:00 pm
  • I woke up at around 4:00 am, crocheted, and went back to sleep at 6:00 am
  • Up with my 7:00 am alarm
  • Bed at 11:00 pm and crocheted until I started nodding off
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Weighed, went over my notes for today, tended the critters, made my bed, ablutions and shower; breakfast
  • Evening: Tended the critters, dinner; evening pills, GYST for tomorrow, praxis, ablutions
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretched, breathwork
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • The only thing I really don't like about ebooks is that I can't throw them against the wall when they piss me off.
Five: S pend one hour learning a new skill
  •  Added six rows to the blanket
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Plants: 3
  • Water: 60 oz.
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal
  •  
Functionality
  •  Meh.
Household
  • Cleaned in the kitchen 
Writing
  • 3 pages behind
Tomorrow
  • Put away the clean clothes
  • Clean the kitchen
  • Phone calls 
chronicwriter: (Default)
   
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 7 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
21 Days Until SotN
 Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
22 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

28 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Resolution is Due
29 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
42 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
50 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

57 Days Until We Move?


99 Days Until the Grandbaby's Due Date


It has been 3 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • Bed at 11:00 pm
  • I woke up at around 3:00 am, played games, and went back to sleep at 5:00 am
  • Up with my 7:00 am alarm
  • Shut-down from 11:30 pm until 3:30 pm
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Morning pills, made my bed, tended the critters, went over my notes for today, ablutions and shower
  • Evening: Tended the critters; evening pills, GYST for tomorrow, ablutions
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  •  Stretched, breathwork
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Sick to Fit Chapter 5 
  • Um, later I'm going to have to check the authors' sources and do some of my own research, because his reasoning behind his nutrition advice is /squint/.
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  •  Added three rows to the blanket
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Plants: 3
  • Water: 60 oz.
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal
  • Organized my recovery trackers 
Functionality
  • I ended up just wanting to sleep and lay around. 
Household
  • Allen did the laundry
  • General tidy 
Writing
  • SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 Page 3
  • I'm three pages behind where I need to be in order to finish the draft before the move.
Media 
  • Ten Crush x3
  • Merge Dragons 30 min.
  • Merge Magic 30 min.
  • Watched TV with Allen 3 hrs.
Tomorrow
  • Put away clean clothes
  • 1/3 water change in the fish tank
  • Continue decluttering for the move 

I was using the grooming glove on Serena at her window perch and happened to glance down. One of these stunning little creatures was on the bush right under the window. It's a good thing Serena's basically blind or she'd have jumped out the window to get it, screen or no screen. But I was awed and delighted.
chronicwriter: (raven)
  
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 8 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
10 Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
22 Days Until SotN
 Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
23 Days Until the Kids Come Home?

29 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Resolution is Due
30 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
43 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
51 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

58 Days Until We Move?


100 Days Until the Grandbaby's Due Date


It has been 2 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • Bed at 12:15 am
  • I woke up at around 3:00 am when Allen (finally) came to bed then went back to sleep until 7:45 am
  • Napped from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Morning pills, tended the critters, went over my notes for today, ablutions and shower; got dressed
  • Evening: Tended the critters; evening pills
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretched, breathwork 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Sick to Fit Chapter 4
  • I'll be going back over this book and taking notes later. 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  • Worked on building a Second Brain 
  • I've decided to have the grandbaby's blanket done before the kids get home at the end of the month. 
  • Added several rows to the blanket
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Since my biggest health hurtle is getting enough plant material, and my pregnant Daughter-in-Law has trouble eating on the best of days, I've got Allen looking for a suitable juicer/smoothie maker that's in our price range. And I'm not taking "maybe later" as an answer.  
  • Fruit and Veg: 3 servings
  • Water: 60 oz.
Seven: Track your daily progress in a journal
  • I need another data point to track my recovery progress, so on Sunday I'll start weighing myself daily and averaging the stats over a period of 21 days (rather than worrying about day-to-day weight fluctuations) and measuring myself at the beginning and end of that time.
  • I will not be blogging those numbers so as not to trigger anyone. This is for my info and that of my medical care team - no different than my pain and functionality scales.
Functionality
  • I really didn't want to get out from under the hot water this morning. 
Household
  • General tidy
  • Put groceries away
  • Worked on the sanctum closet
  • Evidently my minimalism hasn't been extending to craft supplies...
Writing
  • It's a one-line day but that's fine.
  • Tempest is trying to set Beverly up with Midian and gods help us she might succeed.
  • This series is Urban Fantasy not Paranormal Romance, I swear!

Media 
  • Ten Crush x3
  • Wonder Merge 30 min.
  • Chicago Med 1.15-18 
  • No social media other than informational YouTube videos
Tomorrow
  • Laundry
  • Clean and organize the vanity 
chronicwriter: (I Should Be Writing)
  
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

 9 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
11 Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
23 Days Until SotN
 Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
24 Days Until the Kids Come Home

30 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Resolution is Due
31 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
44 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
52 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

59 Days Until We Move


101 Days Until the Grandbaby's Due Date


It has been 1 Day Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight)
  • I wasn't able to sleep until 1:00 am
  • Got up at 7:15 am only because Serena, otherwise I'd have slept until 8:00 am
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Tended the critters, morning pills, went over my notes for today, made my bed, ablutions and shower
  • Evening: Tended the critters; evening pills, GYST for tomorrow, ablutions, nested at 10:00 pm
  • It's starting to look like a semi-solid evening routine is forming!
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretched, breathwork 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Sick to Fit, Chapter 3 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  • Added three rows to the grandbaby's blanket 
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Fortified mocha 
  • 2 sausage egg cheese biscuits
  • Taco mac, 12 oz. Pepsi
  • 20 oz. water
Functionality
  • Dunwanna...
  • But I'm doing it anyway.
  • (Or not...)
Household
  • Cleaned the bathroom 
  • Allen just used one of the good wash cloths to clean the outside of and the floor around the toilet.
  • Woosah!...
  • Brainstormed dinner
Writing
  • Nope 
Tomorrow
  • Laundry
  • Go through the sanctum closet 
chronicwriter: (I Should Be Writing)
 
Sparkle Happy Birthday Cupcake Gif

7
 Days Until the Full Moon
 10 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Pinch 2 is Due
12 Days Until Serena's Vet Appointment
14 Days Until the Last Quarter Moon
22 Days Until the New Moon
23 Days Until Hekate's Deipnon
24 Days Until SotN
 Draft 0 Plot Turn 2 is Due
25 Days Until the Kids Come Home

26 Days Until Lammas
30 Days Until the First Quarter Moon
31 Days Until SotN Draft 0 Resolution is Due
32 Days Until the CFS Health Workshop
45 Days Until Allen's 57th Birthday
53 Days Until Serena's 14th Birthday

60 Days Until We Move
78 Days Until Mabon

102 Days Until the Grandbaby's Due Date


It has been 0 Days Since My Last Freak-out

The Focus Formula - Sign UP - Cassie Howard

 One: Get up before 8:00 am (and go to bed before midnight
  • Serena yowled me awake at 6:00 am, but I ignored her and got up with my 7:00 am alarm
Two: Morning (and evening) routines with no distractions
  • Morning: Morning pills, tended the critters, made my bed, went over my notes for today, ablutions and shower
  • Evening: Tended critters; evening pills, GYST for tomorrow, ablutions
Three: Exercise for one hour as per my CFS Recovery Plan
  • Stretching and breathwork 
Four: Read 10 pages one chapter of a self-improvement etc. book per day
  • Sick to Fit Chapter 2 
Five: Spend one hour learning a new skill
  •  
Six: Follow a healthy diet
  • Breakfast: 2 bites cake, leftover Scotch eggs, mash, and minted pears 
  • 20 oz. water
  • 3 bites of cake
  • Dinner: Chicken pot pie
  • 20 oz. water
Functionality
  • Day 1, Pamprin 
  • Anxiety attack, 5 mg. Diazepam 
Household
  • Combed and 'nipped Serena 
  • Swept the kitchen floor
  • Sorted stationary and writing supplies
  • Unexpected housing inspection
  • Allen is on the brink of a seizure so I have to keep an eye on him.
Writing
  • Sprint 1: Pinch 2 Page 2, and my unexpected ship is starting to look seaworthy.  
Tomorrow
  •  
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