Something You Don’t See Everyday

February 7, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

If only I had my camera!

But I did not. I never take a camera to a doctors appointment. A two-hour drive down the mountain to Modesto. Highway 4 to Farmington, left on Escalon Bellota Road. A lot of cattle, sheep and turkey farms on that part of Hwy 4. A revolting smelly stretch of highway, depending on wind direction. Otherwise rather boring.

Or so I thought…

Anyway, we saw it on our way home from Modesto. It had rained and snowed most of the day and we looked forward to a warm cozy fire, and sitting in our living room, watching weather from inside. On Highway 4, we drove through the (what I call the Mr. Toads Wild Ride section), and were making pretty good time, until traffic slowed down to a stop. Oh No! What was this?

A white truck with flashing yellow lights had pulled over to the edge of the highway and sat there. Up ahead, a police car crawled along the road so slowly that we couldn’t tell if it was moving or not. When we passed the white truck, it had ANIMAL CONTROL printed on the side.

That meant an animal was involved somehow. But, we couldn’t see any animals on the road. And why weren’t the animal people doing something? Why was a cop leading the way? When we inched up closer to the police car, we saw a young bull trotting along the road – between the cattle fence and the law.

He hadn’t a care in the world. Just out for a pleasant stroll in between rains. The flashing blue, red and yellow lights did not faze him. Obviously, he had no clue he was busted.

We watched this go on for awhile, then saw the young traveler take a sharp left turn and cross the street. The cop turned his car perpendicular to the road and bleated the siren for a second. The bull turned and ran the way it came from, along the opposite side of the road. Mr. Policeman once more began keeping pace with him.

“He’s trying to herd the bull with his car!” I squealed. This would go viral on YouTube, if I had a camera to record it. Dammit!

Now that the cop car was inching along the other side of the road, we were able to continue down the highway. We were still talking about the little bull when we noticed that a police car, then soon after, a sheriff’s car passed by, heading for the cow pastures behind us. Weird, we thought. Our county is large and there are many tiny towns in it. Rarely do you see two law enforcement vehicles in one day. So… when 2 more police cars, going the same direction, passed by, hubby and I found this very suspicious.

I have a feeling there is going to be a policeman’s BBQ this week-end. 😉

Prioritizing is an Art Form

January 10, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

And I am no artist.

It’s the 10th day of the year and I’m already (way) behind on my to-do list. This does not bode well, but I’m going to cut myself some slack for once. The first week of the month, I played with my granddaughter and goofed off. What’s the point of being retired if I can’t have some fun?

Then, I made a promise to myself to edit the first draft of my novel before doing any reading for fun. I kept the promise for a whole a week, but I caved in last night and began reading the latest Stephen King novel, Sleep Doctor. I got it for Christmas and I was going crazy seeing it just sitting there – unopened. I try to ration myself, but my addictive personality will undoubtedly take over and I will devour Mr. King’s novel before finishing mine. It’s all his fault for messing up my schedule.

I hope that one day soon, people will blame me for sucking up their free time and messing up their schedule. Because they just can’t put my book down, don’t ya know 😉 Of course, I have to finish my re-write before that can happen..

Right now my writer’s confidence is at an all-time low. This happens every time I go to edit and re-write a story. I have notes of things I need to go back to and things to add or fix. My re-write of the first few chapters is not going as planned and I’m frustrated. This, of course, makes me doubt, fret and feel foolish enough to give up on the story.

Not this story, however. The story’s idea is solid – that I am still confident about. It just needs a lot of work. A horrific amount of work, and I discover more work as I go. That is overwhelming me because I wanted the novel to be finished by January 16th. My frustration stems from my impatience. I want it to be finished. NOW. I want to start editing my next novel, that has been “fermenting” in a drawer for a year.

I have to wonder if this is normal thinking for a writer, or if I need therapy. Could therapy could help me learn to balance my time, energy and drive? I pull myself in so many directions that I don’t know what to do first. I want to piece a new quilt, organize my office, catch up on correspondence, crochet some new projects. Lose 25-30 pounds as I eat healthier and exercise more. While writing novel after novel. And then there’s the housework I can’t ignore forever, and then, there’s the IRS. [Large, exasperated sigh here]

Is this too much to ask from myself? Not at all! Unless I try all of this in one month. Which I was doing – until last night. My hubby, of all people, gave me a wonderful idea. My cuddly, smart and handsome man! Who does not write, is not organized himself at all, thought up the answer to my predicament. I’m so relieved that I am not even jealous.

My January 16th “due date” for my novel to be ready, was so dear Aunt Kitty could have it on her 90th birthday, is not going to be. What hubby suggested is to give her the first chapter, and promise to send her the next one within a couple of weeks or so. That way I am motivated to keep editing and she can keep reading it (and hopefully give me feedback as well).

Damn.

Why didn’t I think of that? Probably because while I should be editing chapter 1, I am telling y’all about it, sipping coffee, and to be totally honest – still in my pajamas. My brain is no longer organized, if it ever really was, since I retired. It’s a darn good thing that I don’t have to go to work anymore. 🙂

The Future is (gulp) Now!

January 1, 2014 ~ JodiLea

While waiting for the crystal ball to drop last night, my family had a Back to the Future marathon. It had been some time since I watched the three classics and I laughed my butt off – not figuratively, which is unfortunate.

In the second movie, the time machine went into the far future – the year 2015. Whoa! Wait a minute. That’s NEXT year.

When Marty McFly went back to 1955 the first time, I was 27 years old. A single working mom who could barely think past the next weekend, let alone into the future. The year 2015 was a science fictional number to me, not a year I would likely experience myself. I did not bother to do the math, that’s how far away it seemed.

Now 2015 is around the corner. If 2014 passes as quickly as 2013 did, then we are practically there already!

So… where are the hover boards and flying cars? Houses that speak to you? The scenery channel? If the police find you passed out in an alley do they take you home? Would re-hydrated food disks taste right? Could all this happen by next year?

Doubtful.

But I think that’s a good thing, since I’m having enough difficulty keeping up with the changes as it is.

How about YOU? 😉