That's how sick I was.

Couldn't even spell Amoxicillin properly. Feeling much better now. Still on antibiotics for another couple of days, and my head isn't entirely clear, but my ear no longer hurts, and I'm not sneezing violently. Much. Fourthborn was ever so helpful to me last week. I took Wednesday off and mostly slept, going out long enough to pick her up well after rush hour so she could be here when the cable dudes arrived on Thursday. I am not blogging from my phone. I am blogging from my very own computer in my very own living room. Everything on this computer is backed up on my new external hard drive, and the hard drive and Beloved's computer are back at Wolfie's. Beloved's computer stopped turning on about the same time I brought this one back, well and whole. Maybe it's a jealousy thing? What I am hoping is that Wolfie will be able to fire up Beloved's computer, possibly restore it to full functioning, but at the very least be able to extract all the files off of it, because that's where I have my spreadsheet for sacrament meeting music for the rest of the year, and my budget spreadsheet, and FirstWife's genealogy, and enough recipes for the rest of my life, and and and... Work has been hectic. My day off for my birthday put me behind. The two hours I took off for the memorial service a week ago Monday put me behind. I was home, sick, on Wednesday. I am still digging out, but I made it a matter of prayer this morning, and I feel that I was relatively productive. I cleared about half of my to-do's. And I've closed several files. Fourthborn spent Friday updating my computer for me. I haven't used my iPod, but iTunes is up to date and ready when I am. I have a new antivirus program. She did this while waiting for the plumbers, because on Wednesday night or Thursday morning the commode in the guest loo decided it no longer wanted to flush. And then the other decided got a little temperamental. Turns out that neither of them was clogged. It was a matter of water pressure, and it's fixed, along with the drippy faucet in the sink in the master bathroom. But no fun money for awhile. Thankfully I do have savings, so while it was inconvenient financially, the timing was excellent, as Fourthborn was already here and I didn't have to take off work. We got a lot of small projects crossed off the list. She finished painting the "castles" for the corners of the baseboards. She got some of the detail painting done in the big window in the kitchen. I got three coats of paint on the double doors in the hallway. I'm about to put on my painting clothes and see if I can finish that before bedtime. I'm taking a friend to the airport at dark-thirty tomorrow morning, so I will probably spend very little time doing family history research between now and bedtime. That's OK, because they were bugging me in my sleep last night. I wish all the research I did in my dreams just before waking, counted. You would be able to hear my ancestors cartwheeling all over Heaven if it did. I've had eight of those three-drawer rolling plastic carts since I sold skincare products. The last two of them went out the door last weekend. I found unsewn quilt blocks from 2005-2006. Two Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum angel patterns that I bought when the girls were young, both of which would look marvelous stitched up and hanging on the wall in the dining room. I googled her for the correct spelling of her name and learned that she passed away three years ago. I bet she's stitching rainbows with my friend Nita in the eternities. That's all I've got for you tonight. It's great to no longer be limited by my swyping finger.

Honk. Ick.

Sinus infection. Amoxiccilin for the next ten days. Narrowly averted a bonus ear infection.

On the other hand? Lunch at the Zodiac Room for administrative whatsit's day. Leftovers for dinner. A modicum of knitting. Some classical guitar.

New attorney gave me birthday goodies. More about those later. Going to rub some lavender oil on my temples and pretend I can smell it, in hopes of a solid night's sleep.

I think Chutzpah will be going to work with me tomorrow.

Busy week.

I had a great birthday, notwithstanding a mixup with the cable company, who will be here on *Thursday*. Picked up my sewing machine from its maintenance. Got a massage yesterday. Went to the opera last night with Firstborn.

Have well over a thousand names on the family tree and nearly 5000 hints for them. Went to the temple on Friday night (what better way to spend my birthday?) and began the work for three women. Sealed two couples, and six children to their parents. At the library yesterday I reserved the work to seal the wives from those two couples to *their* parents. And I have most of the ducks lined up to seal Phebe to her parents.

I'm a little frustrated this morning because I discovered that two of my great uncles married sisters. And I'm afraid that if I enter the parents' information for the second sister from my phone, that I will create duplicate individuals, which is so easy to do. So that will have to wait until I'm at the library after work tomorrow. Whereas if the cable had been set up on Friday like I misunderstood it would be, I could just walk out into the living room and be done in a couple of clicks.

Aughhh! I'm going to eat breakfast and get ready for church.

Patchwork peace.

Work went well. I was understandably subdued, but by the grace of Heaven managed to remain focused. My birthday present from my sister arrived. Also the tickets for the Scottish Festival next month. And shipping notice for the Bona Fide box (from Middle Aged Mormon Man), which is scheduled to arrive at the office tomorrow. Made arrangements for the cable installer for Friday afternoon. Blasted zydeco all the way from the office to dinner with the Empty Nesters. Dashed from there to the library and squeezed in 55 minutes of genealogy. Tweaked the placement of two chairs in the living room. Put on my Spanish guitar Pandora station while I worked on a small project. Went to bed tired but not depressed or exhausted. I call that a win.

Widow 102.

My ward lost two valiant priesthood holders on a dark highway out of state yesterday morning. The father was bringing his recently returned missionary son home from college for the summer and was driving. Multiple vehicles were involved in a chain collision. Which is why I found myself just before midnight on the sidewalk in front of their house, having delivered some potato leek soup, and entering into the next phase of my own widowhood. The one where I am truly able to mourn with those who mourn. One of the things I did right after church (our bishop called everyone into the cultural hall immediately after the block of meetings) was to call or text my kids and tell them I love them. I also called Squishy and asked him to let his brothers know. The mom has been a great friend in my own widowhood. Now it's my turn to help her.

If you and I are friends on FB, I posted a link to a fundraiser one of the relatives has set up. If you can, and you feel impressed to do so, please contribute.

Life is precious, people. Do the people you love, know it?

Quiet weekend.

Deliberately so. I'd originally planned to go to the Main Street Arts Festival in Fort Worth. But the maintenance on the Tardis put paid to picking up something new and useful for the house. And I've been dashing about for the past several weekends.

My home teacher / visiting teacher friends invited me to go see the new LDS movie with them, but I suspect that "Freetown" (based on real life) would have just that much too much violence for my personal comfort. I can handle cartoon violence, like the mayhem in "The Avengers" just fine. I've yet to see "The Saratov Approach". And probably won't.

So I stayed home, ate a delicious ham and cheese sandwich made by my own two hands, and skimmed home dec books I've brought home from the library. I'm actually *reading* "The Meaghan Method" because of her approach. She emphasizes pondering what you want to do in a given room and taking it one room at a time.

What do I want to do in my bedroom? (It's currently too messy and disorganized to deserve the title of boudoir.) Sleep, obviously. Sit up and read in bed. Do needlework. Listen to music. Look out the window.

I have no idea what the view might be. The window is covered by two lengths of rust colored fabric. My primary focus for three years has been to make sure they meet in the middle. There are fishing themed tchotchkes (sp?) on the windowsill. Neither they nor the windowsill have been dusted within memory.

Beloved's large and ugly L-shaped desk occupies nearly a quarter of the room if you factor in the rolling chair. When he passed it was piled high with his stuff. Now it is piled high with mine. I cringe every time I look at it. The clutter, and the desk, should be gone by the end of the year.

So what do I plan on doing today? Going to gym. And then the library for two hours. More reading. Stitching the ribbon and snaps onto Charity's sweater. Cooking, I think. A modicum of painting if the muse is willing. A handful of groceries.

Later, gators!

987

I took my dad's cousin Alta to the temple tonight. And five cards for the youth to baptize. When I got home, I sorted the cards. And got to wondering about Phebe, whose work I did in January. How on earth was I going to find the names of her parents? Duh. I have her in the 1860 and 1870 census records, before she married my great grandfather. Dad. Mom's given name. A bunch of siblings. Ta-daaa! I'll link those up tomorrow night after work and before the new high priest presidency comes to call.

892

I did not squeeze in some time at the library between Conference sessions, so I'm not going to break 1000 this week. But I got mighty close.

I've hung up more pictures. I reframed a print that my long ago roommate gave me: "It has been my experience that folks with no vices have few virtues." ~ Abraham Lincoln

There are two angels blowing trumpets (tooting their own horns?), so it went on what is fast becoming the angel wall in the guest loo. I have a little folk art angel ornament in need of repair. It has slithered down into the chaos at bedside. When I find it ~ and the glue gun ~ and the glue sticks ~ it will join the herd as well.

Is there a collective noun for angels?

We did not get a lot done today. Two small painting projects are farther along, and we drove around. The Tardis is street worthy again. I'm blocking the doll sweater.

As it's nearly midnight, and I started this before sunup, I'm declaring it done and going to bed.