Author Archives: Pamela

I am enjoying this weekend of not working on a book. It’s hard to resist the feeling that I need to be getting something done.

I’ve been spending my mornings reading in bed which is among my very favorite things to do. Yesterday I finished a New Yorker and two books I had going.

Today I started Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse, Book 6), which has been sitting on my shelf for over 2 years. I was so lost I had to stop and pull up summaries of the previous books and even reading through those took over an hour. The good thing is that the second I finish, I can read book 7 and then run to the bookstore and buy book 8. Then I have to wait for Book 9 with everyone else.

Yesterday I tried a new recipe for roasting butternut squash that seemed like the temperature was going to be too hot. I was right but I did not know this until after I had created brown, extra-crispy butternut chips. It’s always a hard call with a new recipe. Sometimes the instructions seem off and the food turns out perfect. Other times you have to make a note in your cookbook or toss the recipe, as I did yesterday because it make me mad.

This morning Bob went off to do some stuff and I was under the impression he was returning mid afternoon.

I started a project in the kitchen that involved taking everything out of the utensil drawer and getting rid of the doodads from takeout orders and separating the dessert forks from the regular forks and cleaning everything out. (Yeah, I know, first world problems.)

Bob came home in the middle and it’s too hard if he’s around so I put it all away and took the vacuum cleaner and said, “I’m done organizing for now. I’m going to leave something for next weekend.”

And he practically fell over from laughing so hard.

Quite a few years ago I bought some tulip bulbs that were interesting shaped flowers. I think the bulb is out of gas because now I just get this.

What a weekend.

NCAA Gymnastics Final 8 on Friday and Final 4 yesterday. Timber match yesterday.

Changing over from winter to summer sheets.

Baked two pies for Easter celebration.

Finalized Book 4 and sent it off.

My brain is done for the day, the week and even the year. (Nope, kidding, not the year. I’m already itching to start working on some other projects.)

Hopefully I’ll be up for a more meaningful update next weekend.

I wrote about my bulb buying and planting here. I have been deliriously happy with my blooming flowers. Especially my tulips, so pretty.

I’ve taken numerous photos since they started blooming but didn’t notice that I bumped some dial on the camera and all the photos came out too dark. It took me several tries to figure out the problem so by the time I had it working properly, I was tired of taking pictures of flowers.

Don’t worry, there are at least 80 more. I’ll be posting more eventually. But the flowers were already getting blown out by the time I fixed the camera problem.

Last fall I planted broad beans as a cover crop — maybe this strategy is for people with more garden space? When I started the whole thing I wasn’t clear how it was going to work. I’m ready to put in the garden. The broad beans were still doing their thing.

I yanked up most of them and Billy brought his rototiller over. I won’t have time until after the ms. goes to the editor but I have a pile of seeds sitting here, ready for my half-assed gardening.

I have photos of my tulips but they are still stuck in the camera. Coming soon. I took this picture because I was so happy that Yogurt’s drink is finally getting recognition.

All my jeans are saggy mom jeans so I considered buying myself a pair of skinny jeans. Apparently what I think of as skinny jeans are the new saggy mom jeans.

I don’t even understand what’s going on with jeans.

Jeggings are leggings that look like jeans? But there’s also a category of jeans that look like leggings? Because all the skinny jeans I looked at were contour hugging, skin tight things. And the waists are high again.

I don’t want pants like that.

Also–and I’m sure I’ve written about this before because it scarred me for life–when I was about 14 and in the middle of a grown spurt I went to school wearing pants that were too short. Some older girls followed me around and made fun of my flood pants so to this day: I do not like pants worn above the ankle. I never liked capri pants. I don’t like these ankle pants. I don’t think they look good on anyone.

And yes, as a matter of fact, I am a thousand years old.

I read somewhere about a brand that will probably go under because everything in the store looks like it was in style 5 years ago. I need to go back and find that article and start shopping at that store because it sounds perfect for me.

This is probably the last time I will post a word count meter. Two more weekends and this baby is finished.

72310 / 75000 words. 96% done!

I am scheduling this post and at the time that it appears, hopefully I will be in the midst of a long, screen-free weekend enjoying time with family.

A couple of weeks ago I was downtown and crossing the street in a crosswalk with a green light and walk sign in my favor. Two other people were in the intersection with me when this giant black pickup truck came barreling through so that we all had to jump back to avoid being flattened.

All three of us waved our arms around and shouted, “Hey! What’s wrong with you?” and the driver of the truck stopped and rolled down his window and yelled at us: “You think you own the whole road?”

I was like, “Well, yeah, I’m a pedestrian.”

Is there any jurisdiction on the planet that provides traffic control specifically for pedestrian safety that expects pedestrians to jump out of the way if a vehicle wants to go when they have the right of way? I don’t think our expectations were unreasonable.

It was funny but also nerve-wracking because you never know when someone will go from being unreasonable to whack-a-doodle. I probably worry about that more than statistically necessary, but that’s how I am.

I finally have daffodils out front and the ones in back are just starting to bloom.

I don’t believe fish oil capsules do anything but I’m taking one a day anyway. I bought a different brand and I started tasting citrus around bedtime and I would try to remember what I ate — maybe a lemon cookie? I finally figured out it was my fish oil.

Since I’m still having trouble chewing I did some research on meal replacement foods, and wow is that a rabbit hole. Weight loss, weigh gain, vegan, prepper — you name it, you can find it. I finally settled on the grocery store brand nutrition drink. It’s not terrible. It’s not my main meal planning but a handy thing to have around if I’m not getting enough to eat.

I made Irish soda bread for dinner tonight. The recipe said to let it rest and I wandered off and let it get dried out. We had a little side explosion here. It tasted good and had a decent crumb. No one complained.

Book went to first readers this afternoon. I’m easing up a little bit this week and taking next weekend off for family fun. But then I need to kick back into gear. It needs to be finalized for editing by April 21.

70880 / 75000 words. 95% done!

Meet our NEW APPLE TREE Sybil!!

I bought a 4-way variety but if I understand the little tags on the branches, we got 5! Don’t tell anyone. They might come over and snip off one of the branches. Or maybe it’s supposed to be like that? I’ll learn more later.

Gala-Braeburn-Honeycrisp-Fuji-Red McIntosh. Apples in 2-3 years so after I get my braces off but before I retire. I will keep you updated.

69392 / 75000 words. 93% done!

This is the food cart lot across the street from last week’s photo. I don’t know how much longer they have but I understand the luxury condos and five star hotel are still on.

I still haven’t whacked back my roses. Normally I would have done it by now but it’s too cold and I don’t want to work in the brisk wind. Plus, from what I can see when I look out the window, it doesn’t look like they’re doing anything yet.

Also normally at this time of year, I have a photo from my second Christmas, opening day of Timbers. But we’re adding seats to our stadium so no first match until June 1st. I watched them on TV yesterday. They played in 16 degrees, snow coming down weather in Colorado. I was cold watching them.

I told ticket partner: thank goodness we didn’t get some bright idea to travel away to the match since we have to wait so long here.

My team gave up a goal in stoppage time to draw. AND WE ARE BACK!

I’ve gone past our stadium a couple of times on the train and it looks amazing. As soon as it’s over 50 degrees, ticket partner and I plan to go up there and take some photos and test my pizza eating ability.

I got top braces in December and lived with those for a month before I got the bottom braces in January. I wildly underestimated what my life would be like with braces. Consuming any type of food is extremely unpleasant. My bite is messed up so it’s hard to chew. My front teeth are sensitive so it’s hard to bite. Hence the pizza test. I’m hoping if I can cut off bits with a knife, I can eat them. If not, I don’t what we’re going to do since the pre-match pizza eating ritual has been going on for 7 or 8 years. Ticket partner joked that I could scrape off and eat just the topping or ask them if they make pizza in a bowl.

Insert 1000 crying emojis.

Last week I tried to eat my favorite carbonara and it took about 45 minutes to eat one quarter of it so I brought it home to Bob.

I have a list of the things I will be eating when these come off, around the summer of 2020. The first celebratory meal will be at Brunch Box and it will be the bacon cheeseburger where the buns are made out of grilled cheese sandwiches. Other items on the list: chips, cookies, Moose Munch, See’s Candy with toffee or nuts, crackers. I’m sure I’ll be adding more.

I am in the zone on my project. Making lots of great progress. Two more weekends before it goes to first readers.

68070 / 75000 words. 91% done!