Month: March 2021

Friends! It is Friday!  And although Covid is still at-large, I am still kinda brain dead from life, etc.: MY BOYS (ALL THREE OF THEM) ARE HEADING TO MY IN-LAWS FOR THE WEEKEND. (PS – My mother-in-law reads this blog, so G … I love you, I thank you, and I bless you. Amen.)

I’ve been planning my takeout adventures for the past week and it is EPIC, my friends. Fried fish for Friday night, migas from one of my favorite restaurants at some point, and who knows what else. Sushi?  Maybe? The sky is the LIMIT!  The last time I was alone in my house (August, not that I’m counting …), I had takeout from the local Greek festival and lived on Indian leftovers for a weekend. And I drank Mich Golden Light with olives. I still dream of that weekend in Technicolor.

This afternoon though, I am having lunch with my vaccinated parents and I’m dispatching the loaves of lemon danish bread that I’ve made to my lemon-loving relatives.

For the rest of the weekend, Lord knows I have creative worlds I need to conquer. I need to get some new shoes. I’ve been avoiding Costco for reasons not entirely known to me. I think I’ll be watching a lot of Elementary and just … breathing.

So … onward to the links!

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Listening: I’ve been listening to *a lot* of John Prine and Gordon Lightfoot lately. So much, that I accidentally left a Prine CD in my husband’s car. “What the hell is this ‘Sam Stone,’ sh*t?” (OK, so maybe he didn’t say *that,* but he didn’t quite know what to do about a song with the subject matter of a veteran OD-ing on heroin when he was making an innocent drive to fill his gas tank. Sorry, hon.) So, I wasn’t sad when my latest itch to scratch was listening to Sonny and Cher’s “Please Don’t Go” and YouTube followed that with a Patsy Cline “best of” compilation.

I’ve mentioned that I think I was born in the wrong generation, right?  Right?

Reading: I currently have the attention span of a gnat. So this book from K.D. Richards (Pursuit of the Truth from Harlequin Intrigue) is an #ownvoices comfort food read. Perfect for the quarantine state-of-mind that I am in!

Writing: Querying. Thinking of the next adventure.

As usual … stay healthy, get active, get your vaccination if you’re eligible, wash your hands, and mask up!

– Shelley

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What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

There’s a meme that circulates every year that talks about the various stages of how winter transitions to spring in the Midwest. There’s the “faux spring” followed by the second winter. Last weekend, I got lost* in the woods during a beautiful “faux spring” day:

*Thoughts on the word “lost.”  Technically I was on a trail and I thought I was following what was called the “Maple Trail” which was supposed to be a leisurely 1.5 km loop. Somehow, I wandered off of the Maple Trail and made it to the 2.5 km Zumbro Trail. Anyone who knows me is not surprised that I have no real sense of direction.

On Monday, we got ~6 inches of snow that’s still on the ground. Temps are in the 40s and 50s and next week will feature rain, ergo we’ll transition to the final phase of spring … mud. I want to go forest bathing again, but I think I’ll be heading to my local park that has paved trails.

Otherwise, it’s been a bit of a week. Thursday marked what I consider the year anniversary of being home because of coronavirus. (It’s an easy date to remember because it’s also my dad’s birthday.) Daylight Savings Time has totally KICKED my arse, and I have more projects – personal and professional – than time.

But hey … there’s still cookies to be baked. Every day brings news to me of loved ones who are getting their vaccination against Covid and that fills me with a lot of hope.

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Watching: I’m still watching CBS’s “Elementary.” And oh … I love it.

Reading: I’ve been generating a list of “comps” that I need to read that are similar to my novel. (Query letters usually have comparative novels that help a potential agent see what niche your book will fall in.) I’ve always considered myself well-read, but the vampire novels that I consumed over my year of quarantine aren’t really the genre I’m trying to publish in. 🙂

Writing: I am officially querying agents. And I’m starting to dream up the next project. That’s been a lot of fun.

As usual … stay healthy, get active, wash your hands, and mask up!

– Shelley

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What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.

I am one of the least flexible people that I know. And you can interpret that any way you wish, but in this context – I’m now at that age where I can injure myself by sleeping on the wrong pillow. Let’s not even discuss how I also serve as a trampoline for my cats. (Don’t ask.) Anyway … I keep hearing about those people who are emerging from quarantine and they’ve worked on their abs, have arms that rival Michelle Obama’s, or they dedicated themselves to a meditation practice. Ummmm … a year later, my abs are a little flabbier, my sourdough starter is languishing somewhere in the back of my refrigerator, I’ve upgraded from wine in bottles to boxes (environmentally friendly, you know), but hey … as of this writing, I have a four-day streak of doing yoga. I guess the YouTube hits for Yoga with Adriene skyrocketed during the pandemic. It’s no real wonder why – Adriene is this laid back yogi who lives in Austin, Texas. Her dog makes guest appearances in her videos. And even for someone inflexible and plus-sized like me, her videos feel pretty accessible. And although the zen, calm, and focus is a huge benefit of daily yoga, I’m in it because I’m in my 40s and most days my back hurts like a sonofabitch. And there is your moment of zen …

I made the viral baked feta pasta that originated from TikTok.  (No, I’m not on TikTok, but if they keep making delicious things go viral, I’m all for it.) Yes, it was tasty.

Carole King’s landmark album “Tapestry” turns 50 this year. Her daughter Louise Goffin wrote this incredible piece commemorating her memories of the album. My mom had this album on vinyl and I remember “discovering” it when I was a teenager. I got to catch Ms. King in concert when she and James Taylor celebrated the 40th anniversary of their November 1970 performance at The Troubadour. It was pretty cool to sit next to my mom and hear the songs that brought us together when I was a kid.

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Watching: I finished the latest season of Netflix’s “The Crown” and have moved on to watching CBS’s “Elementary.” I think that originally came out in 2012. Sometimes I wonder how I’ve missed out on so much television, but then I remember that 2012 was the year my first child was born. The second came in 2013. Ergo … not a lot of time for TV.

I also like to say that I don’t watch a lot of TV. And I guess I really don’t, but given that come March 18th, I’ll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of when my family went into lockdown, binge watching TV is the least of the vices I’ve been leaning on.

Reading: I finished Mindy Mejia’s “Everything You Want Me to Be.” And it was so good that I promptly sent copies to my mentor Jerry and my BFF Deb. I think Jerry managed to read it in a day. I’m waiting for the rude texts to start from Deb once she gets to the scenes involving “Jane Eyre.” (Deb and I have known each other for over 30 years, she’s still bitter that I convinced our high school AP English teacher that we HAD to read JE for our class.)

Writing: Busy work week (which is good), I’m hoping for a quiet afternoon today to research some agents.

As usual … stay healthy, get active, wash your hands, and mask up!

– Shelley

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What is Friday Fare? As a recap, on Fridays I post link love to the various bits of arcane shiz I discover on the Interwebs.  I liken it to a glimpse into my mind, but without the 80s song lyrics or mental cobwebs.