Thursday, January 4, 2018

"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." - Niels Bohr


I'm gonna miss my dad.

I've decided temps below 40 are too cold for running. I realize that marks me as something less than committed, but so be it. The problem: I'm not doing any running and haven't for the last month. When we do get above 40 I'll be starting from scratch and that is NO fun. Especially when I'll be hauling Christmas cookies along with me.

This morning I reserved a 4'x8' U-Haul enclosed trailer for next week. I'll pick it up Tuesday at 2 p.m. and go right to Marta's to load up two yearling goats. I'll bring them back to our place where they'll spend the night in the weaning shed. At 4 a.m. Wednesday we'll load them back in the trailer and start the drive to Seattle. We should be at Ann's place on the south side of the city before noon, drop off the goats, collect Marta's money and my "transport fee" (just covers expenses) and then drive the rest of the way into Seattle to drop of the trailer. From there out to mom's.
That's the first time I've written "mom's" instead of "the folks'." The new normal.

I've often read the "Acknowledgments" page at the beginning of a book and found the comments and list of names interesting. Now that I'm at this point of the publishing process I realize those words and names don't adequately communicate the author's sense of indebtedness.

"...what options does Trump have at his disposal?" (NBCNews.com headline).
What an odd expression. Why would someone dispose of options? Or does President Trump have a disposal where he keeps options?

It was on this day (Jan. 3, a Sunday) in 1971 that we learned Don & (sister) Kathy's plane had not returned from their WI to MI flight.
One of the things that makes me smile when I think about dad's death is that his Christmas present this year was getting to spend the day with his daughter.

Jan. 3 was also my maternal grandmother's birthday. She was a godly woman who read her Bible and prayed every morning. On the oak library table to my left as I type this is a group of a few significant books that includes a small red ledger book in which she recorded each month's giving to the Lord's work. For almost two years that record includes $10 each month to Craig who was attending Bible college in Michigan, a significant sum for a widow living on Social Security. She died during my sophomore year, so Pam never got to meet her.

When a home is destroyed by a hurricane, flood or other natural disaster does the owner still get a tax bill? Is it reduce accordingly? Sure should be, but I've never heard about that part of the process.
And if it is reduced to the value of the land only that city or county must take a huge income hit at a time when services are more needed than ever.
Hmmmm.

I met with Aly this afternoon. She's doing the cover for my book.

Then I went home and decided to send Aly a follow-up email. Couldn't. After a few minutes of messing around I went outside and learned that the tree trimming crew working across the road bumped the pole that holds our satellite dish and knocked it out of alignment. 
How do you call for service if you don't know their number and can't look it up on the internet.
"Cell phone" you say? Sure, IF you have coverage where you live.

I drove down the hill into coverage and used my cell phone to call Dish. After 25 minutes of waiting for a person I learned I need to call Hughes, the co. they sub the internet business to. Got that number and spent 35 minutes on hold.
Give up, go home.
Call Hughe's 800 number, spend 50 minutes listening to bad music and finally get a person who tells me it will cost $125 to send a tech. "NO! Unacceptable." So she puts me on hold so she can talk to someone. After 5 minutes on hold I GOT CUT OFF.
Go through it all again. This time 45 minutes of bad music to get a guy who had me go through 20 minutes of diagnostic steps to tell me what I told him AT THE BEGINNING - the dish is out of alignment.
First available service date: Jan. 11. When we're in Seattle for dad's memorial service.
So he's going to try to find something earlier and call me Friday morning (yeah, right).

So much of what I'm doing at this stage of the book project happens via the internet. So until then, a coffee shop or _____ twice a day. Which is where I am now. And need to get back to work.
If you don't see much of me for a while that's why.

Grrrrrr.

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