Finnegan's Diary

Puzzles and Big Windows (Finnegan’s Diary)

One of my favorite places to be is at the front door when it is opened. There is a big glass window much bigger than me! I can relax on the floor and watch through the window. One day mommy said it was like spring and then she carried two big pots of green stuff from the garage and put them on the big table on the porch. I stayed inside and watched through this big window. I don’t want to go out there because it is a little scary, even if that’s where the birds are.

It’s been a quiet, normal week for us. Mommy still goes out sometimes, but I hear her when she comes back and wait for her by the door. She is always happy to see me and that makes me purr. She didn’t bring me any new toys. She says I have enough. I think I need more because I do get bored. She’s been talking about how I need a buddy to wrestle with and play chase. Mommy plays chase with me and I will run from room to room, but she never tries to really catch me. Then I dive into the tunnel and she plays like she can’t find me. It’s better than nothing, but she gets tired quickly.

Mostly I content myself with sleeping close to her in whatever room she’s in. I helped her put together a puzzle. Well, mostly I supervised. It was a big puzzle and do you know what she did when we finished it? She took it apart! That made no sense to me at all.

This puzzle was a little lame because it had a dog in a chair. Should have been a cat! Mommy says she we are going to work a puzzle next with lots of cats in the picture. That’ll be fun. I’m a good supervisor. Her puzzle board tilts up and I’ll run from one side under the board to the other side. She laughs. That’s part of supervising. Making sure she laughs.

Nothing much to share this week. Mommy didn’t take many pictures. I need to remind her she needs more pictures of me for my blog. It’s looking like another sunny day, so I’m going to jump to my window bed and take a morning nap. Mommy is coming and will want to take over the computer. So, until next week, this is me reporting from Finnegan’s Diary!

Author's Life · hobbies

Finding Your Mojo

It is so easy to lose my mojo when it comes to the things that occupy my time during the day. I love to color and listen to audio books. It is a way for me to relax and find happiness in a finished project. But there are days when coloring doesn’t appeal to me at all. I’ll look through books and not see a single picture to inspire me. And so, I put them all away and look for something else to occupy my time.

Jigsaw puzzles are fun. I have one on my kitchen table now, partially worked. This is something I like to do when Finnegan, my cat, is sleeping or having his quiet time…usually when his tummy is full. I can only work on a puzzle for limited time or my upper back begins to bother me. Sometimes I look at the puzzle and it is daunting so I just walk away. it doesn’t interest me.

I enjoy reading but most of my reading is done on my iPad and I choose Christian nonfiction books. But, like reading my Bible, I have to stop and absorb/think about what the author is telling me, so I read about a chapter at a time.

Then there is writing. I have established a writing schedule which is after dinner, leaving my daytime hours flexible. I write until I reach or surpass the daily word count to finish the book on schedule. Sometimes I stare at the blank page with no idea what comes next. If I don’t stick to it, I can easily lose my mojo.

I’ve learned over the years, I’m a person who needs routine. If I stick to my daily schedule, I’m a happier person. But if I miss just one day of writing, or reading, I can easily lose my mojo and become unsatisfied and in a confused state. Not sure if you can relate to this or not, but if you can, I want you to know it’s important not to completely lose your mojo. If you have to miss a day due to life interruptions, don’t quit! Be gracious to yourself and embrace your routine on the next day. It will only happen if you want it to happen.

Author's Life · hobbies · Senior Life

Vacations, Relaxing Projects and Book Update

Writing this before bedtime. I’m so excited and hope I will be able to sleep. I haven’t been on a vacation for a many years. Tomorrow I’m heading to NC to visit with my daughter and son-in-love. What fun I’ve had packing. I did make a list of everything I would need so with luck I won’t forget anything.

All the edits were completed on the book on Friday and it is out to a beta readers now. When I return I’ll make any changes based on feedback, make one more run through my editing service, and do a final read through. All is on schedule for release by mid June!

I’ve spent the weekend doing fun things. Finishing two coloring pages and working a jigsaw puzzle.

Forgive the glare from the camera on the puzzle!

This one took a lot of time!
I Enjoyed coloring this pretty girl and adding the sparkles!

All these projects were very relaxing. I worked on them in the evening after spending the days on editing and decided to spend Saturday and this afternoon finishing them. I’m taking a coloring book with me to NC as my daughter is a colorist too, and has all the coloring things I might need! Looking forward to seeing the horses across the road, the goats on the hills in the back and conversation! I sure miss conversation.

This afternoon my middle daughter called and we talked for about an hour. It was great to see my close friend today and have lunch after church. She has been sick for a couple of weeks. Life sometimes gets a little lonely now that I don’t have my cat Templeton to talk to! Unless a receive a phone call many hours might pass when I don’t use my voice at all. Then when I talk I might sound like a frog croaking! LOL!

All in all, I am very grateful for the life I lead. I’m grateful for each breath I take, grateful for my salvation, and grateful for my relationship with Jesus. God has been so loving over all these almost 79 years, especially when I didn’t realize it or appreciate it! Never take for Him for granted.

I plan to keep up my blog while I’m on vacation, so expect to see pictures!