writer’s block party

The most difficult part of the “self-quarantining” that we all have been asked to continue, is a type of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder I have developed. I have books I should be reading. I walk the dogs, but I could do with a little more exercise. (We have a set of dumbbells in a spare bedroom.) There are hobbies I could be doing or at least displaying. All those baking show watching spurred buying recipe ingredients which have yet to be tried. There are garden projects other than the daily attention to my roses and fruit trees. I spent an hour looking at materials to buy to bird-proof the fruit trees. I only quit, not because I have no means to transport beams in my car, but I could not find the bucket of nails and screws I put away just two months ago. Probably for the best.

You can write the best column in the world on Monday, and it does you absolutely no good on Tuesday. There is no way to win. You just write until you are tired, they fire you, or you die.

Lewis Grizzard

The project I did start was due to the promise I gave my wife -that I would start this week on painting. Pulled the baseboards down. Scrubbed the walls down with a bucket of TSP in preparation to prime them. I will not embarrass myself to my friends by saying how long the repainting has been needed.

While the walls were drying, I went outside.. Song birds, hummingbirds, and mourning doves are back, including a few new visitors as well. Happens at the time of year the purple sage is spreading rapidly after a good rain and hot weather’s arrival. Take the bird we thought possibly injured as it was just standing next to our driveway. Was he admiring our mosaic mailbox? Or perhaps looking up at the roses? My wife thought to get him some bird seed. Since I was holding our dogs on a leash, I almost forgot to snap a picture before he hopped across the street and up a tree at the neighbor’s house. I took a beautiful panorama of my driveway. But I had seen it clearly enough. Anyway, this image I found online was certainly one and the same as our visitor. If indeed a wetland bird, I re-filled the bird bath. My thoughts wandered. If a Black Phoebe stopped by. I wonder if the Hooded Oriole that visited last year might also return. Speaking of visitors –

Let me know if you are interested in being a Guest Blogger.Your contribution will help Dexter and Comet’s salvaging something useful from my writer’s block. And I work for a decent boss. I will not fire me. At my worst, I still make more intelligible ramblings than President Trump.

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