Whoo-hooo! I got a “not on your nelly- it’s only 8 degrees” turn down for an invitation to a snowball fight yesterday. While I’m disappointed there was only one snowball thrown, mine on my sister, and I do have to admit she got me bad enough with the snowblower once that it went into my ear, yesterday was fun, getting out into the snow.
It’s been a fairly good weekend. While most of what I did would be absolutely boring to most, I feel pretty good right now. Most of the household laundry is done and actually put away. The first floor has been swept. All my bedding is clean, and yes, I did get to play wrestly with the cats getting the sheets on. Most of the dishes are done and my fridge now has food in it again. Most of my year end accounting is done and I actually have a clean desk. The bathroom is half done. This on top of partaking in my neighborhood’s snow blower wars, where everyone is outside and cleaning up after a storm.
I’ve been struggling with “Oak” – book 7 in my Novo series, and how I want to rewrite it. This is the last one I came up for air from. If anyone knows a writer, you can probably understand why, for me, that chore list is huge. When I came out of the latest typing craze a handful of weeks ago, I started seeing all the clutter. While I do at least attempt decon procedures every weekend, and when I’m writing I do get the house somewhat under control, sometimes it can take me two months to get fully back on track with decluttering my home of 6 households worth of “stuff.” Past roommates and a possession oriented ex.
I think my favorite part of cleaning this weekend was doing the mouse cages. I had more than one very interested feline be my bestest buddy while scooping out used shred. While the mice were still “at home” and not in the tank I use to do a full decon.
I am so ready to start decluttering again. Once I move several boxes of decorations back up to the attic. It’s been mostly sub-zero temps here since Christmas and I am not insane enough to open the attic’s insulated second door. Even though, yes, I am insane enough to go outside and PLAY.
I am ready to repaint my old bedroom. Ready to start stripping furniture. Ready to redo my movie closet. Ready to move the upstairs “stuff” around and make both my quilting room and play room. Ready to say “goodbye” to broken dreams and to put what I need in play to make new ones.
Which is why I’m circling back to Oak. Of all the books I’ve written so far, Ash was, by far, the easiest. Ivy, book 11, is the second. This weekend, I’ve re-read Ivy, the 2/3’rds that I’ve gotten done so far, and felt that “yeah” vibe and while I will be working on decluttering, getting Ash finalized, my role playing game, and expansion packs for Survival:Heaps, I’m hoping some of that vibe soaks in for Oak. I’ll be taking a long break from Novo. Maybe a year, from starting some of the later in the series, and working on Haven Point. The same break I took from my cop series that gave birth to Novo.
It’s time I made happy. It’s time I stopped living a life I no longer wanted to live and to fully break free of it. I made a list, about 4 years ago. And I am going to try like hell to stop referring to my break up with my ex as a “book ending, new chapter in my life.” Because a lot of what I knew 4 years ago, I knew a long time ago and I gave up on it. I was too tired to fend off everything to make that for myself. Now? It’s time and while I make this change over in my life, I will be thinking of Oak and Bryn, and seeing that discovery happen for me and happen for them.
That’s what the tattoos have been about. Reminders. Acknowledgements. My “stamps” marking important aspects of my life and, you know? None of them were created in anger or bitterness. They are all aspects of love. Good, positive, healthy love.
And who knows? I may just be able to get enough clutter out of the 2nd floor and the attic this summer to finally get that skee-ball machine I’ve always wanted…