Thursday Morning

Good Morning, Friends!

Thursday looks to be a gloomy day forthcoming. It is overcast outside and a bit chilly inside. I haven't had to turn the electric blanket on for the last six days. Looks as though the weather is going to change for the cold side. Someone said yesterday the weather gurus are predicting a bit of rain or snow...it got up to 75 (or better) yesterday! It is true that the weather in Kansas can and does change drastically in a matter of hours! Day before yesterday the folks in Norton woke up to 30 degree weather and by the afternoon the temperature had soared to almost 80 degrees F. Crazy, I tell ya! (Norton is about an hour's drive from me.) I'd rather the weather turned warm and stayed that way, but alas, I've no control over the weather! I don't particuarly want control over the weather now that I think about it! Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE complains about the weather!
I added another book to my list of books read this year. Charleston by John Jakes. It was an excellent book! The story of three generations of a family in South Carolina. The book begins before the Revolutionary War back in the 1700s and ends shortly after the American Civil War. I couldn't believe how Edward died! Few books have ever gotten such a strong reaction out of me! I was laying in my bed reading, with Doob laying atop the blanket snoozing and I woke her up when Edward got killed. I said outloud, in not a quiet voice at all...."What? No! Edward can't die!" I won't ruin it for anyone who wishes to read the book, but Edward's dieing was a shocker! Not that he died, I knew that was coming....he was the second generation Bell in the book so I knew his demise was going to happen eventually, but how he met his demise. It is a book well-worth reading! I happen to like the time frame in history that this book occurs in and that only made it a doubly good read! The characters were all very well researched and Mr. Jakes makes it very easy to relate to them all. This is the first book by John Jakes I have ever read but I will be reading others as I come across them. I don't believe I own any other books by him at the moment. I've no idea what book will come next.
I loaned my dil the last book in the Earths Childrens Series and I've yet to get it back so I can read it. Not to worry though, I've a whole library of books to choose from. All that's needed is to go look in the bookshelves and pick something!
It is only about 7:30 in the morning right now. I've been up since just before 4 a.m. I've accomplished not much in that time frame. I cut some inchie blanks, made one inchie to see if the paper I was going to cut inchie blanks out of would do...it did! I emptied one of my email boxes, read the newest blog entries of those blogs I follow, answered a pm and opened a couple of envelopes that arrived in snail mail yesterday. Don't know what I was thinking not opening them yesterday. They contained ATCs from a couple of trades I recently made.
This afternoon....later this morning... probably both... I'm going to be doing laundry and working on chunky pages for a couple of swaps. Yep, those cats you all been hearing about are on the agenda! I found a half finished chunky page in the drawer where I keep my 1inch punch when I went to put it away earlier. That one is going to the monochromatic swap. It's a purple tree. I have a boatload of trees to get done and a couple of fish as well. Not to mention the cats, monochromatics and other stuff that needs to get done. I just don't have enough hours in one day nor the endurance to sit and create for too long at a time.
I bought some new 9pocket pages yesterday that need to find a spot in one of the notebooks where I keep my ATCs. I looked for some slide pocket pages (for photographic slides) but the store I was in didn't carry them. I need some of those for inchies. I've yet to figure out how to display all the inchies I have. The only slide pocket page I have has been filled with inchies for quite some time and they are piling up.
I need to clean my worktable off so I've some room to work on! I've got stuff all out of whack over there!
RJ and T kidnapped me yesterday and took me out to lunch at Applebee's in Hays. I know progress is inevitable...but that drive to Hays down Highway 183 saddens me right now. The state is widening the highway. Someday in the not too distant future that two lane highway will become a four lane superhighway. It saddens me because Highway 183 runs through farmland, limestone cliffs and across the Solomon River. It used to be a really pretty drive. They have shaved off some of the limestone cliffs to accomedate for the road that is to be. They've cut down large tracts of large trees that took many years to grow. They've just made a mess of things! I know they aren't anywhere near done making that mess either. The bridge over the Solomon River is about half done...then they'll widen...no, probably replace the old bridge to accomidate for the new highway and more trees will meet the bulldozer. I hate it when trees are cut down for progress. I know it is necessary but that does nothing to ease my pains cause of it! It saddens me about the trees cause those trees are just put in a landfill to rot away instead of being used for something useful. If they'd do something productive with the wood from all those huge trees it would ease the pains somewhat. But as far as I know, they put them in a landfill to rot away. I look at those now dead trees laying along the side of the road and think how much firewood could be cut and split from them. Do you know how much lumber could be cut from those old trees? I don't know the exact amount myself, but I think a lot could be! The state should do something to recoup some of their money from those trees. The rock they shave off the sides of the cliffs is used to repair and build chalk roads. Chalk rock is a lot like limestone....they use it on all the county roads around here. Where others have dirt roads...we have chalk roads. They also use the rock to control erosion. All that is good and well, but I kinda liked the cliffs the way they've been for years now! Yes, I know, progress must go on... but still...it saddens me cause none of the things they've taken away can be replaced again. Tress can be planted but I'll never see them as big as the ones they cut down to make the road wider. I'll be dead before that happens. I'm just on a rant is all. Pay me no nevermind this morning! I'll step down from my soapbox now.
I'm hungry so I'm gonna go make some breakfast and get busy with laundry. You all have a fantastic Thursday wherever you may be. Remember to get you some hugs! I shall yak at you tomorrow. I'll have a bit of art to show you then...I have three ATCs that need to be scanned and few inchies as well. I'll show you the chunky pages when I get all for one swap done.
Be well, friends!
Peace
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