Joplin Journal Volume 9-5, Issue 3

From the Editor's Desk:

It's a rainy morning. The sound of rain lightly pattering on the skylight and the roof are quiet pleasant. And the fresh smell coming in the open windows speaks of spring and things growing. I don't have a long list of things to do today, but I do have some things. And I'm sure I can find more to do. :D

Weather Report:

Cloudy. This week has had a lot of cloudy weather, some sprinkles or light rain, some sunshine, wind, and allergies. Everything is green and growing! The grass got mowed last week and it is already starting to look like it could use it again.

"Genius Burns":

Well, I'm trying. I haven't touched Phil Wood yet, but I have written on three other stories. Haven't gotten much more than 1,300 words written this week. Pitiful, I know. Maybe today I can write more. Everything just seems stuck and not wanting to move. I'd really like to get out of this slump. It's not writer's block, it's just an "I-don't-really-want-to-write" problem. Which is probably just as bad or worse. :P

Project Prognosis:

I'm not sure what the prognosis is right now. Probably needs to get to work! :P I have gotten some things taken care of. I still have other projects that need worked on. But hey, I have been working on Blog Posts and have managed to get some of them done.

Yard Work:

Last week the kids were over. Joel had been begging me to let him mow our yard for a few years now. Well, this time it finally worked out. The 4 older boys came prepared to mow. We pulled out all 3 mowers including the new electric one. And we had the weed-eater going. (James and Joel got to weed-eat for the first time.) It was a little confusing at times trying to make sure al the missed spots got mowed. I'll have to teach them how to mow in a systematic way so they don't leave sections unmowed. But they loved it! It was Lucas's first time to mow. They told Jimmy they hoped they could mow my yard all the time now. Not sure they'll be able to come over every time it needs mowed, but I sure wouldn't mind them mowing when they are over.

The Music Stand:

Bell practice is going well. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have everyone there so we can get a good practice in.

Babysitting:

Last week we had the kids over, as I mentioned before. After the yard was mowed, I took Kinsley outside since she had been wanting to go out. She loves the slide and swinging. I set her on one of the big swings and she held on tightly and loved it. She kept coming back to that swing and wanting to swing again. After supper we had a spur-of-the-moment bike ride. Krista needed to try out Sarah's old bike to see if it fit her, and I needed to try out my cousin's old bike to see if I could ride it. I wasn't going to go on a bike ride, but Grant looked up at me and pleaded, "Please can we ride bikes, BehBeh?" And then Krista said she couldn't get off the bike, so she'd have to keep riding. So I took the older ones (Kailyn and Grant rode in the parking lot) for an impromptu bike ride. Grant is now riding a "big bike" and leaving the tricycle for Kinsley. Hopefully Dad will have time to take the training wheels off Kailyn's bike and help her learn to ride without them. She's ready.

Sewing Room:

Orders continue to keep Sarah busy. She sent off a box with a dozen skirts for one order. Now she's working on another order of several skirts.

Read Another Page:

I have a new book project! This is a HARDCOVER collection of the first 12 of my small Christmas Collection books. It might be a limited edition, but we'll see. I'm very excited to see my stories in a hardcover book! The book will be titled Christmas Day Joyous, but I haven't finalized the cover yet. I thought I was going to do one thing, but it wasn't looking good. So I changed it. And, while I really like how it looks, I'm not sure if it's the right cover. So I'm going to try some other things.

If you haven't pre-ordered your copy of A Very Bookish 4th of July (link to Goodreads page) make sure you get your copy ordered before June 4th! You can get it right HERE. And just to keep you interested, here's a different quote from my story.

Teacher's Lounge:

I have taught the final class. I still have the final assignments to grade once they return them to me, but teaching is over until fall. And both families want to do class again. The kids are having fun, and one mom told me that this was so much better than what they'd been doing at home. ;)

Book Nook:

I've actually read more these last few weeks which has been fun. Madeleine Takes Command, Young Man in a Hurry, The Range Rodeo Mystery, and The Librarian of Boone's Hollow were all 4 star books. And I'm almost done with another book I got from the library. This one is set in Yellowstone National Park during 1931. I'm enjoying it so far.

Farewell:

With the rain pattering on the roof, I'm not sure if Dad will get many outside things done. But maybe the rain will stop by noon. Sarah is most likely going to be sewing, and Mom has been thinking of organization. I need to get some things organized too. I guess I'd better get to it. Have a lovely weekend. I won't be writing next Saturday since my grandparents are coming down and we're all meeting at Jimmy's for lunch and time together.