All in All January Was A-Okay

January came in a hot mess and is going out a hot mess. Thankfully, in between we had some really lovely, sunny days. Just last week the sun made an appearance a couple of days, giving me and the boys a chance to get out and enjoy the warmth several times each day. Friday evening, though, straight through yesterday, rain fell. Overnight it turned to snow. The snow is still falling now, which is fine by me. If I had my druthers, I'd rather have snow to take walks in than rain. Snow is just more fun.

But it's time to say so long to January. It's been a good month. Lovely Beautiful Daughter turned 29 and Angel Baby turned 22. We were going to celebrate both birthdays today, but out of an abundance of caution we decided to wait for a day when the roads aren't slick. That might not be until April or May, but we've become used to waiting to see each other. The last year has taught us to be patient.

I've been working on my book. Not making a ton of progress because I'm doing the usual JP approach to writing: moving forward then backing up to tinker and polish even though I know this isn't the most efficient way to get anywhere. I just need to keep forging ahead. The adding, deleting, editing, and proofreading can come later. I tell my students this ALL THE TIME, yet I don't follow my own advice. My goal for this week is to just move forward, not back up and rewrite. Only forward. I will say the book I'm reading right now showed me I might be going at the structure of my book all wrong. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody has been a game-changer for me, so this is one reason I haven't made a lot of forward progress. I looked at what I had going and realized I did need to back up and establish a stronger foundation. It's one thing to have a degree in literature and talk about any given element of a text. It's a totally different thing to actually write a book. I'm loving learning how writers actually go in and put together a novel. 

I've also taken up bullet journaling. This has helped me focus my attention on the activities I really want to put time into. I like being able to put a bullet for an activity each day. Makes me feel productive. So far, there are two activities I have not kept up with that I thought I would: photography and working out. I'm not sure why I haven't spent any time on either one. Both will be on the list for February, so I'll see them each day as activities I want to engage in. Right now they just aren't up there with reading, writing, yoga, meditation, training Murphy, and cooking. All of these I do nearly every day. The pattern in the bullet journal shows I have no problem spending quality time on each of these. Now, if I can just get the photography and the working out into the mix I'll feel really productive.

One activity that I've fallen into the trap of is playing For the King!, a video game. My boys turned me onto it, and it's been a bit of a time suck to say the least. It's just so fun. I definitely need to ease up on the time spent playing. Maybe then I'll get my butt downstairs and do a workout or work on my photography.

Murphy is growing! He'll be 12 weeks old on February 4. He's such a stinker, too. We've been working on simple commands, like sit, down, wait, off, and come. I had to laugh the other day after hearing myself say no! to him for the umpteenth time. I'm pretty sure he's going to think his name is Murphy No!. He does listen, though. He knows his name and comes to me when I call him. We've been working on a long leash out in the yard where he can run and have fun, and I have the comfort of him being on a leash that allows him a lot of freedom but still under my control. Even when he's a ways from me, if I call him he turns and comes running. Such a cutie pie.

Ado is pretty much all healed up after his scrape with the pit bull. He's taken on the role of big brother to Murphy and makes sure Murphy knows who the boss really is. They give me a lot to laugh at when they play. Ado will pick up a toy and bring it to Murphy, who then grabs a part sticking out of Ado's mouth. They each start tugging and growling. This can go on for a half hour or longer, which works for me. In the end, they're both exhausted, ready to nap for a bit.

My thumb is almost healed. It still hurts enough I can't open the door on my Jeep or button my jeans or shirts. I've been wearing a lot of sweatpants and pullovers to avoid having to try and use it. Most of the swelling is gone, but there is some, and the joint is still tender, along with the nail bed. Maybe in another two weeks it'll be all healed up. I haven't heard anything regarding getting paid back for the vet bills. I've pretty much written that off. A dog owner who allows their dog to be outside without a collar on, unleashed, and not fenced in most likely isn't too worried about paying the costs for their bad behavior. 

So, February, looking forward to seeing you. I think we'll have a great time together.

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