filing

Sunday, August 17, 2008




farmers market sugar beets

Sugar beet also my new name for Miss Dixon - she is my sweet, sweet sugar beet.

Squawking cries of blue herons, a soft chorus of crickets and the barely audible rumblings of thunder far off in the distance are the sounds coming in my open windows this early morning. No wind at all. Yesterday it rained and rained, coming down at times in sheets of grey wetness.

Around noon and before the rain had begun I thought I'd best whip La Beast Rouge around one half of my yard. I released her from her home in the newly immaculate and tidy garden shed, added more motor oil, topped up her gas receptacle with premium super plus gasoline, primed her, yanked on that damn cord and her engine starting with a flurry only to very quickly sputter dead. I repeatedly yanked on the rip cord (or whatever you call that cord) ... same results every time. Big, huge, %!!#$?? sigh. These are the situations that happen in the life of a single designer gal with a big huge old house and even bigger overgrown yard and garden that nearly push her over the edge. When things don't work, when little things go wrong - my initial reaction is to lie down in the grass and stare up at, what was yesterday an overcast and grey sky, and stay lying there until someone comes and finds me. Then it occurs to me that I could be there an awfully long time. So instead I take a deep breath, gently push her back into her home dans la shed and make a mental note to put her in the car, in the back of the wagon Sunday night so I can drop her off at the small engine repair on our way home from our beach walk early Monday morning. Erggghhh.

I filed yesterday. Purged paper, organized and filed all my files. Since moving into my new office and receiving from BFF Harry, a beautiful, practically brand new, four drawer legal size filing cabinet - the kind with built in rails for hanging file folders - be still my beating heart, I had yet to deal with all of my files. 7 years of self employed work files, reference material, home and personal stuff - one of those jobs that many of us will endlessly put off. And one of those jobs that when done and done well provides enormous & unexpectedly thrilling satisfaction.

There is nothing worse (to me) than thinking I wonder where ____ is ??? I could really use ____ in order to do a good job at the current project on the teak topped desk. Now I can ask ... Hmmmm Susan - I wonder where the Christmas themed photo ornament file would be ?? Easy !! Une moment Madam - that could be found in Drawer No 2 (that entire drawer being customer No Uno) and toward the back. Sigh.

Today it's draw draw, draw. Finished drawings of all those tiny frame thumbnails while listening and occasionally watching the Olympics.

The finches are up and having a breakfast meeting in the back garden - is there a happier sound than the sound of sweet little finches chattering away ?



8 comments:

  1. Good morning, Susan. ohhh...finches sound much more charming that a CRICKET outside my window! :) haha I'm glad you were able to get some things done yesterday. I'm sure that felt good. And I checked out the pic of your new office...I love it. Good luck with your drawing today.

    Much love,
    xo

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  2. Do you have a choke on the beast? Was it on?...as soon as you get it running... move the choke lever to HI or whatever the next thing says...don't leave it in the choke position for any time at all. Let it idle fast for as long as you like but don't leave the choke on for any time at all after pulling the cord and starting it.

    Also..is there a manual gas on?off switch? is it on? sometimes I forget which position it is in...it tells me right away..by quitting...then I switch it and try again.

    Or...maybe somehow you flooded it... so just wait 10 minutes and give another try beginning from returning the choke to on position....

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  3. Filing is one of those things I put off doing until I have a tangled mess of ephemera and can't cram one more piece of it into the six formerly orderly baskets in the cabinet by my computer. It is in dire need of weeding right now. Ick. You are inspiring me...just a tad. But you have to be in the mood, right? And I'm not.

    Lovely, lovely beet photos!!

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  4. Susan, I empathize with your feelings of frustration when things don't work as expected. I can see myself lying on the ground in defeat, thinking "okay, I give up!"
    I am glad that you had feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction from filing to make up for it.

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  5. I have a bunch just like that in my kitchen, kept together with a brown rubber band. Only I call them beetroot. I guess if I was from North America, say California or Nova Scotia, I might call them sugar beet, but as Ive never lived either place, they will always be beetroot to me.
    Bye

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  6. Sometimes I pine for the country and then I remember the lawns!I also miss my previous big garden a lot, but not the constant pruning and disposal of the heavy cuttings.We are renting a little maisonette in the city now and it is easier,particularly as severe water restrictions are applied in summer in South Australia which affects gardens painfully.Happy filing!

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  7. your red beast is beastly indeed! My poor old lawn mower never gets any attention but the annual blade sharpening. I never change its filter or oil or anything else but top is off with gasoline every now and then. It is very sorrowful but you know what? It works just fine!

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  8. I am reading whilst looking at a tall stack of filing I must do tomorrow morning. Drat.

    I adore the color of those sugar beets!

    Hellos to Sugar Beat Winnie, from both Edward and Apple....newly bathed and soft as can be!

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