What can I say, I’m just not a numbers person.

Reading:

I’ve been reading. Rabidly. In fact, I’ve been reading more than just about anything. Since coming home from the hospital in late April, it’s been a relief to bury myself in worlds that aren’t mine. They don’t include the pain, the struggles to recover, the barrage of medications (and the nasty side-effects thereof). I can slip into someone else’s space, and forget that my own is less than welcoming.

I’ve recently re-read the entire Dragonriders of Pern series (all of the books by Anne McCaffrey; I don’t care for the ones written by Anne’s son Todd, they lack the charm of Anne’s writing).

I’ve read my friend Maggie Toussaint’s wonderful Dreamwalker series (if you love cozy paranormal mysteries, you will adore the ghostly adventures of Baxley Powell).

I’ve enjoyed Alan Garner’s surreal and more than a little creepy Elidor. The audiobook seriously spooked my children when they were quite young.

The first four books of Mary Stewart’s Arthurian Saga once again filled my days and nights with their magic. In the process, I discovered that there is a fifth. I guess I’ll be saving my pennies to eventually buy the Kindle version.

There were others, as well, though my hole-riddled brain (thanks to a combination of prednisone and Chronic Lyme) is spacing on the titles right now.

Most recently, I’ve revisited His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I read these, and adored them, when the movie, The Golden Compass, first came out. They were just as delightful the second (it may actually be the third) time around. Although these stories are marketed as “middle grade” novels, they truly are not for the average ten-to-twelve year old. There is some rather frightening stuff in there, quite a bit of violence, and they often deal with mature themes that some parents may object to. Still, they’re full of magic that takes place in a world that completely absorbs the reader.

Now, though, it’s Christmastime, so the reading will go on hold for a while.

Wait. Christmastime? It’s September 2nd, isn’t it? Yes, but for those of us who make hand-crafted gifts, September is often the start of the holiday season. I’ll be crocheting and knitting for a while. Reading time has to be reassigned. Then, the week before Christmas, I will pick up my annual favorite, A Christmas Carol, and enjoy the Dickens out of it.

Writing:

Writing? Not much, I’m ashamed to say. I have been doing some editing, bouncing back and forth between the two books I’d been working on. Both have recently been read (and are currently in the process thereof) by my wonderful critique group. Once in a while, I can find the focus to organize thoughts and go through them, making adjustments, rearranging things, and feeling like I’m actually accomplishing something. As often as not, I open the file, try to get my brain to cooperate, and wind up closing it down again, disoriented and exasperated.

I usually then pick up a book to read and cuddle with my little dog for a while.

I did stumble across another book I’d started, and gotten quite a long way into, not long ago. I read through parts of that, tweaking things along the way, and then was sidelined by health issues. I have quite a few of those. Health issue, yes, but I’m actually referring to books I’d started and set aside for whatever reason. Most of them have merit. Merit, however, doesn’t do much good without motivation.

Motivation is hard when your body won’t cooperate. But I am making slow progress, and that’s something. On days when I can get a few chapters tweaked, I celebrate the victory.

Not Arithmetic:

Technically, this does involve numbers, and the details that used to come so easily, and be accomplished visually, now need to be carefully counted. A year ago, I did the counting in my head. Now, every item must be voiced out loud. I can’t keep track if there is any kind of distraction, and the nearby surface is littered with sheets of scrap paper, cross-hatched with scribbled lines and numbers.

Yarn craft is a long-time pleasure that, now, can lead to frustration. I still enjoy it immensely, if I can relax and try not to be annoyed by the sound of my own voice (“one, two, three, four, increase one. One, two, three, four, increase two….”). If I don’t let myself pay too much attention to the difficulties, it’s a great way to move from summer into fall.

And Christmas.

Every year, I make stocking stuffers. These are amigurumi sculptures. (That’s a fancy way of saying stuffed toys.) I’ve made various animals, as well as anime and video game characters. They’re fun, and (used to be) quick projects that are always enjoyed by the recipients. The giftees of these cute little toys are my adult offspring. Silly, maybe, but they bring smiles, and that’s what counts.

I started the first one a few days ago. Between the clumsiness of hands that no longer cooperate, and the challenges of a brain that has trouble keeping track, it’s going to take longer than usual. I used to be able to finish a toy within a day or two. Not anymore. That’s okay. The finished product will make my kids (and their mom) happy.

After all, it’s Christmas, and Christmas will always be the very best season, even if it does start in September. Last year, since our real fireplace has been unusable for years, I even put YouTube on the TV and listened to Christmas music while a video of a crackling fire was playing.

It’s chilly today. It dipped well down into the 40s overnight. Maybe I’ll do that again, and pretend the virtual fire is keeping me toasty as my hands work through the stitches.

One, two, three, four, increase one….

Happy Holidays, friends!

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If you click, thank you. If not, thank you, anyway.
I’d probably just buy more yarn with the generated pennies.
It’s an addiction. 😉}