Waking Up Tired

This cold or flu bug we both have is still kicking our butts. I think the worst of it is over because we no longer have the wracking coughs and sneezing fits that make our ribs ache, but our joints still hurt, and we are both weak as kittens and tired all the time. We are sleeping well, but wake up tired, have a light breakfast, then spend much of the day napping. So though we have a lot to do to get settled into our new house, we’re not getting much of it done and I really don’t have much to tell you about today.

We had planned to go back to Florida to get the last of our stuff from our house there so we can get it listed with a real estate agent, but we are just not up to it. So that’s getting put on the back burner for a while yet. Fortunately, we aren’t making payments on it and don’t have a buyer standing on the sidelines waiting to get in. At least we don’t have that pressure on us.

Between naps yesterday, I spent some time reading the operator’s manual for my new Kubota tractor, trying to familiarize myself with all of the controls and what they do. I also answered quite a few emails, including one from someone who is very upset that my new book, Big Lake Drunk, lists several ways people can abuse alcohol without actually drinking it. The woman said kids can find enough ways to get into trouble without authors suggesting new ideas. My response is that I doubt very many “kids” read my small town mystery books, but if they are looking for information on things like that, it’s not hard to find on Google. I know because that’s where I found it.

In other news, the previous owners of our new place had a flock of chickens, most of which were so tame they would eat out of their hands. They rounded them up when they moved out, except for one white hen that was hiding in the barn sitting on a clutch of eggs. I don’t know what happened to the eggs, but the hen is still hanging out here. Crystal, the former owner, has tried to catch her, but Chicken Little isn’t having any of that. She wanders around, hiding in the brush and pecking at the ground during the day and sits on the deck at night. Terry put out a cardboard box with a cotton rug for her to get into, but she ignores it and sits next to it. I go out and feed her every day, but she won’t let me get too close. Our son Travis says she is probably laying eggs somewhere, but we have not had the energy to go looking for them. Hopefully Travis or Crystal will eventually be able to catch her and reunite her with her flock or put her in with his before a fox or some other predator gets to her.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – When life knocks you down, stay there and take a nap.