Skip to main content

Two More Days...

By Cheryl Brooks

There was a time when saying the "B word" would get me yelled at by my fellow nurses. But I'm not working in a hospital anymore, so perhaps it's safe to say it now.

I'm bored. 

This condition is undoubtedly due to Seasonal Affective Disorder. I get it every year, but all the freakin' (feel free to substitute a different spelling of that word) snow and ice this winter has compounded the problem with worry about my youngest son as he drives back and forth to work and unholy levels of cabin fever to the point that I, like so many others, am about to lose what's left of my mind.


Not that I don't have books to write, but there are only so many hours I can spend at my desk without freezing solidly into that position. Season 3 of Sherlock was MUCH too brief and even Downton Abbey is finished for another year. The Olympics provided a momentary respite, but except for the occasional bobsledder in a skin-tight suit or a graceful lady in a sparkly skating costume, all the snow and ice in Sochi didn't take me very far from what's outside my window. Thank heaven for the start of the new season of The Voice earlier this week, which is the only sign of spring I've seen thus far. Unfortunately, with a predicted high of only 25 here today, there still aren't any crocuses coming up.

I tried a slightly different cure for the winter blues this year. Having paid the bills incurred during the Christmas season, I felt free to purchase some of the little things I've been thinking of buying for some time. Unfortunately, although I didn't buy anything terribly expensive (unless you count a new stove, the saga of which is chronicled here), those little things do tend to add up. As a result, getting the next round of credit card bills and bank statements canceled out what little joy there was in buying this lovely set of shelves to help diminish the clutter on my overcrowded kitchen counters. Although its assembly did help me kill an hour or so.


I designed and ordered bookmarks and business cards. I cleaned places in my house that hadn't been touched in years. I went through stacks of old books and weeded out the throwaways from the keepers. I formatted the remaining three books in my Unlikely Lovers series for CreateSpace, even though the cover art won't be ready for weeks. I made reservations for conferences (Hope to see everyone at the RAGT and RWA Nationals!) and decided in favor of Gatlinburg over Chicago for this summer's family vacation and made reservations for that. I cleaned out a drawer in an old desk that contained twenty-five-year-old pay stubs and burned them after being momentarily amazed that I took home roughly $350 a pay period back then and considered myself rich.

I cleaned out the refrigerator and then tried cooking my way out of the blues. Since I got my new stove, I've made bread and several other time-consuming recipes. But like the hours in a day, there are only so many cubic centimeters of space in my stomach. Tending the fire in the woodstove kept me busy until we ran out of firewood and had to rely solely on the furnace. I felt a momentary surge of hope as I watched the snow melt slightly, only to have those hopes dashed as more of it fell.

And still February lingered on.

But the end is finally in sight. In two more days, March will be here at last, along with the deadline for the first of my upcoming erotic contemporary cowboy series. Unless the power goes out due to an ice storm or one of the other horrors the winter of 2013-2014 has thrown at us, I should be sending it in on time.

If there's any snow or ice in the forecast for March, please don't tell me. I really don't want to know.

To celebrate the end (we hope!) of winter, I'm giving a free copy of Wildcat to one lucky commenter! 


For your chance to win, tell us what signs of spring you're most looking forward to!

Comments

  1. I never have enough time in the day to be bored! :) But I know what you mean about being disillusioned about winter weather. For me, it's wanting the relief of hot, hot, hot Texas weather when it hits here. We have freezing rain scheduled for today, but 75 on Friday. It bodes disaster for us if it is that warm now and this is our coldest month normally. We've been having 70's for two weeks. And barely any rain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to be that busy, and in the summer, I am. Just not now! Hope your weather is better this spring!

      Delete
  2. I am also excited to see the new season of The Voice and will so be starting the Spring Quarter in school. The local hospital where I work, we are expanding and on April 1st, the Mom & Baby unit (as they call it) will be coming to our campus! While these are all great signs of spring, the sign I look most to seeing are the Daffodils, Irises, Hyacinths, and Lilacs blooming!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm already loving The Voice, but will be sorry when the blind auditions are over. I love the way the coaches fight over the singers!
      No signs of anything coming up here. Usually, the daffodils are up about four inches high and the snowdrops are blooming by now. Nuthin' yet!

      Delete
  3. The Voice and Justified keep me going. If your boredom continues will you come to Oklahoma and clean my closets? What I'm looking forward to this spring is getting one more deadline met so I can move forward to the next two that need to be done before the San Antonio trip, and the roses, and daffodils and leaves on trees and going outside in the afternoons to listen to the birds sing...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have another deadline for a novella in May, but I finished it a couple of days ago. Already starting to the next book, which is due in December. Good luck on meeting your deadlines!

      Delete
  4. I am never bored! Well, I never run out of things to do...just time to do them. I'm looking forward to nice weather instead of this whiplash weather--nice then yuck. Lots of time at the park and on picnics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Picnics in the park sound great. Not today. The temp is only up to 15 here. At least the sun is shining!

      Delete
  5. Every day I look out my picture window in hopes of seeing a red-winged black bird. Then spring will have officially arrived! For now, the resident doe and her triplets from last year come to graze at the birdfeeders and on my bushes, and the woodpeckers, juncos, and chickadees gorge on suet. Like Shana, I don't have time to be bored, but I'm definitely going stir-crazy from the cold...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw some robins a while back. No sign of them now! Lots of the winter birds, though. I freed one that got its foot stuck in the coils of the garden hose I keep on the ground near the bird feeder. Haven't used that hose for much lately...

      Delete
  6. I'm going stir- crazy. I can't see my yard under 8 foot snowbanks. I can't see anything. I just want to see my yard with a red-breasted Robin bobbing along.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's part of my problem. I miss seeing the ground, even if it's dead grass and mud! Our snow is gone for the moment. Sounds like you'll have a muddy mess when yours melts!

      Delete
  7. the flowers

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was at Rural King today and saw a bunch of roses for sale. There's hope for us yet!

      Delete
  8. I never get bored either lol. There is always another book to read. I've never had a problem with sitting for long periods. I do look forward though to some signs of color - spring flowers, leaves on the trees and not having to wear boots and coats and scarves and gloves lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I get antsy when I have to sit for extended periods, even when I'm reading a good book. The root of my problem is that writing used to be my hobby. Now it's my job and I haven't found another hobby to replace it with!

      Delete
  9. Haha! I live in Michigan and know your pain. Today's wind chill was -10. *sigh* This summer I will be complaining of heat, so I know to keep my mouth shut now. ;)
    I want flowers and green leaves. I love greenery.
    lattebooks at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean. When it's 100 degrees and hasn't rained in months, we'll look back on this weather with fondness. But not yet!

      Delete
  10. When I see the potted flowers come out, I know spring has sprung. I also get an itch to "deep" clean my house about twice a year and spring is one of those times. As crazy as it sounds, I like the invigorated feel of having organized messy places. But, Cheryl, Season 2 of "Vikings" is coming. Why not take look at those awesome alpha males...if you're looking for new TV viewing??? :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to check out Vikings. I got out of the habit of watching TV when I spent all my spare time away from the hospital at my desk, writing. Now, watching TV seems almost therapeutic. Weird, huh?

      Delete
  11. Congratulations, Susan P! You're the winner of Wildcat! You should be receiving an email from me shortly!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh the flowers that bloom in the spring Tra-La....Oh yes Spring has sprung, the grass has riz and now I wonder where all the birdies is! Fighting at my feeder and dropping eggshells on my lawn from nests secreted in my trees. Happy Spring by the way for all you cold-nosed folks up in the frozen north-we are sitting at 90 today! sweat. ;)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment