denise03460 | Reading

I went back to bed after Pip left for work and I got the dogs in (for once they were both very eager to get inside!), and slept for another two hours. It felt good.

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I watched The Pitt, several eps of House Hunters International, and an ep of Lottery Dream House. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at -6.9(F); two hours later when I got up the second time it was -10.5. It finally got above 0 at 10am. Temps reached 6. There was some sun, which helped.

Unfortunately, the snow totals have once again gone up. 8-12" Sunday, 5-8" overnight, and about an inch Monday. So much DNW!!

Mom Update:

Mom sounded really good when I talked to her. But I’ve learned that she can fake it for the few minutes we’re on the phone, so I’m hoping she was actually feeling as good as she sounded. She had eaten a couple meals; one of which was better tasting than the other. Sisters A and S both visited (with bonus Toddler A) and my brother also called her.

spikedluv

9-1-1: I really enjoyed this ep. ( spoilers )

The Pitt: Good ep! ( spoilers )

spikedluv

I hit Price Chopper, Tractor Supply, and the Bakery while I was downtown. (I had to look for a cat door for the automotive garage because there are stray cats that come around when Pip puts out food. He thinks they’ll take care of his rat problem if he allows them in the garage, as well as give them a place to go when it’s cold out. I think he might be opening himself up to ~other problems, such as skunks getting in that door. o_O I did not find one, so he’s having his sister (garage receptionist/book keeper) order one. Update: she couldn’t find what he was looking for online, either. Hmm.)

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I placed an online order and paid a bill online. We had the meatloaf for supper.

Today’s tea was English Breakfast. I’m not a huge fan of this tea, but I drink it when I’m at Panera because they got rid of my preferred tea (Earl Grey) when they downsized to having just three types of tea bags.

I managed to write ~2,000 words on my SFBB fic! There’s light at the end of this tunnel. *g* I also watched Wild Cards, 9-1-1 and some House Hunters International.

Temps started out at 19.4(F) and reached 23.7. It got windy in the afternoon which made it very cold. I wore four layers for the walk when Pip got home from work (a pullover sweatshirt, a hoodie, a jacket, and another jacket over that), not counting the double layer of pants and the ski mask and scarves, etc. On his after-dinner walk with the dogs, Pip wore his Carrhart overalls in addition to the coat, so you know it was cold out there.

As if that isn’t bad enough . . . Tonight’s overnight low is forecasted to be -6 with a high on Saturday of 6. There’s a warning for wind chills of -23 “over the next 48 hours” so thanks for not being specific of when I’m going to become a popsicle on walks. I’m really not looking forward to this PLUS snow.

I promised to share a photo of the sunflower tea bag coasters I bought. The angle I took the photo at makes it look like some are larger than the others, but they’re all the same size.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded okay when I talked to her. She was able to eat the meatloaf the other night, though it was one of those not bad but not great situations. Her new normal, basically. She had several visitors today: my aunt and uncle in the morning, the Hospice minister, and her BFF in the afternoon. She said it was nice, but that it did tucker her out. That’s worrisome.

spikedluv

Best Medicine: Does anyone else ‘sing’ this title to the tune of Bon Jovi’s Bad Medicine, or is that just me? *g* This ep was okay. ( spoilers )

Wild Cards: This ep was just okay. ( spoilers )

spikedluv

I hit Walmart while I was downtown, but only because they were running out of dog treats at the garage. (Pip’s father has taken on the task of providing treats for the dogs at the garage ever since we had our first dog, Shiloh, and Pip started taking him up as a puppy. But his dad was sick with bronchitis and missed a whole week and didn’t bring in anything this week when he came back, hence the need for me to pick something up.)

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher and ran another load, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. We had spaghetti for supper. I also mixed up a meatloaf for tomorrow’s supper.

I got some more writing done! ~800 words today. I’m currently at ~8,000 on this fic and will easily make the 10,000 requirement for SFBB. I watched Best Medicine and some House Hunters International.

Temps started out at 34.3(F), which was a huge surprise! (The TWC app said it was going to be 18 for the overnight low and 33 for the high, which we’ve already exceeded.) It dropped a bit to 33.1 before I left. and reached 38.7.

The forecast for the snow storm has changed, but not for the better. Now they’re calling for 5-8" during the day Sunday, 5-8" overnight, and 1-3" on Monday. Really DNW! *cries*

I’ve heard that this storm is supposed to be massive and hit the south pretty hard, as well. I hope everyone in the path of this thing stays safe and warm.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay; tired, as usual. The slightest effort tuckers her out, which is really sad to see. We ate our lunch together. A friend of hers showed up while I was there and even stayed after I left. (She had to move her car so I could get out of the driveway, and sometimes she would take that as an excuse to leave, but she didn’t today.)

Sister S called while I was there and told mom she was bringing down supper for her. Meatloaf, which mom loves. She was looking forward to it, but afraid she wouldn’t be able to eat it.

spikedluv

I switched my morning around and left home an hour later than usual. In that hour I put a chuck roast in the crock pot and did some online fandom things. I went with the Cinnamon Orange tea again this morning. Downtown I hit Price Chopper, then went to my chiropractic appointment.

THEN I went to McD’s and got some writing done; ~700 words, which is less than the last couple days, but it’s not nothing, so \o/

I picked the dogs up on my way home (my winter schedule for picking up the dogs has been different than usual because I tend to not want to go back out and get them if it’s cold or snowy), where I put groceries away and walked them (I had on so many layers!).

I prepared lunch for all of us (including Midnight who was howling for more food – he’ll sometimes eat very little on a day, then be starving the next day, and apparently blaming me for it), though I planned to take mine with me.

I hit the post office and filled my gas tank on the way to visit mom (where I ate my lunch). When I got home I took the dogs for another walk (and fed Midnight yet again; apparently today was a day when he wanted all the food *g*).

I also did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes (why does it seem like dirty dishes just sort of keep appearing?), checked on Midnight’s dry food and water dishes (this is where I normally say ‘scooped kitty litter’, but there was nothing to scoop, probably because yesterday was a day he didn’t eat much), and paid a bill online. When Pip got home we went for another walk.

One nice thing was I received a set of tea bag coasters that I’d ordered. With sunflowers on them!! (I tried to link to them, but apparently they are sold out so it won’t even link to the item so I can show you.)

ETA: Forgot to mention that I watched one of my fave HGTV programs, Fixer to Fabulous!

Temps started out at 9.0(F) and dropped exactly 2 degrees to 7.0 before I left the house. The high I saw was 25.5. We had a tiny bit of snow late afternoon, big fat flakes, but not enough to accumulate, thankfully.

The bad news is that I’ve been concentrating on the low temperatures we’ll be having (overnight lows in the negatives and highs in single digits) and Pip informed me that we’re in for a big snow storm Sunday. 3-5" during the day, 3-5" overnight, and an additional 1-3" Monday. DNW!!!

Mom Update:

Mom was doing okay when I saw her. She was tired. And cold. She used a heavy blanket when she’s in her recliner, but I suggested she turn her heat up. (She has it set at 70, but her living room felt cool even to me, and I generally overheat.) She ate lunch while I was there. I got her mail and wrote out a check that I put back in the mailbox, stripped her bed, and brought home her laundry. I also opened one of her protein drinks, because I’m handy that way. *g*

She’s looking forward to company tonight, a woman she knows from the village who just recently found out that mom was sick. She called her yesterday to ask if she could come visit. So that’ll be nice for her.

ETA: I later learned that Sister A and Ian also visited her.

spikedluv

Last year I participated in

halfamoon for the first time. I enjoyed it and have been looking forward to this round. The prompts for this coming round (beginning Feb 1) have been posted HERE.

Per the mod, this year is all about archetypes. So I've listed the seven feminine archetypes on the odd number days and then something that plays against that on the even number days.

I’m including the prompts here because I need to think about them some. Yes, I’m thinking they’ll all be Jessica again, but that’s not set in stone.

( prompts )

spikedluv

What I Just Finished Reading: Since last Wednesday I have read/finished reading: Nothing! I’ve watched a lot of tv and did a lot of writing in the last week, which didn’t leave much time for reading.

What I am Currently Reading: Still working on Husband Material (London Calling) by Alexis Hall.

What I Plan to Read Next: Probably the other library book I have out as I've only got one renewal on it.

spikedluv

Today was an actual no-shopping day!

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, did a load in the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered.

I watched the final three eps of Heated Rivalry. (I know I said I wasn’t going to comment until I did a re-watch, but why did no one tell me how emotional I was going to get over the final eps?!! Also, Christina Chang makes one guest appearance on Numb3rs and I remember her for the rest of my life, apparently.)

Despite spending so much time on that, I also found time to write! I added ~1,400 words to my SFBB fic! I had some tea in the afternoon, and chose Afternoon tea, which seemed kind of tasteless to me. Since I like my tea weak, I didn’t think that could actually happen.

ETA: I forgot to mention that I watched HGTV's Home Town! I liked this ep. They did a reno for a couple where the wife has fibromyalgia. Also, interesting how many people moving to Laurel do so because of the show!

Temps started out at 10.7(F) and dropped to 9.5 before I left the house. The forecast called for a high of 13, but it reached 19.9. It was windy, though, so it felt much colder. So freaking windy! There was some sun, which helped with my mood, but didn’t make it feel any warmer.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded okay when I talked to her. She’d had some company throughout the day; my aunt and uncle were there earlier and Sister A was there when I called. The Hospice nurse visited today. Mom said eating was going well, so that's a bonus.

spikedluv

I hit Walmart while I was downtown and Stewart’s on the way home.

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a walk with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter.

I made a pumpkin pie because mom asked me to. (I make it in a small shell, so put some of the pumpkin filling in a small pyrex dish. I took her that dish. She had it when I made it before Thanksgiving and really enjoyed it.)

I went with one of my own teas again this morning, Celestial Seasonings’ Mandarin Orange Spice. This blend combined the tart flavor of mandarin oranges with aromatic spices, cloves, and coriender to create a bright. lively brew that transports tea drinkers to exotic destinations with every sip. I wouldn’t say I was transported anywhere, but it tasted good.

My stomach tried to rebel on me again this morning. ( cutting for those who don't care to read )

We went to Texas Roadhouse with friends for supper, yay! I managed to write ~300 words on my SFBB fic and Zoo Tampa was my background tv in the evening. I wish I’d gotten more written, but between going downtown, visiting mom, and eating out, there wasn’t much time for it.

Temps started out at 19.4(F) and dropped to 15.6 before I left the house! There was sun in the morning, but then it was overcast. Temps reached 27.3. The roads were good in the morning, but the wind picked up, so we ran into some snow blown into the road on our way to Texas Roadhouse.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing ~okay when I saw her. She seemed tired. She’d already eaten, but even so she had some of the pumpkin pie filling I took her. Sister A was there when I arrived and Ian showed up after. Her BFF showed up later in the afternoon and Sister S was there when I called in the evening. She had a nice string of visitors, which she likes.

spikedluv

I did two loads of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for a walk with Pip and the dogs, baked chicken for the dogs’ meals, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, changed kitty litter (you know it’s Sunday!), and showered.

I went with another one of my own teas today, The Republic of Tea’s Blackberry Sage (Fruity black tea blended with herbs, which tells you nothing, really. Which is funny, because the ingredients just list black tea, natural blackberry and sage. o_O)

I took a nap, and watched two eps of Wild Cards and some Zoo Tampa. My one dismay is that I didn't get any more writing done.

Temps started out at 25.5(F) and reached 31.1. We had the overnight snow plus more snow today. Pip was busy shoveling and snow blowing.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded good on the phone. She said she’d eaten and it had settled fine. My brother visited earlier and Sister A was there when I called.

spikedluv

The Pitt: I’ve caught up on the first two eps. Even though I just watched the show recently, it’s nice seeing everyone again. But I was surprised by the 10 month time jump since I did just watch the show! ( spoilers )

Wild Cards: I was surprised that this show was back, but I'm happy because this is a fun feel-good show. ( spoilers )

spikedluv

I only managed to finish two fic for

fandomtrees this round. I was thrilled to be inspired to write in an old fandom and to revist a fic I wrote for a previous round. I hope you enjoy!

Title: Winter Wonderland
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: The Sentinel (tv)
Rating: PG13/Slash
Pairing/Characters: Jim/Blair
Length: 1,600 words
Spoilers: Nothing specifically, but for entire series to be safe.
Summary: "Don't be mad," Blair said.

"Well, it's not auspicious that those are the first words you say to me when I walk in the door."
Author's Notes: Written for

pattrose for

fandomtrees. One of her fandom requests was for: The Sentinel, Jim/Blair with a like of kid!fic and first times. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write Jim/Blair again! I hope you enjoy what I came up with! Title from the song of the same name. (It's snowing in the story, it was snowing outside when I posted it, I think you can see why this title came to my mind. *g*)
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: December 2, 2025

Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75130406

Title: But What If There Was a Demon vs Dinosaur Cage Match?
Author: Spikedluv
Fandom: Angel: the Series(tv)[/Primeval (tv)]
Rating: PG13/Het
Pairing/Characters: Dawn/Connor & Faith
Length: 1,935 words
Spoilers: Takes place post-series, but no real spoilers unless you don't know who Dawn and Connor are. o_O. General spoilers for the concept of Primeval (dinosaurs!).
Summary: "Dinosaurs?" Faith said, sounding dubious after Dawn and Connor had given their account of their experience with Jennifer and the Triceratops.
Author's Notes: Takes place post-Some Things You See With Your Eyes . . . Written for

cornerofmadness for

fandomtrees. They asked for Angel: the Series, Dawn/Connor, mission. This is a follow-up to the last Dawn/Connor

fandomtrees fic I wrote for you. It's more ‘between missions', but there's bonus Faith! I hope you enjoy it!
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.
Posted: December 19, 2025

Read Fic @ AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76027846

spikedluv

I had that doctor’s appointment this morning. He didn’t even do an exam/swab, just had me tell him again the same things I told the nurse in yesterday’s messaging spree and prescribed me Fluconazole tablets. Two. Take one today and one in four days. Which naturally necessitated a trip to the Pharmacy. I took the first pill as soon as I got back to the car.

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I placed two orders, including Chewy. Pip’s supper was leftover chicken so no cooking, yay!

I decided to hit my own cupboard for today’s tea, The Republic of Tea’s Orange Spice (green tea blended with oranges and spices, which tells me exactly nothing new o_O). I was worried it would be strong because of the spice part, but I was reminded just how weak green tea is.

I handwrote ~2,300 words on my

smallfandombang fic!! I was on a roll, and I can hardly believe it! And I even read more in Husband Material.

I also watched the Bills game, which was a heartbreaker. So close, and yet so far. They did it to themselves, though, so Denver deserved the win as much as I hate to say it. Interceptions and penalties are not going to win you the game. Congratulations,

mistressofmuses!

Temps started out at 25.7(F) and reached 36.5. We were supposed to get less than an inch of snow, but got a bit more than that, with more expected overnight. Yay.

Mom Update:

Mom sounded okay when I talked to her; she actually sounded a bit tired. She said she had mostly felt well during the day, but at that moment was feeling a little off. Both Sister A and S were visiting, so that was nice.

spikedluv

fandomtrees has revealed and I was gifted some great fic and art: Kevin Can F**k Himself moodboards from

pattrose, a Hudson & Rex drabble from

lomelinde_laurea, and a really fun Murder, She Wrote/Midsomer Murders crossover from

cornerofmadness!!

Check them out at my tree and please tell them how wonderful they are!

spikedluv

I hit Price Chopper, the Pharmacy, and the Bakery while I was downtown. (McD’s was warmer than yesterday, but still not ~very warm.)

I did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I made shake ‘n bake chicken thighs for supper and egg salad for weekend lunches.

I watched the current ep of 9-1-1 and both eps of The Pitt, as well as a couple eps of House Hunters International. (How I hate the people who claim they want to live in the city center so they can walk to bars, cafes, restaurants, and then complain that it might be noisy. No fucking kidding, it’s City Center!) Zoo Tampa was my background tv.

I bought several more containers of yogurt in a variety of flavors for my snacks. I have been eating a lot of them, probably because it’s been a while, so they’re tasting especially good. Also, I’m sometimes lazy and they’re easy. I have to switch it up so I don’t get bored with them!

I had no plans to go downtown tomorrow (now today, Saturday), but I’ve had to schedule a doctor’s appointment. I think I have a yeast infection. I haven’t had a yeast infection in years. Decades. I’m not saying the ultrasound is to blame, but I’m also not not saying that.

Temps started out at 13.1(F) and freaking windy! The roads weren’t great on the drive downtown and at one point I saw a cloud of snow swirling in the air before I drove through it. That was different. Temps reached 28.9. The forecast called for a high of 20, so this was a surprise. There was also a bit of sun and I got a peak of blue sky!

Mom Update:

Mom sounded good when I talked to her on the phone. ( more back here )

spikedluv

9-1-1: For some reason I didn’t care to watch the first ep back when it aired, but I’m all caught up now! ( spoilers )

Best Medicine: I’ve seen the first two eps and I’m enjoying it so far! (Though I didn’t realize it was an adaptation of a Brit show, Doc Martin. ( spoilers )

spikedluv

Sign-ups for

femslashbigbang end February 28. The info post is pinned to the top of the tumblr.

I considered signing up, since the due date is September that gives me plenty of time, but between now and then there will be another round of

smallfandomfest and I plan to sign up for

wipbigbang again and hope to finish TWO fic this round. So, not signing up, but thought maybe someone on my f-list might be interested.

spikedluv

I hit Walmart while I was downtown. After McD’s, which was freezing again. (If the thermostat is set and no one can touch it to change it, the temperature should be the same inside every single day. Clearly there’s something wrong with the heating system and they’re too cheap to fix it properly. Or replace it. I called the main number and reported it, so we’ll see how long it takes for someone to fix it.)

I visited mom and hit the post office and filled my gas tank on the way home, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, ran a load in the dishwasher, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. We had spaghetti for supper.

I watched a lot of tv today and did zero reading! I watched the first two eps of Best Medicine, last week’s ep of 9-1-1 to get caught up, and a couple eps of Zoo Tampa.

Temps started out at 37.0(F). It was still sprinkling in the morning and had probably been doing so all night. Almost at the exact moment I pulled into the driveway at ~9:30am, the rain started to turn to snow. It’s weird how you can see it thicken as it hits the windshield until it’s white. I don’t think the temp went up much while I was out, because it had to be going down for the rain to turn to snow. When I left the house a little after 11am it had dropped to 29.7 and kept dropping the rest of the day.

I made the mistake of looking at the forecast for the next two weeks and, day-um!, it is going to get cold again. High’s in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits. DNW!

Mom Update:

Mom was not feeling well when I visited her. ( more back here )

spikedluv

I had a chiropractic appointment and a pedicure this morning. I’d been doing a lot of reds, and last week was a dark purple, but I decided this week to lean into lighter, more spring-like colors. So I went with the periwinkle again, and she did a cute little flower design.

I dropped a book off at the library on my way to visit mom, did a load of laundry, hand-washed dishes, went for several walks with Pip and the dogs, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, and scooped kitty litter. I grilled Italian sausage for Pip’s supper, since it was so nice out (relatively speaking *g*).

I started Husband Material, and watched several shows I’d DVR’d: Fixer to Fabulous, House Hunters International, and Secrets of the Zoo. That’s the last of Zoo I have recorded, so it’ll be back to Zoo Tampa now.

You may recall me talking about numbness in my fingertips and the theory that it might be carpal tunnel, even though the braces didn’t help at all AND it’s worse when it’s cold out; today I discovered that Sister S also gets numbness in her hands that is worse when it's cold out. Might mean nothing, but I thought it was interesting.

Temps started out at 41.2(F) and reached 48.9 (that I saw; it may have gone up a degree or two after I left to visit mom, but it was already going down when I got home). Totally unexpected, even though it was supposed to get into the 40s today. There was wind and zero sun, though, so it wasn’t a ~pleasant 48. It started to sprinkle in the afternoon.

Mom Update:

Mom was doing well when I visited her. She’d had some protein drink before I arrived and finished the mac&chs while I was there. She planned to make a root beer float for a late afternoon snack AND have tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (probably just half of one) for supper. Given how little she eats, I think she’s only going to do one of those things. I wrote out a check for her and stuck it in the mail and brought home laundry to do for her.

She had her first regular visit from the Hospice nurse, so I got to meet her. I stayed in the living room while they sat at the dining room table. I could hear them a bit, but I didn’t want to be right on top of them. Mom got to ask some questions she’d written down, so that was good.