I may have sold our rental house on Richter Street, so feel happy about that.  Denis and I bought it almost 15 years ago, so it’s probably time to retire from the landlord business.  I feel pretty bad about the tenants though, as I only ever rented to people with pets because it’s so hard to find places to rent.

There’s such a nice rural feel about the place with a pig named Moose and a bunny, several dogs, and an apiary.  Really a lovely place, right downtown, just blocks from everything.  I guess Moose doesn’t know he’s an urban pig.

And once again I find myself browsing topics like Best Chickens for Cold Weather as I really like the idea of keeping a few, especially since this place is quite rural.  I’d name them, of course, and then grieve each passing.

I have big plans for the lower yard, as I want to remove everything down there except the apricot tree, and plant Russian purple garlic in all of the beds.  Isn’t that brilliant given the price of organic garlic?  I’m pretty well ga ga in anticipation of spring so I can get at it.

I also ordered a nuc bee hive, which is a new baby brood with a queen, so that I can have two bee hives.  That is if my own hive survived this cold winter, which I hope it did.  If it did, then they’ll have neighbours.

So now you’re sitting there thinking no fruitcake business, no more gym attendance, and now no more landlording.  What does the woman do with herself all day?  I ask myself that same question daily around 3:00 PM.  By 4:00 I have a cocktail and then I notice I forget about it entirely until the next day.

But other than walk the dog and visit mom who’s got a very bad back, I’ve compiled my newsletters into a book format.  This has nearly killed me as it’s mostly editing and the kind of thing I hate to do.

I end up printing it just to figure out where I am as sometimes I cut an article, paste it elsewhere, then can never find it again to delete it.  Endless scrolling and searching can lead to intense anger.

I’ve interspersed the articles with a dozen of my tested recipes, so it’d be one of those books people might like to take to the bathroom.  You know, it’s not deep reading, so would be something humorous to bring a bit of cheer to an otherwise dull day.

And then what to do with the book?  I have to find a publisher who is either drunk early in the afternoon and present it to them at dinner time, or else hope using the 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon theory I’m related to someone in the book publishing business.

Then there’s the novel I’m to be writing, and guess what, I’m still just reading!  As I lie on the couch I say to myself, but this is important homework for the book.  Every writer knows you have to read like crazy in order to write.

But first things first.  For Sale By Owner does seem to have worked, so that’s a plus.