Weekend Coffee Share: Groundhogs, Girl Scouts & Stephen King

Can it really be the weekend already?  Seems like I just posted last weekend’s coffee share.  Time goes by much too quickly for my liking.

Having said that, I’ll now backtrack.  When it comes to winter, time cannot pass quickly enough for this Pennsylvanian!

Seduced by a virtually snowless January and February, and caressed by temperatures in the balmy seventies several times throughout the winter, I was convinced that Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most devious groundhog, was smoking some really good stuff when he prognosticated six more weeks of winter. I mean, seriously, folks: I was getting ready to dust off my bathing suit and declare winter DEAD. But nooooo – on February 2nd, that fat little rodent’s body cast its shadow, and subjected me to six more weeks of winter slop and malaise.

I hate groundhogs, especially those from Punxsutawney.

I’m a rational woman and I live in the 21st century, so how much credence should I place in a furry old woodchuck’s weather prediction?  NONE!

Well… that is what I was saying to myself last Monday afternoon when there was a definite feeling of spring in the air.

But that damned rodent was correct.  In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, we got hammered by a nor’easter that brought significant sleet and snowfall – and plunged us back into the frigid depths of WINTER.  From spring-like temperatures we went to well below freezing. How is that possible? It’s more than crazy; it’s an affront to God and all that is holy!

The Corporation I work for closed its offices in advance of the storm. They apparently trusted Phil more than I did. Because the roads were so icy once the snow stopped falling, I spent an additional day at home, cursing all groundhogs and working on my laptop.

Which brings me to the topic of working from home.  I’m not a fan of it.

Why?  Because I work too hard when I’m at home!  This means that when I say I’m going to work, I work. I don’t pop laundry into the dryer; I don’t paint my fingernails; I don’t watch soap operas. I really do work.

And that’s the problem. When I’m at the office, I enjoy the camaraderie of my colleagues, the coffee breaks, the people who stop by my desk to chat. At home, it’s me and the computer. Mano a mano, we are locked in a fierce battle to accomplish the day’s objectives, with me fully cognizant that at any given minute a work colleague may send me an email. What if I step away and miss it? Will they think I’m slacking off?  Oh, no!  Not me!

While in the office, I don’t feel this burning need to immediately answer every email I receive but when working from home, it is different.  My ‘good girl’ nature takes over.

I blame Sally Groves’ mother for this. Sally was a neighborhood pal whose mother was our Girl Scouts’ leader. That woman drummed into my impressionable head that it was our duty to God and country to never lie, to be productive citizens and to help other people at all times. Whenever I am tempted to slack off or do something seemingly harmless, I hear Mrs. Groves’ high pitched voice telling me what my duty is to God and country – and the world at large.

St. Francis Xavier said, “Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man.”

I think Mrs. Groves subscribed to this credo. I am the woman she fashioned me to be from a young child:  a drudge.

I was happy to get back to the office on Thursday – I needed the rest.

What other similarly fascinating things can I share with you from the past week?

As you know, I am trying to write fiction in my off hours, not that there are many of them. It is a continuing challenge to find the time and the energy to write after a full day of work and fighting the highway wars. You know what I mean by highway wars, right? The constant maneuvering around other cars and 18-wheelers to get to one’s destination before the hair turns gray? Sitting in traffic has become a pastime for me. I spend a lot of time in my car. If it had a shower and kitchenette, I could probably live in it.

I have latched on to a new author – sort of. I am reading Robert Galbraith’s detective novel, ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling.’ I had never heard of Galbraith but I love detective novels, so when my pal, Belinda, mentioned I should give his books a try, I was all in.  This one has a strong central character with a good back story, and I’m greatly enjoying the novel. Imagine my surprise to learn that Mr. Galbraith is in fact a female writer, and a famous one at that. Galbraith is the pseudonym used by J.K. Rowling for her detective novels.

I had read the first Harry Potter novel by Rowling, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t feel a compelling urgency to read the others, however. I may have to remedy that.  Maybe.

Since we’re chatting about authors, I will share with you that Mr. Loveton and I are watching the miniseries adapted from Stephen King’s novel, ‘11.23.63,’ about a high school teacher who travels back in time to prevent JFK’s assassination. I love time travel stories. I love Stephen King stories. I love JFK. This is definitely a win-win scenario for me. The miniseries is on Hulu in the US, and we discovered it Friday night. While we have only watched two episodes, the series is a big hit with Mr. Loveton. I like it too.

But, Gentle Readers, tell me:  what is up with Stephen King’s need to write in a vomit scene in every book that he writes?  I have learned NOT to read Stephen King’s novels while eating lunch.  If I should, there is no guarantee my lunch will stay down.

Reading one of his vomit scenes?

So, of course, there was the obligatory vomit scene in the TV miniseries, ‘11.23.63.’  Seriouly, friends, I really don’t need to see TV stars vomit on television shows.  Heck, I don’t even like to see my dogs vomit.  So, note to the very talented Mr. King:  Could you maybe, pretty please, write some stuff where people don’t upchuck all over the place?  Thank you, your slightly green fan, Kate Loveton.

And that, Gentle Readers, wraps up this weekend’s coffee share. I hope your week was a good one, and that the coming one will be even better. Until next time, be good to yourself – and to others! If you can find the time, join the weekend coffee share generously hosted by Nerd in the Brain  (here).  We’d love to know what’s going on with you.

© 2017 All Rights Reserved Kate Loveton, Odyssey of a Novice Writer