Girls Write Out
Friday, October 14, 2011

What on earth can this cat be thinking? Cats eat small animals. They are carnivores. My cats would have been fighting over these little darlings and had them swallowed in one gulp. Do you suppose this cat has already had a full meal?

Do you ever feel like this poor, patient cat? Do the tiny, often appealing, details distract you from your plans for the day? You need to get a couple of loads of laundry washed and dried and ready for three different people tomorrow, but first you need to eat breakfast, but first you see a dustball in the corner and even though no one else in the family will ever notice it, someone may stop by, and then what would they say? But then of course the window in the front door needs to be washed, as well, and you need to check the porch to make sure the neighbor's little boy didn't leave his skateboard on the steps again, or dear hubby could end up back in the ER.

So you but-first your way through the day until that laundry never got done, you didn't get to the pharmacy to pick up the refill before they closed, and you have nothing in mind for dinner tonight. Your front window looks great, and the dustballs are gone, but nobody ever comes to your house to visit, anyway. What were you thinking?

Please tell me I'm not the only one with the but-first syndrome. Please? I know the distractions are appealing, but really, I don't need them. I need to NOT have them. Girls, what do you do about them? Any thoughts? Or can you commiserate?

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Hannah Alexander  
posted at 11:18 AM  
  Comments (19)
 
 
Delicious Delicious
19 Comments:
At 1:43 PM, Blogger jel said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 5:02 PM, Blogger Tracy Ruckman said...

That picture just creeps me out. Blech.

The past 18 months has taught me almost tunnel-vision focus. I do gazillions of things each day, but if I don't focus on just one thing at a time, I get nothing done.

Then, when things slow down (like today - going into a week off school) I'm sort of lost and floundering without a focus. LOL!

But I resolve to take tomorrow off and PLAY. Haven't done that in WEEKS. Must play. That's my focus. We'll see if it gets derailed. Ha!

 
At 11:45 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

Oh, no, I've done it again. First the spider and Colleen screams, and then the cute little mice.

Yep, go and play, Tracy! Enjoy your day.

 
At 2:29 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

That poor cat! Since I HATE mice, I can't understand how it would let them crawl all over him. YUCK!

If I have a lot of stuff to do and it's important that it all get done, I make a list and then prioritize the tasks. That way, I get the most important ones done and then, if there's time, I tackle the not-so-important stuff.

When all that fails to conquer the "but-first" syndrome, I forget it all and take a nap or knit or play. There's nothing like avoidance to cure a bad habit!!

 
At 11:24 AM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

Ruthie, I love the idea of just chucking it all and giving up. LOL. That's an easy one for me.

 
At 11:37 AM, Blogger Sandie said...

*running and hiding*

 
At 11:43 AM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

Oh, no, Sandie, please don't tell me you're running and hiding from those cute, tiny little mice, or I'll bring out the armadillo picture again! LOL

 
At 5:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i read the post, but i had to cover the picture the whole time with an index card. LOL! Since I'm involved in my parent's ministry there doesnt ever seem to be 'playtime'. its such a huge part of our lives it doesnt seem possible to vacation. i've always wanted one though, to see what one feels like. we're about to celebrate 15 years in the ministry next month so hopefully soon i can convince my parents to take one with the two kids they have left. what i do in the meantime to get away from it all is read or write (listening to different genres of music at the same time from hard rock to celtic). reading and writing makes me happy ;)

 
At 5:57 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

ACK! You mean no one likes little baby mice? I must truly be a lost member of the Addam's Family or Munsters. I guess I'll never post a photo of a snake or no one will read the post at all!

Ruby, yes, you should really find a way to enjoy a vacation soon. When I can get away for one, and keep from getting sick, something in me changes. I relax down deep inside, and at least for a week or so after, I'm not as stressed.

 
At 7:44 PM, Blogger jel said...

I don't like mice, not even M~I~C~K~E~Y MoUsEEEEE.


and please don't put any ssssssssssnake pictures up

 
At 8:00 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

JEL! Of all people, I thought a country gal would...well, no, wait a minute. Country people don't like mice. That's why country people have cats. We haven't had a mouse OR a snake in our house since we started taking in cats. And the grasshopper population outside is down considerably. Hope no one's eating right now.
;-)

So girls, tell me, what other animals do you not want me to place on my blogs? Because I'm an animal lover of all kinds. Did I ever tell you about our pet baby skunk? The bat my daddy caught for me in a Mason jar, who had a baby while in the jar...? How about baby pigs? I love baby pigs.

 
At 10:20 PM, Blogger jel said...

those 2 are it, that i can think of

DH likes skunk. thought of one raccoons I don't like, esp when ya have chickens. baby pigs are cute

 
At 11:10 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

Raccoons and opossums are bad in the henhouse. Mom got bit by a possum many years ago when she was checking on the hens, and we had to get the possum checked for rabies. On the other hand, Mel and his family found two sets of baby raccoons whose mothers had been hit by cars, and they raised them for a year, until the little ones were ready for the wild--the raccoons, not Mel and his brothers, though it could have been a close tie. Mel says raccoons are adorable pets when little.

 
At 12:59 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Possums? Racoons? Where I grew up them's was good eatin'!! However, I don't recommend cooking coon when you're pregnant like I did. LOL

 
At 12:59 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

ROTFL Ruthie! I've always wanted to taste some of those things my Daddy used to live on down in Arkansas. The closest I've come to different food was elk in Colorado. Oh, yeah, Mel reminded me of the escargot on a dare. We didn't like it that much--we actually hated it. And I couldn't stand ostrich. Squid is pretty good if prepared well, but I've never gone much for octopus. One thing I love but can't eat is caviar, because I'm allergic. And seaweed. I love the salad, but I'm allergic to it, too.

 
At 10:04 AM, Blogger Sandie said...

My daughter had hamsters and I would feed them for her, but not touch them. I have to call her to come and help when I see geckos, lizards, frogs. I can't imagine what would happen if I ever saw a snake in here. I don't mind looking at photos of snakes, but when there is one outside, they take care of it without telling me until it is gone. On the other hand, I'm not afraid of spiders or roaches whereas they are. LOL I just stomp 'em and move on. Little piggies are fine. :-) Birds, fish, large animals also good. :-)

 
At 10:07 AM, Blogger Sandie said...

Oh funny story. I was doing some spot vacuuming with the dust buster one morning and a gecko ran across my path and got sucked up. I got on IM and wrote "Ack! I vacuumed a gecko" Daughter came over and rescued the gecko from the dust buster. He survived. :-) Daughter knows that Ack means come quickly. LOL I don't know what I'll do if she moves further away.

 
At 1:36 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

Sandie, I had pet guinea pigs as a young woman. But they died too soon. I used to love our pet snakes at school, but those were pets. I don't like running into a rattlesnake or copperhead on the trail. I also hate walking through spider webs this time of year. As mentioned before, Mel really hates it. But all living things fascinate me.

 
At 1:37 PM, Blogger Hannah Alexander said...

LOL! That would freak me out, too. Poor little baby. Thank goodness you had the good sense to call for rescue!

 

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The Authors
Kristin Billerbeck
Kristin Billerbeck is a proud Californian, wife, mother of four, and connoisseur of the irrelevant. She writes Christian Chick Lit; where she finds need for most of the useless facts lulling about in her head.

www.KristinBillerbeck.com

Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.

www.ColleenCoble.com

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.

www.DeniseHunterBooks.com

Diann Hunt

Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.

www.DiannHunt.com

Hannah Alexander

Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.

www.HannahAlexander.com

 
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