Starts with the Letter G.

G is for Grizzly Bear and G is for Gene, who is almost a Grizzly Bear! Just kidding, Gene. As you can tell from the photo above, Gene is safer to cuddle with. Nix on the bear, though.

I'm using the assignments (from http://journals.aol.com/johnmscalzi/bytheway/)

to fill in when I don't have my own dialogue going. Sometimes doing the assignment helps me get away from my own inner dialogue, gives it a lighter direction than I might have taken had I just sat down and started typing without it. It's a diversion. Some folks get hooked on computer games. I get hooked on journaling. What can I say?

I enjoyed the Thanksgiving week so much. Rested. Began a book, and am now reading it every night.

Then came Monday morning.... oh, how I did not want to get out of bed this morning, particularly since my husband lay warm and sleeping beside me. He is off from work for a couple more days, and can lounge in the luxury of the warm bed and z-land for an hour or two longer. Many mornings he gets up before 5 a.m. to go to his job, so I wasn't even jealous that he could stay in bed today. I so love that bed. Especially on Monday mornings(and Saturday nights).

G is for Gravity!

Gravity seems to have more pull early in the morning. Ever notice how hard it is to get up out of bed? It's the gravity factor... gravity is stronger in the morning, that's what I think. The more you struggle against it, the harder it is to free yourself from it.

Somehow I made myself roll out of bed... yes, roll is the term to describe the action taken. We have a waterbed, you see, and the only way to get out of that bed is to roll over onto your side, over the edge, into a standing position. If you try to get out of bed any other way, you risk pulling something important out of place, and you don't want to start any day off with things pulled out of place. Not on any day of the week. I'd liketo add that once I got out of bed, I began to feel alive and ready to tackle the day's challenges and obligations.

I'd like to add that, but it wouldn't be true.

To be honest, I am like those Grizzly bears at heart. When the cold weather sets in, I'm ready to hibernate. I could easily stock up food stores for the winter. I'd get out the blankets, make some hot chocolate, set the books I want to read on the lamp table by my bed. Just put my favorite fuzzy slippers on my feet, long johns under my shorts (the shorts accommodate hot flashes), and a cami under the sleeveless undershirt (again to ease the hot flashes). Finally, a throw-size afghan to wrap myself up in when I'm not in the throes of a hot-flash, and I am good for the winter. All winter. Come, snow! Give it your best! I'm ready for you.

So going to work is particularly difficult in the winter months.

Well, enough about that. It's evening, and I'm typing on the computer. What am I doing here? I could be reading a good book before I go to bed!

Most importantly, Gis for God! The One who calls us by our name, who calls us His beloved. I am grateful for His Gift.

Finally, G is for Graham, a small city, elevation 600 feet, 8.1 square miles of prime real estate located between Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina. A great place to live, affordable, scenic, diverse, and the weather cycles steadily through four distinct seasons. I have lived here for over 30 years.

Check out the statistics at http://www.city-data.com/city/Graham-North-Carolina.html.