I have sore shins.

It's been a busy couple of weeks again, and I really wish I could be more organized or at least more on top of things. Most days I feel like I've left my head somewhere and my body's stumbling around on auto pilot.

Anyway, here's a (hopefully) short breakdown.

The Good:

• I completed the 5k on Saturday. The hill - going down and coming up - really took a toll on my joints, though. But I DID IT and didn't falter once, even tho I was kinda plodding along on that last climb. I'll get my 5k charm at my WW meeting Thursday! Yay!
• Finished a preliminary synopsis for SLIPPAGE. Three people have read it with consistent 'oh, wow, I'd TOTALLY read this!!' kind of comments, so that's good. Have to make a few tweaks for clarification issues, and I decided to change the antagonist's gender, but I ought to get it out to my agent, assuming she wants it, tomorrow.
• Bill's back is mostly better and he's working on stuff around the house again, which is very, very good for his outlook on life and, therefore, my day to day life. ;)
• I did laundry, grocery shopping, and even balanced the checkbook. However, I forgot to wash Bill's work jeans, didn't pick up paper towels, sinus meds, or diet dinners, and I'm off by about 80 bucks. Somewhere.
• Got a really cute Coach purse ($300 retail, supposedly used once) for $60 from a local 'online garage sale' group. I like it muchly.
• Brain location queries are going straight to voice mail. Hmm.

The Meh:

• Survived my monthly sewing class even though I really didn't have time to take it. Was just me and Tanya (the store owner) so it was very non-stressful and I did get my two blocks sewn, but I spent the rest of the day scrambling to make up the 4 hours I spent in class, about half of which was spent ripping seams out because I kept making newbie mistakes. Which I usually don't make.
• Weight was up (about 3 lbs) mostly because I didn't drink my water. I think. Plus hormone stuff. While I can't do anything about the hormones, I can drink my dang water!!! I also need to track better. I used to be great at tracking, but can't seem to do it lately. Where'd I put my brain, again?
• Steelers lost. Again. Sigh.
• Granddaughter knocked my glass of crystal light over my keyboard and shorted it out. It did not recover. I bought a new pretty-cheapo Windows keyboard and I don't like it much. The Command/Control/Option and Function keys are in the wrong place and I keep boogering up my typing. 
• While I managed to sew my two class blocks, I have not managed to stretch or quilt either quilt. I might need a new address, Wendy, if I can't get it done soon. Sorry!
• No word from New York about SPORE. Lots of waiting when you're a writer.
• It seems like everything in the house is disorganized and I really, really need to scrub floors. It's all because I've misplaced my brain. Maybe it's in the recycling bin??

Crap. Bill took in recycling. Maybe I emailed it to San Diego with my manuscript?? Either that, or TheToddler's stashed it under the couch again.

The Upcoming Week:

• Finish and polish outline so it can go to agent
• Get a couple of chapters of SLIPPAGE written
• Prep for the Lions Club pancake breakfast
• Take Little Miss to AppleFest at the orchard next Saturday
• Keep exercising. Get a loss this week!
• FIND MY BRAIN!!!

{{hugs}}

More worn, but resting up

Church. Lunch. Nap. Suddenly it's time to start dinner. That about rounds out my Sunday.

Good Stuff:
- Games Season is officially over! We got through the St. Louis Games yesterday with a few more hiccups than we had last year. After the Games, a bunch of us met at a favorite watering hole, scored the last table on the patio (the ones in the AC being reserved already), and toasted the end of the season. The funny part is most of us met at the beginning of Games Season. We've become good friends over the last 5 months.
- I got to hug many necks yesterday.
- Two of my friends may become licensed Highland Dance instructors by Thanksgiving. They tested last week and the judges indicated to their teacher that they'd done well. Apparently, the process is lengthy and intense. They've been studying for two years.
- In addition to Eric's offer letter, we've secured a real estate agent for the Chicago end. A friend/realtor from church is supposed to come look at the house sometime this week. Needless to say, I have some cleaning to do in preparation for her visit, and I'm sure she'll have a long list of things for me to do to get ready to sell.
- While I'm not looking forward to the whole house selling process, I am grateful to be done with my  mothering days this time. At least I won't have to pick up toys, coral kids, and rush out of the house with an hour's notice this time.
- Did I mention Games Season is over? Did I sound relieved? I love Games Season, except for the St Louis Games. I don't want to be on a Games board again. I have enough work with the clan tent.
- On a totally unrelated note, I froze the corn I brought back from Michigan, and I got the tomatoes peeled. They're simmering into soup for dinner as I type.
- Jeff returned my King Or Country manuscript, having also passed it through another mutual friend. They have some great suggestions and I'm a little itchy to get started on it as soon as I finish the current WIP. I've made a mental note to make them my beta readers.
- Jeff suggested that if I want to supplement our income with story telling, the best place to start is with the libraries. It's a wee bit early to do that now, but it will go on my to do list for the Spring, after we get settled and I figure out where the libraries are in an easy travel radius. Apparently I've progressed enough that I won't disgrace myself or the bardic tradition because he didn't say we'd talk about it later. ;-)

Not Sure, But I Think It's Good:
- An alarming number of people have accused me of leaving them for my husband in the last two days. Most were only half joking. I'm glad to know I'll be missed and welcomed back when I visit, but jeesh, I don't do THAT much around here!


Not So Good Stuff:
- I didn't manage to hornswaggle anyone to take over my chair for the St Louis Games. Yet. I have some people to talk to. If push comes to shove, I can do just about everything by e-mail, but it would be better to have someone here who will attend the meetings. I had to drive an hour one way to attend them from here; I'm not driving 5 hours one way.
- My alarm didn't go off yesterday morning, so we were rushed getting out the door and I left my flask home. Pity. I have a lovely Glenmorangie in it. Highland Scotch is my friend.
- I had an issue with another board member yesterday. He moved my tents twice, leaving them unstaked. Turns out he had a good reason (the fire marshall needed more space between sections, but he could have restaked them), but I was really angry yesterday when I found them yesterday morning, and I was pretty ugly to him. I did apologize at the end of the day, and he was gracious but man, at the time, I was wishing I had steel toe boots on. My saving grace was that my sword teacher was on site with his flask. ;-) I adore my Scottish friends.
- I was so busy yesterday I didn't have time to fence. I barely had time to watch a bit of fencing.
- I got enough words in last week for one day. That's it. That could account for a bit of my crankiness yesterday. I did try to write, but between prep for the weekend and early logistics planning for the move, I couldn't concentrate.

This Week:
- Write. For the good of humanity and my own sanity (hey, it rhymes!), I must get words down, even if they suck.
- Cleaning/sorting/packing/staging.
- Pack a bag. We're leaving next Sunday for Chicago. Eric will start his job. I'll be meeting with the realtor and getting the lay of the land. The cat sitter is already lined up.
- Continue to curtail spending for the near future. He won't get a paycheck for a few weeks.

Singing in the Rain!

Sitting at our favorite hangout, Timbo's and joyously watching it rain. 

The Good Stuff:

• I'm enjoying PLF and the Ugly Workshop.  If you watched the videos but couldn't afford the course, you can still participate in the Ugly Baby workshop (I highly encourage this, because they're doing some good things there).  Holly's video alone may be helpful.
• I'll share what I can, but there are some copyright limitations on the course.  Here are a few things I've learned that can't be a secret:
• Google Analytics is free, and there are some useful tools there to help you analyze whether what you're doing on your websites or blogs are being productive or not.
• If you're going to market or sell your own stuff, your mailing list is key.  There are tools to help you build it.  Some cost, and some are free.  If you're going to use a mailing list, to protect yourself from spam concerns, the double opt-in (person signs up, but before they get put on the list, they have to click a link that comes to that email that says they want to be on the list) is crucial as is having a physical address on your email (FCC requirements), and (highly encouraged) a way to unsubscribe.
• I transferred some of my earlier writing to a project in Scrivener to help me begin working on some short works.
• I got all the videos for the course (to date0 downloaded to my laptop this afternoon.
• Thank you, Stephen, for signing up to my list and letting me know some of the challenges you experienced.  I think I found a smaller image and uploaded it today (that wasn't anything you said -- I didn't like a honking huge image that obscured the "meat" of the message).  
• We got the yard work done in San Antonio.
• Mr. L has the trip planned out.  

The Not So Good Stuff:

• The cats chewed another Mac Air power cord.  I wish Apple wouldn't put catnip in these things.
• We are going to be pushed for getting out of Central TX for vacation, because Mr. L had to stay in town until Monday to get stitches out, and we came down here in one vehicle.  It will work out okay, but we have to return to Central TX via Ft Hood for me to pick up prescription renewals on Monday evening.  That gives us Monday night and Tuesday to locate everything and pack. On a brighter note, we did a few things that we could down here in preparation.
• Mr. L ran out of way points in his software and has had some issues splitting the trip, which means I get to hear him complain a bit.

The Week Ahead:

• Gets cats relocated then turn around and crate them up again to take to the "resort."  I think I'll administer their monthly Revolution dosage as I'm releasing them into the kennels.
• Ensure Sneaky is ready for us to be gone for two weeks
• Pick up prescription renewals
• Pack and load for trip
• Do software updates
• Locate more archived writing and ensure it's on the laptop.
• Execute the dreaded PA trip.  I'm sure I'll enjoy some of it, but it's not my favorite trip.  (We're slated to stop at Chickamauga, which should be interesting, for instance.

Worn

This has become my theme song. This year has had ups and downs, and I've often thought I could have written this song. If I wrote songs. If I had that talent. ;-) It's especially true today. The last week has taken a lot of wind out of my sails.

Good Stuff:
- Safe travel and quality time with Alex. I picked him up on my way north, so Mom was happy that I wasn't driving all that way alone. Never mind that it added a lot of extra time to the trip. The things we do for our families!
- Uncle Carl's funeral went off without a hitch. Mom's pastor handled it for us and he did a wonderful job. One of my Catholic aunts called a couple days later to tell Mom how much they enjoyed his work, at least as far as one can appreciate a funeral service.
- I made it through Taps and the 21 gun salute without blubbering.
- Alex and my brother, Rob, were pall bearers. It was WAY out of Alex's comfort zone, but he did it for his grandpa. He makes me proud.
- I had a good conversation with my step-dad yesterday about faith. The seeds are there. He even chose some of the scripture for the service.
- Lots of my cousins came to the funeral and the lunch, so I got to reconnect with them and introduce Alex to the ones he hadn't met yet. There were some I bet I haven't seen in 20 years or more. In fact, the last time I saw one of them, she picked up my bridal bouquet after I bounced it off the ceiling in the church fellowship hall. :-) It was a low ceiling. We should have done the bouquet toss outside. 
- Eric has had some good interviews. There are more possibilities in Chicago (he went to high school with the guy in charge of IT in one of them, but he's too high to do actual hiring), and there's one in Indy, which would get me a lot closer to my family.
- I didn't see Grandma on her birthday, but we did stop to see her yesterday (the day after), and we met Dad there. He was on his way home from Indiana. :-) She said she'd been celebrating for 3 days.
- I got to church this morning, and a couple people said they were glad I was back. It's nice to be missed. As far as I know, I'll only miss one more Sunday this year. Even if Eric gets an out of town job, the plan is for him to commute for a couple months and scope out areas to live in while I get the house ready to sell.
- Speaking of which, real estate is finally rebounding in our area. It's not great, but it's better than it was. We can always rent it if it doesn't sell, but who wouldn't want my kitchen? ;-)
- Our 26th wedding anniversary is Thursday.

Not So Good Stuff:
- My step-dad is still in shock. They've had a busy weekend and it likely won't hit home until this week or maybe next week. We each have to work through it in our own way, but it's going to be a hard year for him more so than anyone else.
- I brought home a box of tomatoes from Mom's garden and two boxes of sweet corn from the farmer's market. I have preserving to do in the next couple of days. I'm not thinking about freezing all the corn and then having to move it. Maybe we can eat it before that!
- I put over 1,300 miles on the car last week. That alone would explain my fatigue and the dull headache I've had all day, let alone the stuff I did between. I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I can't. I have a barding gig at the nursing home on Wednesday, and the St. Louis Scottish Games is next weekend.
- Speaking of the Games, I'm going to have to come up with a tactful way of firing one of my volunteers. She sets up her table with her family genealogy and goes on and on about how wonderful her great-uncle was, like the general public has a reason to care about it. I've tried to get her to focus more on the bourbon he made, but she won't. I hate it when people are so self-centered that they can't take a hit. I'm not a blunt person. Maybe I'll move and can pass her on to someone else! Or not give her info to the next person. The only way that would work is if the other board member who referred her to me last year breaks that cycle, and she's just as self-centered as my problem child.

This week:
- The usual household stuff.
- Games on Friday and Saturday.
- Pray for work. I love my husband with my whole heart, and he's been a real trooper since he got laid off. He's been great about staying downstairs when I'm working and not interrupting me, but there are times he's all up in my Kool-aid when I don't want him to be. First world married problem.

Cliff Diving

I don't know if there's a song for that or not, but it sure feels like that's what I've been doing this week.  I saw the announcement for the Product Launch Formula.  I checked out the videos.  I can resist this.  Holly offers a tremendous workshop as a corollary about adapting the course for writers.  I still tell myself I can resist this.  Maybe next year.  Now is not the right time.  It kept calling to me.  I think to myself, Mr. L has been giving me space to write, but I haven't been taking advantage of it.  He's not against my efforts, but he'd like to see some progress, and why wouldn't he want to see something tangible from my efforts?  So it's me.  I talked to him about it.  It's a lot of money, but I can afford it -- I just don't want to waste it.  I took the plunge.  All the things I'm feeling about the challenges of the program are felt by some of the other folks in Holly's workshop.  We'll get through it together.  It's going to cost a little more to execute the program, but they are sensible expenditures.  I'm going to be learning a lot over the next year. 

The Good Stuff:

• We got some rain in Texas this week, thanks to the little Gulf and Baja hurricanes.  When we pulled up to the San Antonio house, the grass was lush and green and needs mowing (when it dries out)

The Not So Good Stuff:

•  We have to stay in SA an extra four days (Mr L had some skin growths removed, and the stitches come out Sep 30), so we'll be a little pressed for time in getting packed and ready to leave for PA the morning of the 2nd.
• Since  started the video intensive internet class during the time we're on our cellular data instead of DSL, I've burned through a ton of data and had to double my data plan for the month.  I just hope that's enough.
• Oh, and Mr. L is putting together the route for our trip and researching various stops over cellular data as well.  (But I am far and away using the bulk of our data.)

The Week Ahead:

•  Do what I can from a distance to prepare for the trip to PA -- mostly make good lists of what we need to do when we get back to Central TX.
• Get the yard mowed
• Get some tree work done (lots of wayward china berries need to be eradicated)
• Do the PLF lessons
• Get some writing done.
• Figure out what I have to offer the world that might entice them to sign up for an email newsletter.  The core of marketing yourself on the internet is to have a list of people who've opted in to what you have to offer. 
• Play with cats -- yes, Tammy, they are all doing well.

Betrayal, or what's really going on

Got to post here more. Here I am, the creator of this site, but I spend less time on it than anyone else does. The past few weeks, though, not much to say that's new. The heart business continues. I drag myself out of bed, try to do what I can, go to appointments with various doctors, give them whatever fluid they want for tests that day, make sure my prescriptions are filled, try to eat a bit, fall into bed with my body exhausted and my mind spinning, spinning, spinning.

What's going on is that my heart isn't responding as they had hoped to the various meds. So... if it doesn't improve in the next two weeks, we going to "escalate" the treatments, possibly involving a couple of procedures I don't want to talk about it. I hope it improves.

That's about all I can do. Follow the doctors' orders and hope and pray. I feel helpless. I'm not used to that feeling. I'm strong-willed as many, many, many people have mentioned in my life. I've never known how to do anything except to lower my head and plunge forward, bulldozing my way to where angels fear to tread. Sometimes things have worked out; sometimes they haven't.

But I can't do that this time. I feel helpless. Out of control. Not that I'm feeling anything different from most men who have "cardiac events." I'm just going through the "normal reactions," according to my doctor.

You want to know the weirdest feeling? Betrayal. I feel betrayed by my body. Something that I had always taken for granted now requires my attention. I can't trust it. I now have a pulse meter that travels with me all the time. When I feel bad or exhausted or faint, I push a button and record my pulse.

And all that -- according to the doctor -- is how people normally feel. I'm just another one of the heart herd. Moo.

Anyway, there are some bright things I want to share -- yes, not all doom and gloom, surprise!

This week:
- I mopped my kitchen floor. Took most of a day. No scrubbing, but it looked better. I divided it in sections and did it over three hours, one small section at a time. Rested between.
- I vacuumed my whole house by myself. Took all freaking day. Rested after each room. But I did it.
- Read a friend's manuscript. He wanted me to look for errors. Found many. About used up my red pen.
- Paid my bills.
- Had a writers group meeting last Saturday. Will have one next Saturday. The group has been supportive during this time.
- Sang Happy Birthday to my sister today.
- Went out to eat with friends tonight.

Next week:
- A few more household chores.
- Work on Murder by the Mile.
- Set up a Paypal account so people can buy signed Tales from Bethlehem directly from me. I have a handful of copies left.
- Work on getting reviews of Murder by the Acre (Second Edition) on Amazon.
- The News on Facebook Monday through Friday.
- Finish one -- oh yes just one -- of backlogged family newsletters.
- Prepare for the writers group meeting.
- And whatever else I can do.

Hope you have a great week. I'm rootin' for ya!

From Crazy to Boring

We have been overtaken by the blahs.

The book is out to publishers. One was an immediate no because she will not look at anything with 'spec fic' in it, even tho it totally fits her line otherwise. Ah well. The rest have it tho and they're almost all executive editors which is kinda scary, but good. Despite working with paper and pen, and with the laptop, I'm having a really hard time nailing down a solid concept for, well, anything. Hopefully something will break loose soon.

Bill's back is slowly healing and we've been taking walks to help him get his strength back. Had another chiro visit today and it's looking like he'll be going back to work on Thursday. Little Miss is visiting her dad and Laura is in Des Moines doing stuff with friends for a couple of days, so it's been just Bill and me. And we're bored. Bored bored bored bored bored. And he's injured. And I'm dieting. And we're tight on money (who isn't) so we remain bored.

Yay.

Got the borders on Wendy's quilt today (hon, can you shoot me a mailing address??) and I need to stretch it and Jean's quilt probably tomorrow. Tonight it's been Candy Crush and channel surfing. Might take myself to a movie. Maybe.

Blah.

Oh! My mom's procedure went great, and we're supposed to get results soon, plus I was 5lbs down at weigh in on Thurs and am back to my 'low' weight. Hoping to surpass that this week, if only I can not eat from boredom.

We're really not used to having the house to ourselves anymore. ;)  {{hugs}}

Everything's Coming Up....Expenses

There's a pandemic of expenses going around.  It seems everyone I know is being hit with financial issues these last few weeks.  Longer if truth be told (and it is).  Praying for some financial relief for everyone involved.

The Good Stuff:

• Had a nice visit with the kids this weekend.  The grandkids were doing their own thing -- one away at college; the other working, so we got to spend quality time with daughter and her husband.  Managed to briefly see both granddaughters between stints at work, meeting older granddaughter at the mall before she had to go to work (and making faces at her through the window after she actually started work -- apparently this is a family tradition since pre-school).
• Got the grass mowed at the store this morning
• Just a couple of things decluttered -- better than none, I suppose.
• I cut up cucumbers and red peppers to take to Dallas and snacked on them when we were in the room.  Much better choice than getting chips and pop.
• Learned to use BillPay (I don't need it for my bills, but it's coming in handy for another purpose -- did you know you can use it to send money to anyone if you have the account number, the address, and the phone number of the institution?).

The Not So Good Stuff:

• Virtually no writing work this week.  A very little on the Sweet Spot map and a few idea generation exercises, but that's it.
• We came home from Dallas to a note on the door from the store neighbors -- the water pipe broke again. Thankfully, they turned the water off at the meter and saved us a lot on the water bill (will probably still be jacked up, depending upon how long before they realized it needed to be taken care of).
• We didn't get to the ranch (that was Mr. L's timeline and not mine, so it's not a huge issue for me, but it does need to be done, and we're not getting much done around the house this year -- he's spending a lot of time at the shop and getting transmission, transfer case, and PTO rebuilt for my Jeep, so he's not completely unproductive).

The Week Ahead:

• I'm supposed to go to SA with Mr. L so I can water, but they're getting rains from Ingrid all week (a good think except for the flash flood risk).  I am committed to bringing something to an acquaintance down there, so I guess we'll be making the trip.  Besides, he may need a driver to take him to and from his medical appointment (the reason for the trip), because he's having an in-office surgical procedure performed.  I don't mind making the trip, but if I didn't have to go, the cats wouldn't have to make the trip.  They like being in SA, even if they don't like the three hour ride to get there.
• See what I can do with writing.  For now, I can't claim to be anything more than a writing hobbyist, which is why I can't justify the expense of the Product Launch thing from Jeff Walker.  I can see it would work well for launching self-pubbed books, though and I'm watching the process with interest.  
• See if any of my SA Twitter peeps will take me up on my offer to meet on Saturday.

New Season

Wow, what a week. Drama upon drama. Best to get it over with quickly, right?


- I remembered to buy and mail my Grandma's birthday card a week early. She'll be 96 on Friday.
- Eric and I spent last night in Indianapolis at the My Book Therapy pizza party at ACFW. It was good to see friends and hang out with writers for the evening, but going just for the pizza party was not the best idea. Everyone has been at conference for a few days and they've got their own agendas, so my surprise presence didn't fit in as well as I'd hoped. I did have Eric there in his kilt, though! If I hadn't paid for it in advance, we would have stayed home.
- I thanked Chip MacGregor for not taking on King Or Country last year, which I'm sure he found strange. I told him it will be a better book after the rewrite and that he'll likely be seeing it again.
- I got a fair amount of work done around the house.
- It was a good writing week--7,550 words. I didn't make my daily goal on Thursday, but Tuesday was a great day (at least until Eric got home), so that gave me a cushion.
- Eric isn't driving me crazy yet. He's got some good leads for jobs and, not surprisingly, there are a couple more in Chicago. We're starting to think we're supposed to be there for a while, but we'll see how things shake out. In the meantime, we have money saved and he's applied for unemployment, so while we're suddenly back in 'watching every dime' mode, we're not going to be homeless or starving anytime soon.
- It looks like I'll be leaving again early Tuesday morning for MI. I'm going to have to detour through Macomb, IL because Alex wants to go to Uncle Carl's funeral. It's going to be a long day, but they'll be happy to see him. Eric has school, so it will just be the two of us. I should be hearing from my mom this afternoon about firm plans, but as of last night, they were planning on Wednesday for the funeral. I'm praying that Aunt Shirley's knee has rehabbed enough that she'll be able to make it. She and my step-dad are as close, and I think it will be easier for both of them to face it together.
- I just realized that, depending on how long I'm needed at Mom's, I might be able to actually see Grandma on her birthday. That would be nice!

So that's about it from here. I'll probably be updating Facebook next week, but I'm not sure if I'll be here next weekend. Try to behave, will ya?

Continuation of the crazy

It's been nuts.

Babysitting my granddaughter a lot since Laura is working more hours than she'd expected. It's great, but exhausting. Bill pulled his back out last week. The chiropractor helped some, but it stiffened up really, really bad over the weekend so we're gonna try seeing a massage therapist. Hopefully she can give him some relief. My mother's going in for a procedure on Friday (looks like I'm driving) so I need to find a babysitter for Little Miss so I can help mom. I am apparently running for city council again whether I really want to or not since we have only two people running for three open seats. Um, yay? Book stuff is great (SPORE's off to publishers today, I guess) and I'm struggling to nail down a plot for a youngish non-spec thriller to follow Morgan, but that's all good. I've been sewing when I can (fwiw, I have Jean and Wendy's quilts well in hand but, Stephen, I need to know what colors you like!!) and have found that little (as in about 24" square or less) sort of artsy quilts are really suiting both my need to quilt and my lack of real time.

My weight is UP - about 7 lbs!! AAACK!! - mostly from the constant stress and running around, but I talked with my Leader after last week's meeting and she suggested some tweaks to my diet (more protein, less fruit). Doing that, but the scale isn't moving yet. I am so, so bloated with water retention and I haven't even had much salt at all! Still exercising most every night (3 mile super fat burning walk with Leslie Sansone) and am registered for the local 5k at the end of this month. My writing class - should it even happen - starts Thursday and I am not prepared at all, but I will be.

Bill to massage therapy in about 20 min, then lunch, then housework, then clean, laundry, and catch up on online stuff (I am so, so far behind!!) then cook supper (all while babysitting) then city council then exercise then - maybe - a chance to write.

Thank you all for being so patient with me. {{{hugs}}

Here I am

Been away from Createslate dealing with health problems. I'm hoping I will start getting answers this week. It will be quite depressing if the tests continue.

I've felt better yesterday and today. Better than I've had since this started. Maybe this means they're getting the meds right. I hope so.

Yes, full of hope here. Don't know why. The medical bills are crushing. I've told three business offices that I will make payments. One of them was fine with it. The other two are quite ... demeaning. But I don't have any more money than I told them I did so they will have to be satisfied. Or not. Can't get blood from a stone. They can threaten all they want. I will pay them, but it's going to take a couple of years.

And I don't have any answers yet as to why my blood pressure soared and my pulse went haywire and my heart skipped a few beats. But the meds are bringing down the BP and pulse; not as much as we want yet, but at least it's moving in the right way.

I haven't been doing much. Mostly just sleeping. Been exhausted -- they say the erratic pulse causes that with the side effects of the meds -- but as I said, I've been regaining my energy.

Tuesday, we have a book signing for my local writers group. The group is having to do most of it themselves because I simply can't. I hope they come through. Have made my mind up to not worry about it. Either they do or they don't, but it's not my burden.

Anyway, here I am. Still tired. Debt over my eyebrows. No answers. But hopeful. So very hopeful.

Money, Money, Money

I felt the generational financial squeeze this week.  Everybody needed a little help on the outgoing end and on the incoming end, I won at bingo.  It didn't offset the outflow, but it helped me feel confident we're doing or did the right thing.

The Good Stuff:

• I'm redoing my Sweet Spot Map (Lesson 2 in How To Think Sideways) in preparation for NaNo
• I did a little decluttering (not nearly enough, but a little was better than none)
• After the mild griping last week, after hearing Mr. L move a few things around in the den upstairs and after he left to go to the shop, I went upstairs, noted the cleaned out space where he wanted one of my bookshelves moved to, and I moved the bookshelf to its new location. In the process of moving the contents, I found a few things to throw away, a few things to move to another location, and put most things back on the shelf in a slightly different arrangement.  I did not do what Mr. L suggested I do (make everything uniform and labeled), but I did clear out some stuff that wasn't needed anymore.  I didn't feel too bad in the process of doing it, either.
• I've felt more like wearing my shirts tucked in this week.  I'm not sure why.  I'm not any lighter than I was.  I'm not any leaner than I was.  I have only been recording my "healthy"-type foods in the Lose-It! app.  I'm not sure if it's good or not, but it doesn't seem to be bad.
• One troubling family concern was addressed when my sister-in-law gave an update on some family status this week, and it turns out all is well. (I can provide more detailed information off-line about family issues if you'd like to know, but I don't think it's wise to discuss on a public forum.)
• Mr L is gearing up for the annual trek to PA.

The Not So Good Stuff:

• I don't know if this is not so good or not, but I don't have any good news on my sister's employment status yet.
• I didn't make any progress on PBOTL this week
• The next month or two will be travel-taxing.  Lots of time on the road -- visit the kids, to SA to work on stuff down there, the annual trek to PA, and, when we get back, a long trek to SA.  It's a mixed bag on what I'm looking forward to and what I'm not.

The Week Ahead:

• Mr L wants to work at the ranch at least one day this week.  We'll see if that materializes
• Continue work on How To Think Sideways and NaNo Prep
• Resume work on PBOTL
• Weekend in Dallas
• Make a little decluttering progress
• Continue efforts to eat more fresh fruit and see if I can find more ways to snack on veggies.

No news is good news

- My uncle is heading for hospice this week, so I'm on call and hoping I'll be able to break out the little black dress next weekend and not the funeral black dress. My #1 concern is that he thinks claiming Catholicism is enough to get him into heaven. My prayer has become for a bible-preaching priest to visit him and give him the low-down, and that my step-dad will be there to hear it, too.
- Still nothing from Chicago. If they wait a little longer, Eric can finish his semester. He's only got one more after this one.
- We spent most of the weekend in Buffalo, MO (aka Hicksville) at the Celtic Festival. Not sure we'll be going back to that one. It's an easy drive, but it's still 3 1/2 hours, and the guy in charge for our clan appeared to have plenty of help. We spent yesterday sitting in the shade and visiting, and I did the apprentice thing. We originally planned to stay last night, but since there wasn't much for us to do, we decided we'd drive home last night. Ssh, we're playing hooky today. Don't tell anyone we're back. :-)
- I gave Jeff the draft for King Or Country and he had some really good suggestions for the rewrite. Some of my plot isn't plausible based on the Scottish culture, but we figured out a solution. It's good to have a resident Historian.
-  The To Do list needs to make a come-back. I haven't used one lately, and things are starting to fall through the cracks. It will also help me with these posts.
- Morning cardio seems to be helping me cut back further on my caffeine intake. It's not unusual to be getting around to my first cup at 10 or 11 in the morning. I stretched it to noon one day last week. Conversely, on the days I don't exercise, I need more caffeine to get moving. It would have been nice to know that a few years ago.
- Vicky got a job at a pizza joint, so she's going to be a busy girl. She's in class two days a week, working three full days at the hospital (unpaid clinicals), and squeezing in as many hours as she can working. I might have to bribe her with dinner to see her! The bonus is that the pizzeria is in a better neighborhood than she lives in, so I won't worry quite so much about her making deliveries. I'm hoping she won't have to do so many of those once they figure out she can cook!

I think that's about it from here. It rained all morning so I guess mowing the lawn is out. Darn. What's going on with you guys?

Down time

It's been a pretty quiet weekend around the homestead.

Good Stuff:
- I got to spend a few hours with my bard, talking History, current events, future Games (he's the MO commissioner for Clan Campbell, and Eric is the IL commissioner so we reciprocate) and favorite books.
- We've had an author approach another Games board member about doing a book signing at the Games. He's written an Arthurian trilogy, and the first book is out. He also wants to do some speaking, which falls under my jurisdiction. The bottom line is the History tent will be a lot busier this year.
- I went through my wardrobe and pulled out three trash bags of clothes. I also went through cookbooks and most of them are going.
- Vicky came by yesterday to collect the cookbooks she wanted and saw my bags of clothes on the landing, so she went through those, too, and took a good half of what I was getting rid of. She texted today and said everything she's tried on so far fits, which puzzles me because she's tiny. Now granted, some of what she took I haven't been able to get over my hips for a while, but it makes me wonder if I held onto them longer than I should have or if I gained the weight faster than I realized. In any case, I've added to her wardrobe, and she needed clothes, so it's all good.
- I cut my fabric stash down to two tubs and a small drawer. Part of it will go to a client of my chiropractor, and I'm mailing some to a friend who does sewing for SCA people.
- We had a little rain yesterday and today. It's been really hot the last two weeks, but at least my tomatoes are happier. It should be cooler for the next few days.

- Writing was good last week. Not as good as the week before, but still a whole lot better than it's been this year. I can still make my word count goal (150,000 words for the year) if I stay focused. The thing is, I need another 84,000 words to make my goal, and my current project will need, oh, I dunno, maybe 30k. I'm thinking of retrofitting something I worked on several years ago and making it historical, probably close to the current time frame.
- I signed up for yet another workshop. This one's in Minneapolis in October and will cover story basics and plotting. I hope it will have the pieces of the puzzle I'm missing. In a perfect world, everything will snap into place and I'll become a writing machine! Too bad the world's not perfect, eh?
- Uncle Carl is finally home from the hospital for a while. He'll have to go back for future treatments, but I'm not sure when that will be. He was in the best part of three weeks this last time. They had a hard time getting him stabilized.

Not So Good Stuff:
- Still nothing significant from Chicago. The head hunter says Eric is at the top of the short list, but she's not sure if it's part of their strategy to go slow and only hire those who hang in there with the process, or if it's the first time they're hiring and are unsure of what they're doing. I'm rather getting used to living in limbo again, and while the prospect is no less daunting, I'm doing a lot better about keeping it quiet. You guys know, and the Boys, our kids and a couple of Eric's coworkers. We haven't told our parents yet, and we won't until we know something for sure.
- I've been running three days a week, walking at least five days, and logging all my food. I've had calorie deficits almost every day, but my weight isn't budging. I've been frustrated the last several days. Interestingly, it's been during the heat when I can't wear my jeans. I have shorts that are more or less the right size, but they're not as comfortable. Maybe the cooler weather will motivate me again, but right now I'm about ready to ditch what's left of my wardrobe and start over. The only thing stopping me, apart from the cost, is it's not going to fix anything. Either I'll bust my tail and stay where I am, or I'll get lazy and go up again. I'm reading Chris Powell's new book, but if his techniques don't work, I don't know what I'll do next. Gain weight, I guess.

This Week:
- We'll be in Buffalo, MO for their Celtic Festival next weekend. The great part is I only have to pack clothes and a cooler. Jeff will have everything else because that's his territory. :-)
- Write.
- Press on with the exercise and eating right, even though, well, you guys know.
- Finish at least one of the three books I'm currently reading.
- Usual household stuff.
- Finish last minute STL Games scheduling and get it to the right people for the program.

She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain When She Comes

I can't think of any significance for that song for this week's post, but I always liked it when I was a kid.  Do kids still sing that song anymore?  Does anyone?

The Good Stuff:

• It's the first of the month and GI News is on my feed to read.  Have you guys heard about this source of information geared but not limited to Glycemic Index foods?  I think it's based in Australia (because the GI ratings haven't hit the fad level here in the States).  On the first of the month, the post a plethora of articles and recipes and other news of interest regarding health for people interested in keeping their diet low on the glycemic index table.  I don't study it as much as I should, but I subscribe to the feed.  This month has some interesting articles.
• I hauled a bag of clementines with me to San Antonio and didn't eat them down there either, but I decided for the trip back that I would peel them the night before and store them in a zip lock bag.  Then, while I was driving, I would snack on them instead of stopping at Panera and loading up on bagels and coffee before the drive.  This worked well.  (I think clementines may work as a diuretic, though.)
• The grass was crispy when I got to San Antonio but green and happy when I left.
• Rossie was out more with Mr L when Lady wasn't here, and Ruby was much more approachable in San Antonio (even sleeping with Natasha for a lot of the time).
• My dad says his recovery from his hip replacement is going so well, his back doesn't hurt as much as it used to (we suspect because the hip isn't throwing everything out of alignment -- I'm pretty sure he still needs the back surgery, but maybe not as soon).
• If you have a lot of cats and the price of Revolution flea/tick/mite control is way out of reach, my veterinarian (without me asking) suggested I get the big dog dose and pull it out in a syringe and apply it to the back of their neck (use the needle to open the dose, then draw the 4ml out into the syringe, separate the syringe from the needle, press the blunt end of the syringe to the back of the neck, and apply).  For us, one month of big dog dose will dose 8 cats ($15 vice $75 for equivalent cat dosage).  I buy a box of cat and a box of big dog (because Sneaky needs hers too), and they give me two free with each box, so that's good for eight months.  The vet throws in the syringes for me.  The upside is the cats seem to be less bothered by the syringe administration (no air noise like the individual vials).  If you have fewer cats, calculate the right size dog medicine for the number of cats you have, because you don't want to leave the vial open from month to month (at least, I don't).
• I got the filters changed.
• The Equipment Depot checked out the lift and found nothing wrong, but they did suggest a couple of "best practices" to prolong battery life.
• I made a little progress on PBOTL.  The goal was to finish Lesson 17 in How To Revise Your Novel by the end of August, and I did not do that.

The Not So Good Stuff:

• The bed we have in San Antonio does a number on my back.  This morning, even though I'm back on my Sleep Number, my lower back and right hip sent a sharp pain coursing through my body, and it's been complaining a little ever since.  I'll get this figured out yet, but as y'all know, it's no fun.
• Not surprisingly, getting up at 3 am every day to turn on soaker hoses disrupts sleep patterns.  That was very evident on the graph posted to my fitbit dashboard.  Disrupted sleep patterns seem to lead to pain and inflammation in the body.  So maybe I shouldn't be blaming my bed in San Antonio but the getting up at 3 am?
• Books-A-Million in San Antonio only had three of the bargain journals I wanted.  I bought them all.  If I want any more, I'll have to order them online.
• I got what I needed done at the Social Security Administration offices to activate my on line account.

 The Week Ahead:

• Please pray for my sister to get good news on a job she interviewed for (or even good news from an unexpected direction).  She's been out of work since the end of April and is anxious to get back in the saddle (as her severance pay is running out).  She's been thankful for being able to spend time with her family and mom and dad this summer, but she's ready to be back in the employment pool again.  And, frankly, she needs it--even more than she needed this break.
• Find a way to see my husband's efforts at decluttering as just that and not efforts to eradicate all signs that I live here.
• Accomplish some decluttering as well this week.
• Work on PBOTL
• Begin planning for NaNoWriMo (This is the last year I plan to participate -- it will be ten consecutive years this year, and I think it's served it's purpose for me.  Maybe I'll change my mind next year, but for now, that's what I'm thinking.)