Upswinging?

After a not-great start to the week, things seem to be improving, at least a little. I'm back to tracking (mostly, which is waaay better than not at all) and the quality of my food has improved dramatically. And I'm writing. Not as much as I wish - there simply isn't time and quiet - but gobs more than I was.

Here's hoping this trend continues.

{{hugs}} That's all for me. Have a great week!

discouraged

Just venting. This is a safe place, and I don't want to vent on Facebook. Feel free to pass on by.

I just found out I didn't make the cut in yet another contest. I know it's not the end of the world. I've had writers I admire tell me I have talent and to press on, but right now, if I could quit writing and preserve my sanity, I would. I feel like I'm putting myself through a meat grinder for no reason. Intellectually, I know that even if this is a real call, it might be because I'm talking to myself. It's no guarantee that anything I write will ever see the light of day. I ask myself all the time if that's enough. Usually, I say it has to be. Today, the answer is no. I just wish there was an easier way. Or I wish I didn't care if I didn't get published. I wish I could stop and not have to endure crazy dreams and crankiness.

At this point, the decision about conferences just got easier.

Park

Not been making much progress lately. Got my life in park somehow, and I'm still trying to figure out how to switch gears again. Not a bad place where I've parked. Many people have it worse. And I have a view. If that makes sense.

I've been talking to a friend of mine who has gone through therapy more times than he likes to admit. He thinks I need therapy. That I'm suffering a mid-life crisis without the money to buy a new car and attract a young blonde. Without a wife to divorce. Maybe he's right. I don't know.

Doesn't sound right to me, though. Not been through a mid-life crisis before--that I know of--so I don't know for sure, but it doesn't sound right. Shrug. Not sure of nomenclature matters as much as figuring out how to get out of park.

I can make lists. I do my lists for the most part. I feel productive, but are those checked items moving me toward any goal beyond the immediate? Maybe the immediate is all I can manage right now, but I remember that common bit of wisdom: if you don't know where you're going, how can you complain about where you end up?

Although I will complain. You can count on it.

This week, I plan:
- On doing chores.
- On taking more photos.
- On writing the program for the writers group meeting June 14.
- On writing and publishing the family June newsletter.
- On writing a story about the group book signing June 19 and sending it to the various media folks.
- On updating the writers group website.

That's a few good things. Longmire premieres tonight. I think it's one of the best shows on TV these days.

Have a great week!

Done with college!

Vicky graduated Friday night (although she's been finished since February), and Eric finished his second masters last week. Although Alex is in grad school, our college obligations are officially finished!

Vicky's graduation was so much smoother than Alex's. If nothing else, I had make-up, and it didn't snow! (It did rain, but we were inside.) We got to catch up with Dad, Linda, Mom and Aunt Shirley. Saturday we went to the St. Louis Zoo (per Vicky's request), and yesterday we headed home. I drove Mom and Aunt Shirley back so they could see our place, and then they braved Chicago traffic to go home. When Mom suggested that part, it seemed safe since it would be Sunday afternoon. Wrong! Traffic was awful, but they made it out safely.

I know there was more to last week than the last three days, but honestly I can't think of anything of note that happened. There isn't even anything on my calendar to give me a hint, so apparently, it was mostly cleaning up the apartment and laundry. Oh, and baking scones to take with us. I did quite a bit of research for Trevor's wartime story arc. If you missed The World Wars on the History Channel, I think they're doing a replay at the end of this month. It's well worth the time. Fascinating stuff.

We saw the new X-Men movie on Monday. That was good, and I'm not an X-Men fan. I figured you can't go wrong with Jennifer Lawrence and Hugh Jackman, though, and I was right.

So that's about it. Today it's back to the grind, and hopefully I'll get back into the routine faster than usual. We work out with our trainer tonight and I'm not looking forward to the weigh-in. Since our session starts at 6, and I will have had a full day of food (no matter how healthy) and water, I'm expecting to see a 2 in the wrong spot. That just might make me weep. We'll see.

Y'all have a good week!

Stress, worry, and the blues

I am doing better today. I think it's because yesterday, in the midst of feeling like a mess, I made time for ME. I've also tried to do some thinking on various things, starting with why and how I lost the spark I had a year ago.

May of last year:

• I was at my lowest weight since high school, maybe even *during* high school. 
• I was walking and exercising daily (sometimes several times a day) in training for a 5k.
• I was writing daily.
• I was (generally) upbeat and focused.
• I had a Career Plan
• My house was tidy. Well, as tidy as a house can be with a 18 mo old. ;)
• Meals were planned, food was stocked, and our greatest grocery expense was fresh stuff.
• Bill and I were going on regular 'dates'.
• So forth, and so on.

But, at the end of May and early June of last year:

• The Millionaire Maker Agent and I parted ways, sending me back to querying after spending 9 months waiting on him and his circular changes to SPORE
• Money became tight
• Perimenopause really kicked in, hormonally speaking
• My sewing machine started acting up
• Laura found stable employment
• I got depressed, stressed, and worried, writing dried up, weight started to climb, etc.

As I pondered the how and why and whatnot of the events, I realized a couple of things. First and foremost, I lost Tammy Time, mostly due to being the main parent on deck with LittleMiss. I'm not blaming her - or Laura - for this, just noting that I wasn't aware of the change when it happened.

The other issue was the kicked-in-the-gut sensation from having to start back at the beginning again in trying to sell SPORE. I'd, mostly, had forward movement before with my writing, slow perhaps, or a few steps to a side, but diligent, methodical progress when I worked it. What these two life events did (or rather my reaction to them, to be honest) was to withdraw, as I always do being an avoidant kind of gal. I cut back on exercising, let my sewing machine (my normal mode of personal 'therapy') sit idle and broken, I became a casual tracker and exerciser, and pretty much stopped writing completely, except for query letters which, let's face it, are customized form letters. In short, I stopped making time for ME, stopped making ME any sort of priority and consistently put ME last. Everyone and everything else in my life was more important. I was at the bottom of the stack and didn't matter, not even to myself.

Last week I had a very, very bad reaction to a medication, or perhaps it was a severe hormonal flux. Whatever it was, it was terrifying and awful. Scared me. Scared me bad. In part, because I had ZERO CONTROL over what I was doing/thinking/feeling, no matter how I tried to lock it down, but also because while everyone I reached for wanted to help me, no one really listened to me. After the mess faded away, I realized that's because I wasn't really speaking for myself anymore. I was doing all those things I was supposed to do, acting and speaking and sometimes thinking how I was supposed to act and speak and think because I believed it was expected of me. I believed it was what everyone else wanted, that my truth didn't matter. Ultimately, tho, it wasn't anyone else's fault or decision or insistence, it was mine and mine alone. I am surrounded by a lot of really supportive people and I did all of this to myself. Because, somehow, I convinced myself that I didn't matter.

I had a bit of a rant yesterday as I worked through some of these realizations. I still feel really bombarded, but I do know it's - mostly - myself, not all the outside crap I want to blame it on.

Yesterday, after Laura got home from work, I told her straight up I'm off duty. I have my own stuff I need to do now. And I did it. Sure, it was mostly housework, but I also worked on book notes and just sat and had a quiet glass of Crystal Lite. After Bill got home, I told him I was gonna screw off online then write after everyone else went to bed. I haven't really done that in a long, long time. And I did. I roughly outlined the plot-point placement of major events for STAIN OF CORRUPTION and decided how best to make it all work. Took me until about 1 am, but it's done, and I'm thankful.

Today I've decided I don't want to mess with potty training. LittleMiss goes to her dad's tomorrow, I'd rather just enjoy her and let her play today. So we've done that. I've made a few more book notes, read a ton of stuff on assorted subjects online, offered FB friendship to quite a few fans, and I've had music playing all day.

It's been great. Tomorrow, I sew and write. That's it.

Tomorrow is Tammy Day. And it's about time. {{hugs}}

Yard Ho

There must be a hip hop song title like that somewhere, right?  If not, there will be someday.  This is me in the summer time.  If I were just in San Antonio, the yard work never ends.  Add in Central Texas, and the work is trebled.  Good thing I generally enjoy yard work.  And now that I have the battery-powered string trimmer, I don't even hate trimming like I used to (there's something about dragging 120 feet of extension cord that gets old really fast).

Have I ever mentioned that I usually feel as if I married the Jack Nicholson character in the movie, As Good As It Gets?  No?  Well, I do. If you're familiar with the movie, they did a great job of helping the audience see how that character had a lovable side (because Mr. L definitely has that), but, well, I hope you get what I mean about how frustrating all the other stuff could be.

The appraisal district has our refined paperwork,  and it seems as if it may be accepted.  I haven't gotten a call back from the Parks and Wildlife guy I left a voice mail for.  Maybe he's on vacation or away at a class?  I'll try again next week.  If we're going to do this, I want a professional's opinion on what things would be advisable to do and what things we shouldn't worry about.

Mr. L got putty work done on the wall mid-section this week.  He could do that around the rain.  I got the yard mowed and trimmed.  I spread the second spreading of Preen.  This is supposed to kill off the sticker burs, so we'll see in about six weeks how effective those efforts have been.  The St. Augustine we transplanted into the side yard over the last two years is spreading like crazy, so we're very pleased with that.  Mr. L brought a bucket full up from SA about a month ago and gave it to our Post Office handy man to fill in some bare spots, and it's doing well there, too. (I've mentioned before what an awesome job that man is doing for our local post office.)

I've read Lesson 18 for How To Revise Your Novel.  I'll start working on it next week in San Antonio (line edits for PBOTL).  I'm working on the Series Matrix for How To Write A Series, and this process is amazing, and tough to get my head around.  It's coming slowly. I also hope to make more progress on it next week.

I installed a Joomla! 3.2.4 test site at FM in preparation for what will be an eventual upgrade of the site to that version.  I think it will eventually work just fine for us.

The Week Ahead:

• A lot of chopping is on my plate in San Antonio.  I'll be working to excise trash trees from the back corner of the yard.  The trees are pretty young, but I need to hack them off below the ground.  Normally, this isn't too tough, but that corner of the yard has flat stones from the fifties comprising a patio of sorts around an old brick BBQ grill.
• I'll do a little watering, but I may not have as much to do with the rain we've been getting.  
• I'll probably have to mow the front yard.  I'm certain to have to mow the back yard.
• Work on PBOTL and Kitty City series prep work.
• Make sure everything is ready before I leave so Mr. L has minimal to be concerned with regarding cats and laundry.
• Pay bills.

Things we learn

Things We Learn

People we love will hurt us the most
but we will love them anyway
People we want to love us won’t
but they will love other people
Children break our hearts repeatedly
but we continue to have them
God doesn’t answer our prayers
but we won’t listen when He says no
Life carries sorrow and strife
but we hold onto hope for better
We learn things we don’t want
but we call this knowledge wisdom

Each night we fall in restless sleep
And we get up each day and go on
Flowers bloom, trees grow green,
and leaves fall before the snow
Love is always truly unexpected
and it brings its blessed problems
Children choose their surprising paths
and their journeys head toward light
We love who our heart loves
and love cannot be wasted in this life
We hold tight the things we cherish
and our lives are finally fulfilled


Copyright 2014 by Stephen B. Bagley. 
All rights reserved. Thanks for reading.

Struggling

Struggling.

Struggling.

Struggling.

Sigh.

{{hugs}}

One Foot After the Other

I want to be a responsible citizen, but I think I'd be a lot better off if I didn't try to stay informed on the issues.  It's far too depressing. 

Here's how the week went:

•  I made it to San Antonio on Monday afternoon, and the yard looked green.  The rain we got during the week when I wasn't there sure helped.  
• I got my prescribed watering completed (soaker hoses, sprinkler on Wednesday, and hand watering as needed).
• I got the truck serviced (including the expensive "flushings" -- it had to be done, and I figured it would be best at the beginning of summer when the heat is hardest on the vehicular system), 
• I found the new Taylor Anderson book for Mr. L smack dab in front of me when I went into Barnes and Noble. I had to sift through about five books until I found one without an RFID sticker in the middle of a page.  The checkout clerk assured me they come right off, but I'm leery of that. Ours was under the 20% sticker on the dust jacket -- what was so hard about that?
• I printed and sifted through the 300 pages of wildlife management guidance and put together a draft plan I think we can do.
• I finished Lesson 17 of How To Revise Your Novel (and the big revision work for PBOTL).   I can't help feeling I made certain aspects of the book worse.  I hope the next seven lessons will help me find those areas and do repairs.
• I had picked up some dewormer medicine I could mix with Moose's Fancy Feast.  I prepared it for him yesterday.  He ate about half and walked away.  I preserved it in a Zip Lock for him and tried serving it to him today, and he looked at me like I was out of my mind.  Eventually, he sniffed it, but he walked away.  So much for that idea.  Sneaky won't eat it either.
• While I was in San Antonio, Mr. L was scraping the vertical divider boards between the first and second floor of the living room wall.  On Saturday afternoon, we sanded and primered it just before a brief rain shower hit.  We were just finishing clean up with the first drips fell. Good timing there.
•  
  
• Mr. L cleared some space at the store and lined the trailer with the convertible up to the middle door and called me. I met him there, and we rolled the convertible off the trailer into the bay.  The convertible is now safely sitting in it's temporary shelter next to the Spitfire and the '46 Mercury 4-door.
•  
  

For the Week Ahead:

• Go to the Appraisal Office on Tuesday and present the Wildlife Management Plan -- assuming they will waive the requirement to notify them we're going under that by May 1 (I hope they will, they seemed to be hinting we needed to move in this direction)
• Finish reading Lesson 18 of How To Revise Your Novel and plan the work
• Do any necessary Central Texas yard work this week.
• Once the appraisal matter is resolved, begin catching up on How To Write A Series Expansion work.
• Get ready to return to San Antonio.  I'm getting good writing work done down there, so that's the bright spot in this summer's maintenance plan.  And Mr. L can get things done up here.  So far, it's a win-win.

Sundays suck

Sorry, but they do. LittleMiss knows her dad's coming to pick her up soon and she's moping around and whining a little. It breaks our hearts to see her like this, and it's even worse when she cries as he takes her away. I really, really despise Sundays.

I've spent this past week and a half fighting a cold on top of my sinus infection and standard seasonal allergies. I'm pretty much a congested mess in that regard and it's making me constantly tired, probably from decreased oxygen. Spent plenty of time with LittleMiss, tho, which was great. :)

Saw both Godzilla and XMen this past week and I liked both. Bill, not as much. Not sure if we'll get either DVD (Laura will almost certainly get XMen) but Godzilla was exactly the stomp-and-destruction fest I wanted and I was pleasantly surprised that XMen managed to cram the whole Days of Future Past comic series (admittedly altered and condensed) into a coherent 2 hour film. I was genuinely worried it would have been a tangled mess, but it worked out reasonably well. Just wish there was more... gravitas? Emotional connection? It was fun, but not satisfying, if that makes sense, like having a cookie instead of supper. I left Godzilla happier. Rawr!

I'm back to working on Dubric this week since the other two books are stalled, in part because I'm having trouble concentrating. I'm blaming hormones and sinuses for this, but mostly hormones. I had an incredibly awful day last Thursday (a week and a half ago) which may have been a reaction to a medication, might have been a massive hormonal flux. I stopped the med (my doc will surely chew my butt about that when I see her in a week) but the symptoms haven't returned. I've actually taken myself off of everything other than cold pills because I need to breathe. I wasn't taking any Rx other than the antibiotic (which I've finished), just an assortment of vitamins, but now it's just a cold pill. Amazingly enough, I'm not having knee issues (Glucosamine) or mood issues (Vit D3) or anything.

Still clogged, tho. ;)

I've come to an understanding about my personal path, mostly because it's smacked me upside the head a couple of times now. Whenever I make a decision with dollar signs in my eyes (that one agent, and agreeing to market SPORE to a "publisher" whose ethics make my skin crawl) it bites me in the butt. It's consistently a mistake, personally, professionally, and psychologically. So no more of that crap for me!

This weekend I plan on sewing, writing, and decluttering. That's it. I'd better get to it.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend, everyone, and go hug your favorite Veteran! {{hugs}}

I never know quite what to put in this box.

Mixed bag this week, but aren't they all?

Good Stuff:
- I made Eric go outside for adventures today. We hopped on a bus, and then a train, had lunch downtown at Eataly and wandered around looking at yummy things we didn't buy. Then, because I hadn't been yet, we walked a couple blocks to the Miracle Mile and wandered into a mall. As if that weren't enough, we realized we were only four blocks from Navy Pier, so we walked down there. We did four miles today. I'm tired. And I didn't find anything to buy, for which Eric is grateful!
- Before we did all that, I was virtuous and did 45 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. Yup. Tired.
- We saw Chad again on Tuesday. Went to dinner, and then we went to see Godzilla. It was better than I gave it credit for. I won't buy it on DVD, probably, but it was pretty good.
- My allergies improved. I don't need hot showers and the neti pot to get through the day now. I'm not sure what stopped pollinating, but I hope it's done for good.
- Added some Blues Traveler and Weird Al to my exercise play list. Oddly, I think I need more Weird Al. He makes the time go faster.
- Finished the first read-through on Weeping Willow and have finished the stuff that's easy to fix. I need to add a subplot because it's very short--55kish words. That won't sell to anyone except maybe Love Inspired. Hmm. Wonder if they take unagented inquiries?
- Vicky graduates next weekend. The parents will be in town for it, but we're all staying in a hotel so Vicky doesn't have to figure out where to put us. It's Friday at 6:30, so I'm packing a picnic basket to prevent hangries.
- Eric's interviews went well. I was wrong about them being permanent. They're contract to hire. :-P One of them is downtown, and the other is in a 'burb (meaning his commute time would just about triple). His headhunter is urging him to hold out for the downtown one. Either job is preferable to what he has now. This decision will be made next week, I'm sure, and the vacation time will reset to 0. Again.

Not So Good Stuff:
- I have a bad case of hormonal bloating. 'Nuff said. I'm tired of feeling fat. It can go away now.
- I need to find some places to walk to besides Starbucks. They're contributing to the fat, and it's getting expensive. Ideally, it will be a place without food, period. I think there's a park within a mile, and I could check to see if we can use the track at the high school down the street while the kids are out of school.
- I'm trying to decide if I'm going to a writers conference this year, and if so, which one. The one I usually do in September is back in St Louis this year, so it would be convenient. I'm not sure I want to spend the money this year, though. Maybe it would be better to stay home and write. There's a lot to be said for networking, though, and that conference won't be back in StL for at least five years. They will, however, be in Dallas the following year, and in Grapevine two years after that, so Jean, if you're interested in Christian fiction, I recommend it.
- Got stuck in holiday traffic. You probably saw that on Facebook.

So that's about it. This week is working on Weeping Willow, getting as much exercise as I can, avoiding sugar, and going downstate for the weekend. Y'all have a good one!

A little night music

Another one of my music nights. Just listening to unfamiliar music on my computer. Unfamiliar because I haven't played the songs in months. I have thousands of songs on my hard drive, so naturally some aren't played much.

Mostly sweet, melancholy music. Violins and acoustic guitars. Quiet songs to fill up the empty places in my soul. Fill them up so nothing else can reside there.

Dan Fogelberg, Indigo Girls, Alexi Murdoch, Ed Sheeran, Rob Thomas... Talented singers with great gifts.

Do you have music nights? Or do you like your nights so still that the stars finally speak to fill the silence? Do you walk the fields at night and gaze up at the sky where the moon hangs like a ripe peach? Or do you gratefully close your eyes and fall into sleep until the sun dawns?

Whatever helps you to be filled with peace, that's what you should do. That's what I'm trying to do as I listen to a little night music.

Dazed and confused

It was a busy weekend. Wow.

Good Stuff:
- I got paid for working Saturday. Crowds were light. It seemed like many of the people there were participating in the Games rather than visitors. They've never had storytelling at this particular festival, so people didn't know quite what to do with me, which was a bit strange. They've penciled me in for next year, and hopefully in a few years they won't be able to think about the Games without storytelling!
- Our friend Chad is in town for a class. We had dinner with him last night, and he may be coming back over tomorrow evening. So good to see him. He was a little surprised at how different the apartment looks without the boxes!
- Eric has two job interviews this week for permanent positions. Fingers crossed. It would be great to get out of contract work.
- We're officially Presbyterian again.

Not So Good Stuff:
- My sinuses have been a mess. Even with allergy meds, hot showers and the neti pot I still have to take pain meds some days. At least I can breathe. There's a lot to be said for that.
- It appears that every storytelling gig will be followed by a couple days of recovery. It's great fun, but exhausting. Need to check with Jeff to see if he's found that to be true, or if part of this is allergy side effects.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all my muddled brain will come up with right now. I have this week to get my act together before I have to gear up to go downstate again. Vicky's graduation is a week from Friday, and my parents and aunt are coming. Luckily, they've already asked about hotels so we won't have to figure out where to wedge everyone in with Vicky and her roommates!

Y'all have a good week.

Out of Range

Not too bad a week.  One snag, which I hope will resolve to our satisfaction before the end of the month.

We got our income tax refund back this week.  Followed by a letter from the IRS informing us of a mistake in our taxes.  Apparently, even though my income didn't meet the requirements for filing Schedule D, doing so would have saved us money, so the IRS figured it for us and made appropriate adjustments.  While I never like goofing on taxes, I'm a little happier when the goof is in my favor and the IRS catches it and makes it right.

We went to the appraisal office this week, and even though they've accepted our agricultural use of the land since we bought since 2002, they no longer are doing so.  The answer we get when we asked what changed is, "I don't know.  We've been doing it this way since I've been here, and I wasn't here in 2002."  Not a very helpful answer.  From their responses, I've gathered our haying operation is fine, but it's only 25% of our land, and we need acceptable agricultural use for more than 50%.  The other 75% of the land is woods.  They don't accept growing trees anymore, I guess (That's a different category, and we could file a "conversion to timberland," but that isn't really what we want to do). We seem to have a couple of options, but the one they were pushing is wildlife management area.  We do some of the things for this already, but we hadn't wanted to do the paperwork or the other requirements to meet the standards.  I'm reviewing the guidelines now to see how we can do so without excessive expense or time.   I hope when I get back to town after this week in SA to have an acceptable usage documented for them. If they don't accept that, we'll have to file a protest.

In other news, I got the store grass mowed, a little more work done on PBOTL, I got close enough to Moose (formerly known as Mooch) to briefly touch his head, and we've identified Floyd as our cat doing inappropriate urinating.  Sneaky got a clean bill of health at her annual exam, and Dr. Val believes Floyd may have a chronic cystitis problem.  I pick up a medication she hopes will help with that on Monday on my way to San Antonio.  We'll continue treating with Amoxicillin for three weeks to make sure it's had a full chance to be effective.

I ordered Stephen's anthology.  I forgot to pick up the coats from the cleaners.  I did pretty well eating mindfully.  Weight is creeping down.  Still have a little over 2 pounds to go to achieve my current goal.  Ice cream for dessert raises my fasting blood glucose to over 110 the following morning.  I'm going to have to rethink having ice cream, and I certainly won't have it the night before a blood test!

The Week Ahead:

• Spend the week in San Antonio
• Watering
• Working on the wildlife management plan
• Trimming hedges
• Picking up items for Mr. L at Harbor Freight
• Work on Polar Bear on the Loose -- four more scenes to finish this lesson, then I can work on the next one, which, I believe, is line edits.
• Continue work on How To Write A Series - Expansion course
• Try to get Lady and Natasha some back yard time while we're in SA.

Hi ho, hi ho! It's off to Des Moines we go!

Meeting with my doc tomorrow to discuss whether surgery (and what kind) is the right choice for the mutiny.

My weight is really UP, but I'm not gonna worry about that right now.

I could really go for a bacon cheeseburger and some ice cream right now.

Not writing.

Got a bad rejection that really upset me. Rejections have never upset me before.

Still foggy.

Everything else seems fine.

{{hugs}} and have a great week.

What's been going on and then some

I am working on becoming a vegetarian. Health reasons. It's good for our hearts and good for diabetes. Now, I'm not a fanatic on it. I'm slowly easing into it. And I'm still allowing cheese, low-fat milk, and eggs. The cheese is, of course, low fat. And the eggs are egg whites. And I'm not beating myself up when I slip. I've spent years eating meat. It will take time to stop. I'm also tapering off bread in general. And all types of sweets.

Things I have learned so far:
- I hadn't eaten a hamburger for a couple of months now. Ate one last week. The meat tasted so greasy. Sorry, Sonic, I think you're losing me.
- Spinach enchiladas and quesadillas are excellent. As are green chile enchiladas.
- Egg white omelets are just as good as regular omelets. Pepper, mushroom, spinach, tomato, and cheese omelets are excellent.
- So-called chef salads aren't that good.
- Restaurant bean burritos aren't good, either. At least not as good as what I make at home.
- Some people are offended or annoyed if they learn you're attempting to become a vegetarian. Now I don't mention it unless I feel "safe" in doing so.
- This is the idea time to become one. All those lovely and delicious veggies at WalMart and the local farmers market. Although I sure wish the farmers market here had more variety: tomatoes, potatoes, onions dominate with a scattering of local honey and melons. Of course, it's not a large farmers market, and I'm sure they stick with what sells for sure.

The most important thing that I'm trying to learn, incorporate, live is to make food less important in my life. Eating to live and not living to eat, to share the old cliche. Well, enough about that for now.

Writers group meeting was Saturday. Good attendance. We gained our 21st member. We're large enough now that we can have a few members missing and still have a good crowd with guests and so on. Eventually we will grow out of our current room in the library. They have larger rooms, so that won't be a problem, but I'm hoping someone else will be president then. I'm reaching my limits of what I feel comfortable with or really feel comfortable in front of.

It's raining here. We needed the rain. I hope Jean gets some. Texas is slowly becoming a desert.

My herbs on the back porch are doing well as are my strawberries and my one cherry tomato plant. I'm hoping my potatoes come up soon. I have more plants this year than I've ever had. I really felt a need this reason to surround myself with green growing things. Embracing life, I guess.

Read a great historical novel this weekend. Hild by Nicola Griffith. It's the early life of Saint Hilda of Whitby. Beautiful writing and a clear grasp of characters and plot. I'm hoping there will be a sequel.

Last week I also read The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast by Jack Campbell, the latest in his military science fiction series. MSF is a huge sub-genre within science fiction now.

Internet is being weird here. The storm is messing with my provider. So I'd better close.

This week:
- Write on MBTM. Highest priority.
- Chores.
- Exercise.
- Water plants daily!
- Post on varioius blogs.
- Schedule book signings for group.
- Live, laugh, love.

Have a great week.

I did it again!

That's twice in a row I've gotten distracted from this blog.

Good Stuff:
- I got some stuff for the tiny balcony off our kitchen. Turns out it's just big enough for a small bistro table and two chairs, plus 5 14"flower pots. I got a few flowers to spruce it up and need a few more to fill up the last pot. Turns out, it makes a nice work space, and since it faces north, it should be shaded all summer.
- Watched a webinar with Susan May Warren and James Scott Bell about Bell's new book, "Write Your Book From The Middle." I bought the book, and it's a quick read. Totally worth the three bucks I spent to get it on Kindle. I've already applied the principles to Weeping Willow, and I think it's going to make a big difference.
- The cold has left our house.
- I found a group of writers that meets once a month at the library. They alternate between having free writing with prompts and speakers. The meeting this week was a writing one, and I'm happy with what I got. I'll be posting it on my blog Monday morning. I was just happy people showed up!
- We're all set to transfer our church membership. I have no idea how I would have gotten through the last few months without the people I've met there.

Not So Good Stuff:
- We met with our new trainer Saturday morning. (The old one quit when the gym wanted her to work more hours, but she already had three other jobs and no extra hours.) My BMI and weight are higher than I realized. It's not affecting my health yet, but it will if I continue my current ways. Eric is in the same boat, except his weight was lower than he thought it would be.
- My second (and final, for now) paid gig is next Saturday. My only concern is my voice because of my allergies. I sang tenor in church yesterday! I'm looking forward to it, though, and it's only a total of three sets, so it should be fine. If my voice gives out after, it doesn't matter.

This Week:
- Write.
- Pack.
- Clean the living room and kitchen. Try to get the bedroom closet better organized.
- Practice the stories I didn't tell at Tartan Day.

Living and Living Well

I have much to be thankful for.  I live well, and I'm grateful for that.  I find it too easy to get bogged down in petty things that aren't all that important.  I have a husband who does love me (even with odd ways of showing it), and I have a pretty decent family.  Like too many people, I tend to focus too easily on first world problems.

We arrived in San Antonio Monday afternoon after dropping the boys at the clinic to narrow down who had the urinary tract infection (turns out they all do!) to a brown, crunchy lawn.  I laid out the soaker hoses on the west side nearest the street (the part of the lawn that gets burned the most by the sun) in preparation for being able to turn them on at 7 pm.  By soaking Monday night, Tuesday and Thursday morning and evening, and Friday morning, and running the sprinkler morning and evening on Wednesday, we had some green back in the yard before I headed back to Central Texas on Friday.  I'll go back on the 19th to do it all over again.

We got early voting done for the city election.  I plan to do early voting for the primary runoff election when I go back.  Mr. L will decide if he will go sometime before then.  He could also decide to go the week after and vote on the actual day.

For one day, I reached my current weight loss goal (but the weight bounced back up a little).  It will take a little to stabilize at the lower weight, but that was exciting to be 90% of the woman I was at the beginning of the year -- even for a day.

I got about three hours of writing work done, including a scene for PBOTL.

Mooch is stopping and waiting for me to get his Fancy Feast ready now.  I can put the bowl down and push it to the edge of my reach and he will walk to the bowl and eat while I wait nearby and talk to him.  This afternoon, he wound up pushing the bowl as he ate, and he pushed it to within easy hand's reach of me (I decided not to try to touch him yet).

The Week Ahead:

• Prepare to discuss with the appraisal district why the same things that have been adequate for agricultural use for the ranch no longer are adequate for them this year.
• Take Sneaky in for her annual shots, see if there's a more specific treatment for the boys after find out what the lab says about their cultures, and see if there's an oral flea/tick/parasite treatment I can give Mooch in his Fancy Feast to help his overall health until I can catch him and bring him in.
• Pick up winter coats from cleaners (I dropped them off a couple weeks ago and forgot about them!).
• Usual decluttering efforts need to be redoubled.
• Keep focus on eating mindfully.  I sense I'm slipping a little by being inattentive.  I've been expecting this, and I want to stay on course.
• Oh, yes.  I need to get Stephen's writer group anthology.  I saw he released it this week, but I was out of range.

Where's the Lighthouse when you need it?

Things are all right. I guess. I am really, really FOGGY. My brain, my muscles, my motivation... most everything.

I was home all by myself yesterday and I had planned on sewing and/or writing (assuming I could get the sewing machine to work - ha ha) but I could not, for the life of me, figure out what to do or how to go about doing it. I just can't THINK.

Bill thought it was because I (normally) have a gazillion things firing in my brain at once - it's why I am so prone to distraction - SQUIRREL!! - but, no, this is more like I have some chicken, and I have asparagus, but what should I do with them....

Um.

Um....

Why am I in the kitchen? Am I thirsty.... no....

Um... I was doing something. Surely. Maybe I need to pee? (Go to the basement) No...

(stand in basement, looking around) Um... (notice Gozer staring down at me)

Oh! The dog wants out! I can do that....

(back up stairs, let him out, then into the kitchen, staring around blankly) Um....

(Cat comes to me chirping for attention)

Hi MeowMeow! (I'm relieved because I can DO THIS) Yes I'll pet you. Yes, you're a good kitty. (pet her for a while, still trying to think because there was something I was doing but I have zero idea what it was, then notice the dog going apeshit in the back yard after he's been barking who-knows-how-long that I heard but didn't really register as something to deal with at first because I was concentrating on Petting The Cat)

Why is the dog barking? Dammit, Gozer, (as I call him and make him come in) how did you get outside?

Three hours later notice chicken sitting warm and defrosted in microwave and asparagus limp on the counter.

That's my life lately.

I think I have brain damage.

Otherwise things are things. Nothing of real interest to report.

(Fwiw, I think I did have something else to say, but I have no idea what it was)

Have a good week.

Butterfly!

I had this about ready to post yesterday, and then I got lured away with the promise of Thai food. Decent week, overall, but yesterday was definitely better than today. All the trees started pollinating at the same time, and I've been tired and congested most of the weekend. Not great for productivity. It appears I am allergic to Chicago after all.

Good Stuff:
- I dressed up, went forth, and did a group pre-interview with AFLAC. They've found it's helpful in the interview process if applicants understand how they do business because it's different than how other companies do things. If I was looking for a career, I'd jump at it, but it's full time and part of the responsibilities include cold calling and a few other things I've already done and don't care to do again. I'm blessed to be in the position to say thanks but no thanks. For the record, I found the place with no problem, found a parking spot in the next block, and my van didn't get towed. :-)
- Got some words in. I may need some help wrangling this story sometime in the near future.
- My counselor officially released me from therapy and told me to give her a call to get coffee sometime.
- Finally talked to my bard mentor. He got good reports on my performance at Tartan Day. His pneumonia has finally cleared up, but his back has been out of whack. He did say he was confident enough to recommend me to Games coordinators if he's unable to perform at one of his regular gigs.

Not So Good Stuff:
- While Eric had a good time at the retreat, he came home with a cold, and now he's trying to give it to me. I'm resisting valiantly, but I fear it may overtake me all the same. Maybe it has. It's hard to tell a cold from allergies sometimes. I guess I can't complain. I didn't get sick at all during The Winter From Hell. (Can winter be from Hell? Isn't it too hot there? Or do they have cold parts, too? Maybe that's what we get when they crank the heat up. They suck all the geothermal heat deeper into the core.)
- My wardrobe is woefully thin on professional clothing. My first impulse was to go shopping, but I'm not really up for that right now. Not sure if it's the drastic decrease in closet space or my recent weight gain. I've decided to leave things as they are for now. I can cobble together interview outfits, and if/when I get a job I'll find out what the dress code is and go from there. Who knows, maybe the dress code will be jeans and t-shirts.
- It rained every day this week until today. Not good when one is solar powered.
- I won't be performing at the Chicago Games this year. They don't have it in the budget, but will work it in for next year. If I hadn't done Tartan Day I might have tried to barter to get the gig, but I know how much work it takes now. While I am willing to perform free for certain groups (VA hospital or nursing homes, for example), I'm not about to set that precedent with Games. That could backlash not only on me, but on future performers as well.

From Our House to (Y)Ours

This is looking to be a busy summer.  Alamo Heights is in Stage 3 water restrictions (have been since late last year), which means we can only water one day every other week.  Our day is Wednesday.  Thankfully, they approved a change in watering hours to a more humane 7-11am and 7-11pm.  This saves me from the 3am hell I was in last year. While I can only use a sprinkler one day a week, I can use soaker hoses any day of the week.  That's what I do.

In an effort to save some of the lawn, I'll be commuting every other week to San Antonio to run soaker hoses.  Mr. L will come with me (or drive separately, depending upon what is needed) to work on some other things.

I have a podiatry appointment for new orthotics at the end of the month.  X-rays on my knees and hip reveal nothing broken (I was reasonably certain of that) but some degeneration, which was expected. I doubt they'll schedule me for orthopedics.  Static week for the weight.  I lost the weight I gained last week. I'm fairly sure it's my body adjusting, but I am making an extra effort to stabilize in other ways, too.  I'm looking at a few areas of concern when I feel a strong urge to eat, but I'm not hungry.  I think adjusting when I eat lunch to a little later time may help as well as keeping more veggies in the house -- my supply has dwindled, and I seem to replaced it with less healthy options.  That's fixable.

It looks like I only remembered to run the timer for 3 hours and 45 minutes this week for writing work.  I hope I worked more than that, but that's what the timesheet says.  I did no work on PBOTL, but I did do significant work on The How To Write A Series Expansion (HTWAS-E), which feeds Kitty City.

I'm averaging just under seven hours of sleep per night. Mr. L's work involved setting up and periodically adjusting scaffolding this week (he was putting another coat of paint on the outer west wall of the living room).  I got the lawn mowed and a little watering done.  The Public Health volunteer training was interesting.  They desperately need volunteers, so I plan to sign up.  I forgot to take my paperwork in on Friday, so I'll do it when I get back to town. This is for people to respond in case of natural or man-made disasters.  For instance, if they need to do a mass-immunization to prevent an epidemic.  We had about twenty people at the training.  I don't know how many will volunteer.  This is something I have some experience with, so I can contribute, and when they do the telephone notification, if you can't make it, you indicate that on the response.

The Week Ahead:

• We know one of our kitties has a urinary tract infection.  We don't know which one.  We strongly suspect one of the boys, and Pretty Boy Floyd is prime suspect.  Rather than piecemeal it, we're going to drop all three at Dr. Val's on our way to San Antonio.  She'll keep them and get urine samples to test.  Assuming at least one comes back positive, she'll send a culture off for evaluation to determine what treatment will work best and begin treating.  We'll pick them up when we come back to town at the end of the week.
• Mr. L has a doctor appointment on Tuesday (the rescheduled one when they closed for the Fiesta parade and didn't bother to tell him), and it's also the last day of early voting in the local elections (City Council).  We won't be there on the 10th (election day), so we plan to hit up early voting.
• I need to get as much water on the grass as I can on Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  It's supposed to rain on Thursday and Friday.  If I believe it would really happen, we wouldn't worry about watering, but so often we get the forecast and no rain comes.
• I plan to get a couple more scenes done on PBOTL this week as well as more work for HTWAS-E.
• We have some items to pick up from Home Depot/Lowe's, etc.
• Mr. L wants to load the convertible onto the trailer to bring it back to Central Texas.  This is the final vehicle and last really big item that needs to get moved.  We don't have a space cleared for it yet, but we do have room to back the trailer into the shop.  That will work for now.

Monday Monday

I'm so glad to be back. Didn't think you'd see that for a while, did you? :-)

Good week at Mom's. Got caught up with the family and a friend from high school, who recently had bypass surgery. Yeah, that made me feel old, even though he's young to have heart surgery. We didn't really do anything special while I was there. Shopping, as usual. I didn't find much I wanted to buy. That's a sign that my "Do I love this enough to move it, probably twice?" mentality has become ingrained.

I didn't get any writing done, but I did get some research done. Sort of. We watched two WWI movies, one about American pilots, and the other about the Red Baron, so I got the war from both sides. They also had a decent representation of what common people wore in that era. That probably helped more than anything. Of course, it doesn't help me get back in the saddle, but I'd have to do that anyway.

It's supposed to rain on and off for the next three days. That means I'll get occasional breaks from my Velcro kitty. I was away too long for him, and it didn't help that Eric went on a church retreat over the weekend. They were only alone one night, but he's a little freaked out. Poor guy. Logic doesn't work with cats.

That's pretty much it. It was a low key week, too early in the season for yard work, but late enough that I didn't have to deal with snow when I was traveling. Cutting the distance in half made the drive a lot better, too. I'll try to wrangle YouTube this week, and I'll post the link where you can find it.

Stuck in the middle with you, and I don't know what it is I can do.

I can't say it's been a bad week - it hasn't - but I feel like I'm falling apart.

My Mutinous Cyst has decided to up the ante and start causing discomfort. I hesitate to call it pain, because it's really not painful, exactly, more pressure and heaviness and something in the way when I move, unless of course something (or someone - I'm looking at #TheToddler here) slams against it, then it's definitely painful. The latest ultrasound - taken Friday morning - showed that it has remained the same size since the previous set of pics back in Feb. My physician (who I didn't see, I merely spoke to her nurse on the phone) said that since it's not shrinking and is now causing me trouble I might consider getting it removed, and she can set me up with someone to talk to about the procedure.

I just don't know. Doing so would likely relieve a whole pile of issues (I am having an odd assortment of perimenopause symptoms) but is no longer being cold and itchy worth abdominal surgery? I just don't know what to do.

Oh! I'm also fighting some crappy allergy sinus thing where the stooooooopid trees keep tweaking my nasal passages with their sexy bits. Dang trees wanting to make babies with my nose! Go bother other trees with your biological urges, not me!!

Writing wise, I haven't even looked at anything this week. I know it's because neither book is getting traction and I don't know what direction to go, but this shall pass. Right?

Paid off a credit card this week, which was lovely to do. :)

My weight is terrible. I've put on - gasp! - THIRTY POUNDS. BAM! I had been holding steady at about 15lbs up until this dang cyst thing started, but I don't know how much of the gain is due to the cyst or due to me reaching a frustrated case of the I don't give a flips or stress eating or what. I do know I haven't been following the plan well at all, and I am in charge of what goes into my mouth as well as how much exercise I do. Sigh. Now that all of the easter candy is gone, I can do better! Right? I am positive this newly returned weight is not helping my knees.

LOVING the new bed. Muchly. It's awesome.

Mostly I'm exhausted and aching and tired and frustrated and wandering around wondering what to do. On most everything.

{{hugs}} and have a great week.

Lean On Me

Mr. L has returned from SA, and from all the griping he's doing about all the things he couldn't get done that he needed to do because he had to do things I usually do, I guess he missed me.  I sincerely doubt he would have gotten much more accomplished even if I'd have been there.  At least, that's the way it seems when I do go down there with him.  But, I've noticed he's much more discombobulated when I'm not around.  I think it's going to be more this way rather then less for the rest of our lives.  After twenty years of marriage, I'm still trying to figure out how to synchronize my life with what he needs.  I realize that sounds negative.  It's not meant to.

My appointment went well my my nurse practitioner.  She got the annual exam out of the way.  She examined both my knees, said, "That's interesting" but didn't elaborate, and I got distracted trying to remember other things I needed to ask her and didn't get a clarification. She had the prosthetics shop give me a cool knee brace, and I wish I'd had her give me two, because this one is better than the really nice one I already had.  Oh, well.  I got x-rays of feet, knees, and right hip.  Feet are for referral to podiatry to get new custom orthotics for my feet and probably to have the numbness in my big toe examined -- she suspects age-related bunion.  For my chapped eye corners, she recommends Vaseline, which is what I was thinking.  And she's going to send me a steroid cream for my psoriasis on my elbows and knuckles.  If that doesn't work, she'll refer me to dermatology.  She examined my thumb, and we both agree I probably just jammed it.  A productive visit that knocked out a lot of nagging annoyances. I should be hearing from podiatry in a few weeks, and I'm not sure if orthopedics will be contacting me or not, but the x-rays are on my record, so I'm comfortable for now.

It's a static week for weight.  Actually, I picked up a couple of pounds, but I'm going to stay the course, and I think they'll drop over the next week or so. Stabilization and all that.  I do need to remain diligent in my efforts, though.

The Lift Team sent me a nice Polar Heart Rate Monitor as a thank you for participating in their Quantified Diet Study (Tammy got a cool cookbook for her efforts).

I got several scenes knocked out for Kitty City while I had ownership of the kitchen table.  I think I'm down to eight scenes to go before I can move on to Lesson 18 of How To Revise Your Novel.  I did prep work for How To Write A Series, which will be Kitty City.  Overall, a productive writing week.  According to Timesheeter, 6.5 hours worth of work.  Not exactly outstanding, but much more than I've been doing for quite a while.

The Week Ahead:

• Help Mr. L with his projects
• Mow and trim
• Water
• Find a way to fit writing work in around him
• Public Health Preparedness Volunteer Training on Monday night (I'm not sure what this will entail, if anything.  Their flier wasn't very specific)
• Get sleep and pay attention to what I eat.

Hope y'all have a great week.

Vento secundo

It's been a long week. My heart has been misbehaving again. Annoying, but not life-threatening. We'll probably change my meds at my next doctor's visit. Tired of that happening. Dread the side effects. Well, eventually they will get it right -- after exhausting all other options, I guess.

What did I do last week?
- I did chores.
- I worked on Darkness, Oklahoma. Jean read the first 167 pages and gave me useful information. I have the last 55 pages written, an ending I really like. But how to get from the middle to the end? I don't know how to yet. Will have to see how it writes out. I also want to change some names and add a bit more depth (mythology) for those who want to look for it.
- Organized my writing projects.
- I uploaded, published, and ordered the final (I hope) proof copy of the anthology for the writers group.
- Read three books.
- Planted a small herb container garden in my backyard. Pots on shelves.
- Bought more flowers for the front of the house.
- Spent a quiet and nice Easter today.

What will I do this week?
- Restart the walking program.
- Work on Murder by the Mile. Need to write some more pages on it. Not sure if they will be pages I keep, but they may help me get to the right pages.
- Household chores.
- Lunch with a friend Wednesday.
- Water the plants every other day.
- Clean the aquarium.
- Lunch with a friend Friday.
- Writers group meeting Saturday in which we will finalize (I hope) the book order for the anthology.
- Lunch after the meeting with a friend.

It's a week of lunches, it looks like. I hope you had a good Easter. I hope you have a good week.

Eggs and Such

LittleMiss is off to her other family this morning, so it's a typical crappy Sunday for us. We don't really celebrate Easter other than the candy and egg hunting part, which we already did. I was part of the community Easter Egg hunt, at least the stuffing and hiding eggs part. It was pretty fun (and in the park right behind our house, so it was as convenient as such things could possibly be) and it went well. There's a very definite difference between boys and girls, though. Boys of all ages kept trying to sneak in and get their candy early, and even when they weren't allowed to get it, they'd linger close enough to just snatch it right up as soon as the okay was given.

Most of the girls - of all ages, since the Lion in charge sends the kids out in waves, starting with the littlest to give the small kids a chance before bigger ones trample them - each had one egg and one bag of candy - the minimum we ensured all kids had. A few had one bag or one egg more. The boys, however, had ALL THE REST and some of the girls were upset because their brother (or whoever) got like 5 times as much. But the boys were, and are, more physical, faster, and more prone to climbing, etc, than the girls, so while the girls grabbed the easy to see/reach ones, the boys got those as they ran past to get the harder to get ones. If that makes sense.

Anyway, I found the gender differences, even in toddlers, very interesting. Our biggest troublemaker was maybe a year and a half old and whenever his parents would drag him back to the other side of the gate, he'd escape their clutches and snag up eggs and candy. Repeatedly. Even after lectures, punishment, etc. He was cute, but I bet he'll be trouble in the future.

Otherwise, things are things. I really like the new mattress a LOT - my body just goes 'aaaaaaahhhhhhh!' when I go to bed instead of 'arrgh!', which is awesome. Loving the new couch. I've been exercising well, but the weight continues to climb, mostly because I continue to eat.

I do like eating. Dammit. *tam pokes her flab*

Wrote some fiction this week, just 10 pages or so of feeling out a character, nothing too special but it was nice to do. Despite snow earlier this week, the weather's been pretty good - off and on rain today - and things are starting to turn green. There are even a few leaf buds on the trees, but no sprouting leaves yet.

Declinations keep coming. Most are very nice, but I'm becoming rather discouraged about SPORE. I was just too late for the genre. It's my own fault, but it's also discouraging.

My allergies are in fine form. I'll have sudden sneezing fits for no apparent reason and the headache has been pretty much constant for a couple of weeks now despite Claritin, cold pills, and ibuprofen. Sigh. I've also had some struggles with the blues, nothing too dark and deep, just general blah and 'i don't give a flip'.

Mostly, tho, things are good. I hope you all have a great Easter. {{hugs}}

I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes.

I was riding my bike to pick up the truck from being washed and vacuumed at the detail place behind the shop.  I needed to turn left, so I tried to see if there was anyone behind me (there was), and when I turned back to the front, I wobbled into the curb and fell down.  Embarrassing. I got up, brushed myself off, and finished riding to the shop.  Shortly after I got up, I realized I must have jammed my left thumb (the one that gives me problems anyway) on the handlebar grip when I fell, because it hurt.  I iced it when I got home.  I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with it -- I'm thinking the same thing as happened with my knee when I slipped on the stairs -- it bent further than the arthritis is willing to let it bend without complaining. (I have an appointment with my nurse practitioner on Wednesday, so I'll ask to have it checked, too.)

Not a bad week.  Still feeling pretty upbeat.

Mr. L decided not to see his general practitioner.  He decided (and I agree) his problem stems from using too much Afrin, which is the problem when you start using nasal sprays.  He says he's weaning himself off the Afrin, so I hope that does the trick for him.

I retired my larger size jeans and am in the next size full time.  I have a bunch of other jeans in this same size that don't fit yet, so I'll be here for a while, but I'm on track.  I'm ready to pull some XL T-shirts out, because these XXLs are getting baggy.  I'm aware of what happened last time I did that (I didn't stay in the smaller size for very long).  I'm planning for different results this time.

Lift published the results from their diet study.  All but the Sleep Diet were validated at valid weight loss plans.  Interestingly, the Mindful Eating plan was the least effective.  For me, I believe it was the most effective.  And, frankly, I really only care about me when it comes to this study.

I got mowing done at both the store and the house (we didn't get predicted rain).  I got some work done at the shop getting yard sale stuff put away, and I bagged a bag of debris from out back and put it out for the trash guys.  I did a very little work on PBOTL.  I started looking at my Things approach but am not finished.  I'm evaluating MailTags.  Not sure if I'm as interested as I thought yet.  Mail Search is pretty good.  It's a thirty day trial.  We'll see.

The Week Ahead:

• Continue work on PBOTL and begin work on How To Write A Series Expansion course.  I think I'm going to do Kitty City as a series.  I'm wondering what genre to do it in, though. How I'm doing it now doesn't seem to lend itself to any particular genre.  Sigh. 
• Medical appointment on Wednesday to do annual exam and get a myriad of niggling things looked at.

Happy Easter

Already. Normally, I'd ask where the year has gone, but this year I'm glad it has. I'm cautiously optimistic that it's actually spring. I got too cocky last week, and it snowed. Again.

Good Stuff:
- Not only did I meet my bible study group in a new place, I took the bus and train to get there. It was more of an adventure since I got on the bus going the wrong way initially, but I figured it out, and I wasn't late enough to worry anyone.
- I have a lead not only on another local writing group, but also on a storytelling group that meets once a month.
- The weather has been nice enough to work on the roof. Not work on the roof, like roofing repairs. Plotting. In a notebook. Stop it, Stephen! Bottom line is maybe I won't be vitamin D deficient this summer.
- I got another storytelling gig at the Games in Springfield. I'm doing three sets, maybe four. That'll be plenty for a one-day festival. I'm still waiting to hear from the Chicago Games person.
- I get to spend next week with my mom. I'll be stopping to see Grandma on the way. Looking forward to the shorter drive.
- My hair is finally long enough to put up in a ponytail and a half decent braid.
- Allergies are not terrible so far this year. It would be nice if I were less allergic to Chicago than I am to St. Louis. Maybe it's because we have virtually no green space?


Not So Good Stuff:
- Still haven't posted a video on YouTube. Probably won't for another couple weeks since I'll be in the Land Of Cable Internet next week. At least they don't have dial-up anymore.
- It's the first Easter without the kids. I'm not thinking about it. Instead, I'm focusing on leaving town Monday morning.
- I started the rewrite of Weeping Willow. Progress is glacial. The changes are interesting, but it's like re-plotting the whole dang story. At least none of the big pieces have changed. Yet.

This week:
- Hang out with the family.
- Try to get at least a few minutes of writing time in the evenings so I don't lose too much momentum on the story.

A good week overall

It was a good week overall, capped by a writers group meeting Saturday in which I gave my very first PowerPoint presentation. It was also the first PPP ever for the group. The group now has 20 paid members for its core and another 10 or so guests who wander in occasionally. That might not sound impressive, but prior to this, the group averaged five or six members. It's growing, and the members are learning about writing. This year's anthology is better than last year's, and the book has improved each year. I'm proud of it and the members.

Haven't exercised this week. I concentrated on doing work around the horse: chores and gardening. They left me exhausted, but pleased. I started an herb garden on my back porch. Just few herbs, but I'm going to add more. I want to fill my porch, yard, and life with green, growing things, and I don't mean my cousin Frank.

In writing, not much to report. I am participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I've had a few comments, but really, the participants don't visit much. I've been visiting five blogs a day as they suggest and leaving comments, but I've had few visitors and fewer comments. Well, it's still interesting for what I learn from doing it.

Got my taxes done. Had to pay the feds and got money back from the state. Neither amount was large. I've learned how to keep my money closely so that my taxes even out. Of course, the amount of income is nothing to rejoice about, but it is income. I'm grateful for my readers who have continued to buy my books and tell other people about them.

My goldfish are doing well. Just in case you had wondered. I'm sure people wonder about them. I don't think they're going to go to college, but that's their decision. I can't expect them to be happy in the home aquarium forever.

Couldn't go the Medieval Fair last weekend. I was really disappointed. We were going to try to go Sunday, but it got rained out and closed early. Next year, I will get to go and hear Scottish bands and eat expensive food and see too many people in tights.

This week's plans include:
- Getting my hair cut. It's getting rather wild.
- Household chores.
- Working on a project that it's too soon to talk about.
- Submit a revision and order the final proof copy of the writers group anthology.
- Pick up a couple more herbs at the local garden center.
- Take more photos of spring.
- Exercise some. Even 10 minutes a day would be great.
- Edit a page a day in a friend's short story.
- Edit a page a day in a friend's book.
- Blog M-Q.
- Take books back to library on time.
- And a few other mundane things.

Hope you have a marvelous week.

Umm, yeah.

I think it's been a good week. I did stuff, but it's all a little hazy. Apparently, performing several times in a weekend really takes the wind out of my sails. It was Wednesday before I felt like I could get it together. I took several naps but didn't watch as much TV as usual, so I guess that's all good. It took until Thursday, I think, to get the van unloaded.

I'm in the process of figuring out how to post a video to YouTube. I started to do it the other day, got distracted, and have been procrastinating in hopes that I can concentrate long enough to not mess it up. When I have it up, I'll post the link on Facebook.

Eric and I did a double-feature at the movies yesterday. We saw Noah first. It was all right--about what I expected, based on the reviews. I didn't see anything anti-Judeo-Christian, but there was mysticism threaded through. My biggest gripe was how Noah got it into his head that they couldn't reproduce because man had messed up creation, and the reset would only work if men were all dead. There came a point where I wished he would just step off the ark and end it all. There's more, but it involves spoilers.

Captain America: The Winter Solder, OTOH, was pretty amazing. The story was well-done, but what impressed me more was that the eye candy stayed decently wrapped the whole time. No gratuitous butt shots, no naked chests preening for the camera, nothing more indecent than yoga pants. That made it a lot more palatable, at least for me. The final fight scene became a bit tedious. I don't know why they always have to run the clock out to the last second to save the world.

Between the movies, we walked across the street to a hole-in-the-wall barbecue place. Sooooo yummy! I haven't had barbecue that good since we left NC in 1998. They just about made the whole move worthwhile!

So that's the excitement here. What's going on in your neck of the woods?