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On Bucking Up and Moving On...

I've decided today that I need to "buck up." I need to quit feeling sorry for myself and move out of the slow moping lane I've been in the past two weeks.

My pancreas has reared its ugly head recently and I'm not feeling my best. With any chronic condition you never know what each day will bring. However, it is - thank God - a condition that I can live with. There are some remedies that help and I need to realize many do not have my options when they have an illness.

Instead of giving in to my condition, I'm girding myself up to be strong - at least for today. My plan is, as I sit here on the comfy sofa writing about it, to do my yoga that helps, to do my neck exercises so I can move my otherwise stiff neck which give me an additional boost of energy.

Surgery a few years ago left my neck with rods and pins! and little movement which makes it hard to drive if I don't keep it loosened. And yes exercise and heat daily keep it more flexible.

I'm in the middle of the process of creating my paperbacks for Vada Faith. I keep saying they will be finished in a few weeks. It's taken longer than I anticipated. However they will be done in time for the West Virginia Writers Conference starting June 8th and that has been my goal all along. I had intended to do the project myself along with Amazon's create space. Instead I've had to pay for assistance from them which will end in a much better product. More professional. I'm excited and can't wait to have the paperback in my hand. It will be available on Amazon and I will have books to take to local book signings in Ohio and West Virginia.

I've started editing a book of short stories that I hope to have on Kindle this summer sometime and I'm working on the novel SWEET BABY JAMES, which features Vada Faith and her family again. In the beginning I thought I would call it the Shady Creek Series which is the fictional town where the stories take place but I wasn't sure how long it would take me to finish the second book so dropped the idea.
They stand alone yet are intertwined.

R had back surgery several weeks ago and that has kept us close to home. He's doing well and I expect him to be outside on his riding mower in another month. Or at least I'm hoping. Right now our daughter and grand daughter are cutting our grass. I keep saying I am going to learn to drive that danged mower but so far I've not actually given it a try. Last summer I went out  to help R on a HOT day and before I could get on the mower I was overcome by heat and had to come back inside. NO LIE. That's from a person who enjoys summer from the air conditioned living room. I will do better this summer, I promise him and myself.

SO what is everyone doing? I've neglected to write a post because I've been down. I wrote one last week and deleted it hopefully before anyone could read it. It was way too down and nobody needs to be pulled down by someone else.

The weather here in Ohio is rainy today. We had a major hail storm at 7 a.m and hailed piled up on our deck. It's gone now at 11 a.m. I'm ready for some of that warm weather.

Here's to a great day for each of you and I'll take a small helping as well.
Let me know what you are up to!!! Thanks.

Comments

  1. I hope all improves with your health. Keep your chin up, and good luck with your book!

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  2. Hang in there dear friend! I have been telling myself the same thing for two straight weeks...so far April is really proving to be a cruel month! But May..and June in sight!

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  3. I hope you feel better soon. Up here in Ashland..north of you...the weather is rainy, cool, misty, cool..no sun..but hopefully the "sun will come out tomorrow!" Tomorrow is when I might be able to mow. I have a mower that gave me fits at first but I've learned how to handle the sucker! Congrats on the novel coming out in paperback and good luck with the signings. It's OK to be down every now and then but I can see you are already perking up! Hope you have a good weekend.

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  4. Hoping you have more ups than downs. Wishing you both good health and happy souls.

    I have been taking a break from At The Farm and just posting on Familiar Spirit and doing little blog reading.

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  5. I am so excited for you to have Vada Faith coming out in paperback. I finished reading the Kindle edition last week and must say that it is quite a story which I very much enjoyed. I will be e-mailing you with more details -- but I wouldn't want to be a spoiler for those of your followers who haven't read it yet. In the meantime I would like to say, well done, very well done. And good luck with the sequel!

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  6. I would stay off the lawn mower if I were you. I have problems with my neck too, and after bouncing around on the mower it seems no matter what, I'm usually in bed the next day.

    I hope you get to feeling better. Looking forward to reading Vada Faith this summer. Unfortunately, most of my reading is done when it's warm.

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  7. Wow! I've just read your posts from the last couple of months....you've been one busy lady! Congratulations on getting Vada Faith published! It sounds like a great story and I'll have to download it. You have given me inspiration to sit down and WRITE after things get settled here in the new place. I don't know if you've been catching up on my posts, either. We decided to get off the road and are now renting a condo in the suburbs of Chicago. I am loving it. Do NOT miss the trailer life AT ALL. Of course, come winter, it may be a different story when I am not in AZ. We're hoping to maybe rent a park model for a month or so IF WE CAN AFFORD IT! Don't know yet.

    I hope you feel better soon. You are right. It's about mind set. Ignore the pain (if you can) and go on about your day. I have pain all over, and it hurts to walk much, yet I need to exercise. It's a conundrum!

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  8. As Scarlett said,"Tomorrow's got to be better than this crap." (or something to that effect!! LOL Hope you're feeling better!!! Love ya.

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  9. Barbara, I hope you are feeling better. The nice weather is here now in WV, and I hope it stays. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the conference in June.

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