Writing - the ups and downs

The visit with our daughter Jill, her husband Jason, and the four grandchildren in Wisconsin went by too quickly. We were able to spend some special time with Jill when the family was gone. We took her to lunch and she and I did lots of shopping by ourselves. I found the thrift stores in Wisconsin to be full of treasures. I came home with a beautiful nativity set, two pairs of jeans, a top, and a sweater. All looked new. Some with tags. Jackson, their French Bulldog, and Samson, their English Bulldog were excited to see us. We are not dog people but we were able to exist peacefully. We got a kick out of both dogs for all their individual traits. Jackson guards food. It doesn't matter who has the food he stands on guard until every morsel is gone, I'm assuming to make sure he gets a crumb if it drops. He chases Samson away from the food area. And just looking at chunky Samson brings a smile to your face. While R hung around the house I went to three fourth grade classes on...

We're getting ready for a change in scenery. Tomorrow we head to Milwaukee from our home in Ohio to visit our youngest four grandchildren - Chase, Tanner, and Mackenzie - triplets - who will turn 10 while we are there. And Austin Cole who just turned 6. And our daughter Jill and her husband Jason. We are so excited we can't stand it. I've been packing our bags and tucking in treats and little gifts all week. We visited the neaby Apple Barn and bought fresh apple butter,  honey and apples to take to them. You'd think we were taking a trip to Europe, the way we've been assembling items. Don't forget to take this or that, we keep reminding each other. Of course at our age, it's DO NOT forget to pack your prescriptions. We'll only be gone a week but you'd think we were going for the winter. We both look forward to the change in scenery. Especially with fall here and the leaves putting on a grand and colorful show. Our trip will take us through In...

Thanks to the beauty of October and it's brisk refreshing days,  I've been hard at work again on my writing project - THE NOVEL.  I've been rewriting all 312 pages of it and its nearing the finish line. I passed page 215 in the rewrite yesterday. I'm updating and tweaking the story. Once it's finished I have some new places to send it to. Keep those fingers crossed. This book has been a work in progress for ten years from the day I had the idea to now. It's grown by leaps and bounds. It's been around to dozens of places and has a fair amount of rejections. Okay, a huge stack. On the other hand it's won one award and gained praise from many readers, editors and agents. My dream has been to see this book published. My long ago goal was to sell short stories and essays. Those goals have been met. Now it's back to the big dream. The published novel. If the Lord's willing and the creek don't rise and  I experience no other disaster...

As the flowers in the fields grow, so grow the years, days, hours, moments of my life. Each day I take out a day of my allotted ones on this earth. And I've already used up so many - Uselessly, trying to get it. But what am I trying to get? Am I trying to get ahead? But trying to get ahead of what? Ahead of or outrun? I wonder. Some of the days were filled with silt. Others with pure gold. Joy, laughter, fun. Now at this time in the later days of my life, I try to make each day I take out of my jar of days - A day that matters. Make this a day that matters in your life! God bless.

Today I proofed the first 50 pages of my 300 page mainstream novel. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back working. The other good news is, I still love this story and these characters. It's been a year since I looked at this novel seriously. I decided to go with this project because I have two places to submit it. One publisher I found seems like a good match.  And while this book has had an agent before, I have the name of another one  that I think might be a great fit. The main character in this novel is Vada Faith Waddell who has been unhappy for most of her life. She blames everyone besides herself for her unhappiness. When she decides to answer a newspaper ad to be a surrogate mother for a childless couple, she sets in motion events that change her life and the lives of others in the small town of Shady Creek, West Virginia. It's been a fun book to write and I hope it's  fun to read. Editing and finishing should only take a few weeks. Then I can ...

Just to report that my nerve block for the pancreas pain went well. And I'm feeling much better. It takes a full week to feel the effects but I do already - a good sign according to the doctor. Pictures of the pancreas showed signs FINALLY of chronic pancreas which I am not happy to have but having a diagnosis after years of pain gives me some relief and the feeling that I can develop a plan to live with this disease. Right now I'm doing research on this so that I can eat right and do the things that will help me live a better life than I've had for a long time. After I get my health plan in order - I'M READY TO WRITE. It's been a while and my novel is just wanting to be gone through quickly  one last time before being sent off to two places I found that might make a good fit. Last but not least my optimism is returning. My JOY. My fight. My determination. My strength and energy. I could not be happier on this sunny Sunday morning. Hopefully next Sunday in...

On September 2 at O.S.U. Medical Center  I'll be having an endoscopic ultrasound probe of the pancreas. This will result in photos of the pancreas and it's current condition - which was great two years ago during same procedure. I have a feeling I'm suffering from some nerve damage done when the Spinchter of Oddi in the pancreas was cut on 6+ years ago. Procedure sounds not so fun but I'll be asleep and won't care. The doctor at this point is planning to do a nerve block on a cluster of nerves in the pancreas - I thought he said they were called the Celiac nerves. Not positive. I'm trying to retain only enough knowledge to get by. I'm tired of doing research and have decided to leave this to the experts. I've quit worrying and that's helped. LOTS. Today I did yoga for the first time in months. Other than being a stiff old broad, I did fine. So my plan is to do yoga every day as long as I can. It's fun and I love the Rodney Yee tap...