Ahhh, I love the Coolth

Summer descended upon us too quickly and I almost succumbed to powering up the old A/C unit. Simply having the ceiling fan on wasn't enough. An old fashioned oscillating fan joined the electronic thrumming and we managed to survive the couple of nights where it rose to the low 70's. (Wait, my husband was bundled under the covers so I guess it was mainly me having the heat issues.)

But the rain brought forth the cool temperatures and I've totally enjoyed frolicking in the outdoors without a jacket or sweater! The sun bringing forth all shades of green, buds suddenly ready to burst on potted plants, and trees shedding their blooms. Ah, a taste of Spring.

Unfortunately, I've been editing my son's college paper, working, and hoping my son has finally removed his clothes from the dryer so I can put mine in.

I need my writing buddy back. Bonnie!!! Come home! I need to sit at your table, nursing my frozen mint mocha coffee, stare at my laptop screen and WRITE!!!! For tomorrow, before the summer temperatures decide to return for the next several months, I plan to squander my afternoon with my horse, Jack. :^))

Not Writing But Creating

Sunday, dark skies dripping while thunder rents the quiet. Well, Nickelback is playing so I guess it's not too quiet. Emma's sleep underneath my desk lamp and the big gray decides he wants to sleep next to her. However, there's no room so he's got to go.

I haven't been writing this weekend. But I have been creating. My website is a mess and ugly and I hate it. So I've been spending most of my free time redesigning and recreating it. Hopefully it should be a little easier to use...at least it looks cleaner.

Working on it reminds me I haven't written an new marking articles in quite some time. Having to research my topics takes some time then trying to translate what I've learned into something other can understand is not always easy. Maybe I'll post my next marking piece here to see if anyone can understand it.

We raised $3,000.00 at the church yard sale yesterday. WOW! That's a huge chunk of money to go for our Music Director's salary. Thanks to everyone who attended and had fun.

My youngest son, Jim, and his friend were discussing their summer plans. One suggested seeing how long they could stay awake - the record to beat is 50 hours. (I cringed wondering if they ever considered how slow their mental and physical reactions would be if they drove a vehicle after that much sleep deprivation!).

The other suggested trying to last 5 days without a shower. Talk about lying on a huge greasy pizza! I think their entire body would turn into a gargantuan pustule - yes, it grosses me out. My face is already contorted and my nose is flaring in unwanted anticipation of the stench clinging to these boys.

But what do you expect from 18 year old teenagers??

Allergies!!

It's not hot enough to turn on the a/c so all the windows are tossed wide open. And this morning my throat itched and my nose was clogged. The white van is pollen yellow and took a trip to the car wash. How long it remains white is yet to be determined.

I dug up my old nasonex left over from last year, give it some really long shakes, then dosed myself. Ahhhh. Within minutes my nose and itchy throat cleared.

Unfortunately, that was the time I walked into the giant yard sale at my church. I wish I still couldn't see because then I wouldn't have bought the adorable horse hanging, or the crochet thread, or the books. LOL But the money went to a good cause - we're trying to hire a music director to head up not only the choir, but also our Praise Band and the hand chimes. Hope they make tons of money today.

You may have heard about my pets before. If not, let me introduce you to our craziest kitty. Her name is Emma and she totally enjoys plastic bags, anything she can chew, and attacking my fingers at they attempt to fly across a keyboard. Nothing is safe from this fun loving little feline. She's helped our older two cats remember how to play and she keeps them on their toes. Even our two dogs (black lab mixes) are taken with her. The female canine, Thunder, tries to mother Emma but the cat won't stand for it. Of course, when we first got Emma she was 4 weeks old and when Thunder tried to clean her, the poor kitty was tossed across the room. Thunder didn't understand the power of her nudging nose.

Well, I don't know what else the day will bring. I'm hoping to ride Jack again today, but I'm not sure I'll be able to. Yesterday he was so sweet and actually came to me in the paddock. This is the first time since I got him in 2005 that he's ever come to me. Guess he missed me? Nah, he just missed my treats. LOL It felt really, really good getting in the saddle again. Wish me luck that I'll get to see him either today or tomorrow!

Finally Friday

I awoke with a start from a major big sleep this morning. The phone rang by my head but I refused to answer it. The grips of the dream still held me from reality.

I LOVE my Friday morning dreams. My husband has already left for work, my son leaves for school, and I grab some extra sleep time. Friday is my day off from work, family, and most chores. Friday is my day to write - to create and continue building the adventures of Jack and Kenny in my children's fantasy novel Dragon Tears. Friday is my day.

I was saddened to learn that my Friday morning writing partner is unable to meet with me today. She has more important things to do, like take her dearest friend to the doctor. Yeah, this is way more important than writing, but I'll miss her today and wish wonderful news from the doctor visit.

Remember I spoke about the beautiful flowers I received earlier this week? I brought them home and took a couple of pictures, but they don't do them justice. However, I've included one of them so you can get an idea of how gorgeous they are. Everyone is just so great to work with - my job is really fun.

As I sit here trying to ease into my Friday morning writing routine, I see work papers staring at me, crying for their website to be update (which it drastically needs) and for more marketing articles to be researched, written and posted on the Information Center portion of my site, and , and, and, ...

Sigh. A cold shower...not...should help me get into the swing of things. The cats are crying for their breakfast, the coffee is brewing, I'm going to turn off the phone and close down my Outlook. Then maybe I'll find the quiet and peace to hear Jack, or Steggy (the baby dragon), or Merlin.

Emma, my 7 month old kitten, also needs to be removed from my desk as she'll attacking my bag of pens and flipping herself as she tosses and bites the pens inside my plastic bags. Oops, now she's grabbing my hand. ARGHHH

Many Thanks!!

I work part-time as a Church Secretary (my boss keeps saying I'm an Administrative Assistant - but I'm way past worrying about titles anymore). I had to run to the church to pick up the attendence pads so I could mark who was at church this past Sunday. (I wasn't there - I was at the retreat! HA HA)

Anyway, I returned to my office, and sitting smack in the middle of my desk was a humongous cut flower arrangement! The air smelled so sweet and the vase contained so many varieties of flowers I couldn't even count them all. I was totally surprised. I phoned the florist to find out who sent it and she just laughed - right over the phone and in my face! She told me it was Adminstrative Assistant week (aka Secretary's week). Aha! The light went off in my tiny little brain. I get it now.

So I phone my boss and thank him as profusely as I'm able. Then I get back to my attendance figures. Knock. Knock. In pops the head of the Staff-Parish-Relations team and he presents me with a card and a gift certificate to Applebees. I got to tell you, I actually teared up. No one has ever given me gifts just for doing my job. Well, after I got over the sweetness of the present, he had me do some work for him. (shrug) That's what I was there for anyway.

Today, another person dropped by the office and presented me with yet another gift, a little flag for my mailbox flag holder. It's so adorable with the sewn on buttons and such. And yes, I started to tear up a little again. What's with this? Must be my age or something. I never used to show my emotions like this. Yeah, that's it. Must be my age.

Sigh. I guess when tomorrow comes I'll feel a little sad because there will be no more gifts. But that's OK. I'm smiling as I type this little diddy and feel good about the people I interact with. All because they stopped by to say "Thanks."

I hope all you out there have a wonderful Secretary's Day/Week. I sure did!

More Retreat PIctures

I thought people would be interested in seeing more pictures from the fabulous retreat this past weekend.

OK, I need help. Does anyone know how to clear off the desk so you can focus on writing? I mean, working on my novel, not just writing this blog. I"m having a very difficult time focusing on what I need to work on. While my mind is buzzing, I'm distracted by household chores, work, and my messy desk. Oh, and the sheets need washing as well.

I'm thinking of doing some book reviews, for all kinds of books. But hopefully, mostly within my genre, which is science-fiction and fantasy. Would anyone be interested in my humble opinions about that? (shrug)

BTW, I'm due a chapter from Betsy Kennihan, so if anyone sees her, please remind her that the 25th is going to come really fast and she'd best be working on her chapter.

There were absolutly wonderful pieces read on Saturday night. My story seemed so trite compared to what others have created. WOW! Way to go everyone. So I chickened out and didn't read anything. I know I should have shared something, but skimming through my material left me blank.

Oh, and I just know all of you are so very interested in how my foot is healing. It's going very well and I'm hoping to be able to ride my horse by the end of the week.

Writer's Retreat

WOW - we had a marvelous time at the SCBWI Spring Retreat at the Acqueduct this past weekend. There was time to write, mingle, and learn from both editors and fellow writers. We shared the craft and the fellowship. And there was WAY to much food - I must have gained at least 5 pounds in just the few days we attended.

Even after the sessions ended in the day, our talks continued long into the night. Some were called by their muses and disappeard to computer or paper to capture their thoughts. Others discussed various topics in the lounges.

It was so wonderful to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones. And the editors were very generous with their time as well.

I hope to see everyone at the Fall Conference!!