This week has been filled with frustration. Frustration equals stress. Stress is hard on those of us with FM and/or OA.
The highlight of the week was on Monday when my primary care physician told me that all my tests showed I'm free of cancer, free of high cholesterol, free of RA. WOOHOO~ I was given a go for surgery in December that is supposed to stop my arms and hands from going numb and to get my fingers to stop short-circuiting - and working again.
It went downhill from there.
Tuesday left me with little energy, but projects called. I've been laying a new floor in the kitchen. What would have taken me a day and a half 5 years ago has taken 2 weeks. Two very slow weeks of laying a few 12x12 tiles at a time.
Then the dishwasher would not drain. Took the hose off that attaches to the garbage disposal to see if it was plugged. Not plugged. Dipped what I could out with a measuring cup and then resorted to using the turkey baster. No bad stuff in the filter to keep it from draining. Washed all the dishes by hand. Got done just in time to discuss it with hubby as I lay on the sofa, exhausted.
Wednesday, after 14 hours of sleep I was more tired than I had been on Tuesday. The water softener in the garage began to make funny noises. Checked the salt level, which was fine. Called a repair company for the dishwasher.
The repairman showed up and made his diagnosis: "The pump is bad." The dishwasher is not yet 2 1/2 years old. He said he'd be back on Thursday with a new pump. I did as much as I possibly could before finding the sofa again.
Thursday came and went without a peep from the repairman. No phone call. No show. The garage began making clicking noises again. Clicks like a circuit is not connecting right to turn on the water softener, however a lot louder than the circuit-breaker in my neck that turns on whatever it takes to make my swollen hands and fingers work. I watched Survivor from a prone position and then went to bed.
Today, Friday, after 12 hours of sleep, I crawled out of bed (with hubby's help since I had no feeling from the elbows down and my right hand was about half again as big as it should be) and had 4 giant cups of coffee before calling the repair company - to be informed the repair was scheduled for "before noon today". The repairman showed up on time and went to work on the dishwasher.
I called the company we had ordered our pellet/corn burning stove from three weeks ago, only to be told that it is now on back order until March.
The repairman put the new pump in and got the dishwasher all back together and full of water only to discover that he'd forgotten to put the flange back in. Good thing he'd brought his shop vac to suck up the water that was now all over my new floor.
Waited until the bookkeeper came in so I could request a refund for the pellet/corn stove. She put me on hold and then said she'd have to call me back. That was an hour ago. In 10 minutes I will be back on the phone to her. If she gives me a song and dance rather than telling me a full refund check is waiting, I will drag myself out to my car and drive over there in a much less happy mood than I'm currently in. We need the refund to pay for another stove from another vendor who promises they have 16 in stock in their warehouse.
Hubby took a good look at my hands this morning and told me he will bring home KFC for supper tonight. No wonder we've been married so long.
I could go to bed right now and wake up sometime tomorrow afternoon. I'm too tired to deal with the noise in the garage. Come to think of it, I've been too tired to mention it to hubby ...
However, rather than the rain-mixed-with-snow that was forecast for today, it is sunny and 60 degrees. Certainly a mood-enhancer.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Just a little less stress ... please.
Stress and Fibro don't go well together. I've been real worried about my friend, writer/editor/author Ed Easley, who's been in a Seattle hospital for 3 weeks, has undergone 3 brain surgeries, and seems to be recovering well enough to be moved to a hospital closer to home soon. Thank God! It's been a rough road for Ed, his wife Patti, and their family.
Ed swears he's agnostic. Wait until he fully understands just how many dozens, if not hundreds, of cyber-friends have been praying for him. I think he'll come around. He walked today! What more might it take to convince him? We'll wait to see.
We're tryng to get our floors re-done in the kitchen, dining room, and back foyer before Thanksgiving. Because of the arthritis in my spine, hips and knees, it takes me a very long time to do these things. Michael helps a lot. In fact, Michael does all the heavy stuff, the tugging and pulling, the hauling, and the prying. We decided to go the easy route and use commercial tiles. (Only because they don't look like what you'd find in a grocery story or hospital.) It's much easier on me to complete small areas at a time.
The whole crew will be here for Thanksgiving. Sounds like there will be around 20 for supper. No problem. Uh-huh. Would be a huge problem if hubby, son, son-in-law, and my two great-cook-grandsons, weren't planning to help me in the kitchen. For all the barbs I withstood when Jeremy, now 19, was two - and insisted on helping me cook every meal - we'll just BBQ those barbs and call it a day. He was destined to be the one who helps me in the kitchen now that I can't do it all by myself. And Nick is well on his way to being the best kitchen helper in three states. We'll do just fine.
Stress. The MRI from what appeared to be nasty infection/cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck turned out to be not so nasty. However, it gave us some ugly pictures of my neck. Now I understand why my hands aren't working well, or often.
My primary care doc sent me to a neurosurgeon. Surgery to replace C-4/5/6 is scheduled for early December. Then I'll be in a neck/collar brace for three months. It's amazing what can be done these days with ground up cadaver bones and silly putty. Sure will be nice to have a few less bone spurs poking at nerves, and for my spinal fluid and cord to not be pinched. (Bonus: Some chiropractic circles believe that treatments to repair/place C-4 in optimal mode is the cure for Fibro.)
One of the things I had to NOT tackle right now was Karina Fabian's Leaps of Faith Virtual Blog Tour. If you like sci-fi, you'll love this anthology. If you believe in God, you'll like this anthology. Check out the schedule at The Review Hutch.
Ed swears he's agnostic. Wait until he fully understands just how many dozens, if not hundreds, of cyber-friends have been praying for him. I think he'll come around. He walked today! What more might it take to convince him? We'll wait to see.
We're tryng to get our floors re-done in the kitchen, dining room, and back foyer before Thanksgiving. Because of the arthritis in my spine, hips and knees, it takes me a very long time to do these things. Michael helps a lot. In fact, Michael does all the heavy stuff, the tugging and pulling, the hauling, and the prying. We decided to go the easy route and use commercial tiles. (Only because they don't look like what you'd find in a grocery story or hospital.) It's much easier on me to complete small areas at a time.
The whole crew will be here for Thanksgiving. Sounds like there will be around 20 for supper. No problem. Uh-huh. Would be a huge problem if hubby, son, son-in-law, and my two great-cook-grandsons, weren't planning to help me in the kitchen. For all the barbs I withstood when Jeremy, now 19, was two - and insisted on helping me cook every meal - we'll just BBQ those barbs and call it a day. He was destined to be the one who helps me in the kitchen now that I can't do it all by myself. And Nick is well on his way to being the best kitchen helper in three states. We'll do just fine.
Stress. The MRI from what appeared to be nasty infection/cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck turned out to be not so nasty. However, it gave us some ugly pictures of my neck. Now I understand why my hands aren't working well, or often.
My primary care doc sent me to a neurosurgeon. Surgery to replace C-4/5/6 is scheduled for early December. Then I'll be in a neck/collar brace for three months. It's amazing what can be done these days with ground up cadaver bones and silly putty. Sure will be nice to have a few less bone spurs poking at nerves, and for my spinal fluid and cord to not be pinched. (Bonus: Some chiropractic circles believe that treatments to repair/place C-4 in optimal mode is the cure for Fibro.)
One of the things I had to NOT tackle right now was Karina Fabian's Leaps of Faith Virtual Blog Tour. If you like sci-fi, you'll love this anthology. If you believe in God, you'll like this anthology. Check out the schedule at The Review Hutch.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Bare Bones Basics of: So You Want to be a Writer
It's finally finished! Well, probably not, but it's been pdf'd and is available for purchase. At $6.95, it's a heck of a deal. Page after page of ideas, advice, instruction, examples, lessons learned, and links. It started out at 43 pages before the Muse con. It's sitting at 63 pages now. I've also added the Bare Bones Basics Submission Tracker and the Don't Lie to Yourself Time Tracker to the e-book, plus offering them as living Excel attachments at no additional charge.
I thought it was done until members of my workshop and forum at the Muse Online Writers Conference kept asking for things to be added. And so, they were.
As happy and relieved as I am that the e-book has been finished, getting it to that point meant many, many, many hours of sitting. If you've been reading this blog, you know that severe OA in my neck is causing my hands and arms to go numb with no warning - on top of the Fibro issues that affect my hands and arms. Losing the use of one's hands is a frustrating thing for a writer accustomed to typing 75 wpm.
I'm stiff and sore from sitting. My right hip feels as though it's been dislocated by a mule.
I've just posted the final contest at the Writing for the Trades forum at the Muse. The workshop was held on Tuesday evening and the forum has been running all week.
I've met so many wonderful writers from around the globe, many of whom will become long-term friends.
Re the con, the only things left undone are the three one-hour live one-on-one chats that were given as prizes this week. I'm looking forward to them.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Don't "Drop In"
I’ve been feeling a little guilty for the past couple of days. Guilty because I don’t like to have "drop-in" company. Guilty because I didn’t get to see my relatives. Guilty because some things are just too deeply embedded in my brain to “get over”.
To hell with that. Want to know why? Because I’m exhausted. And I hurt all over.
I would love for this blog to be all cheery, with uplifting thoughts and kind words, and smiley faces pasted all over, but life just ain’t like that all the time when you have Fibromyalgia or Osteoarthritis. Having both is exasperating for someone who has always pushed through whatever – and everything.
I’m a reforming type-A personality. That means “in the process of change”. I have a long way to go. And some things just ain't gonna change.
Only another person who has to deal with extreme fatigue and un-ending pain can truly understand.
From the time I was a little kid, I swore that when I had a home of my own it would be clean. I’m not talking about corners that have been scrubbed clean with a toothbrush. I’m just saying that it should be tidy and neat, with things where they are supposed to be, floors that look like they’ve been swept/mopped/vacuumed recently. Furniture that has been dusted. Clean toilets.
I won’t go into the why of this, but I can assure you that IT is deeply rooted in my psyche from the deep humiliation I felt every time someone showed up at my childhood home.
Because I have mobility issues and must use a wheelchair part of the time, vacuuming and dusting my 2300 square foot house takes a whole day. Changing the linens on the guest beds and washing same takes at least half a day. Washing windows (on the inside only - because my hands don’t work well enough to open them to wash them on the outside – from the inside) takes half a day.
I must get to the grocery store early enough in the day and during the week to be able to snag a handicapped parking spot and motorized cart. That means that I also get home with the goods long before hubby is off work – meaning that I then have to off-load the groceries and carry them into the house. Again, mobility issues make this a long process.
After tossing what must go into the freezer or refrigerator into available spots, I must rest before putting the remainder of the groceries and household goods away. I do not have the energy to fix a big meal for extra mouths or to load or unload the dishwasher, to set the table, to entertain.
I also don’t have the energy or mobility to scrub toilets/tubs, or to do extra laundry, or to mop floors. Some things just don’t get done on time, every time. I'm learning to live with that. But it's not something I wish to impose on others.
Because I have advanced OA throughout my spine, OA in both hips and both knees, chronic bursitis in both hips and one shoulder, obstructive sleep apnea (which means I don’t rest/sleep), restless leg syndrome (which means I don’t rest/sleep), a full-fledged symphony-in-stereo-with-surround-sound tinnitus in both ears 24/7, near-deafness in one ear from chronic infections and meningitis/mastoiditis, irritable bowel syndrome (which means I spend much time in the bathroom), COPD from chronic bronchitis and several bouts of pneumonia - HELL YES, I want advance notice before having a house full of company.
Sure, I could hire someone to come in to clean. I could do that if we didn’t have to spend so much on medications for me. We have insurance, great insurance, but we have a huge deductible. We also must plan and save for our “senior” years – which aren’t that far off.
When the kids and grandkidlets are here, everyone pitches in to help out. Jeremy (19) has been cooking with me since he was 2. Nick (13) loves helping out in the kitchen. Jeffrey, our son-in-law, is a great cook who will step in to help with anything. Daughter can’t cook – and CAN burn water even if we’ve been told that is scientifically impossible – helps with everything else. Son, when he’s home, also helps. The younger grandkidlets don’t even complain when it’s time to pick up toys or to put away games.
But these are my kids and grandkidlets. They understand that I can’t do it all anymore. Even Jacob (4) tries to push Grandma’s wheelchair when I can’t walk anymore because my hips have locked up.
It’s different, at least I think so, when there are real GUESTS in the house. I’d never think to ask them to mop a floor or clean a toilet or fold laundry. I was taught that by my grandparents, especially Grandma Ruth Kramer, who was the epitome of the perfect hostess. She was the diva of entertaining long before anyone had ever heard of Martha Stewart. She taught me well.
And so it is that I want my home to be ready for company. I want to not be exhausted from a trip to the grocery. I want time to plan meals to see what I can cook ahead of time to reserve energy for visiting.
I work from home. Sometimes my office gets messy. (Hubby’s is eternally messy.) He doesn’t touch my desk and I don’t touch his. It’s a mutual respect thing.
Hell, YES, I want to know when company will be here. If anyone has a problem with that, too bad. Please call before “dropping in”. Please give me at least two days notice if you’re planning an extended stay. I’ll do the same for you.
I’m done feeling guilty about this.
To hell with that. Want to know why? Because I’m exhausted. And I hurt all over.
I would love for this blog to be all cheery, with uplifting thoughts and kind words, and smiley faces pasted all over, but life just ain’t like that all the time when you have Fibromyalgia or Osteoarthritis. Having both is exasperating for someone who has always pushed through whatever – and everything.
I’m a reforming type-A personality. That means “in the process of change”. I have a long way to go. And some things just ain't gonna change.
Only another person who has to deal with extreme fatigue and un-ending pain can truly understand.
From the time I was a little kid, I swore that when I had a home of my own it would be clean. I’m not talking about corners that have been scrubbed clean with a toothbrush. I’m just saying that it should be tidy and neat, with things where they are supposed to be, floors that look like they’ve been swept/mopped/vacuumed recently. Furniture that has been dusted. Clean toilets.
I won’t go into the why of this, but I can assure you that IT is deeply rooted in my psyche from the deep humiliation I felt every time someone showed up at my childhood home.
Because I have mobility issues and must use a wheelchair part of the time, vacuuming and dusting my 2300 square foot house takes a whole day. Changing the linens on the guest beds and washing same takes at least half a day. Washing windows (on the inside only - because my hands don’t work well enough to open them to wash them on the outside – from the inside) takes half a day.
I must get to the grocery store early enough in the day and during the week to be able to snag a handicapped parking spot and motorized cart. That means that I also get home with the goods long before hubby is off work – meaning that I then have to off-load the groceries and carry them into the house. Again, mobility issues make this a long process.
After tossing what must go into the freezer or refrigerator into available spots, I must rest before putting the remainder of the groceries and household goods away. I do not have the energy to fix a big meal for extra mouths or to load or unload the dishwasher, to set the table, to entertain.
I also don’t have the energy or mobility to scrub toilets/tubs, or to do extra laundry, or to mop floors. Some things just don’t get done on time, every time. I'm learning to live with that. But it's not something I wish to impose on others.
Because I have advanced OA throughout my spine, OA in both hips and both knees, chronic bursitis in both hips and one shoulder, obstructive sleep apnea (which means I don’t rest/sleep), restless leg syndrome (which means I don’t rest/sleep), a full-fledged symphony-in-stereo-with-surround-sound tinnitus in both ears 24/7, near-deafness in one ear from chronic infections and meningitis/mastoiditis, irritable bowel syndrome (which means I spend much time in the bathroom), COPD from chronic bronchitis and several bouts of pneumonia - HELL YES, I want advance notice before having a house full of company.
Sure, I could hire someone to come in to clean. I could do that if we didn’t have to spend so much on medications for me. We have insurance, great insurance, but we have a huge deductible. We also must plan and save for our “senior” years – which aren’t that far off.
When the kids and grandkidlets are here, everyone pitches in to help out. Jeremy (19) has been cooking with me since he was 2. Nick (13) loves helping out in the kitchen. Jeffrey, our son-in-law, is a great cook who will step in to help with anything. Daughter can’t cook – and CAN burn water even if we’ve been told that is scientifically impossible – helps with everything else. Son, when he’s home, also helps. The younger grandkidlets don’t even complain when it’s time to pick up toys or to put away games.
But these are my kids and grandkidlets. They understand that I can’t do it all anymore. Even Jacob (4) tries to push Grandma’s wheelchair when I can’t walk anymore because my hips have locked up.
It’s different, at least I think so, when there are real GUESTS in the house. I’d never think to ask them to mop a floor or clean a toilet or fold laundry. I was taught that by my grandparents, especially Grandma Ruth Kramer, who was the epitome of the perfect hostess. She was the diva of entertaining long before anyone had ever heard of Martha Stewart. She taught me well.
And so it is that I want my home to be ready for company. I want to not be exhausted from a trip to the grocery. I want time to plan meals to see what I can cook ahead of time to reserve energy for visiting.
I work from home. Sometimes my office gets messy. (Hubby’s is eternally messy.) He doesn’t touch my desk and I don’t touch his. It’s a mutual respect thing.
Hell, YES, I want to know when company will be here. If anyone has a problem with that, too bad. Please call before “dropping in”. Please give me at least two days notice if you’re planning an extended stay. I’ll do the same for you.
I’m done feeling guilty about this.
Monday, September 22, 2008
An update to Yada, Yada, Yada
I've been fighting extreme fatigue today. Actually, for several days. Part of it is hubby's weird work schedule, but part of it is just the pain level wearing me out.
An update: heard from my cousins today. They called from "somewhere in Ohio" to tell me there had been a change of plans so they weren't going to be able to come by for a visit this trip. Can't help but wonder if they read yesterday's post ...
Anyway, I was genuinely looking forward to visiting with them and to having them share a meal or two with us. I'm sorry they won't be stopping here on their way through. It will be at least a whole year before the WA portion of the family is here again. I've grown quite fond of the Griffith clan.
Unfortunately, as I was afraid would happen, if they had been planning to stop, this afternoon's phone call would have been my first notice that they were in town.
Perhaps it's better this way. I'm so tired I can barely hold my head up, so will be making this short.
I've signed up to work on Karina Fabian's Leap of Faith virtual blog tour happening later this year. Writing is an important part of my life and helping my fellow writers is part of the deal we all signed on for. More about that later.
I'm thinking all those clothes hubby folded yesterday, that are now on our bed, will be stacked to be put away tomorrow.
An update: heard from my cousins today. They called from "somewhere in Ohio" to tell me there had been a change of plans so they weren't going to be able to come by for a visit this trip. Can't help but wonder if they read yesterday's post ...
Anyway, I was genuinely looking forward to visiting with them and to having them share a meal or two with us. I'm sorry they won't be stopping here on their way through. It will be at least a whole year before the WA portion of the family is here again. I've grown quite fond of the Griffith clan.
Unfortunately, as I was afraid would happen, if they had been planning to stop, this afternoon's phone call would have been my first notice that they were in town.
Perhaps it's better this way. I'm so tired I can barely hold my head up, so will be making this short.
I've signed up to work on Karina Fabian's Leap of Faith virtual blog tour happening later this year. Writing is an important part of my life and helping my fellow writers is part of the deal we all signed on for. More about that later.
I'm thinking all those clothes hubby folded yesterday, that are now on our bed, will be stacked to be put away tomorrow.
Yada yada yada
I didn't blog here this weekend because I couldn't get in. That 404 Error Not Found message just caused more stress than I thought I could handle. I also didn't Twitter for much the same reason, although Twitter doesn't 404 at will.
Went over to the neighbor's yesterday with my John Deere riding mower and trailer and brought back another 4 5-gallon buckets of pears. Even after several others have been there to harvest what is on the ground from the storm, there must be 40 bushels of apples and another 40 bushels of pears right there for the taking. It's sad to watch it go to waste, although the other neighbor's church members are supposed to be here today to get apples for their applesauce festival. The pears I harvested are laid out on a piece of plywood to ripen.
I also managed to harvest the chives that were in the front flower bed and they are now in the dehydrator. Note to self: post drawings and instructions for building this dehydrator that works so well.
Took a 2 hour nap because everything that didn't hurt wasn't working.
Hubby planted most of the plants we got from another Freecycler, but he was so tired from the extended double-shift workweek that his knee gave out before he could get it all planted. My husband is a wonderful man who has just enough aches and pains (with an artificial knee from '68) to understand my inability to work through the pain only too often. He did, however, re-lay the black plastic in the back flower bed that Ike tore up last Sunday.
Still don't know if my grandpa's cousins will be here this week. Even though I've retired from working a corporate job, I still work from home - and more hours than an employee would - I still fail to understand why retired folks think everyone should just drop what they're doing to do something else because TA-DA WE'RE HEEEERRRRE. I love my relatives, but ...
Ann Landers often wrote of her feelings about drop-in company and I feel the same way. Many years ago I got so fed up with drop-ins that I posted a "QUARANTINED!" sign in the front year. My former husband made me take it down saying the neighbors would have me committed. Oh well, it worked for awhile.
We're slowly accumulating glass for our to-be-extended porch/outdoor room and greenhouse via Freecycle. Freecycle is such a wonderful organization! It keeps millions of tons of reusable goods out of the landfills and helps save money for the recipients, all while helping others get rid of what they no longer need.
I have a pot of black beans and de-fatted ham hocks in the slow cooker. We don't really like them, but eat them because they are so good for us. It's all about fiber at our ages.
My friend, funny-man Horace J. Digby, is on vacation in Italy. He's been sending very short snippets via email. Actually, he's sent two. In the first, he and his wife Sharon were in Genoa. The second let me know that as they were re-boarding their water taxi in Portofino - which just happened to be moored next to the Dolce and Gabbana yacht - Mark Anthony and his lovely wife Jennifer Lopez were debarking the yacht.
My response? "I surely hope you aren't running around Italy dressed in black socks with sandals, plaid shorts, and a fanny pack if you're going to 'run into' such notables." Haven't gotten a response to that. Will keep you abreast of happenings there. Should also mention that Horace and I have been friends since I was 5 and he was six. He was an 'older man' then - and I tell him often that he still IS.
Okay, need to get back to real work. Will be updating Linda's Gifts and Decor today with new sale items. You can also keep up with that at my website.
Which means that I'll also be updating my website, which is never-ending.
My friend and pen pal Teddy, in Poland, has only received a few autographed books. He's desperately trying to build a library there and needs help. If you have any books you no longer need, please send them to him. If you're an author, please autograph a few books and send them to him. His address is on the "In the Showcase" page of my website.
I've opened a Cafe for Non-Fiction Writers at Savor the Success. We now have about 9 members who are working hard to make their writing careers soar. We don't inundate one another with emails either. Guess it's the "like-minded" thing at work.
Okay, back to business. I'll keep going today until going nose-down. It's the resolve that keeps us all going.
Went over to the neighbor's yesterday with my John Deere riding mower and trailer and brought back another 4 5-gallon buckets of pears. Even after several others have been there to harvest what is on the ground from the storm, there must be 40 bushels of apples and another 40 bushels of pears right there for the taking. It's sad to watch it go to waste, although the other neighbor's church members are supposed to be here today to get apples for their applesauce festival. The pears I harvested are laid out on a piece of plywood to ripen.
I also managed to harvest the chives that were in the front flower bed and they are now in the dehydrator. Note to self: post drawings and instructions for building this dehydrator that works so well.
Took a 2 hour nap because everything that didn't hurt wasn't working.
Hubby planted most of the plants we got from another Freecycler, but he was so tired from the extended double-shift workweek that his knee gave out before he could get it all planted. My husband is a wonderful man who has just enough aches and pains (with an artificial knee from '68) to understand my inability to work through the pain only too often. He did, however, re-lay the black plastic in the back flower bed that Ike tore up last Sunday.
Still don't know if my grandpa's cousins will be here this week. Even though I've retired from working a corporate job, I still work from home - and more hours than an employee would - I still fail to understand why retired folks think everyone should just drop what they're doing to do something else because TA-DA WE'RE HEEEERRRRE. I love my relatives, but ...
Ann Landers often wrote of her feelings about drop-in company and I feel the same way. Many years ago I got so fed up with drop-ins that I posted a "QUARANTINED!" sign in the front year. My former husband made me take it down saying the neighbors would have me committed. Oh well, it worked for awhile.
We're slowly accumulating glass for our to-be-extended porch/outdoor room and greenhouse via Freecycle. Freecycle is such a wonderful organization! It keeps millions of tons of reusable goods out of the landfills and helps save money for the recipients, all while helping others get rid of what they no longer need.
I have a pot of black beans and de-fatted ham hocks in the slow cooker. We don't really like them, but eat them because they are so good for us. It's all about fiber at our ages.
My friend, funny-man Horace J. Digby, is on vacation in Italy. He's been sending very short snippets via email. Actually, he's sent two. In the first, he and his wife Sharon were in Genoa. The second let me know that as they were re-boarding their water taxi in Portofino - which just happened to be moored next to the Dolce and Gabbana yacht - Mark Anthony and his lovely wife Jennifer Lopez were debarking the yacht.
My response? "I surely hope you aren't running around Italy dressed in black socks with sandals, plaid shorts, and a fanny pack if you're going to 'run into' such notables." Haven't gotten a response to that. Will keep you abreast of happenings there. Should also mention that Horace and I have been friends since I was 5 and he was six. He was an 'older man' then - and I tell him often that he still IS.
Okay, need to get back to real work. Will be updating Linda's Gifts and Decor today with new sale items. You can also keep up with that at my website.
Which means that I'll also be updating my website, which is never-ending.
My friend and pen pal Teddy, in Poland, has only received a few autographed books. He's desperately trying to build a library there and needs help. If you have any books you no longer need, please send them to him. If you're an author, please autograph a few books and send them to him. His address is on the "In the Showcase" page of my website.
I've opened a Cafe for Non-Fiction Writers at Savor the Success. We now have about 9 members who are working hard to make their writing careers soar. We don't inundate one another with emails either. Guess it's the "like-minded" thing at work.
Okay, back to business. I'll keep going today until going nose-down. It's the resolve that keeps us all going.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Over-doing by the over-achiever
I didn't journal here yesterday. In fact, other than fix a couple of simple meals for hubby, I didn't do much of anything yesterday. The "why" is simple. I overdid everything the day before.
We're still involved in storm cleanup here in Ohio. I've also been busy trying to find homes for about 500 pounds of apples and not-yet-ripe pears that are on the ground. I'm sure the neighbors to the east thought I was exaggerating when I told them to please take what they wanted. They were out there yesterday with milk crates loading up pears to lay out in their basement to ripen.
It also doesn't help that hubby has been working double shifts, which means that he isn't home at night, which means that I don't sleep much at all. (He's in the guest room now trying to take a nap. Why the guest room? Because he sleeps better when the TV is on. I've never been able to understand that, and so after many years of exasperation on my part, TV has been officially banned from our bedroom.)
Today is starting out better pain-wise than yesterday did, so I'm off to finish up a few things in the living room, dining room, kitchen - and THEN my office. Hopefully, yesterday's pain level will keep me honest about over-doing today.
We're still involved in storm cleanup here in Ohio. I've also been busy trying to find homes for about 500 pounds of apples and not-yet-ripe pears that are on the ground. I'm sure the neighbors to the east thought I was exaggerating when I told them to please take what they wanted. They were out there yesterday with milk crates loading up pears to lay out in their basement to ripen.
It also doesn't help that hubby has been working double shifts, which means that he isn't home at night, which means that I don't sleep much at all. (He's in the guest room now trying to take a nap. Why the guest room? Because he sleeps better when the TV is on. I've never been able to understand that, and so after many years of exasperation on my part, TV has been officially banned from our bedroom.)
Today is starting out better pain-wise than yesterday did, so I'm off to finish up a few things in the living room, dining room, kitchen - and THEN my office. Hopefully, yesterday's pain level will keep me honest about over-doing today.
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