A Perfect May Day

I couldn't ask for better weather.  Temps into the 70's and low humidity.  I took my dog for a walk today.  I'll take her for another.  I've also been trying to get my back deck ready to enjoy some barbecues out there.  Also, looking forward to spending time out there where I will gaze at the stars through my Celestron telescope. 

With a friend's help we lugged an umbrella and its 80 pound base home today from Costco.  We felt the deck needed another umbrella.  After 2 pm the sun makes it almost impossible to spend any time out there, especially in hot weather.  This week we also managed to get rid of a round wooden table that had been rotting away.  It was just too heavy for me to move.  So we took it apart where the wood had rotted through and managed to get it off the deck and out of sight. 

I still reminisce about summers when I had a nice above ground pool in the backyard.  That is long gone now.  I miss it but not the work involved with its upkeep.  For a number of years after my late husband's passing I would go out on the deck and think.  And then become amazed at how fast the years went by.  Summers were always my favorite time of year.  Vacations were spend with my in-laws in Florida.  And then backyard barbecues, and having family over to celebrate special occasions. 

All of it stopped in 2002 after his death.  No longer did I celebrate much of anything.  No longer did I enjoy my backyard, or look forward to these summer months.  Instead I spent most of the time away from home, either at a gym, or at a dance, or at family and friends' gatherings.

Slowly, and I mean slowly as the trauma of losing a loved one began to heal, I would get these glimpses of normalcy...quite fleeting, nonetheless enough to remind me that perhaps one day I could feel "normal."

I don't think I'm quite there yet.  That sense of "connection" many feel when around family and friends still eludes me.  I still feel that I am not really part of things, and that I am looking from the outside in.  Some parts of who I used to be do continue to struggle to come to surface, but the "new" me (a result of widowhood) either ignores this struggle or deliberately pushes it back down.

Buying the umbrella today, planning to put outdoor carpeting on the deck, and persuing through cookbooks for unique barbecue recipes is helping me to reconnect to a life of certainty rather than a life where I seem to float along wondering where life will take me next.

Couples who have been together for a long time I'm sure don't feel this sense of uncertainty in their lives.  Yes, of course we all know what happened to me almost ten years ago will at some point happen to everyone, even more than once.  But if it hasn't occurred, it's hard to understand the myriad of levels that are affected within someone who has experienced this loss. 

An ambulance with its siren wailing just went past the house, triggering emotions and memories of a similar ambulance making its way up here to attend to a stricken husband.  

No we don't forget. 

Yet, the act of buying an umbrella to make more shade on a deck helps someone like me to move forward.  And the only thing I've found is to keep doing just that, move forward.

May Showers

Today is one of those days that allow for time to "think" about things. It has been raining on and off for two days now.

These type of days actually help me focus on my latest WIP which is book two of a recent series that I'm developing. 

I'm also watching Dr. Oz right now.  Green coffee bean extract is supposed to help rid my body of fat, and boost my metabolism.  Supposedlythis is far cheaper and safer in a sense than having liposuction done which the guest plastic surgeon is telling the audience that after some liposuctions, the fat can come back but in a different place.  I found that interesting. 

I'm not planning to get any plastic surgery done any time soon.  My last procedure, a colonoscopy was enough to last me for the next several years.  I prefer to get on the elliptical and do a workout, eat the right foods, and not go under the knife.  I'm always amazed how people will put themselves at risk to improve their looks when eating properly and exercising may be all they need to do and get similar results.  Of course there are procedures such as breast augmentions, face lifts that can only be accomplished via a surgeon's knife.

This week I put my thoughts out to the universe that my story Christmas in July will go viral on Amazon.  So far it has been rising in the ranks and was at slightly over 40,000 this morning.  I find tracking these sales exciting because it shows me that yes, as an author my work is getting out there.

I would love to see this story get on the top 100 list at Amazon.  Again, I'm putting it out to the universe that this happens. 

Hey, we writers live a somewhat lonely existence as we plot and develop our stories and characters.  A little diversion while we write these stories doesn't hurt.

Christmas In July at Amazon

What happened to spring?

I got some new sandals and haven't worn them yet.  What happened to spring?  What happened to temps in the 70's and 80's?  I'm back to wearing layers of clothing.  I didn't even put any winter things away yet.  Not sure what's happening with the climate but lately you can't depend on it anymore.  The only good thing this year we didn't get as much snow.  I don't have to pay out as much for the snow plowing.  Last year I think we were still shoveling in April.   I'll be happy if we don't get any snow but they are forecasting a frost for tonight....so that's not out of the realm of possibility.