Greetings – from a special guest!

To:  Mr. Kersey

Recently was your red-letter day
I forgot it. So what can I say?
You’re still a great friend
Forgetting’s my trend
And you’re aging too slow, anyway.

Taking a break from vacation…

Happy Birthday!

Lord Have Mercy

Our dearest Kersey

Isn’t it nifty…

To turn FIFTY!

HUGS!

Vacation, all I ever wanted…

Heading back to Cape Cod for another week at the beach!  HUGS!!!    

It’s Only Thursday :-(

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You’ll see the sun come shining through- For you.  * Charlie Chaplin 

Do you ever have those days where you know you’ve frowned more than you’ve smiled?  Well, this week seems to be chock full of them on this end.  It’s not so much that things have gone wrong or have even been especially bumpy…they’ve just been busy.  When nine o’clock in the evening rolls around and you realize you still have a load of laundry in the dryer to fold and you never actually stepped foot on the recumbent bike you’ve been neglecting.  Ugh! 

Today, my children completed swim lessons.  The little one will be moving on to the next level in the fall, while my oldest will be required to take Level 2 again.  Gulp!  He’s a high achiever and didn’t realize that sometimes it takes more than one effort to move forward in the Red Cross swimming programs.  He was sad…which of course made me a little sad!  But it was expected (by me) and was the right decision (by the instructor).  

I’ve achieved none of my writing/fitness goals to date this week.  But that is okay!  Honestly, I have more reasons to smile than I probably deserve.  

Oh, and if I find myself frowning today, I’m just going to look at this picture.  It’s my oldest son when he was just a newborn.  (My husband was flipping through old pictures and came up with one I had never even seen before).  I’m biased but I do think that it’s darn cute!!!

Write What You Know….

Still chugging along with my current WIP.  Summer is tough– between lessons, outdoor activity and late bedtimes — writing often falls through the cracks.  This week I did have a chance to meet with my small critique group.  After helping each other with some writing hurdles we talked about themes we’d like to tackle for our next story.  I admit – I was jealous.  Loved what they were plotting out.  At that point I had nothing in my head.  Now, you probably know where I’m heading with this.  Even though I’m nowhere near done with my current manuscript, I’m suddenly desperate for inspiration.  Then it hit me.  My husband just started watching this ‘different’ show on A&E.  TATTOO HIGHWAY.  After two episodes I admit to being hooked.  Now I’m not at all familiar with the lifestyle but I do think that crafting a story around tattoo artists who travel around in a ‘pimped out’ bus would be pretty interesting.  I wouldn’t be able to write what I know…because in this case I know nothing.  But the show did plant a seed in my brain.  Maybe…just maybe I can use it as inspiration for my next story.

This ties into one my favorite summer indulgences.  I don’t have any tattoos.  At times in my life I’ve wanted one, but I’ve never followed through.  However, during the summer I purchase fun tattoos at my local store.  My children pick out SpongeBob and I pick out animals/flowers/symbols.  About once a week we change out our look…it’s fun, safe, and temporary!!!!  Hey, if Barbie can get away with it, anyone can!

Frog-o-sphere meet my blog-o-sphere…

Regular readers of this space know that I own three rather boisterous dogs.  Despite repeated requests, I have shied away from adding to our home’s pet population.  My boys have asked for turtles, cats, hamsters, and even a ferret. Since most maintenance matters fall squarely in my lap I’ve been hesitant to take the plunge. 

Well, this weekend we welcomed two mini-aquatic frogs into our family.  Brookstone now offers a self-contained and self-cleaning ecosystem with two African dwarf frogs, a snail, and a bamboo plant.  It’s very cool…you only have to feed them twice a week.  And the biggest bonus…the snail acts as the janitor and cleans the aquarium while feeding itself. 

The Frog-o-sphere (which was a birthday gift to my son from his grandparents) is silent, with the bamboo plant providing oxygen naturally.  

Oh, another cool thing – Brookstone offers different color gravel options.  Although the picture above shows blue gravel, our tank has bright red stones (a nice match for our living room décor).  NOT THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT COLOR COORDINATION!!!!! 

Anyway, this is a very nice addition to our family.  If you know of someone who is looking for companionship have them check out this fabulous new offering.   It beats the classified ads

Falling Down on the Job…

I’ve been a bit of a grump this week.  Simply ask any member of my family and they’ll undoubtedly back up this assertion.  Early last week (you’ll probably remember becasue I think I moaned and groaned about it) I had several teeth extracted.  Although I suffered no immediate unbearable pain…I’ve been extremely uncomfortable ever since the procedure.   My phobia of drugs precludes me from indulging in the Vicodin my Endodontist prescribed.  Frankly, I think my TMJ was aggravated last week and I need to just deal with the discomfort for a few more days/weeks.

But here’s the good news…I had a huge pick-me-up the other day in the form of a lovely email from a woman who had just completed, Ready to Take a Chance Again.  It seriously gave me a reason to smile when my mouth felt like the site of a small explosion.   So, thanks again ‘L’ for your wonderfully kind words.  It really hit the spot this week!!!

Hmmm…one of the things I haven’t engaged in often in terms of writing is entering the many RWA chapter contests that take place throughout the year.  After chewing all my nails I entered the New England chapter’s published contest last winter…and was shocked to place third.  Well, after pulling out most of my hair I entered New Jersey’s contest last month.  This is another biggie, so I have no delusions that I will be fortunate enough to land in the top three.  But at least I’ll have tried.  Right now I’m plotting how to attend their conference in October.  It’s been on my wish list since 2006…so this might be the year!  If September rolls around and I haven’t mentioned that I in fact signed up please chastise me in the comment section.

Roller Coaster…

I think I need to invest in a case of Mylanta.  My life has been something of a roller coaster these past few days,  a series of highs and lows.  Tuesday brought a slew of medical news…some great, some uncertain, some heartbreaking.  My brother is doing fabulous after a very difficult June.  He’s been working hard (really, really hard) and his efforts are paying off.  Yippee skippy, young man!

Another family member (she’s 102) had an unusual Tuesday.  Based on her age we weren’t sure how things would turn out….by Wednesday she was back to her normal self.  Holy guacamole, does she have a great gene pool!

The sad news I’ll save for another day.  It involves an extended family member who likes their privacy.  So I’ll just keep them in my prayers every day, because sometimes that’s all we can do. 

Hmm…I hear whispering in my ear.  I promised my boys a trip to Game Stop…this will be an up and down adventure as well.  I’ll stand by patiently (or not so patiently for an hour) while they scour each aisle.  In the end it will be worth it because they’ll smile the whole way home with whatever game they decided to purchase. 

Hugs!

There are places I remember…

Seagull Beach

“There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain”  The Beatles 

I returned home from Cape Cod last night.  After unloading the car (we don’t pack lightly – just ask any member of my family), I collapsed on the couch.  A touch of melancholy set in.  It’s always hard leaving.  The beach (Seagull Beach, in particular) is my special place.  During every cycle of my life it has been an escape.  Skipping rocks. Flying kites. Hanging out watching people fish or dig for clams.  Swimming during low tide where you can walk out fifty feet into the water.  Every summer since I first learned to crawl I’ve kicked up sand on those same dunes. 

During our last evening there the boys combed the beach with their metal detector.  Of course, they only found the things my husband secretly planted.  It was good.  The past and present colliding.  

Later when the kids were settled back at the cottage I took my final fun walk with my brother.  Back to the beach we trekked…a slight salty breeze tickled our faces as we caught up on each other’s lives.  It was good. 

At the end of the month I’ll return to Seagull Beach for another visit.  Next year I hope to do the same.  It’s been my past and my present.  Fingers crossed, it will be my future.

Greetings…Happy 4th of July

Cape Cod….Beaches…Salt Water Taffy….Fireworks!!!  Perfect Holiday Weekend.   I hope everyone is enjoying a happy and safe celebration!!!!