It’s All Good

I bet you’re wondering just what I’m talking about here. Well, I’ve decided to put a positive spin on life and everything. Hence the picture of a quite park in the middle of London where I enjoyed an afternoon of no stress. This is the reason I’m veering away from my usual and giving you all a little update.

Last month, we had a major roof leak, which necessitated in us calling our insurance because the darn thing was leaking from at least seven places. Now, you’re thinking that I live in the desert and right you are but in January 2010 during the week of the 21st, we had five days of rain. Count them...five...it nearly blew my mind. I couldn’t even remember when we had that many days of steady rain. It had been years.

Since then, I’ve had the insurance adjuster out here and am very unhappy with the amount they gave us for damages. The fact is the roof is flat and over 40 years old. A flat roof in the desert is bad unless it’s made from natural products and not synthetic like this one was. And now it’s bowing. Sigh. But I’m taking the stance that it’s all good and it will because I will finally get the new roof I’ve always wanted. LOL!

Along with that, my youngest received some devastating news regarding his graduation. No, he’s going to graduate but just not where he thought because his counselor dropped the ball then blamed it on him. He was depressed for quite a few days until he could put it in perspective and he’s decided not to fight what happened even though my DH and I were willing to try and make it right. He just wants to get to college and play basketball if he’s lucky.

My computer got a virus the end of January which put a halt on me doing things like submitting finished products and critiques. Actually, it had two viruses and three trojans and the bad part is that I don’t know where they came from at all. So I turned it over to my computer guru and things are slowly returning to normal as I don’t yet have my standalone hard drive back. I should have something over the weekend.

My last thing is two-fold: One, I placed this year on the Preditors and Editors Poll. This is a coup since I didn’t really push for votes or anything. I mean, I knew I was on it but I really didn’t think much about it. At any rate, I placed #20 in the Erotica category for An Elf’s Love and #18 in the book art category for More Than Robotics. Rather on that last one, Martine Jardin placed as she’s the one who designed that lovely cover for me and I’m thankful for her doing so. Two, I’m up for Love Romances Cafe's "Best of 2009" Award Best Sci Fi/ Futuristic Book-2009 More than Robotics published by eXtasy Books. I also have some great friends up for other awards, C.R. Moss and A.J. Llewellyn, two fantastic authors. Check out the top of this blog for information on how to vote. You have no idea just how jazzed I am for these two little things.

So that’s the update on my life. All of us are healthy, we aren’t starving, my husband’s job is solid but we’re not sure about the oldest’s, who is expecting twins, still, life is good. And even though the DIL was in the hospital over the weekend, the twins are thriving...we can’t wait to meet them...LOL!

Let me know how you’re doing these first month and a half of 2010...I might just give you a book...LOL! I’ll see you all next week!

Lynn

My World and the Caring for Others

I know I said I would be back on track with our publication track but things in my own world and the world around me have caused me pause.

First, it has been raining like cats and dogs here off and on for almost three days. I love the rain as we almost never get any but this time I knew it would be ominous and I was correct. Now, we were blessed in the fact that the first rain filled day caused nothing to happen. But at the end of the second day, here comes the incessant drip, drip, drip of the water coming through our great room ceiling.

After the last time we thought we had fixed it well enough not to happen again as we have a flat roof on the room. What we really need is a pitched roof because right now the water pools on it and once that happens, we’re goners. But doing a pitched roof takes time and my dear husband likes to do things himself, so we planned for it to happen this spring or summer. But for now, the house smells, the ceiling turns colors and the whole place just seems damp and yucky every day it rains. And of course, you can’t fix a leaky roof until the weather has stopped. So we wait.

But as annoying as the roof leak is, it isn’t devastating. Now the mudslides in California will be as is the earthquake in Haiti. Those are life altering situations where you don’t really know the outcome.

The miracles which are coming out of Haiti, as well as the bad things, either help me to reinforce or wonder at the human spirit. There are those who are thankful for their lives like the American girl who lost her foot but told us it was just a foot; or those who pitched stones at a young boy necessitating in the rescue of him by a CNN anchorman; or the American doctor and CNN correspondent Sanjay Gupta who watched in horror as all the medical staff just picked up and left a field hospital and the patients to their own fate. My faith was totally restored as the man rolled up his sleeves and told the crew they could return to the hotel but he would stay to do his real job. He stayed and cared for the twenty or so critical care patients with only his crew to help keep them alive through the night.

The news from California is not so good as at least a hundred and eighty-nine families prepare for evacuation from the mudslide zone. They are probably being moved as I type. And the rain keeps coming down in the area as storm after storm rolls across the region. And yes, these are the same storms coming through my neck of the world as I wonder if it will get cold enough for snow tonight. At least no matter what my situation, I will have a home but some of them may not and that has to be a scary prospect for them.

Now some of you many wonder just why I feel so deeply for these situations. I guess it’s because my roots are in medicine and caring for people. Every year, I’ve watched as people I know come and go to help those in more need than myself. Every year, I’ve wanted to go with them but my family and other things have keep me rooted to my home. Many times I’ve donated to relief funds and hope that my money will do some good.

And that’s what I propose for myself this time. But now it’s tied to you. For every book purchased or comment made, I will make a donation to the American Red Cross and earmark it for either Haiti or mudslide victims in California. I will donate $1 for every comment or book purchased up to $1000 because I am blessed and I know this. If you purchase a book of mine, just send me a copy of the receipt for verification and your name goes on the list. If you just drop by to comment, you need to let me know exactly where you heard about this and why you feel it’s important to give back.

So, give back, you’ll feel better for it! And buy a book, I’ll feel better...LOL! Truthfully, life is way too short not to help those in need.

See you all next week...and I promise to get back on track with writing...now if I can just get that drip out of my head. LOL!


Lynn

Stranded in Idaho

As all of you know, I have been on a trip to spend time with my 75 yo father and to visit another friend in Canada. The original plan had been to go back east as well.

I started out by going to Idaho Falls to visit with my Dad for about a week before going to Canada. I had a wonderful time in British Columbia with my friend Tina for eight glorious fun-filled days.

I was really sad to leave but knew I had to get on with my journey. So back to Dad’s I went with the intent of going from there to Wisconsin and my next friend, Debbie. Then came the dreaded phone call – the dear husband was going to Washington D.C. to get his passport.

What does this mean you might ask? For me, it meant the end of my journey for this year as he had to go to Vienna, Austria for a UN CTBT summit. Have I made your head spin with all those acronyms? LOL! UN = United Nations and CTBT = Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Yeah, my DH is one of a handful of special people in the world that does treaty negotiations and with the election of President Obama, those negotiations have started up again. Good for him as he’s going to be hopping all over the world for large chunks of time. Bad for me as I don’t get to go with him yet as our youngest is a senior in high school. :-(

So in lieu of going on with my trip I had planned four months for, I had to totally rethink my plan. There was no way I wanted to go back to the hot, hot, hot – did I say hot? – southwest. With my Dad’s 75th birthday just a week away, I decided to celebrate the day with him before going home to get the youngest ready for school, a task the DH was supposed to do this year.

We had a wonderful prime rib dinner the Sunday before my Dad’s birthday with as much family as could be there. On the very day, we had a roasted chicken dinner at my brother’s house. It was all fantastic and made my Dad very happy.

As I packed up my stuff, I knew I would miss the surrounding farm land which reminded me so much of where I lived until I was eleven. Giving my Dad a big hug and kiss, I was on my way with four new tires purchased just the day before. I had to get gas and went to the Costco in Pocatello because it was twelve cents a gallon cheaper. My cheap Scottish husband had finally gotten to me over the years. Fill up the tank, hop back in the car and turn the switch.

Nothing. Da Nada. Absolutely nothing. I couldn’t even open the back to get my jumper cables because the whole darn car is electric and there is no lever to open the darn thing up. Sigh. This was bad. A kind soul took pity on me and with his wife and toddler looking on, charged me up and vroooommm – off I go.

In hindsight, I should have gone to the nearest car shop and had the darn thing replaced right then. But I was suddenly anxious to go home since my older son had called to say ‘Hi, Grandma’ which meant they were finally pregnant after trying for so long. Besides, most batteries have one more trip in them and I knew it wasn’t the alternator.

Well, not mine. Just thirty-five miles outside Pocatello, my car lights up like a firecracker with wipers going and all alarms blasting – I kid you not – going all haywire as it dies doing 75 miles per hour. I half expected all the windows to go down as I watched all my crap blow around the freeway. Not a pretty thought. It’s hot, it’s miserable and I can’t even roll down the damn window because it is so dead. Crap, crap, crap. I am so screwed.

Thank goodness for AAA and the hundreds of people in Verizon – can you hear me now? – behind me. I got a call out to AAA who arranged a tow with a very honest guy known as Solly from Solomon’s service in a little town called Inkom. Next call to the DH to make sure I have money all the way around because this just might be expensive. After a short thirty minute wait, I’m in the service garage.

We had a discussion and determined it could be one of three things: battery ($150), alternator ($200-500) or the car’s brain ($1200-1500). My stomach clenched on options 2 and 3. I anxiously sit waiting for the verdict. Yippee! It’s option #1. Still, it takes another hour to go to Pocatello and get the battery, bring it back, put it in and get me on my way.

Whew! I am just tired writing it all down again! LOL! And yeah, there’s a story here somewhere, I just know it: here I was stranded on a main highway, taken to a service station across from a restaurant called ‘The Red Pony’ and all of it happening in the pouring rain. Don’t think I didn’t take notes...LOL! Yup – quite a story – and if it hadn’t happened to me, I would not have believed it for one moment.

So, now, why don’t you all tell me your worst breakdown nightmare? And believe me, this wasn’t even my worst, just one of many. LOL!

Don’t forget the August giveaway of a basket full of goodies including an iPod nano. Next week, I have a giveaway for all the authors out there...it’s a surprise!

Until next week...see you all then!

Lynn