Summer!

 June is here and already rolling by.  I starting making notes of what happens in a calendar book.  It's all about remembering what happened when.  I mark things like unusual weather, news items, and personal important items.  It is always interesting to look back over a month and see how quickly things get forgotten as time moves on. I keep my old calendar books as they have sort of personal history of big moments, surprise rain storms and books coming out.

This past week,  I had marked the June gloom mornings, SCONED TO DEATH'S release, and upcoming things like Jakey's last day of school.  I remember those  from when I was a kid.  The half day of school, getting our report cards and meeting our new teacher.  And then we were released for what seemed like and endless vacation. 

 I got DANGER LOOMS  back from my editor and while his suggestions were minor, I am going through the whole manuscript and tweaking.  Since it's been a while since I've seen it, I have a better perspective.  We're working on the cover and I saw the first rendition yesterday.  I made suggestions for changes and am anxious to see what the next rendition looks like. I had sent photos of the potholder loom with a half made potholder on it.  It reminded me how much I liked making them.

But in the back of my mind, stuff for the next Molly book keeps showing up, along with what's going to go on in the next Crochet and Crumpet book.  I am trying to put the ideas into my computer instead of on the scraps of paper and junk mail envelopes.  I am so glad that I can juggle  all this along with the books I'm reading.  I'm in the midst of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen.  So far I'm loving it.

Jakey's vacation will change things around here.  For one thing, his appetite has surged and he's always hungry.  He's grown out of most of the playgrounds so no more easy fix of going to a nearby one.  We've got some trips planned to Yosemite and Catalina.  I get to enjoy the trip and enjoy him enjoying it.

 My summer vacations were so different.  When I was Jakey's age I was mostly left on my own to figure out what to do with my time.   That might have been a gift because even now I'm never bored.

Okay, I'm Late Again

 But I’m here now. I apologize…again. Feel free to scold me.

 One of the milestones I mentioned last week actually occurred this week. I therefore had a fun evening this weekend as we celebrated a milestone birthday for my husband.

Do I have a better excuse, though? Not really. At least my dogs are sympathetic. And adorable as always. They’re happy to snuggle with me to help me ease my conscience. 

So…Yes, I again apologize. Will I be on time next week? I hope so, and also hope I’ve something else to say besides I’m sorry! But meantime, I do need to get back to my editing.

Yay, Crochet

 Writing all the posts for the blog tour, dealing with the Author Takeover, having the replacement for the recliner chair that wouldn't close still sitting in the entrance space by the front door and then the situation with a tank of toxic chemicals that might blow up, all got to me.  True the tank of chemicals didn't threaten me directly--it is a good distance away, but I worried for all the people who had to evacuate and how they could lose everything if the tank did blow up. The weather didn't help either.  May Gray came back with a vengeance. Chilly and cloudy for all or most of the day.  It felt like the sky had a sad face.  Portland or Seattle would never work for me. 

I didn't realize it at first, but I was burned out. That's what my phone said when I typed in how I felt.  That's when I just sort of gave up.  Patty had sent me directions to make a wave shaped blanket. I took a hook and some left over easy to work with yarn and started on it.  There were a few hiccups with the first two rows, but then it became an easy repeat of the pattern.  The yarn was self stripping and cheerful colors.  I just sat on the couch and crocheted while life went on around me.

I did step away from it to help with the chair switch.  I was mostly clean up.  The new chair was in a box with  an amazing amount of packaging.

I also interrupted my crocheting for our Memorial Day backyard cookout.  Since I'm a vegetarian, someone else cooked the meat.  I made roasted potatoes and roasted broccoli and the Caesar salad along with handling clean up.

While I was crocheting,  I did think about the next Molly book and about the plot and a character wandered over from some other project that didn't happen.  She has installed herself in the story.

The broken recliner is out by the street waiting for the trash pick up.  The new chair's resident is ensconced in the new one.  The situation with the tank of chemicals is better as there is no longer a threat of it blowing up and people have returned to their homes.  The sun peeked out from the clouds this morning.  I did more research for the plot of the next Molly book.  And I expect to get DANGER LOOMS back from my editor in the next couple of days.  Then it will be dealing with the edits.  

 SCONED TO DEATH comes out on Tuesday and the blog tour starts. I can tell the feeling of burnout is gone.  I think just letting go and sitting on the couch with my crochet hook and the relaxing pattern did a lot to take care of it. Yay, crochet!

 

 

  

Memorable Moments

This week has been full of particularly special milestones: celebration of new and upcoming important birthdays of loved ones and a good friend, and an anniversary to be remembered, especially because it bodes an even more memorable one to come.

Plus, we had family visiting from out of town, so that took up a lot of time, getting together for events and meals and more, though we didn’t do much sightseeing with them.

So…my writing? I still got some editing done, though not as much as I would have liked. But I’m back to it more now.

The week was well worth spending the time I did where I spent it. But now, back to everyday reality—at least until my next family visit or big event.