Category Archives: Life

MIA: Chapter 2

My editor in email: I found a minor loop-hole in the MS.

OK don’t panic was my first thought. I was still in Maine when I received the email. She is mistaken, I know that the part she mentioned was covered in one of the earlier chapters. Don’t freak out I will look at it when I get back.

A few days later after getting home I checked out her edited copy of my MS and began to read. I scan down to the part she mentioned had the loop-hole. She probably just missed it as she was editing. Scrolling back to the beginning I reread my book. I finished and reread it again.

Where in the hell was chapter 2? OK I probably sent the wrong file. Looking over my entire computer I found file after file of the revised chapters but the one I needed. It had to be here. The first time I revise anything by computer instead of long hand and this is what happens. Great just freaken great. How in the world did I lose a whole chapter?

Going over my computer one more time I looked and crossed fingers to no avail. My husband being ever so helpful asked, “Well where did you file it?”

Really hon? He followed that up with, “Well what is the name of the file you can do a search.” Again really? If I knew where I filed it or remembered the name I would have done so. I know I know he was trying to help me but this was not working. An hour later he suggested I checked my laptop but I pish poshed that away for I had used my desktop.

In June my step dad died and we went up. It now being August I made another trip back to see how my mom was doing. In the week to leaving I had to rearrange my doctor appointments, physical therapy, and meetings. I had to pack, make sure my medication was refilled and pay my bills and to get others to be paid while gone. My five bird cages had to be clean and prepped and ready for my son to take over while I was away. And of course the gabillion things that need to be done prior to a trip. Where I was going there would be limited access to the internet.

In between all of this I was revising my MS to send to my editor before I left so she could go over it while I was gone. The infamous MS that was turned down by a publisher but who had told me where it needed fixing. Asking him if I revised it would he look at it again he had said yes. So the week before leaving was a mess.

My thought on my missing chapter was I had copied over it. There was no other explanation. I am paranoid when it comes to saving my writings. I save them on my computer and two external hard drives- each chapter each revision each MS.

I would have to rewrite this chapter. While I could recall what was in it this didn’t thrill me. Coming back from a trip usually means a few days of getting caught up at the homestead. My poor editor just listened to me vent, fuss and complained as she patiently said it is okay you can do this.  Bless her heart

Four hours later

Totally frustrated with the prospect of what had to be done I sat down on the couch to watch tv as I picked up my laptop to search for this and that. As the screen lite up I saw the file ants.odt. Could it be?

The missing chapter was about ants. Trying to not get over excited I opened it up and shazam my MIA opened before my very eyes. Immediately I hugged my poor husband and turned back to the file. Here it was. I have no recollection of working on this machine while I was busy revising the MS. But here it was waving hello to me with a smirk.

The time this fiasco started was 840am and the end time was 435pm. Yeah someone told me I should have listened to my husband. But at that point I was already in frenzy mode and there  was no derailing that train. The MIA chapter has been sent to my editor and upon completion the new revised MS will be sent to the publisher.

I can breath again… for now.

Spring Cleaning and Weight Loss=Reality Part 1

Spring cleaning were two words that I dreaded coming out of my mom’s mouth. It meant a top to bottom sweep to clean our home to get it ready for another year. Part of doing this manic mad drive in a weeks time included going over one’s closet. As children we were to separate the clothes that we had outgrown or were beyond repair.

Once I was older and on my own that broke down even further into placing in the corner clothes that you could not fit into but would save. You know for the time the weight would be lost. We would be able to fit into every single thing in our wardrobe because after all the pounds would be coming off. That is the lie a lot of us tell ourselves when we do a cleaning of our closets.

I am no exception. Especially since a medication that I was on had ballooned me 38 pounds over. My darling husband had noticed the gain but he had decided I knew and that it was not an issue or the pain relief from the drug was worth it to me. If only he spoken up. First of all the medication was helping slightly and second the gaining of weight had not been noticed by me. Who really looks in a mirror?

When the crap hit the fan, aka the realization of how much my body weighed a plan was formed. The slow and steady format of watching what one ate, counting calories and exercising was the way I went. I monitored week after week and soon month after month as the scale number slowly went down. Slowly is probably an inaccurate word, it took its bloody time to go down.

The added poundage was not good for me especially for someone who has fibro. It effect the joints and the pain just gets enhanced. Exercising was painful due to the condition but not doing so meant my body was hurting even more. While my primary goal was to lose weight to be healthy the underlining reason was to help with the pain to be reduced to any degree.

My main problem was having a fixed number in my head of what I wanted to weigh. It did not matter that the weight was started to be dropped. I kept at it with my regiment. My doctors were noticing well I pointed it out to them. I was proud and at the same time wanted their praise for doing so well. Still that magical number in my head was like a beacon of light never diminishing as it flashed 24/7.

The measurement around one’s waist should not be over 35 inches according to my doctor. Anything higher one is at risk for stroke and heart attacks, Through the many months I went below this number not just slightly but enough for breathing room. They were pleased as well as I was.

Time came to tackle the closet.

To Be Continued- The Closet

Rocking Chair

My entire life has been surrounded by rocking chairs. Growing up we had two in the kitchen, two in the living room, two on the porch and quite a few in the shed that was connected to the house. Rocking was a way of life for our family and for the many generations before us.

When I went away to college in the South and came into contact with people they would look at me odd when I would say, “Man I miss my rocking chair.” I am not sure if it is a cultural aspect or not but it seems as the years go by, this thought is confirmed.

I have been through so many rocking chairs that my husband now refuses to buy me any more. He said I am hard on them which is so true. I rock fast and quickly to a beat in my head or thoughts that make me pulsate the chair at a rate that it was not meant to surpass. It is surprising that flight has not been taken over the last few years. Get me on a rocking chair on the porch is such a great feeling, especially if it is raining or there is a slight breeze. It propels you to a different state of mind and helps you forget any crap that might be occurring. It is like a good book that helps you to be free.

It has been a few years since I have had a rocking chair. Every time I would see one it would be a reminder to my childhood and memories that would always make me smile. It would also tell me of my promise to get myself another chair down the road when I had the time.

Going to breakfast yesterday my husband and I saw a couple of signs for yard sales and decided to stop at one of them. There in the front yard was a rocking chair. Without realizing it I had stopped walking and ended up blocking the pathway. Looking at it I asked the owner how much he was asking which was $20.00. Not having that on me I hoped that by the time the trip to the ATM and back had been done that the chair would still be there. My husband looked at me and forked over the money.

The instantaneous glee in my heart made it beat just a little faster. A rocking chair I had a rocking chair in my possession. Needless to say I have no room for one but room will be made somehow someway for my latest love. As I write this post it sits by me urging me to stop what I am doing and to go for a ride with it. That is a wonderful idea.

To people who have never felt the joy of rocking in a chair, give it a try. You have so little to lose and so much to gain.

Time to rock.