CONTENTS
As most of you know, back in March my father passed away. So there’s that. My brother and I were already gearing up to sell my parent’s home as they’d moved into a terrific senior facility. April, May, June, and July were filled with new carpet, paint, drain backup, septic cleanouts, shoulder-high weeds, new roof, new fence, and on and on. The last day I spent at the house (supervising movers taking the last items to storage) the drains backed up a second time, but it was a very easy fix with a root cause of the house having been empty without water in the pipes for many months.
So it’s been a time.
My mother is doing very well in her new reality without her husband of 68 years, which is a testament to her resilience. A trait I do believe was fully passed on to both my brother and I!
I’m happy to say that the house was sold at an agreeable price and terms this week. Hallelujah! I’m enjoying the happy task of closing accounts and simplifying my management of my mother’s finances.
To anyone out there who has, or is, or knows they will be managing their elders’ affairs – my compassionate sympathy to you!
Apologies are Necessary
I am issuing a blanket apology to a number of people as I’ve been unable to handle more than a dozen things at once and the one consistent thing that I let go of was marketing when events I’d signed up for (which seems like forever ago now) came up. I missed Reading Week Challenges and didn’t repost blog lists, and on and on. I’ll be doing better going forward!
A bowl of Inspiration we keep on the piano.
GCLS 2024 was Fantastic
I had a wonderful time at GCLS2024 in Minneapolis. What a lovely city with kind and helpful people. I got so many (badly needed) hugs and laughed a lot. And caught COVID for the first time, which is now vanquished though odd moments of fatigue rise up. I’ve never been a napper, but lately…
When I arrived I was the least prepared I had ever been for GCLS events. However, I think because I felt so much joy and relief to be among so many friends, my brain rose to the occasion at panels – and it’s possible I didn’t forget anyone’s name two seconds after they told me. I met many new people, signed books, and tapped into 10-year-old me to read from a new story about the lifelong joy of library love.
The Real Reason for Joy…
Yesterday my older son, Kelson, got married! His bride, Alexis, is delightful, a school teacher, and we adore her. He’s in his Post-Doctorate phase doing research at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg Germany, which means that a year ago the two of them (after dating during COVID and not much in person) embarked on an adventure of co-habitating in a new country where neither of them yet spoke the language.
They survived the challenge and made the commitment to survive more challenges together. Which, in the face of the many social and ecological challenges facing our world today, is an expression of hope and love!
In the featured photo at the top of the blog, that’s Kelson holding the ring he is about to put on Alexis’s finger.
We Now Resume Our Regular Programming
I am immediately returning to work on Frosting on the Cake 3 so it can finally make its way out into the world in early 2025. Instead of only holiday time stories, it will feature a story for every month of the year, plus one, with the subtitle Still Crazy After All These Years. The crew at Bella Books has been understanding and supportive at every delay, and I’m very thankful!
When Frosting 3 reaches the editor, I’ll return to the half-finished Covered Hearts which will be the fifth novella in the Coin of Love series. The completed outline awaits me!
While the outlet of writing has not been available these past months, my brain has been churning the idea of a new romance novel. It’s promising – which means my brain hasn’t yet found a reason not to like the concept. Title and description reveal won’t be until Bella knows about it, and that won’t be until I finish the commitments already inked.
And to You…
My gratitude. Even in the most trying moments I am always aware of my good fortune to have friends and readers (and friends who are readers and readers who are friends) sharing their goodwill and love of my work. You lift me up and keep my gaze on the horizon.
