Blame it on The Ides of March

 

            Hi there! Sorry I haven’t been blogging a much lately. I thought for sure I’d be blogging all over the place once Moon Over Buffalo closed. But somehow, other priorities snuck in and took up a lot of my time. I know there have been Tuesdays without Thrifty Tasty Tuesday and a few Fridays without any fiction. But a few things have kept me from blogging, although not from writing.

            The first distraction has been an avalanche of projects, standardized testing, and Scouting commitments for my kids. It seems like every week there is another book report, diorama, or science project due. And I’ve been desperately trying to offer support and encouragement without taking over the project. I find stepping back to be one of the tougher (but most important) aspects of parenthood. It’s a tricky balancing act, but I think we’re getting there. Anyone else have trouble with this?

            Second has been the weather. You’d think lots of snow would make me hunker down to the keyboard. Alas, it made me want to crawl under the covers with some of the books that have piled up on my nightstand. I’ve been having a wonderful time reading some of books written by friends. In fact, I’m going to start a new feature on this blog called, “So My Friend Wrote this Book...”  Watch for the first edition next week—I’ll even be doing a give-away. If you have a book you’d like me to talk about, drop me a line.

            Another distraction is the result of all that reading. I’ve been inspired by my friends who’ve published their words—on their own, with traditional publishers, and some have even started their own imprint. A couple of weeks back, I opened up the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo in 2011. It had been months (maybe even a year) since I had looked at it and I wondered if it had the potential to be published. I came to the conclusion that it isn’t the “great American novel”, but it’s a good story with interesting characters. So, instead of writing anything new, I spent some time making changes, did a little editing, and this week I sent it off to be read by two people I trust to be honest with me. Hopefully, they’ll remember to ply me with bourbon before they get too honest.

            Finally, the least interesting reason I haven’t been blogging is my need to get myself back in shape. It isn’t just about fitting into my favorite jeans anymore. Last summer I started having problems with my back. It’s nothing terribly serious—we all get a few aches and pains in the years after we turn thirty-nine. You know how it goes—I didn’t exercise because my back hurt and my back got worse because I wasn’t exercising. I got to the point where I was popping ibuprofen like M&M’s. My back even froze on me a couple of times. Thanks to my chiropractor, yoga, floor mats at work, and yes, exercise, I’m on the mend. I’m down to taking anti-inflammatories once or twice a week instead of four or five times a day. I even managed a four-mile jog yesterday. It’s a huge relief to be feeling better, but it has been a time-consuming process. Yet another thing to balance, but I’ll get there.

            So if you’re reading this, thanks for hanging in there. Next week, “Thirty-nine for the First Time” should be back to its old self. On second thought, next week you’ll see a new and improved blog. I have a new Thrifty-Tasty-Tuesday in the works, the first edition of “So My Friend Wrote this Book...”, and hopefully a little fiction thrown into the mix. See you then!