Midweek Happiness

Sometimes it's the little things that bring happiness, like a new pair of shoes.  Sometimes it's larger, like a book contract.  And often, there are a lot of every day life issues that are just plain full of the potential for happiness.

So, since I have a lot of bad things going on (hello, camper?), I've decided to counteract that negativity with positive things that are just plain smile inducing.

Working out.  Yep, I said it.  Sure, I grumble about going to the gym every morning, but once I get there and get it done, I'm happy.  The rest of the day is mine and I've already worked out.  Score.

Being blessed enough to work from home at a job I love.  Sure, the pay cut was drastic and the writing money (which used to be my vacation and/or home improvement money) became my primary source of income.  But I get to hang with my dogs and live in make-believe worlds.  It's worth being a little short on funds to get to live the dream.  Also, not having to go to an office frees up my morning to work out.

Legacy Boxer Rescue.  I'm constantly in awe of what they do for dogs.  Saving lives, trying to find foster homes.  Right now we have a dog with severe kidney disease like Katniss had (but possibly worse) and if I could, I'd take her in as she needs someone who is home all day and can allow her unlimited access to water.  But I gave my word to Lonnie that we'd take the summer off and I pray someone else steps up for this girl.  She deserves to live her final days as comfortably as possible.   Note - in the meantime, Lonnie is letting me foster sit for the weekend, so not only am I helping out, I get my foster dog fix without anything permanent!  Yay me and thanks Lonnie.

Not yet 100.  So far (fingers crossed), we haven't yet hit 100 degrees.  That's a blessing, believe me.  That's the main thing I hate about Texas.  The awful, baking summers.  Hate it, hate it, hate it.  It's been in the 90's and that's plenty hot for me.

Ok, that's my mid-week happiness quota.  Not thinking about the camper.  Not.  Just dogs.  And shape-shifters, and ghosts.  (My next book!)

Tuesday Rambling

Well, it doesn't look like insurance will cover the camper.  I didn't really think it would, but it was worth a shot.  First off, most policies in Texas exclude anything to do with mold and mildew.  There are other reasons, but I won't bore you by going into them.  Regardless, Progressive Insurance is sending an adjuster to meet my husband and take a look tomorrow.

So there's that.  I checked online and looked into everything I could think of.  The roof has a 12 year warranty, but the owner's manual says to have it resealed every 3-5 years  Our camper is 6 years old.  The value of it (without mold or leaks) currently is around $15,000.  MSRP new was $28,000.   We didn't pay that much, plus we traded in our old camper and got like $11,000 for it.  I'm worried that the cost to repair this camper will be more than the value of it now.  It is paid for, so there's that.  But if we have to buy a new camper....

Ah well.  I'm trying to let that go.  I'm writing the next Nocturne which will be out in January 2015.  I'm having fun and enjoying the characters.  I still have revisions to do on my next HRS, which will be out in March 2015.  And then there's the new Colton's book to write.

So yes, I'm busy.  And grateful.

I've also been feeling the itch to take a new foster dog since clearly we won't be camping any time soon. Lonnie gives an adamant NO every time I bring this up, and since I did promise him to take the summer off, I have no choice.  But the urgent dogs break my heart.

I had tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar.  My sister-in-law and I were going to go.  But that's been cancelled, which is a big disappointment to me.  I used to have the album of the original play and know (even to this day) most of the songs by heart.  I was really looking forward to it.  Ah well.

Life is still good though.  I'm on the 9th week of working out and can see some definition where before I had none.  I enjoy my husband and my dogs and now that school is getting out for the year, I'm sure my daughter will be around more (she's a teacher.)

I made a big pot of pinto beans and ham and a pan of cornbread for this weeks meal.  It's a southern thing and I'd never had it before marrying Lonnie, but I love it now.

That's about it.  I need to make lunch and get to work.  See you soon, little blog!

The Weekend From Hell

As anyone who's a regular reader of this blog knows, we have a lake lot down at Richland Chambers Lake with a 37 foot camper and other assorted toys.  Due to taking Katniss as a foster dog on 4-3-13, we weren't able to camp there in all of 2013.  (She was so sick, and then she didn't get along with Macadoo).
Early in 2013 we had a horrible storm that cratered our boat and our lantern. We got those fixed, but didn't realize our camper apparently had damage.

A summer went by, a fall and a winter.  Katniss got adopted and finally we were able to go to our camper this past weekend.  Finally!  I was SO excited.

Apparently all this time ago, we got roof damage.  There was a leak, and over the hot summer, the leak and wet wood and carpet grew fungus.  Mushroom and other nasty stuff, to be exact.  I gagged.

WARNING - GROSS PICTURES.  VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Here is what I found INSIDE our beautiful camper.

 Needless to say, I went online and realized what had happened.  Extensive repairs, new walls and floor and carpet and pad.  We'll have to haul it somewhere and have it fixed.  Hoping insurance will cover this. Aware that we won't be camping for a long while until it's fixed.

The rest of it - broken dog water jug, the water getting cut off, Lonnie losing his cell phone (we found it), bug bites, cutting my leg on a dirty piece of metal, only completed the weekend from hell.

I got home, did a bunch of laundry, and drank.  Because really, what else can you do?

News!

I have happy news to share!  Today I was offered (and accepted) an offer to write another Colton's continuity story!  I love writing those and my October 2014 book A Secret Colton Baby will be a Coltons of Wyoming story.

This book will be a Colton of Oklahoma story!  I am so excited, I can't wait.

I need to finish up this Nocturne Shades of the Wolf, do the revisions for All or Nothing, my March HRS, and get cracking on this!

Loving life today!

Mmmm

I have had some good food over this Memorial Day weekend.  Starting with Friday night, when we went to BJ's Brew House.

Shrimp Tacos.  Yumm.

Saturday, Lonnie cooked Pork Spareribs on the grill.  I'd made a cucumber, tomato, and onion salad, plus baked beans.

Sunday, was concert night.  We stopped at La Margarita in Irving and feasted.

And yesterday, Monday and Memorial Day, Lonnie grilled burgers.  Perfection.

Today I went back to the gym and back to writing.  I'm nearly at 15,000 words now.  Wahoo!

Joy

This week, I've experienced a lot of joy.  First, with each and every update Katniss's adopter Tom sends me, my heart is full as I know she finally has found her forever home.  This is what makes rescue bearable. This was worth all the nursing and worrying and separating and loving and yes, missing.  Knowing that my sweet girl is finally where she belongs, has made it possible for me to do it again.  I will foster another dog - Lonnie and I have agreed to take a break for the summer so we can actually enjoy our lake place and camper.  It's hard - I see the urgent Boxers every single day.  There have been more than a few I've wanted to step up for and if I didn't have a lake place and given my husband a promise, I would have done so.

But I will wait and pray that those I cannot yet help will get their own happy ending like Katniss did.

Sometimes, little things can bring joy.  I've been seriously trying to limit my shopping, though every now and then I purchase something.  And yesterday, Tom's sent me a $10 off coupon.  So I went to look at shoes. And I saw this fun, flirty pair of platform sandals that screamed "Summer" and "Fun" and even "Cruise!"         They came in two colors and I took the plunge and order them in the black - though I loved the blue too, I think I have more I can wear with the black tropical print.

I smiled and decided to post them on Facebook.  And then a few comments nearly robbed me of my joy. Hurt, I took the comments down.  And while my delight in them may have been a bit tarnished, I know when they arrive and I put them on my feet, I will smile.  That, my friends, make everything worth it.

Here they are.  If you don't like them, well - you don't have to wear them.  They're mine.  (They also come in a royal blue tropical print!)

I'm 53 years old now.  I have decided to embrace my inner weirdness and wear what makes me happy, rather than worrying about what anyone else things.  The bright tropical shoes, the rock N roll t-shirt, that's me.  Check.

Even my writing has been a joy lately.  My newest book, Shade of the Wolf, features a hero who happens to be a ghost.  I've never written a ghost hero and I'm like a kid with a new toy.  Oh look!  Sparkly, ooooh! Pretty, oooh!  I've been having so much fun with him and their story.

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to writing.  See you soon!

Absence

I've been away the entire month of May, which is a new low for me.  I confess, this blog crossed my mind more than once, but for one reason or another, I didn't post.  Most times, I feel like I'm screaming into the wind.

Before I left my Wordpress blog, I had hundreds, even thousands of visitors a day.  And then I switched to blogger for security reasons and I guess no one could find me.  Sorry for the whining, but I do miss those days when I felt like someone actually read this and it wasn't just a post into the darkness.

If you are my friend on Facebook, you know that my sweet Katniss finally found her forever home.  This time, the right person found her and she him.  They love each other and he doesn't mind her kidney disease or need to be a single dog.  He's told me she's Queen of his house and yard, happy and loving.  He's thrilled, I know Katniss is loving the attention.  He's even keeping her name.  Plus she has her own boy!  He visits every other weekend and she loved kids.

Doesn't she look happy?  I'm thrilled for her.

In the meantime, Lonnie and I are taking a break from fostering.  At least the summer, so we can enjoy our lake lot.  It's too difficult to manage with a foster dog.  So I volunteer on the Foster Committee,  I do Home Visits for prospective adopters, shelter evaluations, transport dogs, and whatever else I can to help.

And I working on the new nocturne.