Life in the "Time of COVID-19"

It's all insane. Governor's are overreaching their authority, businesses are permanently closing, am my "day job" position has been eliminated. I've been working in an IT position in a large health care system for many years, and due to the shutdowns our Governor ordered the losses my now former employer is experiencing are continuing to mount.

People are afraid to go to the hospital. I keep encouraging people to go, don't put off life saving care, go to the ER if you normally would for whatever is going on. If you need surgery, get in as soon as you can. The hospitals are the cleanest they've ever been and you're more likely to get better care than usual

The healthcare system is going to need a bailout bigger than the Big 3 and banks combined, hospitals will be permanently closing as a result of all this. Doctors will probably be rethinking how they are working now, many may move to concierge services instead of being with a larger system, things will change, we just don't know how yet.

A few weeks into the shutdown and stay at home orders, my friends were posting about how clean their houses are and how they're gaining weight. I've been experiencing the opposite. Losing weight, even though I'm baking more, and my house is so NOT clean. I have yet to get my craft room back together and I've been working on it for many, many months. The good news was I kept finding fabric and had put much of it in a "to be donated" pile that I'd yet to take to the thrift store down the street

The first three weeks I cranked out over 300 cotton face masks using that fabric stash before I broke my second sewing machine (that's right I broke not 1 but 2 machines). The vast majority of those masks have been handed out to essential workers and dropped a stack at the local truck stop. I've gotten my newer machine fixed, but my old sturdy favorite is still awaiting a "part donor" machine. I will have to fix it myself as no sewing machine repair guy will touch a machine that requires "donor" parts due to liabilities.

Due to a lack of funds, I haven't been able to get any of my old Singer 15-91s that are hanging around back up and running. They need new motors and wiring, I can get the parts, however that takes money I don't currently have to do that. I'm considering setting up a GoFundMe to buy parts. Then any extra machines I get running can be gifted to people who need one, which is what I typically do with the machines I tinker around with and restore.

I developed Shingles due to the stress of not working, my mother had a mastectomy, and my oldest friend who is a police officer had one of his guys ambushed and shot by a career criminal. The city I'm nearest had rioters and looters destroy the downtown area. I had to explain to family and friends in other states not to believe the media, the actual protests were peaceful, the riots and looting were done by people not associated with the protests.

The day after the rioting, the sweet young women who had organized the peaceful protest showed up downtown ready to clean, along with thousands of others, restaurants that had been nearly destroyed showed up with food ready for the folks who were cleaning up. Artists came out to paint the boarded up windows, and our community grew stronger as a result. We've had a few more protests, all peaceful. The rioters and looters are being identified (many be their family and friends) and people seem to be a bit friendly to one another. 

There are still those who want to protest the masking orders and are rude to the workers who have to enforce orders that they themselves may not agree with. I've tried to encourage everyone to talk to their neighbors, co-workers, even friendly strangers, because when you take the time to listen, you'll find we have far more in common that our media or politicians want us to believe.

One of my "favorite" things about all this is I've gotten to know newer neighbors better. Several of our newer families happen to be Black, and one that is a few houses away have a pit mix puppy that is just so "vicious", she might lick you to death, lol. She is the sweetest, wigglest, happiest puppy on the block and we love to see her and her humans. The day they moved in I stopped to introduce myself and ask about their pup, she is the prettiest color I've ever seen.

Their daughter graduated high school this year and is going on to an Ivy League school. Everyone in the neighborhood celebrated her achievement, with proper social distancing of course and a drive by party. I love stopping by on my daily walks and chatting with them. I can't wait for Halloween when their youngest will be stopping by for Trick or Treat.

Our neighborhood has always been full of walkers and "free range kids", but with everyone working from home, I've gotten to meet more of them. One of our sweetest neighbors got to celebrate her cancer going into remission, several of the kids graduated high school and college, and another one got her driver's license the moment the offices were reopened. More new neighbors moved in as people started fleeing the downtown area for more space, while older neighbors finally downsized in a nearby neighborhood that's currently under construction. The younger kids are playing in the yards, having bike races, playing kick the can, freeze tag, driving golf carts, minibikes, and go-karts. They're playing basketball and soccer, anything to be away from the ever present screens.

Parents are exchanging tips on homeschooling, the teachers in the neighborhood have been helping parents and students navigate the new "normal". Veggie gardens abound in our neighborhood and we've been playing the "zucchini drop" game, leaving veggies on each other's porches with no note or explanation.

My sweet neighbors across the street lent a hand when our lawn mower wouldn't start (mice ate the wires over Winter), and the wife/mom graduated with her THIRD Master's degree so she can now land a job in her field. They spent some time in London before moving here, I've had fun hearing about life there from them as well and meeting more of their family members.

Life simply goes on in the time of COVID. It would be nice if everyone would calm down a bit, not get in each others faces about masks, take a deep breath and realize our politicians are all a bit nuts over all of this, and take some time to enjoy the outdoors and this rare opportunity to slow our lives down and realize what is really important.

Stay safe, stay healthy, wear a mask when you can and the "rules" require them, and be kind to our essential workers who've kept the food stocked and helped get toilet paper back on the shelves.

Spring in the life of a dog owner

Michigan weather is always a roller coaster. Earlier this week we had 70 degree weather, promptly followed by snow. My daffodils are confused. I, however, am not.

Spring is officially here. At my house it is marked by my mini daffodils poking their heads up in the front yard, followed by my dogs tracking mud into the house. I will not see my floors without mud somewhere until the next snowfall.

I have two Great Pyrenees pups, the youngest just turned a year old. These are very large, very fluffy white dogs, whose favorite pastimes are digging and jumping in mud puddles. They go from white fur to looking like some oddball Landseer Newfoundland.

I know Spring is here, the muddy foot prints and mud splatters on the walls are all the proof I need. The wild weather also turns my normally calm youngest pup into the equivalent of a 125 pound, sugared up, sleep deprived, unruly, independent toddler.

If you were to look in door, you would see me chasing around a muddy dog, usually with some stolen piece of laundry, tail and head held high, with a big grin on his face as this is the greatest game of tag ever. You'll want to cover your eyes though, as I tend to swear at him with the language of a drunken sailor.

My neighbor got a laugh at us the other day, as she watched myself and my hubby (who is a large man) trying to wrangle this wiggling "pup" into a harness so we could rinse him off outside. He was covered in mud on every part of his body, with the exception of a lone heart-shaped white area on the top of his head.

So yes, Spring is definitely here. Enjoy the birdies singing, and the sun shining down. If you hear a lot of swearing, with references to "bad puppy" thrown in, most likely it's another dog owner of a mud-loving pup like mine.

The Queen has left the planet

All the buzz today is about the loss of our Queen of Soul, the amazingly talented Miss Aretha Franklin. I'm old enough to remember when she dominated the charts. When her song "R.E.S.P.E.C.T" was the anthem for young women everywhere, demanding our right to be treated as equals, when feminism was still "new".

I've always loved her voice. My grandfather loved her power, her stance as a strong women, and her fearlessness. He was not what I would consider a music fan, but when it came to her, he was all ears.

Miss Aretha taught me a lot, at a young age, even though she didn't know it. I suspect the adults (at the time) in my family didn't realize it either. Aretha's songs taught me that women can stand on their own two feet, taking care of business and family, and that we should never settle for less.

I will miss her, she was one feisty woman, and I loved watching her put younger singers "in their place". Truly the Queen Bee (sorry Beyonce, but Miss Aretha was, is, and will always be the True Queen of Soul) of Motown, and popular music in general.

Now to find a fitting way to give her a nod in one of my storylines. She made the world a better place.

Fixing Past Posts

I probably lost folks along the way because posts weren't getting posted as scheduled. I think I have that fixed now.

You may see a lot of posts start popping up related to the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. This is not in response to anything going on today. It is my way of putting "stuff" in one spot that I'm using to research. In addition to research, I'm double checking the veracity of the government's website against "ancient" encyclopedias and history books that were in my grandparent's estate. It will be interesting to see what, if any, differences there may be.

Life has been eventful (not always in a good way) and busy and I am anxious to get back to several of my WIPs .

As I type this though, I am holed up in a basement with my two Great Pyrenees puppies who are most unhappy about the fireworks being shot off.

Happy Birthday America!

Inspiration from the Baking Aisle

I was shopping at Meijer over the weekend and run across a new baking item that I simply had to have, so I could go home and experiment. There was no specific plan for it, no real thought process behind it, I simply grabbed it and put it in my cart.

Fast forward a few days, and I've used to my taste buds delight, and up popped my characters who'd gone into hiding/grieving/holiday/whatever for the past few months. April was hard, I lost my Uncle, my old dog, and one of my young dogs all in the span of a month. All of them unexpected, and my writing got shoved into the back corner of the closet.

Delighted as I am that they're chatting up their story lines, it's still a bit of a rough time. I've been resorting to dictating to my phone, using my Dragon software, and any other short cut I can find to get the words out as I run around the house puppy-proofing. Because, yes, we are getting another puppy so the lone puppy here will have a pack member to play with.

Once the decision was made to get a new puppy, Jess (one of my favorite characters) decided to lay claims on it, making it necessary for me to find a way to introduce a dog into her story line.

Pantser that I am, it's both easy and hard to add a dog into the mix. Which book should he/she be introduced into, how does he/she fit into her future story line, as well as her life.

It's all good in the end, the writing is flowing again and my characters are back to tease me with new ideas. I'll take inspiration any time I can get it.

The Simpson's Had It Right - again!

I've been a fan of the animated show The Simpsons since it was on the Tracey Ullman Show (hey, what do you know, I spelled that right the first time!).

There are tons of memes out there about the show, some conspiracy theories that Matt Groening is a time traveler (I love that idea!), and lots of people wondering how in the heck did The Simpsons predict Donald Trump would one day be our President.

I know, lots of people don't like him. I'm not a big fan either, but I do have to give him some credit for being willing to take that gamble. Because, let's face it, you have to be a "special kind of crazy" to take on the Presidency of the United States of America.

Seriously, who takes a job willingly where they know they will be villified and adored in the same moment, where a good chunk of the world and country will hate you just for the spot your in without any clue as to who you really are, and where you have absolutely NO privacy.

Our country needs to get over this "Not My President" craze. Everyone needs to grab a clue...it didn't work with Obama, it won't work with Trump. We, the people of this nation, have far more in common than our media, politicians, and the folks pulling the strings, want us to realize.

Just like The Simpson's, we all want a warm, comfy bed to lie in at night, people who love us, food on the table, a decent job, a means of transportation, and a modicum of civility. The folks at the extremes need to take a chill pill, those of us not on the extremes want to be left alone to live our lives, enjoy our families, and have some peace for the short time we are here on this planet.

And if you wonder what else has come true that has been predicted in The Simpson's, check out Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox at the end of 2017.

I'm thankful they haven't predicted a new civil war (yet).

Research vs. Writing - The Inner Battle

I have two book series that require a lot of research. Lately, I've been focusing more on research in lieu of writing and am struggling to get back on track with both. The research for the series is vastly different, the happier research involves the various world religions, the other deals with a particularly evil time in recent history. Both affect me differently, both in my desire to dig deeper and in my need to write.

The religious research is so interesting I tend to lose track of time. The topic is fascinating, I'm learning quit a bit and finding each religion has pieces I enjoy and others I despise. Yet I want to learn more and not stop to write.

World War II, in particular Hitler and his inner circle is equally fascinating. It is sad, morbid, and at times deeply disturbing as I can parallels with today's society and the German situation as Hitler grabbed more and more power. Mengele's experimentation is the most disturbing, yet I need to understand him a bit better as I need to understand his methodology in order to make a part of my story line work.

It is hard to force myself to write after doing research, as my drastically affects my writing. I didn't plan on becoming a writer or author, my original career choice was to be a Veterinarian. I'm a long way from that now, with a day job that eats up  60+ hours a week (don't get me started). My characters found me and insisted I begin writing their stories.

I'm trying an experiment over the next month. For every hour of research I do, I have to write at least 100 words on any of my books. They don't have to be good words, it doesn't have to be "gold", I simply need to get some words on the page. I'm hoping that will help jump start my writing output.

What do you do to get your writing mojo back?