Update for December 2019

This month has really flown by.  We have had many ups and downs. Such is life.  I'll try to be brief.

We did make it to Colorado Springs on the 29th to see our Granddaughter, Regan, and her daughter, Maliyah.  We spent 3 days there and enjoyed a nice little birthday party with Maliyah, then we brought her back to Kansas to stay with us for most of the month of December. Becky and Rusty took her back to her mom and paternal grandparents today. I'm praying they have better weather than is predicted. 

 

We had some nasty weather on our way out to Colorado.  Becky was flying out of Salina to Denver and then was to rent a car there to get to Colorado Springs.  The weather was foggy in the Springs so they rerouted her to Lincoln, Nebraska.  She had to rent a car to drive through fog and snow and sleet and  high winds to get to the Springs by 4:30 a.m. Then we didn't get to see Maliyah until the next evening, so we weren't happy about that either. 

The ride home was pretty good for the most part. We have enjoyed having Maliyah with us all month and hated to see her go back. I still dream of a day when she can live in Kansas permanently.

My mom had some improvement in her condition, and they sent her home, but then had a complication and was readmitted.  After about a week's stay, they gave orders for her to go to a nursing home for skilled care.  We discussed possibilities and decided on Park Villa, where I could look in on her on an almost basis.  Some don't believe she will ever go back home to the farm, but I'm thinking she might for a while, if she keeps working as hard as she is to be stronger. 

Dennis and I have had our share of health issues too. My sciatica has flared up to the point that I had a spinal injection on Monday morning. It has helped quite a bit.  I'll have a follow up injection in a couple of weeks and then go back in for a third soon after that.  Then we are hoping to have even more relief that should last longer.

Dennis has an ulcer bothering him from worrying about me and everyone else he can worry about. He worries about the bills.  I have never been able to teach him to "let go and let God."  Maybe that's a New Year's resolution to think about.

I hope to become more regular about my blog and my writing and art, too.  Wish me luck!

NO NO NANOWRIMO!

Once again, life has ruined my chances to win NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writers Month) in the goal of writing 50,000 words by November 30, 2019.  I do have my project over halfway done, but between the holidays and preparations, family obligations, and my own human frailties (arthritis and a sinus infection), I've not progressed much this year.  I am still working on my story, but I won't be able to win my goal, at least not before Sunday.

We've had several funerals in the past few weeks, some were close friends. And we are leaving Friday to attend a birthday party out of state over the weekend, after celebrating Thanksgiving with some extended family.

My mother is in the hospital at this time with pneumonia, and she won't be coming home until possibly Friday.  We will be on the road to Colorado then, so my brother will be in charge of bringing her home. That has taken up a lot of my time this week. But she has been my first priority.  The writing will just have to wait.

Also being put on the shelf, has been my Bible reading. I have a tiny New Testament somewhere around this house.  I have had it for many years.  I usually read in my study Bible, but it is cumbersome to travel with, so I will make an effort to find my New Testament to take with me, maybe I can catch up a little while traveling through the flatlands of Kansas and Colorado. (Don't worry, I'm not driving.)

Today, I am baking and cooking for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast.  Tomorrow evening I'll be visiting my mom at the hospital after we leave the dinner, then packing so we can leave Friday morning for Colorado.  No time for writing after this afternoon at all.

I'm hoping to take my laptop with me, just in case I get some downtime in the hotel.  Maybe I can write a few lines then.

I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and please stay safe, warm and dry.  The Midwest has been going through a roller coaster with the weather.

Signing off for today.

Another friend gone

This afternoon we attended the graveside service for Lisa Conrad, a good friend of ours for almost 50 years.  Lisa and I were good friends.  We loved playing cards all night long with our menfolk.

Lisa loved beer and partying, so when we quit drinking back in the mid 80s, we drifted apart to an extent, but we were always friends and if Lisa wanted anything or needed our help, all she had to do was ask. We will miss her so much.

Lisa is just one of several people we have lost in our community recently.  Last weekend, we laid to rest Joe Sorell, 50 years old, who died unexpectedly.  There have been others, too, that we were not all that close to in life, but Joe and Lisa were the ones that affected us personally.

I've noticed that holiday season deaths are often harder to bear than those at another time of year.  When Dennis lost his brother, Mike, it was the first part of December.  That one was really rough.  His dad was in February,  His mom was in September.  We lost our Teresa in late February, and my dad in October.  There have been others as well.

What helps to dull the pain is the fact that we know they are with God, reuniting husband and wife, and other family members together for the last time.  And that some day, we will join them in that happy reunion in the sky.

For now, we try to live our lives the way God has commanded, and believe in the Resurrection. And pray that we don't lose any more friends or family for a while.

God be with all who are travelling this holiday season. Stay safe, warm and dry, and thank God for all your blessings.

Writing My Life Away

Hi again!

F2K is done for another year, unless they add a second session later on in the spring.  I doubt that will happen, as participation has dwindled dramatically.  We enjoyed what we did have, though, and hope it will continue through the years, even if it is just WVU members doing it all.

What is F2K?  It's a 6 week fiction writing course that takes the new or experienced writer through the mechanics of fiction writing, from the beginning.  Members learn about creating characters, deciding on point of view, and tense continuity, how to introduce conflict and dialogue, and finally, how to build a story arc, with the ultimate goal being to have completed a short story that is ready to be published.  It's a barrel of fun, with lots of interaction between the writers, who tend to have a great sense of humor.  The writers learn how to critique and accept critiques from other members, which can be a hard thing to do for beginners.  Some of the stories are complete as short stories, but some will take their stories on to a higher level and write novels from the subject matter in this class.

I am halfway through the NANOWRIMO month as well, and have over 25,000 words written on my Young Adult novel, A Door In Time, which I have been working on for what seems like forever.  I am now working on the last few chapters, as well as doing some early editing on older chapters.  I'm getting more excited about finishing the book, and I'm already looking at either a sequel or a series of some kind.  Motivation is key.

My Facebook friends have already noticed that my attendance there has dropped. I tend to check my Facebook profile/timeline first thing in the morning, to see if I have any messages, then I check email for the same purpose.  Then I try to get some writing done.  I'm also still trying to complete my vow to read the entire Bible in one year.  At this time, I'm still reading in Acts.  I am amazed that I've been able to stick with this project this long, but it really doesn't take much more than 30 to 45 minutes of reading at the end of the day to fill my word quota.  I'm keepin' on keepin' on.

Now, with Dennis gone to a basketball game, I'm going to get some writing done on ADIT (A Door In Time).  See y'all later! :)

Busy, busy

I've neglected my blog so much. I'm sorry. No good excuse. Just haven't taken the time to write here in my blog.

I signed up for NANOWRIMO this November.  Short for National Novel Writing Month, this is held every November, as well as some other sessions throughout the year.  This is the main session, and is a challenge to write 50,000 words in a 30 day period.   I'm using it as a motivation to finish that young adult novel I've been working on for years.  I've submitted almost 15,000 words already this session, and hope to submit at least 1500 or more words every day before the end of the month.  I know I may not work on it every day, with Thanksgiving and Veterans' Day coming up, plus we are planning a trip to Colorado Springs at Thanksgiving time.  But I'm going to give it the old College try. Is that really a thing?

Our great granddaughter, Maliyah, is turning 5 years old on the 28th, so we want to go out there to see her. Grandpa Dennis and I, and Auntie Becky, and perhaps one other, will go out either by air or by car to visit with her.  We'll stay in a nice motel and Becky has planned some fun activities to do with Maliyah.  I'm looking forward to it.  Hopefully, it won't take all our Christmas funds to do it.

I've been working on doing some sales at home, too.  My Ruby Ribbon business never really took off like I'd hoped.  I don't have the energy required to keep up with everything my upline wants me to do.  I am finding it much easier to sell the Color Street Nails, which only cost between $11 and $14 per set, as compared to the Ruby Ribbon camis which can run anywhere from $45 to over $100 per piece.  I don't plan to cancel the Ruby Ribbon, because I want to be able to buy new camis for my own use and possibly have a party or two or just individual purchases from my family and friends occasionally.  The Ruby Ribbon products can be much bulkier to carry and set up.  I can carry my Color Street supplies in one tote bag.  So I will push it more.  Anything to save my back.

I have a lot of laundry and dishes to get done, so I'll close for now. I hope to get control of my home sometime in the future, and it doesn't seem to do itself.  Darn it!

Crazy Month!

I'm glad, in a way, that I don't have a regular job.  Just keeping up with family and other obligations is keeping me very busy!

As I've said before, I often take my mom to her doctor appointments.  On August 19, as I was driving my mom around after her doctor appointment to get her prescriptions, I had a fender bender with my car.  At the time, I thought it was not all that serious, because the car was still drive-able, but the insurance company totaled out the car, so then we were thrown into that limbo of waiting for insurance to pay, and when we took the car to get repaired, we were told it would cost a BUNCH to fix everything that was damaged.  We were down to one vehicle for over a week, and for a day or two had no vehicle at all.  A living nightmare.

I had to take the pickup for art club,, and another doctor appointment for Mama. It was a good thing I didn't have much going on in my online businesses that required travel. Dennis took the pickup to a VA appointment in Topeka on Monday,  We made it through all that ok.

Yesterday, we went to Salina to shop for a different car.  We were looking for another Ford Focus, because we loved the gas mileage.  But the salesman showed us a few Fusions, and some Fusion Hybrids, and Dennis was sold.  We drove home a 2018 Fusion Hybrid, and love it so far, even though it is making us learn a few new tricks to drive it.

Today, we drove it to Manhattan, so I could get new glasses.  I hated having to get them so soon, but the reason I had crashed the car last month was my vision had deteriorated to the point that I honestly did not see the other vehicle until I hit it.  So I now have a new car and new glasses.  Lord, please keep me accident free from now on!

We've been trying to get to as many of the grandkids' sporting events as possible, but we only go to the ones nearby.  Sometimes, they travel clear to the other end of the state, which we think is ridiculous and expensive.  But that's a topic for another post.

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F2K, which is an annual course in Writer's Village University that I help with every year, has started again, as of Sept. 18.  I have served as an intern, a mentor, and now I am in charge of Lee's Café, which is a social gathering room and general information center for the course.  Sometimes I am kept pretty busy, but so far this session, it's been pretty slow. I may expand my role  next session if it stays this way.

I've also had computer issues. My laptop went kaput.  The connection port for the power cord was damaged, and even with multiple replacement cords, it was too expensive to replace the inside components, so Dennis bought a "cheapie" laptop so we'd have internet access to do our online banking.  It's a peach.

I had one of the old computers from the library that was being disposed of, and it still worked, for the most part, so I tried hooking it up.  However, before it was removed from the library, it was pretty much stripped of most programming, so it's been a challenge to get it back to speed, plus it's
a Windows 7 version, so not everything is compatible with my Windows 10 laptop.  Grrr.
I just need a computer I can do my writing and save pictures and files on.  Maybe someday!

I know this post sounds like a major pity party.  Maybe it is.  But once I write this stuff out, I can often shove it from my mind and get back to business.

Write on!

Mom's Health

Yesterday, I spent the day with my mother. We had a pleasant day together, even though it was very hot for me.  I don't care for temperatures over 90.  Mom, on the other hand, is more comfortable when it's hot, as she freezes when it's below 75.

There aren't many things I can still do for my mom.  I help her with her medical issues, because I'm the only one in the family with any medical training.  I like to go with her to her medical appointments, so I can keep a tab on what she tells the doctor.  She doesn't always tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, because she has a deep fear of being put into a nursing home at her age.  She will lie like crazy if it will help her stay out there on that farm.

My brothers help as much as they can, but Bret is a long haul trucker and is gone sometimes for over a week at a time.  He and his fiancée have moved to town and are buying a house together. Up until recently, he lived with Mom and helped her with her grocery shopping and other chores around the house that she can longer do.  She misses him being there to talk to and help her.

My other brother, Tom, lives just up the hill a few hundred yards from her, and he checks on her daily.  His wife, Cindy, also checks on her and brings her groceries, and medical prescriptions from the pharmacy.  They also invite her to their home for meals.  I really appreciate their help on that.

My sister, Linda, lives 50+ miles northeast in Fairbury, Ne. and works fulltime+ overtime at her job, so she isn't able to do much very often. She does call her every week though to visit, and comes down as often as she can get away.

There are numerous family members (cousins and nieces and nephews) who offer to help and stop by to see her occasionally.  So she has a fairly good support system.  My dad passed away years ago.

So yesterday, she had this doctor's appointment. After the appointment, she wanted to eat at the Dairy Queen, then she wanted to do some shopping, and following that, we stopped to visit one of her granddaughters at her job for a few minutes.  Finally, we were on our way home to her house.  She insisted I eat some watermelon with her, however, after she got me started eating my slice, she decided she didn't want any herself.  It was probably all just contrived to keep me there with her.  She admits to being lonely.  So I ate watermelon, then I told her I had to get back home to get my own chores done.

I contacted my siblings and filled them in on what had happened at the appointment and a few other pertinent details about her care.  We decided she was being a pickle. But I commented that once she is gone, we'd be wishing that "pickle" was back again.  So we'll keep on keeping on with her and loving her as much as we can.

She seemed to be in good spirits yesterday, so it was a good day. I hope to have many more good days with her for a long time to come.

If you still have your mom, give her a call or stop by and give her a hug.  She deserves it.

Cancer is back

We called Dr. Rosso's office this morning, he returned our call to tell Dennis his PSA was up to 1.4.  So the cancer is active again.  He's scheduling another appointment in 3 months to check on how it's doing.  So it begins again.

I feel very fatigued today. I think it's from the stress about Dennis' cancer coming back. I have a sinus headache and ache all over. Probably won't get a lot done today.

I'll try to work on the house.  Housework often helps me work stress out.  I get a lot of it done when I'm angry or upset about something.

I might take a nap later too. I could use one.

Trusting in God

This week is difficult, to say the least.  Dennis had an appointment with his Urologist from Manhattan yesterday.  He'd had his usual lab drawn last week.  The labs have been consistently  good, with his PSA untraceable.  But yesterday, his PSA was up. I don't know the exact level, but Dr. Rosso is concerned.  To be sure, he had a repeat PSA level drawn, and he sent Dennis home, promising to call him with the results.  We still haven't heard from him.

So.  Is this good news?  Bad news? Or did Dr. Rosso just forget to call?  Dennis will probably have to call his office tomorrow to remind him and find out what's going on.  There was no return appointment made, no conversation about what treatment is needed, if any, and we are just hanging here in limbo.

I've been trying to set up a local event here in Clyde at the Branch. So far, I have 7 vendors lined up, including me, with my Ruby Ribbon and my art.  I'm still trying to unload all those cookbooks I made years ago, too.  I have an Avon representative, a Lularoe Stylist, a tee shirt and earring designer, a 31 Bag representative, a Monat rep, and an author wanting to sell her own books.
.
I'm hoping this activity will keep my mind off our health issues.  I'm still trying to get the VA to approve my meds by mail.  I'll call them again tomorrow. The last time I called I got put on hold for 30 minutes before they told me all their reps were busy.  I get so frustrated that I hang up.  I need to stick it out, otherwise, I'll have to drive to Manhattan to get my meds at a VA approved pharmacy, like HyVee. Apparently, Walmart is not on their list.

Well, it's time for me to turn into a pumpkin once again, so I'll drag my vines back into the bedroom after I do my Bible study, and then read my novel until I get sleepy.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day

Trust in God!  If He brings you to it, He'll bring you through it!

Grandma's Fantasy

Grandma’s Fantasy

I love the sound of children at play
They jump and run and laugh all day.
I forget that I’m old and gray,
And the years just fall away.

In my mind, I’m not so old,
My pockets are filled with gold.
I jump and play and talk so bold
And do as I am told.

Then I look around and finally see,
The children are not so free.
To their mothers they must plea,
She’s busy as a bee.

And then to school, the kids must go,
To find out all they must know,
And Grandma sits and watches the show,
And wishes time would go as slow.

Dixie Barnes 2016

Writing and WVU

I'm currently working on my novel for young adults titled "A Door In Time," which is about three teens who pass through a time portal and end up in 1887 Wichita, Ks.  Suddenly, these three kids find themselves without their high tech toys they have become very addicted to: cell I phones, computers, cars, tvs, ipads, and other electronic conveniences.

This book has been a lot of fun to write.  I often find myself chuckling to myself as I think of another inconvenience I can put my "kids" through, just to make the story interesting.  I try to put them in situations where they argue, tease each other, get separated, get into trouble with the law, and even more as they struggle to find their way back to each other and back to their own homes and time. It's been quite an experience for myself and for them.

I'm also taking a supportive class at WVU (Writers Village University), which is an online school for writers that I've been a member of since 1998.  The class is about writing science fiction and fantasy genres.  Since I have little prior experience writing science fiction, I thought this class might be useful.  I was right.  I'm learning a lot about how to approach the story I'm working on, and there are others who are also taking the class who can offer feedback to me.  I love that.

I spent a lot of time today (between laundry loads) reading the assigned readings and then writing the homework assignments.  This is a six week course, so it will take some time to do it and work on my novel.  I have a feeling that there will be another session of F2K coming up again soon, too.  That always keeps me quite busy.

If any of my readers is interested in learning more about writing, but can't afford to pay college tuition, or pay a tutor, you might consider signing up for the FREE F2K class at WVU.  Yes, it's free!  The class lasts for about seven weeks, and will take you from learning to write a good paragraph to writing a complete short story.  And some of the best stories will be published in an online anthology put out by the website.  It's really cool.

I've taken the class myself several times, because it is so much fun.  I've had my stories published a few times too.  It really made me feel proud.  The mentors are all members of WVU, and many are published authors and professional writers.  As far as college credit, no, you won't get that, because we are not affiliated with any state universities, but the education you will receive is as good as that from an accredited university and it's free.

After the course, a special membership offer will be announced for anyone who would like to become a permanent member, like I am.  For a low membership fee, you can be a member for a full year and take any classes you wish that are offered, and there are many classes offered, in all genres, and also classes in basic writing skills, such as punctuation, grammar, and learning how to edit your work.  There are study groups, where you can socialize and get objective criticism of your writing.  Our theme is Writers Helping Writers, and it is very true.  Our goal is help you become a published author, whatever genre you are writing in.

The only genres we do not support are erotica porn, and graphic violence, because we do have children come through and take classes too.  But poetry, fiction, nonfiction, theater, scifi, fantasy, romance, historical, as well as journalism, flash fiction, novel writing--you name it, we teach it.

The owner/creator of the website and CEO of the site is Bob Hembree, who is a remarkable man.  He's been a musician, author, writer, photographer, and much more.  He's also a great guy who really cares about his students.  Any problems that arise are quickly taken care of.  His crew of volunteers think the world of him.

If you are interested in checking out the website, just visit: https://www.writersvillage.com/.  If you have trouble getting the site to open, message me and I'll try to help.

C'mon, writers!  Come and join me in this great adventure!  You won't regret it.

Website Woes

Facebook pages are a breeze to create.  I've made many of them and still maintain about ten of them, from memory pages for lost loved ones and general grieving survival hints, to favorite videos and even a recipe page.  I have Facebook pages for various business ventures I've dabbled in, and more.

So when I thought to make a website separate from Facebook, I though it would be relatively simple.  Not so. I'm trying to use WordPress software, which apparently is higher advanced in scope than my software education.  Add to that the silly mistakes I make, like forgetting to SAVE-- well, let's just say, I may get it figured out in a few years.

All I wanted to do was have a page for my writing and my art, and I wanted it be made separately   from Facebook, which I have become increasingly paranoid about their privacy policies and algorithms.  I have all these other pages about my other interests, but not so much where I felt safe in posting my art and writing, for fear of someone stealing my work and making the millions I should be earning from it.  Is that so wrong?

I'm thinking I need to go to Amazon and buy a book on WordPress.  That might be a huge help to me, if I can understand their lingo.  Software often assumes we all understand their specialized terms and phrases, and how to do what needs to be done to obtain the results we wish.  They don't take into account that I'm a living fossil image, older than dirt, who is just trying to make a website where I can showcase and perhaps sell my work.

I am following several other authors and artists, who have webpages where they do what I want to do.  Perhaps I can email them and ask them how they did it.  But they might have simply done what I should have done in the first place and hired someone better versed in WordPress to create their site for them.  I'm not sure I have the funds to be that extravagant.  At least not yet.  I need to finish my novel, and get it published and market it into a best seller before I will have any funds, and that's probably a pipe dream in itself.

So, in the meantime, if you don't see me on Facebook that much, or if I seem irritable or depressed, it's probably because I'm still fighting the complexities of WordPress.  If I ever do get this website created, you will know it, because I'll be shouting from the rooftops, tweeting and Facebook posting it all over the world.

Pray for me.

Dixie Barnes
Aspiring Author, Artist and
Website Creator

P.S.  The photos are from our garden this summer, and the latest of my photos, taken this spring.