tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36238667909076296692024-03-13T04:58:58.506-07:00Mother Hen's Story Time BloggA place to find updates on all of Mother Hen's stories. Bottom and side bar of the page you can find subscription links to make keeping up with all of the updates easier.Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-3336675206920936362020-01-04T14:57:00.001-08:002020-01-04T14:57:38.865-08:00My House is a Mess and my To Do List is Longer Than I Am Tall<span style="font-size: large;">I love the holidays. No. Seriously. I do. I just always seem to have a mess on my hands of one sort or another before, during, and after. Maybe that is part of the charm of the holdiays. Or not. Either way that's just the way it has always been.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">However I find despite the mess and chaos I do get things accomplished. One thing that I just finished is to complete the story "Starting Over and Over." See the link on the right side of this page. If that doesn't work try <a href="https://www.fictionpress.com/~motherheninflorida" target="_blank">https://www.fictionpress.com/~motherheninflorida </a>and then scroll down the page to the section labeled "My Stories" and it will be in that list at the top or close to it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just when or if you read it … forgive the editing, or lack of editing I mean. The last couple of chapters have a lot of mistakes. They aren't terribly egregious but boy are they noticeable as you are reading along and them WHAM hit you right between the eyes. I was trying to get it all posted last night and I missed a bundle of things I shouldn't have. I'll get that fixed but not this weekend.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As soon as I knock a couple of projects off of my real life to do list I'll pick another story and hammer at it until I finish it. Hopefully there will be another finished before the end of the month. However, I'm done guessing if my plans will actually come to fruition or not. Get too frustrated that way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of February is going to be made up of another business/pleasure trip, this one to South America. Gonna be interesting at the very least.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hope everyone had a blessed and joyous holiday season and will have the same in this new year. There's a lot going on in the world to worry about but since worrying never has a pay off I'd try and keep it to a minimum and enjoy what you can. You'll live longer that way.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Kathy</span><br />
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-40498797090765200372019-09-16T06:14:00.000-07:002019-09-16T06:14:11.099-07:00Update # Who Knows? LOL<span style="font-size: large;">Just FYI to some people that have been nice enough to drop me a line ... the plan is to finish "Zombies Aren't Real, Are They?!" by the end of October. An October surprise kind of thing. LOL. Other stories both at FanFiction and at FictionPress are rolling out and getting completed and the plan is to get one finished per month. That may not always happen, especially during the holidays and during a month I travel, but even then I hope to make significant headway.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see by the list on the right hand side of the blog (<i>links to all of the stories both complete and in progress</i>) I have a lot of work to do. I'm editing the last few chapters of "Over and Over" and "Hartford" so they can both be finished sometime between now and end of November. I'm not promising to complete anything in December but I will continue stories in progress and hopefully "Trash" will get close to finished by then if I do nothing else that month.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I took my parents on a bucket list trip in August and came back with a combo infection of Flu type B and some upper respiratory infection. It put my dad in the hospital, triggered my mom's chronic bronchitis and COPD (that she'd had under control for almost two years), and laid waste to a couple of people in our house as well, primarily me and adult son who had to help with my dad when he collapsed and we had to call the EMTs. Ugh. I am just now finishing the last of this ever loving coughing. My son is still in recovery mode. Did I mention ugh? Luckily no one else in the house came down with it so severely as I'd had disinfection protocols running hot, fast, and mean. But that's time that I had to take from one place and use in another which is my latest excuse why I haven't updated nearly as often as I had been.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It also caused a pretty good reality check on my writing schedule. I have it sketched out now in something more realistic and I will be posting something every day but Sunday (and sometimes Saturdays if I'm playing catch up); however, each story I am working on will probably only get posted to once (maybe twice) a week. That gives me time for real life and business and the rest. I also don't want to short change my high schooler who is the youngest and whom I oversee his education.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So I'm finding a realistic balance between my wants and my needs, with responsibilities taking priority while not ignoring the rest of it that keeps me human. Sign up for updates at FF or FP … either by story or by author … and you'll receive an email when an update appears. Thanks for understanding.</span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-74947974850553895452019-06-18T13:31:00.001-07:002019-06-18T13:33:05.162-07:00Do Me A Favor?<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Do me a favor? I have a poll up at FictionPress at https://www.fictionpress.com/u/1056183/MotherHeninFlorida and the purpose is to see which stories people are MOST interested in seeing completed first. There are 13 options and you can choose up to 5 stories. I'll give it two weeks and then try and build a writing calendar from the data that comes in. If you do not see a story in the list it means that either it is already in my personal cue, if finished and being posted concurrent with the poll, or it is near the bottom of my to do stack and I just need to let it hang for a while longer but I will get to it. Thanks for participating. I have my own ideas but I'd like the readers' input as well.<br /><br /><br /> Also, there are two new stories going up but they will go up slower, as in one new chapter a week. There are some others that I'm debating whether I'll start to post or not. I just need to keep everything organized.<br /><br /><br /> Another question I have is whether readers would prefer for "Up On Hartford Ridge" to be moved from FanFiction to FictionPress. There are pros and cons to leaving it or moving it so this is another instance when I'd be willing to listen to readers' opinions.<br /><br /><br /> New Story Direct Links:<br />Clarity<br />https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3338008/1/Clarity<br /><br />Ettie<br />https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3338007/1/Ettie<br /><br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to read.</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="color: black;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-43108538229749444572019-06-11T15:36:00.001-07:002019-06-11T15:36:47.337-07:00Updates ... <span style="font-size: x-large;">I mentioned in the last blog post that I would try and create a comprehensive index of the stories and their locations. Someone else also asked me to start a character index. The first is certainly going to be easier to do than the second, but I think it might be useful even for me, though how to format it will take some thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I'm also trying to figure out how to save the Character Index as its own page here on Blogger. This index is going to cover everything from both FanFiction to FictionPress to those that haven't been moved off of Blogger yet and possibly even introductions to stories that are still being outlined. It sounds like a mess of work so it might have to be one of those "in progress" projects that get worked on as I find the time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I have managed to update all of the links on the right side of the page so they go directly to the active copy of each story. Despite being alphabetical, it still looks messy. I'm working on that problem but I'm a little limited by the formatting here on blogger.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Below is an updated list of the stories that is less mess but no links.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I've had a couple of people ask me about the "CSI" stories. Well they are pure fanfiction written just to please me. No big deal if they aren't your cup of tea. They just helped me get through a creative dry spell. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><span style="color: black;">STORY INDEX</span></u><br />
<u></u><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">CSI: Miami Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 1: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12355354/1/As-Good-As-He-Once-Was" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">As Good As He Once Was</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 2: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12355495/1/Every-Mile-A-Memory" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Every Mile A Memory</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">CSI: New York Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 1: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11631981/1/Missing-Heart" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Missing Heart</em> </a>(<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 2: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11655044/1/Rules-of-Engagement" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Rules of Engagement</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 3: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11715059/1/Buried-Above-Ground" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Buried Above Ground</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 4: <em style="font-style: italic;">Bridget Over Troubled Water</em> (on hiatus due to co-author's schedule) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;">Episode 5: <a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11772420/1/The-Haunted-Theater" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">The Haunted Theater</em></a> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11984171/1/A-Study-in-Ginger" style="text-decoration: none;">A Study in Ginger</a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
<hr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border: medium; font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 5px 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: black;"></span><br /></strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">Dystopian Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: black;">The following books are a trilogy. Each of the three can be read as a stand alone story but they all take place in the same AU, just at different points along the timeline. Their order is "Larkspur in Eden," "Fel By the Wayside," and lastly "The Linder Legacy." There is another story in this series tentatively titled "Evie and Tate" that I hope to get posted this summer after finishing Larkspur. That will change the series into a Quad.</span></em></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11782355/1/Larkspur-in-Eden" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Larkspur in Eden</em></a> (In progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12147907/1/Fel-By-The-Wayside" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Fel By The Wayside</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11781718/1/The-Linder-Legacy" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">The Linder Legacy</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
<hr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border: medium; font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 5px 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: black;"></span><br /></strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">Zombie Stories:</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11759047/1/Journal-of-the-Zombie-Years" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Journal of the Zombie Years</em></a> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11782256/1/Zombies-Aren-t-Real-Are-They" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</em></a> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</em> (in progress) - FictionPress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"></span><br /></div>
<hr style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border: medium; font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 5px 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: black;"></span><br /></strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black; max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">All Other Stories in Alphabetical Order Regardless of Location</strong></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme </em>(in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">A Girl Called Jack</em> - (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">All Roads Lead Somewhere </em>(in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12118864/1/And-The-Geek-Shall-Inherit-The-Earth" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth</em></a> </span><span style="color: black;">- (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men</em> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Carry On</em> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Dark Days </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Eidetic Sunshine</em> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Enduring on the Lake</em> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12368915/1/Forsaken-Harvest" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Forsaken Harvest</em></a> - (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Georgie</em> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Gurl</em> - (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Il Agita di Amore</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Life is a Fractured Fairytale </em>- (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12082474/1/Over-the-Mountains-and-Through-the-Fire" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Over the Mountains and Through the Fire</em></a> - (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Rain, Rain, Rain </em>(<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE, being edited and reposted</strong>) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Starting Over … and Over and Over</em> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Teaghan </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">There Is No Such Thing As A Thornless Garden </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12506240/1/This-Is-Me-Surviving" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">This Is Me Surviving</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12103883/1/To-All-Things-There-Is-A-Season" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">To All Things There Is A Season</em></a> - (In progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Trash to Treasure </em>- (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12844543/1/Up-On-Hartford-Ridge" style="text-decoration: none;">Up On Hartford Ridge</a> (</em>in progress) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">When All Doors Close</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11782406/1/Will-To-Survive" style="text-decoration: none;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Will To Survive</em></a> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fanfiction.net</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><em style="font-style: italic;">Yelyseveta Book 1</em> (<strong style="font-weight: 700;">COMPLETE</strong>) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "quot"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><i>Yelyseveta Book 2</i> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: black;"></span><br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-69706506201004366802019-06-07T18:04:00.001-07:002019-06-07T18:04:25.737-07:00Vacation Time Is Over ... For Now<span style="font-size: large;">Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go ...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I think I've finally recovered from our adventures in May, gotten all the laundry finished, and all the rest of the yada yada caught up. I'm still categorizing and filing the pictures and postcards but to me that's fun. Our youngest was at one summer camp and just came back yesterday. He's helping with another camp starting Monday for a week. Then a week after that he is going to Boy Scout camp for another week. And then the first week of July he and my husband leave for two weeks in the outback at one of the Boy Scout high adventure camps as they hike around and do manly stuff. LOL One of my daughters is now part time manager at both of the retail stores she works at and is taking in more babysitting jobs. All this to save up for school this fall when she'll have to give up at list one of those jobs. My other daughter still at home starts her Internship for microbiology this summer. And my oldest son is job hunting again after taking a hiatus and working with us full time. All this to say my help is flying the nest and it looks like my idea of job sharing so I could get more projects completed may not come to pass. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">However, I am determined. LOL I have my list and I'm sticking to it. ROFL!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just to let you know, this is the progress I am making on the stories:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Starting Over and Over and Over</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Being edited and posted at FictionPress</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3337694/1/Starting-Over-and-Over-and-Over</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Veta Book 1</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Completed and posted at FictionPress</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3335256/1/Yelysaveta </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Veta Book 2</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After a lot of thought and the characters banging away at me I have most of the outline written already. As I write, edit, and post you can find the story at FictionPress</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3337692/1/Yelysaveta-Book-2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Being edited, is partially up on FanFiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12844543/1/Up-On-Hartford-Ridge</span><br />
<b></b><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The following stories will soon see daylight at FictionPress:</span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Enduring on the Lake</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Rain, Rain, Rain</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Trash to Treasure</i> (something no one has seen yet)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">More notes:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'm trying to decide whether to leave <b>Up On Hartford Ridge</b> up at FanFiction or move it to FictionPress. There are pros and cons to both and I haven't made a final decision yet. That is the next story that I am going to complete, along with Starting Over and Veta Book 2. It will probably be a race between which character nudges me the hardest along the way. I'm shooting for the beginning of August for at least two of the three but no promises. Life can get crazy real fast so we'll have to see.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'll be moving others off of their blogger pages to FictionPress as soon as I can but it will be a piece at a time as I try and write and edit during the process.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I'm trying really hard to figure out which ones that I will complete after "Hartford" but if I say one, undoubtedly it will wind up being a different one. Who knows? I might even do a poll to see which one will come next after I get this next few off of my plate. But I'm not going to put that pressure on myself until I'm a little closer to being able to implement it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">I have a lot of partially written stories that haven't ever been published. Some of them keep singing out and I'll write a chapter of them here and there. I'm debating posting them on FictionPress but haven't decided yet. Part of me would rather leave them hidden until the others are all completed but I don't know. I have decided to post <i>Trash to Treasure</i> but may not post any of the others any time soon. I'm back and forth on that too much.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, that's it in a nutshell. I will try and post something every day except Sunday which most of the time I am going to take as my day off. I may post on Sundays but don't count on it. And it won't be every story every day. When a character bangs away at me I try and listen but the God's honest truth is there are not enough hours in the day to get my real life responsibilities complete, sometimes writing just has to take a back seat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For those once again not able to find the new locations here they are:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">FanFiction (index of my stories there)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the active links for each story. The story with the most recent addition will be at the top.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fanfiction.net/~motherheninflorida</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">FictionPress (index of my stories there)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Same as with FanFiction, just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the active links for each story. The story with the most recent addition will be at the top.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">https://www.fictionpress.com/u/1056183/MotherHeninFlorida</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Next time I'll try and post all of the direct links for all of the stories that I have published right now. However, that requires some formatting I don't have time for tonight. Or, I might go through and update all of the links on the side of the page. Or I might do both. Depends on my real life work giving me a break.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For now, feel free to sing out and ask a question if you have one. I'll try and answer as soon as I can. I know I owe some people emails and PMs. Just a matter of finishing them and doing more than hoping they make sense before I hit the send button.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-50023705299661732742019-05-08T13:24:00.002-07:002019-05-08T13:24:49.083-07:00May Be A Slight Delay<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hi Everyone!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I have been feverishly trying to get stories edited and posted over at FictionPress and FanFiction. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go as fast as I have wanted. I had a little trouble with OneDrive not syncing properly as I moved between machines and as I tried to fix it, I missed some pretty egregious mistakes. Sorry about that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Veta's story is almost finished. I only have about five more chapters but they are complicated chapters requiring a little extra editing and removing scrips and things like that. However, I am also going out of town starting tomorrow and my internet time will be limited. I hope to get it completed as soon as possible but there may be a blank day between posts … and that's assuming I can get on line from where I am going.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">As soon as I do finish with Veta's story I am going to finish up <u>Starting Over</u> and from there get back to some of the older stories that need updating and completing. I am in the process of trying to set outlines and a schedule that doesn't burn me out and works with my real world/real life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and forbearance. If I have a chance, again depends on connectivity, I'll try and post some pictures here. It might be when I get back which will be about the 25th of the month.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thanks,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><i></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Mother Hen</i></span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-14693498524255888742019-04-13T07:33:00.000-07:002019-04-13T07:33:03.186-07:00Spring Is In The Air<span style="font-size: large;">Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods. We reached 90 degrees F several times this week. Felt good. Warm and inviting with the worst of the humidity holding off. My confederate jasmine hedge is in full bloom and smells divine. And what does all that mean? Spring cleaning.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We are finally getting around to doing something with the lanai. After nine years in this house its about time don't ya think? We had a patio table out there. The bar has a few beat up stools around it. But the majority of the large space was just sort of meh with plastic chairs and loungers put out when we needed them. But hubby and I decided to stop putting so many things on the back burner or by the time we got around to them there would be no time left to enjoy them. We purchased patio furniture. Big commitment for us. LOL What was nice was I didn't even have to set it up, our fifteen year old wanted to earn some money. Wahoo. Now I just have to do the finishing touches. Which may or may not happen in the next decade or so. (insert eye roll here)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Older son's trees have come back which is a little surprising for a couple of the varieties he is trying. Last year we had a couple of baby apples but they didn't survive to maturity. Maybe this year, though the blooms were a little lackluster. The blueberries are going gangbusters as well, requiring a wire cage around the bed because of all the critters that come out of the swamp. And I have about a dozen Ponderosa Lemons sitting on the kitchen counter that I need to do something with; probably juice and then dry the peel as we are fond of lemon-pepper seasoning on things.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Middle daughter will start her microbiology internship this fall. Some of the stuff they do in the lab is just … ew. LOL She's happy and we're happy for her but it is going to mean I have less help around the house which I suppose in a sense is as it should be as they grow up and out on their own. Hopefully she will be able to continue to do all of the business filing for us. That is one thing I don't want to take back but will if I must. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And next daughter down currently works four jobs … a clothing store, a shoe store, and two child care related jobs … that gives her at least 50 hours a week. She took the spring off from school and had a summer mission trip planned but it fell through due to things out of her control. She's tried to plan several other projects for the summer but nothing has panned out so she's thinking she should make hay while the sun shines (earn money) as she will be back in school this fall and hopes to start nursing school in the Spring. Not sure if she'll be living at home or have to move at that point. We're just taking it one day at a time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The fifteen year old … good gravy. Between last summer and this one he has grown nearly a foot. But while most boys wind up a "stork" after that kind of growth spurt, he's fully formed and looks more like a young college student than a freshman in high school. And yes, the girls have noticed. How did that happen to my baby? I can see him cringing at the very thought I'd say something like that. LOL. I have a couple of more years of home school and then he'll be on his way and I'll close a chapter in my life that will have lasted three decades. Whew, been a long time coming.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hubby and I have something special planned for our 31st Anniversary next month. I'll let you know more as it gets closer. We are excited.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now for news on the writing front ...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've started to migrate the stories off of blogger. I'm happy to see (by the stats) that people are reading. The comments being posted are always welcome. A great big gob of thanks and appreciation going out to those folks!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My last post I c-n-p'd the list of all of the stories, where they are going to be at, and what stage they are in. Have only had a little time this week to spare for the editing and migration but I was able to get a bit of a structured plan in place. I'm going to migrate the stories over to FictionPress (and some that are already on FanFiction) first; except for Veta's story which I am editing and posting which should be finished the first week or so of May if all goes as planned. In May I hope to put the finishing touches to "Starting Over" and get it posted. In June I am leaning towards finishing "Hartford Ridge" but I'll have to see where the muse leads me as I have a couple of unpublished stories that keep asking for attention as well. Anyway, here are the stories I've moved thus far:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
A Girl Called Jack (posted up to Ch 10, but has 19 in the que)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3279512/1/A-Girl-Called-Jack<br />
<br />
A Bunch of Wild Thyme (posted up to Ch 20, but has 93 in the que)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3336171/1/A-Bunch-of-Wild-Thyme<br />
<br />
Emi on the Caloosahatchee (posted up to Ch 30, in progress)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3336116/1/Emi-on-the-Caloosahatchee<br />
<br />
Gurl (posted up to Ch 38, in progress)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3301880/1/Gurl<br />
<br />
Life is a Fractured Fairytale (posted up to Ch 21, in progress)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3279511/1/Life-Is-A-Fractured-Fairy-Tale<br />
<br />
Yelyseveta (posted to Ch 209, in progress)<br />
https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3335256/1/Yelysaveta<br />
Veta's story is complete on my side of things but I'm having to edit it extensively to get it posted onto FictionPress. It is a slow process as I made the mistake of using some fancy formatting in Word and when I change one thing it messes up something else. I'm going to post this story on weekdays and give myself the weekends to get the editing done, and hopefully get it done correctly. As I have it planned out everything should be posted by the first week of May give or take a day or two.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am making no promises because real life happens but if my plan works out I hope to finish at least a half dozen of the "in progress" stories by the end of the year. That is asking a lot of myself so depending on my commitments to family and our business that could very well change but it is a goal I have set for myself. At least I'm going to try.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-11047812731870959892019-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:002019-04-05T18:50:03.421-07:00Update on the Migration of StoriesWell, it is taking me longer to edit Veta's story than I thought. How on earth can you read something a gazillion times and yet right as you go to post it you find at least one more typo of some type. Honestly. But at least I have 192 of the chapters up so far. I'm going to take the weekend off - heap loads of family stuff to take care of.<br />
<br />
As for the migration of the other stories, I think I've finally managed to get a handle on everything I have going. Or at least the stories that have been posted online thus far. I have updated my Introduction page of Fictionpress.com and hope next week to do the same for Fanfiction.net but if you are interested here the basic outline that I'm currently working with:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
###############</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Gonna start trying to migrate all of my stories here from Blogger. It will take some time and that's a fact but I'll at least get a start on it. I'll update this as I go but basically here is the full list of stories currently online, in alphabetical order by story or series, and where they are at. Note: I use the same name on FanFiction.net as I do here. Just look my author page up in the search box. There are also a couple of other partially completed stories but I won't post them until I get some of these completed.</div>
<hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, left bottom, right bottom, color-stop(0, rgb(255, 255, 255)), color-stop(0.1, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(0.9, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(1, rgb(255, 255, 255))); background-origin: padding-box; background-position-x: 0%; background-position-y: 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">CSI: Miami Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 1: <em style="font-style: italic;">As Good As He Once Was</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 2: <em style="font-style: italic;">Every Mile A Memory</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">CSI: New York Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 1: <em style="font-style: italic;">Missing Heart</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 2: <em style="font-style: italic;">Rules of Engagement</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 3: <em style="font-style: italic;">Buried Above Ground</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 4: <em style="font-style: italic;">Bridget Over Troubled Water</em> (on hiatus due to co-author's schedule) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Episode 5: <em style="font-style: italic;">The Haunted Theater</em> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
A Study in Ginger (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction</div>
<hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, left bottom, right bottom, color-stop(0, rgb(255, 255, 255)), color-stop(0.1, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(0.9, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(1, rgb(255, 255, 255))); background-origin: padding-box; background-position-x: 0%; background-position-y: 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">Dystopian Series:</strong></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">The following books are a trilogy. Each of the three can be read as a stand alone story but they all take place in the same AU, just at different points along the timeline. Their order is "Larkspur in Eden," "Fel By the Wayside," and lastly "The Linder Legacy." There is another story in this series tentatively titled "Evie and Tate" that I hope to get posted this summer after finishing Larkspur. That will change the series into a Quad.</em></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;"><br /></em></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Larkspur in Eden</em> (In progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Fel By The Wayside</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">The Linder Legacy</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, left bottom, right bottom, color-stop(0, rgb(255, 255, 255)), color-stop(0.1, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(0.9, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(1, rgb(255, 255, 255))); background-origin: padding-box; background-position-x: 0%; background-position-y: 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">Zombie Stories:</strong></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Journal of the Zombie Years</em> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</em> (in progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: border-box; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, left bottom, right bottom, color-stop(0, rgb(255, 255, 255)), color-stop(0.1, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(0.9, rgb(203, 203, 203)), color-stop(1, rgb(255, 255, 255))); background-origin: padding-box; background-position-x: 0%; background-position-y: 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: auto; border-bottom-color: currentColor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-image-outset: 0; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 100%; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: 1; border-left-color: currentColor; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: currentColor; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: currentColor; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; height: 1px; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 5px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="max-height: 999999px; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="font-weight: 700;">All Other Stories in Alphabetical Order Regardless of Location</strong></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">A Girl Called Jack</em> - (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">All Roads Lead Somewhere </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth</em> - (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men</em> (COMPLETE) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Carry On</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Dark Days </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Eidetic Sunshine</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Enduring on the Lake</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Forsaken Harvest</em> - (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Georgie</em> (COMPLETE) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Gurl</em> - (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Il Agita di Amore</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Life is a Fractured Fairytale </em>- (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Over and Over and Over</em> (in progress) - posting soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Over the Mountains and Through the Fire</em> - (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Rain, Rain, Rain </em>(COMPLETE) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Teaghan </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">There Is No Such Thing As A Thornless Garden </em>(in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">This Is Me Surviving</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">To All Things There Is A Season</em> - (In progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Up On Hartford Ridge (</em>in progress) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">When All Doors Close</em> (in progress) - migrating from blogger soon</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Will To Survive</em> (COMPLETE) - Fanfiction.net</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: &quot; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<em style="font-style: italic;">Yelyseveta</em> (in progress) - Fictionpress.com</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
###############</div>
<br />
Tonight I migrated Winx's story (<i>Life is a Fractured Fairytale</i>). It is still in progress but I did add chapter 21 for anyone interested. I'm not sure which one I will finish migrating next but as I migrate them the chapters will disappear from blogger with only a place holder page referencing the new location. I will keep this blog page for posting updates and as a back up just in case. You always need a just in case plan.<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone reading and commenting at FictionPress as well as those that have found the stuff at FanFiction. I'll continue updating about once a week to let everyone know where things stand.<br />
<br />
FictionPress: https://www.fictionpress.com/~motherheninflorida<br />
FanFiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/~motherheninfloridaKathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-77285068313655520222019-03-15T14:13:00.000-07:002019-03-15T14:13:50.370-07:00Poor Siobhan<span style="font-size: large;">Some people have way too much time on their hands. Over at FictionPress someone using the ID of Siobhan01 made a post and dash criticizing because all of my free stories haven't been finished. So they've followed me from here to TB and now to FictionPress all to make some kind of point? It is possible that they are also the one that plaigerized some of my work. Either way, just be on the look out.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They like to post without accepting responses. We have a forum for authors at FP and FF and I'm putting their ID on the watchlists. This childish nonsense is almost too silly for words. I can guess where they are from as can anyone else that knows the history of certain forums but I'm not wasting my time. I've already explained as much as I'm going to.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sorry to sound snippy but things like this is what I was referring to when I posted in another area about people being just craptiastic. Oh well, they must be a pretty miserable person to have to take time out of their day to stir the stinky brown stuff when they are getting something for free. They could always choose not to read but that might be too mature an action for them to take. A lot of people like that in the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But, to keep this from ending on a sour note, I have over 100 of the chapters for "Y" already in the queue with the formatting set so that FP will post it correctly. At five or so chapters a day posted, maybe more, I hope to clear enough of the backlog so I can get back to the rewrites of the other stories that I messed up over this last year. Fingers crossed!</span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-22522562581362171022019-03-12T09:35:00.000-07:002019-03-12T09:35:59.300-07:00Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, it has been a while since I updated this blog. There's reasons. Mostly life has been extremely difficult in some areas that required me to re-prioritize my time. It meant pulling way back from the internet and social media. It also meant having less time to write in a consistent fashion even if I did it off-line. And it meant that what writing I did, turned too dark and graphic for me to want to share it. While I won't say that things have definitely turned a corner, I can at least say that I'm beginning to manage all of the adjustment reactions in a healthier way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
My friends can put their mind at rest, there is no problem with my marriage or business. The fires have indeed forged a strong sword. My health has also improved though there are the daily challenges to accept the aging process the same way it is for everyone else that is being honest about it. It's mostly other family stuff and just people being people and doing what people do regardless of the consequences. The kind of things you just can't share online.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing for the moment however is that I've had to put some of the in-progress stories on hold. The genre and subject matter just pulled me mentally in the wrong direction. I've been giving some other genres a try and it has helped.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I will finish the other stories, or that is to say that I finished several of them but I am not happy at all with how dark and depressing they went so I am editing them as time allows to hopefully fix the overshadowing my real life did to my writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The other thing I need to mention is that over the next couple of months I am going to be migrating all of my stories from blogger/blogspot to fanfiction.net and fictionpress.com because blogger just hasn't been working for me lately. I will keep this blog up but you can find m stories at:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">FictionPress.com: https://www.fictionpress.com/~motherheninflorida </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">FanFiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~motherheninflorida</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Both of the sites you can subscribe to me as an author, or to a story in particular. If you subscribe to me as an author you'll need to do it for both websites and you'll get notifications whenever I add something new. If you subscribe to a particular story you'll only get notifications for that particular story. You can also leave comments at the end of each chapter, same as with blogger/blogspot. It is a very streamlined, trimmed-down set up, meaning there are no real graphics or links in the stories. For some that will be great news as they only want the story and nothing but the story as they find anything else distracting. Navigation for each story is really easy as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The story I am currently working on is different than all of my other stories I've shared on blogger, out of personal necessity. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a class="stitle" href="https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3335256/1/Yelysaveta" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(53, 123, 214); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: white;">Yelysaveta</span></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Verdana",Verdana,Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3335256/28/Yelysaveta" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0f37a0; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="icon-chevron-right xicon-section-arrow" style="color: #5a5a5a; display: inline; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; max-height: 999999px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; width: auto;"></span></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Verdana",Verdana,Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
</span><br />
<div class="z-indent z-padtop" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; max-height: 999999px; orphans: 2; padding-left: 22px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Part drama, part adventure, part coming of age, part lots of things including stories ripped from today's headlines. Veta, a twenty-three-year-old woman, becomes a traveling tutor for nine-year-old Frankie. In the process she grows up even more than her student does. (Note: some language here and there but nothing gratuitous.)</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The story is a long one that practically wrote itself since Christmas. But because FictionPress doesn't allow graphics or varied fonts and certain formatting options, I am having to edit it before posting to strip out all of the gobbledygook that FP doesn't recognize. In the end the drama dovetails back towards what everyone is used to me writing, it just takes a while to get there. I will add several chapters each day … but they aren't 10,000 word chapters. I learned that lesson at least. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will try and update this blog as my time and other stuff allows. For instance, I just pulled the last of the Ponderosa lemons and native carambolas (star fruit) from the trees here in the yard. I need to get the last of the loquats off the trees before the birds get them all. My son's roses and young apple trees are doing really well and we may actually gets some apples this year as long as the summer isn't brutal and we can avoid another round of hurricanes. The next few weeks … months (through July anyway) … my focus will be on some serious decluttering. I've done it before but the time has come to be really brutal about it and not due to that new Asian fad that if you don't love something give it to someone who will. Ugh. I just need to declutter because I don't want to leave my kids with this houseful of "stuff" to decide what to do with. I am also tired of tripping over twenty-plus years of business records in the garage and barn. And I am sharing my LTS canned goods with my parents, helping them to deal with an ever shrinking budget.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">For now I must get back to real life … finding tenants, dealing with paperwork, teaching high school, guitar lessons, prepping to finish up the Chemistry merit badge without a troop of boys tonight, and tackling way more laundry than should be humanly acceptable considering I just did five loads yesterday. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Drop me a comment or here, or comment or PM on FictionPress or FanFiction, if you are so inclined and I'll talk to you all later.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-45443579923387131272015-08-03T14:51:00.000-07:002015-08-04T05:28:06.246-07:00Today's Update - 3 Aug 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media2.abcactionnews.com/photo/2015/06/10/bayshore%20flooding%20Lydia%20Gabelmann%20Harrod_1433971700008_19597574_ver1.0_640_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media2.abcactionnews.com/photo/2015/06/10/bayshore%20flooding%20Lydia%20Gabelmann%20Harrod_1433971700008_19597574_ver1.0_640_480.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just a little wet around here. Could you hear the sarcasm dripping off every word? If you couldn't it sure wasn't for lack of trying on my part.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We've had over twenty days straight of rain and about a week of occasionally heavy rain followed by a long weekend of obnoxiously persistent rain resulting in what all of that rain normally leads to ... flooding. And we aren't clear yet although we are getting a little mercy for a few days before it is supposed to start up again. I'll take it though, anything so that we have a chance to dry up a little before starting the cycle all over.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the arena of good news, my father was released by his wound doctor late last week and I helped them drive back to their home on Saturday. It took their SUV and my van to transport everything and then the sixteen year old daughter and I carted everything in and helped to at least get the mess generally organized before having to get back on the road and get home in torrential rain. I miss my mom already. It was fun having her around all the time to remember stories from my childhood and having her impart some of the wisdom she picked up from her own growing up years. It was fun having someone to go to the market with and try new things with. My daughters are great but they are getting to the age where they have their own lives full of things going on. Wish my parents lived closer but life is what it is and I'm now more determined than ever to take advantage of my time with her when I can get it. I would have stayed longer but I need to get back. Sunday morning I was up at 4 AM to get nineteen year old daughter to the airport so she could fly out on a mission trip and she'll be gone a week.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A bit of good news is that twenty-two year old son is now home and in only one week back has helped me tremendously by getting to some of the yard projects that hubby and I simply hadn't had the time to tackle this summer as we had intended. Son has gone maniac-with-a-machete on the mess around the pond, cleaned out several of my raised beds that I had allowed to go fallow for the season due to nematode infestation, he laid and stapled down the black plastic to cook those nasty little nematodes, cleaned out a horrible mess in a flower bed by the front door so that we can get to the window and replace a rotten sill (waiting on the rain to dry up first), and has gotten some of the worst offending palms trimmed a bit to prevent the fronds from littering the drive and yard. Tomorrow he'll start working with hubby and hopefully before he has to go away for grad school (next summer) he'll have helped whittle down the long list of special projects hubby has for the business.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow a guy that owes us some money will be coming to paint two bedrooms to barter away the debt. He's a professional painter by trade and we'll provide the supplies and he'll provide the expertise. Those two rooms (the daughters' bedrooms) haven't been painted in who knows how long because they are like they were when we bought this place five years ago. They aren't bad, the guy who owned this house was a professional painter himself, but they aren't exactly what you would call restful either. One is a deep fuschia with some checker board designs on one wall - have no idea how many layers of Kilz that's going to take to keep from bleeding through - and the other is one of those rag-on paint jobs that is white on the base coat and celery-colored on the glaze color. One of the rooms also has some ceiling discoloration that needs addressing. I was prepared to paint the rooms myself but boy am I glad I don't have to. The guy has a paint sprayer that will be neater and use less paint to get better coverage.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As a result of all the coming and going with my parents and then the rain creating extra work I have had to put canning on temporary hold for about a week. You wouldn't believe what all I've gotten canned recently though. Take a look ... just don't look too hard or you'll see what a mess my storage area is in right now. That isn't all of it but is about 60% of what canning I have. I know it doesn't look like as much as I make it out to be but there's a lot of work represented in those jars. And I can get about 5 quart jars deep per row. The quarts are full of green beans, pears, chili, vegetable beef soup, garbanzo bean soup, chicken soup, meatballs, etc etc etc. Then the pints and half-pints have a multitude of other yummy things from meats (pulled pork, chicken in various forms, meatballs) to veggies (carrots, peas, pickled beets) to fruits (jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, sauces). And bonus for me being a good girl ... they are all low to no sugar and/or low carb.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjpLBMzI4yU/Vb_haiY9IRI/AAAAAAAAA74/AWT94yAjQM8/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RjpLBMzI4yU/Vb_haiY9IRI/AAAAAAAAA74/AWT94yAjQM8/s320/IMG_4220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I still have my canning mess sitting in the kitchen but that will be taken care of by the end of the week as well as soon as I can get some shelves reorganized in my storage area.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8xxRru4QFeE/Vb_h0qzrBGI/AAAAAAAAA8A/D29teG2z8UU/s1600/IMG_4221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8xxRru4QFeE/Vb_h0qzrBGI/AAAAAAAAA8A/D29teG2z8UU/s320/IMG_4221.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Which leads me to my personal update and a very big thank you. First thank you for all of the support and suggestions so many of you have chimed in with regard to my recent diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. I'm not as angry as I was but I certainly go through the ups and downs the way anyone does facing something so unexpected and permanent life-changing. I admit I cheated, had to suck up the unpleasant consequences, and while still not completely comfortable in my skin about it all, I've decided that "cheating" on the new diet is going to have to be pushed out there a ways until I can find exactly what spikes the glucose for me. Ugh. Some days it seems everything does and some days make me question the manic dedication it all seems to take. I'm chugging along however because it is the right thing to do for me, my husband, and the rest of my family who count on me. I can understand however how people develop the I-don't-care attitude in the face of so much self-denial. Double ugh. It gets old fast having to remind yourself what you can't have ... at least for a good while and some things maybe never again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In amongst all of this upheaval I've actually managed to get some writing accomplished. Not as much as I want but more than I have been able to get to lately. Some of it I'll post tonight and some will get posted over the next couple of days as I can get it transferred from paper to computer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a></div>
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have the section for Hartford Ridge written but not edited for posting. I'm going to try and finish that tonight or tomorrow. Depends on what messes I have to clean up. I also have pieces written for Thornless and Larkspur. I've also almost finished editing the end of Geek. In the mood I'm in if I had all day to write I might actually catch up to where I want to be but that's not going to happen any time soon so I'll have to sneak things in as I can. If I can get Geek and Larkspur out of the way in August I'll feel like I've accomplished something significant and it will make way for me to do a few other things I want to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A couple of interesting vids. The first one is how to make Watermelon Jelly. It is the season for it and I want to get to this next week. The one after that is on Watermelon Jam. The third vid is on making your own chocolate mint extract and then making chocolate mint jelly. Yum.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XLg6WJ16kSc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XLg6WJ16kSc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLg6WJ16kSc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLg6WJ16kSc</a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vasUzDIqqMI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vasUzDIqqMI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vasUzDIqqMI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vasUzDIqqMI</a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bhtVK2cIsd0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bhtVK2cIsd0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhtVK2cIsd0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhtVK2cIsd0</a></div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-11071411194988514022015-07-24T20:13:00.001-07:002015-07-24T20:14:46.153-07:00Today's Update - 25 Jul 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blog.moorebenefitsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/surprise-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blog.moorebenefitsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/surprise-box.jpg" height="336" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hello. My name is Kathy. And I am a diabetic.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">No, this isn't some joke but I admit I really wish it were. Life throws the worst curveballs exactly when you don't need them. Last month my husband and I were applying for some additional life insurance and it required a medical exam including an EKG and blood work. Then came the letter a couple of weeks later. <em>"I'm sorry but you are uninsurable. Your diabetes is not under control."</em> Excuse me?! I don't have diabetes and I'll prove it ... or at least so I thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I immediately scheduled a doctor's appointment and explained that something had to be wonky, someone made a mistake, that I had no symptoms of diabetes, none. So ok, it appears to run in my family but my dad's was triggered by exposure to Agent Orange, my maternal grandfather's was triggered by being a farmer and eating a diet high in fats and sugars his entire life, my paternal grandfather supposedly developed his as a reaction to some TB complication back in the 1940s and he died in the 1950s so nobody to this day can really confirm for sure that he had diabetes. And there are definitely no women in my family with diabetes. Well, they did send me each time I was pregnant for blood but the results always came back negative. And sure, occasionally my cholesterol registers a little high but ... but ... but ...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The doctor was really kind I suppose, but also matter of fact. It's genetic. For some people you can do everything to almost everything right and your number still comes up. Looks like that's me. My A1c was 10.2 and my fasting glucose was 288. Talk about being shocked. I hadn't had any soda at all for almost two months except for one cheat and on the advice of a dentist I hadn't had any fruit juice for over two weeks either. I shudder to think what those numbers would have looked like if I had still be doing either one.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I was in denial for a bit. It took me a week to accept reality without throwing a mental hissy fit. I'm still very uncomfortable with the diagnosis. This changes things, it changes things a lot. In a lot of areas. And has raised questions that could cause even more things to change ... cost of insurance, life expectancy, complications as I age, burdens on my family, a lot of things. I'm trying to minimize the accommodations that my family will have to make but my husband says to stop worrying it to death, that we'll deal with it like we've dealt with everything else that has come my way. That isn't exactly taking away my concerns but at least I know he isn't blaming me or anything like that. Both of his parents had Type 2 and he always thought it would be him but his numbers are almost perfect. Go figure.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm still fighting the idea that food is the enemy; because in reality it isn't food that is the enemy. In reality there is no "enemy" to fight. In reality there is nothing I can do to change the fact that I have diabetes. I can manage it but it isn't something that is simply going to go away. That is a bitter pill to swallow, especially as I have spent the last year really getting myself in shape and healthier so I could head into my 50s with a clean bill of health. Yeah right. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And yes, I'm still a little angry about it. My ability to be thoughtless and carefree is gone, over with, never coming back. I have to look at everything differently. I'm not saying that it sucks to be me, but it is going to be a while before I can just casually shrug my shoulders at things ... especially diet and exercise.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is how I was eating food that apparently is the problem for me personally. Not that I was eating poorly; I kept my carbs under 200 grams per day which is what a normal, healthy adult female should be able to consume. Well not if you are a diabetic. As a Type 2 diabetic I shouldn't be having any more than 125 grams of carbs at most and that's if my numbers were "under control." Well they aren't right now though they are better and I have to have as few grams of carbs as possible which is extremely challenging. No bread, no pasta, no rice, no carrots, no corn, no potatoes, no peas, no winter squash varieties, very limited dried beans, and very limited fruits. All of which were staples in our menu previously, especially the rice and beans. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are things I can have and I'm trying to make the most of it. I can have hard cheeses in reasonable amounts. I can eat lean cuts of meat in reasonable amounts. I can eat greens, I can have minute amounts of dressing to choke all of those greens down with but none of the other stuff that I used to make it palatable ... carrots, croutons, bacon bits, etc. The only thing I'm drinking is water. I can't drink any tea (herbal or otherwise) until I can find out if they set me off or react with my meds. Oh that reminds me, no honey either, at least for now.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As I said, this changes a lot of things in my pantry plans as well as my health plans for possible future scenarios. The one truly bright spot that I've found is that a brisk thirty to forty minute walk after every meal will drop my blood glucose quite a bit ... but I don't always have the time or ability to walk after every meal and snack. I walk between 10 and 20 thousand steps a day on a normal day according to my pedometer. Adding more exercise in is a challenge, but it is one that I am going to have to come to terms with and conquer.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes I am now on meds. I'm not completely comfortable with the new routine and I'm aware that some people don't care for metformin (glucose), lisinpril (kidneys), and the statins (cholesterol). I'm aware that people have reason to have some concern. But for me this is what there is for now. I do not ever want to get to the point that I need to be on insulin so it is either fight now or suffer later. My goal is to be off medication eventually but that is going to take time. For now medication is the tool I have so medication is what I'm going to use to start with ... but it isn't the only tool. Diet and finding more time to exercise is at the top of the "gotta do" list.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So that, in part, in addition to working to meet the needs of my parents, husband, and children is why I have been unable to post more story time. It is possible that my father will be released to return to their home this upcoming week. He still has a challenging time ahead of him and my mother right along with him. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Below is what I have. I'm sorry that there isn't more but I'm wrapping my head around a lot right now. Sometimes life changes are challenging even at the best of times and right now isn't the best time to have to deal with something like this. But it certainly isn't your fault, dear friends, so as always please forgive me. I will try and have more between now and Monday.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-62492962334665781032015-07-08T14:56:00.003-07:002015-07-08T14:56:49.623-07:00Today's Update - 7 Jul 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Canning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Canning.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I feel like I've fallen down a well and I'm just now climbing close to the top ... or at least close enough that I realize I still have a bit to go yet but at least it is lighter than the inside of a black cat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For those that don't know my father was hospitalized ... again, though I've lost count which one that was ... for severe chest pains while in the hyperbaric chamber. Turns out that it was from two things ... dehydration and some type of blood pressure problem that I can't remember the name of where it fluctuates based on whether you are lying down, sitting down, or standing up. The blood pressure issue will have to wait until he is healed enough to determine whether it is permanent or a temporary aberration due to his heart surgery/valve replacement. The dehydration means changing his habits ... again. He is so cranky about constantly being told what to do but he forgets whether he is drinking enough ... he'll say yes I just finished a glass of water only we know he finished the glass of water with his morning pills and it is getting close to lunch. He feels like he is being treated like a child. While I sympathize it doesn't change the fact that he still needs help remembering and monitoring so many basic things. He tries to not be foul all the time but his patience for this whole situation is wearing thin.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But the good news is ... his open wound is now healed enough that he no longer requires the wound vac. I would show you the before and after pictures but they are fairly disgusting and I'm not sure Dad would be comfortable with it. Suffice it to say ... ewwwwww. He still has what is considered an "open" wound but not the kind that goes down to muscle tissue. Its depth is measured in millimeters now as opposed to inches. He still goes to the wound center every day and on most of those days I drive though Mom has become much more independent about transporting him places. Mostly it is just she wants me there for moral support and I suppose she just gets plain lonely. At this point Dad is more ready to go home than Mom is. Unless something comes up I figure they will return home no later than the end of July. Dad keeps saying "one more week" but I'm not sure how realistic that is or whether his wound doctor will have released him in "one more week." Mom doesn't want to leave until he is released because she worries what that will do to their insurance and their ability to get him additional treatment if/when it is needed. On that at least I agree with her. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On other fronts I have stayed very busy as well. My parents in the house has made keeping house a huge challenge. Mom and Dad both are pack rats and tend to procrastinate about cleaning up their stuff. I can't live like that; it is the wrong kind of chaos for me. At the very least a dirty dish/glass needs to make its way to the sink or dishwasher rather than just lying lazily where ever it was last used. My mother's sewing stuff and other half-finished projects keep migrating all over the house as well. About the only thing that I now have better control over is my frig and freezer and the canning supplies. My kitchen counters are still cluttered but at least the produce has been processed and is ready for canning this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not going to show what a disgusting mess the rest of my storage area is ... shudder ... but at least I can show that I have been doing some canning.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YmVSqvnYdLo/VZrvmsFHsTI/AAAAAAAAA6U/l3HnhDS0wiw/s1600/IMG_4140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YmVSqvnYdLo/VZrvmsFHsTI/AAAAAAAAA6U/l3HnhDS0wiw/s320/IMG_4140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This isn't even close to all of it. There are quarts of soup on another shelf, pints of mushrooms, pints of apple bbq sauce, jelly jars of various jams and preserves, etc etc etc. I was going to do some more canning today but got a call first thing this morning that they had to take my daughter who is away at summer camp to a walk in clinic. Turns out to be not strep as suspected but a sinus infection that the doctor up there decided didn't warrant sending her home but did warrant a z-pak. Her brother is flying her home on Friday so at this point all I can do is accept it and try not to be helicopter mom and worry it to death. It isn't like this same brother - who is working the boys' side of the camp for the summer - wasn't quarantined last week because he caught pink eye from one of the campers in the preceding session. Seems like it if isn't one thing it is another. Every year I have to relearn just why I come out of the summer months traumatized ... between the business and the kids it is a wonder hubby and I aren't bald as a cue ball.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My normal stress relievers aren't as available as usual. The kids have been gone a lot more so my helpers are otherwise occupied. I haven't had as much time to write as I would like. I've said it before but it bears repeating. It isn't because I don't want to write but because when I have the time to my brain won't cooperate. The stories are like trying to hold onto slippery electric eels. The tighter you try and grab them and make them do what you want them to, the more they fight and bite to get away. However, I think I do have enough to post an update so here it is:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>Will post late, late tonight or sometime tomorrow.</em></div>
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Tonight's vids are examples of the soups that people can. I am definitely going to give the recipe for French onion soup a try though I'll can it in pints instead of quarts. I'm also going to can some garbanzo bean soup, my chili mix that had kidney beans and group beef in it, and my grandmother's recipe for vegetable soup that has beef in it. Finding beef soup bones has been a project in and of itself. I'm also going to can some chicken soup base and a few other odds and ends but that's for later. For now, here are the vids.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S061whgbKkE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S061whgbKkE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S061whgbKkE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S061whgbKkE</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Making and canning French Onion Soup</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tyEX4DoD2Yo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tyEX4DoD2Yo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyEX4DoD2Yo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyEX4DoD2Yo</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Split Pea Soup</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wA6Lq4SpnYg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wA6Lq4SpnYg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA6Lq4SpnYg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA6Lq4SpnYg</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Chicken a la King Soup</div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-50105695502772162742015-06-22T19:48:00.000-07:002015-06-22T19:48:16.718-07:00Today's Update - 22 Jun 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RFCG746U_JY/S7F3_2BVQ4I/AAAAAAAAA3I/jP_AsRrQBbk/s1600/dirty-kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RFCG746U_JY/S7F3_2BVQ4I/AAAAAAAAA3I/jP_AsRrQBbk/s1600/dirty-kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh my gosh! My house is a mess!! And yes the exclamation points are absolutely fitting. I can't remember my house ever being this big of a mess. I'm going nuts. I love my parents. I love my parents. I love my parents. But honestly trying to keep up with the mess they've gotten used to making is making me twitch.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now some of the mess is ok and to be expected; you can't add two grown people to a household without expecting some extra mess. But add in that my parents simply aren't able to do for themselves the way they used to plus the fact that they've gotten out of the habit of cleaning up after themselves as they make the mess plus all of the extra produce and canning equipment sitting around on my kitchen counter tops and dining room table and ... it really is an oh my gosh worthy situation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'll live of course but I swear having a house this messy is making me itch. Literally. And <em>nothing</em> is getting done out in the yard. <em>Nothing.</em> The yard is turning into a jungle. And in Florida that is not the exaggeration that some people think it is. On the plus size one of my papayas has started to fruit.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SVfFydoSdpA/VYi1FXutUVI/AAAAAAAAA3w/a_kWfmvod8U/s1600/IMG_3963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SVfFydoSdpA/VYi1FXutUVI/AAAAAAAAA3w/a_kWfmvod8U/s320/IMG_3963.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I've probably mentioned that I've been canning. Below are some pictures of just a little bit of what I've been doing.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqcn19gYNW4/VYi1zoYkNdI/AAAAAAAAA44/OV1IGIzjYuI/s1600/IMG_3964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pqcn19gYNW4/VYi1zoYkNdI/AAAAAAAAA44/OV1IGIzjYuI/s320/IMG_3964.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gmb11NBnARk/VYi16F8pLnI/AAAAAAAAA5A/2WgEkkdIrME/s1600/IMG_3965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gmb11NBnARk/VYi16F8pLnI/AAAAAAAAA5A/2WgEkkdIrME/s320/IMG_3965.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml5LZSaslOU/VYi2ARAyxBI/AAAAAAAAA5I/G86yCO9iyzQ/s1600/IMG_3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ml5LZSaslOU/VYi2ARAyxBI/AAAAAAAAA5I/G86yCO9iyzQ/s320/IMG_3966.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrQ65Cdr2cU/VYi2JsA30TI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/XR4Y2OC8ffM/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QrQ65Cdr2cU/VYi2JsA30TI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/XR4Y2OC8ffM/s320/IMG_3967.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What isn't showing is the seven quarts of green beans thus far processed. We have about another ten or eleven to go and Mom wants to get some more beans when Sav-a-lot gets a new batch in. Sav-a-lot is where I got the pineapples for 99 cents each. We have about fifteen now to work with. Tonight I cored two of the ripest. I love my pineapple corer. It makes the job sooooo much easier. Below is what I got off of just two of the pineapples ... and I have two pineapple tops to plant once I get the right growing medium for them. One gallon of flesh/pulp, skins to go in the compost, and two pineapples top for planting not bad for less than ten minutes of work. Tomorrow I'll core a couple of more and get at least a few pints canned up using unsweetened pineapple juice.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kSmNpGK3yyE/VYi2yf5fs6I/AAAAAAAAA5c/nc7QAXk4VnU/s1600/IMG_3969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kSmNpGK3yyE/VYi2yf5fs6I/AAAAAAAAA5c/nc7QAXk4VnU/s320/IMG_3969.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GP-7SI5VsgQ/VYi24pe1oCI/AAAAAAAAA5k/yZGSkOlnoZg/s1600/IMG_3970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GP-7SI5VsgQ/VYi24pe1oCI/AAAAAAAAA5k/yZGSkOlnoZg/s320/IMG_3970.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was a little give out or I planned on making Dutch Apple Pie Jam and Maple Apple Preserves. I also need to make some Strawberry Pineapple Conserve but that is going to have to wait until tomorrow as well. Tonight I have some business filing and data entry to take care of and I also want to try and get some more writing and editing done. I may be up until something A.M. but I'm having one of those "too much caffeine" kinda days.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thus far I have the following posted:</span></div>
<a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></a><br />
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Tonight's vids continue the theme of preserving food. I'll be doing that a lot this summer ... or that is the plan. I really need to get ahead of the game and since I'm rotating out a lot of my pantry I need to rotate back in some good stuff.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QPsPH1DowAs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QPsPH1DowAs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPsPH1DowAs">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPsPH1DowAs</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/y48BQetYpy4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y48BQetYpy4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y48BQetYpy4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y48BQetYpy4</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>I actually prefer my method of canning pineapple. You can find the method in the latest Ball Blue Book cookbook. All it contains is fresh pineapple and unsweetened pineapple juice. You can it in pints. The other thing I do different is I cut the top off so that I can grow it and then use a pineapple corer that gives me nice neat rings. You can cut the rings if you want to make chunks or tidbits, that's up to you. My corer came from wallyworld for less that five bucks. Easy peezy lemon squeezy.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_KGV9SZtoIU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_KGV9SZtoIU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KGV9SZtoIU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KGV9SZtoIU</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fGh-pJvwivg/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fGh-pJvwivg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGh-pJvwivg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGh-pJvwivg</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-72716761436050820452015-06-19T09:35:00.005-07:002015-06-19T09:35:49.419-07:00Today's Update - 19 Jun 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/crazy-nature-24.jpg?w=920&h=636" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/crazy-nature-24.jpg?w=920&h=636" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Storms of Life</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Me oh my oh. Feel like I am living in Crazy Town. My life is normally on the hectic side and I'm used to it and don't fritz out too much over it but gotta say I have made it to a whole 'nother level of crazy chaos these days.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Don't get me wrong, it is worth it. My father's wound has shrunk so much even the doctors who brag on that hyperbaric oxygen treatment are falling all over themselves to get pictures of it. In less that two weeks the wound went from a depth of over 5 to a less than 1. The width went from an 8 to a little less than 2. The length is still the same but generally speaking the length of the wound is usually the last to start shrinking. Wounds like my dad has heal from the bottom up, then at the width as the swelling goes down and then lastly at the length. The staph infection was really bad and in that same roughly two weeks he's gone from a white blood cell count of over 22,000 to a little under 8,000 ... in other words back into normal range. They took the pic line out yesterday and he is now on oral antibiotics for two weeks. He still had the wound vac but the wound is getting so shallow that it is mostly providing protection rather than getting much drainage off of the wound. And yes, I know all of this medical stuff can seem gross but it is quite an education, one that I am finding extremely valuable.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I get told over and over that one of the biggest benefits is that we are managing to keep my dad's diabetes in check. I give him a yogurt (probiotic) and a good meal for breakfast so that when he goes into the HBOT chamber his sugar is about 190 and when he comes out it is down to about 120 or lower. His sugar has been averaging about 150 which has been unheard of for dad since he was diagnosed a few years ago. Controlling his diabetes allows his body to regenerate faster.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All of this has been very hard on him. He is very tired as his body is being pushed to constantly be at work ... healing, speeding up his metabolism, building new blood flow, rebuilding muscle, returning his coordination and cognition, utilizing the strong antibiotics effectively, etc. They tell us he won't actually completely be able to regain his full strength for some months to come ... up to a year. Between the double by-pass, valve replacement, necrotic gallbladder, and subsequent staph infection poor dad is lucky to be alive. Thank the Good Lord Above for modern medicine. Makes me more determined than ever to keep up with my own issues and be aware of the medical concerns that I may have inherited. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things that I've been doing is getting back to canning our own foods. Thus far I've canned three different no- and low-sugar jams. Mom and I also canned seven pints of pickled squash (I used yellow crookneck squash and Vidalia onions). Today I hope to get started on canning my own no-sugar-added pineapple when I got such a good deal on pineapples (99 cents each from Save-a-lot). Tomorrow or Sunday I want to see if I can find some green beans that I can snap and can. I'd love to get about a bushel of them done but until I can find the beans I can't say how much I can afford to buy. I'm going to try and can up some watermelon jam using both yellow and red watermelons. I need to get some cantaloupe jam done as well. Then I've got about 8 different juices waiting to be turned into jellies. That doesn't include all of the convenience foods that I want to can like soups, chili, sloppy joes, spaghetti and pizza sauce, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Believe it or not I've actually managed to get some writing and editing accomplished. The updated stories are:</span><br />
<a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></a><br />
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to "headlesshorseman" from PAW Fiction for the suggestion about the editing trouble I'm having with "Geek". There's a hidden macro in there somewhere and the only way for me to find it is to show all of the commands and dig through it. I found one but there is at least one more causing me grief. Almost though, and I am ready to put that story to bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For today's vids I decided to include some good ones on making low sugar jams (an fruit roll ups) from scratch. Hope you find them useful.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HMS3l58QXIA/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HMS3l58QXIA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMS3l58QXIA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMS3l58QXIA</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tx3ixTxyZPg/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tx3ixTxyZPg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3ixTxyZPg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx3ixTxyZPg</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This one uses Pamona Pectin</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-nzkv2xQffw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-nzkv2xQffw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzkv2xQffw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzkv2xQffw</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HQ7ryFVCNhc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HQ7ryFVCNhc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7ryFVCNhc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7ryFVCNhc</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-26885610851058102292015-06-15T20:57:00.004-07:002015-06-15T20:57:57.116-07:00Quick Update - `15 Jun 2015<span style="font-size: large;">The new addition to <em><a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Up On Hartford Ridge</a></em> is now up. Sorry for the delay but yesterday my dad took a fall and when mom tried to catch him she went down too. Nothing broken but plenty of bruises and I've spent last night and today dealing with the aftermath. Thanks for the understanding and again I apologize for the delay.</span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-31404897574536479742015-06-14T08:28:00.004-07:002015-06-14T08:28:50.598-07:00Today's Update - 14 Jun 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0d/56/24/0d5624534cdb3f3b4dc2a5f357b9c91f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0d/56/24/0d5624534cdb3f3b4dc2a5f357b9c91f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a silly little ditty that my father remembers from when he was a kid. I laugh in all the appropriate places even though I've heard the stories so many times before. To me this shows his memory is starting to fill the holes back in.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">One bright day in the middle of the night, </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">Two dead boys got up to fight. </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">Back to back they faced each other, </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">drew their swords and shot each other. </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">A deaf policeman heard the noise </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">and ran to save the two dead boys. </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">If you don't believe this lie is true, </span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">ask the blind man, he saw it, too.</span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">--Anonymous</span></em></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Not only is the ditty silly but so am I. So tired I'm silly. Today is the first day off I'm going to have from transporting Dad and Mom to various doctors for almost two weeks. It seems no matter how I arrange things I just don't have any time at the end of the day to write like I had planned. It is driving me a bit crazy. In fact I'm not getting much of anything done beyond playing taxi cab driver. On top of it I am barely keeping up with the house and business. Strike that, I'm not keeping up with either of those things either. Last night I'd finally had enough of being less than productive and got my daughters to help me do some overdrive work ... kitchen, family room, breakfast area, living room, bathrooms, laundry, etc. None of it is as clean as I would like it to be but at least it is cleaner than it was. Amazing how much mess two extra adults can make, especially when they spread their stuff through the house creating little piles of stuff that doesn't belong where it winds up. Then add in all of the mess my dad's medical supplies make ... even in my frig with his insulin and antibiotics ... and no matter how much I clean and pick up nothing every seems to stay clean for more than an hour or two. My parents have just gotten used to letting things go and as busy as we are I just can't live like that. Too much chaos make Mother Hen a cranky ol' bird.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The other thing I did yesterday was two small batches of sugar free (as in no sugar at all) jams using my Ball brand automatic jam maker. The first batch was strawberry.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J47mQ_fLLnU/VXzY6qBpgVI/AAAAAAAAA20/IrHK2QyvvVc/s1600/IMG_3945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J47mQ_fLLnU/VXzY6qBpgVI/AAAAAAAAA20/IrHK2QyvvVc/s320/IMG_3945.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I got that batch made and then went on to the next batch which was strawberry-blueberry no-sugar jam.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7DqiY5yyY64/VXzY5CRL9GI/AAAAAAAAA2g/L85m-HUdbww/s1600/IMG_3946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7DqiY5yyY64/VXzY5CRL9GI/AAAAAAAAA2g/L85m-HUdbww/s320/IMG_3946.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>Took about six pounds of strawberries plus two of blueberries to get both batches made.</em></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8H9enp3Zoo/VXzY62eFr8I/AAAAAAAAA3E/ZWJoD723a9w/s1600/IMG_3950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k8H9enp3Zoo/VXzY62eFr8I/AAAAAAAAA3E/ZWJoD723a9w/s320/IMG_3950.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1dHcN9zt5HE/VXzY7CbpO8I/AAAAAAAAA3Q/8NeYdBxOpcg/s1600/IMG_3951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1dHcN9zt5HE/VXzY7CbpO8I/AAAAAAAAA3Q/8NeYdBxOpcg/s320/IMG_3951.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>Ignore the old and broken spice jars in the background. Ugh.</em></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I made it using </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PiGyxeQrg0/VXzY6WSwHUI/AAAAAAAAA3I/L-ehcqPQwME/s1600/IMG_3948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3PiGyxeQrg0/VXzY6WSwHUI/AAAAAAAAA3I/L-ehcqPQwME/s320/IMG_3948.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was my first run with my jam maker despite having purchased it earlier this year and I realized right off the bat that I need to adjust a few things. Even though I am supposed to put the pectin evenly on the bottom before the fruit I will probably need to thoroughly mix the pectin in with the puree beforehand. The first batch I tried the pectin stayed on the bottom and cooked/burnt there. Ick. Mixing it in made for a much better product. I'm not sure if that is true of all pectins or if it is a particular problem with the low-sugar/no-sugar type.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sorry for taking so long to get any story but I gotta do what I gotta do. The stories that I've updated include:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></a><br />
<em>Still doing a little clean up on this one but it will be up by the end of the day.</em><br />
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://agirlcalledjackalene.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Girl Called Jack</span></a><br />
<em>Prelude and Chapter 1 is up. This one is a little "out there" as far as the volcanic disaster genre goes but it was fun to write. Will probably go up slow as I don't have a lot of time for editing right now and this one really needs it.</em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Only have one video for you today but hopefully you will find it fun and useful. It's on how to make a pie crust using a Duncan Hines cake mix. Now think about that for a second. How much fun could you have making different flavored pie crusts that way? Strawberry pie with a chocolate crust? Key Lime Pie with a pineapple crust? Squash Pie with a carrot cake crust? Or even one of those no-bake pies (ice cream or cool whip type things) with a flavored crust? Lots of possibilities with this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0sWQwl5VBes/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0sWQwl5VBes?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sWQwl5VBes">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sWQwl5VBes</a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for being understanding. Enjoy!</span><br />
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-78052535090244298522015-06-04T18:44:00.003-07:002015-06-04T18:44:54.773-07:00Today's Update - 4 Jun 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://static.freepik.com/free-photo/like-sands-through-the-hourglass_2632283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.freepik.com/free-photo/like-sands-through-the-hourglass_2632283.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Like sand through an hourglass, these are the days of our lives ...."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone remember that? Been feeling like I'm walking through a bit of a soap opera lately. Nothing I can't handle and mostly from outside influences but still, not what I need right now. However life does go on and found out that my father has been approved for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). I'm told this is a very, very good thing. We'll see. I've been trying to keep my expectations in line with reality. While Dad is improving in some areas, in others he is barely staying on course. The antibiotics for the staph are really kicking his tail. I give it to him three times a day through his pic line. Matter of fact I do most of the medical stuff except change the wound dressing ... I even change out the cartridge on the wound vac as my mom isn't strong enough to. I'm hoping this new treatment does what they say it will. He has to go to the wound center six days out of seven to spend ninety minutes in a hyperbaric chamber on pure oxygen. They've ordered 40 sessions. OMG. I hope my dad's patience doesn't run thin.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But a praise report and something I'm really proud of us for. My dad's daily morning sugar reading has been staying between 130 and 150. This was unheard of before when it ranged into the 200s. My only concern is that the HBOT tends to speed up people's metabolism and this may cause the sugar to drop too low. We'll have to watch things very carefully.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Trying to tend to my parents, keep my house in order, take care of the family, and help run the business is taking a lot more time than I had budgeted for. There is very little room for "extras" during the day. Posting daily may be out until late summer unless I can arrange things better. That said, just because I don't put an update doesn't mean that I may not update a story between times. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I did finally manage a thorough re-red of "UOHR" and also got the first addition to it up tonight.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stories that have been updated:</span><br />
<a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Up On Hartford Ridge</span></a><br />
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sorry that I don't have time to do a vid search but I'll try and include some interesting ones on the next update.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your patience.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-45032778468172470272015-06-01T09:59:00.003-07:002015-06-01T09:59:43.064-07:00Today's Update - 1 Jun 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://forum.net.hr/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Discussions.Components.Files/79/8055.Crazy_5F00_Background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://forum.net.hr/cfs-filesystemfile.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Discussions.Components.Files/79/8055.Crazy_5F00_Background.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ever had a time in your life where it feels like there has been a full moon for about three years running? That's where I'm at right now. On the days I don't personally feel crazy it feels like most of the people affecting my life are.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As I've mentioned we made the decision to move my parents in with us until they could get back on their feet after some pretty serious physical issues my father has had. Thus far it has been three surgeries in less than two months. I'm not sure how my mother has been able to do it for so long. This last surgery was a surprise. The wound from his second surgery wasn't healing properly, had to be "abraded" which pretty much means they went in and scrubbed out the infection and any associated dead tissue and he subsequently came home from the hospital with a pic line for intravenous antibiotics and a wound pump to drain off fluid build up. We already arranged for home health care to come in but we will still be handling most of everything. Where it appears we dodged a bullet is that my father's reaction to the sedation was not as severe this time because we didn't have to deal with the Delaudid/Cipro side effects. The man has an open wound and is only taking OTC meds for pain. Told him I would get him a blue spandex unitard and red cape and Mom and I would sew a big red "S" on the chest just for him. Hmmm ... he was not amused. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Not fun getting put into the position of the "bad guy" when it comes to snacks and menu planning but it is what it is; he and Mom both need healthier eating habits. I'd love to say they are old enough that eating what they want won't adversely affect their quality of life but that simply isn't true. Sugar and carbs are the big baddies in the room right now but there is also sodium and fats. Plus he needs more protein to rebuild the muscle he has lost from being bed-bound so much. I'm actually enjoying modifying his favorite recipes and he's being a good sport about eating the resulting experiments. Although with as hungry as he has been it isn't getting him to eat that is the challenge so much as keeping my mother from giving him (sneaking him) "snacks" to abate his misery. Fun, fun, fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I haven't been able to finish the writing projects that have been on my to do list but I hope to achieve some kind of streamlined schedule soon. At-home intravenous antibiotics three times per day, in home health care two and three times per week, physical therapy starting today so I don't know yet, cooking three meals and two snacks per day, the extra cleaning and precautions for infection control, doctors' appointments, two extra pets in the house, and so much more is taking up a lot of the "free time" I was hoping to have this summer. That doesn't even include the activities my kids are in and having my adult son gone leaving the things he normally does for us for someone else to pick up ... ugh. Ugh. UGH.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I missed adding new trees to my edible landscaping but hopefully I'll be able to get some tropical in this fall. I have a few sitting in pots from last planting time and made the mistake of thinking I would get to them this time. Looks like they'll get a re-pot before they'll get a re-plant.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The pond area at the back of our property that backs up to the swamp is getting out of control again. I may just have to lay weed paper down in the worst of the areas and then mulch it the best I can though a couple of areas are fairly steep. The real problem is the plants growing in the pond. Since I'm fond of neither snakes nor gators it may be time to hire a professional to get those pulled out again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ew, making myself antsy thinking of all the things there are to do that aren't getting done. Time to refocus so on to the story updates. Before the end of the day I will have the following stories added to:</span><br />
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://winniedarkdays.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></strong></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm also hoping to have a new entry for </span><a href="http://uponhartfordridge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Up on Hartford Ridge</span></strong></a><span style="font-size: large;"> but that depends on whether I have any unexpected nails pop up that I need to hammer back down.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today's vids fall under the key word "safety." Ever wonder why you aren't supposed to pour water on an oil fire? The Slo-Mo guys explain it and give good video of the result.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PbgdRR4yj8Y/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PbgdRR4yj8Y?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbgdRR4yj8Y"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbgdRR4yj8Y</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The next video shows that storing fuel in glass containers is akin to a Molotov cocktail. Hint: definitely not something to do at home. Just let crazies like the Slo-Mo guys do the experiment for you.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lfvceHUBWnU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lfvceHUBWnU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfvceHUBWnU"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfvceHUBWnU</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The following is an oldie but a goodie from 1949 outlining safety in the kitchen. My mother said she'd even seen this one in one of her home ec classes. LOL.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ViXh9O87SJ0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ViXh9O87SJ0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXh9O87SJ0"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViXh9O87SJ0</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the funniest safety videos comes to us from Air New Zealand, especially if you enjoy The Lord of the Ring series.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qOw44VFNk8Y/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qOw44VFNk8Y?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VqhIzigk1s"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VqhIzigk1s</span></a></div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-59380481774408847342015-05-27T20:18:00.004-07:002015-05-27T20:18:33.969-07:00Today's Update - 27 May 2015<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately my father's health has had another set back and I'm in the midst of helping my parents. We did get them moved in with us but little else has been accomplished. Will try and update further in the next day or two.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been working on the stories so check the usual suspects. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The links for the stories in motion are on the right hand side of the page:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm still doing a reread of Up On Hartford Ridge and hope to get additions to that started soon. Right now I'm travelling daily to the hospital and don't have much internet access to load stuff up until I get home and by then I'm either exhausted or dealing with other responsibilities. I will get things going in the right direction but I have to prioritize the needs of my parents right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for everyone's kind wishes and prayers. They are appreciated and I hold them near to me during these difficult days.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-82173928063387406142015-05-20T17:52:00.000-07:002015-05-20T17:52:49.810-07:00Short Update - 20 May 2015<span style="font-size: large;">Had a nice long update but power blipped and I lost it while blogger was trying to save it. So, just a quick one to let you know that I've been adding bits and pieces to the usual suspects. I'm still trying to figure out why the last entry for "Geeks" won't post and show up. May have to completely retype it. Ugh.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My dad's recovery is going to be very slow. Doctor's say upwards of a year. Tentatively they will be staying with us two months, we'll re-evaluate that as that point approaches. Hubby and I have put our summer vacation on hold but the kids will continue to do their thing. The sacrifice is worth it if it gets my parents back on their feet physically and financially.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The links for the stories in motion are on the right hand side of the page:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Dark Days</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm also doing a reread of Up On Hartford Ridge and hope to get additions to that started possibly this weekend. Depends on the logistics of moving my parents down on Friday.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for putting up with my crazy schedule!</span> <br />
<span style="color: #77ff88;"></span><br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-29825351766582258422015-05-05T14:17:00.002-07:002015-05-05T14:17:13.794-07:00Today's Update - 5 May 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LsTzSyY_YFA/VUjC0NamFUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/ObZgVDl9cTA/s1600/IMG_3558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LsTzSyY_YFA/VUjC0NamFUI/AAAAAAAAA0A/ObZgVDl9cTA/s400/IMG_3558.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>(That's not the sun, that is the full moon we've been experiencing.</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>Photo was taken about 8 pm.)</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Well it if isn't one thing it is certainly going to be another. Now on top of all of the other medical issues my father has been facing post-heart surgery he is now going to have to have gallbladder surgery. My poor mother is at her wits end. We are trying to get them to come live with us for at least a few weeks, and they want to, but events keep interfering. Faith tells me to put it in God's hands and trust in His timing. My humanity tells me to stomp around and have a hissy fit at everything getting in the way of my wants. If this is a test of some sort I'll admit to struggling. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Having nothing but good things happen doesn't make for many opportunities to become a stronger person. Wish that wasn't the way it is but apparently that's the way the human race has turned out to be. We need adversity and challenges to grow and be the best we can be. Someone once said that the strongest steel is forged by the hottest fire. I hope that is true and applicable to humans as well. If it is then by the time life is finished forging me I should be positively "stainless."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm trying to work on writing but I'm running into challenges there as well. I've got the last bit of "Geek" written and in draft mode but something in the formatting is having a battle with blogger. I post it and it just isn't showing up. Something is being read as code and I have to go through each little blurp until I find what is going on. If I can get it posted tonight I will but I have to be honest, I'm very tired and not finding a lot of patience for something that isn't obvious. I'll get it up as soon as I can.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Below is what I have added to. Also, I have decided that in a few days I will start finishing the next one which will be "Hartford." I'd like to finish that one by the end of June at the latest. It may very well be sooner but I'm not going to even try and guess because if I have my parents to look after and have to deal with a lot of summer activities for the kids plus the business goes crazy during the summer ... you get the idea. Let's just leave it at Hartford being the next on the list to finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Today's vids have absolutely no purpose beyond entertainment. My brain is positively fried which sent me off in a weird direction on the internet. From one search to another and then another ... I fell into looking at what all could be deep fried. Trust me, you don't want to know. There is one channel on youtube where this guy deep fries positively everything. The ones that I'm posting aren't quite that bad but should give some of you a giggle.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XJ9USt9drkc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XJ9USt9drkc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Deep Fried Pickles</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gwWGKDJUeVU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwWGKDJUeVU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Deep Fried Mashed Potatoes</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwWGKDJUeVU"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwWGKDJUeVU</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8o7E3ioJ9Ek/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8o7E3ioJ9Ek?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Deep Fried Butter On A Stick</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o7E3ioJ9Ek"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o7E3ioJ9Ek</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HORSj6vRqS4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HORSj6vRqS4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Deep Fried Oreos</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORSj6vRqS4"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORSj6vRqS4</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-49427425625148609742015-05-03T08:51:00.003-07:002015-05-03T08:51:38.766-07:00Today's Update - 3 May 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPxkoMxkui8/VUWJ3kDGO0I/AAAAAAAAAy4/a8ue-0UwHIo/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPxkoMxkui8/VUWJ3kDGO0I/AAAAAAAAAy4/a8ue-0UwHIo/s1600/IMG_3560.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em>(Three of the palms in my front yard. They are much taller than you can tell from this picture. In the wind they sway and the sound of the fronds rubbing together is almost hypnotic.)</em></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday was been what my father would call a long day at black rock. Add to that a full moon bringing all the crazies out and you can imagine how work came hand over fist. Day didn't start off too bad but about 1:30 it is like the bottom dropped out of everyone's minds.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Had a softball game at 8 am. Weather was cool with only a little wind but the ball was wet by the dew on the field. Didn't seem like the girls could keep a hold of the flaming thing. Then halfway through they finally came alive and my Sporty Girl hit two doubles and a home run with an RBI of 9 for the game. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all. And that's with a sore knee where she got capped by a low line drive at Thursday's practice. Came home and the man was there to fix the sprinklers. We could have done it but the guy owed us a few bucks on an AC he nicked the copper line on while doing some landscaping. It was a good barter. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">But by 1 pm the day began sliding. Everyone seemed to want everything three days before they ask for it. Too many people with excuses why they weren't going to have the rent until the end of the month and didn't want to pay the late payment. We had one break in to a unit we were getting ready for a new move in and we suspect the former tenant's brother but with no proof there isn't a thing we can do about it but suck it up. Work day wasn't over with until almost midnight. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Came home to try and find some good things after a hard day and what do I see when I pull in? Our magnolia tree starting to rock some blooms.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PBh4XEmr0zM/VUYZxDg1RbI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/RCgGIV_oP-Q/s1600/IMG_3557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PBh4XEmr0zM/VUYZxDg1RbI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/RCgGIV_oP-Q/s1600/IMG_3557.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then I round the walk and my gardenia bush is just loaded as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5rNwiy2HMQ/VUYZ6h_qH2I/AAAAAAAAAzY/rZwq_zzZc3o/s1600/IMG_3566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5rNwiy2HMQ/VUYZ6h_qH2I/AAAAAAAAAzY/rZwq_zzZc3o/s1600/IMG_3566.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And then right at the door there is a beautiful hibiscus.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSfgWN1kyVo/VUYb-HEBugI/AAAAAAAAAzo/4WNo06jvu9E/s1600/IMG_3567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSfgWN1kyVo/VUYb-HEBugI/AAAAAAAAAzo/4WNo06jvu9E/s1600/IMG_3567.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was a blessing that I needed and refreshed me. But obviously not enough that I could write last night. LOL! Here is what I have been able to update thus far today:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Geek Inherit the Earth</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em>(I hope to have this up before the end of the day. Blogger is pitching a fit about some hidden formatting in the file that I need to find.)</em></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today's videos have to do with the fact that you likely have an edible landscape whether you realize it or not, all you need is a little investigation. One of these days I hope to find ways to make most of the things in my yard edible or useful in some other way. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The first vid is on making homemade hibiscus tea.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/J0yuipPnWb4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J0yuipPnWb4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0yuipPnWb4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0yuipPnWb4</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GDTYVaevdLI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GDTYVaevdLI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDTYVaevdLI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDTYVaevdLI</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/53sVLm3UYvM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/53sVLm3UYvM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sVLm3UYvM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sVLm3UYvM</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-22200982620298197672015-05-01T20:54:00.004-07:002015-05-01T20:54:45.293-07:00Today's Update - 1 May 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4HQEFnnLAXY/VURJpxJzDRI/AAAAAAAAAyc/vc95T8YtLIE/s1600/IMG_3555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4HQEFnnLAXY/VURJpxJzDRI/AAAAAAAAAyc/vc95T8YtLIE/s1600/IMG_3555.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<em>(Jasmine blooms from my garden.)</em></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not a huge update tonight. Beginning of the month so the business is taking most of my time. My father is also getting out of rehab earlier than expected so we are in a rush to figure out how things are going to work out.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's the story updates for today:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Geek Inherit the Earth</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope to have "Geek" finished this weekend. I had to break up some of the parts because of length so that is what is taking the extra time.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Sorry there isn't more but at least I got the stories posted.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Enjoy! And have a great weekend!</span></div>
</div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3623866790907629669.post-80533417996597661802015-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:002015-04-28T16:10:35.627-07:00Today's Update - 28 Apr 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exvywEqHFfQ/VUAO7i4QyfI/AAAAAAAAAyA/uo63NcALWRM/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-exvywEqHFfQ/VUAO7i4QyfI/AAAAAAAAAyA/uo63NcALWRM/s1600/IMG_3477.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<em>(This is my Confederate Jasmine hedge along the front of my yard.</em></div>
<div align="center">
<em>It is just full of blooms and smells divine.)</em></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My day has been busy but what day isn't lately? LOL. Today, in addition to playing catch up from Monday's work that didn't get finished I've been looking around the house trying to decide what I can do to make things less crowded for my parents. I might have a month to prepare but it is a busy month with the school year coming to a close, the sports leagues ending for the semester, and getting ready for the kids to go away to camps. I need to grab the help to get me through while I have it which means getting organized as soon as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">First on the list is the garage. It is a garage but not really. Mostly it is storage space for filing cabinets, school stuff, food preps and miscellaneous other stuff that is in transition from its former space to the new space where it belongs. Nice way of saying it gets junked up on occasion and that's about the size of it right now. It isn't bad-bad but it's usually better than it is at the moment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Next comes deciding who is going to be switching bedrooms. We'll probably get our middle daughter a new mattress and have my parents sleeping in there. She can use her brother's room while he is gone for much of the summer ... he's going to be a counselor at the Winshape camps for two months. He's my landscaper and all around mule so losing him for two months, right when things are turning so screwy, is going to be tough. But he needs the chance to get out into the world before he is stuck in the claustrophobic demands of grad school.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I had hopes of using his bedroom as a temporary office for me but that's off the table now which means reconfiguring my workspace yet again. I didn't pick up some wifi extenders so signal reception will be better but again, that's going to require a little bit of reconfiguring as my current desk is going multipurpose so the girls can help scan all of our old files and legal documents so I can get them on discs in case something happens to them out in the barn.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Like my jasmine in the picture above? Sometimes I just go outside and walk along the fence line to enjoy the aroma. Snapping turtle surprised me today and I did a funny little jig that made my neighbor and his dogs laugh. But hey, you gotta be able to laugh when the opportunity presents itself. Gopher tortoises are ok ... we've got one the kids have dubbed 007 ... but those snapping turtles can be downright mean and he was irritated because he had gotten turned around and lost his way and couldn't figure out where the water was. I eventually carted him back to the pond and swamp but I did it by capturing him in a five-gallon bucket. No way was I risking his not-so-friendly nature.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Did get some editing and writing accomplished.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Zombies Aren't Real ... Are They?!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://zombiesarentrealarethey.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A Bunch of Wild Thyme</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://bunchofwildthyme.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Emi on the Caloosahatchee</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://emionthecaloosahatchee.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Geek Inherit the Earth</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://geekinherittheearth.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Before I forget I want to thank Lilli for her outrageously yummy sounding pie recipe. My mouth watered just imagining it. I've already shared it with a neighbor who has promised to try it - nephew sent her some real maple syrup he cooked off himself. I'm promised a piece of pie as soon as she does it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">No vids tonight. Youtube isn't cooperating. So enjoy the rest of your evening and thank you for reading!</span></div>
Kathy in FLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08161351589637201127noreply@blogger.com3