Changes, changes...

Yesterday was our Kentucky Romance Writer's meeting. Kinda... Actually it was more of a workshop, with Maddie James leading. It was all about Social Media Marketing, and it was very informative! One of the things she taught us to do is change up our blog. This one is still a work in progress. The picture frame is cute, but I don't know if I like the the way it interacts with the rest of the blog.

I will try to keep this up more often. I can at least do a blog on the weekends. Let me know what you think about the new look.

Oh, thank you Patty for suggesting http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/.

The Amazing...Kindle...

I love my sister-in-law. She totally set me up. She GAVE me her 'old' Kindle, because her husband bought her a new one.
I love hand-me-downs.
This thing is awesome. I love it, love it, love it.
And today I love it even more. You know how they tell you to read your manuscripts out loud before you submit, because your ear will hear things your brain doesn't see?
How cool would it be for the Kindle to read your current work-in-progress to you on the way to work, or the grocery store, or whatever. Well, it does! You have to have an Amazon e-mail address, which is free to get. You send your wip to your e-mail, download it, and Kindle will transfer it to voice.
Even better, if you have a critique group, have them send you what they want you to critique, and it will do the same thing! Read it out loud to you when it's convenient to you.
Isn't that cool?
Or is this one of those things that everybody already knows about and I'm making a fool of myself very publicly?
In case I'm not, go to Amazon and Kindle support. Scroll down on the page and find the section about downloading wirelessly. Click on 'more information' and read 'transferring personal documents'.

I am so very sad tonight...

Because Moose is dead.

We brought him home Sunday night, and I secluded him from the other horses so that they could all acclimatize again. Well, he let himself out Monday morning, pushing the gates apart so he could get out. Everything seemed fine. Monday afternoon, he was out at the chicken coop, nibbling grass. Before I left for work, he was out at the far fence, standing alone. Nothing unusual.

Today I didn't see him at all. I walked around the top of the hill, checked around the barn, didn't see him. But I wasn't too concerned.

I called hubby and asked him to ride the 4-wheeler around to look for him when he got home from work. He suggested sending our son out while it was still light. They had just gotten home from school, and the sitter's property adjoins our own. It was no big deal for him to go looking for the horse; he'd done it many times before.

I had just pulled into the parking lot at work when I got a call from my sitter. Moose was dead. My son was in tears and incoherent when I tried to talk to him. I was bawling my eyes out by this time, and I called my boss to let him know I had to get home. I'm sure he thinks I'm a flake. Hubby was just leaving work as I was getting there, so we caravanned home as quickly as we could.

After gathering the kids from the neighbor, and consoling my son, we set out to find Moose. He was down at the edge of a thicket, and it looked like he had been there for a good while, at least several hours. There were no obvious injuries other than a spot high on his neck where it looked like the taller horses had chewed at him until he was bloody. There were skid marks around his body, as if the bigger horses had stopped suddenly. I think, perhaps, Moose was galloping around, as he always did, and had a heart attack. He was 19 this year, a pretty respectable age. And he'd been pretty stressed the past couple of days. I kind of wonder, too, if he didn't try to come down and run the herd. For 6 months he's been in Ohio, running my mom's herd, being The Man. When he came down here, he was definitely bottom of the rung, having to start all over again.

Maybe it was too much for him.

All I know is my heart is very sad tonight.

Fat Thursday and Black Friday...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with friends and family. I know I did. Living in Kentucky, I don't get a chance to run up to Ohio to see my family very often any more. With the kids at school, and hubby and I working alternating shifts, it's not as easy to just hop in the car and go. Honestly, when the weekend rolls around, I just want to put my feet up, cuddle under a furry blanket and vegetate.

So, the times when we do get together are more special now. And poingnant. My grandparents are getting older and more frail, and I'm always afraid each visit may be the last. I know one day it will be.

I didn't get to see everybody, (Hello Nee, we missed you!!! Helloo in-laws, see you at Christmas!!!) and others I'm glad I didn't see, you know what I mean?

I know I should feel terrible saying that, but I don't... Actually, they probably feel the same about me. Oh well...

So, I'm curious as to how many other nuts there are out there that went shopping on Black Friday? You notice, of course, that I am counting myself as one of those nuts. Yes, I went shopping at 3:30 in the morning. And I dragged my mother along with me. I actually found some really awesome deals. Definitely worth the lost sleep and aggravation.

And, I got to bring Moose home. He's done his job for Mom's mares, and they look VERY pregnant already. I figured he would be upset at leaving, but he didn't make a sound. Moose is pretty mellow. We did get a lot of looks on the interstate though. Hubby didn't want to put him in the back of the Tahoe again, so he built a stall on the 4-wheeler trailer. It worked out really well. Moose has been wandering ever since we got home though, looking for his herd. Sorry Buddy.

Anyway, hope you have a productive week. I'm inputting all the notes I took longhand over the weekend, then off to work I go, hi-ho-the merry-o.....

Lynn Viehl has pulled me out of the Cave...

I know, I know. Where the hell have I been, you're asking. Thought you dropped off the face of the earth, yada yada yada. No, actually, we've been working our butts off.

Hubby is settling back into travelling again this year. He's in San Francisco right now, with another trip scheduled over Christmas Break. The plant where we work actually closes down for two weeks, but they want him to work. And so far, JUST him. Next year (or should I say 2 months from now) they have him scheduled to go to Tiajuana Mexico for three months. Then to Texas for three months. The Tiajuana trip has me worried the most. They will send him with armed guards everywhere. The drug war down there is so bad, you need guards! This one is freaking me out.

My job is cruising along as well. I'm averaging about 50 hours a week. Still on afternoon shift, but I have some hope I may be able to go to dayshift after the first of the year.

We never did find Cricket. I posted Reward papers everywhere. Did get a couple of calls, but nothing that was concrete. Makes me sad. I miss the little bugger.

Now for the focus of this blog.

I love Lynn Viehl's work. She writes in depth stories with so many layers. One of the things I admire about her most is she tells you how it is. Several years ago, she promised her friends that if she hit the New York Times Best-seller list, she would post her income statements on her blogs. And she has. This is the first statement for her novel Twilight Fall. The blog that goes with it is also extremely enlightening. Check it out. This is the follow up statement several months later. Also extremely informative. FYI, you have to scroll down the page. Hers is the 5th entry.

Short Weekend...

I'm sorry I haven't been keeping this up like I promised. It's difficult. Not actually writing the blogs, but physically getting a chance, and TIME, to write them. Our lives are so crazy right now. Today is the first day I've seen my kids in a week. Yesterday was a mandatory overtime work day, and I had my KYRW meeting yesterday afternoon. (Which was awesome by the way! Hello ladies.) Kids had an eye appointment early yesterday morning, so this is the first time I've seen them in forever.

I'm making them clean today. Maybe they want me to go back to work.

Hubby is pretty frazzled. He had no idea how busy the evenings were, and what all needed done before he could head to bed. Cleaning has kind of taken a back burner, recently, and my one day off, I have to clean up five days worth of clutter.

Oh, and look for a dog.

Cricket is missing. The little Pomeranian. She was riding in the truck bed with the mastiff yesterday when hubby went down the road. He only went about a mile, then turned around and came back. But somewhere in between Cricket either jumped out or fell out. Or maybe Murphy threw her over the side? Either way, we can't find her. I went up and down the road on the 4 wheeler talking to the neighbors in the rain looking for her. No Cricket. One little girl saw her running towards home yesterday afternoon, but that's the last sighting. I'm afraid somebody stopped and picked her up and took her home.

Makes me sad.

If that did happen, I really hope she gets a good home.

Well, hubby's home. May go spend a few hours with him before bed. Have a good Sunday all.

Back to the Land of the Living...

Yes, it's me. I'm back.

FINALLY!!!!

I tell you, it is incredibly hard going without internet for 2 months. I didn't think I was so hooked I couldn't go without, but man, that 2 month span was a real test. I broke down once and went to Starbucks to download e-mails, but that was the only time.

And , of course, internet was the last utility to be hooked up. We kind of drug our feet because we didn't want to pay a guy $300 just to come out and set the dish. We tried to hook it up ourselves, but we had no way to hone in the position to the satellite. So, $125 later, we're set. We had the contractor position the dish, then hubby (wonderful, darling, hubby) finished running the wire.

And I'm live. Yay!

House is pretty much done. There's some trimwork outside and inside that needs repaired, but other than that, we're done. Finally. I thought building a house would be bad, but this has been bad enough. Nothing worked out the way it was supposed to. We had so much rain this summer, that every time a contractor planned to come out, they were delayed. Even on my hilltop, it was a muddy mess more often than not.

Just moving the house out here took 2 days, and had my road closed for a total of about 10 hours.

No, that's not our driveway. That is our road. At one point, there were guys on the roof with chainsaws clearing the way.


Anyway, all is settled now and I love my house. I adore my big kitchen. My mom and step-dad came down a couple weeks ago, and I invited a neighbor up for dinner. I actually had room for everybody to sit down and eat together.

And I had a dishwasher to clean up when we were done.

I love my dishwasher.

My writing did suffer over those two months though. My poor laptop did not see the light of day much at all over that time.When I did write, I used pen and paper. Now I have to transfer everything to pc.

I have noticed, though, that I have a lot more enthusiasm for my wips. I'm excited to get back to the keyboard.

Maybe the break was good?

Work has been keeping me worn out too. As if moving and the kids starting school aren't enough, I accepted a job working at Toyota. And it is kicking my butt. Big time. It's afternoon shift, for one thing, so I don't get to see my kids and hubby much. The money is nice. I'm getting at least an hour of overtime a night. But man, it wears on your body. For a month now, my feet have been bruised. Not just sore. Actually bruised. Hubby tried to give me a foot rub last week, and it actually hurt.

So, that's my life in a nutshell right now. We're loving the house, and trying to get into the new schedule.

And I'm trying to get back into my writing.

So, till next time...