Quote by gillianleeza

I'm one step closer to having my father's long-term healthcare kick in. I'll be in shock when they hopefully approve everything.

It was a quiet weekend. We did some yard work and started working on our garden plots. The rain over the weekend did help wash some of the pollen away. I wiped my kitchen counter, and the cloth ended up green. I think everyone is sneezing.

I hope everyone has a good week. Cheers.

Sound like you are nearing the finish line! Then you can sleep for a month and a half and slowly begin to heal.

I just put up a flash-ish horror story called A Voice Made of Leaves. Hope you like it.

I used to listen to news all day long while I write. Clearly I can't do that anymore. I get too upset. So I've been writing lately to the Flow soundtrack. Really peaceful and lovely. Both the animated movie and the soundtrack are wonderful.

Coffee and a bear claw please.

We watched the gorgeous animated move, Flow, last week. I quit listening to news for large chunks of the day and am now listening to the Flow soundtrack

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=XvHkbxoWY-Y

Ooh, yum, brownies! I love brownies, clean or unclean.

Going to the doc with Talia today. Nothing big, just a follow-up. Write a little beforehand, home just in time for the supper and The Game. Mets are still hanging onto first place by the skin of their teeth.

Coffee and a clean brownie please!

Quote by WriterGirl

I’m glad the system worked for you! ❤️

I’m told you have to deplete your assets now before Medicaid kicks in. And here, there’s a wait for a Medicaid bed in facilities. My friend waited two years before she could get her mom in one in Lexington. It’s hard. You work you whole life, save, then a major health crisis can take it all in a short time. We’re still thinking Dad won’t outlive his money. Hoping, anyways.

Headed on a twins weekend to Nashville!! Woohoo! A nice break!

Y’all enjoy your weekend! ❤️

Yeah, I had to fight for years to get my retirement account--401(a), not 401(k)--declared as NOT an asset. It finally worked. And then needed a State Rep's help to find a bed. Good for you for keeping your head in the fight. It's so easy to get discouraged.

Going to the dentist today. Wah. But it's a GORGEOUS day outside, and going to the dentist mean I don't have to write, so it's like having the day off.

Coffee!

Quote by WriterGirl

Mr Ape, Retirement was the plan for me until my parents got Alzheimer’s and I’ve seen how much these memory care places cost in our country. And the fear of what might happen to social security. Now, I’ll probably never fully retire. What seemed like enough money for me, no longer seems like enough.

I do plan on at least evolving into a more pleasant career path, though.

Medicaid paid for a memory care bed for us, back in the day. Of course, those systems are being quickly dismantled. And I’m sure you’ve probably already looked into it. But it was a lifesaver for us (though we needed the help of a State Representative to make it official).

We had to turn off the news yesterday. We were both getting too depressed by it.

Coffee please!

Quote by WriterGirl

Ooo exciting about your novel! What an accomplishment. I envy you who can write the long ones. I’ve come to accept my writing sweet spot is 3K or under.

3K is my comfort zone for sure, I understand! I just keep writing bad novels, until I get enough practice under my belt to write a mediocre one.

Same old thang here. Weather is nice, and the Mets have won 6 in a row. I've made my daily calls to my elected officials and am ready to write.

Seize the Deim!

I like Paul Krugman’s Substack too. Our fave Substcker is Heather Cox Richardson, a political historian. She has videos too, twice a week, where she talks about American history, and they remind us of FDR’s fireside chats (on purpose I think).

Tough to read the headlines every morning. Again, what keeps me sane is making calls to my elected officials. I feel less hopeless. And writing my little 3 sentence speech every morning helps me focus and move on from the news.

Almost done with the first draft of the novel!

And the Mets have won 5 in a row!

Coffee please.

Quote by WriterGirl

Ooo I’ll take a peek at it.

Mine is intended as a supplement to elementary history lessons about colonial times. So they are very simply written for elementary kids to read. There are 3 of them.

That sounds like a cool project. We need to remember our history.

I'm actually writing a little non-fiction about the space program right now. The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, focusing on the early years. And a time when our government could accomplish great things. I also want to write about the Interstate system, though I know how boring that sounds.

Coffee please. It's a sunny day!

Quote by WriterGirl

Verbal, I’m curious. How long does the 18th in line have to wait?

About 10 minutes, but I can do other things during it. My whole morning set of phone calls and emails take about 20 minutes. Currently 12 on today's queue.

I'm feeling you, Gill. And now sleep-walking? I'm sorry the stress is so taxing.

The Dow is down 1500 this morning. They're crashing the economy on purpose. I may have to un-retire at this rate. Sigh.

Coffee please.

Morning all.

Mets lost, but Elon lost too, so we'll call it a draw.

Nothing new here. Still writing, still walking, still married to a cool drink of water for a wife, still watching baseball.

I'm currently 18th in line to leave a message for the President. LOVE this hold music.

Coffee and a brownie please!

Hey everyone.

Nothing new here. We have some friends coming for the weekend of the April 5 Hands Off protests. Making signs this week. It’s fun. And frightening. Weird to bond over protests, but I suspect it won’t stay weird. It may become common.

And baseball is back! Mets have only 1 win after 3 games, but it’s early.

Coffee please. Any donuts back there?

Quote by gillianleeza

I did not need to know that the rustling in corn fields is rats. Ewwwww.

Apparently, appointing people who are not qualified to do the job causes a whole host of issues. I'm not surprised by any of it; that is a sad state of affairs.

I still have to fight with insurance companies on behalf of my father. Some days, I want to crawl under a rock or throw that rock at someone. At least I have found a therapist I like, who is helping me with ways to cope with all the upheaval of the last six months or so. I'm so tired most days, but I am trying to have a more positive attitude.

I hope everyone is having a better week than I am. Take care of yourselves. Cheers.

When my Dad died, the minute I canceled his Medicare, all the bills began coming straight to me. It was like fighting off wolves. I paid for awhile, then I quit taking their calls. I'm still avoiding an ambulance ride bill ($1000!). My heart is with you Gill.

Took the day off of writing yesterday to send out 5 stories. Fingers crossed.

And speaking of fingers crossed, IT'S BASEBALL SEASON! METS GAME AT 2!

Coffee please.

Quote by JamesPBear
The Orange Menace rages…supreme?

The first major stumble occurred yesterday, and it was kinda stunning. Glad no one got hurt.

Warm day, sunny skies, the whole day to write, the administration on defense: a good day.

Baseball season starts tomorrow!

A coffee, and I will dream of baseball cookies.

Where's Cora? Hope you are doing okay....

Quote by WriterGirl

Hi everyone! 😊

I agree with Gillian, a cornfield is an excellent setting. My neighborhood I grew up in backed into a cornfield. I’d watch kids play in it from my 2nd floor bedroom window. I loved playing hide-n-seek and tag and just exploring. As we aged, the games changed in that cornfield. 😉

Enjoy the weekend everyone! ❤️

It's fun to write about cornfields, because I grew up around them, and know all sorts of creepy details. For instance, if you walk into a cornfield, much of the rustling you hear around you is...rats!

Speaking of creepy, saw a great production of Turn of the Screw last night. One of the great induring ghost stories. I find Henry James impossible to read, but Turn of the Screw is his masterpiece.

Coffee would be swell.

Still here. I am wading into the climax of my "cosmic horror in Iowa cornfields" novel. Filled out a bunch of index cards last night, trying to get events in the right order and not leave anything out. Nerve-wracking.

I'm on a podcast next month!

Other than that, still making my five phone calls and sending my two emails every morning, trying to stave off this darkness in our government and civic life.

Coffee please!

Quote by Mendalla

Cool. Are you sure their name is Bob, though? Looks like they could be a Robcat or maybe a Hobcat. 🤣

Good afternoon. Weather turned nice, if chilly, after a rather grey morning.

Hope all are well. Even after my attempt at humour above.🙄🤪

His full name is Robert T. Cat.

Nothing new here. It's gorgeous out, if windy. Still noveling the novel, still anxious for baseball season to start.

Coffee please.

Ooh, I like cannolis.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

Woke up yesterday morning, made the coffee, looks out the window, and saw a bobcat! What a magnificent cat.

Enjoy the day. Don't let any revelers puke on your shoes!

Just popping in to say hi. Hope everyone is well.

Coffee please. And a treat! I'll just gnaw on this old rice krispie treat I found under the chair.

Quote by JamesPBear
The best thing to do, as an American citizen, is to call your senators and representative, and complain that you can't get the services you're paying taxes for, and you're not happy about it. Even if they don't respond, they tally the calls, and it affects how they behave.

I make 5 phone calls (President, 2 Senators, Representative, AG) and 2 emails (2 state Congressmen) every morning. Very short script, and i change it every day. It's a good way to begin the day. Makes me feel less helpless.

Personally, I think they are tanking the stock market on purpose to declare emergency powers. Just a theory.

Baseball season is 2 weeks away!

Knee deep in a new novel. Cosmic horror in Iowa cornfields.

Coffee please!

Yeah, I'll admit to some pool envy here as well.

Warm and sunny here. It's a false Spring, winter always comes roaring back in March and April.

Baseball preseason is alive and well! The Mets have an EXCELLENT team this year, we shall see how way they do. I may find myself rooting for some Canadian teams this year.

Coffee please!

Ooh, yum, beignets (can't spell that word to save my life)!

Congrats to all the winners of the comp! I only read a handful, sorry for being lazy this go-round.

Busy morning! Flat tire, so I had to fill it up , drive it to the tire shop, and walk home in the cold. I have to walk BACK in the cold to get my car in a few hours. Wah!

Hot coffee sure would warm me up!

Congrats to Expresso, Kat, and WG for the podium wins, and the top ten, ad of course anyone who entered! Sorry I wasn't around much for this comp, but the entries I've read were excellent.

Thanks Molly, for setting all this up.

Quote by WriterGirl

Emotional day sorting through stuff. Found an old album of young pics of my parents. They started dating in the 9th grade. Mom saved Valentines cards from him in the album, too. They had just celebrated their 60th anniversary before Mom passed away.

Sweet memories. Glad you were able to keep those Valentine cards. Worth their weight in gold.

Thongs are fine here. Weather was AWESOME this weekend - false summer. Sadly, it starts snowing again tonight. Still, I got several walks in.

Off to write. Carpe pencil! Coffee please!

Quote by WriterGirl

Morning peeps!

Busy weekend here. My sister and I are sorting through all of Dad’s stuff we didn’t move. Where we are minimalists, Dad is a hoarder. 🙄

I’ve decided to create a book of my favorite scribbles to give to my son. I can easily (and cheaply) do it on Kindle Publishing. Create the doc, upload it, don’t publish, but have Kindle print me the unpublished writer’s copy for me to review. I’ll give it to my son, and probably print one for myself, maybe my sister, too. I’m calling it “My Imaginary Friends”

Have a great weekend! ❤️

Giving your son a book of stories sounds like a cool idea. Good for you! And cool for him.

I dipped a toe in the comp entries but haven’t read many. I’ll hit more of them this weekend.

Not much going on here. Same old thing. Talia got me a treadmill for Christmas and I’ve been digging it. I’m binging on Brooklyn 99 and The Good Place while I “walk.” Did I spell binging right?

I hope everyone is well. Coffee!

Nice to see so many folks hitting the comp! I will get to the entries soon. Just not feeling comps lately.

I hope everyone is well. My therapist finally reared her head! I was worried about her. A death in her family, it appears.

Warm and sunny today. Yesterday too - I even took a walk outside!

Coffee please. Any cookies?

I like mowing the lawn. I even use a motor-less push mower (my terrible secret: I use an electric mower for the back yard).

I even like shoveling snow, though we don’t get as much as you Canadians. Sill, we got a few inches last night, so I will be shoveling today.

Coffee please!

Gill and WG, if I said nightly prayers, you two would be in them. True heroes, in my mind.

Thanks for the props on selling to the Canadian mag, WG. Yes, it was a thrill to sell.

Lots of comp entires! I’m sitting comps out for a while, but it looks fun.

Snowing and sunny right now. Very pretty.

A coffee would be swell.

Ooh, those brownies look delicious!

I’ll have one and a cup of coffee.

I am worried about my therapist. Ironic, huh? She canceled our last appointment and has been out of communication for a few weeks. I am scared she got fired, or caught up in a witch hunt of some kind.

Peace all.

Snowing here right now, and snow isn't even in the forecast. Strange days, indeed. Most peculiar Mama.

Sold a story to a Canadian mag: Gaslight Pulp! Any of you Canadians heard of it?

Coffee please. I found a rice krispie treat under my chair, I'll nibble on that!

No snow here, except what's left on the ground. Sunny day, in the 40s.

Woke up too early, so a bit groggy. Critique group tonight, so I need to wake up.

Cooooffffffffffeeeeeee!