First off, congratulations and thanks to Laura Strickland
for naming the cat in my WIP. Caruso is a big Russian Blue, complete with green
eyes and ringed tail (brought to my writerly mind by one of Cheryl Reavis's Cats She Does Not Own--right, they own her!) She’s a girl, but she has a loud voice, so Caruso is
her name!
Also, congratulations and thanks to Kristi Knight, who gave
the little dog in the story the name of Wally, short for Walter Mittens (I don’t
know his breed or when he’ll enter the story yet, but he does have white feet J).
I will send prizes to Laura and Kristi soon, along with my
gratitude, but it won’t be until next week when the boyfriend and I—drumroll please—return
to Indiana after a nice winter in Florida. I love Florida, I’m grateful not to
have spent the worst winter in recent and not-so-recent history in Indiana, but
I’m homesick. It may be cold, wet, and still the color of winter, but it’s
home.
It’s been a productive winter. I’ve finished a contracted
book, fought with an R & R on another, and have started—oh, squirming with
delight as I type this—another one. Not all new stories fly, I admit
sheepishly, but they’re all fun. It is only the ¾ of the book that make up its
middle that I have trouble with.
It’s also been a strange-health winter. My sciatic pain has
grown progressively worse and as my exercise level has decreased, my weight has
increased exponentially. Home will mean going back to doctors and requesting
proactive treatment and maybe making myself exercise through pain more than I
have been doing. It also means eating healthy and well. I haven’t been doing
that, and as good as Pensacola restaurants are—and they are!—I have no one to
blame but myself. I must once again, paraphrasing what my friend Angeline Larimer
said, walk myself to peacefulness.
I wish you all a happy spring. The Wranglers are taking the
month of April off, so this will be my last visit with you until May, my favorite
month of them all. I’m going to spend these next weeks getting myself back at
home with being home, being healthier, and just being happy. As Julian of Norwich
said (thank you, Jennifer Crusie and Anne Stuart, for introducing the quote to
me), “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be
well.”
And so may it be with you. D’Ann will be here Tuesday. See
you in May!
Yay for Walter Mittens and Caruso!
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas I bought myself a fitness tracker (it's a LifeTrak C410) that tells me how many steps I've walked (my goal is 10k) each day, how much sleep I'm getting, my heart rate and even tracks my calories burned (as determined by my heart rate and how many steps I've taken). And I love it. It's a reminder, right there on my wrist, to get up and move more. Some days getting to 10k steps is easy...some days I don't get there, but overall it's helping me in my fitness quest this year. Happy Spring, Liz, (and welcome back to never-ending-winter).
I'm thinking about one of those, Kristi, when I regain some movement. Thanks for coming by--have a wonderful April!
DeleteLove your pet names! Thurber is smiling up there in heaven. Like Kristina, I bought myself a fitness tracker in January and have been logging steps, miles, calories, etc. ever since. It's a FitBit http://www.amazon.com/Fitbit-Wireless-Activity-Tracker-Charcoal/dp/B0095PZHZE/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1395662719&sr=1-3&keywords=fitbit. It syncs with my phone and a program called MyFitnessPal, which is where I record all my food. Somehow tracking my eating makes me eat less...not every day, but pretty much. I've lost some weight since January 1--not a lot--but some and I'm moving. That's the most important thing. To be frank, I haven't hit 10K, my best day is 7800, but I'm bound to desk, so it's harder. Sending you good, healing energy for your sciatica, Liz--I know how hard life is when you hurt. Be strong and yes, what Julian said. Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteHI, Nan! I'm so psyched to be getting home, I think I'll be able to deal with the cold. :-) Kristi is desk-bound, too, but she has a kindergartener to keep her on the move! (Or 1st grade--I've forgotten.)
DeleteWelcome home, Liz :) I hope you can get that pain taken care of. A friend here suffers from that, and it really lays her low. Congrats on the writing news, however. That's very good. Your outlook is great for a productive summer. Barb Bettis
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb. I'm looking for the positive!
DeleteCaruso is a great cat name. My mother has been having trouble with her sciatic nerve. Less than a month ago we actually rented a wheel chair believing she'd never really walk much on her own again. A round of prednisone, a neuropothy pill, rehab with acupuncture later and she's walking without a cane. At 87 she's not ready to tackle a marathon but she's able to stroll about her yard or a grocery store. Hooray! Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged! I've done several different things but am to the point of nothing working, so am hoping for something a little more aggressive this time. Good for your mother!
DeleteAny time you want to go for a walk or eat a sprout sandwich, let me know. I'll be up there quite a bit this spring.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home and congratulations! You continue to inspire (and motivate) me.
Thanks, Ange. Same goes--I'm so proud of all you do.
DeleteWelcome home, Liz! I'll see you here in May!
ReplyDeleteHave a great April, D. I'll check in on you tomorrow. :-)
DeleteYou're home in time to see the first signs of spring.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandmother lived in Indiana. The one thing I loved about her house, that we can't have here in Florida, was peonies. Big, fat, fluffy, pink peonies.
I'm looking forward to those new books - back to work!
Yes. I love spring at home, and I love the peonies, too, though I don't have any. My sister-in-law planted petunias down here the other day and I can't wait to do that. Ours last all summer! We'll hit the road Friday.
DeleteCaruso and Wally are great names. Bet they match the personalities, too! Sorry for the sciatica. If I don't stay stretched and active, I get that, too. Make sure you keep your hamstrings stretched as much as possible -- that nerve runs through/next to them, as you are probably well aware. Hopefully the winter has breathed its last up here and you can bring some of that warmer stuff with you. The jonquils, tulips and crocuses are up, at least in Southwestern Indiana!
ReplyDeleteIt's not stretched now, by any means--and getting back to moving will be hard, but I'm just frozen in place now. Sigh. Thanks for coming by, Valley.
DeleteWishing you the best with your new stories and also some relief from that painful health condition.
ReplyDeleteThe Ocean Between by Lynda Coker
Thanks, Lynda. And thanks for coming by!
DeleteYay for Wally! That was my personal favorite. It almost makes me want to get a dog just to have my own Wally. Almost. Happy travels and writing to you! Healing wishes sent as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margie!
Delete