Or maybe I should call this post Sixes and Sevens? I’m be-bothered and out of sorts and ill-at-ease and put your catch-phrase here.
- Thanks to kansaswatercolor.com for the image.
(I’m somewhere there – right there, in the middle of the painting. Or maybe in the upper right side…or down left, toward the bottom…)
There’s no one reason for it, really, and a million tiny reasons for it. A bummer for me is that wine – red wine, as far as I can tell – now severely disrupts my sleep, to the point that I’m not waking at 5am to write because I’ve tossed and turned from 1am to 3am. Which means I need to cut back on my red wine intake, which in turn makes me get pouty-face – and trust me, I am not attractive in pouty-face. But…I don’t know about the wine part of the blog, which makes me even MORE pouty-face.
Then I’ve got something physical going on in my female parts – to where I feel ugly-pregnant. Annoying and irritating, especially when the doc says “well, you’re so close to menopause, you should just wait it out…” Grr. I like my doc, but grr. I go see a female gynocologist this Friday, so will know more then. But at least I had a CT scan a couple weeks ago, and all my other organs are peachy keen and in good health. (Now there was a “fun” way to lose an entire day. Sheesh.)
In case you've never had one - this is what the CT machine looks like.
Add in two boys who don’t yet have jobs, three partials I want to complete and polish up, another partial I need to finish so I can send it off to a couple agents, being stalled in my exercising, wanting to shed at LEAST 20 pounds, and having the typical crazy day at the day job I like and … well, it makes me feel betwixt and between.
Crankypants.
On the positive side? I sent out two partials as requested to an agent on Saturday, for books that are complete, and I found I really enjoyed working with those two books. Hadn’t read them in a couple years at this point.
A week ago, we got brand new windows on the house – and it’s cooler, quieter, and more secure – I LOVE my new windows! Plus it ups the value of the house, always a good thing.
Another positive thing, my oldest son now has his driver’s license, and my younger son is now learning. (21 & 18) Ever since they stopped teaching driver’s ed in the high schools here in California, the average teenage driver age has gone up. And up. A good thing, over all, but still – it’s nice that my kids are finally spreading their wings a bit.
BLOOD DREAMS, my short story set in the Caine Brothers world, releases on June 1st and I’ve got help with a book release promo on that day, so that’ll be fun. I’ve seen my cover for DEMON HUNT and can’t WAIT to show it to everyone – it’s fantastic! AND, I got a cover blurb for that book by NY Times Bestselling Author MAGGIE SHAYNE! So, yeah…lotsa good happening. Plus I’m working on Book 3 of the series.
Another, huge positive – Tom and I are closer than ever. That whole “you complete me” thing? It’s real. It’s more real now than it was 35 years ago, and it just keeps getting better. That, my friends, is scary-good.
Another positive is the garden. Tom’s worked so hard – and so have the boys. We have five original veggie planting beds, and Tom’s added nine more. We’ve decided using the back yard for growing stuff is more interesting than having grass (because our grass is mostly weeds).
We’re growing: cucumber, watermelon, potatoes, zucchini, crook-neck squash, beets, bell peppers, tons of onions, garlic, spinach, cilantro, 5 different kinds of basil, sunflowers, sage (both green and white), italian flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley, thyme, red lettuce from seed, dark green lettuce from seed (not yet seedlings), corn from seed, peas from seed; 3 different kinds of strawberries, black berries and boysenberries; on the bank, we’ve got 11 artichoke plants (6 of which are bearing artichokes this year; the other 5 are too young), two lime trees, two meyer lemon trees, two different orange trees, an apple tree, and pots of tomatoes? Glad you asked! We’ve got 8 pots of tomatoes, plus 4 heirloom tomatoes in the ground. Oh, and two pomegranate trees that aren’t big enough to have fruit on them yet (they’re barely 2 feet tall). Of the seeds not yet planted, bush snow peas, and celery, and I still have some sunflower seeds to plant…
Wow. Big grin. Mentally feeling much better – what a lovely garden (in it’s raggedy way)! I must post pictures. The really fun part of the new beds? Tom carted out this huge, terrific metal doorway that was a prop in a store I used to work for. I got to keep it…and now it’s solid in our garden, with jasmine growing up the sides and a hanging pot of petunias and alyssum in the center…when the jasmine grows up and over, it’ll be pure heaven!
Physically? I still feel blech. But at least, when I get home I’ll be able to sit in the garden with hubby, drink some bland and boring sparkling water, and enjoy all the growing things around me. Maybe I’ll even take pictures.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you’re having a wonderful un-crankypants day!
Well my favorite catch phrase is “spitting chips.” You can borrow it. feel free. : )
Sorry you aren’t feeling well. I hope it all gets figured out when you see the lady doc. And yeah, a lot of things start changing around menopause. I’m so far beyond that now at almost 64, but I can still remember. *shudder* I had to go easy on the red wine, and still do. Sometimes I do a glass of cranberry juice over ice and pretend. It’s got a nice bite. Ha ha.
Just enjoy your garden, your hubs, the boys, and get as peaceful as you can. It does get better. Seriously.
I am SO holding you to that “it gets better” thing, Roben. And huge congrats again on the contract with Wild Rose Press! WOO!!! Still so happy for you!
Wow on the garden! Understand the crankypants thing – I’m way past menopause, LOL – but wow on the garden! Please post pics! I live vicariously, LOL. My garden is containers on the deck – cukes, tomatoes, raspberries, peppers, herbs, and I’m still trying for little pumpkins. This year I’m trying “Baby Boo”!
Good luck!
Okay…off I go to take pics. Though I HAVE had a glass of white wine…so I can’t swear the pics won’t be blurry, lol.
Oh…Baby Boo? I LOVE those pumpkins! If I can find seeds, I’ll give them a try…
I finally feel like myself again for the first time in over a year, thanks to finding a doctor who’s basically the West Coast expert on menopause. (He’s the GP Ken went to after his accident. Ken mentioned me, and the dr talked about his credentials and his approach, and once I met him and talked to him myself, I was sold.)
Your garden sounds lovely! You’ve got a farmer’s market in your own backyard – I’m envious!
xo
Dayle, when I see you, I’ll bring produce! Spinach, surprisingly, is very easy to grow from seed. I’ve got lots of lovely baby spinach plants that I planted around the two tiny plants bought from the store…now the store plants are huge (we’ll have salad from them tonight) and the baby plants are getting bigger. A good thing!
Everyone is entitled to be a Crankypants sometimes. You have beaucoup justification so go ahead. We love you no matter what. And I envy you your garden. Sigh.
Sharon, you can come over and muck about in my garden dirt any time you want. No, really and truly. And I’ll even make you dinner!
The garden only really took off because the hubby is no longer doing the dreaded day job. He’s acting again, home a lot more than he used to be, and wrangling the boys, and is SO much happier. He is the one that gets things done around the house and garden, while me? Not so much…bless his heart.
Well….just….HUGs to you, that’s all! I’ve had days like the one you were having – thank goodness for the family and the gardening and the good writing stuff to bring balance! All that was missing was a cat (or dog or gerbil or other furry, fluffy, unconditionally affectionate creature maybe?) LOL. Hope the next morning was better!
V – this morning isn’t much better. Headache. Gah. But thanks for the hugs!
Dear Christine – that not sleeping bit? It’s perimenopause. Sometimes that is worse than the real thing. Spot, spot, spot. Extended cycles. spot, spot, spot. Interrupted sleep. Edgy, antsy, irritable! Yup. All the signs are there.
Now – as the old song goes (which you’ve already done) let’s acc-cent-u-ate the positive. And you have. I’d say you’re balancing out pretty darn well.
Withdrawing from our hormones is a b*#ch.
Hugs Ms. Crankypants. Go bite the head off of one of your beautiful crook-neck squash. It will be good for you!
Ah Lynne, you make me laugh. Well, today will be better – I’ve got copy edits to do, so that’ll take my mind off my body. Hopefully.
Sucks to feel so bleck physically when you’ve got so many amazing things going on around you. Here’s hoping the trip to the Gyno will offer some answers and solutions to get you amped up. 🙂
Thanks, Nat! I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Female problems…ugh. FWIW, it really is all about finding the right doctor. I listened to years of “suck it up” before I found a doctor who said, “OMG, how are you dealing with this pain?” and then helped me feel better. Never hesitate to visit a new doctor when the old one has quit being “the one.” I did that for so many years and suffered needlessly.
The thing about California driver’s ed fascinated me. When I was in school, driver’s ed was offered, but it was a summer course that cost extra $$. Even so, most kids still had their licenses by 16–of course, this was more than 20 years ago. Last I heard (in Texas) taking the driver’s ed course exempts students from having to take the state driving test at the DPS headquarters.
I don’t think fewer teenagers driving is such a bad thing. However, I live in an area where there is NO public transportation. It just hasn’t reached out this far yet. I can just imagine the wailing and teeth gnashing if the state made it harder for teenagers to get their driver’s licenses.
Catie, my boys still ride their bikes almost everywhere. They would even ride the six miles to school and back if they missed their bus. But yeah, the oldest is enjoying his license, much to his surprise.
And hopefully the doctor will be the right doctor…we shall see! Hugs dear!
There’s only one thing to say when hearing about a day like this: Oy vey. (sometimes Yiddish puts it so much better than English!)
Sounds like you’ve got a lot of wonderful things going on. Other than the not feeling well of course. I hope you’re feeling better soon!
Sorry about the feeling ugly-pregnant thing. One of the worst things about being female. We have so much more physical crap to deal with than guys. But good news on the partials, the garden, and life in general!
That’s crazy about the driver’s license. I don’t know what the age is here now, but I know kids always have it by 17.
Hope you feel better soon!