A Hurricane and More!

So much has happened since my last post only two weeks ago.

My mom passed away at the end of August. She had been sick for quite some time. She'd bounced back after a stroke two years ago, but her health began to deteriorate quickly over the last year. My family is grief stricken over the loss, but we take comfort in knowing she is no longer in pain and that she's with my father. Hugs to my mom who I love and miss.

Then Hurricane Dorian arrived on September 7. After leaving the US coast line, she headed straight for Nova Scotia and made landfall in the capital. During the midst of Dorian's wrath, my husband, my daughter and I went out to cut down our (25 foot plus high) hackmatack tree. From our window, I watched the trunk of the tree sway from the high winds and not long after, the roots were lifting the surface of the grass. This was scary! The tree was coming out and it was just a matter of time.

We went into action before the wind pulled the tree out and dropped it onto the power lines, which would have ripped from the house and caused considerable damage. Or the tree could have toppled onto the roof, causing damage there as well.

Out we went into the storm and cut her down. My husband sawed the trunk while my daughter and I kept a tight grip on the rope we wrapped around the tree to guide it to the direction we wanted it to fall. Then we heard a 'crack' my husband quickly stopped sawing and raced over to us and helped pull the tree down. Thankfully, it landed in the right spot where it wouldn't hit us or the two trees beside it. It is very sad to see such a lovely tree go, but we had no choice. Better to be safe than sorry.

The next day we went out and chopped it's branches and placed them in two piles. The city will take the debris away, but we have to tie it in bundles. Well, we're talking twenty or more bundles! We are going to wait until my husband's brother comes in town with his truck and hauls it away. Or at least until the needles fall which will decrease the size of the bundles we have to tie.

But that wasn't the worst part of the storm. We lost power the afternoon of the hurricane and it wasn't restored until five days later! Yesterday, at 4pm! I will admit that my  patience was sure tested after a few days of no power. Our neighbour had a generator and took the food in our freezer to store in their deep freezer so it could be saved. We lost much of the food in our fridge, but the meat in the freezer was more important and costly.

On a positive note, I was thankful for my old Kobo, which I charged the morning of the storm and it held power for the next five days. I read three books in that time because there is only so many card and board games you can play by candle light and flash lights. New book reviews coming soon.

My heart is so heavy after the loss of Jagger and my mother. Then, being tested by a hurricane. I am hoping for calmer days as we approach the middle of September.

Summer Wrap Up

Summer isn't officially over, but it sure is wrapping up fast. The nights are getting cooler and the rainy season is quickly approaching. The lawns are dry, so they could use a little rain, but I know once that dampness sets in, there's no turning back.

This summer definitely had it's high and lows. One of the most tragic happenings was the loss of my beloved dog. Jagger our yellow lab (named after Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones) had recently turned twelve. Last fall he had a difficult time with his legs on right side. The vet thought it may have been a mild stroke or a spinal issue. He was put on bed rest for several weeks and healed well. Early summer, he lost a lot of weight and then the middle of July he had issues walking again to the point where all four legs were weak. Then his breathing got laboured and just to stand was difficult. The vet confirmed he had cancer. People say we made the right decision, and I know it was, but it doesn't make it any easier. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think of him. He was my yellow shadow and loosing him broke my heart. Thankfully, we have Keefer, our one and a half year old yellow lab (named after Keith Richards) who keeps me busy. I miss Jagger so much, but I know he is free of pain and playing with our German shepherd, Luger.

On the writing side of things...I completed the third book in my Redford Falls series, but I hadn't sent it to my Escape publisher due to the position of managing editor yet to be replaced. Then in the middle of June, I received an email from the publishing director offering my rights back to my three titles with them. I was a bit shocked, but a writer friend explained that with the bigger houses they expect their books to make lots of sales. I guess if your book isn't making a certain quota then they don't want you. I felt slighted by this email even though they offered to discuss further submissions. Needless to say, I accepted my rights back and will not be submitting to them again. So what to do with my books? Let them sit on a shelf to collect dust? Try another publisher? A couple of writing friends suggested self publishing and that seemed to be a good idea. So, I am working on designing new covers and giving my three books new titles. The third book (which was a stand alone title) will be reworked to make it part of my Redford Falls series and the manuscript I finished and was waiting to submit, will be the fourth in the series. I am looking forward to this venture and having control over my books.

I also started working with authors as a social media consultant. Check out my page with the details here.
https://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com/p/promo-services.html
And I recently received an awesome testimonial that made my day. If you're an author and need some help with marketing, be sure to contact me.

On a last note, at the beginning of August my family went away for a few days and rented a cottage. We actually stayed at the same spot we visited in 2016. This was a getaway that was therapeutic for the whole family. With the loss of our fur baby, my husband's stress at work, and my daughter starting a full time job, we needed this trip and it was so much fun. The weather was beautiful. We spent the afternoons on the deck by the lake (top photo) and the evenings lounging on the cottage deck. Three days of complete relaxation and enjoyment.

So September is almost here, but this year things are a bit different with my daughter not returning to school. She graduated from college with honours as a pastry chef in June and was hired by the bakery where she completed her work term. She's an awesome baker and we are lucky that she brings home some of the treats she bakes! But this September comes with sadness because my baby girl is all grown up, yet I'm happy and proud of the woman she has become.

Time flies and all those highs and lows become new ones with the rapid change of the leaves.

Is it Spring yet?

As I flipped the calendar page this morning, I was dreaming of summer, but at this point, I'll even take Spring!

February is the month of love, but who can fall in love in this cold weather?!

It sure is cold out there today. -21c wind chill. I need the summer's warmth asap!

After the house was cleaned, I did manage to take the dogs for a short walk...better a short walk than none. At least the temperature rose a bit and the sun was shining. The oldest boy wasn't happy due to slush getting between his toes, so every so often I had to stop when I saw him limping and clean between his toes...yup, the life of a dog mom. The youngest boy kept swatting at his face to loosen the head halter from his nose. Oh yes, an enjoyable walk overall, lol.

I have a few posts to schedule on the magazine web blog for February, then a break for lunch. After that, I'm going to grab my tablet and read for the rest of the afternoon...of course, you know a hot chocolate will be near by...I'm thinking French Vanilla flavour :)

A quick weather update...the sun is gone and the clouds look rather threatening. Wait...a snow squall currently happening, looking like a blizzard out there. Staying inside sure sounds heavenly right now.

Have a great weekend, and if you have a moment, stop by the magazine's web blog to read my latest book review - The Rancher's Fake Fiancee by Amy Vastine.
http://stillmomentsezine.blogspot.com/2019/01/between-pages-ranchers-fake-fiancee.html

I also announced the Magazine's 2018 Reader's Choice Awards (aka) My Top 10 Books for 2018 last week. Here's the video! https://youtu.be/c_6R5o-C9hU