celebrations – Mystery Deb

Something to Watch, Something to Write

I’m not an athlete and never was, but I am a big fan of the Olympics. I admire people who devote so much of their lives and make so many sacrifices (families as well) to becoming an Olympic athlete. I enjoyed the Paris Olympics immensely and knew they’d put on a good show. It was terrific.

What struck me most was the sportsmanship and camaraderie I saw from competitors, especially in gymnastics, track-and-field, and swimming, which is what I watched most. It was a feel-good Olympics. Even through the TV screen it was obvious how happy everyone was to be there, whether spectating or participating. It made me realize how much was missed by the absence of an audience in Tokyo. This truly was a time for countries to come together. Sure, there are always disappointments, scandals, and eyebrow-raising moments, but with sports, you never know what will happen and that’s a big part of the fun. I’m going to watch the para-Olympics, too. Talk about commitment and endurance and drive. It’s so impressive.

My days usually end with TV time, but before that, I keep it off while editing. Edits for the second draft have begun and while entire chapters need to be moved, I enjoy the challenge. Mornings whiz by in what feels like only minutes. My head’s in the zone, ideas are percolating, and right now they’re spilling into another project I’ve resurrected. More about that another time.

It’s not been all work, though, these past couple of weeks. This month, there are four different birthdays in our family. Ellie and Abby’s birthdays are two years and one week apart, so we celebrated both at the same time. Ellie was so moved by everyone singing for her and Abby that she told us that she loved everybody 😊 Memories, right?

So, here we are in mid-August already. The days are growing shorter and the squashes in our vegetable garden are growing fast. We’re not far from fall, so I’m trying to make the most of this glorious summer while it lasts. I hope you’ve been enjoying it as well, although I’m well aware that many have had a rough time thanks to wildfires, hurricanes, torrential rains, and flooding. I’m grateful that it hasn’t been terrible here in Vancouver and hope you’re all doing okay wherever you are.

My Two Favourite Things

Those who’ve been following my blog a while know that my two favourite things in the world are writing and family time. Reading is a close third. Happily, I’ve been enjoying a lot of those activities these past couple of weeks.

As I write the second installment in my urban fantasy trilogy, I occasionally go back and tweak something in the first book. It’s hard to completely put it away. I submitted the first 5,000 words to a writing competition, so needless to say, I went through those pages thoroughly. I’ve also signed up with QueryTracker to help find agents, and submitted my first query yesterday. So, the journey has begun.

I’ve worked with two agents in the past, one in Canada and the other in the U.S. Both were sole operators. The first agent helped me edit my very first book, Taxed to Death, (now out of print) in the mid-1990s. The second agent I acquired around 2008 did no editing but she did receive encouraging responses from large publishers for The Opposite of Dark. I’m looking for larger, more established firms this time. It’ll be a long process, I expect, but I have enough on the go to keep me preoccupied. If I don’t find an agent or a publisher, that’s okay, too. I’ll likely self-publish the trilogy at some point. So, regardless of what happens, it’s all good.

On the family front, we celebrated Easter at our house this year, and held my granddaughters’ first Easter egg hunt. I hid the eggs in only three rooms, and it didn’t take three-year-old Ellie to figure out that there was chocolate inside the colourful wrappers.

I think that the worst of cold and flu season is over in our part of the world, as both girls have been going to daycare every day for the past three weeks, which is a record. Good health is crucial right now, as I have five in-person writing-related events coming up next week. Spring is a busy time in the writing world, but it’s always good to get out there and chat with people face-to-face.

Here’s my favourite photo of the day: A 3-year-old with her Easter duckie on grandpa’s motorcycle, while grandpa keeping a watchful eye. She loves the motorcycle, which doesn’t bode well for her parents when Ellie’s a teen. 😊

Unique Challenges in 2023

It’s natural to think that once we moved into our new home, the challenges would be over, but we’re not quite there yet. Moving into a new home is only phase one of the process. We left behind furniture to either sell or donate at the old house. We also have a lot of stuff to be picked up by the Got Junk folks. One family is keen to buy our Port Moody home and have removed three of four subjects, however, they must sell their home before they can purchase ours. It’s a domino effect and since I have no control over that I try not to fret about it.

We also have smaller things to take care of at the new house. Like buying a new kitchen faucet because the current one barely functions. We also have to figure out where to place the plants we brought with us, including my mom’s rose bush (it was given to me in memory of her passing four years ago). There are also paintings to hang, new furniture deliveries pending, and so forth.

As you’ll see from the photo, I’ve discovered that we have what I think is wisteria (correct me if I’m wrong) growing at the side of our house. Lavender and lilac plants also grow on the property. Since we looked at and purchased the house in November, it’s a nice surprise to see what else will be blooming now that the warm weather has arrived.

Additionally, and this is the personal thing I mentioned in last week’s blog, I had surgery on Thursday to remove a small mass in my chest, near my heart. The surgery went well and the pathologist’s report will be available in about three weeks. The surgeon doesn’t think the growth is cancerous, based on previous CT and PET scans and the MRI in February, but we’ll see. I was allowed to remove the bandages last night and finally take a shower, (this was laparoscopic surgery) but I can’t lift anything over 20 pounds for 6-8 weeks, which means I won’t be a helpful grandma over the coming weeks. Since I had a chest tube inserted after surgery, I had to stay overnight, but received good care at the hospital. I’m taking it easy now and planning to catch up on reading between the mandatory short walks and inevitable naps.

Unfortunately, my sister needs another surgery, as the surgeon apparently wasn’t able to remove all of the cancerous tissue during the April 13th surgery, so she goes back later this month. The good news is that the cancer didn’t spread to her lymph nodes, so chemotherapy won’t be necessary, just radiation. Later this year, my son-in-law is having shoulder surgery, so it seems this is a year for fixing things 😊

I had hoped to get back to work on more mystery writing this spring, but given everything that’s going on, it seems smarter to stick to one thing, which is fantasy writing and research these days. It’s my hope that life will be calmer once summer arrives and I can be more productive, but until then, we do what we can and what we must to be our best selves.

And belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! My daughter was sick yesterday, so we’ve postponed our celebration till next weekend.

Holiday Prep and Blessings

Somehow, I managed to get all ready for Christmas five days early. Mind you, it took some planning and help from my son and hubby who shared cooking and housework duties while I did my thing. But the big day’s almost here and I’m so happy to be celebrating Christmas with little Ellie this year.

This time last year, our province was in a major lock down that prevented families from getting together. Ellie was four months old, so I figured she wouldn’t miss us, but this year she’s an energetic, curious sixteen months, who loves Christmas lights and purple bows. She also gets excited when her grandparents, uncle and great aunt walk arrive together. I’ll share a couple of photos next week.

Year-end thoughts will also be in next week’s blog, but right now I’m focused on family and gratitude for the blessings I’ve been able to enjoy. I never stop appreciating how lucky we are to live in this part of the world, and that our family’s staying healthy. I wish the same for you and yours.

Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Holidays, and a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!