blogging – Page 19 – Linda Nelson

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Seven years have passed since we had the ice storm of 2008 that put us in the dark for 12 straight days. That was a horrible experience for all of us, especially my mother. That was the year I started writing and blogging. I hadn’t started working on that first book I published. I believe the book I was beginning to work on at that time was Aaron & Keja. I was blogging it one chapter at a time on MySpace. How times have changed, and so have I.

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The first morning when we went outside to see all the damage, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The trees had turned to glass. Any sudden sound would bring not only tree limbs but also whole trees crashing down. You had to be very careful around areas shadowed by trees until the ice melted away. All it took was one tree to let out a loud crack and other trees would answer back with their own cracking.

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I hope we never have to go through another ice storm or a snow storm where it knocks out the power for a couple of weeks, even though we’re better prepared for it now. We weren’t back then. All we had then was the two fireplaces and they don’t make them for heating a house like in the old days. That was the first thing we addressed that coming year by buying a wood stove. Which we were so glad we had gotten when the power went out last year for three days. Three days was more than enough for us to endure. At least, that time we were warm and snug inside.

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During the ice storm, when we went without the woodstove, we huddled in the living room wrapped in blankets, sitting by candle light and trying to hear any little bit we could pick up on a battery powered radio. We did have access to a battery-powered TV. But the battery ran out fast so we kept the viewing time to a minimum as we waited to learn when our power was going to be restored. In the meantime, my husband cooked our food on the gas grill for the most part. Eating foods that came from a can or that could be cooked on the grill. The local shelter that was opened did help provide a couple of hot meals too. We could have stayed at the shelter, but my mother refused to go. I think she was afraid to leave her cat behind. Maybe she felt guilty about leaving him to fend for himself in the cold.

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I wanted to remind her that he was a cat and that he had fur, but she appeared to be too stressed by the lack of electricity. Her whole world had been turned upside down. It may have been different for her had my dad been still alive. He died in ’99 and she was still in a sort of funk from his death. Years have passed since then, but I think she still gets in a kind of funk when the holidays come around. Probably because he died two weeks into the new year.

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During out power outage, I was out of work for three days. Thank God I had vacation time I could fall back on. Especially since the Christmas Holidays was right around the corner. It was bad enough I had to heat water in a kettle to wash up. I hate going for more than two days without showering. Washing out of a pot of hot water was like taking a step back in time. I was so glad when I learned that the shelter began offering hot showers to those who would like them. So people were a bit more fortunate than we were. They had family living in the area who had power and were able to stay with them.
The generators started up the first night. We heard them all around our neighborhood. We not only didn’t have a wood stove, but we also didn’t have a generator either. Now we have both.

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At least, I have hobbies I was able to fall back on while the power was out. What better time to pick up that afghan one is crocheting. It was an excellent excuse to cover up to get warm. Once again I have an afghan to work on should the power go out. I also have a quilt too. I’m set this time with plenty of projects.

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English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto... — English: A photo of a cup of coffee. Esperanto: Taso de kafo. Français : Photo d’une tasse de caffé Español: Taza de café (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If we were having coffee right now… I would tell you that I’m back on a sewing machine at work. Yes, I do have a day job like the average American. I don’t stay home and write all day. I’m not sure if I would want to leave my day job. I like my co-workers. Where else would I come up with ideas for plot lines? Those gals help me. They brainstorm, beta read, and cheer each story on after I publish it. I guess some writers would envy my work and writing relationship. One of the things I decided right off the bat when I started writing, I would make sure that I treated my day job the same way I treat my writing. Seriously, I care about what I do, and I let my co-workers know that too. I’m not the type of person who goes to work just for the paycheck. If you’re a writer and working a daytime job, take pride in that job. You will be surprised how much help it is to have a positive attitude at work. Believe me, the higher-ups notice. It’s an image you not only want to portray but keep.

Singer sewing machine - 31K32 (detail 1) — Singer sewing machine – 31K32 (detail 1) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If we were having coffee right now… I would tell you I went to the doctor’s the other day for a check up. She said my A1C is coming down, but not down enough. I’m to continue doing what I’ve already done, but I also have to focus on losing some more weight. Bah- I’m tired of doctors. I feel healthy and happy, why do I need to keep going back. We’ll see if I return in six months. At least she never needed to put me on any insulin medication.

[/media-credit] Gracie recently departed at the age of 19. She lived a great life.

If we were having coffee right now… I would have to tell you about the pup, Keelaa. She ran down the driveway today, and across the street. Little bugger! Now she’s grounded. We think she saw a black and white cat that looked like her deceased friend, Gracie. Every time she sees this black and white cat, she starts barking like mad, it’s as though she were trying to call the cat to come home. Poor pup doesn’t know that we had no choice but to put Gracie down. She was almost 20 years old and having serious health problems.

English: George R.R. Martin signing books in a... — English: George R.R. Martin signing books in a bookstore in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Slovenščina: George R.R. Martin med podpisovanjem knjig v ljubljanski knjigarni. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If we were having coffee right now… I would tell you about the book I’m reading. It’s the fourth book in the Game of Thrones. I won’t tell you any spoilers. But, what I will tell you, is that I love the way GRRM writes. I like how he builds his characters, settings, and plots. After this book, there is one more. He has a sixth book coming out. I just don’t know when its release date is. When I hear, I’ll let you all know.

prevention an aid against drug addiction Deuts... — prevention an aid against drug addiction Deutsch: Kampf dem Drogenmissbrauch :*Ausgabepreis: 40 Pfennig :*First Day of Issue / Erstausgabetag: 14. August 1975 :*Michel-Katalog-Nr: 864 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If we were having coffee right now… I would tell you that I’m a Walking Dead fan. They say that the new spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead is slipping in ratings. I think this could be associated with the fact that there is active drug addiction being portrayed in this story hitting too close to home for many folks. It can even, unknowingly, trigger addicts to begin using. There should be a word of caution at the beginning of episodes, warning about the subject of drug addiction. Triggers are real, and there are too many people suffering addiction to ignore involuntary triggers on TV.

Oh, I got to go… I think we’ll meet again for another coffee session.