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| Mama and MoFo in the early evening glow! |
The past month since my last entry has been the busiest that
I’ve had in a long time. Perhaps it’s just the closing down of school for the
summer, but it was a non-stop wall of insanity to climb every day. I was so, so
glad to see that last day hit and complete a very good school year. While school
has been out a little over two weeks, I am just now getting down to business
with my book plan.
It was a bit hectic the first week out- lots of outdoor
prep, moving plants from my mother’s yard to mine, cleaning up, mowing and
such. I was also finalizing the manuscript formatting for the first novel
published by Sleeping Panther Press- Deer Dancer by Richard J. Gonzales. It was
quite an exciting time, but smack dab in the middle of it, I got a cold, or possibly
just a severe allergy attack, probably brought on by sticking my head in the
middle of the flowering bushes I was moving around!
Luckily, all of that was taken care of just in time to find
out that the only local, independent bookstore in a good distance from my
house, as well as the one that I did all of Fort Worth Writer’s Boot Camp
business through, was closing. Such a sad time for all involved, including the
owner, Paul, who realized his dream of opening a bookstore only a year ago. This
was such a great store and I did my best to get the word out about it every
chance I got. It is also sad for the many local writers who may not get carried
in stores like Barnes and Noble. It legitimized their writing to be able to
say, “Oh, you can pick up a copy at The Last Word.” Definitely the Bummer of Summer.
This was just all in the first week!
The second week was less stressful, to say the least. My mama and I did our annual camping trip to Lake Mineral Wells State Park with MoFo,
the camper with the incredibly apt name because something seems to almost
always go wrong with it- from the first day we got it! Even though I brought my
laptop to do “work,” I didn’t do it. I was there to relax, enjoy some time away
from home, and to give my brain a rest from the 1,000 miles a minute it usually
runs. I went on long walks with my pup, Henry. I took hours long afternoon
naps. We ate out for lunch- yeah, sounds like a strange thing to do camping,
but the state park is less than a mile outside of the town of Mineral Wells and
there’s this great little place that is so cheap and so good! I went kayaking
for the first time (love it!), for which I learned the most important lesson of
applying sunscreen: really, really slather it on your legs! I’m still feeling
the burn. Ouch! Most importantly, I journaled every morning and read every day
at different times of the day. A book. For fun. I’m almost half way through it.
The evening talks, though, by candlelight and the glow of the LED stars we hang
with every camp we make, were moments I will always cherish with my mama.
I also spent much time on this trip daydreaming. Thinking of
how I want to do things differently around my home. Deciding how I want to
spend the rest of the summer. Most of it will be working on publishing books
and the 2017 Panther City Review. A good deal of it will be spent reading,
though. Writing my own stuff. Not being unproductive. I will rest, but I will
make the most of not being at work! Oh, and find another place for Fort Worth Writer's Boot Camp. That is a priority.