Wizard has a cold and cough. He’d been having a mild on-again, off-again cold/sinus thing for almost two weeks, but it wasn’t really any big deal.  It just turned overnight and Monday morning he woke up coughing. Poor guy! He’s being smart though, resting and doing all the things he should, so hopefully, he’ll get better soon.

I have the sniffles, but nothing that’s slowing me down. I’m planning to keep it that way

Now onto our Wednesday Worthy Candidate.

So what do you think, is he worthy?

It was another un-crazy weekend for me, which I so appreciate! I can’t even remember what we did Saturday, just normal stuff. Sunday, my sister, Biker Witch and her Biker Hubby came to visit for a while. Maggie was thrilled to have company! But she was a little sad that she didn’t get to go for a ride in their snazzy new SUV After they left, Wizard went to his brother’s to watch the Superbowl and I stayed home with Maggie.

I spent some time writing too.

Just for fun, here’s a picture of my oldest son, CPA Boy, at a Spartan Race (It’s a BRUTAL 8 miles race with obstacles that would have made me cry or run for the nearest donut shop).

I love watching the concentration on his face. That’s what I’m working on regaining in my work! Until half way through last year, I had that same focus, and I’ll get it back again! And yes, CPA Boy completed the Spartan Race

So that’s my weekend, how was yours?

I’ve been bad this week. I’ve now racked up one Blog-Tardry on Monday (that one I have an excuse for since my website was down when I tried to post), and one Blog-Absent on Wednesday (totally unexcused, I just blanked). But I’m here on Friday! So lets cover five random things about our weeks!

1. I’m judging the RWA RITA Contest again this year, and I’ve read four of my seven entries. And you know what? Three have been good, and one readable just not my thing (but I can fairly judge it). After two years in a row of getting less than stellar entries, this year has been a pleasure so far.
2. I joined Weight Watchers. Yeah…who else wishes they were me???? LOLOL!! I just want to get rid of a few pounds, and I like WW as it forces me to be more aware of what I’m eating. But still….kind of sucks to be me, right? No worries, though, I scrimp and save points to have wine with Wizard while we cook. I mean let’s not get crazy here.
3. Speaking of wine, Wizard just brought me a glass while I’m writing this blog, and said, “Poor Maggie is hungry. How long do I have to wait until I feed her?” I laughed, because the dog is playing him by simply sitting there and looking sad with her big brown eyes. But I said, “You can feed her whenever you want.” Then when he was walking away, I fake-coughed the word, “Wuss!” He snort-laughed.
4. Two doctor appointments this week sucked up way too much time. Both were good appointments. My new GP is on top of everything. I don’t need a neurosurgeon consult yet, I do need a hearing test due to the tinnitus (ear ringing), and my RA is pretty stable. Yay. And the pain specialist is encouraged with the minimal but important improvement, and we’ve scheduled another epidural procedure on March first. That will be followed up by trigger point shots two weeks after that, then we’ll re-evaluate. It’s a relief to be getting some help here. It’s not magic but it’s very hopeful.
5. I’m writing again, it’s slow, and I’m still working on developing ways to write without pain, but happy to be making progress!

That’s my week, now I’d really love to hear five random things about your week! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

P.S. Wizard gave in and is feeding Maggie now

Hey guys! My website was down last night, so I didn’t post. I planned to go back to the computer and post later, but I ended up vegging on the couch with Maggie So I’m late.

My weekend was relaxing and I really needed it. I worked some, wrote a scene I’m going to delete, and a scene I love sprang out of that misstep. This is something that as a writer I believe it…

Writing crap is the roadway to brilliance.

Okay maybe brilliance is a little strong, LOL. Brilliant storytelling is my dream. But right now, I’m just striving for the honest and real story of a romance that endures heartache and heals into a timeless love. But the road to that goal is paved with discarded words, sucky scenes or whole chapters. Once in a while there’s a scene I adored, but it simply didn’t work. However, I needed each and every word to complete the journey to The End.

As for the rest of my weekend, I’m really happy to say that despite my utter misery last week, my neck, shoulder and arm have improved. The shot appears to successfully stopped most of the pain running down my arm, and eased some of the pain in my neck and shoulders. I still have to limit my computer time, and I can’t vacuum or do certain types of activities, or turn my head a certain way. I still have stabs of pain behind my shoulder blade, but it’s a definite improvement and that’s a positive sign that the next shot will give me even more relief!

I’m continuing my walks, and Maggie and I did a killer hike on Saturday, going almost to the end of the trail through the hills:

Here’s a pic, can you see how the stairs wind through the hills? I’ve been working up to this, and am surprised my shoulder tolerated it. The shoulder’s a bit more sore today, but it was worth it! My little Maggie keeps up too! Then she crashed at home.

She’s sleeping with her back foot over her face, LOL!! She’s such a dork sometimes.

That was my weekend, how was yours?

Time to list five random things about our week!

1. Maggie LOVES my sister! Biker Witch came over yesterday to hang out and go to lunch. Maggie was all excited, played with her, and basked in a ridiculous amount of attention. She was so sad when Biker Witch left, I had to take her for a walk to distract her. I think it’s the first time that Biker Witch was here alone and could have Maggie all to herself.
2. Wizard and I met his brother, who is herr from out of state for our niece’s wedding last weekend, for dinner. We had a good time. The only downside is we live 50 miles away from most of our family, so it’s always a time-consuming to do these things. On the other hand, we’re grateful to have family to visit, so we can’t complain too much.
3. I keep waiting for life to slow down. But then again, being busy is better than being bored.
4. This is one of Maggie’s many expression. In this shot, I have her on sit-stay on one of our walks. Wizard and I worked pretty diligently to reinforce this one command over others for safety. She’s pretty good about stopping and sitting when whenever we give her the “sit” or “stop” command. It keeps her from pulling me when we’re on uneven slopes, slippery rocks or steep stairs like this set I posted on my FB page: It also allows me to put her in a sit when trucks and offroad vehicles come by, and keep her safe at my side. Someone riding an ATV or motorcycle might not see her closer to the ground, but the almost always see me. If I have her sitting by my leg, then she’s safe. While she can heel, I’m not as big a stickler about that as the sit or stop command.
5. We had an earthquake Thursday morning at 2.10 a.m.  Of course it’s the one night I was actually sleeping, LOL. But it wasn’t strong enough to do any damage, so I’ll take lost sleep over a huge quake.

That’s my Friday Five, now it’s your turn to share yours! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Yesterday was a little rough, but people who’ve had these epidural shots are assuring that the second one often works much better, sometimes creating a dramatic difference. That sent a shot full of hope into my pity party! However I’ve also made an appointment with my GP to go forward with a neurosurgeon consult.  Mostly because Wizard made me Okay he didn’t make me, but he pointed out that we should make sure I don’t need surgery sooner rather than later (or never!). Wizard is of the opinion that I’m not medically qualified to decide that on my own.

Whatever…

Just to add to our fun and games, Wizard is in pain and dealing with pretty severe issues too. I don’t want to go into all his personal stuff, but I do want to say this: He’s really been a trooper. The last two years have heen pretty brutal to him, but he keeps going and trying to take care of everyone else around him. He’s the stuff heroes are made of (and why yes, I am biased since I’m married to him!).

While I’m still slow on the book, I had one single moment of utter glory having to do with one of my favorite characters in the book, Justice’s dad, Noah. I hope it works as well as I think it does!

Now let’s go onto our Wednesday Worthy! Here’s today’s candidate.

What do you think, is he worthy?

I may have overdone it a little after my epidural procedure. Friday I cleaned a bit, then Saturday was a marathon long day with a wedding nearly 2 1/2 hours away from us. But the wedding was beautiful, my niece looking like a magical Disney princess, and she married a man who truly loves her. We are thrilled for her, and very proud of them. We also got to see out-of-state family, including a great-nephew. It was joyous on so many levels.

Maggie survived her doggy sleepover. We missed her, but boy, am I grateful we have a place to leave her where she’s safe and cared for. She gets along with the other dogs, but doesn’t really engage in play. That’s fine too.

Sunday I was sore and exhausted from going nonstop after the epidural (which, unsurprisingly, swelled and bruised at the injection site), so I was forced to take it easy for a day. I suspect today will be much better and I’ll be back to writing and causing trouble:-)

That was my weekend, how was yours?