Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Full Steam Ahead, Fall Back

I'm sooo busy. My job on the board with Pennwriters is keeping me busier than I want to be. Keeping up with this blog and putting in appearances in on Twitter and Facebook now an then takes up a good bit of time.

The husband still needs my help on the big paint job he's working on. My mother's birthday is today and I knew my sister and brother would visit her in the long-term care facility she lives in so I went yesterday. She's turning ninety today. I bundled her up and took her for a walk out in the residential streets where we could run her wheel chair through the leaves. It was a good time and helped pull up a few of those quickly disappearing memories of the past. Her smiles made the long trip worth it many times over.

The new WIP is coming along and the characters are becoming real people like they're supposed to. It's at the point where it's on my mind all the time. Good thing.

And there's still lots of outside work to be done. Some flowerbeds need a little loving before winter jumps us.
Facebook group for BC awareness

Later this week I'm going for my mammogram. Did all you old ladies get yours this year? Did you guys remind your wives and mothers? Be aware.  Not a fun thing but better to get rid of that one worry.

From The Old Farmer's Almanac trivia:
Tomorrow, October 29th is the birthday of the ballpoint pen, first sold in 1945 for $12.50 each.
In medieval England, apples and nuts were believed to have magical powers and thus were eaten on October 31st.

And I saved the best two things for last. You still have a few more days to send in your short story for the first IWSG anthology contest. Get the details and send it by November first.

Second thing. Turn your clocks back Saturday for the ending of Daylight Savings Time. An hour of sleeping in though it does mean it gets dark around 5 p.m.

Be save for Halloween. I'm staying home.

What has you busy? Any Halloweening in your future this year? Do you like when the time changes? Would you pay that for a ballpoint pen? I wonder how much that would be with today's inflation rate taken into account.

16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Happy birthday to your mother. Glad you got to spend some quality time with her yesterday.
Hate that it gets dark so early, but I don't like the fact it's pitch black when I go to work either. Plus we get our hour back. I need it. Desperately!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

It sounds like you and your mother had a nice day together.

I'm busy prepping for NaNo! And I'm always happy when we "fall back" - I'd much rather have it be lighter earlier.

Maria Zannini said...

You're a good daughter taking your mother out for a stroll in the leaves. I'll bet she loved it. Happy birthday to your mom.

Pat Hatt said...

An hour back sure works for me. Good to be busy, but not sure that busy lol

Ann Bennett said...

I don't know how you do it all.
Apples and nuts do make a good pie. Luck or not, you know folks back then we're glad to eat. I Don't miss the good old days.

betty said...

Happy birthday to your mom! Glad you went to visit her; sounds like an enjoyable time! We don't change the clocks in Arizona, which is a nice change from before and having to adjust to it; now I just have to remember that we are on a different time from California; before we were at the same time, now they fall back, and we end up an hour ahead until spring :)

betty

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi Susan! Sounds like you had a great time with your mom! Playing in the leaves is such fun! Haven't done it in centuries! Yes, i am that old. Lol.

Stil insane with my loft rehab. Never made it to Florida... Flight was cancelled, so I took it as an omen to stay put!


Happy Halliween!

Unknown said...

Happy birthday to your mom! I'm taking the little one trick or treating this weekend. Then I'm jumping full force into Nano like the crazy writer I am. LOL

J E Oneil said...

Happy birthday to your mom :). I'm glad she had a nice time. I can't believe daylight savings time is here already. At least it's the extra hour of sleep one.

The Happy Whisk said...

Happy Birthday to your mom. Wonderful that you got to spend time with her.

J Lenni Dorner said...

Happy Birthday, Pen! LOL. I'm looking forward to the fall behind clock deal. I'm spending my Halloween in the hospital, but that's okay, there are sick kids who need trick-or-treat fun.

Arlee Bird said...

Glad you still have your mother with you--I really miss mine.

The ballpoint pen was a great invention that most of us take for granted now. Those old fashioned ink pens were kind of a hassle I thought and they could be so messy.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Ellie Garratt said...

Happy Birthday to your mum! So wonderful you were able to visit.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Wow, daylight savings! I plum clean forgotten about that though I remembered 3 weeks ago. Ha!

By the way... I SO miss the sensation of having characters become real people. The plot becoming a drive to beg you to continue writing. Oh, those were the days... *sigh* I'm sure I'll be able to get back to that magical time once things settle for me.

On the mean time, eat every moment up, because that is fodder for writers!!!

♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan - glad you had a good time with your mother - reminds me of my time with my Ma in the London square outside the hospital. Well done on getting so much done ... good luck and cheers Hilary

Patricia Stoltey said...

Katie Cat failed to get the message about the time change, so as soon as she detected that first sign of sunrise, she began her meowing campaign to get me up out of bed. I took a nap later in the day, but it's not the same...