It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.
To visit the IWSG website, click here.
To become a member of the IWSG, click here.
Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine.
I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.
I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.
Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:
This month's featured question is:
Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect?
If so, did it surprise you?
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Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Happy May, Everyone!
I hope this spring month brings you big doses of energy and optimism.
Congratulations to all of our IWSG authors included in this year's anthology!
Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.
Dark Matter: Artificial was released on May 4, yesterday.
I can't wait for Amazon to deliver my copy.
You can order your copy here:
Print copies of Dark Matter: Artificial are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from the publisher, Dancing Lemur Press! eBooks are also available.
I also can't wait to see the genre and theme for this year's anthology contest
which will be revealed today on the IWSG website.
On the Verge of Spring ~ Terry Walking in the Park
Aurora, Colorado, USA
Friday, April 30, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
April has been a challenging time for Terry and me.
Terry suffered a serious heart attack on April 10th.
He was very, very lucky to survive, and it's still hard to believe it happened.
Our lives were upended, but we are learning to live with this new reality,
and Terry's prognosis is good.
He's walking most days, as much as two miles at a time, weather permitting.
Hopefully yesterday was winter's last gasp,
a dank day of snow spitting from a sullen sky
when it wasn't dumping torrents of icy rain.
We are so ready for spring!
Cheerful Harbingers of Spring
Aurora, Colorado, USA
Sunday, April 25, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
I haven't been writing.
I've barely been blogging.
I haven't managed to stay on top of comment moderation
which I accidentally enabled mid-month.
I've fallen terribly behind in replying to comments.
This is the story of my April:
What the Hell?
Aurora, Colorado, USA
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue All Rights Reserved
I found that blob on my phone when I was trying to figure out why
I had been credited with an 11-minute-57-second run on my fitbit
on the second day after Terry was discharged from the hospital.
Understand I am no runner.
I'm not even allowed to run for medical reasons.
I have never, ever, in all my fitbit-wearing years, been credited with a run for exercise.
It turns out that was how my fitbit tracker recorded my 19,124 steps that day,
and the numbers 1-8 are "laps" I did on my "run."
That's all inside our home; I didn't even make it out to the mailbox.
LOL!
The next day I hit 26,613 steps and the day after that 19,893,
but I wasn't moving fast enough to hit the threshold of a continuous ten-minute run.
I only was credited with walks.
The Amazing Doctor Who Saved Terry's Life
Things are calming down.
I no longer feel like a frantic bushy tailed woodrat.
I'm no longer running in circles.
I'll get on top of things again.
I'll start writing again shortly.
I will check comment moderation today.
I will answer comments.
I appreciate you all so much!
Happy writing in May!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Lovely to see you Louise, I am pleased that Terry is continuing to make progress and is able to walk about.
ReplyDeleteI am not suprised that April was a strange month for you, as for getting behind with your blog and comments. We are all rooting for you and only return when you feel up to it.
Take care and stay safe.
Yvonne.
Thank you for your understanding, Yvonne! I hope that you're doing well. Have a fun IWSG Day. XOXOX
DeleteYou will gradually settle into the new way of living, not anticipating another episode, taking each day as it unfolds.Hugh lives with a stent in his RCA, mine is in the lAD, and as you know this is called the " Widow Maker" .When events like this happen, we all suddenly learn so much about our inner workings,. new terms, so many acronyms, and how to cope with a life threatening situation. I can say, it does get easier, Hugh's was in 2012, and I cannot remember the life expectancy of a stent. I do know mine was the longest one possible, and if the blockage was longer, would the surgeon put in another one? Better not to know.For you both, I send by air, a whole heaps of wishes that you both can take each day slowly, walk if you can, relax a little more, and have both feet on the floor every morning. XXX and HUGS, from NZ. p.s. I had another treadmill test on Tuesday, not the hard slog that I did last June, a lot easier, ECG showed no peaks or dips that shouldn't be there, do not need any PCI ( Percutaneous cardiac Intervention) at the moment, meds altered, I joke that soon my breakfast will be just tablets!!!You will get through this will your wonderful inner strength and love together.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your encouraging comment, Jean, and I'm thrilled to hear that you don't need any PCI! And I'm glad that you didn't have to do a hard slog on the treadmill test.
DeleteMy trainer Julie has a little dachshund named Tu Lu. Julie puts her on the treadmill and walks with her. It's so funny to watch her four short legs running while Julie is slowly walking. But if Julie stops, Tu Lu stops, lets the track carry her to the end, and jumps off backwards. Then Tu Lu dashes to where Julie has treats stashed. Julie and I were cracking up on Monday as Julie kept trying to get Tu Lu to walk by herself on the treadmill. Tu Lu didn't get the treats she thought she deserved, so she lay by the treadmill and glared at Julie while I worked out. Julie groaned that when she finished with me, she'd have to walk on the treadmill with Tu Lu. What a lifeline Julie has been throughout the pandemic. Thank goodness for FaceTime which has made it possible.
I know what you mean by a tablet breakfast. Poor Terry has discovered that morning delight!
Wishing you a lovely week! Big hugs to you and Hugh!
Hi Louise, wonderful for you to have an actual friend, a lifeline, and some time to laugh together. Life will eventually get better, but never quite back to where it was pre H.A. Maybe I need. s small treadmill here, as on the local streets I am aware of dogs, some not on a leash, so far the best I have done is to the letter box many times a day .Terry. the tablet diet might be bland and uninteresting, but as we know, so necessary. My extra half a tablet tops up the allocation for now, a grand variety of 7 and a half each morning, half at night, and if the extra half doesn't do the trick one more will be added. I am so thankful for the fact that with what we call a GOLD card, at over 65, I don't have to pay.
DeleteLaughter helps for sure, Jean! Terry and the cardiologist's team are working on getting the right balance of medication for the best result. It's definitely a process. Like you, we are grateful to be over 65 and to get a break on prescription costs. Many trips to the letter box adds up to lots of steps. Good for you! Take care, my friend!
DeleteOh no! A heart attack. Of course your life has been turned upside down. I'll be praying for both of you. I am so glad for spring, the warmer days and its beauty. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teresa! Prayers are much appreciated. I hope that you had a fun IWSG Day!
DeleteThat is an incredible amount of steps! I run five-six miles a day and I don't often go much over twenty thousand.
ReplyDeleteGlad Terry is recovering and out doing walks.
Yup ~ That is a lot of steps. My body felt every one. I'm not kidding when I say I am ADHD. I find it hard to sit. Most days I hit 10-12 thousand steps. So far today, 14,581 steps ,and I made it as far as the mailbox ~ LOL! I hope you had a fun IWSG Day, Alex!
DeleteI'm so glad that Terry is doing so much better. I know what it's like to go through those challenging times because I did with my late husband many times. You have to do what you're doing--focus on your husband and you. Life with slow down and you can get back to commenting and writing. I hope your husband continues to improve.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie! I'm sorry that you had to go through such challenging times with your husband, but your wise advise is much appreciated. Hugs to you!
DeleteWow! I hit my highest ever last Thursday at almost 24,000 steps and I was exhausted. That's a lot of walking.
ReplyDeleteI hope Terry continues to get stronger.
Thanks, Diane! The 26,613 steps is my fourth highest step count since I retired, and I was wiped out. My best is 31,878 which I logged walking up and down the Las Vegas strip. I hope the sales of Dark Matters Artificial are great! Take care!
DeleteGlad to hear things are getting back to a "new normal." Terry and you are both troopers!
ReplyDeleteGood grief! Louise, I'm so glad Terry's okay. That must have been a nightmare. My heart is pounding just thinking about it. Don't do anything for as long as you need. I'm thinking of you. Take care.
ReplyDeleteHi Louise,
ReplyDeleteyou too look forward to a very happy writing in May and a very healthy and happy time for Terry.
Hello, Fundy. I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's heart attack but glad he's getting good care and improving. I can 100% relate to your Fitbit's record! My hubs is suffering from a lingering attack of diverticulitis that's lasted 4+ months. Though we're both fully vaccinated now, we're still stuck at home. The move to Las Vegas we were planning is on hold until he improves, and there's no sign of improvement. My daily walks around the neighborhood, if transcribed, would probably look like the snarl from your fitbit. Here's to brighter days in May for both of us!
ReplyDeleteTrying times for you and your husband. I'm sending you my very best for continued recovery and beautiful walks.
ReplyDeleteI hope May brings some calmer moments and more time to write.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear he's doing better. Health scares will always upend life, and all we can do is the best we can. Some days are really hard, and some days are worse, but we learn to deal with the new normal and keep going.
ReplyDeleteStay strong! Keep moving forward. Good luck with recovery and getting life back on track.
Glad you made it back to the blogosphere. Tell Terry to keep improving!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear that about Terry. Hope things continue to look up for you. Hope you have a better May.
ReplyDeleteAnne from annehiga.com
lol you must have been go go go for it to say running. I'm with you on running. I don't even run when a dog tries to come at me. Just a brisk walk lol hopefully things are a calming down for you.
ReplyDeleteWe appreciate you too!! Sending hugs to Terry! That's a lot of steps girl! Big Hugs!
ReplyDelete