My Novels

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Where to begin? I've had a bad case of the late summer blahs, just can't get motivated to do anything, try to accomplish anything worthwhile. And when an idea does come, I simply jot it down for a possible later writing project.

The unrelenting August heat hasn't helped any, but at least we've had a few thundershowers the past few days to break the awful dry spell. Still getting tomatoes and plenty of okra, but otherwise the garden is just about finished. We do hope to clear a spot for late turnip greens, lettuce and collards; those do well here up till the first frost. But it's best not to plant those for another week or so.

I'm using the laptop tonight, halfway watching TV. There is literally NOTHING on these days, just last of the summer reruns. Maybe there will be a few good movies and series once the fall season starts, but I doubt it.

I've been riding my bike in the nearby subdivision and/or on the killer loop when it cools down enough in the late afternoons, usually only after an earlier thundershower. Otherwise, I still use the airbike. I sure need to lose a few pounds, since I've gained during the summer, but (as with everything else) can't get motivated to do so.

Oh, one day the lady I met in the subdivision dropped by. Her husband was with her, and we chatted for awhile. I learned from them of another near-tragedy related to this place. The young guy who owned this house back in the 80s nearly got killed when he was bush-hogging out near the creek; his tractor overturned and pinned him beneath it in the creek! (He's now our next-door neighbor, built a house across the dirt road from us.) According to them, he nearly didn't get out and had to be in the hospital a couple days. I wonder if this place isn't just cursed for the men!!!?

My sister who had breast cancer is scheduled for the last of her reconstruction surgery Friday, and DH and I will go there to be with her and my brother-in-law. She is doing great, and this should be the end of her ordeal, with any luck. She should only be in the hospital overnight, and the recovery should take only a week or so.

The drive there and back will cost a fortune, considering gas prices now: Thanks Bushie! (sigh) Don't you just love how the Repugs still defend Bush, even though the exorbitant gas prices are certainly causing them financial discomfort too. Ah well, "there's none so blind as those who will not see." Or maybe they're just too much like their leader: morons with rose-colored glasses. This little ditty fits them all:

The optimist fell off a ten-story building, and at every window, yelled, "Fourth floor and everything is swell so far!"

Cindy Sheehan seems to have gotten Bush's attention during her vigil near his ranch in Crawford. I know several moms here who have their sons over in Iraq, and though they are Repugs, they have stated that they do not want their sons returning to Iraq again. One actually said she told her son she'd "disown" him if he re-enlisted! I guess when it's your own flesh-and-blood doing the actual bloody, nasty work, you have a fresh perspective on that war.

I saw an ad in the newspaper for a lakeside cabin for sale; it also could be moved. DH and I went to look at it yesterday afternoon, and at first, were very excited about the possibility of buying it and having it moved here. We have often thought of putting a rustic-like cabin at the back of our five acres, near the creek -- or near the house, where an old shotgun-styled house once stood. The price was around $5,000.00, and it was in good shape; long, somewhat narrow, a small kitchenette, bathroom, loft bed, and a huge open living area with sliding glass doors. It had an A-frame shape outside, with wood clapboard-style and low roof, and would look great sitting back there near the creek in the woods. We're going to call a guy who moves trailers (the whole structure is on a frame with wheels), and see what it would cost to have it moved here. But of course, then we'd have to have electricity/water run to it, as well as a septic tank. That would add a lot to the overall cost. It would make a great small rental for a college student, or perhaps a guy to help DH around this place. We also thought of attaching it to our house, and using it for an extra bedroom/bathroom...and that would be less costly. The interior of the place is great, with wood paneling, neat and fairly clean; the structure is in very good condition too. I just wish we could figure out a way to use it, one way or another, since that is a good price -- and the owner seemed as if she'd probably come down more.

DH has continued to work on the barn, and now has enough stalls for the horses. He also enclosed a space for his feed/tack room, and now feeds the horses out there. And he has a corner filled with hay for the winter. Today he bought the last load of wood he'll need to complete all the work he's planned for now. All in all, he's made fast progress. However, next spring he'll add to the other side of the barn, creating more stalls/storage area. Sort of a work-in-progress.

I just finished reading a book by Danielle Steel about her mentally ill son who committed suicide, "His Bright Light." He had bi-polar disorder, and they all went through h*ll with him -- tried everything under the sun to save him from himself. In the end, it was all for naught, since he killed himself when he was 19. I read it because I wondered if there is really anything that can be done for such people, including my youngest sister. Apparently not, even if one is wealthy and has access to EVERY possible avenue (private mental health professionals/institutions, you-name-it). The book was interesting, though exhausting in length and repeated attempts to help the boy, until at the end, one is almost pulling their hair out, realizing it is all hopeless. I'm beginning to think one of the worst things that ever happened in the USA was when lawsuits for "rights" of the mentally ill caused them all to be dumped out on the streets. Obviously these people MIGHT lead more productive lives under supervision, and that means confinement in one way or another. Alas, so it goes.

My youngest sister, B, got out of the mental institution Monday morning. Her husband, who is in the process of divorcing her, signed her out; he really shouldn't have done that, and our mother told him so. But he did it anyway. Since B had made threats against one of her other ex-husband's wife, there were criminal charges pending on her. Once she was released (and should NOT have been let out into the public, since an investigator had told the institutional people she was to be released into law enforcement custody only), she went back to her ex-husband's place. And as soon as law enforcement learned of it, an officer was dispatched to pick her up -- thus, she's now in jail. In a way we're all relieved, since at least she'll be supervised and get her medication regularly. Had she been with her ex, they'd both soon have been on drugs again...and no telling what would have eventually happened, considering the last fiasco. At any rate, she can't get out except under a CASH bond, and a very high one at that; she will now have to face the charges against her, and in addition to the stalking charge, she has numerous fines she's not paid, drug-related charges, on and on. Mainly I just want her to be somewhere she's supervised and can't harm others or herself. If that has to be jail, then so be it.

Today is the anniversary of Elvis's death. (I'll post this entry tomorrow morning.)I suppose everyone remembers where they were when they heard he'd died. I'd just arrived home after a long trip to a large city to see my nephrologist (hard to believe I was so sick and near death in my late 20s) and saw the news on TV. Couldn't believe it, though I was never an Elvis fan.

In closing I'll just say, "Elvis is dead, and I don't feel so well myself." :-) And ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!

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