Tag Archives: writing

Guess What?

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Happy Monday, folks! I hope this week proves to be a productive one for us all.

I’ve accomplished something I never thought I would. I finished “The Ex Files” for my kids and it has been sent to the printer! By no means does this make me a published author because it’s a private printing, not to be distributed to the public. It does make me feel good that I have finished the book and now my adult kids will understand why I left their father and why he wasn’t a part of their lives.

My next project is “Aunt Debbie’s Best” cookbook that WILL make me a published author! Staying motivated will be the hardest part. I will be contacting a few people who have shown interest in testing recipes, in the near future. Wish me luck in this daunting project!

Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

Now, on with Monday. Be kind and stay safe, my friends.

aunt-debbie

Busy, Busy, Busy

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Well, really not that busy. Just busy not getting anything done, if that makes sense. Lack of sleep coupled with pain and mobility issues seem to keep the wheels spinning but I get nowhere.

Dad had his 85th birthday yesterday. I took him out for lunch since he says he doesn’t need anything. We had a fried shrimp basket with fries at one of our favorite places. I finally figured out the best time of the day to go there. It’s always so busy and being a small space, it’s just too damn loud to enjoy a meal when it’s crowded. Around 2pm is perfect except for one thing. Employees are cleaning during the slower hours and normally that doesn’t bother me but yesterday, one of the workers was cleaning the legs of the tables and chairs. It seemed like he was pissed because everytime he grabbed a chair he turned it upside down with a great loud bang on the table top. Then when he finished wiping down the legs of that chair, he’d pull it down onto the floor with another great loud crash. Then he’d move on to the next chair. The restaurant is very small and so we were right there within 10 feet of what he was doing. It was hard to even have a conversation! I wanted to drop kick the little shit but I behaved my damn self. When the guy finally finished Dad and I had a nice lunch and conversation. I still can’t believe Dad is 85 years old! Shit, that makes me…well, too damn old.

I’ve been trying to get my “book” ready for printing. Remember my series of posts called The Ex Files? When my ex passed away in December of 2020, I decided to stop the blog series and compile them all into a book of sorts for my children all about their father. It’s been over a year now that I’ve been editing and proofreading…and perfecting every paragraph. I want my adult children to know about my relationship with their father and why I had to leave him; why I had to get them away from him. At the same time, I want them to know that he did have good qualities.

Anyway, I do a little work in the mornings on the book and then try and catch up on sleep. By the time I wake up, it’s lunch time and then I have chores to do around the house. Chores aren’t easy for me. The house looks like ass. That’s something I picked up from my sister. Snort.

As soon as my book is finished for my kids, I’ll be moving on to my cookbook. I will probably try to recruit a few people to test recipes and take photos. There might be a free cookbook in it for those who choose to assist! Who knows how long it will take me to finish that project!

Next week, I hope to get back to writing in this blog. Writing steadily is hard for me. I always think I’ll write a bunch of posts ahead of time and schedule them but then I just never get to it. Sorry if you miss Friday’s Funnies. I miss doing those posts, too! Maybe next week I’ll have the time and energy to put into it.

Also, I’m so far behind on reading the blogs I follow that I will never catch up. I do miss reading them!

Nap time now.

aunt-debbie

What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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Well, I’m back after sporadic posts over the past few months – I’ve just not been motivated to do much in the line of writing. I don’t know why. I have a lot to say but when it comes right down to it, I always wonder, “Who really cares what I have to say?” I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way.

Anyway, here I sit…the keyboard beckoning me to write and my fingers, which seem to have dyslexia these days, refusing to cooperate! What can I say, to start out 2022?

First, I’ll just say I hope everyone reading this has had a great start to the new year. If you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution, don’t be too hard on yourself. I learned a long time ago to make small changes as I go. If you want to make changes in your life, you don’t have to make huge changes all at once. Take it one day at a time because life just gets in the way sometimes. As they say, shit happens. If things don’t work out one day, then start again the next day.

The holidays are always an emotional time for me. I was able to spend Thanksgiving with my bestie and my son and his family. It was a nice day but it took me 2 1/2 weeks to recover. I tried not to overdo it; almost everything we had that day was pre-made or semi-homemade. Still, it was too much for my legs to handle. Christmas was nice, with my son and his family, lots of laughs, and my grandson is beginning to warm up to us. We made pizza (semi-homemade) and my grandson was happy to help! He made his very own personal pizza!

Another thing on my mind, besides the same ol’ crap with Covid, is the absolute rudeness of some folks. Online, all you seem to see are comments that are not only unnecessary but mean and/or rude as hell. Most people wouldn’t say those things to a person’s face but online, I guess they think it’s just fine. I do not.

Yesterday, I was at my bestie’s place and I had parked in one of the front spots reserved for the handicapped. I have my handicap placard displayed as required for parking there. I was there for maybe an hour, if that, and when I came out there was someone parked behind me, blocking me in. I was pissed. How can anyone think that it was ok to do this? I can see if you had to run something in real quick but that was not the case. My bestie came out to find out who the owner of the car was and it was the apartment manager’s car for Pete’s sake! She pulled out so I could leave and as I left I saw her pull back into the same space. Clearly, she was not just running in real quick nor was she disabled. Who would think it’s was ok to block someone in like that? Apartment manager or not, it’s just plain rude. So sick of rude people.

I’ve been feeding a stray cat, since last year. His name is BobCat because he has a bobbed tail. He’s very sweet and I wish I could bring him in the house but it just won’t work with Jack. Jack is very aggressive and has slipped out the door a few times. Each time, the first thing he does is attack BobCat. Aside from the fighting, BobCat is an intact male and would probably pee all over the house which would lead to Jack peeing all over the house so NO, that’s not going to happen. I’d like to get BobCat neutered but I just don’t have the extra funds for that. Anyway, with the weather getting colder and colder now, poor BobCat is outside with minimal shelter and warmth. He has a small doghouse with a soft bed as padding and lots of straw but I’m sure it still gets cold in there. I just can’t help but feel bad. I wish I could afford to buy a better system for him. I pray he can stay warm enough through the winter.

There are other things on my mind, always, but that’s enough for now. I’m just trying to get back to writing, even if it’s just a little each day.

Now, tell me… What’s Eating You?

What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

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It’s been quite a long time since I’ve sat down to write. It’s difficult with lack of sleep and when things aren’t going so well. I haven’t been on social media much lately because the bullshit infuriates me. Between the misinformation and the hypocrisy, I don’t know whether to shit or go blind, as my Granny used to say. 

I’ve been watching my Dad’s health decline over the last few months and it’s ripping my heart out. Inevitably, I will lose him so I am making the best of the time I have left to love and appreciate him. His memory is failing him and he’s been having some health issues. He’s finding it more difficult to understand simple things. Thankfully, he hasn’t had a fall since July…knock on wood. He’s a bit unstable at times when walking but manages to keep himself upright with the aid of a cane. I’m finding myself watching him like a hawk, trying to do so without making it obvious. It’s been a rough couple of months because as you know, I have my own health issues; chronic pain and mobility issues always make things more difficult for me. Dad’s not able to help me with little things around the house like he used to and I have no other help. I just take things one day at a time.

Someone asked me the other day, “What will you do when you have to live alone?” “I’m not afraid to live alone,” I explained. “I’m afraid of being forgotten. Forgotten by family and friends. Left behind. Most of my family is in Tennessee and I’m in Missouri. My son is less than 15 miles away and I don’t hear from him very often.” I don’t relish the thought of living here without my Dad but I don’t have a problem living alone. The memories will haunt me, I’m sure.

I’m really trying to hold things together here, and I know I need to write more. I try. I think about something I’d like to write about and then…I just don’t do it. I just don’t have the motivation but I’m trying to get it back. I keep saying that and maybe it will snap back into place sooner than later!

I am enjoying the cooler weather, now that Fall is here. Sweater weather is my favorite weather of all! I just pray that the winter we have coming won’t be like the last! 

Until next time, 

Aunt Debbie

Getting Back to Normal

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I’m sitting here this morning, listening to a Bobwhite outside my bedroom window. Oh, how I enjoy the bird sounds of Spring! Of course, I enjoy birds and listening to their conversations all year round!

In my last post (I think) I mentioned CNN anchor, Jake Tapper, also a novelist who was asked about writing, “Where do you find the time?” To this he replied, “I write every day. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes. If you write 15 minutes a day for a week it adds up. Wherever I was I had a laptop and I worked on the book when I had free time. From April through August 2020 I had no commute. I worked from home. That was two hours I would normally have spent driving and parking. The 15 minutes a day rule really works, even if it turns out to be garbage, it takes you somewhere.” I paraphrased in my last post but this time I got the exact quote. Ever since I saw that interview, I have been trying to write for 15 minutes a day! That hasn’t worked out well now, has it? I’ve been trying to write this post all week!

I feel like things are slowly getting back to normal, somewhat anyway. Dad and I are fully vaccinated now. We have enjoyed lunch out several times and I got my hair cut at the salon. I’m so happy to not have that damn ponytail at the back of my head!

It’s pretty exhausting, getting back to our pre-pandemic routine. We just aren’t used to it after staying at home for so long. Sure, we went out for groceries now and then but that wasn’t often. And for the first 215 days of the pandemic, we never went anywhere! What I couldn’t find online and have shipped, my son or a friend would pick up for us. But, we got tired of staying home!

I’ve had appointments with a lymphedema therapist for the past few weeks. That’s exhausting enough, but it wasn’t half as exhausting as jumping through a couple dozen hoops and filling out about half a thousand forms to get financial aid because my insurance wouldn’t pay for it! I don’t have lymphedema, but it could very well turn into lymphedema if left untreated. The therapy is helping; it’s a gentle massage that helps move extra fluid from an area that is swollen. There’s much talking during this massage and it’s so relaxing that I wish she’d be quiet so I can go to sleep! I’ll keep going each week as long as my financial aid will allow.

After my appointment last week, Dad and I went to a Mexican restaurant for a very late lunch because we were starving to death. We were so tired because we’re not used to the long drives (country living, y’all – everything’s so far away) but our stomachs were conversing and planning a take-over! We stopped at a Mexican restaurant that we had eaten at many times before the pandemic. It wasn’t our favorite place but it sure as hell isn’t even on the list NOW. The food wasn’t that great and my refried beans were nearly WHITE! I’ve been eating at Mexican restaurants for many, many years and have never been served nearly WHITE refried beans! (Refried beans are typically made with pinto beans and they are not white!) I tasted their beans and they tasted like they should have but the color was off so I didn’t eat any more of them. Dad and I both got sick that evening, so something wasn’t right about their food! This week, we went to another old fave, Ruby Tuesday, and we weren’t very impressed with them either. The food was really good but there were flies everywhere and I knew why when I went to the Ladies Room. It smelled like pure sewage in there! The server told us they had a sewage problem. (No shit, Sherlock!) Seems to me, that if a food establishment is having sewage problems then they shouldn’t be open to the public, because after all, they are preparing food and people are there to enjoy a meal…not smell sewage!

2 weeks ago, I had a procedure done on my toe. Toe NAIL, I should say. Some of the nail had to be removed (and killed off) because of ingrown nail problems. I’m telling you, the shots in my toe were painful as fuck! It took 4 shots to numb my poor little BIG toe! After the procedure, I felt no more pain and haven’t since. I’m glad it’s over but it would have been nice to get it done months ago. Dad and I have avoided going to the doctor since March 2020. Thankfully, at our clinic they require masks and do a temp check on each person as they enter the door.

Saturday, we decided it was high time to get back to our pre-pandemic Saturday routine! We shopped for produce (and Dad’s wine) and hit the Dollar Tree. Afterward, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Chico! We went about 2 weeks ago, and had a nice experience. They are very committed to keeping their patrons not only happy, but safe from Covid-19. There’s hand sanitizer as you enter, the tables are sanitized before people are being seated, paper menus are used, and you are asked to wear a mask until your drinks arrive at your table. I’m pleased with the tables/seating arrangements as they were never crowded together before and it’s no different now. I don’t feel someone’s breath on my neck and I don’t have to worry about someone bumping into me as I raise the fork to my mouth! It’s a very comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. We didn’t get sick after eating there, and there were no flies and no stink!

So, there’s my 15 minutes+ and I hope it’s not garbage! I’ll be busy for the next month or so getting ready for family to come. I have to clean and declutter – and it takes me a long time because of my mobility issues and pain. I may or may not have time for 15 minutes a day but I’ll sure try!

Until next time,

Aunt Debbie