Well, I knew it was going to be busy and with four extra events/tasks thrown in, let’s just say I haven’t had much spare time since our return. Some if it is social though so it isn’t as if it’s all work. At the moment – and I will try to keep it that way – Saturday will not require me to go out to meet with anyone. I may have one semi-obligation and if that comes about it will be here at the house.

Lots of things for the two non-profits I am heavily involved with have been at the core of the week and then there were some lingering input needed to get the taxes off. We split it with me gathering all the initial data, then Hubby has to do the on-line input of many pages. This is like the third time since our tax guy has started using this system and therefore, it’s more familiar. The issue is now that many institutions don’t have to send tax documents until the end of February, there are always one or two that are later. And between holidays and the surge of people who come to dive Jan-early March, it is really difficult to get what we need done by the first week of March. I can’t recall the last year we didn’t put in for an extension. Ah well, it simply stretches things out.

We have another artist reception this evening and while I have attended the last few by myself because of Hubby’s schedule, this is one he really wants to attend. That means I go to my 5:00 and instead of going from that to the reception, I’ll come home instead, link in with Hubby after he has a quick shower, then back to the reception. Dinner after with friends though who also can’t make it until later which allows everything to align.

Ah, the usual answer of course with some extra deadlines thrown in and forgetting to check when I did the last post. This week isn’t really any better as I have to line up an interview to ensure I have an article for the paper while we are away. It’s a nice story though – I think – as it is a Barber School which has opened downtown and promises a career in nine months. As anyone who follows the blog knows, I am a big supporter of the trades, or in this case, personal services, that provides a path to at least start on. I hope they also have some data as to hires after graduation.

Anyway, shifting onto the personal writing side, even though I’ve never had a commercial success, there are a couple of paths for writers like me who have a large body of work available. One way is to have some celebrity pick up a book and start talking about it. Not very likely to happen. The other is having a book picked up for film or television which then generally will drive sales. I receive weekly cold calls/emails offering a package about getting more attention for one of my books. In one case, it’s a company I did open an account with and never opted for their service. They recently sent a special offer for a significantly reduced price and since I didn’t publish last year, I thought I might as well have a conversation. That led to me agreeing to do a submission. What I didn’t realize was the offer was actually for five “pitches”, not one. Since each pitch requires about three-four hours to prepare, it has been time consuming. The focus will be my two scuba-themed mystery series. The first two are for Shades of Truth and Shades of Gold, then the first three in the Chris Green series. Those are Deadly Doubloons, False Front, and Georgina’s Grief. (If you’re new to the blog, everything is at https://www.charliehudson.net/books.html) I still need to complete one step to activate the other four and it’s a graphics thing I have to get help with. I can’t say I expect any real success, but as has been my approach all these years, I might as well try.

As those who follow the blog might have surmised, things have been even more hectic than usual. It’s a combination of circumstances, events, overlapping deadlines, and the finally fading effects of a sprained right wrist. I took a tumble 3 weeks ago and while I can’t say I was happy about that, I was happy for a sprain as opposed to a break. I am also taking the unusual step of not attending an annual event this weekend in order to actually have one day for the first time in three weeks to not have an external commitment. Or maybe it has been a month; I am losing track a bit. Not that my to-do list has diminished by much; any amount does help though.

It’s Rodeo weekend and Hubby has to teach today and tomorrow and will be at the Rodeo Sunday for the photo shoot. I can’t recall how many years he has done this now, and it is very different from covering races at the Speedway. He does get some incredible action shots and some adorable kid shots as well as capturing the enjoyment of the crowd. The weather is supposed to be great this year and it is the 75th anniversary. I think all three days – well, one night and two days – are near capacity in ticket sales. Allegedly, approximately 20,000 attended last year when everything was combined. I don’t recall ever seeing an economic impact statement although I imagine someone has that.

Moving on to other topics, I  am getting used to the new Escape even though some functions still confuse me. I haven’t figured out how to pre-set music channels or really try the sun roof. The gas gauge indicator is odd as it has tick marks instead of a dial. On the other hand, there is a digital readout of how many miles until empty.

Oh, and one of our lovely orchid is in bloom again. The only ones we have luck with are the outdoor ones.

Orchid in Our Front Yard

In an unusual twist, we are in our fourth day of rain and gray skies, plus significant winds at times. A number of holiday events have been postponed or cancelled and most of us are trying to stay tucked in. As annoying as this is – and I always feel badly for events that have been planned and have to be changed – the fact is we had a mild hurricane season. The other factor is visitors who came here and cannot enjoy the outdoor activities, which of course impacts the businesses as well.

Our hope, of course, is that not only will “normal winter” return, but we that we also get a little extra warmth so granddaughter can enjoy the pool as much as she wants. She is of a height and age now one of us doesn’t have to be in the water with her if she doesn’t want a companion. Kids can generally be fine in water a few degrees cooler than we adults. Last year was the best in a while and there was really only one afternoon I was uncomfortable. I am usually the one in the water with her as Hubby is often working and the kids like to have a bit of a break.

The other point of good weather is because most of the options we’re looking at are outdoor activities – after all, that is why people come to Florida in the winter. I think I mentioned previously I especially want to take granddaughter to Coral Castle; she’s the perfect age for it. She is curious about things like it and is still the right age to enjoy climbing all over the “furniture” made of coral stone. Hubby is supposed to be off two days for a change because otherwise, we’ll have to juggle a vehicle in order to let the kids have a “date day”. Now with the Nutcracker done – and it apparently went well – they will give some thought to what activities they want to do.