I am finally emerging from the blue funk of all the tragedies and mishaps that bedevilled me this summer. I don’t know if any of you have ever had a relentless series of bad luck but it’s exhausting. I’d hit the point where I was almost afraid to leave the house because I didn’t know what I’d find when I got back. But slowly, things are returning to normal. Or the new normal, I guess.
I’m starting to feel my old energy coming back after a month or two of being flattened by life’s random, arbitrary gut-wrenching stomach punches. (Although my brother Mike, who had the terrible cycling accident in August, doesn’t think they’re random at all. He often says he thinks that God is actually out to get us at times. It sure felt that way this summer.)
Mike is at home and walking again, and seems to be mending incredibly well from his injuries, which is great news. He had a couple of weeks where he couldn’t move his right foot, so we were all pretty worried.
Manotick Tree Farms came out on Thursday to plant a new birch tree in the front yard to replace the big healthy one that the other tree service cut down by mistake. It may be skinny and a bit leggy but it makes me ridiculously happy to look out the second floor window and see leaves again, however sparse. She’s got a good home. I hope she thrives here.
The roof has been repaired from all the damage caused when my huge honey locust tree came down in the back yard during the storm.
(So sweet: the guy who came out to do an assessment from Sanderson Roofing told me I looked like I needed a hug after I told him what had happened. He climbed up on the roof to take a look and a few minutes later, I heard “bam-bam-bam”. He came back down and told me they’d decided to go ahead and fix it for me while they were here rather than send out a crew. He only charged me for a one hour service call.)
I have a downspout that was crushed and an eavestrough that still needs to be replaced but nothing urgent.
With that 35 year old giant honey locust gone (you can see part of the three foot stump under the wooden teepee), I am planting sun-loving perennials and I also had new sod installed. Making lemonade, as they say, out of lemons. (Not sure what to do about that poor little sadsack ornamental to the left of the flagstone path – the tree guys knocked off most of its branches when they were removing the honey locust. I’m inclined to give it a chance and see if it can generate new ones.)
I’ve even started picking away at a new Charlie Pike novel (if it works, it could be the start of a new series). The story has Charlie back up north to investigate a cold case that’s caused another blockade put up to block logging near Manomin Bay. While he’s there, he finds a stray dog that he takes in. There’s a local psychic involved. Does she really see ghosts or is she making things up? Still sorting that one out.
And I have sent off the historical fiction ms – THE PEACE WOMAN’S DAUGHTER – that I’ve been slogging away at for three (yes, three) years to my freelance editor, Alex Schultz, to see if it’s finally ready to pitch. I sure hope so.
Event-wise, I will be at Chapters Gloucester today from 1 to 3, at Coles in Carlingwood on October 15th from 11-2 and at the Arnprior Library with the brilliant Bob Bickford on October 20th at 7 PM. (Bob’s debut novel, DEADLY KISS, is mind-blowing. And particularly timely, in light of what’s been going on in the US with #BlackLivesMatter. It’s based on a true story of a black boy who was lynched for daring to kiss a white girl. Lovely writing, great plot. Loved the story.)
Anyway, if you’re around those areas on any of those dates, drop by to say “hi”! Always nice to see friendly faces, particularly after a summer like this one.
