Tag Archives: writers group

Oct14

Countdown Continues

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Countdown Continues

A week from today at this time I’ll be somewhere up in the air between Seattle and Los Angeles. The days between now and then are full. Actually, all my days are full. I wonder where I ever found the time to raise kids, work and volunteer before I retired.

This morning I went to Soul Sisters at church. No Zoom for this Bible Study so it will be by snail mail email. I told everyone they get their goodbye hugs at church this Sunday.

I spent two hours organizing and backing up the pics on my laptop. Then I downloaded more from my phone and backed those up. I really need to do this more regularly. Then it won’t be such a tedious undertaking.

Tomorrow morning is my last writers group meeting until next year. This group has been a great source of support and encouragement. Once again, no Zoom. But we can email files to each other and keep in touch by phone. I will miss our lunches together after the meetings. This is an opportunity to converse and get to know each other better other than just by our writing styles.

On Thursday it will be my last small group for a while. We share a meal together before delving into a Bible Study. And the fellowship after is most enjoyable. It’s always a late night and I am quite content to sleep in on Friday morning.

I’m not sure what’s happening on Friday. Joanne and I haven’t decided yet. All I know at this point is that it won’t involve volunteering lol. When Joanne asked me what I want to do I told her I want to go to Cashmere and never leave. If only that truly were a possibility!

I had an interesting email from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico. A warning about flooding and landslides in central Mexico. Hmmm. I decided not to fly in on the coast because of the current hurricane activity. Hopefully Guadalajara stays high and dry.

We’ve actually had some rain here in East Wenatchee. And there is snow up in the mountains. So I know it is time for me to leave. The temperatures have dropped and I’ve been layering and bundling up. I have plans for the weekend so I hope it doesn’t get too cold.

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” Charles Dickens.

I better get back to sorting through documents.

Jul15

July

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July

“Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”

That’s one of my mantras, for both living and writing. So here goes….

So far it’s been a good month. I haven’t had any alerts blaring at me on my phone about wildfires or child abductions. And the month is halfway over.

Of course that doesn’t stop me from reading about wildfires in other areas of the state. And then there are the devastating flash floods and the vicious tornados attacking several states in the south, the Midwest and the east coast.

Aside from the high temperatures, it’s been pretty tranquil around here. Later this week I’ll be in Leavenworth up in the amphitheater enjoying another excellent production of The Sound of Music by Leavenworth Summer Theater. This is always one of the highlights of my summers here. And I’m thankful that it isn’t smokey this year. My stock of I-95s is still tucked away in my closet.

I’m planning on going up to Winthrop in a couple of weeks barring any wildfires. It’s a small town known for its Old West theme, including wooden boardwalks and saloon-style buildings. Quite a contrast to the amphitheater or the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth.

Pangborn Airport is slated to get new runways and will be closed for about a month beginning in September. I sure hope it will reopen by the time I need to fly back to Mexico in October. TSA at Sea-Tac is no fun.

Dead Dog In The Freezer. That’s the title of the piece I’ll be reading at writers group tomorrow.

What has an eye but cannot see? A needle.

Time to end this post. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.

May25

Here Comes Seventy-Four

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Here Comes Seventy-Four

I had another one of those special days on Friday. It was my birthday. While it was nice celebrating with my friends, I long for even just one more minute of my birthday last year when I was in Winnipeg celebrating with my son. It was the first time in several years since we had done that and I have no idea when we’ll ever do it again.

I’ve celebrated my birthday in several places with many different people — Culiacan, Mazatlan, Guadalajara and Aguascalientes in Mexico. Leavenworth, Cashmere, Wenatchee and East Wenatchee in Washington. Winnipeg, Toronto and London in Canada. And every year I wonder where I’ll be and who I will be with on that day in the following year.

A few minutes ago I caught up on What’s App messages and am drooling at the pics Ricardo posted of the food he cooked the other day. Very different from what I eat here in Washington. But I couldn’t bring Ricardo home in my suitcase. Today is one of those rare Sundays where I didn’t go out to eat after church. Instead I made myself an omelet.

Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning. That is one movie you absolutely have to see on the big screen. The stunts and special effects are amazing. I was riveted from the start.

There were two vocal concerts I wrote about in my blog post last week. This week the concerts were ukulele. My friend Joyce is in a group and they performed at the Senior Center and at Avamere on Thursday. Two events in one day again.

I was excited to return to my writers group again. I didn’t read this week but I enjoyed listening to the contributions of others. There is always such a variety of genres. We are all from different backgrounds and have amazing stories to tell.

It’s taken two weeks but I’m finally completely unpacked. I’ve organized my closet and my drawers. I’ve sifted through documents and dusted knick-knacks. I’ve even gone through my craft supplies. So today I can finally get into that book I’ve been eager to read.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the USA. I hope you have a relaxing day. Safe travels if you’re on the road.

Nov29

Keep In Touch

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Keep In Touch

You still do Facebook? I don’t have the time. Several of my friends say that to me. But here’s why I do find the time. And you’d be surprised at how little time it takes. It isn’t necessary to become hopelessly addicted.

Every morning I enjoy looking at my memories. My nomadic lifestyle has resulted in me living in many places with many different people in all three countries — Mexico, USA and Canada. Facebook also reminds me of my friends’ birthdays. I check my notifications but do not click on most of them. Total time so far less than 5 minutes.

I belong to four writing groups. Writers in Mexico I seldom visit, Writers Forum has interesting info on everything from grammar to publishing, Women Writers is similar to Writers Forum but is a much smaller group and is all women, and I just joined NotNaNoWriMo where I hope to play a more interactive role. The time I spend in these groups varies anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes a day.

I DO NOT SCROLL. My friends know that if there’s something they really want me to know about then Messenger is the way to go. Of course there are exceptions such as certain holidays and events.

I post the link to my blogs on Facebook. That takes seconds.

I don’t leave Facebook or Messenger open in the background when I’m on other screens.

That is how I do Facebook.

I removed myself from Twitter long before it became X. And I don’t look at Instagram.

However I can now be found at @lovetowrite23.bsky.social. I follow a handful of people, mostly writers. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this yet, but I’ll give it a try.

I kept my American phone number this year so instead of just leaving voicemails my friends call me back too. And of course we text all the time. Unfortunately the Canadians still get voicemails as they don’t have a long distance plan to Mexico or the USA.

That’s how I keep in touch.

Nov10

Last One For A While

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Last One For A While

This is my last post from Washington until the spring. On Monday I leave for Mexico for the winter. The fall has been beautiful here and I’ve managed to avoid snow although the temperature has dropped considerably.

The time has flown by quickly. And this last week even more so. It’s a time of saying goodbye to friends. It’s a time to say “See you in May.” It’s a time to bid farewell to the brilliant colors of the leaves on the trees and the majestic mountain views. It’s a time for numerous “lasts” of the season.

Linda and I did our last Netflix binge. This time it was The Lincoln Lawyer. Virgin River will have to wait until I return in the spring.

I went to my last writers’ group meeting on Wednesday and enjoyed one last lunch at the Senior Center with them after. This is the best writers’ group I’ve ever belonged to. We all come from different places and have had a variety of life experiences which provides a great deal of inspiration when it comes to writing.

On Thursday I went to my last book club meeting. This is my first year with the group although it has been in existence for several years. A delightful group of ladies combined with the ambience of the Wenatchee Golf Club make our monthly luncheon get-togethers most enjoyable.

On Friday I went out for lunch with Soul Sisters and friends from church. I was totally overwhelmed by the large turnout who came to bid me farewell. Although I’ve only attended Breath of Life for just over a month, I treasure the friendships I’ve made and intend to stay in touch until I return to East Wenatchee in the spring.

On Friday afternoon I started packing and then went over to my brother’s for one last dinner before I leave. Back in 2016 I had no idea that his invitation to visit would result in my becoming a snowbird to Washington State for so many years.

On Saturday Joyce and I went to one last movie at Gateway. We lingered over coffee afterwards where the conversation ranged from musings on the recent election to religion and everything in between. I will miss these interesting discussions. They’re so much better in person than over a phone call.

Today is Sunday and I started the day at church. There were a lot of hugs and farewells and then I was off to one last lunch at Peking with Clairesse and Linda. I just got home and decided to get this blog post up before I finish packing. Then it will be one last dinner with Christina before I fly out tomorrow.

Watch for my first post from Mexico later in the month.

Oct4

Oh No! It’s October!

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Oh No! It’s October!

October is here. The temperature is cooler and the days are shorter. The leaves are just beginning to turn from green to glorious shades of red and orange. I admit it. Fall is my favorite season.

September flew by in a blur. Here are some highlights. I volunteered at the Chelan County Fair where I checked in baking and preserves. I also volunteered at the 9/11 service in Cashmere. And I volunteered at the Essentials Bank at a church in Cashmere. I also attended the Autumn Leaf Festival parade in Leavenworth and went to writing group in Wenatchee. I ventured out on the Apple Loop Trail in East Wenatchee. And of course I enjoyed spending time with my friends who I will miss dearly when I head back south for the winter.

October is going to be a busy month. It is already. Yesterday was writers group. Today was book club. This weekend so far has a craft fair at my church, a book fair at Pybus Market, a book sale in Cashmere and we’re also going to see the movie White Bird.

Activities for the next few weeks are already beginning to fill my calendar. One thing that I always procrastinate doing is booking a flight back to Mexico. It will be more of a challenge this year as the marathons I used to run through airports on my own two feet will now be done in a wheelchair instead. While the sciatica has eased up considerably, walking long distances is still not an option, especially when I need to go from terminal to terminal in a short period of time if I am to make the connecting flights.

I’ve decided to stay here until after the November election. I’m hoping that the snow will not arrive before then. But if it does, I still have the Columbia ski jacket and the Sorrel boots I bought when I was stranded here over the winter during Covid. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the beautiful weather and the colorful leaves on the trees.