January catch-up

January has been a quiet month. We've experienced chilly weather, and by Florida standards, that's anywhere from temperatures in the 40's to the '60s. Go ahead, roll your eyes. We're used to it here in the sunny state. Even my dog with his three coats of fur was cold yesterday in our house, which we keep between 67-69 depending on my hot flashes.

I realized I'm not blogging often, and I blame that on the people around me. They aren't doing interesting things or saying funny things. I remind them that they have a responsibility to me, but thus far, nothing. So, I'll provide an update, and hopefully, crazy things will happen this week.

• I've worked diligently on my NY's resolutions. As usual, I overloaded, and the one where I said I'd work on projects has messed with my completion of the romance writing resolution. Yes, Madison, you were right. I've gotten through four pages of editing my blog. Maybe, once a week, I'll repost those earlier stories. During one such editing session, I went to add pictures and discovered they weren't on my Picasa (which I love and stubbornly refuse to depart with...Google Photos doesn't come anywhere close to Picasa. Damn you, Google!), and I spent way too many hours pondering the loss of those photos. Until I remembered my Flickr account. There they were. I spent an entire day going through those photos and making sure they were on my Picasa. The usual start out with one project, end up with another kind of day.

• Working on my health resolution, I've started walking, spurred into action by my SIL, who posts her daily mileage. The first week I was a machine. If I wasn't walking my hood and pumping iron to a health guru on YouTube, I was at the gym. I lost a total of...yeah, nothing. In fact, I gained a pound. I spent the second week bemoaning that fact and sitting on my ass. Week three, I got back on the horse and started walking the beach. With the cooler weather, people are not sunning, and the walkers have the beach to ourselves. Well, save for the birds. Beach walking aggravated my knee issues, so I guess this week, I'll alternate between park walking or sitting on my ass. I haven't decided.

• Healthy eating has been great. I tried to give up coffee because I'm sure the creamer I pour into it is part of my problem. I can't do it. I've become one of those people who swear it keeps me regular. This reminds me of my mother, who had to have her coffee, her hot water bottle, and her paper every morning before she could go anywhere. That then raises all sorts of warning signs in my head, yet I'm still drinking the stuff. I've decided I'll try every other day and see how that goes.

• I ventured out to another writer's group recommended to me by a fellow romance writer from that group. They meet two miles from my house, and I contemplated walking there. Then just as quickly, I rejected that idea. The group is purely a read and critique session, and while I agree it could be helpful, I didn't find it to be for me at this time in my writing. I'll shelve it for the future.

• Two days a week, I pop in on the MIL, who is slowly but surely recovering from her MMA battle with the Christmas tree. We thought she'd injured herself again when she complained of chest pain, but x-rays showed no broken rib, and so she is soldiering on. On the walker, she reminds me of my Aunt Lorene, who moved faster with that thing than the grandchildren did in regular activity. I call my MIL Speedy Gonzalez and always tell her to slow down, watch where she's treading, etc. She shoo shoos me and objects to being treated like the elderly woman she believes she is not. Yesterday, she used the walker zero times. Cheers to that kind of spirit, will, and determination when I'm 88. Here's to me making it to 88.

• Still drumming. We are at the end of Chapter 2, where I have to master four songs. They are faster than I'm used to, and I'm wondering if that is even possible at my age. Channel the MIL, Channel the MIL. My teacher tells me I'm better than I think I am. "You don't know how great you really are," he says. I ask him if I can record him saying that for my phone ring tone. Either that or "You're right." He and I get along great. He claims I'm just like him.

• Daughter number 2 is required to take an honor's class in Honor's college. She signed up for one about social media, but the teacher left for another job, and the replacement said he had no idea about the topic. So, he changed it to journalism, seeing as how he writes for our local paper. Those of us who read the newspaper are very familiar with the man--daughter, not so much. She alternates between her sister and me for editing each week. Last night she informed me, "We got an A on our last paper." Good to know I'm still kicking the writing in college. My mother would be so proud.