It's been a while since my last blog. You would think I'd have more time working only twenty hours per week instead of forty, but it didn't work out that way. Unemployment is a pain. I wasted more time looking for a job that a) I could physically do (I have limitations) and b) that was close enough to my home that I wouldn't be on the road a ridiculous amount of time that would cost me a small fortune in gas, and c) that I would want to stay at for the next few years. It took way more time than it should have to find openings that fit my criteria, and then more time to fill out applications--only to find out toward the end that they require you to be able to lift twenty-five pounds above your head. Well,since I can barely lift eight pounds (the weight of a gallon of milk), the twenty-five pounds was definitely out. However, I dutifully finished the application in order to collect unemployment. I am delighted to say that as of January 2, I'm back to work full time again and I am very happy about that. I can't say I'm tickled about getting up so early every day--sleeping in was one of the perks I had since I went in at 1:30 p.m.--but if feels good to be back at work full time. I love my job and I really didn't want to leave it.
I, for one, am glad that 2013 is behind us. Not only did I have to deal with cut hours, but my dog, Ezri, died very suddenly the day before Thanksgiving. I was heartbroken--she was a stray that had been abandoned in the median strip on I-71. She was too terrified to cross the highway and she was trapped there. A nice young man spotted her on his way to Columbus and on his return trip, when he saw that she was still there, he pulled off the highway, put her in his car, and took her home to Youngstown. Angels for Animals bathed her, gave her her shots, a collar and leash, and they neutered her. The family of the young man who picked her up couldn't keep her due to allergies. They posted ads in the Youngstown paper, but then realized that since they found her outside of Ashland, they should probably advertise in the Ashland paper. I saw the ad and I needed another dog. I had a Great Dane that suffered from separation anxiety and I planned to go home for a week. I couldn't leave her completely alone, so I called about this stray. I offered to keep her until someone called about her or to keep her permanently if no one claimed her. I was glad when no one claimed her. We had a rocky start, but she turned out to be the best dog I've had in a very long time. She wasn't very old when she died--about seven or eight years as near as we could determine. She made a funny sound and in the time it took me to set my laptop down and turn around, she was gone. Her death came as a terrible and unexpected shock.
I know there are other people who had a lot worse to contend with in 2013 and I feel for them. Life has its ups and downs and sometimes, it's so bad, you feel like you'll never see the light of day again. However, the sun always rises from one day to the next--but if you're in Ohio, you might not see it every day. Regardless, we know it's there. Time and love cure everything--one way or another.
I adopted another dog. He's a black lab. He's a sweet dog and gradually, he's learning to trust me. I still can't get him to use the doggie door to the outside, but for right now, as cold as it's supposed to get, I'm just as glad he isn't using it. I have it closed for right now to help keep the house warmer. (The original rubber-like doors were destroyed by my Great Danes when they were puppies, so now it's a Plexiglas door and it leaks cold air into the house.)
I'm working on the edits of TSUNAMI, the third book in the TIDES series. Meredith is working on the cover. When I finish the edits, I'd like to read the book one more time before I submit it to get more proof copies. Then, several of us will re-read the proof books, I'll make whatever corrections we find, and then we'll publish TSUNAMI, I hope before the end of February.
I'd like to close this post with a very strong impression that I've been having: 2014 is going to be a great year--I hope for all of us! God Bless!
