The Ferrero Rocher Exercise

  This is an oldie, but goodie. At least I think! Forgive the rerun? :)

  The holidays have passed. The goodies like cookies, fudge, and candy are gone. What’s that? You say you thought I gave up sugars? Yes, I did. Most of them anyways. It seems that every here and there certain family members contribute to my fall off of the sugar wagon. This year my mother gave me some chocolate covered cherries. It’s a nostalgia thing. My grandmother and I used to share them when I was younger. As soon as I saw that box a smile came to my face even though I knew there were many sugars sitting in front of me.

  The Charmed One also contributed to the sugar diet. I unwrapped a small box of mixed Ferrero Rocher chocolates and wondered what I ever did to my loved ones to deserve such behavior! J So in the Ferrero Rocher were 3 dark chocolate, 3 milk chocolate, and 3 Ferrero Garden. Now… the Ferrero Garden was a white chocolate (my favorite) with coconut and a tiny amount of caramel drizzled over the top. As soon as that candy introduced itself to my mouth I found a whole new level of love. Oh.my.goodness. I am now on a hunt for more of those tiny pieces of heaven. If you ever find some please, please, think of me!

  Really that is not the reason for this rambling though. It's what those fabulous sin sugar filled candy leads to. You see, I haven’t got a lot of exercise lately. No exercise and increased sugar in the diet leads to Kelly feeling heavier. Kelly feeling heavier means Kelly is unhappy. I try not to hang in a state of Kelly unhappiness for long.

  Now I know that those amounts of sugars didn’t lead to my current state. If you haven’t noticed I am a little mellow dramatic sometimes. For effect. Yea. For effect, that’s it. So we decided the other day that we were going to start walking. The spoiled rotten Cavalier King Charles’ certainly could use a little exercise as well. I love to walk, if only we had a good place to do it. *I would not have this problem at all in Savannah* Just sayin.

Forsyth Park, Savannah

  A couple of days ago we put on the outfits, tied up the shoes, leashed up the dogs and off we went. The destination? Just down the road is a casualty of recession, a mini farm subdivision that was never built. Some geniuses bought the property, cleared off much of the land, paved nice roads throughout, but then found out they couldn’t get the land to perk. So it has sat. For a long time. This past summer someone did build a barn on the property, but nobody lives back there. It truly is a head scratcher.

  I have seen other neighbors walk back there even though there are No Trespassing signs at the entrance. So I figure it is safe. The first night we walked and there was no one back there. It’s a pleasant walk because there are no other dogs, or cars, or well… people. It’s a little hilly, but nice. The second night we walked someone was back there. With a chain saw. We made it to the new, beautiful barn and turned around. Both of us chickened out. We had managed to walk for two nights before we quit. Hmmm.

  We can forget walking along our road. People speed even though the speed limit is 45. Dogs are not always fenced in or caged. I don’t even know if the livestock is. *kidding* I just don’t feel comfortable walking on this road. The local park is nice, but walking there is strange too. We did it a couple of times, but the best walking seems to be in the Frisbee course. That presented some problems as well.

  So we will continue to try and figure this out. I know we will visit the deserted mini farm subdivision again, hopefully when there are no chain saw wielding men around!

  Do you exercise? What is your form of punishment exercise? Is it a daily thing, or few times a week thing? Have you ever tried the Ferrero Garden candy? What is your weakness when it comes to candy?

W.P.I. - Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a "functional food" because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine. Published studies in medical journals show that coconut, in one form or another may provide a wide range of health benefits. Some examples are: Coconut helps to kill viruses that cause influenza, herpes, and other illnesses; it kills bacteria that cause ulcers, cavities, gum disease, and other diseases. Coconut also is a nutritional source of quick energy!

Self Diagnosing

      Lately I've become more aware of a couple of my... er... personality quirks. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Personality quirks. Maybe someone pointed it out to me, or maybe I kind of figured it out on my own (unlikely :)). Either way I have noticed my mind is making me work overtime. 

      Keep in mind I am self diagnosing for the most part. Or I was until tonight. Then I took a test online and found out my thoughts may be true. I've been telling friends and family that I think I may have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I searched it on Google, read a little, and took a test one site offered. 

      At first all of my answers were no. I thought the questions were a little wacky. I started to think my thought process was all wrong. Then I hit a question that was along my lines of thinking. And another. Then another. By the time all was said and done I had scored a 12. Lo and behold a 12 and higher means the chances are high that I have OCD. Bummer.

      I know that many times when people hear OCD they may think of people who constantly need to wash their hands, but this disorder is much more than that. I worry that I've left the coffee pot on. All the time. Or that I've left the garage door open (when we lived in Podunk.) There were quite a few times that I would get up to ten minutes away from the house and turn around and go back to make sure that I did turn the coffee pot off, or close the garage door. 

      At first I just thought I wasn't focused. Which is likely. But it happens still. A lot. That is one aspect of the disorder. The second is the big one, that I didn't notice much until lately. Like since I started this job. It has been getting more noticeable to me. I will admit the Charmed One didn't believe that I had many characteristics of OCD until I read this, "Doubters and sinners are afraid that if everything isn't perfect or done just right something terrible will happen or they will be punished." (helpguide.org)

 http://www.helpguide.org/mental/obsessive_compulsive_disorder_ocd.htm

      That, my friends, sums me up in one tidy little sentence. I don't know why, but recently I've noticed that I try to be perfect (this only seems to be at my job). I strive to be as near to perfect as possible, even though I know its not possible. Which is screwing me up. I don't know if that makes sense. I messed something up the other day and now my sleep is broken because I have mind chatter. I think of this screw up and fret. Charmed One tries to tell me that I'm being crazy, or that what I think of as a screw up is a minor thing, but my body will not let it go. I'm nervous and jerky. Anxious. I think I have a fear of getting yelled at, or fired. And even I know if that were the case, which it will not be, there are more jobs out there. I will perservere. But my mind cannot wrap around that thought, no. It constantly thinks about that one screw up. 

      I love what I do. Maybe that is why I have a horrendous fear of messing up. This job came to me at a very bad time in my life. It picked me up when I was at my lowest, and I don't want to disappoint. And sometimes that is exactly what I feel I've done.

      I'm done now. All that is a little crazy considering it was an online test, isn't it? Or that this whole thing started from a self diagnosis? I do know that singers don't always hit the right note, artists don't always create a masterpiece, and running backs will eventually fumble. No one is perfect. Apparently I need to tell myself that all the time. 

      Do you self diagnose? Do you know anyone with OCD? Am I being overly sensitive to my personality quirks? 

      

      

Spelling is Evereethang

      There are times that I just have to scratch my head. Times that I just can't help but wonder, "What the hell?"

      There are so many times when I just want to spout out, "What is wrong with you?" Or, "What is wrong with America?" One of those times happened just the other day. While at work my co workers told me to check out the sign across the street. I went and looked, nearly choked, and broke out my phone. What did my unbelieving self see?

      

      

      Oh yes. This made me shake my head in disbelief. What is wrong with us? Not only is hiring spelled wrong it looks like it almost says shireings. Who approved this? And does Papa Johns really pay that much? Because really... 

      Sadly this sign stayed like this for a couple days. When I return to work Thursday I'll let you know if it STILL remains. That would be a truly horrible state of affairs. Is it just me, or is the moral compass of the U.S. going to shit? It seems we don't speak, or type, English anymore, but bullshitty slang. Lazy English, as I like to call it. 

      When did the English language start to disappear? Can we bring it back? Does your job/career allow for such indiscretions in spelling? Have you witnessed a misspelled sign lately?

      
      

Doggone Lucky

            I totes missed a blog Thursday. So sorry! I promise that I’ll try to do better.

            Speaking of doing better…

            I have a dog that needs to do better as well. I don’t know what has gotten into her the last few days, but she is pressing our buttons. She has completely lost her mind twice lately. The Charmed One got so mad at her the other night that a “Free” sign came out of nowhere. I had to interject before that sign was snapped onto the poor dog’s collar and taken out for the whole city to see.

            Then of course last night I took the Princesses out for their final walk of the evening. It was late, but there were a lot of people out and about. We went to our favorite park, and just as she was about to do her business lightning flashed. Now, she is a rescue so she is skittish to begin with. The lightning put her on edge. So we walked, she tried to get under my feet. Her sister did her business, ole Troubled One kept trying to trip me up. This resulted in me tugging at her leash a little bit. Well, she didn’t like that either. So she planted her feet and shook her head. Off came her collar. And off went the dog, running through the park.

I am the Queen!

            Then, of course, off went Kelly yelling like a mad woman. And pulling the poor other dog, the Queen. Keep in mind that the Troubled One’s real name is Savannah. So here I am, trying to run after one dog, yelling, “Savannah! Savannah!” Here is our poor elderly Queen, who DOES NOT RUN AT ALL. She prances. Imagine my horror when Troubled One went to cross the road. My heart about fell right out of my chest. There were cars coming. Fortunately they must have seen the dog on the loose and a crazy woman trying to run along to catch said dog, and virtually pulling another. I don’t know how, but she made it across the road and kept on running straight down the sidewalk. The Queen and I made it across the street, but by now we were well behind ole Troubled One. I quit yelling her name, her fate was totally in someone else’s hands. The only saving grace was she was heading right for our home, two and a half blocks away. I could only hope.

            I had tunnel vision. All I could see is one of my babies getting hurt or worse. She crossed another road thankfully with no problems. Then she made a quick right and ran up a set of stairs. My heart slowed slightly. I saw the Charmed One step out onto the porch and grab her. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

            Trust me when I tell you that relief flooded me, but my temper was another story. It wasn’t until late the next day that I was able to even think about how smart she is to know her way home. K

            Oh my lucky stars! Thank the heavens. Her collar has been tightened. A lot.

            Do you have pets? What have they done to cause you stress?

           

Getting Back To Writing

  This week I’m getting back on track. At least I hope. I’ve let my writing go to the wayside, and I’m not liking myself very much because of it. Have you ever had so much going on that you let something you enjoy get abandoned?

  Over the past few months I’ve been extremely busy. I’ve had to put my writing to the side for a paying job! When I get to finally sit down at night I can’t concentrate on putting coherent words on paper. This week I aim to change that. I’ve had enough. To me writing is like a drug. If I don’t get my fix, my pages, I start to shake. I get grumpy. I feel for those who have to be around me. Well, you get what I’m saying.

  I'm writing a New Adult Contemporary Romance. I saw a couple of publisher that look for stories of 40,000 words, so I thought what the heck. Now, I’ve never read a NACR that was that few words, but I thought I’d give it a chance. The odd thing is that I didn’t have references to people, no pictures, no storyboard. I was almost winging the story as I wrote it.

  Fortunately for me I haven’t got too far into the novel yet. My thought process is almost complete though. I believe my beginning is good. I just may have to tweak a couple areas. Finally I also have some pictures to go along with these characters in my head.

  For a little info about this title-less book…

Meet Raven and Nate.

  Raven Alexander is America’s sweetheart. She sang and danced her way into their lives at the age of 17. Now, 4 years later, it appears to everyone she is at the top of her career. Unfortunately for Raven she can’t escape the memories of an accident that took her best friends life, and injured her sister, a few months earlier. Suffering from exhaustion and depression Raven escapes to her sister Jessica’s house, leaving her career up in the air. Jessica is the one who can help Raven become whole again. She’s done it her whole life, and Raven is counting on her for it now.

Raven has a new habit.

  Everything changes when Raven she sees her sister talking with a gorgeous man every morning on the beach. When she finally meets this man, Nate, they are drawn together in ways Raven has never experienced. Between her own struggles and trying to figure out the secrets why Nate keeps her at arm’s length, the person of Raven’s nightmares reappears. When everyone’s lives are at risk can Raven and Nate pull out of their own despair to save each other?  

Can they heal each other?

  I know it’s a little rough. Well, really, really, rough, but you will forgive me, right? ;) I have started a board for this book on Pinterest titled New Book. You can follow along as I add to their story here,http://pinterest.com/kellyryanwatson .

  Do you put things you love to the side when life gets too hectic? Does the synopsis sound okay so far? With that short bit can you come up with a title? I’m open for suggestions peeps! :)

  

Summer Athletes

      We have made it to the heat of the summer, or most of us have anyways. In a phone conversation with my mother today I wonder if Western NY has hit summer at all. I got the chills just listening to what the projected temperatures were going to be. Brrr. Then I stepped outside here and forgot all about being cold. :)

      It got me thinking... I used to love all sorts of summertime sports. Of course growing up where the summers are cooler aided with that, because it never seemed to be too hot to play. Now though, sigh, now I never even contemplate going outside in the summertime to play... anything! 

      Being the good, kind, giving person that I am though, I have gone above and beyond to bring you all some who do enjoy the summer sports. I tried to cover as many as I could. Let's see, shall we start out with baseball? Why not. Here we have CJ Wilson, who also served as the face of my hero in my second book, Autumn's Whisper.

      Of course baseball is a gimme. Let's dive a little deeper into the sports world, shall we? Oh, what a pun on words. Next I bring you beach volleyball. 

      Well, he technically isn't on the beach in that pic, but normally he is. Trust me! Let's see, what other sport can I bring you? Oh yes, the World Cup just finished up, didn't it? It was hard to not watch when you had guys like this to watch...

      I took more interest in soccer than I ever had before. ;) Oh yes, one more overlooked summer sport... Swimming. 

      How could I overlook swimming? Well, just because I almost forgot that one I, in my big heart, will give you one more.

      Okay, so he may not be a real life professional athlete, but does it really matter?

      Has your summer been hot or a little chilly? Did I succeed in making it a little hotter? What summertime sports do you participate in?

Shopping Specialty Stores

            And let me tell you one of the reasons I hate getting a new computer…

Where is this program? How do I find that? What happened to the files I just transferred? UGH. But that isn’t what this rant is about. Nope. I’m not going to whine and complain about my new computer. I want to talk to you about something else. Like maybe a place where I bought said computer, or something even more specific. 

            Specialty stores.

            Since moving to the SAV we’ve had many visitors. And it seems that with each visitor we must stop at each and every specialty store there is here. You know, one of those so special that you only see them when you’re not looking? Yea. One of those. First let’s start out with…

            The Salt Table. I’m not a huge salt person, but something about that place called to me. Plus I had read a friends book that involved a little girl infatuated with a particular salt in a store. A Himalayan pink salt. Of course the Salt Table has his salt, plus many, many more. One friend that visited even bought the Himalayan pink salt slab, a piece of thick salt that you can cook on. What I like in this store is not the salt, but the teas and seasonings they carry. The last trip in I bought a Savannah blend black tea that is phenomenal when chilled. J

            The last visitors did some major shopping the last day they were here. First we hit the salt store, then we hit another one of Savannah’s specialty stores, The Savannah Bee Company. This store specializes in all things honey, from raw, to Meade, to lip balm. There are many samples to be had, from wildflower to tupelo to blueberry. Needless to say I didn’t buy anything at that store. Why? They sell the honey in about a 50 lb. bottle. Okay, so maybe I’m a wee bit melodramatic, but honestly, how much honey could one use? It would go bad before I could use 12-16 oz. of honey?

            Don’t get me wrong, I love specialty stores. They are interesting, and I love a persons drive and desire to make something so unique work. But did you ever notice that you really don’t need anything from that specialty store until you go into it? Or do you? I wasn’t really thinking about cupcakes until I wrote those last sentences. J

            Do you have any specialty stores near you? Are you into the many varieties of salt? What is one store you won’t visit?

           

<br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>And let me tell you one of the reasons I hate getting a new computer…</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNq4IN-Od7Lnj3QlAC9ZayYhOlC_1qG6S3FAiKSk1tw4P5D1-e33gtm5aHgpEuTNdH04htgm-Cec3V6hP7GT2oGsMWTO6Jt8Ny5PYn_5qqZjxMQCnDMTaBTMz1E5PCvKd9NJ2bhxEP65g/s1600/specialty+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNq4IN-Od7Lnj3QlAC9ZayYhOlC_1qG6S3FAiKSk1tw4P5D1-e33gtm5aHgpEuTNdH04htgm-Cec3V6hP7GT2oGsMWTO6Jt8Ny5PYn_5qqZjxMQCnDMTaBTMz1E5PCvKd9NJ2bhxEP65g/s1600/specialty+one.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Where is this program? How do I find that? What happened to the files I just transferred? UGH. But that isn’t what this rant is about. Nope. I’m not going to whine and complain about my new computer. I want to talk to you about something else. Like maybe a place where I bought said computer, or something even more specific.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>Specialty stores.</span></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>Since moving to the SAV we’ve had many visitors. And it seems that with each visitor we must stop at each and every specialty store there is here. You know, one of those so special that you only see them when you’re not looking? Yea. One of those. First let’s start out with… </span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvlrcwpXs-ocURVghZxlw99Rn7PqfJz3v3GQposA-boFnR0b0D4S6Qazx2LhaZqAWI4YEclAPWFTKCKM1ErEltI1EFISHKdkOTyU_L0S-GB0oCnwNbTOJIfzwdyRb5pHZkpfvBPdeYog/s1600/specialty+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvlrcwpXs-ocURVghZxlw99Rn7PqfJz3v3GQposA-boFnR0b0D4S6Qazx2LhaZqAWI4YEclAPWFTKCKM1ErEltI1EFISHKdkOTyU_L0S-GB0oCnwNbTOJIfzwdyRb5pHZkpfvBPdeYog/s1600/specialty+two.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>The Salt Table. I’m not a huge salt person, but something about that place called to me. Plus I had read a friends book that involved a little girl infatuated with a particular salt in a store. A Himalayan pink salt. Of course the Salt Table has his salt, plus many, many more. One friend that visited even bought the Himalayan pink salt slab, a piece of thick salt that you can cook on. What I like in this store is not the salt, but the teas and seasonings they carry. The last trip in I bought a Savannah blend black tea that is phenomenal when chilled. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>The last visitors did some major shopping the last day they were here. First we hit the salt store, then we hit another one of Savannah’s specialty stores, The Savannah Bee Company. This store specializes in all things honey, from raw, to Meade, to lip balm. There are many samples to be had, from wildflower to tupelo to blueberry. Needless to say I didn’t buy anything at that store. Why? They sell the honey in about a 50 lb. bottle. Okay, so maybe I’m a wee bit melodramatic, but honestly, how much honey could one use? It would go bad before I could use 12-16 oz. of honey?</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwn0kWilO1BHHQ3dnbifM34v-hX8WU3070rDvtGy2n09gNg0s-muumcRSXwwTyzU6nQKVqthe7xn9tY3cyXo4ExSbuWXRKVhYfnbGlfutwKaFlXjTzGSmF-TwpUShGhig8G4wcpTxQR0/s1600/specialty+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwn0kWilO1BHHQ3dnbifM34v-hX8WU3070rDvtGy2n09gNg0s-muumcRSXwwTyzU6nQKVqthe7xn9tY3cyXo4ExSbuWXRKVhYfnbGlfutwKaFlXjTzGSmF-TwpUShGhig8G4wcpTxQR0/s1600/specialty+three.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span>Don’t get me wrong, I love specialty stores. They are interesting, and I love a persons drive and desire to make something so unique work. But did you ever notice that you really don’t need anything from that specialty store until you go into it? Or do you? I wasn’t really thinking about cupcakes until I wrote those last sentences. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do you have any specialty stores near you? Are you into the many varieties of salt? What is one store you won’t visit?</b></span></div> <br /> <div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">            </span></span></div>

Hot And Cold

The door opened and her foot landed on the hard grey concrete. The rest of her body stepped out from the house. Within an instant she felt a slap across her face. Beads of perspiration instantly formed on her lightly tanned skin. The slap had her reeling. She immediately stepped back into the comforts of her home, closed and locked the door, and tried to gulp in a deep breath. She raised her shaky hand to wipe her forehead and muttered the words, “Thank the good Lord for air conditioning!”

  The slap across her face, also known as the humid heat, had her shaking her head in disbelief. She kicked off her sneakers, walked back into the living room, and tried to ignore the looks her dogs were giving her. “What? It’s too damned hot!” She gave each of them a kiss, and set out to start her work for the day. The errands she planned on running could wait until later, although she knew it would not be cooler later. This would be the best she could get for the day. Heck, this would be the best she would get for a couple of months.

  Her “Inspiration Room,” as she called it was waiting for her to start her day. It was a small sunroom. Two out of three walls were windows overlooking the large back yard. She closed the French doors and took in her surroundings. There was a futon, for the few times more than a couple of people visited, a small television that was never turned on, a glass table that she couldn’t part with during the last move, and her small wooden desk. Of course there were bookshelves lined with all sorts of books. Her escape. She stepped to the desk. Her palms rested against the wood surface. Outside, what was normally a sea of green, her yard, was now brown due to a lackluster amount of rainfall over the past couple of months. Out further the plants around the potting shed had a little life to them thanks to the rain barrel they had put back there when they fixed it up. Even now that was almost bone dry. 

  She looked down onto her desk and frowned at the landscape design she had started a while back. Every day she moved it to put her laptop there. At the end of every day she would put it back, thinking tomorrow would be the day she would finish it. “I can’t plant it now anyways, it’s too damn HOT,” she whispered.

  Her fingers refused to move against the keys. Her mind wandered back in time to her childhood and early adult years. It was a different time, and completely different place. It wasn’t the hot she worried about there. It was the long, frigid, snow filled winters. When she was a child she never worried about those winters. As an adult, however, the season grew longer and longer by the year. It almost became a depression for her. Finally, she packed her bags and headed south. A slow smile came to her face. “It was just too damn cold...for way too long!” Her words made her laugh. She took in her surroundings once more, inhaled the cool, refreshing air, and started typing.

Does your area stifle you with heat or chill you with cold? Are you a hot or cold weather person? Have you ever moved to get away from certain weather, or weather conditions? What’s your preference, the beach or the mountains? Winter or summer?  

Please to Forgive?

      My computer is on its last leg, so I'm hoping to get a short, short blog in. To prove how short I'm talking take a look at this. 

      Okay, okay. So maybe that was a little lame. Well, to prove myself even more I give you this as a peace offering...

      Yes, I did just give you the one and only David Gandy. Good golly I love that man. 

      And I do have to go now, because I don't trust this computer to last much longer. I did buy a new one today, Sunday, but Blogger is never easy to get along with, and I can't access everything I need with them. Hopefully Thursday's blog will be brought to you by the new touch screen laptop. And maybe it will involve a story about how technologically inept I am. :)

      When did you last buy a computer? Do you panic at deadlines? If Mr. Gandy doesn't do it for you, who does?

Meet the Griswold's

            My second family left Wednesday after visiting for a few days. This is the family that told us to visit Rockport when we were in Maine. So we did, but the Maine Rockport was not what we were looking for, or what they were talking about. Then it comes out they were talking about Rockport, Massachusetts. Close, but not quite. I don’t know how that got cornfused, but it did. It all worked out though.

            This is the family that we commonly refer to as the Griswold’s. If you’ve ever seen any of the National Lampoon movies then you know the luck the Griswold family. My second family has that sort of luck. They’re one of those-if some funky stuff can happen to us it will- sorts of families. For example, the morning of their flight out they woke up to a text stating their flight had been cancelled. Thank you, Jet Blue. What a lovely way to wake someone up. Wednesday they left to fly back home. Shortly thereafter I received a text from them stating their flight was delayed. Griswold’s.

            While visiting we went to Tybee Island. Who doesn’t want to spend time on a beach? Half of the Griswold clan, apparently. One of them doesn’t like sand. She’s the only person I know that can take her shoes off, let the water hit her toes, and then she tastes sand in her mouth. Go figure. Three of us had a blast in the water while the other two decided to shop. All of us lathered up in sun block. All of us missed spots, like whole backs, shoulders, feet. Are you starting to get the idea here?

            We took a vacation with them a couple of years ago to the Smoky Mountains. We rented one of those beautiful log cabins. Upon entering we realized we didn’t have running water. That lasted for six hours.

            There are other instances of how bad luck follows this family around, but I don’t want to overwhelm you, or make you think I’m making this all up. Trust me, even the best of imaginations couldn’t make this up! J

            If it weren’t for bad luck would you have any luck? Do you or your family have Griswold incidences? Do you like beaches and sand?

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Absorbing Nature

  Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the day. We all have our routines and schedules that keep us on the move. Throw a kid or two into the mix and it seems one scrambles to find just a minute of peace and quiet. In that minute what do you do? What is it that you crave for just a minute or two of?

  For the last week here in North Carolina it has been extremely humid. That translates into afternoon thunderstorms. My once empty rain barrel is now overflowing with nature’s juice, and my plants are happy once again. But that rain does something to my mojo. It throws off my day and leaves me scrambling for the next item on the list of things to do. That to-do list seems to get longer and longer. The end is nowhere in sight.

  The last few weeks have been very hectic in Kelly’s world. Many times I’m still working on that said to-do at nine at night. I cannot tell you the last time I sat down and had a good long writing session. Most nights I’m lucky to come up with a paragraph or two before my brain shuts down.

 Today was different. The skies turned gray and thunder rumbled off in the distance. It was only a matter of time before the afternoon storm rolled through. But today I changed my routine. I made myself sit and not do. The Charmed One and I sat out on our front porch. We just sat. We relaxed and watched the rain fall. The tall pines swayed with the wind. Leaves of plants drooped from the initial heaviness of the raindrops only to perk back up again as the droplet fell and disappeared into the ground below. It was nice to just sit, to absorb.

  Four feet away from my chair is a hummingbird feeder. Yesterday it was nearly empty, so I replenished their sweet concoction. I thought it strange because I had just cleaned and changed their sugar water a few days before. As we sat out there today I realized why it was empty the day before. Even though the rain poured down those pesky hummingbirds kept up their ritual of trying to be the owner of that one feeder. I thought that we had only one or two hummingbirds until then. As we sat and watched battle after battle, heard scolding upon scolding, and crashing of wing upon wing we realized there are way more than one or two little guys and gals. That particular feeder has three perches, and at one time all fighting stopped. All three perches were occupied and three more tiny hummers hovered and waited. It was purely a sight to see.

When I went to replenish their food this girl visited!

  I think that was my reward for finally slowing down. I loved sitting there, absorbing. My minute of peace and quiet turned into a half hour. After watching the birds I came away with two thoughts. One-I wish I had a tenth of their energy. Two-All that fluttering and fighting exhausted me! ;)

  As a side note we have five feeders set out, but this seems to be the one they all want. I can’t really blame them, it is situated under a covered porch! And they did all this with the dogs right beside us.

  What do you do when you get a minute or two to relax? Is there one set thing you do, like read or watch birds? What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? Does life’s hustle and bustle wear you down? 

Pests

      Recently I realized that one of my biggest nuisances isn't around. I mean these things are a real pain in my rear, and so many plants hate them too. I would too if they ate my skin and left me looking transparent. 

      I work with plants nearly every day. This time of the year I usually see one type of bug eating its way through nearly every plant possible. But... I haven't. And it is WONDERFUL. Apparently the majority of their population hasn't considered Savannah as a home yet. For this I say "Thank you!"

      Even when I lived in New York these pests wreaked havoc on beautiful plant life, leaving landscapes looking lacking and barren. Pests that are just as disgusting, to me, as a cockroach. 

      Which horrid creature am I talking about? 

      The nasty Japanese Beetle.

      Lately I've heard my friends in NC talking about the beetles on their plants. It made me realize that I haven't seen one at all here. So i enquired about it. Low and behold it seems that Japanese beetles may have been seen here, but they have not yet been consistently spotted, or truly live here. For this I dance.

      I wonder how long it will be before they cross the river and decide this is a happy nesting ground as well. Hopefully it will be many, many years from now. :)

      Do you garden? What garden pest constantly bothers your garden? If Japanese Beetles are a problem for you what do you do to control them?

      

To Be Read Pile

            I haven’t read a book in months, and this makes me very sad. Very sad. And a little on the grumpy side. You see, I need my escape. I need my mind to travel far and wide. Over the past couple few months it has only trekked twenty miles a day. That was back and forth to work. Now, finally, I will get to escape once again.

            Our hours at work are about to get cut. Now we will go back to a four day work week, instead of five and sometimes six. You can’t see me now, but I am doing a little happy dance. (And I look like a geek. But oh well. J) Those 50-60 hour work weeks were fine for the bank account, but not for my body, or the things I love to do, like read, write, or just enjoy time with the family. Now it is time for me to get back to making my final revisions, seeking out agents to send queries to. And the dreaded query.

            It is time for me to reacquaint myself to J.A. Redmerski’s The Edge of Always. I started that book two months ago. Two.Months.Ago. I’m embarrassed to admit that. What kind of writer am I if I’m not reading? I haven’t been. I’ve been the horticulturalist. Thankfully soon enough I will be able to go back to doing both.

            That is a good thing considering Bookbub emails me specials every day. If you've never been I suggest you give it a whirl here...https://www.bookbub.com/home/ For quite a while I was on a kick of buying at least two books a week. Now is the time I can catch up. Finally I will be able to read Robyn Carr’s Four Friends that B&N had on sale for half off this past weekend. Now I will be able to catch up on my friend Barbara Samuel/Lark O’Neill’s latest that I’ve been chomping on the bit to crack open. And after all of those I will dive into the latest from Jill Shalvis, Then Came You, coming out on July 1.

            Of course it will be well after July 1 that I get to that one. I mean, I’m still working four 10 hour days. And I’m a slow reader. With a TBR pile as big as mine I should be good to go for about a year!

            When your life is hectic, what do you miss, or not have time for? Have you ever heard of Bookbub? How big is your TBR pile? What are you reading at the moment?

You can also find me at:

http://facebook.com/kellyryanwatson

http://pinterest.com/kellyryanwatson

or

http://instagram.com/saltlifekelly