Hello, I'm back! I just had to pause the blog for a brief 20 months to get through a pregnancy, a pandemic (well, not quite there yet), and teaching school to my children. In fact, I feel like I've come through some sort of apocalypse...a prandemic pedagocalypse. This will make a good blog title.
Not long after my last post, there was birth. And there was death. A beginning and an ending only a few weeks apart. In August 2020, I gave birth to my fifth child. A little girl.
Who has grown up into a little gremlin.
My Grandpa, the Grandpa who inspired The Remember Balloons, died shortly after my baby's birth. He battled Alzheimer's for more years than we thought we'd have him. But sadly, he passed away alone due to COVID precautions at his care home. I miss him! But I know I'll see him again.
(And he has his balloons back now.)
A rather short mention of a man who I could blog about for days. Something longer will come.
In 2021, I participated as a guest in a couple podcasts, presented at virtual NerdCampKS, and secured a new agent after my first agent left agenting. I am currently represented by Michael Bourret of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret. And I'm very excited to work with him!
I had some interest from a film director, who shopped The Remember Balloons as a short film. It didn't get optioned (and I suppose it didn't help that the shopping began at the same time as the pandemic), but it was nice to chat with a director on the phone about my book. It was lovely to hear about and see his vision for the film.
As long as we are in 2021, I suppose I should mention Snowmageddon--that time it snowed in Texas. We weren't ready for this strange white stuff falling out of the sky. Which is why Texas' grids failed and why lots of people were cold. Our house lost both water and heat. Fortunately, we had a friend with heat who let us stay in her warm home. It all made me realize just how unprepared we were for an emergency, but I did master the art of the gravity toilet flush. Mostly with melted snow. Did you know that this much snow melts down into only about 5 cups of water?
We have had a couple icy days in Texas so far this month, but nothing like last year. Usually our "winter" is two days of 20 degree weather. I grew up in the midwest where this weather was matter of course, but I've acclimated to warm. I'm not sure I could go back.
And to end on a happy note (happier than freezing weather), my mother-in-law is doing well. As some may remember, she was hospitalized at the beginning of the pandemic with COVID. She was on a vent for three weeks in ICU, followed by several more weeks of recovery and rehab. I am convinced that she can survive anything now. With pre-existing medical conditions, the odds were stacked against her. But she made it to hold her last grandchild in her arms.
And that, right there, is a good place to end this blog post.