Monday, April 15, 2013

Too Many Possibilities = Chaos? by Alison Henderson


My life is gloriously chaotic right now. Everywhere I turn, I see more possibilities. We’ve been settled (ha!) in California for ten days, and so much has happened, yet very little is complete. I did manage to purchase, register, and insure my new car, but nearly everything else is still up in the air. My hubby and I have an appointment tomorrow morning at the DMV to register his car and get new drivers’ licenses. Judging by the quality of driving I see all around me, the test should be a piece of cake.

We’ve met with the contractor who will be turning our new (but sad and worn out) house into a dream home and approved the plans, and I can’t wait to get started. I get to pick out everything new from windows, to flooring, to kitchen cabinets. Of course, the converse is that I have to pick out everything new. So many choices! So many possibilities! The mind boggles and I’ve barely started.

And then there’s the yard. The lot was completely neglected and overgrown, so last week I hired a landscaping service to attack it with chainsaws, pruners, and stump grinders. It took a small army of men three days to whip the trees into shape and clear out decades’ worth of snarled undergrowth. Now that I can see what I’m dealing with, the possibilities once again are nearly overwhelming. Where do I even begin? I started by joining the local garden club. Now I’ll be able to get advice from local experts who know the ropes.

It put me in mind of my early days as a writer. I blundered along on my own through my first manuscript, but it wasn’t until I joined RWA and my local chapter that I learned the skills necessary to produce a publishable novel. Now I rely on my writer friends, including my fellow Roses of Prose and other authors at my publisher, for the advice and support to keep me going through the ups and downs of this crazy business. Hats off you ladies! I couldn’t do it without you.
Alison
http://alisonhenderson.blogspot.com

7 comments:

JenaGalifany said...

Wonderful post, Alison. Congratulations on your new home and welcome to California. =)

JG

Margo Hoornstra said...

Wow, Alison. All that comes to mind is You go, Girl! Congratulations!

Barbara Edwards said...

Hi Alison,
I can't imagine doing all that in a reasonable time frame. Use professionals and take lots of naps. Good luck

Jannine Gallant said...

Sounds like fun - the picking out everything part! As I'm not a gardener, my yard consists of thimbleberry bushes. LOL I have complete faith yours will be beautiful in short order.

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, everyone. It will be several months, but I'll post "after" photos as soon as I have something to show. For more immediate gratification, we went to the nursery this morning and bought a dwarf lemon and dwarf orange tree to plant in pots on the patio at our condo for the time being.

Jody Vitek said...

Ooh, I can't wait to see pictures of things in progress to completed. So exciting!

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Exciting and exhausting times. I'll be eager to hear more of what you're going through. Good luck!