Sunday, July 23, 2017

Summertime...and the livin' is...Well, You Decide, Part II by Margo Hoornstra

Ah yes, the Gershwin song, Summertime from the musical Porgy and Bess. The opening line goes like this. Summertime…and the livin’ is…easy

Last time I wrote on these pages I opened with that, and pointed to those lazy, hazy days of Summer. Warm, tranquil days full of sunshine and fresh breezes. Days, and nights, to sit back, relax and soak in the quiet. Enjoy doing whatever we want, or nothing if that’s our choice.

I championed my Calla Lily blooms...okay bloom...



I mentioned the Adirondack Chairs we purchased for the front yard.



And a glider swing to go with the rocker on the back deck.



Then lamented the fact I only wished I could use them more.

To paraphrase the great Mr. G – I noted, in my world, it’s more like Summertime…and the livin’ is…busy!

With a novella, For Money Or Love...



in the six story anthology, All In For Love...



Promo going on through Author Promo Pal for my own three book anthology, Saturday In Serendipity...



A soon to be given release date for Book One in the Brothers in Blue series...On the Surface...



Nearing completion is Book Two in the Brothers in Blue series...On the Force...

Whew!!

Then....they started digging up our road about a week ago. We live on the very end of a dead end, so getting out and about can be a challenge. What with a ten feet wide, by twelve feet long by fourteen feet deep crater between us and the nearest highway.

This is a picture of the view out my front bedroom window these days.





And that's just the beginning. They are putting in new water and sewer lines. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Then....this morning, we awoke to water dripping, ominously, I must say, down a wall.

To their credit...the plumbers, two of them, arrived within an hour. Diagnostic...estimate...both time and cost. Thankfully a one day, albeit 8 hour+, job and an estimate that won't exactly break us...but...

I'll spare you pictures of their endeavors. Think bathroom sink and vanity removed, drywall as well. More drywall, plus part of the ceiling cut out in the bathroom below. Items under the kitchen sink...didn't know that space could hold so much...gotten out of their way...pipes out...pipes in...pipes out...pipes in. (More in than out, I'm hoping.)

Although I am taking a little time off to attend the Romance Writers of America® National Conference. My husband's going with me. What a sport, huh? I think so.

It'll be nice to get away...

So, tell me. What about you? Are you indulging in a vacation this year? Or are you as busy as the rest of us?

My days to blog here are the 11th and 23rd. For more about me and the stories I write, please visit my WEBSITE



11 comments:

Jannine Gallant said...

My "vacation" consisted of taking my youngest up to Ashland, OR to register for college classes at SOU then swinging by my mom's house (two hours away) for the weekend. My husband is currently at home with a broken clavicle from a crash on his mountain bike. Surgery was involved since it was pretty badly displaced. No work for another month while it heals... Let's just say he's bored out of his mind and making me crazy. What was that old commercial? Calgon take me away... Let's just say I could use a vacation, but I'm not going to get one. Enjoy yours!

Rolynn Anderson said...

I have a deep and abiding respect for water, not just because I'm a boater, either. Water in the house (pipes, dishwasher, clothes washer, all the sinks and bathtubs and more pipes...and the irrigation system. I never leave the house when the dishwasher and the clothes washer are going...I learned. Anyway, it's going to be awhile before you use this purple chairs, Margo. I'm in WV, still living out of a suitcase...the big family reunion starts next Sunday. So, yup, I'm on vacation...we have so much fun as a family. Crossing my fingers that the water stays where it's supposed to at home!

Brenda whiteside said...

Oh gosh, I hate those kinds of problems. Some easy summer. No vacation really. We'll take a few three night stays by the Colorado River in Laughlin and frequent trips to Prescott. Wishing you good luck.

Vonnie Davis, Author said...

Oh no! Too many problems for me to deal with. When things like the plumbing issues come up, I have to remain calm to keep Calvin from going off the deep end. But my insides are a quivering mess. No vacation for us this year. The kidney stones and I have decided to stay close to home and the doctors I know. Have a great time at RWA. Calvin still talks about the time he went.

Margo Hoornstra said...

I feel for you, Jannine. Really I do. There is one consolation. Nothing lasts forever.

Always the traveler, Rolynn. That's great. Enjoy yourself. Yep. Here's hoping our personal water behaves.

Brenda, thanks for the good luck wishes. Anywhere in AZ has always been a vacation for me. We lived there when Ron was in the Army. Nice place to visit....

Vonnie, Calvin is one precious person for you to protect. Do it well! Ouch for your kidney stones. Not at all fun, I know. Wish you'd be at RWA. Maybe some year soon, huh?

Leah St. James said...

I'm on vacation this week, spending the time with my best buddy from 6th grade who flew in for the wedding. How lucky am I? :-) So sorry about your plumbing woes, but thankfully they finished in a day?? Have fun at RWA!

Alicia Dean said...

NO vacation for me, busy, busy as usual. Wish I was going to RWA. Have fun!!
(Like I told Leah, I was sure I'd already commented on your posts, but my comments are not there...so, not sure what happened).

Alison Henderson said...

I wondered what they were doing, digging that giant hole outside your house. We''re just back from a vacation to San Francisco with our daughter--our first together in 11 years! It was great, but there's no place like home.

Margo Hoornstra said...

Lucky you, Leah. Enjoy your friend. That's a vacation in itself.

Margo Hoornstra said...

RWA can be so overwhelming, Ally. Looking forward to our lunch together!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Re-paving is next I hope, Alison. Hope you had a great time. I know what you mean about home though.