The Roses of Prose: Apache Lake

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Quit Wishin' Go Fishin' by Brenda Whiteside

I did that on Thursday. Went fishin' with FDW. I don't think the old saying actually means go fishing, but it's the number one thing in life my husband loves to do. Since I try to spend time with him once in awhile...I fish. Or read. If I'm not catching, I read. On those fishing days, I'm forced to relax. Apache Lake is one of the most scenic and serene lakes in Arizona. It does me good to take the time to relax even if I'm no good at it.

Time has always been my enemy. This battle started in high school. In my sophomore year, I realized there wouldn't be enough time for me to get in all the classes I wanted to take. I went to my counselor and asked if I could take seventh hour in addition to my regular day. Seventh hour was for those students who had a job and needed time out of their school day. She refused me. No one did that. I was a teenager and needed my leisure time too. I had plenty of leisure time, but she didn't believe me.

As an adult, I've learned all kinds of tricks to get more done with what little time life is giving me. And I've stopped getting too upset about missing my self imposed deadlines. Well, sort of. When I turned thirty, I was depressed for months. I'd had a benchmark for what I should've accomplished, and I'd missed it. Getting depressed is useless (it keeps you from getting anything done), so that reaction no longer has a place in life. I just kick butt tomorrow for what I didn't get done today.

Right now, family events are keeping me hopping so I'm writing to word count each day. Yes, so structured, but on this latest book it's a must. Most of the time, when not writing, I'm doing two things at a time. Thank heaven for my pocket calendar to keep it all organized. And thank heaven for FDW who forces me to relax at least once a week and do nothing but sit in a boat and enjoy nature.

I have a feeling most authors feel this time thing too. Not enough hours in the day. Authors and readers...how do you cope?

Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart having lived in six states and two countries. Currently, they split their time between the pines of Northern Arizona, the desert of Southern Arizona, and the RV life. Wherever she roams, she spends most of her time writing stories of discovery, suspense, and the tangled relationships of life.

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com

Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2

She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about life’s latest adventure on her personal blog http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003V15WF8

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3972045.Brenda_Whiteside

Friday, September 9, 2016

REPEAT by Brenda Whiteside

I'm cheating today and not composing an original post. My life has been fraught with too much family drama, exchanging RV's, blowing car engines, tire blow outs, and anything not related to my writing career. This post is from last spring on my personal blog. I spent a lovely day on Apache Lake, not far from our RV ranch in Tonto Basin, AZ. I thought about deleting the photos of Rusty since he passed last summer, but it's a good memory. Hope you enjoy.

Since Frank and I have been in Tonto Basin all week, I'm a little short on farm news, so I'd love to share some pictures of Apache Lake. I don't get out on the water very often. I decided to not get a fishing license this year since most days I write. But I love an occasional lake day, and I hadn't been on Apache Lake in many years.