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The holidays are now behind us, and so ends another period of wild overeating. We’ve once again failed to control ourselves. And really, why should we? Food was everywhere through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s. Try as I might (and trust me…I didn’t try that hard), I lost control. Happily, I enjoyed every minute. And though I tend to be on the slimmer side, I’ve caught my nude reflection now and then when stepping out of the shower. There’s no Heated Rivalry going on here! More like…heated leftovers. That said, I think it’s important to embrace the new you. Even if the new you is mostly made up of carbs and sweets.

Let’s Take a Cruise!

Heck, if the damage is already done, perhaps this is a good time to book that next trip. And why not look at cruising? If you’ve ever taken a cruise, you’ve probably experienced an intense period of overeating. The kind that leaves you sitting up at night as you struggle to digest your whale of a meal. Maalox and Tums can’t solve the dilemma, and the Alka Seltzer we all grew up with has mysteriously morphed from an indigestion aid into a cold medicine. If you want to identify (and who would?) as elderly, ask the pharmacist for bicarbonate of soda. Trust me. No one carries that anymore for indigestion. It now resides in the baking section of your local grocery store, waiting to be opened to eradicate those stinky odors in your refrigerator.

So Why Overeat on a Cruise?

I don’t know. I think it has to do with the need to depreciate the expense of the trip. How many pancakes can you consume during breakfast while polishing off a dozen scrambled eggs? Is that bacon fresh? I smell sausage…or is that me, as I catch a whiff of my own musk, which I’ve named Ham. I may have missed eating a sweet roll, but I’ve magically developed around my midsection my own little sweet roll. Thank goodness I’m not into breakfast buns. My buns are already fine, thank you very much!

Power Flush

Fortunately, every facility onboard a ship seems to come with a super-duper power flush. So no matter how much you consume, it can be efficiently whisked away. I like that. It serves my guilty conscience. If I can get rid of it…then it never happened. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Or as we said as kids: denial (pronounced da-Nile if you’re from NYC) is more than just a river in Egypt. We all love food. We all love to eat. And yes, we all love to eat too much.

The Fasting Begins

So once again, the time has come to return to the gym. To join the elliptical crowd. I hear the desperate call of the treadmill as I lace up my Brooks. Oh well. Nothing lasts forever. It’s time to close the mouth. To stop obsessively chewing. To get my act in gear. I can do it. I certainly have enough stored from my Winter’s feast to make it through. Thank goodness for the Holiday Season. Wasn’t that fun?!

And Now for A Little Something Extra!

Work continues on the cover design of my next novel, Friends for A Season. The manuscript is complete, and I hope to offer a sneak peek soon. Until then, for those who haven’t had a chance to read Boca by Moonlight, now is the time to grab a free ebook by clicking here. And until we meet again, I’d like to wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year!

What do you mean you didn’t notice I’ve been gone? It’s been months since my last blog, when I announced my scheduled open heart surgery. Fortunately, the surgeon didn’t find a block of chocolate (my favorite snack) where my heart should be. Everything turned out well. I now have a new bovine (steer) aortic valve. My only concern: Does this make me a cannibal if  I eat steak?

Lessons Learned

Like all major life events, there must be a lesson learned. I’m a Capricorn, and that’s how we roll. So, what did I learn from this little adventure?

1. There are lots of people who care about me. Who knew? Certainly not me. And yes, it was a pleasant discovery.
2. The healthcare at Cleveland Clinic is superb! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. That said, I have no interest in doing it again. Once was more than enough.
3. The City of Cleveland is a great place. The people are very kind. There’s nothing like that good old Midwestern spirit. They love their Cavaliers and the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. But their Art Museum is also worth a peek.
4. Clevelanders are a hardy bunch. If you’re visiting in January or February, bring a heavy coat. It’s freezing. And if you’re from a warm climate (like me), bring a sweater, too. It’s cold everywhere, even indoors.
5. Cleveland is loaded with pierogi. Everywhere you go, they’re on the menu. We ate a lot of pierogi. Onion soup is also a standard. Big bowls covered with cheese. Yum!
6. Clevelanders love big trucks (Super Duty size). They have a knack for backing those babies into tight parking spots. I think it has something to do with the snow. And yes, there was a lot of snow flying around in all that wind. The gusts were intense.
7. If you love looking at churches, there’s no shortage in Cleveland. Beautiful churches are everywhere. We spent many afternoons driving around and counting the churches. It’s a nod to Cleveland’s history of welcoming immigrants to the twentieth-century steel and textile factories. The mansions along Millionaire’s Row (John D. Rockefeller once had a home here) are gone, as are the factories, but the churches remain.
8. Finally, I’ve learned that open heart surgery requires a long recovery process. Not a week or a month, but many months. And that’s even if you’re in good shape before the surgery. That’s why doctors recommend that valve replacement be performed when you’re relatively young. Of course, the definition of young is subjective. What’s young to a heart surgeon isn’t young to anyone else.

Now, For Something a Little Extra!

In celebration of my new aortic valve, I’m offering a free e-book of Boca by Moonlight. Just click here to download your copy. Until we next meet, happy tax day!

Every marriage has its problems. And no one ever knows what goes on behind closed doors. You’d hope that after thirty-three years of being together, including thirteen years of marriage, any real disagreements would have been amicably settled long ago. Still, if you pressed an ear at our front door these days, you’re bound to hear shouting. But it’s not because we’re fighting. You see, I’ve suddenly lost my hearing due to a tumor in what used to be my one good ear. I guess, life happens. Fate comes for us all. But what makes this so difficult is that I actually had the same tumor in the same ear when I was twenty-one. Back then, they removed it and saved my hearing. But the surgeon warned it might come back. Lucky me. The prodigal returns.

Peace & Quiet

It’s the strangest thing to shower and not hear the water running. Or the timer on the stove. Or the phone ringing. The world has become a quiet place. But hopefully, this is a brief interlude that a surgeon can fix. And though I’ve tried to reframe the experience as a character-building exercise, I’m afraid the situation might be permanent. At night, old terrors haunt my dreams. I’m alone. No one likes me. No one wants to talk to me. There’s no hope for me. Of course, all of this nonsense only happens at night. During the day, I’m surrounded by love and caring messages from friends. So much for a healthy subconscious!

What Can I Hear?

Not the television, radio, or my husband, Jeff. The poor guy has had to stand very close to make himself understood, which honestly, isn’t so terrible. He always smells nice. And I’ve even snuck a kiss or two. Besides, I don’t mind being the center of his attention. It’s good that he has to look at me when he speaks so that I can read his lips. No more chasing after him as he goes from room to room talking. His attention is focused. And so is mine. This reminds me of the powerful message from the play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder. The protagonist agonizes that in life we don’t ever really look at each other. We miss the beauty of our existence. Well, if your husband is deaf, you have no choice but to look at him when you speak. Which makes me kind of a lucky guy in our town.

What’s Next?

I will definitely need surgery. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the surgery will be scheduled. Am I scared? Sure. But, I somehow think things will be okay. And if not, then I guess it wasn’t meant to be. And whatever happens, some things are just out of our control. But when you’re a type A personality, it isn’t easy to surrender. But one thing I am grateful for, aside from Jeff and my wonderful friends. I still have my writing to fall back on. Lucky for me, I do my best work when it’s quiet!

And Now, A Little Something Extra!

This month, I thought I’d share the video of the screaming goat. A friend shared it with me and it made me laugh. In many ways, maneuvering through our healthcare system can be a frustrating experience. So this goat says a lot about how I’ve been feeling at times. I hope you’ll check him out and laugh as I did. And until we meet again, have a great September!

The seasons are changing and in Arizona, that means it’s time to check the tires. If you’re like me, the last thing you want to do is bend down and put air in your tires. It isn’t hard. I know how to do it. I just hate doing it. And fortunately, there are plenty of places that will take care of it for you. But like all good things, you must wait in line. And of that, I’m not a big fan. But then waiting requires patience.

Blood Pressure Cuff

Patience is not my strong suit. And a lack of patience can adversely affect your blood pressure. This is why I have my own blood pressure cuff. You see, strokes run in my family. So when I get a stress headache, I worry that I might be experiencing high blood pressure. It’s one of the traits of the worried well. That group of people who see their ultimate demise in every minor ailment. I’m the club president. Now just to be clear, worried well is not the same as a hypochondriac. A hypochondriac fears illness. The worried well is just concerned that every minor ailment is the beginning of the end. Hmm. Maybe it is the same.

Peer Pressure Too?

Which leads me to peer pressure. Okay. I know that wasn’t an elegant segue. But when you’re writing a short piece, you don’t always have the time to finesse the transition. Anyhow, with my newly released novel, Boca by Moonlight (what do you mean you didn’t know it’s available on Amazon?) I’ve come to respect the power of peer pressure. For the launch, I worked with a wonderful group of friends and family to help get the word out. And I’ve been holding my breath waiting for the reviews to start rolling in. So far, they seem positive. Which is terrific. For those of you who wonder how an author celebrates the launch of a new book, well, most of it is done hiding under the bed in a fetal position.

And Now for A Little Something Extra!

This week, we will be participating in a Women’s Literary Fiction and a  Book Sweeps promotion. If you’d like to grab a free ebook of my debut novel, The Intersect, this is the time to do it. The book will be available through both sites. And may I suggest, you check out the other authors too. And before I forget, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Can you believe that we’re approaching the end of another year? Amazing. Enjoy that turkey dinner!