At last, the year has come that my story collection The Holy Ghost and Other Spooky Stories will come out! I am so ready to hold it in my hands and turn the pages!
Alas, all news is not good news. My last blog told you about another writing retreat at Bald Head Island. I didn’t tell you one of the things I brought back with me from the island was a fractured pelvis. The second week of October began an odyssey of doctor’s appointments, months of bed rest, a brief respite, and then back to doctor’s orders for no activity.
My constant companion has been my friendly walker. Clint Walker was of one of my husband’s favorite western movie stars, so we call my walker Clint. The cooler you see in the picture is not keeping a beer cold for me, but the place where I keep my ice packs handy.
Because I couldn’t get downstairs, we did very little Christmas decorating. I did have a ceramic tree and a fairy tree in the bedroom to give it a holiday feeling. Our daughter, SIL, son, and granddaughters brought Thanksgiving and Christmas to us. So, in some ways, these were very special holidays we will never forget.
During my “incarceration” I have read books, done some writing, and even some hand sewing to alter a dress for a friend’s granddaughter to wear to the Nutcracker.
My first checkup at the doctor showed that I was healing well, even better than expected. So I was given permission to go out to eat, to cook, to get my hair done as long as I used my walker. We went straight from the doctor’s office to our favorite restaurant.
After two weeks of freedom, I developed some very sore muscles from the increase in activity. I had
to go to Urgent Care. Now I am doing a second bout of “resting” I am beginning to wonder if I will ever get my life back. Will I ever sew any more American Doll clothes? Sometimes I am a jiggling mess of self-pity, but I try to stay positive. I remind myself that the actual healing is going very well and that very many people are much worse off than I am. Have you ever had a health issue that just seems endless?
My dear husband has faithfully fed me three meals a day on a tray, taken over the laundry, and fetched and carried any number of things I can’t get and do for myself. I am a lucky lady.
But I still have high hopes for a good 2024. I wish you all the same. Don’t forget, you can pre-order my story collection here: https://devilspartypress.com/product/arriving-04-04-24-the-holy-ghost-and-other-spooky-stories-by-bernie-brown/
Happy New Year!