Another quiet week in Milner HQ in Thamesford. The biggest excursion my Mom and I took this week was to Embro for ReuseApalooZaha. Actually, that’s not true, we did go to Ingersoll, London and Stratford, but that was mostly for groceries and necessities. We did go to the Value Villages during the trips to London and Stratford, and my Mom went to Michaels in Stratford for a cross stitch pattern.
And even though I didn’t pick up anything at ReuseApalooZaha, it was a great sunny morning and a great excuse to get out to the house. They will be holding another ReuseApalooZaha at the Lion’s Pavilion in Sweaburg on Saturday, September 26. If anyone is in the area and wants to donate their old used items and see what treasures they can find, it’s definitely worth a drive to Sweaburg. (Hey, you can check out Tommy Williams Park while you are there.)
I won’t be in attendance, however. My Mom and I plan to head to Glencoe for the Fair Parade. That is, of course, if my Mom can remember that the Fair is the weekend of September 26. It’s an inside joke: On two occasions, my Mom suggested that it was this Saturday that we were to go to Glencoe. So…if anyone in Glencoe is reading this on September 19 and sees my Mom camped out on Main Street waiting for the Parade, tell her to go home.
Meanwhile, my Mom have continued to do some small jobs to maintain the upkeep of the house. I suppose with the cooler weather, we’ll have to put away the deck furniture for the winter. While I didn’t spend as much time out on the porch, reading and/or writing, as I would have liked, I did make use of it from time to time. Actually, this week my Mom and I enjoyed some of the warmer weather to sit out on the porch during what we call our 10:00 and 2:00 breaks.
In case you’re wondering what the image that accompanies this week’s blog, allow me to enlighten you. Long-time readers of my blog may recall that about a month or so ago, I got an idea for a novel. Pretty much every night after my Mom and I watch Cheers and Storage Wars, I come down to my “office” and work away on it. I’m just under 16000 words in. I won’t give away too much but it’s an alternate history where the Soviet Union conquered the United States in the 1960s. Twenty-plus years later, a political family of a Senator in the United Soviet States finds themselves grappling with secrets and being used as pawns, both by the Soviet government and a liberation movement. I’m working on about four or five different chapters, depending on where inspiration strikes. Right now there’s a lot of set-up with the Senator, his mistress-turned-wife, his two daughters (one a senior in high school, the other returning from her third tour in Nicaragua), the Russian commissar and the Senator’s administrative assistant (who is involved with the liberation movement). I’ve even started writing a backstory about the history of U.S.-Soviet relations from 1940-1986 that will serve as Chapter Two.
It’s weird because I’ve started my fair share of novels (and completed several) but this is the first one that has kept me up at night thinking about what the characters would do next. It’s a case where I know I can write this novel. The difficult part is how to get it published. (If anyone has any hints or tips on getting published, let me know.) I looked into self-publishing a while back but it’s gonna take more money than I can part with right now.
As for the image, I asked ChatGPT to create an image of the main characters a while back. I find I write better when I have a visual prompt. Then I asked “Can you create a mock-up of the novel’s cover?” and viola!
Speaking of Cheers, we’re about a quarter of the way through the final season. Once we finish, we’re going to need to find another sitcom to binge-watch. I’m leaning towards That 70s Show. I’ve binged it a couple of times but I’m not sure if Mom has ever watched much of it.
Meanwhile, I hope all of you who have read this far have a great week ahead. Stay happy and healthy and hey, if you’re not doing anything, drop me a line to let me know how you’re enjoying my blog. (Don’t just unfriend me like at least one person did last time.)
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