And once again

June 28, 2024

Life never goes as I plan, or even hope. I've made a little headway on the writing front, but not enough to feel good about it, much less brag. This June now ending has been a whirlwind of activities I didn't see coming down the pike at me. The major heat wave that sent us to scorched earth status did not help either. 

Don't get me wrong because I'm not complaining about getting lunch and dinner invites. I'm not complaining about the temps cresting the 100F mark. Deuce had a bit to say about it over at Deuce's Day, but he has black fur and he was not a happy puppy. I think it's very nice of "my" people that they feel the need to check on me and make sure I'm okay. Ron's been gone for three months, and they care. But it's only possible to write if I'm at the computer. 

Again - I am not complaining. 

I knew getting into a new groove would be difficult, but I looked forward to having some structure back in my day by now. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me to relax and go with the flow instead of putting myself on a schedule. Who knows? 

I do know that going with the flow isn't easy for me. There are so many projects up in the air that I think I'm losing my mind! The new well isn't drilled (thanks to a hold up in the county permits office), the Charger hasn't gone in for an oil change (it's not overdue so not critical), the John Deere 1023 hasn't been serviced (simple filter changes), the woodyard is still a mess, and the shed is only halfway reorganized. And there are still items to be completed to finalize Ron's estate. I know it will all get accomplished in due time, but I'm stressing over the mountain all that has created. One step at a time, right? 

None of this is insurmountable. I simply need to make a phone call to the garage, stop by the John Deere dealership to purchase the filters, and go to Lowe's or Home Depot for some heavy-duty hooks and brackets for in the shed. 

But now I have to go get ready to meet a friend for lunch and some retail therapy. It looks like this blog post may be all I get written today. Go with the flow, right? 

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 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KCKendricks

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT gay, Kindle romance, rural living, life after loss, family, gardening, John Deere, Dodge Charger

Video: A Patio Chat

June 15, 2024

This week now ending has been full of activity. There have been the usual chores to do as well as a few extras. In preparation for the new well, a local gentleman I've known for years came and doused. He found the same spot his father did many years ago. I do believe there is something to it. 

The drill manager came and went twice, taking measurements and such. He brought good news that I hope holds true. They hope to set up the drill rig this coming week. The "handyman" building a new deck for one of the cousins came and looked at the cistern. He'll clean and reseal it after the well is up and running. It may seem senseless to keep the cistern ready to go, but if the new well fails, I need a backup plan in place. Living on a severe water restriction is not any fun. 

I worked on the writing, too. It feels good to be back at it even in a smaller capacity. When I needed to take a break, I made two video segments - a garden tour and a patio chat. Once I got into editing them, I decided to tack the garden tour onto the end of the patio chat since it's not all that wonderful. Hopefully, I'll shoot a better yard and garden update next week. 

The patio chat segment is okay. I'm learning more every time I make a video, so bear with me. I want to keep these videos "real" and not super edited and slick looking. Making videos is not my job. It's merely a hobby. I think it's fine if they look real. Will I get better at it? I hope so, but I don't want to go all slick and professional. Keep it simple and keep it real is the modus operandi for this.

The video is below if you'd like to view it, and if you want to subscribe to my YouTube channel and help the channel grow, I'd appreciate it.

*** Video was removed 7/1/24 due to a safety concern***

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 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, Between the Keys, YouTube videos, author chat, country living, m/m romance, time management, black Labrador Retriever, contemporary gay romance, LGBT romance, Kindle romance books, gardening

Forward progress!

June 4, 2024

Forward progress was made today! I was determined to accomplish two things and both of them worked out great. I incorporated an idea into one of the WIPs and I fleshed out the premise and character bios for an idea I've been kicking around for a fourth story set in Centerville. I'm calling it a WIN!. 

Maybe it was a reflection of the decal I put up above the patio doors this morning. "She believed she could so she did." It was an impulse purchase but it's something I need to remember. I need to set my mind to a task and do it. And maybe  blogging yesterday about my unrest helped bring what I want into better focus. 

Since Ron passed, I've been procrastinating on a lot of fronts. I've handled those things that were urgent, but let other things, like the writing, slide. It's been bothering me which is why I'm blogging about it again. I don't like procrastination. I don't like that I fell into that trap. And yet I know I need to allow myself some leeway. The death of a spouse changes everything. 

Ron encouraged me to write. He was amazed, and a bit envious, that I could write not one story, but over seventy stories. In the early writing years, he sent me to the computer while he put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher. Times change but the memory of the ways he supported me remain. Now I need to remember his voice saying, "don't you have a book to finish?'

Yes, Ron, I believe I do. It may still take a while, but at least for tonight, I believe I'll actually get it finished. 

    _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

twitter.com/kckendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

KC Kendricks, Between the Keys, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, romance for Kindle, writers on writing, loss of spouse, procrastination, gaining focus, character bios, LGBT romance

I made it to here

June 3, 2024

I sat down at the computer this afternoon with every intention of doing something productive. 

I broke out in a cold sweat. 

Having now stared at the monitor for the last little while, I wonder if it's too soon after Ron's death to entertain the idea of getting back to writing. Then again, I remind myself that grieving for him has no end, and I need to get on with it. I know this because I still grieve for my father, and he passed in 1983.

I want to write again. I have more than a few ideas knocking about in my brain, but sitting down at the computer shoves them into a box and closes the lid. It's very strange. 

The past two months have been a whirlwind of completing task after task after task. I've reached the point where there are only a few loose threads to tie off and my beloved husband's life-on-paper will be consigned to a folder in a drawer. Perhaps this knowledge has me unsettled again. 

Sometimes introspection can be burdensome. It's good to know yourself but it's also good, at least for me, to be able to set concerns aside and write. I don't want 2024 to be the year I don't complete a book, but if it is, I'll know the reason. 

I'm sure some authors would advise me to pour my emotional unrest, my grief, into a book. That's good advice. Summer is here and the afternoons will be too hazy, hot, and humid to be outside doing anything more strenuous than sitting on the patio with a fan blowing on me. My air conditioned office would be a good place to hang out from about eleven o'clock until about six o'clock. But baring my soul when I'm not really in touch with it seems like a bad idea.

But like always, blogging has helped me focus. Blogging is like thinking with my fingers. I think I'm going to wrap this up and go back to one of the manuscripts I have started and see what "clicks" for me. After all, I made it to here so I may as well keep typing. 

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KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
Visit my bookshelf at: 
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at The Hideaway/Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

Between the Keys, KC Kendricks, contemporary gay romance, m/m romance, LGBT romance, romance for Kindle, writers on writing, authors, focus, writer's block, time management