I Couldn't Stay Away

Over the winter, I didn't intentionally abandon this blog, but I did more or less consciously take a time out. The past three months have been. . .well, three long months. I have a full-time job, a full- time husband, a family that would like a lot more of my time than I can give them, and a muse that is never patient, no matter what else I'm doing. My posts here were just one more thing clamoring for attention, so I took a little break.


I've missed it, this chance to put down random thoughts or report on happenings related to anything and everything in my corner of the world. I'm not promising I'll keep to a schedule or have anything brilliant to say, but I hope to drop in here more often in the coming months.


Life didn't stop for my little hiatus. I've written almost 90,000 words on my next book, a story completely unrelated the Valley Rise series and one I'm having a lot of fun writing. I'm sure you'll hear more about that later.
I also applied for Social Security benefits, and signed up for health insurance, two encounters with government agencies that proved gratifyingly simple, much to my surprise. I tend to put off any such tasks until the last possible moment, expecting the worst, but this year, even income tax filing was a pleasant experience!
On the old house front, the dust is about to start flying again. In a couple of weeks, my dining room will undergo a major renovation, the last of the main rooms in my old house to be "done." If I can remember to keep the camera handy, you'll get to watch the process, and--fingers crossed--the progress!
There are ongoing projects in the yard and for the first time this year, my grandchildren--now both teenagers!--will be helping me. Fun times ahead!


With regard to this blog, I've considered narrowing my posts to some kind of theme, maybe sticking to "old house" musings, or publishing a serial, or logging in a gardening journal. I admire bloggers who are able to focus on one topic. In fact, I downright envy their focus and discipline. But when I started this blog and titled it Lost in the Plains, I knew that, much like the road which brought me here to Kansas, it would ramble from point to point in search of. . .what? The meaning of life? A new direction? The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Maybe, but more likely in hopes of reaching out to you--whoever and wherever you are--the folks who find me here and take the trouble to come back from time to time. I'd like to get to know you better, hear your thoughts and learn from your experiences. I don't mind being out here on my own, but it's always better when the journey is shared.


I'm back. I hope you'll stop in and visit soon.