Coronavirus Pandemic 594 - My Call from a Gentleman

Known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. - 45,423,365
Known COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. - 736,112

--------------------------

I didn't go to bed until 5 a.m. this morning in a vain attempt to get words in on A Very Hero New Year.

Only to be awakened at 10:15 a.m because Significant Other was trying to call me. After the initial surge of adrenaline that something was wrong, my heart calmed down at the video chat of Adorable Spawn taking his first bites of solid food.

This little rapscallion has grown so much in the last four months. I miss him terribly, and I'm so happy he and his parents shared one of his milestones with us this morning.

It was worth the lack of sleep.

The Unwanted Swimming Pool

As y'all know, DH and I were in Texas for the birth of our first grandchild Adorable Spawn. We'd worked in a couple of extra days for the trip and a couple of detours to visit friends in Houston and St. Louis we haven't seen in years.

Everything was going fine until we hit Memphis for the second time. We were woken on Saturday morning with texts from one of our neighbors. The home town had two inches of rain in less than an hour. Water surrounded our house and filled the street.

DH checked the security system, and sure enough, there was water in the basement. He called one of his sisters and she went over to check our place. By then, the yard and street were clear. She guessitmated about a foot to eighteen inches of water. It was lapping the second step, but she could hear the sump pump chugging away. However, she was smart enough to NOT walk through water that's obviously at the level of electric outlets. But she couldn't see into the rest of the basement.

We debated for a few minutes before we threw everything in bags and headed home. I called our friends in St. Louis and apologized for blowing them off, but they totally understood. DH and I thought we'd spend Sunday scrubbing everything with bleach. Besides, we didn't have much down there besides the lovely turquoise area rug for the family room. We had unrolled it downstairs and set boxes on the corners so it would lay flat.

We arrived home shortly before midnight on Saturday night. Alarms were ringing in the basement, but the standing water was gone. We crept downstairs.

I wanted to cry. The water line was over my head. The water heater and furnace had been underwater. In addition to losing the beautiful brand new rug, I lost the two brand new Halloween yard inflatables. Stuff I never got to use.

And in the middle of dealing with insurance, restoration firms, and contractors, I need to finish A Hand of Father.

Somehow.

Wish me luck.

Tired But Happy

DH and I set out for home yesterday. We're taking a couple of detours along the way to visit friends we haven't seen in years. But I made it out of GK and SO's apartment without bursting into tears.

Thank goodness video phones are a reality now. We'll be able to see Adorable Spawn on a regular basis. However, I'm still dealing with GK being an adult. He's an awesome dad, staying up with the baby so SO can get some sleep. They did ask us to stay over Monday night so they could get some sleep.

Let's just say pulling all-nighters with a newborn was difficult when I was 34. Doing it in my 50's? UGH! I'm probably going to sleep for a week when we get home. And I still need to finish August's release.

But yeah, the next generation is here, I'm officially a crone, and time rolls on.

Introducing Adorable Spawn to Deadpool

I've already been buying geek onesies for Adorable Spawn, including Deadpool and Captain Kirk. Deadpool, the movie, is on FX tonight, to which Darling Husband pointed out AS's parents do not have cable.

But they have Disney+!

Darling Husband is still peeved that I let Genius Kid nurse while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (first-run episodes).

I'd like to point out I'm not the one who let a four-year-old GK watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then wondered why GK had nightmares.

To Boldly Go! Mainly Number Two.

Adorable Spawn FINALLY made his debut around 2 PM EDT yesterday. Unfortunately, his head was too big, so Significant Other had to have a C-section. Both Mom and Spawn are doing great! A picture of the cutie will be added later today.

And yes, the Spawn has given his Dad, aka Genius Kid, plenty of practice in diaper changing.

New Life and New Frontiers

I'm writing this post after midnight on July 5th. We arrived on the 2nd. Significant Other's mother arrived on the 4th. We went out to dinner. S.O. had the same occasional contractions she'd been having for the last week and a half. After dinner, we returned to the hotel in order to let everyone get some sleep. I got my jammies on, grabbed a snack and a drink, and settled in to read e-mails. 

And we got a call from Genius Kid an hour later that S.O.'s water had broke. So right now, we're on dog and cat duty thanks to the idiots in Texas shooting fireworks like a bunch of maniacs. We finally got them all calmed down, then the phone rings.

S.O.'s water didn't break after all (apparently she was in the shower when they thought it had broke). However, the doctors have decided to induce later today. So, we'll see what happens next.

Early, Early, Early

There's just so much going on in my life right now. We're fairly certain Significant Other's due date was calculated incorrectly, so Adorable Spawn may be making his appearance any day now. If he comes early, DH has already stated he'll load me on a plane, and then drive out to Texas.

(DH no longer does planes. For our honeymoon to Hawaii, he popped a sleeping pill, washed it down with the complimentary champagne, and was out for the entire six-hour trip. The flight attendant was a little worried about him, but I said, "Trust me, you don't want him awake while we're still in the air.")

So the projects I wanted to get done before spending time with the new grandbaby have taken on a new urgency. My morning projects are getting  the paperbacks formatted for all the latest three Justice books completed. In the afternoon, I work on A Hand of Father. After dinner, I write Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice. Then after DH goes to bed, I've been reading Loren L. Coleman's Crowdfunding Your Fiction and studying some ongoing fiction Kickstarters. And in between all of that, I'm rewriting Spells and Sleuths.

I've found several pirate sites that have the old versions of the Millersburg Magick Mysteries. All I can do is shake my head. The first half of Spells and Sleuths was salvageable because it was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rest? Well, they definitely show signs of my low-grade depression through May of 2020.

I feel much better now.

Onward. There's many words to add to my works-in-progress

No! It Can't Be Friday Yet!

Seriously. I need some more time in the week. Or I need to move to Mars for an extra couple of hours in the day.

On the plus side, I've got the Bloodlines: The First Boxed Set paperback almost ready to be published. Just waiting on the cover, which will be done on Monday.

If you'd like the ebook version, it's on sale for $0.99 at all the mahor retailers.

I manually loaded a bunch of ebooks onto Apple, after driving myself crazy learning the system. I view it a necessary evil. If I end up hiring an assistant (or DH does the job, as he has suggested int the past), I need to be able to explain things to them.

I've been working on the revisions for the Millersburg Magick Mysteries in between other editing projects.

However, I've barely gotten through half my to-do list for the week. All I can do is try to get as much done before Adorable Spawn arrives this summer.

Or it could be Adorable Spawns. There's a possibility Significant Other might be having twins. She and Genius Kid called this week in a bit of a panic. As we told them, the grandparents will be there to help no matter what might happen.

On top of everything, Darling Husband found out his position was being eliminated. It has been a fear for a lot of people thanks to the ravages of COVID-19 on our economy as well as our health. The good thing is his employer doesn't want to lose him. They're exploring options, and it makes DH feel appreciated.

So if you know me personally, this is why I've been crazy or not in touch with you lately. I'll catch up next week. I promise.

I just need to play Counselor Troi this week.

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 419 - What Happened to U.S. Unity?

32,610,374 recorded cases of this damn disease in the U.S. 583,148 recorded deaths.

The question above is most certainly rhetorical.

I remember the afternoon the Eagle landed on the lunar surface. The collective excitement of the adults around me. The thrill of us doing something that's never been done.

Us. U.S. The United States of America.

Fifty years later, I hear despair from friends and acquaintances in the medical profession. They are abused by neighbors who've swallowed the belief that science is the source of all evil. They are cursed out by patients who still claim COVID-19 is a hoax as they struggle to breath. They struggle to save people who claim vaccines don't work. Or even more ludicrous, the vaccines contain tracking devices.

(*Ahem* If you're one of the last, you might want to take a good look at a certain handheld device I'm sure is on your person or nearby your body. Corporations and the government can already track us through our smart phones.)

As I said, the title is a rhetorical question. I know what's happened over the last fifty years. It doesn't mean I like it. 10% of the population has contracted this disease. And yet, people are refusing the vaccine.

Look, I want things back to normal, too. Even though DH and I are vaccinated, it felt very weird going out to dinner with GK and SO while we were in Texas. I wasn't scared for myself. I was scared for SO and Adorable Spawn. SO found out she was pregnant right as the vaccines were delivered to their base. At the time, her doctors advised against vaccination because they didn't have any data concerning the vaccines' affect on pregnant women.

It's exceptions like SO who the reason the rest of us needs to be immunized. The unity of her friends and family getting the vaccine to protect her and AS helps, but only so far.

I wish the other half of the country understood why this unity was so important.

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 412 - The Slowdown Has Commenced

The day-to-day numbers are starting to look better, even though the overall numbers are grostesque. 32,244,617 known cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. 577,224 known deaths due to COVID-19.

People I know are getting their vaccines as soon as they possibly can. I hope the rest of you are, too. COVID-19 is an ugly way to die, literally drowning in your own blood. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

But the increase in vaccinated people and the use of masks and social distancing are lowering the infection rates, and with that, the deaths.

In the meantime, I'm entering my own slow growth period. I need to get caught up on paperback releases in May and type words on the next Justice book because at the end of June/beginning of July, I will become a grandma. And yes, I know I will be distracted.

We just got back from a visit with Genius Kid and Significant Other in Texas. The new crib and mattress didn't arrived until after we left, but we did get them baby and children's books to read to Adorable Spawn, plus Deadpool and Star Trek:TOS onesies while we were there. A.S will be the geekiest baby on the block.

I did get work stuff done during this road trip, so that bodes well for future road trips. And I don't mind performing the late night duties while we're there later this year. However, we are definitely getting a hotel room because my body has become too old for air mattresses on the floor. Heck, we might even be able to take Princess Puppy Bella with us if we stay at a hotel. We simply can't have her beating up on Blaze the Wonder Shepard.

Dean Wesley Smith calls summer the time of Great Forgetting. I'm not forgetting a damn thing. My priorities have changed because I want the new generation to have a healthy, loving start in life.

Haircuts and Paperbacks

I seriously overslept on Monday, so I didn't get much done. Yesterday, I was up at 7:30 to take Bella to her appointment to have her hair and nails done. You'd think I would have gotten more done.

But no, I was making phone calls, answering texts, and sending e-mail. The family grapevine was working overtime now that Genius Kid and Significant Other are officially producing Adorable Spawn in July. Maybe.

S.O.'s doctors keep changing the due date because of A.S.'s size. He's going to be a big boy according to the ultrasound.

In preparation, everyone at Casa Harden is getting haircuts. Because we know how babies like grabbing things. Things like hair and fur and dangling earrings.

I'm the only one that has to worry about that last one. However, DH's haircut from last Thursday was so radical it caused commentary among the young gentlemen sacking our groceries. Bella looks like an entirely different dog after yesterday's grooming (see photos for comparison).

And today, I'll be heading in to the salon to whack off a few inches. Then with DH's help, I'll turn into a little old blue-haired granny. Specifically, Midnight Indigo from Splat.

DH suggested we be called Gramps and Grams. I kind of like that. "Grams" is what the Halliwell sisters on Charmed called their grandmother.

But in the meantime, I've got a lot of writing to write and paperbacks to publish before Adorable Spawn makes his debut.

 

Vaccine Party!

I was on the phone starting at 8 a.m. yesterday morning with the county health office. It took about twenty minutes to get through, but DH and I have appointments for our first shots on Saturday!

It's important because our first grandchild is on the way. Yep, Genius Kid and Significant Other are expecting. And there is a certain delicious symmetry in that an Army brat baby will make his appearance around the Fourth of July.

The stimulus package will also help with the purchasing of important infant safety and waste disposal equipment.

And my whining about getting a haircut on Wednesday? Well, it is a necessity. I've been around babies. Long hair, dangly earrings, and newborns do not mix. Also, I need to dye my hair because I'm going to be the geek grandma.

The appointments took such a load off my mind that I wrote more yesterday than I did the entire rest of the week. I guess I needed that little glimpse light in the darkness.

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 363 - Jumping the Gun

29,293,090 known COVID-19 cases in the U.S., and 530,614 known dead from the disease.

A year ago, DH and I sat across from each other in the local Applebee's and debated what would happen with COVID-19. The week before, the news broadcast announced the first death when I was on a layover in St. Louis. As we ate, hospitals in New York were becoming overwhelmed. No one was totally sure how the disease was spreading. There was a lingering unease even in our little town.

Less than a week later, my father-in-law's assisted living facility was closed to visitors. Two days later, the Ohio governor shut down the state.

A year later, Texas's governor is reopening the state. The CDC says it's far too early, and I agree. The new British variant is already spreading through the U.S. while we barely have 10% of the population vaccinated.

I worry because GK and his girlfriend are stationed in Texas. I worry because my unborn grandson doesn't have a choice in the matter. I worry because they want us down in San Antonio for the baby's birth, and the last thing I want is to expose them to COVID-19.

I'm glad Ohio's Governor Dewine is upholding the masking and social distancing efforts. We aren't out of the woods yet. But there is some hope on the horizon.

On Thursday, my and DH's age group can sign up for appointments to get oue vaccines. It's not a perfect solution, but if it helps us to welcome the grandkid into the world, then it's a little less worry on my soul.