MONDAY MEANDERINGS #20

Hello, blogging friends! Life is moving at warp speed. The days sometimes seem long, but the weeks and months zoom by! Hope all is well with each of you. Summer is officially here!

I feel as if I repeat myself each week, but it’s sure been a busy week. A lot of the week included several days of driving in the horrible Dallas traffic. I always say a prayer of protection before I get behind the wheel. Those of us who live here say all the time there are way too many people streaming into this already congested area. The roads are not equipped to handle the increased traffic. It’s like going into battle when I get out there with them all. 🙂

My youngest granddaughter got a new bicycle and she didn’t have the confidence it takes to just start riding it. So, my daughter scheduled a bike-riding lesson for her. Unfortunately, that was way deep into Dallas and I fought traffic the entire way. But the good news is that one lesson was all it took. She is now riding that bicycle everywhere. It’s funny how kiddos will accept instructions from a stranger more quickly than they will from family.

My oldest granddaughter was in a theater camp all week, then they performed the play on Friday. Sydney landed the role of President Roosevelt in the Annie production. And, of course, she nailed it! She shines on the stage!

Sydney as President Roosevelt

All of the kids stay busy. Hmmm. Maybe that runs in the family. 🙂

On the writing front, I am getting positive feedback on A Bold Bargain from beta-readers. As always, I value this kind of input immensely!

I’m starting a social media campaign to spread the word about this AND my sister’s new book, Cade’s Quest! We’re getting some great response from our decision to launch them both on the same date! Pre-orders are coming in, so if you are one who ordered, THANK YOU!!

I would love to know if this has ever been done by two sisters in the history of publishing books. It’s kind of cool to think of possibly making history.

What’s next for me? I’m not even thinking about anything new just yet. Well, actually, that’s a lie. I am tossing around the idea for a series of novellas spinning off from A Bold Bargain. 🙂 However, I will be out pocket for most of the month of July, on separate vacations with daughters. So, until after these trips and the new book is released, I won’t focus on a new project.

I’ve been reading some really good books and will share my reviews later this week or next.

I’m happy to report I finally got the a/c fixed in my car. I caved and took it into the Honda service center and I’m glad I did. They discovered two separate problems and while it cost double from what I had anticipated, it is done and blowing cold. It’s a good thing, too, because the temperatures in Texas are already soaring into the triple digits. So, I’ll stay nice and cool on the road! One more obstacle behind me.

The strangest thing happened when I came home Saturday night from visiting with my family. As I’m sure you remember, I live in an apartment complex for seniors. The two apartments at the end of the hall where I live, are empty and have been for quite some time, but there was something piled in front of one of the doors. So, being the curious person I am, I had to go see. Had someone moved in while I was gone? No. That wasn’t the case at all. A local grocery story had made a delivery to the wrong apartment. There was nothing on any of the bags indicating where it was supposed to go. I knocked on a few doors, hoping to find who had ordered it. When that achieved nothing, I made a call to the grocery store, thinking they would tell me where it went. Finally, after they promised to send the delivery driver back out to pick it all up, I left it where it was and went to bed. Well, Sunday morning, it was still there and at this point been sitting in a hot hallway for hours. All the perishables were ruined.. What a waste. If I’d had any inkling they wouldn’t pick it back up, I would have at least refrigerated those items. Needless to say, it all had to go in the trash. I would think the stores would attach something to one of the bags to identify a destination. I’m sure someone was calling the store, perhaps angry, that they never received their food. Things that make you scratch your head.

This quote from David Lynch struck me in a profound way. Aren’t we always striving to go deeper into our characters, settings and stories?

The tarot card for this week comes from the Major Arcana and that means it affects us on much more than an every day level.

This is a card with many different aspects. However, the main message it contains is about balance, harmony and divine timing, which also includes patience. You can see emotions are perfectly balanced as the angel pours water from one cup to another. One foot is on solid ground and the other in water, indicating the perfection of duality. Notice the pathway, leading toward the golden crown or an achievement. The water appears to flow two directions at once, representing the process of alchemy where the impossible becomes possible through a connection with the divine. Be flexible and take a moderate approach to your goals, trusting that the results you desire take time and patience. Follow your intuition in all areas of your life.

I don’t know about you, but this card applies to me on several different levels. I love it!

That’s it from me for today. I hope you all have a great week ahead and let’s make some magic!!

  • Comment (25)
  • Darlene says:

    Glad the A/C is fixed. When we live in hot climates, we need it. That David Lynch quote is excellent. Thanks!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Yes, living in hot climates makes us dependent on cool air to stay comfortable. Glad you enjoyed the quote. Thank you for stopping by, Darlene.

  • Love the quote, and temperance is a wonderful idea this week.

  • Joy York says:

    That was very kind of you to be concerned for someone’s groceries. I’m sure it was cheaper for the grocery store to resend the order to the right place than the cost of fuel for a driver come back. I doubt they consider how much someone may need it. You are a caring person. I like the card you drew. I can certainly relate to it. Have a great week, Jan!

    • That is so true about the groceries, Joy. I hate to waste anything, especially with the soaring costs of everything these days. But I did what I could. I’m glad you like the card for the week. I do, too. Thank you SO much for stopping by!

  • Love the life updates. You may be the first sisters to publish together. That is unique! Stay cool.

    • Thank you, Jacqui. We are pretty excited to publish totally different books on the same date! I appreciate you stopping by and 100% agree about staying cool. I’m spoiled. 🙂

  • Yay for fixed A/C! My parents drove an un-A/C’d car in Oklahoma and Texas (then Alaska) for years. They were tough folks! Yay for positive feedback from your beta readers!

    • Lol, Priscilla. Yes, they were tough folks. But I can remember when I was a kid, none of our cars had a/c. We’re spoiled. 🙂 You are so right about the value of beta-readers. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!

  • D.L. Finn, Author says:

    Watch great quote, Jan 🙂 What a waste with the misdelivered groceries, but good on you for trying to get it resolved. Happy to hear your AC is fixed. I wouldn’t do well without mine either in the hot parts of summer. Can’t wait to read both your books! Such a great sister launch.

  • Happy Monday, Jan. It is a shame about the food. We were perplexed why Door Dash (used by some retailers) kept delivering to the wrong address. Finally, we caught a driver, and she explained that the door photo in their records was not ours, but a neighbor’s. Go figure? Why not deliver to an address instead of a door photo? We got it corrected since this driver was nice enough to take a photo of our door. Your granddaughter makes a great Roosevelt.

    • That makes no sense to me, John, that they would use a door photo and not an address. Just craziness. Glad you were able to get it corrected. Thanks for the praise for Sydney. She did a great job! I appreciate you stopping by!

  • Teri Polen says:

    Yay for the A/C! With this heatwave you’d definitely need it, Jan. Loved the story about your granddaughter and the bike. Our youngest son made it as far as a bike with training wheels, then announced one day he was done. And he never rode a bike after that, lol. Congrats to your other granddaughter on the part!

    • Jan Sikes says:

      Lol! Your son’s declaration made me smile. At least he knew what he wanted. 🤪 I agree about the necessity of a/c at this point. It’s definitely hot. Thanks for stopping by!!

  • Yes, Jan, life does seem to go very fast at times. It’s good that you got the A/C fixed in your car. Your granddaughter having a bike riding lesson is cool.

  • A delightful post, Jan. Congratulations to you both. Hugs.

  • Hi Jan, I like how you reflect on various aspects of life and your interpretation of the tarot card is really interesting. Have a wonderful summer, away from the traffic.

  • Harmony says:

    It’s a shame about the food. Congrats to your bike-riding granddaughter!
    The card this week resonates on so many levels. Thanks for sharing, Jan 🤗💗

  • How wonderful that you and your sister are publishing books at the same time, Jan! And it’s good your a/c is fixed! While temps have climbed in other parts of the country, ours have been mild, and I’m hoping July and August will be repeats. I’m sure they won’t be though. 🙂 Stay cool and love the quote! xo

  • Time is flying by, isn’t it? Your grandchildren are so fun, Jan. What a pleasure that you get to spend so much time with them. Strange story about the food delivery. It does seem like a big disconnect, especially since you bothered to call the grocery store! And glad to hear that other story ideas are going laps in your head… It sounds like “Temperance” is the perfect fit and you’re pulling it off. Hugs.

  • President Roosevelt never looked more dashing! 🙂

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