Hello, dear friends. May I preface this post by saying how much I hate the time change? I just wish they would leave it alone. It takes our bodies a while to adjust.
You might guess from the banner that this post will have something to do with music, and you would be correct!
As I mentioned last week, my daughter and I had tickets to go see Tab Benoit. And, my goodness, what a night! Seeing him live was on my bucket list and I can mark it off with a happy heart. BUT, the girl who opened for him was AHmazing!! I’d never heard of Ghalia Volt, but please go look her up! She is truly a one-woman band. She plays drums with her feet, slide guitar with her hands and has a voice that blew us all away! My daughter and I got a picture with her.
I won’t bore you to death with the event, but here are a few pictures I want to share.
If you ever get a chance to see either of these artists, do it! I have a couple of live videos of Tab’s performance on my Facebook page, if you’re interested.
After that, I did go back for the Sunday Ballad of the Balladeers competition, although it was a bit chilly outside. Still, the talent is amazing.
The weather was absolutely a rollercoaster this week. West Texas experienced a huge sandstorm, and all of that sand blew here. This is a photo taken of downtown Dallas on Tuesday. It is no exaggeration. Then we had an eighty degree day before it plunged back into the forties with cold rain.
On the reading front, I received an ARC from a friend who will be releasing a new book soon and I can’t wait to tell you about it! I have made peace with the fact that I will never get all the way through my TBR pile in this lifetime. I’ll simply have to come back again to keep reading. 🙂
The WIP is coming along, slowly but surely. My goal is to finish the first draft before I have surgery on April 14th. And that’s doable, if I keep after it. I am moving into the black moment and wrap-up phase. I live in an apartment complex. The company that owns this complex is building a new one that I can see from my window. Watching them build this four-story building has been pretty amazing. They first tore out all the trees and did the ground work. Then came the concrete pouring and after that piles and piles of lumber were dropped off and the structure began to take shape. Now, when I look out, the piles of lumber are gone and I see a complete building. Of course, they still have lots of work to do both inside and out, but it just made me think of how we build our stories. It has to have a strong foundation – the plot. Then the characters have to be developed – the lumber, all before the actual writing can begin. Such an interesting process, don’t you think?
You already know how much I love my morning coffee, right? Well, a neighbor lady that I have coffee with from time to time puts a cinnamon stick in her coffee. So I decided to try it and it really does jazz up my cuppa. Plus, I have read there are all sorts of benefits from cinnamon such as leveling out blood sugar and boosting antioxidants. It’s been a fun change for now.
Remember the new granddog, Ace? Well, somehow, he has dislocated his knee on the left hind leg. How? Who knows? He’s a rambunctious pup and always active. So, they are supposed to limit his physical activity for a couple of weeks. I almost snorted when my daughter told me that. He is not one to be still unless he is asleep. Here he is with my granddaughter doctoring and taking care of him. He will be fine and at least nothing was broken.
I love this quote. It is true when we are writing—especially in dialogue. What are the characters saying with body language, facial expressions or actions?
The tarot card that popped up today is actually my card for the month. Gotta love that kind of synchronicity.
The keywords that accompany this card are wealth and generosity. We all know that abundance and wealth can come in different forms, but this card is pretty strong in that it indicates an actual person with financial stability, generosity and drive. This could be you or someone else. It encourages you to take action to reach a goal. I’ll keep that in mind as I move on through the month. But this is a positive card full of hope and promise.
That’s it from me for today. I hope you have a wonderful and productive week ahead!
What a wonderful concert Jan and there is so much talent out there and as difficult for music artists to get the exposure as it is us authors…lovely you gave her a boost. I am sure it must be unsettling in the lead up to surgery but I have every faith you are in the best hands and it will be absolutely fine. We will all be waiting (patiently) for your note to us all afterwards. And I am sure your WIP will be as delightful as all your books. ♥♥
The comparison of building a house/apartment and writing a novel is excellent. I hope the pup is on the mend. It’s hard to keep them still at that age. Good luck with completing your current WIP. I’m about 75% done with mine but keep getting stuck. xo
Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, Darlene. The pup seems to be pretty much back to his ornery self. 😁 Good luck getting unstuck and I am glad you enjoyed the analogy.
I like the King card, Jan. I saw your pictures of this concern on FB. So glad to know you had a good time. I am having surgery on 4 April and hope to get my new poetry book published before that date. Poor little pup, so hard to be injured.
The concert sounds like a fabulous night, Jan. I love your photos, but the sandstorm looks awful. I can’t even imagine. I also hope the pup heals quickly, and I wish you a smooth surgery and recovery too. 💞
Thanks so much, Lauren. I appreciate you taking the time to visit and leave a comment!
I also just started to read A Beggar’s Bargain. Love it already! I finally feel like reading. 💞
That show sounds amazing, Jan! Can’t believe she plays drums and guitar at the same time, wow! Your Weather sounds crazy and that sandstorm, yikes! Poor grandpup, I understand it’s almost impossible to keep some energetic pets still. Not like you can explain it to them… lol. Happy you are working through your first draft! Great card, Jan. Most I know are worried about finances right now. I actually dread getting gas. Have a great week xi
You are so right, Denise. Most of us are counting our Pennie’s and wondering how we are going to stretch them so I was thrilled to see the card. Hope it is true! Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment!
I’m glad you had such a good time at the concert. Sorry about the grand-pup. I like your analogy to building a building. I hope you have a great week, Jan.
It’s nice that you got to enjoy such great music, Jan. I sure hope your surgery goes well and does what it’s supposed to. 💖🙏
Thank you, Tim. I appreciate you stopping by!
Sounds like you had a fun music-filled weekend, Jan! That’s crazy with the sand storm. I had no idea that happened in TX. And poor Ace! Glad he has such a good (and adorable) caretaker. Have a great week!
Thanks so much for visiting, Teri, and leaving a comment. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Wasn’t that sand horrific? We got some here although it wasn’t nearly as bad as what Dallas had. And I hear strong winds are in the forecast for West Texas on Friday.
Hoping your surgery goes well, Jan. And kudos for the progress on your book.
Yes. The wind is supposed to be crazy again Friday. I have no idea how there is even any dirt left in Lubbock. 🥹Thank you for the good wishes!
A lovely post, Jan. I’ll be offline when you have your surgery, so I will wish you the best now.
Thank you, John!
I have never heard of them before but since you are writing this excited about them I will keep them in mind! I am happy for you and your daughter, you had such a great time.
I like how you compare building a house with writing stories. And even our lives build up story by story…
When I saw the tarot card you picked I thought of what you wrote about your WIP – what a wonderful message. Have a great week, Jan!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Erika. Ghalia is actually from Belgium and does tour Eruope a lot. I hope you get a chance to see her. She is amazing! I appreciate your comment so much and you are right about how we also build our lives one piece at a time.
So, she is “right around the corner”😄 I will definitely keep her in mind. Thank you for introducing her.
Thank you, I always love reading your thoughts and about your experiences. We can benefit so much from one another, can’t we? 😄
Not being able to get through the TBR list is one of the main reasons I had to quit sharing reviews. I’m a slower reader and writer. LOL I never realized that until I started to blog. Whew – so much to read and write. I love all your advice.
I love your comment, Marsha. Sorry you had to quit sharing reviews, though. I agree they are a bit time-consuming, but still worth it. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Happy Monday!
They are worth is, for sure, and I enjoyed doing it when I did. Now I enjoy Story Chat as a way to support and uplift authors. Who knows, maybe I will be able to get back to reviewing at some point in time. 🙂 xxx
So much going on, Jan–good grief! Poor pup. I hope that all works out. Love how you said “I have made peace with the fact that I will never get all the way through my TBR pile in this lifetime.” Ha! I have a series from an author I love I am dying to read, but they are long involved books. I just might skip my TBR pile and read those. Good luck with the surgery. I know you have that in hand.
Thanks for stopping by, Jacqui. Periodically, I scroll through all the books on my Kindle and if it’s one that’s been there for years and I’ve lost interest, I delete it, especially if it’s KU. Gotta make room for more. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Great analogy between watching the building going up and the writing process. To continue it a bit further, I’m sure they then have to rework a few things (edit) to make it all work.
I’m sure that is very true, Pete. Thanks for adding to that analogy. I appreciate you stopping by. Have a great week!
It is so lovely to be able to share your music passion with your granddaughter, Jan. Sounds like a wonderful concert. We have had some wacky weather here too. Can’t wait for spring. Have a wonderful week! ❤️
Thanks so much for stopping by, Joy! Yes, it’s always wonderful to share a passion with a loved one. Spring is on the way!! I can feel it.
That sandstorm was crazy, wasn’t it?! There was a grass fire near us in the midst of all that high wind. Scary! But our wonderful firefighters and the firefighters from Gorman contained it. Also, the steeple up in Eastland blew off the Baptist church. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
I had never heard of Ghalia Volt. I just watched a video. Her voice gave me chills, beautiful!
Oh my goodness, Priscilla. That would be super scary with those high winds. Thank goodness the firefighters responded quickly. That’s crazy about the church steeple. It was absolutely horrid. I had never heard of Ghalia Volt either until she walked out on that stage and started performing. She blew us away! Thanks for stopping by!
That sandstorm pic is wicked! I’m happy you had fun this weekend, Jan! Great tarot card, especially with all the financial insecurity taking place in our country. Hopefully, this means we made some smart choices in the near future.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
Trying to breathe with all that dirt in the air was a challenge, Yvette. I agree about the tarot card. Here’s hoping. Thank you so much for stopping by!