Another Quick #Update – #Evacuation? – #HurricaneIan

/ Marcia Meara / 24 Comments

Thanks to all of you who are wishing us well here in Florida! It’s greatly appreciated!

Nancy Homlitas mentioned evacuation ahead of Hurricane Ian in her response to my earlier post, and I thought maybe I’d best clarify what’s going on currently. They have just ordered a mandatory evacuation order for Hillsborough County, because it includes Tampa and other communities that are on either the Gulf or Tampa Bay, and they are very likely to have heavy flooding and storm surges there.

Evacuation has never (that I know of) been ordered for Seminole County/Orlando area because we aren’t on the coast, and seldom have major flooding, though we can certainly get plenty of wind. The damage we received during Hurricane Irma was from a tornado spawned by the storm, but those can and do pop up randomly with or without hurricanes, and can’t be predicted.

When it comes to evacuating, it is not a good idea to do so if you aren’t told to, because the roads will already be jammed with those who really NEED to get out of their area. I just heard over 300,000 people are expected to be moving out today. I know the traffic on major northbound highways will be bumper to bumper. Because of that, we will not evacuate unless we are told to. It would just complicate things even more. But we also will NOT IGNORE evac orders for our area, should they tell us to go.

Basically, our best option right now is to lay in supplies (did that yesterday) and hunker down to ride it out. In my life time, I’ve been smack dab in the middle of some of the worst storms in Florida’s history, and being smart about our safety during them is just automatic. So far, in this case, our best bet is to stay here, though of course, there are no guarantees. Hurricanes are fickle, fickle things. 

If the situation changes, and we have to grab the cats and go, I’ll do my best to let everyone know. But I haven’t given up on the storm changing course, or even weakening considerably after crossing Cuba. You just never know with these events.

Thanks again for ALL your well wishes, and rest assured, we will do everything we can (even evacuating if necessary) to stay safe. I’ve still got some things on my To Do list, and I want to be around long after this storm in order to take care of them. 😁

I’ll be sending prayers out to all of you in the potential pathway of this storm. Please stay safe, folks, and don’t ignore any evac orders that might come your way.  We’ll try to do the same!

See You After All the Wind & Rain Dies Down!

#HurricaneIan – #Update

/ Marcia Meara / 18 Comments

Doesn’t look good for Florida, folks. Latest from NOAA has us in the crosshairs of the center of Hurricane Ian. Still a few more things we need to do to get ready, so I won’t be around much today.

Here’s the latest projection. It could still change drastically, and I’m hoping and praying it will, but we have to prepare for the worst! Last hurricane that came through 5 years ago (Irma) did $85,000 worth of damage to our house, smashed our garage flat, and tore up our roof. Oh, and it did $15,000 worth of damage to our car too! Eeeek. I SO hope this one does NOT follow this latest trajectory! If it does, the center of the storm will come right over us. 😮😮😮

#This&That&TheOtherThing – #Wind&Rain&Hurricanes,OhMy! – #Updates!

/ Marcia Meara / 20 Comments

THIS

HURRICANE IAN!!

THAT

THE OTHER THING(S)

WARNING: Ian has become a “major” hurricane as it heads toward Cuba, which will likely take a severe hit. As with all hurricanes, figuring out where it will go after that and at what strength is always tricky, but the above map shows the currently predicted path. We live roughly a bit southeast of the “L” in FL.

Currently, we are in the yellow/orange band range, so 30-40 mile winds, MUCH better than 110 & above that some areas might get. BUT, 1) the path can change, and 2) that has no bearing on the amount of torrential rainfall we’ll get, or any resulting flooding afterward. We’re far enough inland that flooding isn’t USUALLY an issue for us but you never know, and folks on lakes or rivers are sandbagging as a precaution.

Truthfully, every single thing on the map could change several more times between now and the Tuesday/Wednesday arrival predictions. I just wanted to let you guys know that it is entirely possible I may disappear totally for a couple of days. Or not. But honestly, even if we don’t get hit terribly hard here in the middle of the state, we are likely to lose power at some point. And while our generator will keep our refrigerator/freezer going, power the microwave for meals, and keep the little a/c in the bedroom going at night so I can sleep (all at one time, I might add), it will NOT be sufficient to keep my computer going, nor the internet connection safe if the power goes.

AND ONE LAST THING (OR TWO)

Today, we will be taking down the gazebo canopy and stashing all loose objects that could become lethal flying weapons, so I probably won’t be online much. But having said all of the above, we’re still hoping this storm dies a lonely death in the middle of the Gulf without impacting anyone’s life or home. With any luck, we’ll come through it all just fine, as I hope EVERYONE in the potential path will!

I’ll continue to touch base if and when possible, and update you on what’s going on when I can.  And I HOPE I’ll be able to respond to Jaye Marie and Mike Allegra’s Tuesday & Wednesday posts this week. If not, I know you guys will enjoy each of them, regardless, and will be supportive as always! Thanks for that!

Thus ends my Public Service Announcement for The Day.
Thanks for your attention!
(As you were, folks!)

#This&That&TheOtherThing – #Updates – #Humor – #Fall

/ Marcia Meara / 38 Comments

THIS

I think I’m overdue for an update on several things, and figured today would be a great day to take care of that. First and foremost, I wanted to let you all know that we are having back-to-back Tuesday/Wednesday guests here for the next two weeks, as I finish up scheduling things for this year.

Next week, our #GuestDayTuesday guest will be Jaye Marie, sharing her newest release with us. And our #TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe guest will be Mike Allegra with another of his fun posts for you.  The following week, Jackie Lambert will be back on #GuestDayTuesday with a super Travelogue post, and Kassandra Lamb will be sharing her #TenThings list on Wednesday. I know you don’t want to miss any of these, hence the heads up that there will be double treats each of those weeks.

Still keeping with The Write Stuff news, I also wanted to remind you that you’ll see a slow down by the end of October, with one more #GuestDayTuesday post from Mike Allegra on October 18, and the final guest post of the year on December 15, as Jackie Lambert finishes her series posts for this year. 

I’ll be putting out a call for more guests in January 2023, but the posts listed above will wrap up my guests for 2022, as I continue with my blogging slow down.

THAT

Now on to the reasons for the blogging slow down. Most of you know I’ve had several health issues to deal with for the last year or two. I’ve done such a good job on managing my diabetes, I just may brag about that in future posts, but I’ve been dealing with Long COVID since February. No, it isn’t the actual virus, thankfully, but suffice it to say I’m heartily SICK of so many days when I simply can’t do everything I want to do thanks to recurring symptoms. I’ve always been a pretty active person with all sorts of projects and interests going on, so being unable to even keep up with my blog is annoying as blazes. And not being able to focus on writing is breaking my heart! (Thank you, Brain Fog!) While I’ve seen some improvement (Hallelujah!), I NEED to kick this stuff to the curb, and thus my clever plan for some R&R!

Cutting back on my blog posts as the year draws to a close will give me time to focus on regaining my health and perhaps even returning to writing, before I get so old I forget what WORDS are. (As if, huh? 😁) Thank you to all who have offered encouragement and support for my doing just that! 

While I will post something each week, the posts will likely be shorter, fun things, just to keep you from forgetting about The Write Stuff.  I might even close comments on some of them, depending on how much energy I have for responding. You CAN expect to see #Granny Says (she’s already scheduled through year’s end) and #ThorsDaySmile, at least through the last two in  November.

I will also post quick #Updates now and then too, so you’ll know if I’m making any progress on the health front. And I’ve also already scheduled a few scattered seasonal quickies here and there, several of which will focus on sharing some poetry I’ve always loved from days gone by. Stay tuned for a broad spectrum of my all-time favorites, from Emily Dickinson to James Whitcomb Riley and many more. Hope you’ll find them fun, whether you’re re-reading them once again or discovering them for the first time.

Thanks for hanging in there with me this far.  I felt a bit of explanation was due, so you wouldn’t think I disappeared into a black hole somewhere. 

THE OTHER THING

And now that the serious stuff is done, may I just add that it’s predicted to hit 88 degrees again here today, and I cannot tell you how jealous I am of those of you who live where there is an actual autumn cool-down underway!  I’ll be laughing all winter when I’m enjoying perfect weather while many of you are shoveling snow, but for now, you get to laugh at those of us dealing with Fall In Florida!  Hope you get a chuckle or two to help pay for sticking with this long post to the bitter (and sweltering) end! Enjoy:

And there you have it folks!
Thanks for reading this long update …

AND
HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!

#ThorsDaySmile – #Humor – #AmLaughing

/ Marcia Meara / 31 Comments

Thor told me he wanted animals today, but that he was getting a little bit bored with mere cats and dogs. Well, who am I to argue with the God of Thunder? If he wants wildlife, that’s what he’ll get, so here you go … Wild Animal Memes Part 1!

And one more quokka, because … OMG, CUTE!

And that’s it for this week’s Parade of Funny Wildlife.
Hope you enjoyed it, because there could be more coming next time!
Now have a great ThorsDay, and an even greater weekend!

#GuestDayTuesday – #DWallacePeach – #TheNecromancer’sDaughter

/ Marcia Meara / 176 Comments

It’s #GuestDayTuesday again, folks, and today we have author D. Wallace Peach visiting us with news about her latest release, The Necromancer’s Daughter. Don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never read a book by Diana I didn’t LOVE, and  I’m dying to read this one! (SOOOON, My Precious!)

Thank you, Diana, for joining us today, and now … you have the floor, my friend! Take it away!

Good morning, Marcia. I’m delighted to get a slot on your blog for #GuestDayTuesday. I started my book tour about three weeks ago for my new stand-alone novel The Necromancer’s Daughter, and I thought I’d share a little about the inspiration/theme of the story.

As you know, I write fantasy novels, but there are only so many plots to go around, and we all have to share them regardless of the genre we write. So, with billions of books out there, how do we ever make our stories original? It’s all in the details, my friend, and the way we put our unique spin on them with our unique voices.

As much as fantasy is about imaginary worlds and magical beings, there are few of us who have the talent to tell an un-human story. We want to grab our readers and make them care. To do that, we need to create characters they can relate to and then put them in situations that make sense. You, my friend, are a master at doing just that.

In writing fantasy, for my themes, I draw quite a bit on the quandaries and challenges of modern life, knowing full well that the hurdles we face have been around for thousands of years in one form or another.

The theme of The Necromancer’s Daughter is the biases and assumptions we make about others without really getting at the truth of who they are as people. Does that sound familiar in our politically divided country? Or in the prejudices around race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and a host of other ways that we differ from each other? It’s a tale as old as time.

In The Necromancer’s Daughter, the division is between those who practice necromancy (the raising of the dead) and those who believe it’s demonic and against the wishes of their goddess.

One of my main characters, Joreh, is stuck in the middle with the hard task of facing his ingrained biases and really seeing people for who they are. That’s no easy task, and he has a lot on the line, including his life.

And, of course, the pages are brimming with action, escapes, barbarians, and dragons. There’s also a touch of romance and tons and tons of snow!

Thanks so much for having me over today, my friend. It was fun getting a chance to chat a little about the book! And many thanks to your blog friends for stopping by. Happy Reading.

You Can Buy The Necromancer’s Daughter HERE

BLURB:

A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant, and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, he breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she learns to heal death.

Then the day arrives when the widowed king, his own life nearing its end, defies the Red Order’s warning. He summons the necromancer’s daughter, his only heir, and for his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade.

While Barus hides from the Order’s soldiers, Aster leads their masters beyond the wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a land of dragons and barbarian tribes. She seeks her mother’s people, the powerful rulers of Blackrock, uncertain whether she will find sanctuary or face a gallows’ noose.

Unprepared for a world rife with danger, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son.

A healer with the talent to unravel death, a child reborn, a father lusting for vengeance, and a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.

MY REVIEW:

(NOTE: I got my wish,  devoured this book, and here’s my review.)

I’m a huge fan of author D. Wallace Peach, and have loved every book of hers I’ve read to date.  Fantasy has become my favorite genre in recent years, so I was eagerly awaiting release day for this one, and crossing my fingers that I hadn’t built up unrealistic expectations. What a joke! It was even better than I hoped. I can honestly say I loved this book even more than Peach’s others, and that’s high praise, believe me.

As always, Diana’s world-building is fantastic, from the beliefs held by each country, to the descriptions of every battle … and every DRAGON! Yes, there are dragons, and they add a wonderful sense of magic that becomes totally believable as the story grows. But even better than the world or its fabulous dragons are the characters! Each is fully fleshed out in a way that made them totally real to me, complete with faults and frailties, generosities and kindnesses, strengths and weaknesses, and all the other components that go into being human. (Or slightly more than. We are talking necromancers here, so it’s a given that this world is touched by magic, even in cultures where it’s forbidden, and practicing it is punishable by death.)

I enjoyed this book with its elegant cover so much that I want to display it in my library, and am ordering a print copy for that purpose alone. Just looking at it sitting on my favorite bookshelf will make me smile every morning.

If you enjoy fantasy, interesting worlds graced with magic, and beautifully rendered characters who will live on in your heart long after you finish the last page, grab your copy right now. You won’t be sorry!

Author D. Wallace Peach

A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.

In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.

Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

You Can Buy The Necromancer’s Daughter Here:

You Can Reach Diana on Social Media HERE:

Amazon Author’s Page
Website/Blog
Website/Books 
Twitter 

#EndlessSummer – #AmLaughing – #Humor

/ Marcia Meara / 50 Comments

I don’t want to say that it’s been too hot in Florida this year, since I’ve lived through worse summers many, many times, BUT …  I DID celebrate that it only went up to 82 degrees today, and I don’t think I was the only one.

It appears cooler weather is in big demand,
and warnings have been issued, to wit:

Okay, so this is all totally bogus (except for the part about the temps running anywhere from 82 to 93 degrees in the last few days), but I thought these pictures were too cute not to share. Hope you enjoyed them.

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAbout – #JacquiMurray

/ Marcia Meara / 88 Comments

Happy Wodin’s Day, Everyone! It’s time to share another fun #TenThings post with you guys, and today’s very special guest is author Jacqui Murray. I know you are going to enjoy learning more about Jacqui, so without further ado, let’s get started. Jacqui, take it away!

Thanks, Marcia!

I don’t often talk about myself, but I thought this would be a good way to celebrate the launch of my latest prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, Book 3 of the trilogy Dawn of Humanity. I haven’t lived around the world or completed any amazing feats, but my life has been full and interesting. Here are some of the unusual tidbits you may not be aware of:

  1. I spoke Russian well enough to travel comfortably throughout the Soviet Union for a summer. Before returning to the US, I bought a lot of Russian language books to get an understanding of their version of history.
  2. I owned a Fred Astaire Dance Studio and danced professionally. I loved it, but the lifestyle didn’t fit me well so I eventually moved on.
  3. I installed cell phone antennas on skyscrapers, church steeples, and water tanks. What a view from those heights!
  4. I loved programming in DOS (Disk Operating System–the precursor to Windows). I did a lot of crazy tricks that annoyed my husband. For example, once, I programmed his computer to play Christmas music before it booted up. I still miss it.
  5. I read California’s entire Uniform Building Code (defining the State’s construction regulations) as part of my job to design/build employer-based child care centers. I also read America’s 1200+ page Affordable Care Act (before it exploded in size) because news channels contradicted each other. I also studied America’s Common Core Standards for K-12 education to guide my teaching. Do you see a trend?
  6. I worked in the recycling industry for years. I collected used cardboard and paper, exported it around the world to places like Japan who don’t have enough trees. What an interesting job.
  7. Because of my background in recycling, I know corrugated is the right name for ‘cardboard’. Because of my background in building, I know people often say ‘cement’ when they mean ‘concrete’.
  8. Both my children are in the military. Their choice–I never was. They both love it. One’s a Naval officer, the other in the Army Signal Corps. Guess which is the boy.
  9. I play(ed) Blue Grass on my mandolin after college, jammed with a group. That was about as much fun as a girl can have. I still have the mandolin, but arthritis prevents me from playing.
  10. I think my dog is sentient. He’s Homo canineafter all!

Truth, I have always had trouble settling down to one endeavor, which explains in part my current obsession with both teaching and writing. How about you?

BLURB:

Survival requires change but can Lucy do that? 

In this final book of the trilogy, Lucy and her tribe leave their good home to rescue captured tribemembers who are in grave danger. Lucy’s Group includes an eclectic mix of species–a Canis, a Homotherium kit, and different iterations of early man. Each brings unique skills to the task. More will join and some will die but that is the nature of prehistoric life, when survival depends on a mix of man’s developing intellect and untiring will to live. Based on true events from 1.8 million years ago.

Natural Selection is Available in digital (print soon) at:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon Canada
 Amazon Australia
Amazon India

Author Jacqui Murray

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Man vs. Nature saga, prehistoric fiction, and Rowe-Delamagente thrillers. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, and a freelance tech ed journalist.

Dawn of Humanity (Books 1 & 2)

The Crossroads Trilogy

You can reach Jacqui on Social Media here:

Amazon Author Page    
Blog
Instagram   
Pinterest 
Twitter 
Website 

Contact Jacqui via Social Media or Email: askatechteacher@gmail.com

 

 

 

#ThorsDaySmile – #Humor – #AmLaughing

/ Marcia Meara / 27 Comments

Don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been trying to regain my health and continue with my weight loss, only a bit more slowly and safely than the last time I focused on it.  This endeavor got me to thinking about gyms and the folks who swear by them.  And that, of course, sent me looking for a few memes on the topic. Thor snorted himself silly over these, so I figured I’d share them with you guys. Hope you get a few silly snorts from them, too!


And there you have a whole bunch of
muscles and sweat to make you laugh!
Hope it worked!