There's a new little guy in our house. He's soft, fuzzy, and loves to snuggle asleep on his people. Here he is, on his boy's feet. His name is Balto and he's a Cavapoo. (half poodle, half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel)
Sorry I've been so quiet lately - I've been swamped with life. Horrible and heavenly stuff. You know the drill.
At work, two of my best friends took the "early retirement" package. I was thrilled for them, but devastated by the loss of our daily fellowship. Three days later, almost all of the rest of my friends were laid off.
Those pre-lay off days can be extraordinarily stressful.
Will I get the axe this time? Will my friends? How will I cope, in either case? If I lose my job, will we lose the house? Will my three daughters have to leave college?
Then, when the long dreaded day comes, your heart hammers against your chest as you hear footsteps approaching your office... you just know it's the boss coming to give you the bad news... And when he passes you by, you hear an involuntary shout of "Oh, no!" a few cubes down and nearly jump out of your skin. Man, it was awful. We "survivors" are still trying to support the folks who lost their jobs as well as pull ourselves out of the depression that ensued. It's so quiet around work these days...
It was harder than any of the previous 17 layoffs we've ever had. And I pray that my friends find jobs much more rewarding and less stressful than the ones they lost.
I did manage to find a weekend to bring my lovely wife to Honeoye Lake. There was a strange lack of sound there... I think it's called "quiet." We broiled some killer swordfish and drank our share of Gewurtztraminer from the Finger Lakes wineries. ;o) Thanks to our friend, Ken F. for the low cost getaway weekend at his cabin. 
Gorgeous, isn't it?
I've also spent last weekend helping a friend go through her novel outline - hoping to make some useful suggestions. Sometimes you just have to stop writing and dig into someone else's work to give a little back, you know? I don't do it often, but she has been a wonderful crit buddy, and I'm glad I took the time.
If I haven't visited your blog or commented lately, I apologize. I hope to get back to "normal" soon. I'm working on my eleventh book now (tentitively entitled "Lady Blues") and need to completely revamp my website. I'll let you know when it's ready for a peek.
Thanks for hanging in there with me!
Aaron
5 comments:
Yes, some of Aaron's absence is my fault. You should see the killer spreadsheet made for me! I can't thank him enough for all his help this weekend, but I'll try again: Thanks, friend.
Isn't that the cutest little dog? I want one. And Aaron, the picture of the lake is even more breathtaking than when you sent it to me. Did you tweak it somehow? You know, if you ever do lose your job, I'm sure you'd have a third career in photography.
Awww, Val. You're too sweet.
The photo is untouched - maybe it just shows up differently when it's squished down like this? Thanks for the vote of confidence. Another career I would've loved to pursue...I have at least five lifetimes worth of stuff I want to do when I retire some day. Like... take real piano lessons and remember how to sight read, learn to play the violin, get back into my art (portraits, mostly), preserve the world of veggies and fruits and stuff and have it all in a great big pie cabinet in my huge kitchen (that's another dream, my kitchen is tiny!), write the libretto for a musical or opera with my good friend, Paul Stuart (genius musician), start a cooking and gardening show, and oh, of course, write a gazillion more books - maybe children's books, too. Boy, I'd better live a long, long time! LOL.
There was a strange lack of sound there... I think it's called "quiet."
LOL is that what it's called??
I love Balto, and your lake. Absolutely beautiful!
Great photos, Aaron. Good luck with the new book!
Thanks SW and Jude! I appreciate it. ;o)
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