Happy Fall Y’All — or should I say Happy Allergy Season?

Last weekend I attended an outdoor craft fair as a vendor. The morning hours were a delight. Sunny, but not hot. The humidity arrived in the afternoon which made it a bit sticky, but not too awful. What I didn’t think about until the next day was the potential of seasonal allergies.

Oh, yes. It started with a sore throat the night I returned from the fair. Of course, allergies were not my first thought, not in the year of the pandemic. I went straight to OMG do I have Covid-19? I immediately took my temperature. It was normal. I heaved a sigh of relief.  I made some hot tea with lemon to help my throat.

Not until the next day did it dawn on me — I have seasonal allergies! The sore throat was probably due to post nasal drip. Yep. That’s what it was. I started with the nasal spray (what human designed that disgusting product?) It helps tremendously, but I do hate the stuff.

I now have itchy red eyes that water. What fun fall can be!

This has occurred  every fall for the past twenty years or more. So why does it always take me by surprise? Wishful thinking I suppose.

So now during the pandemic I am limited to purchasing one box of tissues during a visit to the store. Guess I’ll be going every day for a while to stock up.

HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!!!!

My youngest grandchild will be celebrating his eighth birthday this month. In the age of COVID-19 celebrations are not the same as they once were. Of course, I’ve been buying gifts the last few weeks in preparation. That certainly hasn’t changed.

The usual six-hour drive and spending a couple nights at his house will probably not happen. That makes me very sad. What makes up for it (at least a little bit) is in this age of Skype, Facetime and Zoom I’ll be able to visit virtually.

In April his sister had a virtual birthday party with Zoom. I found out ahead of time you can create a background for your Zoom conference. I searched for a free image of birthday balloons to stand behind me during the call. I even bought cupcakes to eat while on the call as she cut into her real cake.

Since my grandson adores dinosaurs I’ve been searching for something suitable for the background. What do you think?

Photo by Janusz Michalczuk from FreeImages

Pre-planning for what you may ask. This is a follow-up to last week’s blog about last requests. Again, not a subject most people want to discuss, but let’s face it, we need to.

My father’s occupation was funeral director/embalmer so I suppose I’m not as freaked out about discussing this subject as some people. The time to decide burial details are when you don’t need to. Do you want to have a traditional burial in a cemetery? Would you rather be cremated? What’s to become of your ashes? What are the costs to each option?

Depending on where you live the cost of a traditional embalming and burial can cost $10,000 or more. That does not include the plot where you are buried. If you’re a twenty-year veteran you and your spouse may be buried at a National Cemetery at no cost. If you’ve served less than twenty years that cost may vary. Something to call and find out about ahead of time. A city cemetery can be a minimal cost, private cemeteries can cost $10,000 per plot or more. Another option is a Mausoleum niche space which prices vary widely. Of course, you may want your ashes spread over an area which has great significance to you. Rules and restrictions come in to play with that final option. Be sure to find out what they are ahead of time.

You also have the option to pre-pay for your funeral/burial/cremation. It’s actually a specific insurance policy. It can be used at the location where you established it or at another location. Be advised that the price you pay will be for the location where you purchased it, other locations may charge an additional fee.

Which brings me to something that surprised me. You may also pay a very minimal fee for the option of having “Return Assured” which covers the cost of your remains being returned to your burial location if you happen to be visiting somewhere else. If you are on vacation or visiting relatives and your death occurs it can be very expensive to have your remains returned without this option. Just one more thing to consider.

I promise, next week’s blog will be something happier!

After most of a year traversing the treatments associated with breast cancer and the onset of Covid-19 my husband and I reviewed our Wills, Living Wills and Durable Power of Attorney. Not something any of us want to do. However, it is something we should all consider if we have children or property regardless of age. You are not doing your heirs a favor by ignoring this unpleasant task.

We’ve had Wills before but realized after reading an article in the local newspaper that perhaps there had been some changes to laws that might make ours outdated. After seeking guidance from a local lawyer this turned out to be true. It took about two hours at the initial visit with the lawyer, another visit to sign all documents and a third to collect them once they’d been registered at the court house.

Let me clarify the difference between a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney.

A Living Will (also known as a Medical Directive) is easy to do yourself without the need of an attorney. Each state has free samples of the document on their state websites. You’ll need to fill in the blanks sign it with witnesses and notarized. Each time you go to the hospital you’ll need to take a copy with you. Hospitals don’t keep them once you’ve been discharged. This document provides the medical staff about what you want or don’t want if issues arise.

The Durable Power of Attorney has nothing to do with medical questions, it’s all about your financial wishes. If you become unable to make decisions on your own (i.e. you’re in a coma), even now while you have full faculties (i.e. your spouse while you are out of town) or upon your death. Discuss what the person designated is allowed or not allowed to do with your lawyer so the document can be modified to your specifications.

Make that appointment soon and provide copies to appropriate individuals. Remember the original will is required when settling an estate.

Although the nineteenth ammendment wasn’t ratified until August 1920 there were several states who granted some voting rights to women prior to 1920. These rights usually consisted of rights to vote on school elections. A few states also allowed widows or femal property owners, which were few at the time, to vote.

The first convention for Women’s Rights was held in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and other Quaker women organized the event.

In 1869 Wyoming became the first Territory to grant full voting rights as well as ability to run for office to all women. Part of the reason was the hope it would attract more women to Wyoming which had a population of only 1,000 females at the time. It wasn’t until 1893 the next State, Colorado, did the same. With a few exceptions most States that followed suit during the next several years were in the western U.S.

Not until World War I did the tide begin to turn. Thanks in large part to Florence Nightengale and her nurses did women begin to receive acceptance in their abilities. When Woodrow Wilson became president in 1913 he was less than enthusiastic about Women’s Suffrage. However, after acknowledging their  contirbutions during the war he made a speech in 1918 in support of the ammendment.

The seventy-two year struggle culminated in August 1920 by the ratification of the ninteenth ammendment. However, as we know only white women truly had the ability to vote due to Jim Crow laws that required literacy tests and polling taxes that excluded most of the non-white people prior to 1964.

We all need to celebrate our hard-won right to vote by doing exactly that during this election year.

Do you know which anniversary is August 18th? The 100th anniversary for the ratification of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.

I’m disappointed there has not been more information and celebration of what I consider to be a huge accomplishment.  From the date of their first convention in 1848 it took women 72 years to obtain this right. PBS does have a documentary about the last state that ratified the amendment to make it a law, the title is BY ONE VOTE: Woman Suffrage in the South. If you haven’t watched I recommend it.

I started writing a book about a young woman in rural Oklahoma during the late teens of the 20th century who wants to become a nurse. She discovers the Suffragette movement during her quest. It’s been on hold for more than a year. Yes, I’m going to return to writing more, but first I need to finish the final book in my Sons of Magnolia Meyers series!

Please honor your female ancestors and VOTE!

The last month of summer is with us. Heat and humidity is the daily forecast for my part of the the world. How about you?

With the current  pandemic, school schedules, football schedules,  political adds and when a vaccine will be available are the main topic on the news. Am I the only one who would like to see something, anything, to make me smile? Surely not. So I decided to shop for a new garden flag. I know, it isn’t much and the idea of going to a store to shop for anything is also a foreign concept at this time. However, I braved a local store that I knew wouldn’t have a lot of shoppers. Low and behold there was a rack of various flags all waiting to be claimed.

Masked and gloved I searched through the offerings. Lots of flowers and birds were available. Considering I live at the beach there were also a few beach scenes, but not until I spotted a watering can did my eyes light up. It made me smile. That’s when I knew I’d found my new garden flag.

What do you think?

You’ll be happy to hear I’ve been working on the third book of my series Sons of Magnolia Meyers. It is going slow, but at least I’m making some progress.

This book contains a recurring dream. I’ve periodically had about three or four different recurring dreams. Nothing of significance, just something that seemed to be lurking in my subconscious that I dreamed about multiple times.

I find the idea of a recurring dream to be an interesting concept.  They could be premonitions, attempts to change an event from the past, or how to deal with a current problem. In real life mine were of the latter variety.

You’ll have to read After the Revelation to find out what the dream means! I try to make it spooky so be sure to let me know if I’m successful.

Like all other businesses this year is like no other for mine. I sell my books at craft fairs as well as online. Most craft fairs have been cancelled this spring and summer. There have been a few exceptions in my area of the country. In June I attended my first one for 2020 (partly due to coronavirus and partly to my cancer treatments). I also had the opportunity to attend one last weekend.

Both events were outdoor which is great for social distancing and staying safe. Not so much for staying cool! July is not known for comfortable weather in South Carolina. It was hot and humid. However, I was grateful to be out doing what I love and seeing other people. I wore a mask as well as gloves and a face shield and hand sanitizer was available at my booth for myself and customers.

I thank everyone who came out to support local vendors. We appreciate you! Be safe everyone!

As I  mentioned last week my daughter and her family came for a visit over the July 4th week. They’ve left and as my Mom used to say — they made us happy twice, once when they arrived and once when they left!

I love my daughter and her family, especially the grandchildren — is it okay to admit the grandchildren have an edge on their mother? I suspect I’m not alone. Anyway, they are a bundle of energy so I was worn out by the end of their visit.

During this time we tried to be safe and did mostly outdoor activities. Of course the beach was the best as far as they were concerned.

We also went on a boat tour, as we arrived at the dock we looked over the railing and what did we spy? An alligator? You can see him on the right mostly in the shade.

After shelling we went by a lighthouse on the return trip. The Captain told us a marvelous tale about the girl who haunts this historic site.

Wonderful memories were made this last week. I hope you were able to have a similar experience.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

This Fourth of July will be long remembered due to the restraints many of us will take because of COVID-19 virus. In my town the annual boat parade has been canceled and the fireworks are postponed until Labor Day. It’s a sad but necessary caution to keep America safe.

I’m fortunate to have my daughter and her family coming to town for a visit. The usual party her cousin hosts will be canceled. Instead we’ll have an outdoor party with hot dogs, hamburgers and fewer people. We’ll still celebrate the day.

Be sure to wear a mask and wash your hands!

Thank you to Misha Moriniere for the photo — Berries and Flowers as well as Anna-Louise for the photo — Happy Fourth!

IT’S LIVE! My new book Stepping Thru Chemotherapy is live on Amazon in paperback as well as Kindle versions.

If you live in the Myrtle Beach, SC area and have a cancer support group who would like a speaker for your meeting I’d be happy to do so. I’ll provide tips on what to expect during chemo and how to minimize some of the unpleasant side-effects.

Not everyone has the same results so I’m eager to hear from others on how they have managed. If you have and experience you’d like to share send me a note on my contact page with the subject: Stepping Thru Chemotherapy.

I’m using my pen name, Becky Wellborn, for this non-fiction book. Since all my other books are Romantic Suspense I didn’t want to confuse readers.

It’s so good to be back doing “regular” stuff! Between my hiatus for chemo, surgery, radiation and COVID-19 I haven’t attended a craft fair since September 2019. This past Sunday was my first one for 2020. There are differences which include wearing a mask and gloves, wiping everything down with a Lysol wipe after a customer leaves the booth. Okay, so I’m a little paranoid of germs right now.  We all should be for our own safety and others.

Last week’s fair was located in front of a local golf course club house. The turnout was wonderful. The people I spoke to said they wanted to be out doing something safe and different. We certainly fit the bill.

I’ll be setting up again today at another fair. Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood. This one will be indoor at the Inlet Square Mall in Murrells Inlet, SC. The venue will be a lot cooler than last week’s!

Although the topic of my  new book, Stepping Thru Chemotherapy, is anything but humorous, I try to interject humor to keep it from being clinical. Also, it makes for an easier read. With that thought I’d like to share an excerpt. This paragraph is from Chapter One, Infusion Ports. The chapter discusses what a port is and where it is placed for infusion chemotherapy (not all chemotherapy is done via infusion).

Some doctors use surgical glue to close the wound, others use stitches. Mine used surgical glue which was my first time with that interesting product. I gave the doctor some points since I didn’t have to wait around several days so they could remove the sutures. The surgical glue falls off eventually – about two or three weeks later. That’s what they told me. Hmm… it took about four weeks for me. You are not supposed to pull it off, but as it starts to come off by itself you can trim it up. Right. Try doing that with a pair of manicure scissors looking in a mirror and using your non-dominate hand. Time to ask for help.

Part of the Introduction of my new book, Stepping Thru Chemotherapy, provides an explanation for the title and photo used for the cover.

Sunflowers grew along the back border of my grandfather’s garden. Not simply the wild variety that scattered the landscape of my native Oklahoma, his sunflowers were taller than my six-year-old self. To me those flowers always represented happiness and a carefree time. The cover of this book helps me convey the positive energy and hopefulness these simple flowers represent. As you step through the ordeal of chemotherapy, hold onto those thoughts and feelings.

It isn’t a photo of me or my grandfather’s garden, but it certainly could be. You’ll notice I use the name Becky Wellborn. It’s my maiden name. I thought it would be good to use a different name than the one I use to publish my Romantic Suspense books.