April 30, 2025. Well, I made it. Today is the last day of the challenge. With a little luck, I’ll soon be up and getting back to my regular writing routine along with my exercise one. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you, reading your blog posts, and if I haven’t read the last few, I intend to get to them soon.
The last letter of the alphabet always makes me a little sad because it marks the end of an activity. Will I blog everyday from now on? No. in fact, there’s zero chance of that. There will be far too many things to do, things to catch up with, but I will blog when I can.
So, for my last blog post of the challenge, I’m going to focus on Zero. The word zero can be used in different ways. For example, it can be a numeral, it can be a temperature, and it can indicate the likelihood that something will happen–or won’t.
Depending on the context, zero can make you happy or sad. if it’s your bank balance, then you are definitely sad, but if it’s what’s owing on your credit card, then the chances are you’ll be glad. If the temperature has been dancing around -20 Celsius, 0 sounds almost tropical, but if the temperature was 20 Celsius, then 0 means it’s time for winter clothes again. If its the odds of something happening, then whether it pleases you or not depends on what side of the equation you’ve chosen.
I hope you enjoyed my musings. I’ll be back next year. In the meantime, drop in every now and then. There’s zero chance that I won’t have something to say. In the words of my French ancestor’s au revoir! Until we meet again.
Here’s your last musical selection!
See you in May and let you know how the surgery went. For the last time, Here’s the MASTER LIST https://tinyurl.com/tauke86z
April 29, 2025 I’m finishing my second cup of coffee, debating what to do with the rest of my day. I’m hoping that when this day comes, I will have established a new routine, have reached a tolerable pain level, and while I know I will have to bite the bullet and rely on others to help me with most of the tasks I considered routine, I’m praying I will be able to focus on some reading. I have several books on my Kindle, but I also have the ability to listen to books on audible now. As well, I have a television in my bedroom and a Firestick that has Netflix, Disney + and Paramount +. I shouldn’t be bored, but I will miss my hours at the computer, vacationing in a world of my own creation. But, that’s neither here nor there.
Today’s letter is another one of those highly problematic ones. Although there are far more words that start with the letter Y, it’s still a difficult one to ponder over and spew words of wisdom worth reading. Still, I need to blog about something, so I’ll talk about years.
The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by, and lately, they’ve been moving through time with the speed of a car at the Indy 500. They’ve become a blur, and so has everything in them, with the exception of those events that burrow deep inside own minds and create memories, so good, some bad, some happy, some sad. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be again.” So, as I add another day to my age, what will I remember about it, about this year, about this decade? Probably not as much as I would like. Ingrid Bergman once said, “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.” But which view would that be? The one ahead of you, or the one behind you? For some, the passing years become more and more obscure. Dementia takes over and the present and the future give way to the past, and for some better, happier times. Others end up trapped inside bodies that no longer function, dependent on caregivers and families. My father died at 91. He fell, broke a hip and some ribs, developed pneumonia, and died. Her wasn’t 100 percent by any means, but he was aware of the reality around him. My mother died five years later at 96, but with the loss of my father went the ability to stay in this reality. She suffered delusions, dwelt in a world that didn’t exist, and let the years go by taking a little more of who she was each day. My biggest fear is having that happen to me. Maybe my writing will spare me since I have the means of shoving all those weird thoughts out now. Who knows?
It’s the end of April. I hope the weather has improved wherever you are. This week, the Tuesday Tales authors are writing to the word prompt SOON. I’m continuing with my romance/suspense, And Justice for All. Enjoy.
“I’m afraid I probably won’t make it home tonight. I have an out-of-town case that can’t wait … I know, and I’ll move heaven and earth if I have to in order to get there. Is he around? … Hey, champ, how was ball practice? … That’s great. Listen, something’s come up, and I won’t be home tonight. I have to work, but I will be there for your big game on Thursday … Yes, if you hit it over the fence, you’ll score fifty bucks. A deal is a deal. Now, don’t give Jac any grief, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you, buddy.”
He ended the call, the smile still on his face. Before he could say anything to her, the cell phone rang again, saving her from having to listen to an anecdote about the happy little family. He put the phone on speaker once more.
“Collins.”
“Harry, it’s Tom. I just got a call from Tawney. She tells me we’re going on a field trip. Do you need me to bring you anything?”
He laughed. “Funny you should ask. Other than the mobile unit, you’ll need your diving gear.”
“What are we going to be doing? Body retrieval?”
“I sincerely hope not, but you’ll know soon enough. As well, I need you to grab two emergency packs, one for a woman. Hang on.” He turned to her. “What size do you wear in a track suit?”
“Medium should fit.”
“Shoes?”
“Six and a half if they aren’t wide, six if they are.”
He nodded. “Did you hear that, Tom?”
“I did and a large for you and size eleven shoes. Welcome aboard, Maggie. We didn’t expect to meet you this way, but it looks like someone had other plans.”
“Thanks. I look forward to meeting you all soon, too.” What more could she say?
Harry spoke again ending the awkward situation.
“Remind Lacey to bring all of her geek stuff with her. She’s going to be busy.”
“You’ve got it. See you in a couple of hours.” The call ended.
“Looks like this is going to be your baptism of fire,” Harry said. “I’m sorry. I really did intend to start you off easier.”
She stiffened her spine and sat up straighter. “Don’t worry about me. I’m tougher than I look. The sooner we get whoever was behind that, the better I’ll like it.”
She would bury all her pain for now and focus on the job at hand.
April 28, 2025. Only three days left in this year’s challenge. I usually find the last three letters of the alphabet to be the most difficult ones to write about, especially when I’m limited by the theme I’ve chosen. This year, my musings have been all over the place, but these letters still seem shrouded in confusion and mystery, especially the letter X. Other than being the new name for Twitter, the most common means of diagnosing an injury, as in X-ray, or the short from for Christmas, there aren’t a lot of things to be said about it. So, what aspect of the mighty X will I focus on?
Well, I’m going to consider X marks the spot.
Every treasure map has an X on it because X marks the spot where the treasure can be found, but getting from Point A to that X often takes a lot of hard work.
In life, we aren’t all searching for treasure chests filled with gold, but all of us have a series of treasure maps to follow, some easier than others, and everyone of our maps has its own X. Those treasure maps are the various stages in our lives. When you start school, the X on your map of life is graduation. When you reach that X, you move onto the next phase of your life and its map. This time, your X will be finding your career and getting a job. After that, there will be several maps in play all at once … finding love, starting a family, achieving financial security, obtaining personal satisfaction, the list goes on. The map differs for all of us, but each one will have a X that has to be located before you can move on to the next one. Sadly, some of us get stuck on one map. That’s a fact of life. Following those maps from Point A to the X requires more tahn some can manage.
My writing career has been a series of maps, one for each book I’ve written or plan to write. They all start at Point A, the beginning of the tale and end when I reach the X, and the story is complete. Sometimes, I get bogged down in a swamp of new ideas; at others, I have to figure out how the river will fit into the story. Will I need to build a bridge or a raft? Can I get to the X by going in a straight line, or will my path be strewn with mountains, forests, and other obstacles? But, in the end, I will get from Point A to X because X marks the spot.
Well, this is Day 3 post-op, the one they tell me is the hardest. I’m sore, but it’s a very different type of pain, completely different from what I had before, and while it hurts as any surgical incision does, it isn’t the bone deep ache that I had before the surgery. Of course, I’m as weak as an infant. My sister-in-law has been a huge help. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.
An interesting fact, the hospital messages me every day and asks how I’m doing. It assesses my answers and gives me suggestions like take you meds on time. That does make a difference. So for the next few weeks. I’ll be in recovery mode. Take care and keep your kind thoughts coming.
April 26, 2025. We’re rapidly nearing the end of the month and the end of the alphabet. I’m assuming I survived Thursday’s surgery, and while I probably don’t feel great, the surgical pain will be different and of shorter duration than the arthritic pain has been. I’m curious to see if my knee will be less sore, too since sometimes knee pain is actually pain created in the hip. Either way, the deed is done, and it’s time to move into recovery mode, doing my physio three times a day, using my 4 point walker, and doing my best to remember not to bend over. It’s going to be an interesting six weeks.
But enough of that. Today’s letter is W. This morning, instead of talking about weird, wild, or weddings, I’m going to talk about words. When I was teaching senior English long ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth and no one had cell phones, one of the things I did was introduce my students to the two books they would need for the rest of their academic lives: the dictionary and the thesaurus. Words are important, but their importance lies in the way they are used. While I will admit that I’m addicted to the use of adjectives and adverbs in my writing as well as my everyday speech, I still make a point of using the most accurate words in my descriptions — at least I try to do so.
I came across this list of better words to use to replace common words used in everyday conversations. I can add a few more. For example, very annoying might be obnoxious, very stupid could be idiotic, and so on. When I write, I visualize the setting and the way my characters interact with it, then I select the words that best suit my image. If my character is reluctant to do something, he or she might move at a snail’s pace. The words themselves can draw the pictures. Occasionally, I will use a word that isn’t one used frequently but fits the situtation. A grumpy old man can be a curmudgeon, a bitchy woman can be a shrew, and a rundown cottage can be dilapidated.
Since it’s my constant companion these days, let’s have a closer look at the word pain. According to the Merriam- Webster dictionary, there are more than 200 words that mean pain, ranging from those that describe an unpleasant sensation in a specific part of the body, such as an ache, a pang, or a sting, to the great level of emotional and physical distress caused by major trauma, such as torturous, excruciating, anguish. Pain can also mean a strict adherence and concentration on what one is doing, as in scrupilous, meticulous, watchful. It can also refer to the amount of energy expended to complete a task or do some kind of work, as in sweat, toil, or labor. Finally, it can mean annoying, like nuisance, tormenter, and pain in the neck. So what’s the take away here? When you use a thesaurus, make sure that the vocabulary word you use is the correct one for the context it’s in. If the pain in your neck was caused by a pain in the neck, then maybe pain isn’t the word you need.
And on that note, here’s today’s musical memory.
Come back tomorrow to see what I have to say for the Letter X. Here’s the MASTER LIST https://tinyurl.com/tauke86z
April 25, 2025. Day 1 post-surgery. As I mentioned yesterday, these last seven posts have all been pre-written to allow me to finish the challenge this year. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has done this, but normally I would’ve written today’s post last night, instead of last week.
The smell of coffee tickles my nose as I sit at my desk this morning, contemplating what to write about, how to amuse, inform, and maybe reveal a little more about myself, my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations. I’m in my seventh decade. Just how much can I actually accomplish in my coming years–of course that presupposes that I made it through surgery. No gloomy thoughts, only positive ones allowed.
Today’s letter is the letter V. When I was younger, V meant vacation. At the end of June, that was always cause for celebration: no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks. But by the end of August, I was bored and longed to get back to school. When I was a teacher, my reaction to June was almost the same, but when August rolled around, I wasn’t as keen to get back to work. The patina had worn off the joys of teaching, and as I appoached retirement age, my dreams for a different lifestyle grew. I would be on vacation 365 days a year! How great would that be?
The truth is that like my ten-year-old self, it didn’t take me long to get bored again. So, I did some supply teaching, had the cleanest house ever, but my husband was still working, and our ability to travel was limited by that, our finances, and the fact that our widowed daughter and her four children needed us. That’s when my life took a strange turn and I found the vacation life I’d always wanted. I could travel to exotic locations, through time and space, create myths and legends, see good triumph over eveil each time, and enjoy life to the fullest. I decided to do what I had always wanted to do. I decided to write.
Now, that may not sound like a vacation to you, but to me, with my vivid imagination, it was a place to dream. I’m happier now, sleep well, and if I prefer the situations I create to the ones that surround me, who has the right to say I’m wrong?
My first novel, Fire Angel was released on April 23, 2013. Since then, it has undergone some serious editing and rewriting as I took into account all of the comments made about the story. When I first published it, I was with a small press, Crimson Romance, and had to adhere to their rules for romance. Times changed, Crimson Romance was swallowed up by Simon and Schuster, who really didn’t care about the stabe of authors they’d acquired. Sales and pages read tanked, and we were offered the chance to take back our books, which I did. I went to work on the book, rewriting it to be far darker than the original had been, giving the villain his own voice and digging deeper into the mind of a pyromaniac, and learning all that I possibly could about arson and the way fire behaves. This wasn’t work; it was a life-long learning experience.
Since that first novel, I have penned 53 others. Like most vacationers, I shop around to see where I would like to go. I’ve written several more romance suspense novels, many of them more thriller than romance. I have created a line of romantic comedy novels called Cocktails for You. As a history major, I loved learning about the past, so I added historical romance to my portfolio. In addition, I played with low fantasy/paranormal novels. The Tigress is the first book in a series about paranormal detectives working in modern day New Orleans, keeping both the living and the undead safe. It’s one of the few books that I have in audio form available from audible.com as well as amazon.com. I also have Christmas books, regular romance novels, and even a YA suspense. Everything you could ever want to know about my books can be found on my website. https://mhsusannematthews.ca/
In short, while I do go on regular vacations, I always come away with a little something I can turn into a longterm vacation by writing about it. Here are the most recent products of vacation writing: A Case of Mistaken Identity, The Awakening, Atonement, Sea Breeze.
I love my writng vacations. I’m actually taken three of them simultaneously now! How much more exciting can that be?
Here we are again! Today is April 24, 2025. If everything has gone as planned it is also the day I get my new hip, so today’s blog and those that follow were written a few days ago. I know the spirit of the blog challenge is to actually write and post a blog item each day, but sometimes life gets in the way, and this is one of those times.
So, here I am anticipating going under the knife to have my right hip replaced. Am I nervous? Yes! Am I anxious? Of course, but more than anything else, I’m in a state of flux, because I am amazed at what medicine can do these days.
Today’s letter is U, and to me, at this moment in time it stands for undergo. I am about to undergo surgery to replace my hip joint.
They say knowledge is power. I’m going in with as much knowledge as I can get, aware of the dangers as well as what will be needed for my recovery. Here’s hoping everything goes well!
The song for today:
Seriously, sometimes humor is the best medicine! Come back tomorrow for the letter V. Here’s the MASTER LIST https://tinyurl.com/tauke86z
April 23, 2025 Tomorrow is the big day. needless to say, I haven’t slept well the last couple of nights, hence the meme this morning. My posts are loaded to the site and ready to take you to the end of the month. I may pop in and change that, depending how I feel. We’ll see. My bag is packed for the hospital in case something does go wrong and I need a sleepover. My sister-in-law is arriving today to look after me for a few days. Did I mention that my husband is an accountant, knee deep in taxes and the deadline for most filers is April 30? Not the best time of the year for him, but when they gave me a date, I wasn’t going to ask for a do-over in a couple of months. With her help, we’ll manage.
Today’s letter is T and I suppose it makes sense to make it about teaching. Over the course of my teaching career, I wore many hats. I started off teaching French Immersion Kindergarten, and then did French Immersion Grade 1. Like all teachers back then, permanent jobs were few and far between, so I ended up on the Supply list filling in all over and at all levels.
I ended up with a long-term contract teaching English in Secondary school, and stayed there for the rest of my career, although I did teach other subjects including French as a Second Language, Careers, Science, Culinary Arts, and the Developmentally Disabled teens in our high school. For a while, I was relocated to an Adult Education school as the literacy specialist, and when that school changed and became the haven for students with Learning Disabilities, that’s where I finished my career and retired.
Education has changed substantially over the years, and to be honest, I enjoyed the earlier years far more than the latter ones, but I’m not going to preach about what went wrong and what went right. Teaching children is important to our survival as a society, but teachers
April 22, 2025. There may be sun today, but it probably won’t be warm enough to sit outside. Sad news yesterday that Pope Francis died. It wasn’t unexpected since he had been gravely ill, but it is a blow to the millions of Roman Catholics around the world. Even a Presbyterian like myself can appreciate the good the man did during his time as the head of the RC church. Now, the process begins to find a replacement. In the past, there was a lot of interest in watching for the white smoke. Will there be as much now?
I spent thirty years of my career as a teacher as an English teacher. My love for literature is a deep-seated one that started with reading Little Golden Books, and grew into the writing career I’ve created for myself since retiring. The two units that were may favorites included my poetry unit and my Shakespearian unit. I can see some of you cringing, but I loved Shakespeare, and I did everything I could to ensure my students loved it, or at least enjoyed the six weeks we spent there. Tomorrow is the Bard’s birthday.
Today’s letter is S, and I’m going to focus on Shakespeare. Back in the day, there would be memory work, acting out scenes, doing research on the period and of course, reading and studying the plays. Did I have my favorites? Yes. I loved the comedies, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, and The Taming of the Shrew. While I taught them, the two I disliked the most were Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet–both men were spoiuled wimps. The tragedies that I preferred were King Lear and Macbeth, although the one who wore the pants in that relationship was definitely Lady Macbeth. I visited Cawdor Castle in Scotland and that was a thrill. Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor and there is an exhibit dedicated to that inside.
Students used to complain that Shakespearian Engligh was hard to understand. Maybe, but he had the best insults. Here’s a list and a fun activity to create your own. Enjoy!
This song refers to Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and King Lear
Living the Dream 