Thursday morning, June 29, 2006

Greetings everyone!
I apologize for not doing my blog sooner than this, but is has been a little crazy around here. Hubby is still going to Kent for his Masters, and has a big test today. He finished a two-week class, (fast, furious, and intense) with an "A" and has until August to complete the other courses. The driving back and forth is getting to him. 93 miles a day. Whew! Will gas ever come down???

I have been working a lot at D.G.M. and the place is really busy. Plus, the other day, our computer system went down. Evidently, whomever wired the place when they put it all together, wired stuff together. What a mess. We lost our satalite the other day, and are having a lot of difficulty with credit/debit cards, and the Ohio card. Even checks are a problem. Hopefully it will get resolved soon as the S.S. checks will be coming out on Friday, (tomorrow) and it is before the July 4th celebration on Tuesday. The weekend will probably be a zoo!

I have been receiving more emails from people who have read my first book...mistakes and all. I appreciate their uplifting and encouraging words.

Well folks, I finally got the first book re-done, including the cover, and it is now available at www.amazon.com, and also at www.bbotw.com (Infinity Publishing). So, tell others about it, so they can recognize and relate to the violence and abuse, and get help to get beyond it. There is so much help out there for women, men, and the children. If you need help, check out the websites available on my website, or check out your local area for help. Remember, you are not alone, and there are many professional people, advocates, and facilitators, to help you.
You deserve a better life, and it is there waiting for you. No one can ruin your life, only if you let them. Be strong, get help, and remember, you are worth it all and deserve the best life can offer!

As soon as the other book is ready, I will post a book-signing on the website. I hope to see you, and welcome your comments and your stories to share with me. It all helps...you and me!

I have a day off today, but it will be busy. At 9 a.m. I am taking my elderly neighbor to the stores around town, and then back home to finish laundry, work in garden, (what a mess that is with all the rain!), and maybe mow the yard. Hubby will get home around 1:30 p.m., but he will be buried in a book for a class.

I am still doing my W.I.S.H. program as we have several bad cases, and those women certainly need the help and assurance that someone cares for them and they are important.

My niece adopted a stray cat. First name she choose was "Bonz", then when the cat got sick, it turned out to be a "Cleopatra" Ha! Now she is living the life of royalty and leisure! (The poor cat was trapped for almost a week in an area she could not get our of-vent or something-and neice found her. Very poor condition and very skinny -hence the name "Bonz" Now, cat is doing much better.)
Dogs, cats, fish, frogs, and Herman-the turtle, are doing fine. With all the rain, the pond level is at "Max!"

Have a wonderful day, week, month, and summer.

Be blessed,
My best to you!
Becky :)

Sunday morning, Father's Day June 18, 2006

Good morning everyone!

Happy Father's Day to all you men out there that are DADs!

This morning, at 5:15 a.m., I am listening to the birds singing their beautiful songs. It is a very pleasant morning, but the heat of the day will soon be upon us. I will probably turn on the air-conditioning shortly, so the cat's are comfortable anyway.

I have my first Sunday off today, since March. Whew! Father-in-law is bringing rib-eye steaks and I will make pasta salad. I bought a chocolate cake and vanilla ice-cream as a special treat for him (and of course for me because I love chocolate!)

I received my second proof book back of the first book. It is okay except there are about 6 pages that have large spaces between words on some of the pages. Not sure what happened there, but Infinity is checking it out and I will call them on Tuesday to see what is up with that. Otherwise, hopefully after correcting the problem, the first book will be available without so many grammatical mistakes. Boy, if I only knew then what I know now, it would have saved a lot of time, effort, and money!

I am doing a presentation Tuesday night with my supervisor, Karin, from the Victim Assistance Office at the local Friendship Center. We will be talking about the V.A. office, it's purpose, and my W.I.S.H. program. The more education we can get out there to the public on Domestic Violence and abuse, the more can be aware. Far to often the stigmas of Domestic Violence and abuse are put away in a closet or not talked about. "If it doesn't effect me, I really don't want to hear about it. Those women should just leave. I would never put up with that kind of treatment...on and on." It is a sad reality that has to be delt with in today's world. Did you know that now, statistically, ONE out of FOUR women suffer from abuse and Domestic Violence in their lives? Yes, it is getting so bad out there!

We talk about bird flu, and other diseases that affect our society, but isn't this an epidemic in our society as a whole too?

I am waiting patiently for the proof book of my sequel, A BETTER DAY DAWNING. I am getting anxious for it to arrive. Hopefully with in a few weeks.

If you know of a library that I could donate my first book too, please let me know by contacting me through my email on this website. I will start out by donating 10 books to any library with in the United States. As more books are sold, I will donate more. Please include a link to the library and a contact person's name, please. Thank you.

Today I will get down into the pond and remove some plants that have taken up a lot of space. Plus clean out the filter mechanism and some debris on the bottom. It is suppose to be over 90 degrees again today. It will be a hot one!

It is hard to believe we are half-way through June already. Time sure seems to be flying by.

I found out from my sister that her son's identity was one of the millions of war veterns whose identity was stolen. To me this is just insane. Why would that worker take the stuff home, and how did it happen that he was robbed, etc, etc.? Something fishy going on there, I think. As if all the war veterns don't have enough grief to live with and deal with, they need this on top of it all. What a mess.

I received an email regarding "Tom." He is doing much better and is walking and talking, slowly but surely. Praise God! Keep him in your prayers please? He is making progress. So good to hear about it!

Hubby has his first week in at Kent State, in Kent, as of Friday. Whew! He drives 93 miles a day for the next week too, and then he is down to four days in the week. He is relieved regarding his teaching status at the High School because he is going to teach Chemistry (5-classes) and Physics (2-classes), starting in August. Yeah! He is thrilled! No more FRESHMAN to deal with! Praise God, again! This is an answer to prayer, believe me. I think I might get my husband back. He may even laugh again!

Little Herman is doing well. He has grown considerably. He suns himself on the log a lot. He is so cute.

Well dear fans and friends, I hope you are enjoying your lazy-crazy summer days. Isn't life wonderful?! I cherish it everyday. If I wake up in the morning, it is a good day!

Be blessed, laugh often, and enjoy!
My best regards,
Becky :)

Saturday morning, June 3, 2006

Good morning everyone,

Well, the weather certainly has been an interesting factor. Last week it was sweltering in the nineties, then the rain came, then back to April weather. Hmmm. Not sure how to dress anymore. I haven't put the jackets or flannel shirts away yet.

Sad to say, I lost "Ramona" our large Koi in our pond last week. I forgot to turn on the fountain one night, very tired, and went out in the morning to feed the fish. "Miss-Piggy" another large Koi/Fantail was almost belly-up, so I got her out, husband rigged up a bucket with an aerator in it and we put it on the back porch. I added some pond salt to it. She was really stressed. Then when I went back out to the pond, I found another large, light-colored fish, almost white with some orange on it, struggling too. So I got that one out and put her in the same bucket with "Miss Piggy." I searched and searched in and around the large lily pads, along with hubby, for Ramona, but could not locate her. Hubby and I put in the aerator at the other end of the pond. A lot of the fish were mouthing at the surface. Which told me the oxygen in the pond was very low.

Later in the afternoon, I put both fish back in the pond. I still searched for Ramona. The next morning I found her among the large lily pads. She did not make it. I was really bummed out. She was about 7 years old and a very pretty fish. She is also the one we took out last early spring and kept her inside in the fish tank for a couple weeks. Bummer. I was really sad that I could not find her and save her. I know, it is just a fish, but still, I felt bad.

Work at D.G. Market is quit exhausting. We are so busy, it is unreal. People are coming from everywhere to shop there. I am really tired when I get home. I usually work a six-hour shift, with a fifteen-minute break---then stand for the other 5 3/4 hours. Whew. My body hurts sometimes, and my legs and knees by the time I get home.
Last night I was so tired, I went to bed at eight o'clock! I woke up this morning at 2:30 a.m. and have been awake since! I work today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday I work from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. THAT ought to be interesting, as I have not worked that late before. Hmmm. I will probably fall asleep at the register by 7:30 p.m. Hope not!

Hubby is done with teaching school now until August. He starts June 10, driving to Kent State for his Masters Degree classes. I will have a lot to take care of while he is going back and forth to school and studying.

My second book, A BETTER DAY DAWNING, is at the publishers now. I will get a proof book in about four more weeks, and then go through it, send it back, and then hopefully, if all goes well, it will be ready for sale! Yeah!

My first book, THE DOOR OF FAÇADE, has been re-corrected. Hopefully, in about two weeks, it will be available for purchase, with a lot of the mistakes corrected.

I have learned a lot in the last two years about sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, etc., and hopefully, this second book, will be much better in those catagories than the first one. Although the meat, potatoes, and the gravy is there, some of the gravy slipped off the plate! Oh, well, live and learn, I guess. The message is there, anyway. I want it to continue to help someone recognize abuse and violence against them, get out, and be a survivor!

I haven't heard how Tom is doing lately. Hopefully, better each day.

Gotta go. Laundry awaits, and I have to get my office organized and back to some kind of order. Lots to do.

Stay safe, thanks for visiting, email me when you get a chance. I am so excited that I have had over 1,000 hits on my website! Tell others about it so they can get help!

Peace, Love, and Laughter, dear people.

Be blessed,

Becky Conrad :)