Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 44

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Wayne had surgery on his shoulder yesterday. . . sort of a drive-by-surgery.  No kidding, he was in and out within two hours.  I barely had time to get any good knitting in or to study people in the waiting room.  (Situations like this are rife with great plotting potential!) 



I brought my injured hero home.  With painkillers he’s feeling just fine.  He has a little bell he rings when he wants or needs something.  We shall see how long he gets to keep it in his possession . . .

The Rest of the Story

I always assumed I was the storyteller in the family.  Not so, I’ve discovered.  It turns out that Wayne is also gifted in this area.  He recently broke his arm and has thoroughly enjoyed “expanding” on his injury. I heard a lovely young lady ask Wayne what happened to his arm. Tongue in cheek, of course, he told her an elaborate story of how he saw a puppy trapped in the middle of the road with a semi barreling down on it.  In a heroic move, he dashed into the street to rescue said puppy.  Later the same day a man asked Wayne about his arm, and the story was entirely different.  Wayne said some hot head was in a bar, and the situation got out of hand and he had to step in.  The truth, my friends . . .  Wayne slipped on some water and fell.



I do have a book to plot.  Perhaps I should ask Wayne for his help . . .

Catch of the Day

Bogie and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood yesterday afternoon.  Bogie sniffs and marks his territory along the way as I tug at his leash and remind him we are out to walk, not sniff.  Part of our route takes us past the marina, and we take a small detour and walk along the dock to see if any dolphins or manatees have stopped by for a visit.  We didn’t see any, but we did run into a fisherman.  I asked him if he’d been lucky, and he smiled back and said, “Yup, just once.  I caught a redhead more than thirty years ago.” 

Water Aerobics

My friend and neighbor, Judy Mulhern, has been encouraging me to take a water aerobics class with her.  To this point I’ve resisted.  The memory of the last time I took such a class lingers in my mind.  I was cocky and with good reason.  I swim half a mile three to five times a week.  As a result, I figured I was in pretty good physical shape, and, really, bouncing up and down in the pool isn’t all that different than swimming laps, right? 



WRONG.  About halfway through the routine, gasping for breath, I turned to the woman next to me (a complete stranger) and with no small amount of difficulty managed to ask if she knew how to perform CPR. 



I will probably take Judy up on her offer to attend the class, but this time I’m going to approach it with a more humble attitude, enjoy myself, and hopefully not need a defibrillator!

Florida R&R

Wayne and I are taking off and traveling across Florida for a bit of R & R mixed with business.  Wayne’s shoulder surgery is next week, and we thought this would be a good time to escape for a couple of days.  Florida is a great state to live in and visit--there are so many entertainment options!  I’m using the time to plot my next couple of books.  It’s amazing how many ideas come my way when I'm sitting by a pool, sipping on a cool drink and watching the lifeguards (and life!) go by.

The New Knee Club

Wayne went to see the surgeon regarding the results of his MRI.  It seems when he fell and broke his arm, he also injured his shoulder, and that will require surgery.  The doc also took a look at his knees and said both need to be replaced, and soon.  In fact, he was surprised Wayne was still able to walk, as they are bone on bone.  Wayne’s getting plenty of sympathy from me—I’ve had knee replacement and rotator cuff surgery. Now both Wayne and I will have the joy of “extra attention” at airport screenings.

The Quotable Woman

Here’s a bit of trivia about me that you might not know:  I collect quotes.  I make a point of finding something someone said that strikes my fancy every day.  And then I write it down in my gratitude journal.  I’ve used my collection of quotes as chapter headings in a couple of books: MRS. MIRACLE and THURSDAYS AT EIGHT.  This week I received a calendar from Evie Day with a variety of quotes for each month.  The idea for her calendar started with her great-grandfather back in 1884, when he printed calendars for his employees.  Is that a great idea or what!?  



Now here’s one of my favorite quotes that I saw years ago on a church bill board:  God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

Shirley, Goodness, Mercy and Will

It’s a “red letter day” at our house.  This morning I sent my November book, ANGELS AT THE TABLE, featuring Shirley, Goodness and Mercy--along with the apprentice angel, Will--off to my editor.  In celebration I had a manicure and pedicure, came home, and took a nap.  Now if that’s not luxuriating I don’t know what is! 

Grandma Time

My son, Ted, and grandson, Carter, are visiting this week. While Wayne and Ted were off doing manly things (translated, that means they were at car dealerships looking at fancy sport cars), Carter and I had the day together.  We went out to lunch, swam and took Bogie for a long walk. Then, while Grandma rested, Carter played video games. (That boy does have energy!)  He’s good for me, though. Thanks to Carter, I got my 10,000 steps in for Monday.

Birthday Candles

This is a red letter day in our family. It’s our oldest daughter’s birthday.   Jody Rose was named after my mother, who was named after her grandmother, so the name Rose is rich in family tradition.  And, yes, the name continued down to my granddaughter (the one born on my birthday), Madeleine Rose.  Today is also Laurie’s birthday, although she’s a few years younger than Jody.  Laurie is Dale’s widow and deeply loved in our family.  Birthday candles will burn bright tonight as we celebrate two of the greatest blessings God has brought into our lives.