Lee Strauss's Blog, page 5

Family update ~ Living with the Big C

After my last blog (link here if you missed it), I thought I owed it to everyone to give an update. It’s a little challenging as, even though cancer has entered my life through my children, it’s not my story to tell. At least not from the center. I can share how it’s affecting me though, as that is my story.

Upon entering Canada after my flight from Vegas, I realized, in all the hubbub, that I’d forgotten about ArriveCan. For the uninitiated, ArriveCan is an app the Canadian government introduced to gather Covid information from travellers before they enter the country, in an attempt to make it easier and streamlined.

Oops.

As everyone on the plane passed me by, I struggled to download the app, and it didn't help that I'd forgotten my apple password. At the same time my family WhatsApp group was lighting up. After what felt like a really long wait, the diagnosis for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law had been confirmed. She has osteosarcoma.

I’d rather not relive the emotional stress of that travel day, so I’ll jump ahead to now.

Our brave kids on their engagement day.

 

We’ve had our tears and faced our fears and now we’re all in a “Let’s do this” mode. I’m so proud of Jordan and Chelsea, how strong they’re being together, facing a tremendous hardship even before they’ve had a chance to really start their lives together. 

She is my son's love. And I love her like the daughter-in-love that she is. 

This experience has bonded them and us together.

It’s their dream to start a family together one day, so they’re holding off on chemo to get the treatment they need to give them a better chance of making that happen. Chemo will begin sometime around Easter. I’ll give updates on how that progresses, but for now, we have a WEDDING to focus on, less than a month away. More on that to come as well.

So many emotions!

As part of the writing community, I’ve become Facebook friends with many authors I’ve never met in real life. A couple of years ago, author EC Stilson posted that she had cancer. Since then she’s been sharing her journey on-line, writing with an engaging style that shows both the challenges she faces and the hope she possesses, prose so delightful and insightful that a publisher has signed her up to publish her memoir.

I never knew at the time, how her posts about her life would become so personal for me. Even in the midst of pain, there is joy.

You can find her on Facebook as Elisa Beth Magagna. I highly recommend you do.  https://www.facebook.com/ecwrites

Her book isn’t available yet, but I’ll let you know when it is.

In book news I’m working on edits for Murder at the Circus and writing the first draft of Murder at the Boxing Match. I’ll post more on that when I have a cover ready.

Preorder here 1.99 for a limited time!

Amazon has put Death at the Tavern, the first Higgins & Hawke mystery on sale for 1.99 in the US and CA stores for a limited time, so if you’ve been waiting to jump into Haley Higgins’s story, now’s a good time.

And in Haley Higgins news, I’ve decided she’s going to return to Ginger Gold’s world in 1927-28 for a few more books, so stay tuned for more news about that in the near future.

Thanks for checking in, my friends. I hope all is well with you and yours.

The post Family update ~ Living with the Big C appeared first on Lee Strauss.

When Lighting Strikes Twice and why I’m leaving my husband in Las Vegas.

Back in the fall of 2021, my husband Norm and I made big plans to travel in our RV from British Columbia to Mexico, a first for us and it promised adventure as we continued our snowbird lifestyle. 

But things, we've found, don't always go they way we planned. If you've been following my blog, you'll already know that we had to take an emergency flight home in December when our daughter's heart stopped. If you missed that story, you can read about it HERE(link).

After six weeks we flew back to Mexico, but less than three months after our first family medical emergency we had another. Our son's fiancé was told she had a large aggressive cancerous bone tumor in her femur. We thought we would be driving back to Canada in time to make their May 6 wedding, but instead we hopped into our RV and headed back a month early. By the time we reached Las Vegas, I decided to fly back so I could offer practical help as she prepares for chemotherapy. She can't put any pressure on her leg for fear of fracturing it so she's using crutches and a wheelchair.

As you can imagine, the last few weeks have been heavy with worry, and on the heels of a cardiac arrest event often felt like too much. 

But we aren't without hope. We received good news yesterday that there was no signs of cancer anywhere else in her body. 

Norm is going to drive the RV home and meet me there about a week from now. Since we were in Vegas, we decided to take a mental break and see a Cirque du Soleil show. Loved it!

Waiting for the show to start. 

It's been difficult to focus on work, but thankfully Murder at the Savoy was already ready for publication and the first draft of the next book, Murder at the Circus, was with the editor.  Both are up for preorder with Murder at the Savoy release on Tuesday! If you like paperbacks, you can grab a copy early using the same link.

Preorder Now Preorder Now

No matter how hard things get, there's always someone who has it worse. Nothing I'm going through compares to the plight of the Ukrainian people right now. I've blogged before about the humanitarian organization that Norm and I are involved with. Right now our friends, Mark and Coreen Biech, are offering real practical help to refugees entering Romania in the form of grocery gift cards. If you missed my original blog post about Hope for the Nations Romania and how you can help, you can find it HERE (link.)

You can watch Mark talk about the project on this VIDEO (click link).

oil painting grunge effected illustration of ukraine flag

The post When Lighting Strikes Twice and why I’m leaving my husband in Las Vegas. appeared first on Lee Strauss.

How to be Happy when the World is on Fire ~ Praying for Ukraine

Like most of the world, I've been glued to my newsfeed, watching in horror as these horrific events unfold in Europe. How could such a thing happen in the twenty-first century? Why are there still madmen in power on the earth?

Honestly, this is a hard blog to write. My heart aches for those in Ukraine getting trampled by a neighboring bully. How helpless the citizens must feel, fleeing for their lives, burdened with fear over the lives of their children ~ especially sons of a certain age they have to leave behind ~ and of their husbands and fathers, sisters and brothers who stay to fight.

Imagine, if you will, the American army lining up tankers and troops along the Canadian border. We have a larger land mass, but our population is less than that of Ukraine. Worse, we're spread out over a 200 km wide ribbon that runs from east to west. If American troops headed for Montreal or Toronto or Vancouver ~ invading our sovereign and democratic nation ~ how would we feel? What would we do? Would I take my daughter and parents and flee (to where?) and leave my husband and three sons behind to fight what is surely a David and Goliath battle? Would I plead with the world to help?

The whole idea is unfathomable and insane. And yet, this exact thing is happening right now as I type this. There's enough terror potential available on social media, that I don't need to go through it here.

A huge field of sunflowers during a beautiful sunset.

It is in darkness that light shines the brightest.

Where NATO was once questioned for its purpose and necessity, we see that democratic countries absolutely do need each other and our allies are invaluable. Where we were once obsessed with inconsequential inconveniences, we are reminded of what truly matters. What true Freedom is. When lie upon lie upon lie makes an honest person confused over what is true, what is right, the TRUTH finally does shine forth and become obvious to all.

When men with black hearts and nefarious intentions rise up, braver men stand taller. *I'm looking at you, President Zelenzky* Courage takes the form of unarmed civilians standing together in unison, blocking the invading convoy.

So how do find happiness when the world is on fire?

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

An ancient proverb, but true. To shake off the blues, do something for someone else. Give up your seat to someone older or weaker than you. Shovel your neighbor's driveway or mow their lawn. Buy a grocery gift card for a family in need.

Give to organizations that are bringing care and resources to Ukraine. 

Shameless plug here: Norm and I have been involved with a humanitarian organization that does work in Romania for 24 years. Hope for the Nations - Romania is run by our good and long-time friends, Mark and Coreen Biech.

Help for Ukraine

We are focusing on the UKRAINIAN REFUGEE CRISIS for the foreseeable future offering medical help, medicines, food, clothing, pampers, and social counselling for those fleeing to Romania and The Republic of Moldova from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Recent pic from time spent together in Mexico

Over 1 million people have been displaced and are fleeing for their lives. Our organization has been working diligently to obtain the necessary approval to support the relief efforts in Romania and The Republic of Moldova. If you would like to help in this regard, please consider donating. Tax receipts are available.

Hope for the Nations - Canada

 is matching donations and so your DONATION IS DOUBLED!

Click on the DONATE BUTTON and/or share this post. It would be much appreciated.

DONATE TODAY

Don't see a button? Here is the direct link: https://www.newhorizonromania.com/donate

Whew! Now that you've done that, don't you feel better? You deserve a break.

How about catching up on Ginger Gold so you're ready for the new release coming March 29! That's only a couple of weeks away. Don't forget to preorder and to enter the contest. 

Click on image to preorder. 

The post How to be Happy when the World is on Fire ~ Praying for Ukraine appeared first on Lee Strauss.

Life’s a Beach and Book News

We've settled back into our life in Mexico, feeling more than ever that this is where we're meant to live in the winter. Our little Mexican community really came around us during our family medical emergency (as did our Canadian community), driving home how much we, as people, need each other. 

^^ Here I'm catching a whale show. Sorry, they're shy and not in the pic. 

We're still working a lot, so not on the beach as much as we'd like, but still more than if we were in cold Canada! Fitting in time to play pickleball and go on bike rides with friends.

Norm and I and our friend Victor also did a benefit concert to raise money for a local charity and it went really well. A lot of fun, and a good chunk of change raised for a good cause.

Are you ready for the release of MURDER AT THE SAVOY coming March 29?  The history of the Savoy in London is very interesting and I'll talk more about that later (probably in a newsletter, so be sure to sign up for that), but one specific fun fact is Kasper the Cat. Superstition has it that 13 places at the table is unlucky, so it's Kasper's job to be the 14th member of the party. You'll see him represented in the contest prizes!

Don't forget to preorder Murder at the Savoy(link) so it can automatically show up on your kindle as a nice surprise. 

Preorder Murder at the Savoy Enter to Win Here  The Ginger Gold Mysteries is at book 18! Do you need to catch up? 

Check out the Ginger Gold  Book Bundles. Buy more for less, or read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Click Here: https://smarturl.it/GGM-bundle-series

Happy reading, and see you on the beach (maybe)! 

The post Life’s a Beach and Book News appeared first on Lee Strauss.

New flight, new year, new adventures.

I'm sitting in the boarding lounge, early in the morning, sipping on a hot Tim Horton's cappuccino. I'm looking out the large east-facing windows as the dawn breaks over the snowy okanagan valley mountains.

It's been six weeks since the early morning call that had us racing back to Canada from Mexico. Our daughter, Tasia, had suffered a near death event which you can read about HERE and HERE, if you missed the news. She's still with us and getting on with her life, for which we are immensely grateful. 

We, as a family, are all changed people for having experienced this trauma together, but I'd say changed for the better. As a family we're knitted so much closer, and as people more sensitive to what really matters in this life, putting things in proper priority, and knowing that each new day is a gift.

January went by in a blur, and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. A lot has happened. Besides our daughter's medical recovery, covid passed through the house our kids live in--all are okay (fully vaxxed)--thankfully. We bought a house out east, sight unseen, that two of our kids will live in; I'm fighting with KDP over payment issues (long story, very stressful), which is still unresolved, but hopefully, hopefully will be soon; released a book, editing a book and working on a new book.

New Release! 

At the editors!

Working on this one now!

I'm excited about the writing projects I have planned for 2022, focusing on the next three or four Ginger Gold books and the final Rosa Reed. If you're following Ginger's adventures in the Ginger Journal, I have new entries coming with all the next newsletters until at least the summer. 

Having arrived to Western Canada in the freezing cold with only two backpacks and a pillow, and living in borrowed quarters, I'm ready for sun, beach, and a  bit of R & R! 

R&R is rest and relaxation, but also rhythm and routine. You don't realize how important those last two are until you've been pushed out of it for a while.  I don't think I've had a chance to actually slow down and process all that has happened. I've booked two days this weekend to do nothing but sit on the beach and do just that!

Boarding flight 2164 direct to Puerto Vallarta!  See you in Mexico!

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This month, I’m doing January.

“This month, I'm doing January. I'm going to get through each day of January.”

I saw this on my Facebook feed somewhere, posted by someone else, and I thought that's exactly how I feel. 

One day at a time, face to the wind, anticipating spring and the hope it represents.

January is generally a time of goal-setting and dream-casting, both of which I annually participate in, and this year is no different though recently some of my goals and dreams have changed.

If you've been following my previous blog you'll already know that our daughter had a near-death experience that brought me and Norm back to Canada from where we were snowbirding in Mexico. It's been a month since then, living in a basement suite kindly provided to us by strangers, with no more than what we brought with us in two backpacks each. You would think it would've been a time with space for reflection, but in fact it's been busier than ever.

The good news is our daughter is recovering from her surgery and she was almost ready to go back to work at an optometry office when she came down with covid! Everyone in the house she lives in got it (two of our sons and our son's fiancee), so it was only a matter of time. Thankfully, she had a relatively mild case, probably because she's triple vaxed, and has nearly recovered from it. It's a huge relief to me because her catching covid and not knowing how she'd do with it was a big worry.

Once we knew that Tasia was home and doing better, real life set in, and I started to think about things like real estate and mortgage rates.

Weird, I know.

Where we live, the price of houses has jumped dramatically and I'm thankful we bought when we did, because we'd be priced out of the market in our city now. It's been in the back of my mind to buy out east where our son Joel and his wife Shadi live (if you are part of my Facebook readers group, you'll recognize those names). I told them to take a look, and long story short, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE.

I definitely didn't see that coming.

It's really quite amazing how we got it in this really tight market, and how fast it happened. Buying a house is a lot of busy work which has kept us digging for paperwork and ID and proof of this and that, but it's exciting to buy a house with Joel and Shadi while we still can. Real estate is on the rise there as well.

Personally, I've been doing far too much sitting. Life balance is important to me, and it's been out of whack for some time. Not only am I lacking exercise, I work too much. This is a hazard for self-employed people. You're responsible for all the balls in the air, and over time, the sky gets hard to see. I've known I was overdoing things for some time. Anyone close to me will tell you that I keep saying I'm going to slow things down, but… you know how it is.

Our family emergency put a highlight on this. I dove into my publishing and writing schedule for 2022, twice, to relax the timeline. Even so, there's still two Rosa Reeds and four Ginger Golds coming this year, plus, if all goes well, a Ginger Christmas novella.

Great segue into book news!

I thought I would be living in Mexico in January where I could post pictures to promote the upcoming Murder at the Fiesta.

Instead of posting pictures like these:

I'm posting pictures like these:

To celebrate Mexican culture found in Murder at the Fiesta I'm giving away a paperback cover of the 9th Rosa Reed mystery, the Mexican Home Kitchen cookbook and $30 cash!

Enter here!

Don't see a button? Click here: https://gleam.io/A0tz3/murder-at-the-...

Don't forget to preorder.  Murder at the Fiesta will automatically show up on your kindle on January 25!

Murder's a bash!

When Rosa Reed attends a birthday party in the spring of 1957, the Mexican fiesta turns deadly. It wasn't how Rosa wanted to celebrate with Detective Miguel Belmonte, nor how she hoped to be introduced to his large complicated family.

Before long, Rosa Reed Investigations is on the case. Can Rosa and Miguel find the murderer before some else dies?

And when will Rosa have time to plan a wedding?

Preorder Now

Don't see a button? Click here: https://smarturl.it/RR-Fiesta

Keeping with the Mexican theme, my son Levi adopted a mexican rescue. He's off on a Mexican get-away with his work colleagues, so I'm looking after dog. Norm and I are heading back soon to pick up our RV and drive it back, just in time for Joel and Shadi to come to visit in May. It's be the first time we'll have seen each other in the flesh for two and a half years. That's my biggest 2022 dream: to be together with all my kids again.

Ernie's loving his new life in Canada. He's even getting use to the snow!

How about you?

Have you set goals for 2022? Dreamed dreams? Let me know in the comments.

The post This month, I’m doing January. appeared first on Lee Strauss.

Hello 2022. I’m hanging on by my fingernails + What’s coming next.

Hello 2022. I'm hanging on by my fingernails.

Last year, I wrote a post titled Hello 2021, I'm cautiously optimistic to meet you

Now that it's over, I can say it's been a heck of a ride.

It started with us moving our then 26-yr old daughter from Vancouver to Kelowna, our home town, into a house that she shares with two of her brothers and a future daughter-in-law. We wouldn't learn until the end of the year just how incredibly important that move was.

Mostly, 2021 was the year of climate disasters in our province–a dystopian-like heat dome, a multitude of destructive fires and extreme flooding with mudslides and highway outages. We were fortunate that none of it impacted us directly, except that we had to cancel yet another chance to visit with our oldest son Joel and his wife Shadi.

Happily, we purchased an RV and made our first (and last) road trip south to Mexico. As adventurous as the journey was, we realized we like the destination better.

We had lovely plans to spend Christmas with our daughter on the beach in Mexico, but covid put an end to that dream and we canceled her flight.

Then, I got the early morning call that had Norm and I racing back to Canada where we are now, our RV abandoned. If you missed the Facebook posts about our daughter's near-death experience you can read about it here.

She's a cyborg now, but alive and that's the best Christmas present we could've asked for in this situation. We have to rethink a few of our plans going forward, but we're learning to take one day at a time.

Life goes on, and so does a person's need to work. I'm so thankful for a job my husband and I can take anywhere and that earns even while we're distracted with a major health crisis or spending a lot more time in the hospital than we'd like.

Read on for book news ~ plenty is planned for 2022 and I'm excited for what's to come. Don't forget to enter the fun Murder at the Fiesta contest!

We're ending this year exhausted but hopeful. 
Wishing you all health and happiness for 2022!

***

 

We're excited about a four-book B-story arc for the upcoming Ginger Gold releases starting with Murder at the Savoy.

Ginger and Basil have met their nemesis match! 

 

Pre-Order Now

Murder's frightfully unlucky!

Mrs. Ginger Reed, known also as Lady Gold, settles into homelife with her husband Chief Inspector Basil Reed, son Scout and newborn daughter Rosa, but when an opportunity to join a dinner party at the renown Savoy Hotel if offered, she's eager to engage in a carefree night with friends. Some of the guests are troubled when their party's number lands at unlucky thirteen, as death is sure to come to the first person who leaves the table.

Thankfully, the Savoy has an answer to this superstitious dilemma. A small statue of a black cat fondly known as Kaspar is given the empty seat, rounding the number to fourteen.

Unfortunately, in this instance Kaspar didn't fulfil his duties and a murder is committed. The case is tricky and complicated by a recent escape of a prisoner who has a bone to pick with Basil. Are the two seemingly unrelated incidents connected?

Ginger and Basil work together to solve one while avoiding the other, and what can they do about the black cat who crossed their path?

Click here to Pre-Order Murder at the Savoy 

 

 

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Murder's a spectacle!

When Ginger Reed ~ aka Lady Gold ~ and Basil Reed’s son Scout runs away to join the circus, it’s not all fun and games. As a disgruntled teen unhappy at boarding school, Scout intends to work with his cousin Marvin, newly discharged from the navy, as an animal caretaker.

The big top event pleases the crowds, but when a performer dies under suspicious circumstances, Scout finds himself in real, three ring trouble

Click here to Pre-Order Murder at the Circus 

*Stay tuned for more to come!*

***

Coming January 25th!  

Pre-Order Now

Murder's a bash!

When Rosa Reed attends a birthday party in the spring of 1957, the Mexican fiesta turns deadly. It wasn't how Rosa wanted to celebrate with Detective Miguel Belmonte, nor how she hoped to be introduced to his large complicated family.

Before long, Rosa Reed Investigations is on the case. Can Rosa and Miguel find the murderer before some else dies?

And when will Rosa have time to plan a wedding?

Click here to Pre-Order Murder at the Fiesta 

Pre-Order Now

Seeing double is murder!

If one wedding is good, a double wedding is better! Rosa and Miguel agree that walking down the aisle with Bill and Carlotta solves a lot of social and familial problems, but the drama is notched up when a dead body arrives with dessert!

Don’t miss this final installment of a Rosa Reed Mystery series where Rosa finally gets her happily ever after.

Click here to Pre-Order Murder at The Weddings 

***

Contest is ending soon!

To celebrate the upcoming release of Murder at the Fiesta we're giving away a free physical copy of the book, a Mexican Cookbook and a $30 PayPal Prize!

 

Click here to Enter Contest 

The post Hello 2022. I’m hanging on by my fingernails + What’s coming next. appeared first on Lee Strauss.

When the Heart Stops ~ a Christmas Miracle

A week ago today, just before midnight, my daughter's heart stopped.

For seven minutes.

When I got the call telling me, I felt like my heart had stopped.

So much has happened in one week, I can hardly process it all, so I'm going to use this blog format to help myself do that. For those who don't want all the details, as the title of this post says, we were given a Christmas miracle and our twenty-seven-year-old daughter survived.

Our son Levi calls in the early morning hours of December 20, 2021 to tell me our daughter Tasia has suffered a cardiac arrest. Our son Jordan is with him. The two of them along with Tasia and Jordan's fiancé Chelsea live in the same house in Kelowna BC. My husband Norm and I are snow birding in Mexico. I'm thousands of miles away.

In a very fragile moment, Norm and I hold each other and pray, “Lord we trust you with your daughter, no matter what.”

If you've followed my blogs for a while, you might know that Tasia has an autoimmune condition called Scleroderma, a rare disease which causes hardening of the skin and can involve the internal organs. In her case, she has lung involvement, and only 50% capacity.

Unbelievably, the doctors now believe this is a separate heart condition, unrelated to that.

Downstairs, Jordan and Chelsea hear a bang, which they later learned was the sound of Tasia falling to the floor. Upstairs, Levi's new Mexican rescue dog is barking uncharacteristically. Levi thinks it's because Tasia came home with a friend. Now we know the dog, a border collie mix called Ernie, was trying to alert Levi to trouble.

Minutes later, Levi and Jordan see the lights of two ambulances and a fire truck pull into the yard. Levi dashes to Tasia's room to find C.T.~the angel in this story~performing CPR. Jordan rushes upstairs just as the paramedics arrive. They can't see what's happening, but they hear the paramedics say, “no pulse.” Then the sound of the paddles and defibrillator.

Terrified, the boys believe their sister has died.

And they weren't wrong. She was without a heartbeat for seven long minutes, possibly longer one doctor told us. If it weren't for the fact that she was with a friend who knew CPR, who kept his head and called 911, who didn't give up compressing my daughter's chest for what must've felt like forever, this story would have had a very different ending.

Tasia's heart is revived and she's wheeled away on the gurney.

That's when I got the call.

Levi went to the hospital to do the hard work of waiting, texting me every time the doctors came in with news.

It was a very long night.

She's unconscious. She's sedated She's intubated.

But she's alive.

Initially, the doctors theorized that Tasia had had a seizure that had led to cardiac arrest. Her brain health was of immediate concern. Tasia without her delightful, witty, caring, intelligent personality would be its own kind of devastating loss.

But, after a CT scan, an EEG, and an MRI, tests done that night and the next day, there was no sign of brain bleed, swelling, infection or stroke. When they turned off the sedation for brief moments, she responded to commands to squeeze a hand and wiggle toes. After more tests the new theory is she experienced a heart event that initially mimicked a seizure.

In the meantime, back in Mexico, Norm and I are racing to get a PCR test, and packing up our RV to secure it while we're gone, and book a one way ticket home. Sometime, as we're flying over the western coast of North America, Tasia was brought out of sedation. She's awake!

Our sons are with her and I wish I was there, but I'm so happy for the news. She's groggy from the sedation, and “loopy” but still her “sassy” self.

We get into Kelowna after midnight, and drive to the hospital to see her for the first time on the morning of the 22nd.

Tasia is suffering significant short term memory loss, but we're assured that this is normal after intubation and sedation. Later that day she's moved from ICU to CCU, the cardiac intensive care wing.

We're told by one of the cardiac specialists that Tasia's case is causing a lot of excitement on the ward. She's very young to have suffered cardiac arrest and the cause is still inconclusive. Tasia quipped, “I'm an episode of House.”

The primary culprit is Ventricular Fibrillation.

On Christmas Eve, Tasia has a defibrillator inserted. The pamphlet explaining the device assures Tasia that she can resume physical activity like “gardening, playing with grandchildren, and golf.”

Good to know!

Christmas morning, she's released from the hospital.

Talk about a whirlwind week of extreme emotion and rapid turnaround.

Pre op

From nearly losing her life, Tasia now has a built-in paramedic that will shock her heart should she suffer another heart event. She's on new meds to hopefully prevent the need for that to ever happen. Apparently, her heart isn't any worse off than before. Her brain function is undamaged. The worse thing to come from it is she can't drive for six months. (Which is a pain, but hey…)

More than one heart specialist has said that her recovery is REMARKABLE. Most people who suffer an event like this and to this degree don't survive.

“A Christmas miracle,” Tasia said. The doctor nodded. “Yes, a Christmas miracle.”

***

A super huge shout out to the quick response to the paramedics, the incredible doctors and nurses at Kelowna General Hospital who gave our daughter the best care and attention, to the Canadian Health Care System, and to C.T. for playing a huge role in saving our daughter's life. You are all HEROS in our books.

 

 

The post When the Heart Stops ~ a Christmas Miracle appeared first on Lee Strauss.

Don’t build your house on the sand ~ or at the bottom of a lake?

As I write this, I'm literally living in an RV park called Little Paradise.

Such a far cry from my home province of British Columbia which is experiencing a serious weather event with devastating flooding ~ and we thought the summer was bad with its “heat dome” and wide-spread wild fires!

Though the term isn't new, I'd never heard of an “Atmospheric River” before. I don't think I was alone, otherwise people would've been more frightened by the weather warning and wouldn't have travelled on the day a river of water fell from the sky, washing out all the major roadways leading to Vancouver, and killing five people in mudslides.

All the major highways leading to Vancouver and its supply ports had major damage, virtually shutting access to BC's largest city from the rest of the province. The most popular artery, the Coquihalla Highway, is estimated to be closed for months, well into 2022, if not beyond. I just drove the route this summer when I took my daughter to a doctor's appointment there.

Coquihalla Highway/Caroline Mine/BC Ministry of Transportation/Flickr – One of many road washouts.

Though many communities were affected with whole towns being evacuated due to rivers overflowing their banks and even re-routing, the greatest devastation happened in a place called Abbotsford, just outside of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley.

Rising floodwaters surround barns in Abbotsford on Tuesday. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

Thousands of animals were lost: cattle, hogs, chickens (link). Also mature blueberry farms, and other crops. Though I had lived in Abbotsford for three years, and I knew about all the farming there, I didn't realized that Sumas Prairie was once called Sumas Lake. Check out this link for incredible images.

It used to be a lake.

A hundred years ago, the colonists decided to drain the lake by building dikes and a pump station to reroute the water (it has to go somewhere) and turn it into farmland. It also meant pushing out the First Nation community (Native Canadians) off their land and taking away their livelihood that came from the lake. In this news story, the Sumas First Nations chief shares what happened to his people a hundred years ago (link), And just for the record, this isn't the first time the region has experienced major flooding. It happened in 1894, 1948 and 1990 as well.

1990 flood vs. 2021 flood at Highway 1’s Whatcom interchange in Abbotsford. (BC Archives/City of Abbotsford)

I've driven this highway numerous times, and it's surreal to see it underwater now. And there's two more atmospheric rivers events in the forecast.

Plus the pump is damaged. And it was known that the infrastructure was in need of fortifying (link), but the cost would've been over 400 million dollars, and well, that's a lot of money.

And now the damages are over 1 billion.

Where am I going with this?

Honestly, I don't know.

Should we leave nature alone and find better ways to co-exist?

If society was as “woke” in 1920 as it is now, would the lake have been taken away from the First Nation community? Would we have found alternative ways to farm effectively? Perhaps by making use of the lake?

Can we continue to ignore the continuing change in climate, particularly the growing number of extreme weather events?

And the biggest question: what should we do now?

I wish I had the answers. What do you think?

In happier news:

Death by Dancing is releasing this week! And I have a new pre-order up.

Though I'm truly thankful to be sitting in my little paradise, my thoughts and prayers are with those who are facing very real struggles. Hang in there, everyone. There is hope.

In the meantime, escape into another world by reading!

The post Don’t build your house on the sand ~ or at the bottom of a lake? appeared first on Lee Strauss.

3 Lessons Learned on the Road ~ aka: Live the Life you want to Live

We've been on the road now for several weeks and what have I learned?I'm older than I used to be.The things I want and the things I thought I wanted, aren't the same.I'm groovin' with this RV life thing.Let me explain:

Of course, I'm older than I use to be. That's how it works. If you're still breathing today, you're older than you were yesterday. That's a given. And a bonus. This week is the anniversary of my dear and long time friend Donna's death, so this truth resonates for me more poignantly. Life on this earth is beautiful, adventurous, sometimes scary, and finite.

Missing you, my friend.

Which brings me to number 2:

My ten year plan. What a different discussion this is than from when I was in my 30s, 40s and early 50s. In ten years, I'll be married to a 70 year old man! (Lord willing!) We've always lived a life of adventure with a good measure of uncertainty. There were many, many years when we were unable to see what was  ahead of us beyond the next three months. We just kept living, trusting, and getting by – sometimes with just enough and sometimes with more than our wildest dreams. And though we're still the adventurous sort, we're starting to crave a simpler, more predictable life.

Long ago, we decided to be snowbirders, and when we bought our RV, we thought we'd be road warriors too, travelling to and fro from one scenic lookout to another. However, after weeks on the road, we realize, at least for us, it is the destination and not the journey. We just want to get to our winter home and settle in with our routines and traditions, and build into our community, much like we do in our summer home. It's a good thing to discover about us, and helps us now as we plan our future. As we look into the next ten years.

The journey DOES have perks.

To see more travel photos of beautiful places, follow me on Instagram(link) or my author Facebook(link) page.

And finally, #3.

I love Scout! Our motorhome is everything we were looking for in an RV, checking all our boxes. It's interesting to meet other people living this lifestyle ~ everyone has a different idea of what home on the road looks like. And I love that there are so many choices.

The RVs in our caravan. Missing is a Leisure Way van.

We are living the dream. At least the dream we set out to live. My motto is: Make the life you want to live. 

Part of the dream is that we get to work on the road. It's one of the great things technology has given us ~ the ability to be digital nomads. While travelling, I've completed a first draft of Murder at the Fiesta and the final draft of Death by Dancing ~ both available for PREORDER, and published the 1920s Coloring Book with my son Joel. Norm's even doing a bit of music producing!

Redefining the “home” studio!

In Book News:

Starting the plotting and planning process for the next 4 Ginger Gold books coming to you in 2022! Norm and I will be working on these together and have great ideas for each individual book plus an over-arching subplot. Basil will have a stronger presence and you'll discover more about his history as a crime fighter. The first book, Murder at the Savoy, is already up on preorder.

The preorders:

November 30: Death by Dancing(link), a Higgins & Hawke mystery #4

January 25: Murder at the Fiesta(link), a Rosa Reed mystery #9

May 31 (probably earlier): Murder at the Savoy(link), a Ginger Gold mystery #18

New Releases:

Don't miss out on the 1920s Coloring Book(link). Makes a great and unique gift!

Murder at Mallowan Court(link), a Ginger Gold mystery #17

What's Next?

If you're following this in real time, we are at an RV park in La Penita, where that beautiful photo of the pool was taken, right on the beach. Comment if you want the website info. Next month we'll get to the town that we've decided will be our winter home. More on that later!

How about you? Are you living the life you want to live?

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