March Wrap-up

Well my favorite month is about over. Spring has arrived in Georgia. The beautiful dogwood trees are all abloom and the pollen is drifting like snow. I love this time of year. I know you all still have some piles of snow up North to contend with. I sure hope you get dug out sometime before May or June.

My 70^th birthday was very enjoyable. Nanci and I enjoyed a lobster club sandwich feast and a good friend baked me a birthday cake to go with it. I received many good wishes from you all via Facebook as well as cards in the mail. Thank you all for your kindness in remembering me on this special birthday.

The downside of the month was the cold I came down with a couple weeks ago which I am still dealing with a little. But those things happen, so we forget it and go on. I am also still dealing with a bad left ankle that doesn’t want to respond to physical therapy. The doc and the therapist are still working on a way to fix it. Meanwhile, I continue my exercises and weekly therapy.

I’ve been busy professionally this month with some writing outside of this blog space. I entered my book, The South End, in the National Indie Excellence Awards. A win there will result in marketing assistance and a more national exposure for the book. Wish me luck.

A short story I wrote to go into my new book of short stories I decided to enter into the Gooseriver Anthology contest. I will send that out to them this week. They are located up there in Waldoboro. If my story is selected, it will go into the anthology and I will see some monetary reward. They only have a one-time publishing right, therefore I will be able to use it again in my own book.

My new book is coming along, if slowly, and I now have three or four stories ready for that project. Of course they will have to be polished up before publication.

I will also be involved in writing some non-fictional pieces for an online marketing company. I could be writing on anything from home improvements to psychology. It should be interesting. I have already written several pieces that are now floating around the internet. It will also give me a little extra income, which is appreciated.

As for the future, I look forward to coming home to see all of you this summer. I will probably make the trip around Festival time, as usual. I would like some kind of head count on interest in having another blog picnic down at Sandy Beach Park. We had a good time last year and it would be fun to see you all there again. Everyone is welcome. Bring a picnic lunch and share some south end stories with us. You’re welcome even if you don’t come from the South End. We love you too. Email me with your thoughts on this.

Check out last year’s picnic in the archives for last August. I also have a project in mind to improve the beach area of the park which I’ll talk to you about later. For now, save the Tuesday after the Festival for the picnic. Talk it up and ask your friends to come with you.

MARCH MADNESS: This is my favorite time of the year, sportswise. The UCONN boys are already in the Final Four and the women’s team is on the way, although they gave me a scare yesterday. Go UCONN.

Thanks for listening.