Excuses and Promises

I think I have the Martian Death Flu. Okay, it's a cold, but yesterday at least, it felt like Martian Death Flu. That's why I didn't post anything since Friday. So much for Excuse #1.

I've been trying to figure out the rest of my excuses for why I haven't gotten much of anything done lately. Actually, I've been trying to figure out just what the heck I have been doing the past couple of weeks. The house and my laundry are dirty, so I obviously haven't been cleaning. Since Gilmore Girls and the Amazing Race ended, I don't watch TV. I have a stack of books I'm supposed to be reading, but that stack hasn't diminished. I'm more interested in the manuscript I'm working on lately, but somehow interest hasn't translated to producing many actual pages.

I think I've mostly been sitting in the vet's office. You remember Cera, the terror of groomers within a hundred-mile radius?

She developed an infection a couple of weeks ago, so off we went to the vet for our first visit. I mentioned to them, however, that she seemed to have a problem with antibiotics. Her problem is that she has no intention of taking them. If I do manage to get anything down her, she shows me! To put it delicately, within about 30 seconds she delivers it back to me--in a very unpleasant way. The vet told me we'd have to come back EVERY DAY for shots if I couldn't give her medicine at home. This vet's office, by the way, doesn't take appointments. And it's very popular, so you can count on a long wait every time.

Next day, however, we saw a different vet. He suggested I try some brand new pills they have, which are tasty and easy on the tummy. Cats love them. They gobble them up. I tried giving Cera one. I mixed it with tuna. I poured gravy on it. I stuck it inside a treat. She stared at me in disbelief and walked away. So much for tasty. Back we went for a shot.

Next time, the vet had his tech come in to demonstrate the use of something called a "pill pusher." He assured me if I learned to use this, I would be able to give Cera pills and stay home. Home! Finally I'd be able to sit at my laptop and create my Gothic ranch house (where the eyes of all portraits are covered with black tape). This happy dream lasted about 15 seconds. That's how long it took Cera to defeat the vet tech. She clenched her teeth, she snarled, she fought. But he was a professional. He actually got the pill to touch her tongue. At that point she began to foam at the mouth and writhe, like some Hollywood B-movie actor doing the poison scene from Romeo and Juliet. The vet just shook his head and told me to come back tomorrow for a shot. We've been seven times so far, and I have to go again this evening.

So Cera is excuse #2. There are lots more, like friends who needed a good cry on the phone, or developed scary medical problems and needed to talk. And then there's me just being lazy and inefficient. And did I mention the Martian Death Flu?

When I have posted, my messages haven't exactly been...deep. But I'm finished with excuses now. Here are the promises of the wonderful things coming up in the next couple of weeks.

• An interview with a writer I just discovered named Marlo Schalesky. On someone else's blog, she mentioned the ordeals of waiting and doubt she had been through while trying to have children and trying to publish her first book. I figured she would have plenty to say to this audience! So I contacted her and asked her to talk to us specifically about what God taught her during those times of waiting. Her experiences and her advice are so encouraging, and real faith boosters. We'll be reading Marlo's interview this Friday.


• Marlo also sent a devotional that I'll be posting. Guess what--it's about fires! Another big theme on this blog.


• I will share some thoughts I've had on why my own writing journey has been so long, and maybe a few pitfalls you can avoid.


• My teenage cousin will be reviewing Jenny Jones's new teen book called In Between, and we'll also have an interview with Jenny.
  
• I will share some insights about writing and faith that I got from reading a fabulous C.S. Lewis book called Surprised by Joy.

I will bring all of this to you and more. Just as soon as I get out of the vet's office.