Happy Un-birthday

thanks to Doug for taking the photo of the Holzworth ladies!

When you are an 'independent contractor', you don't always get to choose dates that work 'best' for you.  The group hiring you will set the date/time/place and you either agree...or don't.

This year mom turns 90.  It has been a couple of long years of various health issues, which seem mostly resolved - for now.  But as it happens, my trip next week means I will be out of town for her actual birth day.  I had thought to have a 'party' for her, inviting all the nieces/nephews who live in the area, but mom said large groups are too tiring.  Instead we opted for lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and a niece and her daughter came.  The small group meant that we could all talk to each other, get caught up since the last time we'd seen each other, and enjoy each other's company.

Other nieces/nephews will be in touch with mom as convenient, so she should be able to visit with them in equally small-ish groups.

The past week has been a bit hectic - seeing Mary off to the airport, several days at the fall fair, packing.  The 6:30 am flight is looking even more challenging with the alarm being set for 4:30 and not arriving until about 11:30 pm - given the flights are all on time and I make my connections.  Only two connections for this trip, and no border crossing involved, so hopefully everything will go smoothly.  I made arrangements to arrive a couple of days early, to help get over the jet lag - only four hours, but it will mean my sleep cycle - never great to begin with (thank you menopause!) will be disrupted.  I will just be getting used to the time change when I have another 6:30 am flight to head home.  Oh, joy.

Speaking of border crossings, I will be heading off to Tennessee mid-September during which time I will be taking a workshop with Bonnie Inouye and meeting with my book person, I hope.  There are a few technical details I want to ask about before I go much further.  I should start getting feedback from the alpha/beta readers (the manuscript is so raw at this point I hesitate to call them 'beta' readers!) when I get home from Cape Breton.

In the meantime I have been managing a little progress on the conference panels, but they won't be done before I leave for TN.  And of course, as soon as I get home we will be in final preparation for the fall craft fairs.

Somewhere in all of that, the work on the house should happen, and the move out of the annex into alternate space is also supposed to happen.  Maybe in January I can take a much needed break, although by then I will probably be scrambling to finish the book projects.

Ah, the lovely, leisurely life of a self-employed person...(sarcasm font!)