The Next Three Weeks...
I'm taking a break. But don't worry! There'll still be plenty for you to read.
It has been a wild year for me, starting with the news in April that my niece was engaged to be married! What a chain of events that led to!
The first unexpected thing of note to come my way this year was the opportunity to make my neice’s wedding dress. First wedding dress I’ve ever made, and it turned out good. I’ll post some photos hopefully after the wedding.
Then came the sudden realization that if I don’t want my two small businesses (online used clothing sales and fresh cut flower bouquets) to go dormant during the three weeks I will be away from home (traveling to CO, a rocket launch a week before the wedding which my husband will be vending, and helping my sister out leading up to the wedding) than I had a lot of preparation to do ahead of time.
The first task was to get all of my inventory out of the house into an outbuilding on our property so that I could hire someone to keep shipping things out and tending my massive flower beds while I was away. Problem with that was…the building was grody.
It was full of bugs and critters and strange smells. Plus, it was dark and ugly.
So..we redid that building in June. My sister came out to help me, bless her, and we banged that project out in about a week. Then I moved all my inventory, nearly 2,500 items-worth, from the house to the building.
During all this time, my body decided to throw me a curve ball and malfunction in an entirely new, strange, and incomprehensible way. I have been afflicted with an odd collection of symptoms since early June which have put quite a speedbump in my path. They all seem to come together. Headache, pain in sinuses, neck and shoulder pain, a feeling of unsteadiness while moving my body most anywhere, fatigue, and the sensation that my head has turned into a balloon. And there seems to be some correlation to increasing barometric pressure. It’s been bothering me to lesser and greater degrees ever since the first week of June. When it’s bad, it’s really bad and the pain can bring me to tears. At this moment, it’s an annoyance that’s making me tired. Chiropractic care seems to help some, but not entirely. So also does dealing with histamine issues in the ways I am familiar with. Still, a lot of pain and discomfort remains. For now, I’m waiting to hear from my doctor’s office to see if I can get an appointment sooner than the one I’ve got at the end of August.
I would appreciate your prayers as this new and unsolved health puzzle of mine has been hard on me. And, of course, I would very much like it to stop, but the cause is not forthcoming. So, I just have to deal.
All this to say that I am quite exhausted and will be required to travel while exhausted and in some pain. Consequently, I’m feeling a deep need to take at least one thing off my plate for that time. Trying to write something every week while dealing with all of this has been quite difficult, so I’m going to take a break from writing for the next three weeks.
But never you fear! I have a series of pieces I wrote back in 2021 called Sinking Sands. I wrote it after the big brouhaha in Washington DC on January 6, and for some strange reason, it’s aged quite well. (Wink, wink. Nod, nod.) I think you’ll find it uniquely helpful. It was written in crazy times and times are still…crazy.
(I can’t keep up with the times, for sure. Last week, I wrote my piece when Biden was still the Democrat nominee, and now he’s not. I think? Anywho…)
As usual, I will record all three of these pieces so that those of you who prefer listening on your way to work and what have you, can still do so. Speaking of…I often conclude my recordings by singing a hymn or song that’s applicable to the topic at hand. If you’ve never listened to the recordings, just thought I’d let you know about that fun little extra. (That is, it would be fun if you like my singing. If not, it’s at the very end and you can just turn it off before I start!)
Since this post as turned into a random collection of announcements, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite reads this week. I have been a subscriber to Racket News for quite some time now. I find Matt Taibbi’s journalism fair and refreshing. His take on the media’s about face and drastic turn against Biden was insightful as usual. You can read it here:
I also really appreciated Barry Brownstein’s piece on the new anti-family legislation Gavin Newsom just signed into law. The central planners have the best of intentions (in their minds). But they ALWAYS fail to look ahead and see the downstream consequences of their actions which are universally catastrophic.
And last, may I introduce you to Coffee and Covid by Jeff Childers? I discovered this guy a year ago or so and have been enjoying his humorous takes on the daily, nay hourly changing, news cycle. If horrible things must happen, you might as well look at them through the lens of humor instead of crying. He’s upbeat and jolly and I have no idea how he finds the time and energy to put together a daily newsletter of this length and with this much detail while also running his own legal practice. The guy must eat batteries for breakfast.
That will be all for now. I look forward to sharing my series, Sinking Sands, with you these next three weeks! Until next time, folks…
P.S. If you enjoy reading my weekly rambles, please consider upgrading your subscription from free to paid. It would mean a lot to me and help free up more time to write interesting and thought provoking things for you to read. It would also help me devote more resources to getting my two novels, The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse and 27, published. Thanks for your consideration, and have a great week!
Well…3 weeks off sounds like a very good decision. 👍🏻
I crossed year 3 in mid-July of your symptoms but without the headaches. Can’t imagine. I now function pretty well after learning how to. The Lord has pointed me to much knowledge. He’s good that way! 😉
My “plight” may be unrelated but if I can help in any way reach out. I wish I had known earlier as to shorten the harder times.
Amanda, I am praying for your health. And I would love to know what the doctor says. I have been afflicted with almost the exact same symptoms you described. I have no clue. And I highly recommend Coffee and Covid also. I started reading from day 1 when began unveiling what was going on with the mandates. I Refered some family in FL for help during those early days. .