October 31, 2017
10:03 p.m.

One year ago tonight I sat down with a lot of handwritten notes, genealogy stories from my own family, an outline of sorts and a plan to write 50,000 words of manuscript in the next 30 days.

You may or may not have heard about something called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Somehow or other I caught wind of this group made up of both aspiring and seasoned successful writers who challenge themselves to complete 50,000 in the month of November each year. You accept the challenge and begin your journey with lots of other writers who are there not just to write, but to cheer you on as well.

I had tossed this idea around for awhile, hemmed and hawed, fidgeted and delayed...you get the picture. NaNoWriMo was a way to kick myself into gear. But I never quit. I re-wrote, and re-worked scenes and I researched like a mad woman.

I spent time thoroughly disgusted with religious bigotry, racial bigotry and warmongering. This was actually made much worse for me in light of the last year in the good old USA. It is appalling to me that we've come so far in so many ways but remain steadfastly ignorant in so many others even though three centuries have passed by. 

No, no, no. No politics tonight.

Anyway, I looked up tribal customs and Catholicism in the 1600s and LDS migration from Britain to Boston, and all sorts of good historical data, and by the time I was finished with the first draft and all that it entailed. several months had gone by.

Then it was time to edit. Anyone who has ever read my blog knows that I love editing other people's writing and hate doing my own. Thank goodness for first readers--they catch all the silly things I overlook after having read my work so many times.

It's done! It has been a year, and the book is live on Amazon tonight. And I can hardly believe it--a year, man! A whole year!

And tomorrow it's November again. Guess what? Emma, book 2. 50,000 by November 30th.

Yikes!

amazon.com/author/paulashablo

Here's a link to my author page and book listings. I sure hope you'll check it out!
_________________________________________________________________________________

10:50 p.m.

Tonight I got to give out candy to trick-or-treaters. Haven't done that for years! I never get any kids coming to my house in Colorado. I guess I need to do Halloweens in Wyoming.

It's funny that I enjoy kids coming to my door all dressed up in costumes, because when I was a kid, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I would rather stay home and watch horror movies. I couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for it even knowing that there would be an abundance of candy at the end of the night! (And I LOVE candy!)

And nowadays? I dress up as Annie Wilkes and parade around Comic Con. Hmm.  What's up with that?

Anyway, it was fun to see all the little ones dressed up and excited, and it was even better that the weather was cooperative. I remember hauling my kids out in snowstorms. Yuck.

Happy Halloween, everyone.
_________________________________________________________________________________

And to all a good night!

October 29, 2017
11:55 p.m.

I guess I could have waited until midnight and posted October 30th, huh?

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my good golly. I can't believe I haven't posted anything for over a week. Where does the time go, anyway? It's all zooming by entirely too fast.

I got a copy of the book into my hot little hands, the proof for final edits, and tonight, I finished those last edits. Now all I can do is pray that I didn't miss anything.

Work, work. How I love it.

Since I was a little girl, I have loved reading. I can't honestly remember not being able to read. I do remember asking lots of questions about words and meanings, and I clearly remember learning the difference between to, two and too. I remember being fascinated that there could be different meanings based on spelling variations. I found it rather magical. 

Once I got the hang of being told stories, and reading stories, I wanted desperately to tell stories of my own. And I have written lots of them over the years. But until these past couple of years, I didn't do much with them. 

Oh, many have been lost. Dozens were consumed in the flames of my house fire in 1993, including a full novel that I've never had the heart to re-write, even though I quite clearly remember the story. These days that story feels like it was something written by a stranger, and that's not entirely untrue. The Paula who wrote that book was repressed, depressed and disillusioned. I left her behind a couple of years before the fire, and I try not to think about her. The story was not a bad one, but it no longer feels like one I want to tell; hence, no re-write is forthcoming. 

Other stories that were lost I wish I could have the chance to read again and think about, but that's never going to happen, so I try not to worry about them. A lot of time has passed, and the Paula who wrote those stories, some from as long ago as Junior High School, is also long gone. Hopefully this present day Paula has learned from her and can move forward in her story-telling. 

That said, I find it funny that this book delves so much into the past. Mine, my family's, my hometown's. Not that the story is true, mind you. It is a work of fiction. But it would be a lie to claim that my past had nothing to do with the formation of the story. 

I took a writing class once, and the main thing I was told to do was to write what you know. I know the feelings I had when I was a little girl moving to a new town. I know what it's like to have to deal with a bully. I know about having babies. I know about having a wonderful, interesting and often amusing family. I know about loving and being loved. 

And, oddly enough, I know about ghostly encounters.

Unfortunately, my encounters never answer any questions or explain anything. No one tells me anything. They just leave my cupboard doors open and turn on the television. One of them has a delightful perfume, there and gone. I have no idea what it is. All I know is it doesn't ever make me sneeze or wheeze. 

One has on several occasions protected me from harm. I'll withhold the details in case I want to use them in a future story. Needless to say, I'm grateful for the interventions. 

This book may come off as autobiographical to some of the people who know me personally. It's not about me. It's a story. 

But some of me is in there, and I can't deny it. Hopefully, it's the best part of me. 

I want it to be.

The book is coming very soon. I hope you'll consider giving me a chance to tell you a story. 

By the way, I kind of dig the cover. I took the photograph this past summer while road-tripping with my parents. I like the tree, the branches. It symbolizes for me that family tree thing that the story embodies. It seemed like a good choice to me. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

October 30, 2017

12:35 a.m.

Yep it's a brand new day. Am I working? Nope. I'm watching "Lost in Space" and headed for bed. 

We should probably talk about "Lost in Space" sometime soon. So many things about that show shaped the present-day Paula. In good ways, honestly. 

But we're going to have to do it later, because I'm ready to lie my old bones down even if I can't necessarily go to sleep. 

Good night! 

October 20, 2017
7:55 p.m.

Wow, this month has been passing fast.

Over the past year, I have been working on a new book, and it's about time for it to be released. It's kind of nerve wracking.

The first publication was fun. It was rather a case of "Why not?" with a gentle nudge from my son.

This one is more personal. There was a lot of me in this. Which is not to say that it's a true story; it is fiction. But it has elements of truth, and people who know me, the town I grew up in, and any of the family history will recognize some of those truths.

So it's scary, okay?

But it's coming. And I'm really hoping people will read and enjoy it. So, just to give you all a friendly nudge, here is a preview:

https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1233112

I hope you'll take a look and provide me with any feedback you think of. Thanks in advance!
_________________________________________________________________________________

8:23 p.m.

Dad and I have colds, and we're both hoping Mom gets to skip it. Yesterday was rough on us, today we're feeling a bit better.

Cold season. Yippee.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Having spent several weeks with my parents over the last year, I am getting a lot of exposure to westerns. My folks--especially my mother--love those old westerns. On weekdays, there's a lineup of shows that they watch almost every day on Starz Encore Westerns: Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Laramie, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Virginian. The Virginian replaced The Young Riders, and that made me kind of sad. I liked that one.

I don't always watch these, even though if they are home, I am home. I write, I do chores. Sometimes I watch stuff on Netflix or Hulu. But I've certainly viewed a lot of them, and I've made a few amusing observations.

For example: Did you ever notice how ridiculously well dressed and made up these western women are? Hairstyles so elaborate you can't imagine the time they must have taken; eyelashes OUT. TO. THERE. Dresses in colors that were likely unheard of in that era and in those locations. These gals are out on the dusty trails in Wagon Train and never seem to get dirty.

I'm sure if I had been 57 years old in 1967 and watching these shows, these things might never have occurred to me. But in 2017 it sure tickles my funny bone.

Did you ever notice that gut-shot cowboys in 1967 fare didn't bleed? They clutched their "wounds", made a pained face and fell to the ground, but...no blood! This actually is something I noticed even at age 7. Mom said the networks didn't want to unnecessarily alarm their audiences when I asked her about it.

Too bad that never crosses anyone's mind these days. 

Cheesy as some of those old shows are, there's something comforting about watching them. Who doesn't want to watch Steve McQueen get into trouble everyday as Josh in Wanted Dead or Alive? My dad gets such a kick out of this show.

Who doesn't want to see Edgar Buchanan guest star on practically every one of these shows with amazing regularity? I loved that guy. You remember him--Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres:

Did you know that he was a dentist? So was his wife, and he turned the business over to her when he went into acting full time. (I love trivia.)

Anyway, we watch a lot of westerns in this house, and it's a refreshing change of pace from the things I watch on my own.

This is not to say that everything I watch is new and up to date. Just now I am binge watching "Lost in Space". Nostalgia has me firmly in its grip.

Later on, though, I will probably watch something like "The Walking Dead". Because blood.

Hahaha!
_________________________________________________________________________________

9:52 p.m.

Don't you just hate it when you're playing a game, you have a wild card and nothing--NOTHING!!--matches? Ugh!

Well, that has nothing to do with anything I am supposed to be doing. But I deserve a little break, right?
_________________________________________________________________________________

Actually, I think I'll take a long break. You know, like overnight.

Until we meet again!

Ta!

October 18, 2017

7:56 p.m.

Ah, fall!

I love fall. It's my favorite season. I love the changing colors in nature. I love the cooler weather. I love getting to wear fall clothes, because, let's face it--I am not a summer clothes girl.

And let us not forget all things pumpkin.

Sadly, this is also my season for the year's worst allergies. I sneeze, I wheeze. I'm at least three times more likely to deal with asthma attacks.

The irony is not lost on me.

This is some BS, man!

Well, it's off to the store for me tomorrow. Gotta stock up on that Zyrtec.
_________________________________________________________________________________

You know, I need to vent a little bit. It's the store thing. I grew up in this town a century or two ago, right? And I have been here since July for reasons. I like to come and visit, see my parents, family, friends.

Even though I love it here, there are reasons I could never come back. And one of those reasons is the fact that this town has allowed itself to be sold out to Kroger to the exclusion of any competitive markets.

There were stores here when I was a kid, and there was a lower population then, so you can't tell me that it's not possible to make a profit if there are competing markets. The prices are outrageous, and if you want to save a dime or two, you have to drive to the next town.

That can't be healthy for the profits of the "company store", the fact that locals would rather take their commerce to a whole other town rather than pay through the nose.

Back in the day I could take a ten minute walk from my parents' house and shop for groceries (City Market) or clothes (Pamida) or drugs (Hillcrest Drug). Those places are all gone. There is one grocery store. It's overpriced. People tell me living in Denver is too expensive, but let me tell you, I do not pay this much for groceries there, even with the sales tax. And if we want hamburger? Out of town we go.

Competition is a good thing. It keeps prices at a more reasonable level. I think someone needs to fix this situation and open another grocery store.

The other reason I could never come back is more complicated. I have good insurance in Colorado. It's not available here. Again, no competitive market. No options at all for me. Take this one or go without. Insurance shouldn't be so inaccessible. I feel sorry for people here, trying to get a reasonably priced policy. No wonder I see so many people complaining about costs--but the state has given you no choices!

I can't change to anything here that would give me the coverage I have, so I guess I will stay a Coloradan. I cannot be without coverage--I have issues that require frequent care. So....dang!

And it makes me sad, you know? I would like to be able to make a choice about where to live based on something else. I would really like to be here all the time for my parents. But I can't help anyone if I give up my health care options and get sick, so...

I guess I'll remain the yo-yo, and go back and forth.

Frustrating. As. Hell.

But don't ever think that I would be unwilling to come and stay for awhile, because I always will. Just holler!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, I'll quit griping now.

Let's talk about--

Nope!

I was going to say movies.

Oh, okay. Carry on.

Tuesday movie night was "The Mountain Between Us" starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Edge of your seat entertainment, this one. I would like to think that I'd be that brave and persistent in similar circumstances, but realistically? I'd be DRT. (Dead Right There).

I cannot imagine the work that went into the making of this movie. Both actors are amazing. I would strongly recommend a trip to the theater for this one, folks!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, I have a LOVELY sinus headache due to allergies, so I am not MeThinking very straight at this point. So before I say something completely ridiculous, I'll just say goodnight.

Goodnight!

You CAN write a story!

October 13, 2017
4:58 p.m.

Every once in awhile someone will say something to me that gets me thinking.

Yeah, dangerous. Ha ha.

Anyway, what was recently said to me was this: "It's all well and good for you--you know how to write a story. But I can't."

So, I offered the usual platitudes, the "Sure you can!" and the "You can do anything you set your mind to" and etc.

But here's the thing. You really can. You really can do whatever you set your mind to, including write. Because you do it every day.

Okay, maybe not on paper, or on a computer or a word processor. But you do it. Every day. All day long.

We are all the script writers of our lives.

Don't believe me?

Does this sound familiar?

"Okay, tomorrow in art class I am just going to walk right up to Tony and tell him how much I like his painting. Then he'll tell me he totally gets the concept behind my abstract, and we'll discuss art and various styles for the rest of class. And then, he'll be so into the conversation that he'll invite me to sit with him at lunch! Oh, this is gonna be great!"

So the next day you go to art class. There's Tony. You're so nervous! The butterflies in your stomach feel like bats! But you march right up to him.

"Hi, Tony," you say. "I really like your painting."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks a lot," says Tony. Then he turns around and starts talking to Penelope! You might as well be a fly on the wall.

And you think: "That's not the way it's supposed to go!"

Because you had a script, damn it! You wrote it, you rehearsed it, and the jerk didn't say his lines right! Oh, and to top things off? He just asked that cheerleader to sit with him at lunch! Great!

Or how about this?

"Our anniversary is on two days and he has not said one single word about getting a sitter or going out or anything at all! Does he think it's easy to make plans at the last minute?

"I'll bet he forgot! That's it, he forgot. How could he? I've given him the best *insert number of years or months here* of my life!"

You work yourself into a righteous state of grief or rage or whatever, and the poor, unsuspecting fellow comes in. Before you can blast him, he says: "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, but guess what?"

"What?" you growl.

"I was totally able to snag tickets to the ballet you've been wanting to see!!"

Shocked silence from you. How could you have been such a...you know.

"I could only get seats two days after our anniversary though," he adds. That darling man!! "Dinner?"

"I will make you the best dinner ever!" You say. Great ad-lib, by the way. "Maybe Mom can take the kids to a movie."

Now, this story has a better ending than the first one, and in both cases, no one ever knew the original script but you.

Even though the story didn't turn out the way you thought it would, you still told a story.

You see?

Now, the reason I know that we all do this--not just me--is because of all the times I have heard someone say, "That sounded better in my head!" Or "That didn't go the way I planned it."

Writing is just taking that scripting skill and moving it along into a more "what if?" zone. If we can make up whole conversations, situations, arguments and day to day plans, what can stop us from moving on from there and writing some things down?

You'll never know unless you try!

And so, kiddos, the next time you're faced with a writing assignment, know this: It's already in you. You can do it.
_________________________________________________________________________________

On another note, today I deliberately involved my parents in my snack-attack tom-foolery.

It's hard to feel guilty while feeling so completely satisfied.

Into all lives, a little salt must pour.

Yeah, potato chips. Jalapeno flavored. Yum!

By the way, neither of them complained a bit.

Tee hee hee!
_________________________________________________________________________________

So far today, I have no Friday the 13th horror stories. Six and a half hours to go. Hopefully there will be nothing to report.

(I'm not saying a word about politics. It's all a horror fest.)

I'll get back to you if I stub my toe or something.
________________________________________________________________________________

Be careful out there!!

Bye!

Sister Day

October 9, 2019
5:30 p.m.




Sister Day!!

The best laid plans, sometimes....''

The community has a bus service that goes to the Windriver Casino in Riverton about once a month. For October, it was scheduled for a Wednesday. A little silly, I think. Weekdays aren't easy for many working folks, especially right in the middle of the week. But my sisters took the day off, I made reservations for the bus, and we all looked forward to getting together for the day.

So Tuesday evening I get a phone call from the casino. "The bus trip has been cancelled," I was told.

I asked why.

"Not enough interested riders."

Well, I thought. Wednesdays...not a great day. Maybe during the summer, but...

"Okay, thanks," I told my caller.

Doggone it.

So I called my sister, the one who would have been riding the bus with me.

After hearing the bad news, she said, "Well, maybe my husband will drive us up."

I agreed not to call our sister, who lives in Riverton, until I heard back from her.

Well, her husband had been expecting us to have a sister day, so he simply handed her ten dollars with instructions to double his money, wished us luck and said he'd be staying home this time.

So we drove up without even mentioning to our sister that the bus wasn't coming.

We finally confessed later, once we'd met up with her and went to lunch before doing any significant damage to our pocketbooks. She felt really special, knowing we'd gone just to see her.

There's nothing better than just kicking back and having a girls' day with the girls you've known your whole life. I love my sisters so much. They are the ones who know me best--poor things--and still kind of like me anyway. I'm so grateful to have them.

This is not to say I'm not just as grateful to have my brothers; I certainly am! I love them so much it's scary.

But they're not girls. Ha ha!

As we all well know, girls just wanna have fun. And we did!!

My brother-in-law got his money doubled. We girls didn't, but we didn't lose our shirts, either. So nice not to lose.

We had a terrific lunch, ice cream treats and a lot of laughs.

A priceless day.

Sometime we need to have a sibling day. I wonder if my brothers would like to gamble and giggle with us? (I don't think I've ever heard my brothers giggle--well, not since they grew up, anyway. What's up with that?)

Anyway, big thanks to my sister for driving on Wednesday. Big thanks to both sisters for taking a day off and spending time with me. I love you both very much!

Next time let's win the car!!

October 8, 2017
6:38 p.m.


Wow! A whole month has gone by without any commentary from yours truly. Whoops! Sorry!

In my defense, it has been hard for me to think of good things to say. The news has been depressingly full of negativity. And somehow, I can't seem to make myself stop watching, reading, etc.

I don't know what has happened to me in the last year! I never used to pay much attention to the day-to-day news feed. There was never much in the way of happy endings and cheerful, heartwarming stories, and who needs to hear bad news? But this past year--holy cow! What a sh**-storm.

This morning I just lay in bed, thinking that there were days when getting up just seemed like a bad idea.

But I got up anyway, and the day has been fine. We have been threatened with snow tonight or tomorrow, so I fought back by making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Mom and Dad have gone to church with my sister and I am marathon-watching Rizzoli and Isles. And trying to make up for my silence over the past month.

You know, multi-tasking.
________________________________________________________________________________

My book is nearly ready. Designed the cover using a pretty nice tree photo I took on our trip this summer. Family tree searches inspired my choice.

Now I'm working on page formatting, and that's going pretty well.

After that, another read-through. Whew! First readers are on the job. I'm getting excited!
_________________________________________________________________________________

We ended the month of August with a trip to Salt Lake City. My mother had cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation on both eyes. September was spent doing four weeks worth of eye drops for healing. She can see EVERYTHING.

When I was growing up, my mother had the best eyesight of anyone I've ever known. She would see animals and vegetation that the rest of us could only pretend to see, too. It was amazing.

And now, it's amazing again. I find that so cool.

Also, she's feeling so much better now that her recovery from surgery has progressed. Now she just needs new knees!!

Maybe in the spring.
_________________________________________________________________________________

I'm so mad at myself! I am continually flummoxed my technology. Today I accidentally deleted a couple of photos from my phone, and I have no idea how to un-delete. Grr.

(Please don't remind me that I really need to delete a LOT of pictures from my phone. I hadn't downloaded these to my computer drive yet. I'm sad.)
_________________________________________________________________________________

I'm currently still in Wyoming, and was just in my room looking around. I have spent a great deal of my time here this year, and it shows. I have accumulated a great deal of  "stuff". I guess you can't really spend any considerable amount of time anywhere without stuff growing in your wake. And it's nothing I don't need or use, but....how does this happen, man? Now I have two places with stuff in it! And it's kind of weirding me out!
_________________________________________________________________________________

10:02 p.m.

Ran off for a bit to have a light dinner with Mom and Dad, and then we sat down and watched "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore. Dad has declared it "the best Cinderella movie", because he loved that she punched her snooty stepsister in the eye. Hahaha!

I gotta admit it--that's pretty cool. I always wanted Cinderella to fight back a bit.
_________________________________________________________________________________

I love the theme song for Rizzoli and Isles. It makes me want to dance.

(Just in case you care to know!)
_________________________________________________________________________________

My brother has texted us pictures of the snow in Casper. I guess the storm may be moving our way. Yuck. I'm not ready for snow!

Honestly, my parents and I agree that the summer owes us another month--August or September--because with all the hospital stuff, and recovery times, etc., we feel like we missed about a month. We were so caught in a cycle of changing bandages and taking medications and doctors visits and eye drops, that we kind of lost track of time.

Would anyone object if we went back in time about six weeks and just started from there? (Without the cataract surgery part, though. We just want to chill on the deck.)
_________________________________________________________________________________

I have ignored the news almost all day. Every time I do that, the next day brings a shock, but I think I'll risk it. Of course, the last time I did that--last week--I woke up to news of a mass shooting, and the death--not death--coma--then really death of Tom Petty. So...

Can I ignore the news tomorrow, too?

It's a scary world.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, I know this was a short one--you're welcome--but it's time to say good-night.

Good-night!