Did you remember to 'fall back' this morning? I have to admit it I am one of those weirdos who likes Daylight Saving Time. As a kid, I remember playing outside until 9:30 on our southern Indiana farm. It was wonderful to play outside with the lightning bugs and whippoorwills adding to the summer senses. Another memory of the longer daylight hours was the smell of new mown hay and cut grass. The chigger bites I endured didn't seem to outweigh the fun of jumping in piles of raked grass clippings.
The adjustment to the shorter daylight hours is hard for me. I think the reason I love summer more than any season is due to that fact. I need sunlight. I will admit the change in time messes with my sleep. Now, instead of waking up at the death hour of 3:00 a.m. and trying to fall back to sleep before the 4:30 alarm rings, I will be waking up twice before the alarm goes off. When I retire, that won't matter as much as it does now.
When I think back to the last time change, my life was busier than usual. I was trying to finish the final pages of Where the Sweetgrass Grows, my paranormal suspense novel, and doing research and writing This Dark and Bloody Ground, my first YA/Adult historical fiction novel. When "Sweetgrass" was finished, I decided to create my own publishing brand and company. When I end my publishing contract, I will be adding to my own library of published works. I'm proud to say Where the Sweetgrass Grows is my first!
Adding to the summer of fun, my daughter and her family (six folks) moved in with us while their home was being remodled. Four of my eight grandchildren, under 7 years of age, were here for almost a month. We were blessed to have that time together! During one full week of June, we took all our grandchildren on the annual PunkinFest, a week-long camping trip with Mammie and Pampie. This year, I was pooped by the end!
I also took on a new character to perform, Martha Washington. Learning a new script (and writing it) for another character just added to the mix. I stayed busy with author/book events during this time as well. So when I ask myself, 'where did the time go?', I guess it left me in its dust.
With the start of school, I added all that goes along with working and trying to write.
Thank the Lord, I finished everything. This week, I began another 'new' for me: my own program on the local cable station called "Historically Speaking, With Lori Roberts". We have taped two shows so far, and we will be on the road next weekend to tape a 3rd.
God has richly blessed me with all the opportunities I've been given.
One day, when I get time, I am going to retire and do these things FULL TIME.
In the meantime, I'm still teaching United States History and World History. We still get our grandchildren as often as we can, now that we live closer to them. (Four of our grands live in other towns, but we are closer!)
I need to finish turning back all of my clocks. Until next time...
