Yesterday I accomplished two big things. At the office I created the official TCU Press blog, "The Bookish Frog" (http://tcupress.blogspot.com) and even at home I continued to fiddle with it. I was inordinately proud of myself for learning to add hit counters to that site and this one, put in links to other blogs, etc. I know blogs can be complicated and there are people who make a science out of managing their blog. I tend to do what I do with all computer technology--learn just enough to get by. When I get stymied, I sit at my office desk and yell, "Melinda!" She always rescues me.
Yesterday I heard from one of the people for whom managing a blog is a science. Her name is Cheryl, and she manages a western romance writers blog called Petticoats and Pistols (http://www.petticoatsandpistols.com). She asked me to be a guest blogger in February and explained the technicalities--sending a picture or telling her where she can "grab" it on the net. She also talked about the relative merits of varous site counters, which took a bit of the wind out of my sails because I felt lucky just to have discovered how to do any old one.
Cooking was my other accomplishment yesterday. I made a huge pot of crockpot barbecue (even made a double batch of sauce) and a large salad of marinated vegetables, which all my kids and most of my grandkids love. By the end of the day, the kitchen was clean, barbecue and sauce was in the fridge along with the vegetables, plastic plates ready--all set to go. My plan included asking grandchildren to make brownies and sour cream dip when they get here. Effortless entertaining--well, not really, yesterday was a long kitchen day and my back ached at the end of it.
But this morning Megan called from Austin to announce she thought she had strep throat and they probably wouldn't come. She was terribly disappointed, and so was I. She went to the doctor--and called a while later to say it's not strep and they are coming. Meantime I had jumped the gun and alerted Jordan and Jamie that the Austin group wasn't coming, so I had to reverse course and say it was a false alarm. One-year-old Ford has a cold, though, and Jordan is not so sure about her plan to leave Jacob here while she goes to a friend's birthday dinner. Knowing Megan, she had not even thought about packing for herself or the boys (except to lay out the book I asked her to bring) so she said it would be "hours" before they left (this at 11 a.m. to a mother who firmly believes trips should start no later than 7 a.m.). She had said, "Don't freeze the barbecue--we're coming" but then I asked if they'd be here for dinner and got the disconcerting answer, "We'll try." I'm practicing my relaxed mode--que sera, sera.
I have a new children's book assignment. I was offered a choice of a long list of topics in three areas, and I chose medicine and the specific topic of vaccines. It's a fairly short book and shouldn't be hard--there's lots of valid information on the web--but it's due mid-January. With the holidays looming between now and then I decided I could only take one topic. After all I have to put together a tree trimming party, wrap presents (most are purchased), and, of course, worry a lot about getting everything done. My prediction: I will have it all done the week before Christmas and spend that week working on the vaccine project.
I'm also working away at my small book on Great Texas Chefs and having lots of fun. I have no idea how to gauge length--recipes do take a lot of pages. I've done several--have to track down the chefs and get their approval. This project got me into correspondence with a woman whose cookbook I admire above all others: Terry Thompson-Anderson and Texas on a Plate.
Enough. I'm going to start reading about vaccines and not even wonder when my wandering family will get here.
You know, I could pack myself and two kids for an overnight trip in half an hour--hour at the most! Oops, there I go again!
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