Copy
View this email in your browser
Hi <<First Name>>
Welcome to the March 2020 edition of
Micki's Latest Gossip

St. Patrick's Day


In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I've written a terribly bad limerick that includes shameless plugs. I hope you enjoy it!

Each year the day of St. Pat's arrives 'round these parts;
That's when the 'Erin go Bragh' attitude starts; 
We'll begin our festivities;
With Four Saints beer proclivities;
And end with pancakes, thanks to our Kiwanian's great hearts.
 

Introducing Lily
A muse is a source of inspiration. One of my muses is my rescue beagle mix, Lily. If she could hang out with me at work, she would. She loved it when I worked from home and secretly wishes I still did.

She patiently listens to my rants when I vent. She snuggles with me at the end of the day when my brain is mush and all I can do is collapse in the recliner and veg. At night, she curls up at my feet like a weighted blanket.

She loves walks, relaxing by the fire, and visiting the beach. But then, don't we all? 
Work In Progress
Every writer has a work in progress (WIP). It's the manuscript they are querying, or writing, or thinking about, or wrote but don't like so they come back to it later. Or never.

I currently have two important (to me) WIPs. One is a completed middle grades manuscript. I've been sending it out since late October in search of the right agent and publisher.

The second is its sequel. The sequel is currently eight chapters of raw first draft. The first couple of chapters will soon be submitted to my critique partners.

The main character in my middle grade low-fantasy WIPs is Zahra. She is unlike any other 11-year-old you've ever met. I promise.

And, she's a bit of a tree-hugger. In every sense of the word. That's why you'll see an "Earth Friendly Tip From Zahra" in each of my newsletters. 
Random cloud photo I thought you might enjoy. 

VIDEO OF THE MONTH
Last year, a young border collie demonstrated her skills for a leadership class.
This farm is in Randolph County near not only my home, but also Zahra's.

Earth-Friendly Tip from Zahra

Use reuseable strawsTossasides are things we humans dispose of that don't immediately decompose, but rather dot our landscape with shards of civilization. Some are useful (bits of cloth that reinforce a bird's nest). Most are detrimental. And unsightly.

So when I was picking up a tray of sushi after an eye-opening nurse appointment ahead of my first ever colonoscopy, the display of reusable straws caught my eye. 

As I waited for my turn to check out, Zahra's voice was clear. Existing as a figment of my imagination, she know's I like straws. And, she's been pestering me to consider the impact one-use plastic straws have on our environment.

"You can keep it in your purse," she said.

Well, maybe not aloud for other grocery store patrons to hear. She's more like an internal Jiminy Cricket voice in my head. Reusable Straw

"And it's dishwasher safe."

She presented a strong argument. She knows I gravitate toward the things in life that are dishwasher safe and machine washable/tumble dry.

Zahra's Earth-friendly tip for March is:
If you have to use a straw, make it a reusable straw or one that's made of biodegradable, compostable materials.

My new straw was $2.99. It's foldable, flexible, and this particular brand comes in a variety of colors. I chose Spice, which thankfully was the hue and not the taste.

Anything we can do to reduce tossasides on our roadways, in our forests, and even in our neighborhoods makes Zahra smile.

I can't wait to use my new straw. Do you have one? Is it metal or silicone? What do you like about it? What do you dislike?

Blog of the Month
Yes, I have been starstruck at times. But it's usually when I meet real live authors. READ MORE.

My Personal Gossip
The My Personal Gossip section is where you get the down-and-dirty from my world. I used to write a weekly human-interest newspaper column. In it, I shared stories from my life. My children didn't always appreciate the humor. Or embellishments. But I digress.

This month, as I've already alluded to, the topic is preventative health. My very first colonoscopy is planned for March. More specifically, Friday, March 13.

Yes, I know.

But I'm not a superstitious person. Every Friday the 13th since my birth, thousands of planes have been flown and cars driven without incident. Thousands of procedures and operations have been performed successfully. All will be just fine.

Or so I thought.

I've seen my doctor and participated in the nurse visit ahead of my big day. My doctors and I have been planning this since November. Conflicts on both ends pushed it out to March. No problem. I wasn't eager to hop on the table for this rite-of-passage during the holidays.

My prep kit was prescribed months ago. But the pharmacy couldn't fill the prescription. It was denied by my insurance.

This perplexed the nurse during my nurse visit. She called on my behalf. The prescription that was submitted was wrong. She fixed it. Not to worry, she said. You're all taken care of, she reassured me.

When I received the text from the pharmacy, I thought, wow, that was quick. The assumption being it was filled and ready for pickup.

It was not. Rather, the text was a delay notification. The pharmacy was out of prep kits. 

But good news! They've ordered more. As of the release date of the newsletter, I'm still waiting.

Meanwhile, all I can think of now is the day of no food (the day prior, for those who aren't familiar, is a liquid diet day) and the all-nighter I have to pull before my 8 a.m. procedure. On Friday. The 13th.

There will, of course, be an update in the April newsletter. In the meantime, if you've successfully made it through your first colonoscopy and want to share your story, I'd love to hear it.

Unless it's horrific, in which case, wait until after March 13 to reach out to me with your experience.
Share your feedback about this month's newsletter by completing this SHORT SURVEY. 
I hope you smiled at least once since opening this email!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share the love with your family & friends. 
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Copyright © 2020 Micki Bare, Author, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp