Not much has changed since my last post. It’s still hot and miserable. But there are a few good things happening in my world, so I’m going to focus on those today. 

Pierce is great. He is working three days a week at TJ Maxx and really seems to enjoy it. Transportation services are available for the disabled but not in our area, unless the need is for medical appointments. Tim and I were struggling to get him there and back with our work schedules. I put out a call for help on social media and found a couple of people that can give Pierce a ride. This has been such a Godsend! 

Tim and Pierce both had to miss a few days of work a couple of weeks ago when they tested positive for Covid. I managed to dodge the bullet and lived downstairs in the spare bedroom for about a week. Pierce’s case was pretty mild, but Tim was in bed with high fever and a bad cough for several days. They are doing fine now.

Reagan has been having a great summer. She scored a PA (Production Assistant) gig for Bonnaroo and had the time of her life. She’s also been a PA on a shoot for an episode filmed in Nashville for a new series on Hulu and for an episode of PBS’s Brief But Spectacular…an episode starring me and Pierce! Reagan has recently gotten into roller skating and found a local group to skate with. One of the members of this group is a producer for Brief But Spectacular and mentioned she was looking for pandemic stories. Reagan told her about Pierce aging out of special education during lockdown. We were approved to appear on an episode, and Pierce and I both were interviewed about our experiences with autism. A small film crew set up in our house and filmed us in our kitchen. We were both pretty nervous, but Pierce did a great job! I don’t know when the episode is going to air yet. When it is available, I’ll pass along the info.

I FINALLY heard from my publisher last week! They wanted some information to help them assemble a publicity team/strategy. This is one of the scariest parts of the whole book publication process for me. I would love to have the opportunity to do a reading and book signing at Parnassus; that is the bar I’ve set as the measure of success for my book. Simultaneously, I feel queasy at the thought of a live audience asking me questions about the book. I should be reaching out to authors to ask if they’d be willing to read my book and give a little blurb for the cover, but I don’t feel worthy of asking anyone of importance to spend time on my little book. Assuming I could get a response from a couple of authors I really respect, what if they read the book and have nothing great to say about it? Am I ready to handle the rejection from readers that don’t connect with the book? 

I’m supposed to be staying positive here, so let’s change the subject. My garden is surviving the heat and drought relatively well. A few weeks ago, I created a separate Instagram account for my floral arrangements (@melmacflorals). I’m harvesting lots of flowers but not sure what to do with them all. I’ve posted pics of my Jam Jars of Joy for people to pick up and pass along to anyone that needs one but haven’t had any takers. I’m trying to figure out how to do some sort of mass delivery to a hospital or nursing home. Between work, tending the garden, harvesting flowers, and making the bouquets, there’s not much energy left in my tank to deliver them. I was able to pass some flowers along to a friend undergoing cancer treatment two weeks ago. I’ve also done my first wedding! A friend contacted me on a Thursday and asked if I could put a couple of simple bouquets together for a vow renewal service on Saturday. I made a bouquet for her, two smaller bouquets for her granddaughters, and a table arrangement. I’d never made a hand-held bouquet before and wasn’t sure I could pull it off, so I didn’t charge as much as maybe I should have. Plus, this was for a friend, and I was thrilled to help her out. I was pleased with the finished product and so was she. 

A few shots of the bridal bouquet

Granddaughter’s bouquets

Table arrangement

Group photo

Tim and I are taking a trip to Mexico next month, and we are counting down the days. The kids were initially going to join us, but they’ll be staying here. Tim is nearing completion on one of his most challenging projects. We are a pretty fun pair right now. Never have we needed the beach more.