Bad News Winters

I apologize for being absent for so long. I kind of unplugged to get some serious writing done.

It's been the coldest Louisiana winter we've seen in a while. We sometimes get one ice/snow storm every 7 years or so and it lasts a day and we're back up to the 80's for Christmas.

This year was different. Three storms in three weeks. The first one was brief but brought an inch or two of snow and had us all out watching our pets and children play in it. Temperatures rose a bit, then the next one hit. This one put an ice mix down that closed the schools and government offices but not the Mississippi River bridge which turned out to be a mistake because we're not set up for it and NO one around here knows how to drive on it. And besides who can drive on ice? Experience just tells you to stay in, not drive. After a semi spun out on the bridge the local law started handing out tickets to anyone out snow-seeing.

It wasn't just these three storms. We've been in the 30s and below for most of the winter. We're talkin' lows, people, Louisiana remember?  I know you're saying 30's! That's not cold. Well, when your winters are usually in the 50s with an occasional 30 and you have butane or small electric heaters, you never get warm.

I've spent the winter in ski skins and sweat clothes. Thank God for generators which we needed for three days during the last cold front when we got a couple of inches of icy rain and 20 degree weather which froze everything. Trees and limbs were coming down everywhere with booms and cracks. It was scary. But beautiful. Take pictures and pray an iced up spanish moss laden tree doesn't come down on your house.

DH kept coming in and telling me I needed to move to a different room in case the tree over the living room came down. I figure where ever you are, if it's your time, a plane can come through the ceiling, so I stayed in my comfy recliner, writing...

Well! It wasn't all bad. I got a LOT of writing done. Starting with Nano and going straight through until now when I'd planned on opening our snowball stand March 1st. I didn't really want to and it's early but decided people are usually ready so I'd just open early. Of course, I didn't consult the weather man. I did check the Farmer's Almanac and it said, first two weeks of March, colder and wetter than normal. I still didn't pay attention. But I did keep on writing.

The result four books in revision to be published every month beginning in June. And I have a new cover designer I'm giving the whole series to.

So bad news I froze my tail off, but it was great writing weather.

Was this a good news, bad news winter for you, or all bad news? Don't worry, Spring is on the way. It says so on the calendar at least.

Livia