My Horrible-No-Good-Very-Bad Month

It’s the last Friday of the month and I owe you a progress report. Perhaps the title of this post gives you a hint? My horrible-no-good-very-bad month says a lot, and yet not enough. And while I’m an optimist at heart, it got a beating this month.

It Started Bad

The storm of problems that has become 2020 definitely added to the negative side. But those things aren’t responsible for my horrible month.

In July, my oldest and tiniest dog, Astro, had brain damage from a seizure or stroke. You can read more about that in my July Progress Report. 

As a result, I carried him down the backyard ramp (we have a raised ranch) many times a day during July and into August. I also just sat and held him a lot.

Just as August began, I learned that one of my books was on a pirate site. Investigating further, I learned that the only thing you could do on the site was to enter your credit card information. No other links worked. And there was no information available at any of the Whois type of sites. So, I let it go. Thieves will be thieves.

To Complicate Matters

One early August day, I bent to pick Astro up out of his box. My iPhone did a nosedive from my pocket into the dog’s water bowl! I grabbed it, dried it, and stuck it in a bag of rice. And was without a phone… in a house with a man who has needed emergency medical care many, many times.

The next morning I could call or receive a call, but the person on the other end heard more static than words. And it would not allow me to plug the charger into the phone. I was running out of battery power. I had to have a new phone as soon as possible. But the Apple stores and my phone service provider stores were closed because of the pandemic. The only place I could get a replacement iPhone that day was at a Best Buy a little more than twenty miles away.

Car Drama

I had a low tire. I aired it up, got some gas and took off. Less than a mile from my destination, my OTHER front tire went flat. There was no safe place to pull over, but according to the partially functioning iPhone there was a Quick Trip less than a quarter mile away. I drove slowly, flashers going, and tore the tire to shreds. It was off the rim by the time I got to the Quick Trip. 

There was much drama trying to find help. An expensive tow truck service was not available soon enough. Long story shorter, a kind gentleman pulled into the spot next to my car and changed my tire for me. I finally got the new iPhone, got it set up properly, and went home.

A Sad Goodbye

At home I discovered that Astro was sicker than before. He refused to eat or drink. By Saturday morning I knew it was time. He was euthanized on August 8th and I have an Astro-sized hole in my heart.

More Drama

About two weeks later, my wheelchair-dependent husband fell when he tried to transfer back into his chair. Now this has happened before, and I’ve had to call 911 for help. So a few months ago, I’d purchased a used patient lift. It looks like this one.

Thanks to Hoyerlift.com for the image.

It took some doing to change my husband’s position enough in my small bathroom to use the lift. But we did it. And other than some bruises and skin tears, hubby was okay. I had some sore muscles that needed babied for a while, but we both recovered.

WIP Progress

All of this is to say I didn’t meet my word count goals again. SIGH. But the good news is that I reached and passed the 75% mark of the novel. Yay! If I Should Die, the second book in The Fellowship Dystopia, is now 95,000 words.

Granted less drama in my life, I’m hoping to finish the “first draft” by the end of next month.

Learning

I have taken a series of webinars on Amazon ads presented by Amazon. I’ve learned a lot and have some changes to implement. Hopefully that will increase my sales.

Reading

I read a short novel, The Flowers of Hiroshima, and posted my review of it. I didn’t get the nonfiction book I wanted to read done. 

In Review

My horrible, no good, very bad month has been a challenge. But it’s ending on a higher note. The novel is coming along and there is a good thing coming in the future. Vague, yes, but I’ll tell you more in about a month. So now you know about my month, how has your August 2020 been?