I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted. I sincerely apologize. Both John and I assumed —incorrectly —that we would have plenty of time due to the pandemic. How wrong we were.
Early on, my mom, John and I decided we wanted to grow produce to share with the neighbors. Well, I am sorry to say that none of us have a green thumb. All of our plants produced one edible tomato that actually looked like a tomato and three skinny zucchini. Our herbs did really well. I believe we dried three batches of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, and mint. So becoming Farmer Joy, John, and Mom was an epic fail. We did manage to gather bushels of produce so our pantry is full of home-canned products. Yummy!
Then I was encouraged by my granddaughter to try my hand at art. I bought some watercolors, brushes, and paper and got busy. Oh my! I am NOT a painter. I am also not a quitter. I ended up filling two folios with “art”.
After this, as a family both in North and South America, we went on virtual museum tours. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful this has been. I caught the bug. Almost every day I tour somewhere via YouTube. Right now I’m loving the beauty and simplicity of Azerbaijan. Who knows, maybe some day after COVID is over, we can travel again.
Lately, I’ve been writing. This new story, of which I am almost at 35,000 words, is no simple Christie Capps story. It will be a full-blown J Dawn King tale. I send Nicole Clarkston each chapter. Here is her comment for chapter 12 from earlier today: “Wow!!! Woman, this story has me by the throat. I need more!!!” I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful this is to hear. Talk about motivational.
Unfortunately, I can’t share the idea because it’s truly unique to JAFF and I’ve had my ideas stolen. Piracy is rife in publishing and JAFF has not been immune. I will say that John, who is also reading this as a work-in-progress keeps pushing me to get more pages done. I am now spending almost every available minute at my computer.
One thing that has been a true blessing is that I’ve stepped away from spending so much time on social media. I am still there but not so much. I tell you, the things that some people post. Whew! Who needs all of that bad news? Not me. At least, I don’t need a steady diet of it. Because of this, I’m reading and re-reading some high quality books. One such, that melted my heart and brought me to tears is Nicole’s latest book, writing as Alix James. Oh my goodness! It is my 2021 favorite so far. She should have it published soon.
A special hello to Sheila M. and a thank you for the reminder to provide an update. John sends his love and greetings from our home to yours.
Please take care and stay safe.
All my best to all of you,
Joy
