I know I haven’t been around for a while, but not to worry. I’m okay. It has, however, been an interesting year so far. The “interesting” stuff began last January, when a few acquaintances posted some rather divisive and inflammatory posts on Facebook. Granted, none of them were close friends, although, they had always come across as kind-hearted, compassionate people. Seeing their true colors came as quite a shock. For a time it left me questioning my judgement of people. Since then I’ve met a few other folks who’ve had issues with this same group, so it wasn’t just me. While I wish them no harm, I’ve blocked them on social media and I want no further contact. Life is too short to be wasted on two-faced hypocrites.
In the meantime, my dog, Trixie, has has some health issues of her own. She came from a litter of puppies that one of my cousins had rescued. “Sammy” (not her real name) had taken in a stray momma dog and her puppies, and she was trying to find them forever homes. I offered to take one of the puppies. Sammy had one which she thought would be a good match. She was staying with her kids at the time, and she was about a day’s drive away from where I live. I was also dealing with some health challenges of my own, so Trixie didn’t arrive until she was about four months old. Sammy delivered her personally, and we hadn’t seen one another face-to-face in a very long time. We had a wonderful visit. She caught me up on what was happening with her kids, and grandkids, as well as what was happening with some other family members
(Sammy has also been very supportive of me as an author. She was living in Montana back when I was writing, The Journey. Portions of that contemporary romance novel take place in Montana, so I emailed her to make sure I was describing the locations correctly. She was a tremendous help. Not only did she provide me with great feedback, she actually got in her car and drove to a couple of spots herself, just to be sure what I was describing them correctly.)
After Sammy left, I started noticing that Trixie had an incontinence issue. At first I thought she would outgrow it. Sammy thought so too, but after a few visits to the vet I was referred to the veterinary school at Texas A&M University. Trixie needed some specialized surgery, so my good friend “Lisa,” (not her real name), and I loaded her up in my car and drove to College Station. It’s a lovely college town in the middle of the state, but we were there in February, during the cold and rainy season. Lisa and I are hoping to go back again. Hopefully later on this summer, if we can arrange it. This time I will bring my good camera with me as there are some scenic areas nearby and I would love to take some photos.
Trixie just celebrated her first birthday, which Sammy thinks was around the first of June. She now weighs about forty pounds, and she appears to be a Beagle mix. She’s a beautiful dog and we’ve bonded nicely. However, she’s still young, and she likes to play, So one night, about a month ago, I took her outside for her last potty trip before bed. Trixie started doing zoomies in the backyard, as she often does. This time, however, she decided to use Mommy as a breaking device. I took a hard fall on the concrete patio, landing on my kneecap, and I wasn’t able to get up. Lucky for me, I was wearing an Apple watch, so I was able to call 911.
The paramedics soon arrived, and they took me to the emergency room by ambulance. (Yes, paramedics are stud muffins, and no, they didn’t use the siren.) The good news is I have no broken bones or head trauma. The bad news is I now have one hell of a bruised and swollen kneecap. The doctor says I won’t be fully recovered until sometime around the Fourth of July. Poor Trixie was traumatized as well, but as I’ve been doing better she’s been doing better too. I’ve also found a dog trainer. We’re teaching her all the basic doggie stuff. Heel, stay, sit, and, most importantly, we’ll be teaching her a hand signal for when to stop, because doing another knee plant on concrete isn’t on my bucket list.
So, there you have it. I’m really hoping the second half of 2025 won’t be as dramatic. I’m also starting to work on my next contemporary romance novel. The working title is, The Diversion. It’s about a couple who experience love at first sight, but soon realize they are moving too fast. They decide to take a short break and meet other people. Unfortunately, they both end up meeting some not-so-good people, and their lives will take some unexpected twists and turns before they are reunited. Whether they end up staying together has yet to be determined. I’ve also decided that at some point I will have to write my former acquaintances into a novel as well. Two-faced people make amazing villains.
Marina Martindale
PS. If you haven’t read The Journey yet I hope you’ll check it out. Leading man Jeremy is one of my all time favorite characters.
The Journey is available at Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, and with other online booksellers.
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