My July newsletter was
delayed by a computer virus and a rather long wait for the Geek Squad.
But all the annoying pop-ups are gone now, I hope forever, and I'm
happy to be able to write on the computer once again.
The
Fourth of July passed with perfect weather and the requisite fireworks,
which I barely tolerate. I don't like excessive noise. Fortunately
my collie, Kinder, doesn't mind them, and thunder doesn't bother her
either. I've had two collies who were terrified when people set off
firecrackers and driven to distraction in thunderstorms.
My
niece, Emilie, flew in from New York for the week, and we had a
wonderful time hanging out and visiting with friends. At the beginning
of the week we visited Judy Kuhn and her collies, Shane and Sierra, in
Carlton, Michigan. Judy has a gorgeous house with acreage and a
fantastic collection of collie memorabilia, figurines, prints and
paintings. It would take more than a day to see everything.
We
had a lovely lunch and the collies were well behaved and charming.
This has become our tradition, and we're all looking forward to the
next visit.
On the Fourth of July we drove to Metamora for a
picnic with one of Emilie's school friends and her family. As usual,
while we were driving through Metamora, I imagined that Foxglove
Corners was just beyond the next country road. I'm always a little
surprised not to find it on the map.
We enjoyed great company, great food and no firecrackers.
At home, my computer was
suffering from a virus. Pop-ups even invaded my Microsoft Word.
Consequently I played around with one chapter for a week and am just now
moving happily ahead. Apparently viruses strike even when you have
virus protection-which I did.
In my new Foxglove Corners book, A Ghost of Gunfire, Jennet is looking forward to the end of the school year but not to the danger that is creeping up on her in every direction.
For various reasons, I didn't meet my goal of twenty chapters by July
Fourth. But I have sixteen chapters and part of the seventeenth, along
with a new goal: three-fourths of the book finished by the end of
August-God and computer willing.
I didn't realize how attached
I've become to social media. Of course I have my back-up lap top, but I
find it slow and tedious to use and impossible to type neatly on. I
also upgraded to an I phone but am still learning how to use it.
In the garden, my yellow lilies and purple coneflowers are bursting
into bloom, and I have a new deep purple wave petunia plant, a gift
from Emilie, to nourish. Now that I finally have a camera, I plan to
take pictures, especially of Kinder, and post them on Facebook, which
will involve another learning curve. The two I posted recently were
done with Emilie's help.
I've been rereading old Norah Lofts books: The Suffolk Trilogy and Bless This House, with Jassy
waiting on Kindle. None of these books are new to me, and I can't say
that I didn't enjoy them the second time around, but I feel as if I'm
drowning in English history. These books are more suitable for a
winter night's reading. So with a revived computer, I'll be searching
on Amazon for new books in my favorite series.
That's all for
July, but I'll be back soon with August news. I hope you enjoy the
rest of the summer and wherever you go, you'll have a book handy.
Dorothy
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