Today, I am miles away.
Literally. I am deep in the North Woods for the holiday. It’s likely that I’m sitting on a couch with a wild look in my eye, dressed in long sleeves and pants, smothered in deet, and gripping my coffee like a mad woman.
Don’t get me wrong, Up North is beautiful with its tall northern pines, the spring-fed lake, amazing sunsets and the loons. I love the quiet and the silhouette of the treeline against the night sky.
But, there’s a real tick-fest going on up here right now because of something like the warm winter or the dry spring. Whatever. All I know is that ticks are the devil. They are out to get me, I’m sure. So sure that I just might return to my Pentecostal roots and start praying in tongues to keep them away.
But, I didn’t set out to write a post about Dermacentor variabilis phobia (aka. fear of wood ticks. Okay, I made up that word, sort of).
A few weeks ago, Kate McIntire (known as @girlfrenkate on Twitter), tagged me with a list of five questions. I don’t know if I can answer the questions as cleverly as she answered them. But, what better time to try than when I desperately want to forget about you-know-what.
So, here goes.
1. Where were you five years ago?
- On the cusp of 35 (a painful thought then, and an even worse realization now).
- A mother of one, praying for two.
- Without a blog.
- Twitter-less.
- Not writing.
2. Where would you like to be five years from now?
- Not thinking about my age.
- Signed with an agent.
- A published Novelist.
- Meeting face to face with other writers on a regular basis.
- Dermacentor variabilis phobia free (anyone know a good therapist?).
3. What was on your to-do list today?
Most recently?
- Get outside in the sun (check, the proof is in the sunburn).
- Plant tomato seedlings and herbs (check, can’t wait for the pesto).
- Send off questions for next Guest Author interview: Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy (check, post to be published soon).
- Soak in the tub after kids go to bed (check, I am fully serene now, except for that little rant at the beginning of this post).
- Answer five questions readers have been dying to ask, though they didn’t know it (check, aren’t you glad I’m almost finished?).
4. What five snacks do you enjoy?
- Nothing healthy.
- Preferably something salty.
- Often something sweet.
- On a destructive day, a candy bar and a coke.
- A bowl of cereal when I stay up too late.
5. What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
Why do you tease me so? Okay, fine….
- Still work.
- Buy myself an antique secretary’s desk for writing.
- Vacation on the beach any time I darn well please.
- Pay for my kids’ college.
- Stare at my bank statement in disbelief, since I was a billionaire before that tuition bill came in and now I’m just a writer.
Now, enough about me. What about you? If you had to answer just one of those questions, how would you respond?
PS. Thanks, Kate, for the distraction!
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Five years ago . . .
– I was on the tail end of an almost-nervous-breakdown. (yeah, seriously)
– Had just moved moved into my dream home which I inherited from a wealthy relative. (yeah, seriously)
– Had five children between the ages of three and thirteen. (yeah, seriously)
Five years from now . . .
– I’ll still be sitting in my dreamhouse, but only two of my kids will be living at home. š
– I’ll be writing my sixth novel which will be highly anticipated by my huge fan base.
– My husband, who will have quit his day job, will serve me chocolate milk and peanut butter crackers as I write.
Ah, five years ago …
I was working on my novel, sometimes wondering if I’d made a mistake by leaving my career in design to pursue something that was (or seemed to be) so elusive.
And now here I am. Published.
The five things I’d do if I were a billionaire …
1. Set up a animal shelters across the country that had a group of highly trained employees that could accomplish covert rescues.
2. Buy a ton of land and transform it into a bird/wild animal sanctuary that would be bordered by breathtaking gardens with winding stone paths.
3. Learn to tap dance and ice skate (and have enough money to pay the orthopedic surgeon for all the injuries I’d sustain). LOL!
4. Build a huge English-style conservatory.
5. Buy a 1948 fully restored Packard Victoria convertible and take the folks from the local retirement home out for country drives and ice cream.
Well done, Christi, and nice job of passing it on to commenters. I share your feelings about ticks and only wish they were confined to remote places I never visit; they are totally loathesome, and abound in most areas of Oklahoma, where I – sigh – live.
At the moment, I’m hunkering down, tweaking online courses for the Summer semester which starts next Monday. You, my dear, were a great diversion for me today.
Cheers, girlfrenkate
VVDenman and Beth, I love reading your answers. Five years seems so brief, yet so much can happen in that short span of time.
And Kate, glad I could be of service today š As for the ticks, they are a small reminder that I am definitely a city girl!
Good questions. And good answers by you. I just might have to take a crack at them.
Thanks, Cynthia. And, if you do decide to answer them, let me know! I would love to read about the changes you’ve experienced in a five year time span.