He ain't heavy - he's my lil brubber!

First, I have the final pre-print version of Tender Graces that I, and the publishers, will have to scour for typos, mistakes, etc (the galley proof)-- this is the part that (also) makes me nervous: I don't want a typo in my book! But, I must tell myself that it happens, despite our eagle-eying it.

Second, and this is really embarrassing *laugh* -I mean, how much of a newbie can I be? but my acknowledgement page is so long, they had to stick it in the back because it added so much weight to the front (blush-snirk). I just told my brother, "Tommy, I thanked the guy at the grocery store in Baton Rouge who's always so nice to ask about my book when we visit there." He thought I was kidding and laughed. I said, "no, really..." and he looked at me with this funny expression and then said, "well, Sister; you wouldn't be YOU if you didn't do things like that, and anyone who knows you will expect nothing less than some big chaotic gigantic acknowledgement page!" Laughing...gawd.

As for our two patients: Tommy's surgery went beautifully. He has to walk about like an old man, and is having a little pain, but I really liked "Dr. P." Thom is doing so good! I took him to his surgery, stayed with him as long as I could and joked with him and kidded around like big sis's do with lil brubbers, and after surgery brought him home, picked up his scripts and 7up and all, made him lunch and doted on him, etc....et cetera ... et cetera.

I told Tommy I was going to post photos of his surgery on my blog, but dang! for some reason the docs and nurses wouldn't let me take pictures during his surgery ...haw haw! But I did get that one snapshot of us by holding the camera up and snappity snap before they wheeled him off.

Meanwhile, Mom is at the hospital with Frank - who had the pacemaker "installed" to regulate his heart after his "episode" of his heart stopping -- all went well! They will have several "checks" and if all those "checks" go as they should, our Frank will be home tomorrow. (Although, while I was away from mom's helping Tommy, her kitties had a Kitty Party and the house was strewn with party yeehaws....I found a bra under the dining room table, a pair of socks in the living room, a shirt in the bathroom, some bric-a-brac in the kitchen, the food bowls strewn from one side of the house to the other, a drawer opened in mom's bedroom with the clothes hanging out --how did they get in a drawer???--, a blood pressure machine on the floor in three pieces, a clock dragged across the floor, and etc. Some cat party that was *laughing* BAD KITTIES!)

Sooooo - Ms Kat should be on her way back to her mountain cove at Killian Knob very soon - and since it is a 15 hour drive (at least), I will be dividing it in two days - I'm simply too exhausted to try that drive in one gulp. My Boopmobile will soon be climbing climbing up up to my little log house and to my Good Man Roger and to my fat old lazy labrador Jake. I will, of course, miss my family - just as I miss my friends (Angie Gumbo Writer! *sniffle*) in South Louisiana.

I've received emails that I've pre-sold some more books - teeheehee - I am so tickled! If you could see the little grin on my tired old face right now....lawd! How the "tired" shows up so much more on a 50+ face than it did in the younger days. You can see from the photo above how that applies....

I do think I am babbling? Exhaustion makes one a bit jittery sometimes, yes? -- so, I will close this post, calm myself, and go see if my baby brother needs anything from his big Seestor.

To you all: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for your thoughts and vibes and prayers and energies....it is appreciated from the bottom and top and sides of my heart. And thank you for ordering Tender Graces *smiling*- it means so much to me...I just know you'll love my Virginia Kate! And Micah, and Andy, and you'll love to hate Aunt Ruby. And you'll be endeared to Rebekha...and you'll feel sorry for Katie Ivene even as you would love to stomp your foot and tell her to grow up. And you'll want to shake your head at Frederick. And then there's Soot and Marco, and oh - Miss Darla! you'll love miss Darla. And little Bobby *smiling* (I had a friend who read Tender Graces in its earlier draft and she said she had a crush on Micah ....teeheehee).

I hope to be back by here tomorrow to do some visiting...but if you don't hear from me - know that I"m busy "nursing" and then wending my way back Home. Home....HOME!

*MUWAH!* to all of you, my friends.