Night Time Thoughts

My husband and I are having our kitchen remodeled--we live in a county forest preserve-owned house--and tomorrow they will come in and demolish it floor to ceiling. We, of course, spent the last week moving everything out of the room and setting things up in other rooms. Odd to have the refrigerator in the dinning room. But after a couple of days of thinking you need to go into the kitchen to get the milk and whatever, and there it was staring at you--this big hulk of a thing you just walked past--you figure it out. Coffee maker and microwave are now in the living room on the kitchen table and an old Lane end table that once was in my parents house. Cozy. Food is stored in ice chests--easier to get in and out of. And we've bought paper places, plastic spoons, forks and knives for when we can't do dishes. This late afternoon we sat in the empty shell of what is the kitchen, reminiscing of our first days in this very old--over 100 years--house about 17 years ago this month. Sitting in lawn chairs, drinking beer and watching nature outside the windows while the temperatures today got to 81, but now as clouds filter in, we've dropped significantly. Hopeful that if we get any rain it will not be stormy. Today I was a guest on Fangtastic Books. There is a contest running there up until Tuesday to win my eBook. This is the first time I have done the contest thing. I wasn't sure how to go about this, but my publisher kindly offered to do this give away as a promotional. Wish I'd asked about this before. Well, that's okay. I have been over there at Fangtastic Books responding to comments from those who are interested in Vampire Ascending. Some feel it sounds very different--which it is, I assure you!--and some agree with the things I said about vampires. I LOVE VAMPIRES! Or, couldn't you tell? And I had fun responding to the comments left by everyone. What? I get to do it again tomorrow? And Tuesday? Cool. A winner will be announced on Wedesday. So, the evening has turned softer, with clouds and promise of rain. But that's okay. I'm fine with everything right now. I have to recall where I was about 5 or so years ago, struggling with trying to get published. Here I am, having a give away contest for a book I've written and published. I never thought it would be possible to get here after 30 some years of trying to do this. Well, that's for my not giving up. So, tonight we look forward to the new kitchen that will eventually emerge from the "ashes" of the old. It will be renewed. And our spirits are lifted because we've asked for this seven or eight years ago. They didn't have the budget for it, now they do. I wish I could post before and after photos, but that's okay. Take it from me the old kitchen will be forgotten, save for the pictures we took with the cell phone to look at at some time later on.