Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Okay... while I can't give anyone a blow-by-blow account of what I did with the days, weeks and months that have passed between those 2007 posts and now, I can let my readers know what I am up to at this point in time... Because, afterall, some of you have inquiring minds - and inquiring minds want to know! Right?

Life is never dull - or so it seems. Sometimes I'd give anything for a few days of "dull" I think. But... dull doesn't happen around here.

I've had a thirteen week travel assignment in Williamsport, PA - in the middle of the winter of '08. What was I thinking by going that far north when the snow and temperatures are bound to be issues for someone who has lived more than half her life in southwest Florida?? !! But, I survived it and happily returned to what really feels like home to me now - northeast Tennessee - in May of '08. Since that time, I have had three thirteen week contracts in Johnson City, TN. The third (and current)one is due to end on February 28. And, while I have requested an extension, no decision has been made by the med center. So, I wait to see where I will spend the next three months. I recently mentioned to a friend that I may well be a nomad come March. She was quick to point out that on the up side of being a nomad, it makes for great fodder for future writing projects!

The time in Williamsport, PA allowed me to spend alot of quality time with my parents and my sister and her family. While there, I helped Daddy celebrate his 80th birthday. That was an especially treasured opportunity. All of the harsh winter weather issues vanished when spending days off with my family.

Back in northeast TN, I've been able to reunite with my knitting friends at Yarntiques. www.yarntiques.com And, of course, I've had that all important (and special) time with my grandson, Caleb. These are just a few of the reasons I'm really hoping that the current contract will be granted an extension.

Kitties Maggie and Callee continue to travel with me - Maggie travels much more gracefully than Callee; but they both go where I go.

The Florida contingent of the Ambrose family still keeps house and family run business going there. Despite the fact that there have been conversations about pulling up roots and relocating, there isn't much activity toward that end at this point. Hubby-dearest, Tim (aka "Lovie") visits occasionally and always delights in the pleasant and more moderate weather - but, being Florida born and raised, I'm fairly certain he'll never totally leave it behind.

And, as long as Tim and the family business are there, Mandy and her family will be there as well since my son-in-law works the family business with Tim.

When I am not working my twelve hour shifts, I can often be found at the knitting table sharing the friendship of women who enjoy the art of knitting at least as much as I do. Knitting and reading and writing continue to be my favorite pasttimes.

And, speaking of writing, I continue to be very active in the Story Circle Network. www.storycircle.org My role of Internet Chapter President keeps my busy - but it doesn't end with that. I love my writing circles (prose and poetry) and have found an especially rewarding calling in the work of writing weekly writing prompts for our SCN Internet Chapter members. These prompts are based on quotes by women - some familiar and some not so. Searching for the right quote and being on alert for some surprises along the way has become a daily practice. The "work" (but I wouldn't call it that because it is too much fun to be work) of creating these weekly prompts has led to another SCN sponsored activity -- being a contributor to the TellingHerStories Blog. So, if you have some time on your hands, why not jump on over to that blog spot and check out the entries by many of our SCN members. I think you'll be amazed at the quality and variety that lives there. You can find it here: http://storycircle.typepad.com/scn/ .

Now that you've had the "Cliff Notes version" of the past many months, it's time to begin looking forward... So, until the next post, I hope that your inquiring minds are at least partially satisfied now that you know where I've been and what I've been up to during my absence from creative4seasons.