I just put up chapter 13. It is a little shorter than usual (I think?) but it seemed like the right place to break things up. In this chapter we get a little more background information on Keylee’s parents from Max’s perspective. Paul’s getting an education, just maybe not the kind he thought he would.
Today’s picture isn’t what I originally planned. Usually when I take a picture with my phone, it shows up on my photos on the computer and therefore easy for me to transfer over. For some reason it has decided not to do that and being the techno imbecile that I am . . . well, you get a photo I took a little earlier this summer. This is a picture of a young sycamore tree. This is a very special tree to me and unfortunately it suffered some damage earlier this week during a storm. Thankfully it was only a couple of branches and it is still very much alive. The reason this tree is so important to me is that it is the memorial tree I planted for my first cavalier king charles spaniel, Georgia.
Georgia was the absolute love of my life. I’m sure her photo will pop up here next spring when it gets closer to the anniversary of her passing. Georgia died in 2018 and took a chunk of my heart with her. Some asked why I planted a sycamore tree, why not something showier? My answer is pretty simple. One, I love sycamore trees. They are native to where I live and I love the way their bark looks in the otherwise desolate winter landscape. Two, I have a big, absolutely gorgeous one in my front yard. The leaves are huge and I have fond, humorous memories of Georgia going outside in the Fall, trotting back up the door with a sycamore leaf twice the size of her head stuck in her ear. The tree and its leaves remind me of precious times I wish could have gone on forever.
In contrast, the photo I was going to put on today was flowers of the cut and arranged variety. Yesterday was my fifteenth anniversary working at my current clinic. I graduated vet school a little over eighteen years ago. Whew, just writing that seems wrong. Sometimes if feels like just yesterday and other times it feels like it was someone else’s life all together. I had a good friend in school that was in his early forties by the time he graduated (compared to most of us in our mid to late twenties). He was married and had a small son at the time. I still distinctly remember him leaning over to whisper the very first day of freshman year in vet school, “I’m going to be divorced, a drug addict, or suicidal by the time this is over”. Thankfully he was wrong as he was still very much married, not addicted to drugs (as far as I know), and very much alive when he walked across the stage to pick up his diploma.
I don’t think I have any heartwarming or creepy, crawly tales to tell regarding work. It’s still crazy busy. I only got home for lunch once this past week, otherwise Subway and I were good friends. I also don’t have much to report on the front of getting Reaping Covetous published. I’m starting to investigate the self-publishing route. Parts of this actually appeal to me more but also scares the juju bees outta me.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and I hope all of you like the next chapter in Facilitate Your User. We should be about half-way through. I think??? Honestly not sure but it feels that way. Until next week, please stay well and as sane as possible. People I see at work keep asking me what I miss the most about the COVID restrictions and for me, it’s art shows. I love artwork and love going to the shows even more. Even though most of the ones I go to are outside, they’re still cancelled and it adds another layer of weight to my chest.
MJ May
veterinarian and fiction writer 