Welcome, 2021! by @JacquieRogers

 

Welcome, 2021!

Out With The Old -- In With The New

by Jacquie Rogers

Sometimes we just have to count our blessings, and if you're able to read this then it's a blessing that you made it through 2020.  Mr R and I are fine but several family members have had COVID-19 and two friends died of it.  I'm happy to say, 2021 shines with hope for all of us that 2020's grief will soon be a mere memory.

Okay, so what's going to happen this year?  Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?

I admit, I gave up on resolutions years ago in favor of actual planning.  Realistic planning.  Reaching for the stars, or beyond them, has less appeal to me than a genuine accomplishment.  

So let's recap my accomplishments, at least the major ones.  

1. Yes, I did lose weight.  Yay!!!
2. I wrote one book.  I had three books scheduled but in spite of all the chaos around here I did manage to publish one book and one short story.  I try not to dwell on the fact that this is the least I've written since I started in 1997.
3. I expanded the garden from ten little growboxes to raised beds all around the perimeter of the backyard.  
4. 
   My watermelon vine grew 38 spaghetti squash.
5. My daughter and I canned a whole bunch of tomatoes, salsa, peaches, pears, sauces, and pickles.  (In truth, Mr R and my son-in-law made most of the pickles.)
6. I percolated on promotion plans for 2021... um, which means I have to write some books to promote.
7. I try to learn at a minimum of one new thing each week and social distancing gave me no choice but to learn a bunch of things.
8. We're in the midst of a kitchen remodel.  The flooring is down (looks wonderful) and now Mr R is working on the first half of the project, which we hope to have done before... okay, you can read about this below.

And what will I do in 2021?

1. Planning for my readers' event, Much Ado About Silver City, is already in progress.  Mark your calendars for July 16-18.  We're going to have a grand ol' time, God willin' and the creek don't rise.  COVID vaccinations can't get here fast enough for me. LOL
2. I'm really, really, really hoping we'll be able to schedule the Walker Family Reunion sometime this summer.  We had to cancel last year, of course.

3. 

   Tresa Hiatt, Moriah McCormick, and moi
   at Silver City, Idaho

   Honey Beaulieu will not get away with goofing off this year.  I hope to have Crack Shot in Whiskey Gap (Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter #4) published in both print and digital by July 1.
4. If I don't get around to cleaning my office, I'm going to hire it done.  So there.
5. Yes, I'm expanding the garden even more.  Mr R has mocked up a drip irrigation system that works well, so there's no stopping me now.
6. I'm hoping we can get the greenhouse set up.  The problem is, setting it up (foundation, base, water, electricity) costs nearly four times what the greenhouse itself cost.  Yikes!  But I would rather get watermelon off the watermelon vines, not spaghetti squash.
7. It's our year to travel.  We haven't gone anywhere since September of 2018.  I want to take another trip to Texas and Arizona.  I'd also like to go to the Chanticleer Author Conference in Bellingham, which is generally held in April but I'm not sure about 2021.  Then again, we're not sure about anything these days.
8. I'm going to learn how to be proficient with DaVinci Resolve.  I might even shoot a few videos for my YouTube channel that I've had for over a decade.
9. I'll continue to learn at least one new thing each week.
10. We hope to do more community volunteer work this year, and I would like to resume helping other writers.
11. I would very much like to set up a booth at the Owyhee County Fair this year, but then that depends on the family reunion scheduling.

I have a feeling I left off something really major, but oh well, because it's time to go to bed and I'm wanting to change my sleeping hours so I haul my lazy butt out of bed sometime before noon.

And finally, despite all the issues with 2020, I'm so grateful for loving family and friends, a snug home, an obnoxious cat, plenty of good food to eat, and lots and lots and lots of books.  I'm one lucky woman, all right.

Happy Reading!

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Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series
Hearts of Owyhee series