Exciting times! So much to learn, to decide, to experience!
Ok, now what do I start talking about first?
Do I start off telling you about the "Trippin'" that is coming up?
North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Everglades, Florida Keys, Arizona... too much?
Ok, ok, ok, stop twisting my arm!
I will talk about the progress of the books first.
If this isn't of interest to you, skim down. You won't want to miss the Trippin' we are going on this fall! (I promise to take you with me virtually.)
I am SOOOO thrilled with how the Audio book is coming for Alzheimer's Trippin' with George. What a wonderful job, voice actress Robin Siegerman is doing.
Here is the advertising sample she did up.
Listen and let me know what you think in the comments here or on my Youtube channel. And feel free to SHARE on your Facebook page (please) or send the link to a friend. Let's spread the fun.
Robin says she is going to have to re-do some of it because I chose a part of the book for the sample where I said, "shit." Robin says the Audio sample can't have cuss words in it. She wanted to just say "GAAAHHH" instead. I don't know, I told her to say, "Blast it" or "Dang, Dang, Dang". But now that I write this it sounds so...
What do you think? Maybe "GAAHHHH" is more frustrated and the others sound dorky?
The date for release of the Audio book isn't set, but it will be sometime in October. Just in time for Christmas shopping season!
The Kindle/ebook will launch on December 4th, 2019.
Yes, I am having another party or two or three to celebrate. Watch for more information coming in the next few months. Click the Join tab if you want to receive an email when I post updates.
I am also holding a celebration on December 6th in Tampa, Florida at Citrus Park Cyclery. So if you will be in Tampa at that time, mark your calendar for 11:00.
It was kind of over the top. It didn't feel like me. But I put it up there anyway, still no results in sales. So I took their blurb and altered it quite a bit and included YOUR words. The words of the fans who have left such wonderful reviews.
The newest blurb for The Journey Continues is:
ENOUGH ABOUT THE BOOKS ALREADY!!!
"What else is going on?" you ask.
Well so nice of you to ask.
I have been THINKING.
I heard a program about the great acceleration in the melting of the two-mile thick ice sheet in Greenland. I am just one person. A tiny speck in the scheme of things.
I really want to live my values. I just feel that I am using up too many of the planets resources. I am just one person now.
I have a big van that gets about 27 mpg.
I live in a 1900 sq ft house... not a mansion, but not a tiny house for sure.
I have too much stuff just for one person.
I was encouraged to get bigger house so that if George went into nursing care, our life savings would have to go toward his care but I could hang onto some of the money and the house. So the lawyer said buy more house. I like my house, especially the location. It is close to downtown and groceries and the gym.
But it seems silly for just me to have 2 1/2 bathrooms to maintain, and 3 bedrooms to dust.
So I have listed a bedroom on Seniorhomeshares. I also added a listing to roommates.com, though I am not as impressed with that website/program. I am envisioning a Golden Girls situation. Me and two other women sharing a home, and when I go Trippin' someone will be here all the time to watch over the place.
AND I could use the income for house maintenance and to stretch my savings further/longer. I like the idea, especially with the right people. So if you know of a non-smoking, morning person, who might enjoy sharing a house with a quiet friendly professional woman, have them get in touch with me. It could even be just for the winter season.
Speaking of house maintenance.
My roof has a leak over the lanai. I started calling roofers two months ago, I swear. At that time the spots on the ceiling were small and few. Then we had so much rain, the roofers could not get caught up and get out here. FINALLY today a roofer came out. The small spots are now a huge blob and the plywood under the tiles needs to be replaced.
At least I didn't have to put out buckets... yet. Hopefully they will get to the repairs this week.
SO -- Speaking about reducing my CO2 emissions....
Since I didn't get to fly with my trike to see my sister in July, I am driving to see my sister in September.
Driving... Florida to Wisconsin ... probably over 3600 miles round trip. Especially since I am adding on miles by going over to Ashville, North Carolina area first to visit friends, Regis and Cindy. They are work-camping at a historical site in the woods.
Driving ... in my van.
I plan on camping and staying with folks along the way. To reduce my impact, I am bringing my own folding mattress and sheets for when I stay at peoples homes. It is such a waste for me to spend one night and they have to do laundry to get the sheets ready for the next guest. So even though I am driving my big van... I am saving on laundry. Ha ha, my own little unequal exchange to relieve my guilt. I know it is silly, but I REALLY want to visit my sister.
I have also been trying to avoid using my car here at home. I ride to the gym and the grocery store and to social events if they are close enough.
Last time I tried to camp I bought a tent before the event and I donated it away after the event. It took forever to put it up. I have tried camping in my van... the thing is, my stuff takes room.
I have this big ol' honking recumbent tricycle. My Catrike Expedition doesn't fold.
And hey, part of my trip is to stop in Ohio and ride with some of the Ohio trikers on the Little Miami trail and other trails around Xenia, Ohio. So I gotta take my trike.
Anyway. I figured out a way to store my trike and stuff out of the rain. Either I can sleep in the van on my folding mattress or I can use my Tent-Cot.
When George and I rode around Wisconsin we hauled our Tent-Cots behind our trikes on our flat-bed Burley trailers. I loved the high-and-dry Tent-Cots and slept well.
The last two times I used the Tent-Cot I was miserable. It was cold, my back hurt, and I was worried about George getting up in the night and wandering away.
So last night I put up the Tent-cot in my living room and I slept in it. I slept well, I think. Though I am unusually tired today.
I could take both the folding bed and the tent cot... but that's kind of too much stuff, right?
And if I am going to camp I need a place to put my stuff if I sleep in the van. And a place to sit and hang-out if it rains.
So I bought a canopy and side tent. I erected the canopy in my living room this morning.
I was proud, I got the canopy back in the box. Not the side tent, though.
I don't want to rush my Wisconsin visit and I don't want to drive LOOONG miserable days. I want to keep the time in the car sensible each day.
Where do I have the reservations?
The Everglades and the Keys.
There is a group of recumbent riders that live on the Van Fleet Trail. Every once in a while I see them at events. I joined their Facebook group and chat with them sometimes. When they announced they were going to do a MOON LIGHT RIDE on the Shark Valley Trail in the Everglades, I jumped at the opportunity and made my reservations at the campground they are going to.
They arrive at the campground October 11th.
THEN I learn that the Sisters on the Fly has a group going to Key Largo to swim with the fish on the reef. They will be counting fish and turtles and snorkeling.
When I was trying to figure out who I would be without George, I bought myself some snorkel equipment. I have not used it in the ocean yet. Just a swimming pool and the Rainbow River. This is an event that it OUTSIDE my comfort zone just a tad. A good place for me to start stretching myself and my experiences. So I signed up. The camp sites were all taken, but I keep checking back and now I have a campsite for two nights. The event, I think, covers four nights.
Now to find my snorkel and mask.
I guess I went bonkers when I got back from riding to St. Pete to put my tricycle on a plane and fly to Wisconsin because I planned three trips for this fall!
As you may recall, if you followed that trip on this blog or Facebook, my trike was denied access to the flight on Allegiant Airline. I stayed a day or two in the St. Pete area then biked home. I got back from that trip and started planning to try again to fly my trike.
In November I am flying SouthWest Airline. This time I will drive my van to the airport so I can store my trike in it if they refuse to let my trike in baggage.
I am flying to Pheonix, AZ to visit my brother. If you read the first book, Larry was the guy that met us out at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I have not seen him since last Summer when he and his wife Peg invited me to Seattle to share a house they were renting. He will be celebrating a birthday while I am in Arizona.
I will be writing here to you as much as I can while traveling. If you want to go Trippin' with me on this blog, you can be notified by email each time I post something. Just click the "Join" tab up above and fill in the form. I promise not to sell or share your information.
I often post every day when I am traveling.
Are your READY??? Only a few more weeks!
So I am going to TRY to make a good video of them so any of us can use them if we want to keep mobile. When it is complete I will put it on Youtube. Subscribe to my youtube channel .
Thanks for taking this journey with me.
Ok, now what do I start talking about first?
Do I start off talking about what I have been thinking about?
If I believe the science telling us that climate change is happening and that human activity is a big contributing factor, what am I doing and what CAN I be doing (or not doing) to reduce my impact. And then, I remember something I heard... "No snowflake feels responsible for the avalanche."
Do I start off telling you about the "Trippin'" that is coming up?
North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Everglades, Florida Keys, Arizona... too much?Or do I start off telling you about what is happening with the books?
Audio, large print, book launch events...Ok, ok, ok, stop twisting my arm!
I will talk about the progress of the books first.
If this isn't of interest to you, skim down. You won't want to miss the Trippin' we are going on this fall! (I promise to take you with me virtually.)
Audio Update
I am SOOOO thrilled with how the Audio book is coming for Alzheimer's Trippin' with George. What a wonderful job, voice actress Robin Siegerman is doing.
Here is the advertising sample she did up.
Listen and let me know what you think in the comments here or on my Youtube channel. And feel free to SHARE on your Facebook page (please) or send the link to a friend. Let's spread the fun.
Robin says she is going to have to re-do some of it because I chose a part of the book for the sample where I said, "shit." Robin says the Audio sample can't have cuss words in it. She wanted to just say "GAAAHHH" instead. I don't know, I told her to say, "Blast it" or "Dang, Dang, Dang". But now that I write this it sounds so...
What do you think? Maybe "GAAHHHH" is more frustrated and the others sound dorky?
The date for release of the Audio book isn't set, but it will be sometime in October. Just in time for Christmas shopping season!
Large Print
As I write this I am having the cover designer re-do the cover for both Alzheimer's Trippin' with George and The Journey Continues for the LARGE PRINT versions! So many caregivers prefer the larger print, so this should help them. And if they can't see at all, the Audio is coming soon!Events
The launch date for The Journey Continues is set!The Kindle/ebook will launch on December 4th, 2019.
Yes, I am having another party or two or three to celebrate. Watch for more information coming in the next few months. Click the Join tab if you want to receive an email when I post updates.
I am also holding a celebration on December 6th in Tampa, Florida at Citrus Park Cyclery. So if you will be in Tampa at that time, mark your calendar for 11:00.
Sales and the Blurb Re-write
I have been down. Each day I check the sales of the book, I tweek my ads, and still the sales were going down, down, down. So I decided to hire a fiverr gig to have them re-write the blurb I have on Amazon.It was kind of over the top. It didn't feel like me. But I put it up there anyway, still no results in sales. So I took their blurb and altered it quite a bit and included YOUR words. The words of the fans who have left such wonderful reviews.
The newest blurb for The Journey Continues is:
"Beautiful, moving, heart wrenching. A challenging situation to be in is an understatement. This was a unique perspective." Amazon ReaderI am starting to see some increase in sales (one a day, but hey!) I am on cloud nine!
“Susan made learning about the struggles one has caring for their loved one with Alzheimer’s enjoyable. Her sincerity and dedication to love her husband right to the end was inspiring. I came to admire her: sense of humor; deep compassion; humble gratitude for friends and helpers, and tenacious spirit. Easier read than I expected." Amazon Reader
Whether you went Trippin’ with Susan and George on their U.S.A. road trip in Alzheimer’s Trippin’ with George, or you are just joining them now. You will smile, laugh, and sometimes cry with them as they continue living full lives and having new adventures. Journey along with them as they dance, ride recumbent tricycles, battle with a bully, and escape a hurricane.
“Informative, inspirational, funny, sad - I highly recommend this book. … Buy it - for yourself, for others, a perfect gift for any occasion, or no occasion at all!” Larry Varney, co-editor Bentrider Online
Click Buy Now!
“Sue continues to experience George's journey into dementia along with all the messy details. She is one heck of a woman who continued this journey with a lot of love pushing her on.” Ron Freidl
You will find yourself cheering over the victories and finding joy in the midst of change.
You will discover how to stay positive, where to find helpful resources, how to deal with incontinence, and how family, friends and community can make a BIG difference in the quality of life for a caregiver and those living with dementia.
Join the Journey today, Get it now!
ENOUGH ABOUT THE BOOKS ALREADY!!!
"What else is going on?" you ask.
Well so nice of you to ask.
I have been THINKING.
Resource Appreciation
I heard a program about the great acceleration in the melting of the two-mile thick ice sheet in Greenland. I am just one person. A tiny speck in the scheme of things.
I really want to live my values. I just feel that I am using up too many of the planets resources. I am just one person now.
I have a big van that gets about 27 mpg.
I live in a 1900 sq ft house... not a mansion, but not a tiny house for sure.
I have too much stuff just for one person.
I was encouraged to get bigger house so that if George went into nursing care, our life savings would have to go toward his care but I could hang onto some of the money and the house. So the lawyer said buy more house. I like my house, especially the location. It is close to downtown and groceries and the gym.
But it seems silly for just me to have 2 1/2 bathrooms to maintain, and 3 bedrooms to dust.
So I have listed a bedroom on Seniorhomeshares. I also added a listing to roommates.com, though I am not as impressed with that website/program. I am envisioning a Golden Girls situation. Me and two other women sharing a home, and when I go Trippin' someone will be here all the time to watch over the place.
AND I could use the income for house maintenance and to stretch my savings further/longer. I like the idea, especially with the right people. So if you know of a non-smoking, morning person, who might enjoy sharing a house with a quiet friendly professional woman, have them get in touch with me. It could even be just for the winter season.
Speaking of house maintenance.
My roof has a leak over the lanai. I started calling roofers two months ago, I swear. At that time the spots on the ceiling were small and few. Then we had so much rain, the roofers could not get caught up and get out here. FINALLY today a roofer came out. The small spots are now a huge blob and the plywood under the tiles needs to be replaced.
At least I didn't have to put out buckets... yet. Hopefully they will get to the repairs this week.
SO -- Speaking about reducing my CO2 emissions....
TRIPPIN'!
Trip one - Departing September 5th
Since I didn't get to fly with my trike to see my sister in July, I am driving to see my sister in September.
Driving... Florida to Wisconsin ... probably over 3600 miles round trip. Especially since I am adding on miles by going over to Ashville, North Carolina area first to visit friends, Regis and Cindy. They are work-camping at a historical site in the woods.
Driving ... in my van.
I plan on camping and staying with folks along the way. To reduce my impact, I am bringing my own folding mattress and sheets for when I stay at peoples homes. It is such a waste for me to spend one night and they have to do laundry to get the sheets ready for the next guest. So even though I am driving my big van... I am saving on laundry. Ha ha, my own little unequal exchange to relieve my guilt. I know it is silly, but I REALLY want to visit my sister.
I have also been trying to avoid using my car here at home. I ride to the gym and the grocery store and to social events if they are close enough.
Last time I tried to camp I bought a tent before the event and I donated it away after the event. It took forever to put it up. I have tried camping in my van... the thing is, my stuff takes room.
I have this big ol' honking recumbent tricycle. My Catrike Expedition doesn't fold.
And hey, part of my trip is to stop in Ohio and ride with some of the Ohio trikers on the Little Miami trail and other trails around Xenia, Ohio. So I gotta take my trike.
Anyway. I figured out a way to store my trike and stuff out of the rain. Either I can sleep in the van on my folding mattress or I can use my Tent-Cot.
When George and I rode around Wisconsin we hauled our Tent-Cots behind our trikes on our flat-bed Burley trailers. I loved the high-and-dry Tent-Cots and slept well.
The last two times I used the Tent-Cot I was miserable. It was cold, my back hurt, and I was worried about George getting up in the night and wandering away.
So last night I put up the Tent-cot in my living room and I slept in it. I slept well, I think. Though I am unusually tired today.
I could take both the folding bed and the tent cot... but that's kind of too much stuff, right?
And if I am going to camp I need a place to put my stuff if I sleep in the van. And a place to sit and hang-out if it rains.
So I bought a canopy and side tent. I erected the canopy in my living room this morning.
I was proud, I got the canopy back in the box. Not the side tent, though.
Trip Two
I have the reservations. I may make it. I may not.I don't want to rush my Wisconsin visit and I don't want to drive LOOONG miserable days. I want to keep the time in the car sensible each day.
Where do I have the reservations?
The Everglades and the Keys.
There is a group of recumbent riders that live on the Van Fleet Trail. Every once in a while I see them at events. I joined their Facebook group and chat with them sometimes. When they announced they were going to do a MOON LIGHT RIDE on the Shark Valley Trail in the Everglades, I jumped at the opportunity and made my reservations at the campground they are going to.
They arrive at the campground October 11th.
THEN I learn that the Sisters on the Fly has a group going to Key Largo to swim with the fish on the reef. They will be counting fish and turtles and snorkeling.
When I was trying to figure out who I would be without George, I bought myself some snorkel equipment. I have not used it in the ocean yet. Just a swimming pool and the Rainbow River. This is an event that it OUTSIDE my comfort zone just a tad. A good place for me to start stretching myself and my experiences. So I signed up. The camp sites were all taken, but I keep checking back and now I have a campsite for two nights. The event, I think, covers four nights.
Now to find my snorkel and mask.
Trip Three
I guess I went bonkers when I got back from riding to St. Pete to put my tricycle on a plane and fly to Wisconsin because I planned three trips for this fall!
As you may recall, if you followed that trip on this blog or Facebook, my trike was denied access to the flight on Allegiant Airline. I stayed a day or two in the St. Pete area then biked home. I got back from that trip and started planning to try again to fly my trike.
In November I am flying SouthWest Airline. This time I will drive my van to the airport so I can store my trike in it if they refuse to let my trike in baggage.
I am flying to Pheonix, AZ to visit my brother. If you read the first book, Larry was the guy that met us out at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I have not seen him since last Summer when he and his wife Peg invited me to Seattle to share a house they were renting. He will be celebrating a birthday while I am in Arizona.
I will be writing here to you as much as I can while traveling. If you want to go Trippin' with me on this blog, you can be notified by email each time I post something. Just click the "Join" tab up above and fill in the form. I promise not to sell or share your information.
I often post every day when I am traveling.
Are your READY??? Only a few more weeks!
Exercise Video
I have been asked to demonstrate the balance and mobility exercises that I explained in Alzheimer's Trippin' with George.So I am going to TRY to make a good video of them so any of us can use them if we want to keep mobile. When it is complete I will put it on Youtube. Subscribe to my youtube channel .
Thanks for taking this journey with me.
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