Trippin' with Susan Straley

Sunday, 1/12/2020 Greetings! The last time I wrote to you I was just writing about the books and not about what is going on with me.  Sorry, that is what happens with a passion and project that needs to be spread to have an impact. So, what IS happening. THE GUY OK.  In the video count-down to launch of kindle version of THE JOURNEY CONTINUES , I mentioned that I got a call from a guy a week after Thanksgiving wishing me, "Happy Thankgiving".  He stuttered and was nervous (or pretended to be) and I engaged him in conversation a bit to kind of ease the tension and show him I wasn't going to bite. I didn't know what to think about this interest in me.  It is over a year and a half since George passed.  Some friends asked me if I would ever want a relationship with a man again.  I told them, "NO!" pretty fast and pretty decisive. But then this guy called and showed an interest and I started to run through my head the pros and cons. The guy eventua

Tuesday December 10, 2019 Hello, I am excited!  I have a special gift for you, readers of this blog. But before I tell you about that, let me tell you about the book launch celebrations. The last I wrote I said that I hoped to update you on Saturday about the book launch and how it went.  That didn't happen on Saturday.  I am feeling a mixture of accomplishment and freedom from deadlines.   It feels pretty good! So excuse me if I took a break from writing for a few days. Book Launch Review The launch on Saturday at the Cattle Dog started out strange.  Last time (for the launch of the first book in the Trippin' Series) when I arrived they had a table set up for me facing the big, main room serving area. This time they didn't have it set up for me.  Instead they had a back room area reserved for me with one huge conference table.  It felt weird.  This was a celebration with friends, not a formal business meeting. As I began to haul in my stuff I realized th

December 3, 2019 Good Morning! Brrrr, it is a cold one here in central Florida!  Freezing in parts of Citrus County. Only ONE MORE DAY to the launch of the second book, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES! The 6th Annual Coping with Dementia Conference is January 22nd.  If you are a caregiver or know someone with dementia, this is a great resource to learn more about the illness and the resources available in Citrus County and beyond. Launch Celebrations 

December 2, 2019 Hi, Wow, can you believe it! Only two days to launch! So the call... an older man called me last night to wish me Happy Thanksgiving. It was obvious he was nervous and ... interested in not being alone... shall I say. He has never called me before and I have noticed him looking at me with interest. Gosh, here is the dilemma. I am documenting my on-going journey and now, as a widow my life continues. It feels really uncomfortable to talk about being single and the possibility of future relationships with men in this space. Certainly, I don't want to embarrass anyone or hurt anyone.  So putting up my thoughts and interactions here just seems not right.  No, I am not interested in sex or even romance. But friendship, companionship, that would be something of interest to me. But you know what I found going through my head as I talked? OH! I don't want to admit this because it so fits into the reputation of widows and older single women...

November 11, 2019 Hello! It is Black Friday!  And the Kindle version of The Journey Continues - Alzheimer's Trippin' with George is on sale until December 4, 2019 for only $2.99.  Who do you know that could use a little inspiration, lift, fun? Thanksgiving was wonderful, thanks to the folks that joined me and sent greetings. Someone somewhere created this cool image.  Who does it belong to?  I would like to give credit where credit is due... or get permission to post it. Thanks to the artist and the owner.  It is pretty cool.  I got it from Jim Cook an Ohio Trike-rider.  He doesn't remember which trike site he found it. Here is my Count-down video.  Only 5 more days to the launch! It is another gorgeous day in our area of Florida. I am going to ride my trike down to feed the goats (about 16 miles down the trail). I have stored my vegetable and fruit scraps from a couple weeks to share with them. Then, if I get back in time, some friends are meeting at

November 27, 2019 This is so exciting! Only seven more days to the launch on ebook/kindle of THE JOURNEY CONTINUES! I am doing a series of videos as I count down to launch.  Just me, talking about the books and the process and life this week. Let me know what you would like to see in an up-coming countdown video. Who do you know that would enjoy our journey, or benefit from the positive out-look and caregiving information within it?  Share this post and this link to the book . Thanks for watching and joining me on this journey!

Hello, It is often said that to achieve great things, you need to focus your energy on one thing.  You can't spread your energy over many many things or you won't excel at anything. I guess I am programmed to be mediocre.  Ha ha. I kind of timed things wrong.  You see the audio version of Alzheimer's Trippin' with George has just been launched.  With that launch is the task of writing and sending out press-releases, putting posts up on social media, and giving out lots of free copies to experts and audio-book fans in the hope that they will leave a review on Audible or Good Reads. I just got my first review of Alzheimer's Trippin' with George on Audible! This book was great! I was a caregiver for my mother who had Alzheimer’s for 10 years! It was very hard when she did get angry and aggressive. This book gave a sense of calm and patience. I look forward to the second half when it gets much more difficult to see how it is handled. Being married

Hi. I got back from my mini solo tour gone awry.  I was feeling ok about not going to Wisconsin.  I was already planning another trip to visit my sister and my son in September.  I had a wedding to attend so I had already had it on my calendar.  No big deal. But -- I came home.  Most of my friends had left town.  Even those that don't go north for the Summer were gone for a few weeks.   I went a whole week without a social dinner... well, almost a whole week.  And for me that is something.  I felt funny.  I started questioning all my life choices. Do I want to move? Do I want to get a trailer and travel the country? Do I still want to write and publish books? Am I really any good or are my friends just being nice? Maybe I should get a REAL job with a pay check. If so, then I will have to move, right? Since there are no jobs that pay in Citrus County, Florida. Maybe I need a house-mate to share this big space with me. Wa wa wa... I felt tears in me, wanting to get out.