Listening

July 6, 2022 Carol Ann Erhardt

Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. I was fortunate enough to watch a neighboring city’s fireworks from the comfort of my living room. If I hadn’t already put my nightgown on, I would have sat on the porch to watch. I realize how little so many of the holidays have an effect on me the more I age. I’ve really become a hermit type person. It’s a good thing I can use my creative nature to provide engaging activities. I have, however, lost my ability to be conversational. I tend to listen more than contribute when I’m with other humans. I don’t suppose that’s a bad thing. We do need to listen more to what others are saying, especially God.

In my silent observation of nature, I think about God and how He created us to be like Him. I know how far short I fall on this scale, and I’m humbled to know he loves me despite my imperfections. Our world is so full of chattering, with everyone trying hard to be the voice to be heard, it is difficult to sift through the noise and choose. Therefore, I have chosen to avoid the news, and the clamor outside and around me. I just want to hear what God is saying.

With Him I find peace. I’m a nature loving person who doesn’t have the courage to go off alone in nature any longer. I realize older people are vulnerable to those who see them as easy targets. I’ve become a bit paranoid, I guess. I miss being able to commune with nature when my hubby and I would travel together. But those times are over.

So now I sit on my porch or in front of my windows and look at the views God has created. And I listen. And I’m thankful.

Taking a Break for Some Coloring

June 10, 2022June 10, 2022 Carol Ann Erhardt2 Comments

What a beautiful morning it is! The sun is shining, and the blue skies are clear. We’ve been having moderate temperatures during the day, which I so enjoy. I love letting the fresh air into my home and sitting on the front porch on sunny days. I Skype with my daughter on Friday afternoons, so am hoping to do that on the porch today.

I finished coloring a picture I’ve been working on for a few weeks. With the editing process on Katy’s Heart, I had little energy left to color. Since Amazon has both the ebook and paperback versions now available for purchase, I’m giving myself a brief break from writing to relax and color.

From Worlds Within Worlds by Kerby Rosanes

Since I had time left in the day, I decided to pull out a book and my Pitt Pastel pencils. I haven’t used this medium for coloring in a long time. It was fun to spend a couple hours playing with them and coloring this picture.

Coloring is a creative outlet which relaxes me. I’m usually listening to an audiobook in the background. I’m giving myself three more days of relaxation before I get back to work on the nonfiction piece I’m writing as a legacy for my family, titled The Child I was. I will also be thinking about the next novel I’ll write, lining up the characters and plot in my mind before I begin the outlining process.

For now, I’m going to sign off and head to the grocery. I’m sure I’ll be shocked again by the rising prices of food. The price of gasoline is now over $5.00 USD per gallon where I live in Ohio. Praying for our country and all countries around the world.

Author's Life · Senior Life

Home Again, Great Granddaughters, and New Software

May 31, 2022 Carol Ann Erhardt1 Comment

I’m home! Friday was a traveling day. We had a nice ride until we reached Ohio. That’s when we hit several downpours where we couldn’t see the car in front of us. While we made good time, when we arrived, we didn’t have the energy to eat out as planned. Instead, we had food delivered.

Yesterday one of my daughters and son-in-loves stopped by for a visit. They brought my great granddaughter. She’s growing so quickly, and one of these days she won’t rush to throw her arms around me. I’m loving and savoring these moments. If only I had even a drop of her energy! Watching her run around in the grass barefooted brings back childhood memories! Her mom stopped by to pick her up, so I was able to visit with her, too. After they left, my neighbor who lives closest to the pond walked over with several of the tiniest little frogs I’ve ever seen in a dustpan. She wanted my great granddaughter to see them. She said their sidewalk is covered with them and they have to keep sweeping them off!

Today, I am back to normal and ready to make the final edits to the book. The mini vacation did wonders for me both physically and mentally. Didn’t realize how much I needed the break. Things are different without having my fur baby, Templeton. I’m adjusting better after the trip.

So, it is back to editing this morning and I’m excited for it. My dear friend and author, Sandra Lea Rice, told me about an editing program, ProWritingAid. This is awesome because it works right inside my writing program, Scrivener. The other editing program doesn’t integrate. I love technology and learning new software. This old dog loves to learn new tricks!

Thank you, Lord, for EVERYTHING!

Author's Life · Morning Thoughts

Writing in the Great Outdoors

May 14, 2022May 14, 2022 Carol Ann Erhardt

Saturday morning…not a usual day for me to blog. The reason is a new tablet and bluetooth keyboard I’m trying out. As I sit here with my cup of tea, listening to the birds singing, I find it a nice change from having to squint at my laptop screen. If only it wouldn’t be so difficult to view outdoors!

This setup is working nicely so I’m feeling encouraged. Today is my cleaning and laundry day but I have all day to deal with that. Right now I simply want to drink a cup of tea while enjoying this lovely day and birdsong.

I’d like to find a way to write my books on this tablet, but my writing program doesn’t work with the Android operating system. One cannot be choosy, though. Actually this tablet is replacing a 12 year old iPad. It had an app that worked for writing. If I can write and save as a word document, I can then email it to myself and then upload it to my laptop writing program. Perhaps I will find an app.

For now I’m happy to be able to sit outside and blog!

Senior Life

Front Porch and Sunshine

March 18, 2022 Carol Ann Erhardt

Oh, what a glorious two days! I opened my windows to let in fresh air and sunshine for the first time this year. The temperature rose into the low 70’s. I cleaned out my front garden and found coneflower stems coming to life. God gave me glimpses of coming months and my heart lifted with renewed hope.

Wednesday was a perfect day to arrange my porch for outdoor sitting. Then I decided to take a short walk around two of the condo units. With my arthritis getting more severe in my back, toes and ankles, I need to take it slow and work up to longer walks. Thursday I lengthened my walk to making a full circle around the condo community. I needed to sit when I returned, but both of those walks brought me joy!

I also spent several hours sitting at the table on the porch and wrote. I love writing outside! The time is coming when I can sit outside in the mornings and enjoy my tea while I write. Today and tomorrow God is bringing rain. It’s all right. I know rain is needed for spring to bring forth new growth with beautiful colors.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time enjoying the weather on my front porch. I sat quietly and rocked filling my heart with gratitude. I even colored for a little while, although the sun began to melt my colored pencils causing me to stop. I’ve been working on another picture in the Worlds Within Worlds book. It’s the Belongs To double page spread. One side of the tree is finished, and I hope to finish the left side today while skyping with my daughter. Then I can begin adding other colors. May your hearts be filled with love, joy, and trust in the Lord.