Debbie’s Retirement Life (and St. Patrick’s Weekend special Book offers), Week 12: Day 85, 3/17/23

This is my March blog post about my post-retirement adventures. I’m also featuring two virtual events that I’ll be participating over St. Patrick’s Day weekend as well as a 99 cent offer for Kobo readers.

It’s been three months since I retired, but I’ve gone back to the library on a substitute librarian basis. I’ve been working some nights in Reference and will be working two Saturdays there this month. I’ll also be working a few days in the Children’s department in April.

On Friday, February 17, I had an echocardiogram because I’ve been having palpitations after exercising. This has been an off and on again condition that my doctor isn’t too concerned about, but he scheduled bloodwork and the echocardiogram to be safe. They both turned out normal. I had an eye exam on Friday, March 10. They gave me an ultrasound which I’d never had before. Everything seemed fine, and I have not changed my prescription. They have a retinalogist there now, too, so I was able to see him. He just thinks I need to be checked every six months because of my floaters and cataracts, although he said I don’t need any surgery at this point.

On Saturday. February 18, I went to Planting Fields Arboretum with my daughter and a friend for their Camelia Festival. We had a great time, and I painted a flower. Afterwards, we had lunch in Oyster Bay and took a chilly walk by the beach at Theodore Roosevelt Park. My daughter drove that day. It was her first long drive since getting her license a few weeks ago.

On Tuesday night, February 21, I read two excerpts from my Buttercup Bend series during a virtual Fastnacht Follies presented by my church. In this annual event, church members share their singing, dancing, and other talents. Check out the YouTube video below.

Besides my regular virtual workouts, I also attend webinars. An interesting one was held on Thursday, February 23 by Hillside Library with Northwell Health. The speakers were Executive Chef Manuel (Sonny) Rios, III and Juliet M. Monclova. It featured information about the importance of fiber in our diets and also included sample breakfasts, lunches, and dinners containing fiber-rich foods.

On Thursday, February 9, I attended a Long Island Library Resources (LILRC) webinar on Patrick Bringley’s book, All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me. This was a very interesting talk given by a previous guard at the Met.

On March 8, I participated in a book discussion about The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki at my library’s book club. (Read my review here: https://wp.me/p6m4z7-3R0).

I also read Kristin Loesch’s new, The Last Russian Doll. (Review: https://wp.me/p6m4z7-3Rg). I compare this book to the Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah that I read and reviewed last month.

Speaking about books, I’ve nearly finished the first draft of my next Buttercup Bend mystery, The Case of the Llama Raising Librarian. I hope to finish it and submit it to my agent in April. My non-fiction cat book, Memories and Meows, is now on audio. For a free code to receive the audible copy (and to hear the narrator’s cute cat voices), comment below with your email and if you are a U.S. or UK citizen.

I had a manicure and my nails done a shiny green for St. Patrick’s Day and spring.

I worked on Tuesday night, March 14, and monitored a library Zoom presentation about Female lighthouse keepers which I was interested in because of my mystery, Sea Scope, that featured information about lighthouses and lighthouse keepers. The presentation was given by Joann Tofu and included a Powerpoint presentation. She started off with information about various lighthouses and then discussed the female lighthouse keepers who, in most cases, took over after their husbands died. One of the most interesting woman was Ida Lewis, who I also featured in a note in my mystery. She was recognized for her bravery in saving many people whose boats had capsized in rough waters around Newport when she was a keeper there.

Yesterday, I attended the Hicks Nursery Garden Show with my daughter and her friend. This is an annual event. This year’s theme “A Novel Approach to Garden Design” features themed gardens based on book genres. I especially enjoyed the Mystery Garden for obvious reasons.

Today, I’ll be going on a Seal Walk at Jones Beach. More on that in my April retirement blog post.

Last, but not least, I have several book offers for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. My first Buttercup Bend cozy mystery, The Case of the Cat Crazy Lady, will be on sale for only 99 cents through Monday, March 20 on Kobo. You can get this fun book for less than a dollar at https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-case-of-the-cat-crazy-lady

Also, on St. Patrick’s day, I’m giving away a free copy of A Stone’s Throw, my first Cobble Cove cozy mystery on Roche’s Ravenous Readers Facebook group’s St. Patrick’s Party. To be eligible to win  my giveaway or any others, you need to join the group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TripleRICofF

I’ll also be giving away two books at the Tattered Page Book Club’s third anniversary event over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. I’ll be posting giveaways on Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19. To participate, join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/269414840723994/

Thanks for reading about my retirement adventures, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and good luck if you enter my giveaways. I’ll post another update in April.