It's been even longer between posting new chapters this time around, and for that I am truly sorry. Perhaps no one is even still reading this story that keeps stalling, but I hope I am right in saying that the stalling is finished -- it is my goal to complet this tale this year! To that end, I finally have a new chapter to share.

Thanks in advance for reading!


( Lords of Gondor Chapter 60 -- The Greatest Good News )

I've tried over and over again to post the latest chapter update here, but the cut will simply not work! It cuts the title only, and leaves the long bank of text of the chapter visible -- which defeats the purpose of a cut, of course! So I am going to give up and post a link to the latest chapter instead. 

Lords of Gondor Chapter 58 -- Horns from the North

Sorry for any extra steps it might take to read and/or comment, if you are so inclined!

Here is another wee tale for the B2MeM 2019 Bingo Challenge:

B2MeM Prompt, Card and Number: O72: Field of Cormallen (Alternate Viewpoints)
Format: Drabble
Genre: Gapfiller
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Imrahil
Pairings: None
Creator’s Notes (optional): I chose this prompt to write during the 2016 B2MeM Memories event, where all previous prompts were available for use, but I never managed it. Glad I had another chance at writing it!
Summary: Imrahil is impressed by the halflings' response to their first sight of the King.

( Read more... )

I see the last time I actually posted some personal news was last year with a surgery update.  Sorry for the long silence!

My update today is related to that, as it's the one year anniversary of my double knee replacement surgery!  What a blessing it was to have the surgery done!  I am doing great.  I have no knee pain now, I can walk easily, I have full range of motion, and because I can do do exercise (along with a healthy diet), I have lost 15 pounds in weight.  Whoo hoo!

I'm really glad my surgeon suggested I consider doing both my knees at the same time, it was really worth it.  I had a really quick recovery from that, perhaps because I had been doing physical therapy to help with the pain so I was in good shape, but also because God really blessed me with a fast and full recovery!

I think I'll celebrate the day today by going for a walk!

I have a pretty fun day planned for tomorrow -- I'm having surgery to replace both of my knees! I'm actually looking forward to it -- not the surgery itself, exactly, but the expected outcome is to be able to walk without pain again, and even go up and down stairs, whoo hoo!  I really can't wait, I've been limited and in pain for long enough!  I'm not sure how long I'll be in the hospital, but once I'm released, I plan to go straight into a rehab facility for a time, so I can learn how to do those things I want to do again -- walking and going up and down stairs!

Prayers for a successful surgery and rehab are most welcome, and good thoughts for my DH who will have to do laundry until I am able to manage the stairs that go down to our laundry room!  (Seriously, though, he's a big help, and is doing great after his own surgery back in April.)

I had an adventure last fall with my hubby who unexpectedly had a heart attack.  It was an anxious couple of days, but we were there and back again in no time.  He's been very healthy since then, except for one thing that surfaced recently during a check up with his heart doctor.  It seems he has a leaky valve in his heart which is quite pronounced, and actually does give him some shortness of breath at times.  We're not sure if it's connected to his heart attack last fall or if it's something he had before and it was made worse by the attack.  In any case, it's something the doctors want to deal with it now by repairing it so it won't wear his heart out later.

So DH is going in for open heart surgery tomorrow morning -- surgery is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and could be 4 to 6 hours in length.  "Open heart surgery" sounds pretty scary, but from what I understand, the problem they need to fix is actually fairly straightforward.  So all of your prayers and good thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

Hopefully I'll be there and back again fairly quickly, with a healthy hubby in tow!

Back in 2011, I started writing a story based on a baseball anime/manga I really enjoyed, called Major.  My intention was to fill in a few gaps that weren't really covered to my satisfaction in the anime. I managed 6 chapters before I got a bit bogged down. I kept meaning to finish the story, and pecked away at it over time, but never managed to get past the point where I had originally stopped -- one reason possibly being that I felt I needed a bit more information from canon to help me finish the way I wanted to, but that information was only available in Japanese!

Earlier this month, the manga chapters that covered the part I was interested in were finally translated (into Spanish, a language I can read but not speak any longer), and I was able to access the information I was missing. It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it gave me a better feel for my characters and I was able to get inspired enough to complete the last two chapters of the story.

If anyone is at all interested in having a look and possibly a read, Dreaming New Dreams is posted and complete at Archive of Our Own.

Even though it took 5 years, I finally finished one of my multi-chapter Works in Progress! Whoo hoo!  Now to tackle the next WIP that's been neglected for far too long...

Well, I haven't posted in ages, but since I have some news, I thought it would be appropriate to start the new year off with an actual post -- maybe it will help me set the right tone for more posting in the new year!

My holidays did not quite go as planned this year, as my father passed away the day after Christmas.  He had been in the nursing home and was pretty frail, but we weren't quite expecting it this soon.  My family members each had a lovely time with him over the Christmas holiday as we visited him in the nursing home, and we take great comfort in that!  His passing was quick and painless, and that is also a comfort.  The celebration of his life was exactly what he would have wanted -- he was a science teacher in the public school system and involved in the local outdoor education program for many years, so as part of his eulogy (done by a fellow teacher) we sang the camp song he was famous for!  It was the best kind of funeral -- more laughter than tears.

I'm taking a few extra days off before returning to my duties as teacher of English as a Second Language at our center that serves South Asian immigrants.  We are also keeping tabs on my father-in-law, who's been in the hospital since before Christmas.  We're not sure when he's getting out, or what his prognosis is, and since my husband is the one who makes decisions on his behalf, we have decided to continue our stay with our son for an extra week.

Even though the end of 2014 was a bit more stressful than expected, it was still filled with blessings, and I am looking forward to seeing what God will do in my life in the coming new year!

God bless and a Happy New Year to you all!

Day Six

In your own space, share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life. Something that impacted on your consciousness in a way that left its mark on your soul.

Tolkien's work changed my life! I can say it no better than C.S. Lewis when he wrote about the Lord of the Rings trilogy: " ...here are beauties which pierce like swords, or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart."

I first read The Hobbit and LotR in 8th grade -- over 40 years ago -- and my heart was broken, though in the best way imaginable. I fell in love that day, and have been an avid fan of all things Tolkien ever since. I have done my best to read everything by him and about him I could get my hands on. The tale of Middle-earth in all its ages is a tale I can read over and over again -- and I do so at least once a year. It never ceases to amaze me how I can always find something new in the story. I never get tired of it! One thing I enjoy is the tale's rich detail; it is more like reading a history of the world than a story. That history is about beings like me who struggle with moral choices and learn to live with their decisions. They have real-life temptations and failings, yet they work through them with honor, faith and joy. It is a tale of friendship and loyalty, of treachery and despair, of sacrifice and redemption. It was the characters in LotR who first inspired me to start writing and reading fanfiction after having my love for Middle-earth augmented even further by the films that have been produced over the course of the last 13 years or so. There's something about having 30 years worth of personal imagining suddenly visualized on the big screen -- one just has to write about it!

There have been other books, films, shows and fandoms that have gripped me, and still do, but nothing can compare to the intensity or the duration of my love for Tolkien's masterpiece!