Heidi Dru Kortman's blog

I saw the dietician yesterday. Most of what she said was the sort of common sense that if I'd followed it for the last 49 years, might have kept me from the diagnosis of diabetes. The thing is, I just got my hands on a book written by a long time Type 1 diabetic that advocates removing all grain products, starchy vegetables, fruit and milk from the diet, in order to achieve strict control of blood sugar at the 90mg/dl level around the clock, which blocks most if not all of the known complications of diabetes. I want to live long enough to be published, and I know what happened to my mother, with her diabetes.

Some days it might be better not to answer the phone

Heidi Dru Kortman's blogOn Monday, I got a call from my physician's office to ask that I phone for results of a blood test done in October. He didn't answer my return call on Tuesday, so I phoned him again this morning. It seems that I'm diabetic. So far, I may be able to control it by diet. They'll send me to "diabetic school". This means I'll get another phone call.

About half an hour ago, I got another call, and this one, I truly wished I'd missed, so that I'd have it recorded in my voice mail. My caller was the editor of Kaleidoscope Magazine, and she wanted to say how much she liked a novel excerpt I'd submitted, and that she'd love to read the rest of the story, but the excerpt couldn't go into the magazine, because it ended at too much of a cliffhanger, and the magazine comes out at six-month intervals.

I know people rejoice at handwritten notes from editors, but this is the first rejection notice I've received by phone. Shaking my head, and moving on to the next project.

An Update

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog
It's been more than a week since I last posted. My room with its green door looks less like a refugee's den, and I've picked up contact with my ACFW critique group again. My CWG homework could progress if Yvonne would send me another email. Next week is a Fellowship for my Tuesday night Bible study, and I need to bring a beverage. I should have sent my nephews into Meijers while we were out running my errands this afternoon. Rats. Although it's a poor use of gasoline, they'd probably be just as thrilled to do it tomorrow.

Unexpected Words

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog
Last night, the Valentine Dance at Aurora Pond began at 7 pm. I went down to sample the buffet, and my friend had to come in to find me, before we left for Bible Study. As I threaded through the crowd, I met up with Marilyn, with her daughter and granddaughter.

She introduced me to them as a person who had made her time there "tolerable". (I had hoped it was better than that, but I couldn't tarry for an explanation, because I was already off schedule for Bible Study.) I told her, "I'll see you when I come back in March", and she replied, "I may not be here."

Earlier in the afternoon, Linda Kaye had phoned, to ask for Marilyn's phone number. She wanted corroboration of a conversation from her. The two of them are vivacious, and I hope that my leaving does not cause them to choose to leave as well. I emailed Linda Kaye this morning, but tomorrow I will phone her, I think, and Marilyn too.

I spent today, Feb. 15, attempting to bring my room and possessions into order. More of my things will need to go into storage, as I don't have windowsills to display the red glass collection. The kids have brought in every stuffed animal, and I really don't know where they'll go, either.

Rounding my Horn

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog
I don't usually leave my Tuesday Bible Study homework as late as I did today, but I spent the day packing. My suitcase is jammed full enough to look almost like an elephant overdue to produce twins.

Over in England, my friend Caz lit a 'moving candle' for me.

My best Pond friends had lunch with me again today, and gave me a very pretty rose pin, red, of course. My friend Linda Kaye says that when I'm 50, I can have her sequinned baseball hat...(this to ensure I return to Aurora Pond). We also set a lunch date for St. Patrick's Day. Tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can win a dinner ticket at Bingo in the afternoon.

After supper, my friend Jean Carter gave me a box of Russell Stover valentine chocolates, too many people came to wish me good luck or say they wished I didn't have to go, so that I was already snuffling when I went to my mailbox and found a green card in it that read "Vacant"... ah well, maybe some of my mail has already arrived at Brad's house.

Brad and some of the kids will stop by tonight and take everything but the computer and the bed. Then, tomorrow, while I'm in Bible study, they'll come and move the rest.

Such a lovely joke...

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog
I'm barely beginning this writing trade. Aside from the frequent "no thank you" letters, or sheer silence, there's this way to innoculate a new author against developing an unseemly swelled head--

For the last several months, I've known that three of my devotionals would be published in a newsletter distributed by my church denomination. This newsletter reaches churches in the United States and Canada. Today I received my author copies of the Winter 2006 issue.

My work appears on the back page, as is usual, but it has inadvertently been accredited to Heidi Boorman. I know the editor, I know my words when I read them, but I have no idea who Miss Heidi Boorman is.

I have options. The first one, I've taken, and informed the editor of the typo. My fiction oriented mind suggests I keep the pseudonym on file, for use when fame finally overwhelms me and I want to travel incognito.

More from today's lunch

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog

Linda Kaye also gave me a pretty hard back, spiral bound journal, with Scripture verses on the pages, to use for recording writing ideas. I put in something Ezra said on Monday night.

My friend Ann will be getting a new dog tomorrow, a little Yorkie/Maltese cross, to keep her Bichon Frise company. I get to ride along, and to hold the dog while she drives home. Right now, I'm afraid I'll sob all the way. My nieces and nephews give me little stuffed dogs (the latest a Cairn I named Ness), but the youngest ones are afraid of dogs, so I won't be having another wagging tail of my own any time soon.

Lunch with my friends today.

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog
We reserved a table today, and had it set for five. My friend Linda Kaye has come back from her Hawaiian cruise, and she gave us glimpses of her pleasures there. My little red umbrella has gone somewhere I haven't. She brought back some of the scents of the islands, and generously gave us bottles of lotions. My choice was the White Ginger, wonderfully spicy.

Marilyn slipped me a book of short stories by Irish women. I'm having a hard time leaving it untouched. Of course, I'm blogging instead of doing any of the work I could or ought to do.

I may move as early as 12 days from now. Right now, my flat is in that mind-twisting state I loathe. I've got packed boxes stacked on my desk, partially packed ones on the floor, and more to do, but no boxes to do it with. At least this time, I don't need to decide what things to leave behind. All of it goes with me.

(I asked the head chef if the kitchen staff could save me some boxes, and he will arrange it, but he also said he was going to nail my shoes to the floor so I couldn't leave.) It makes me cry.

So now that my place looks like a refugee's den, the management has brought up two prospective residents to see the place.

The rose pictures are still stacked on the floor where my brother put them; they never were hung. I've packed the Irish crystal and red glassware from my windowsill, and the coffee mugs and most of the other breakables. All the red and green suncatchers came out of the windows after dark, because I couldn't bear to do it in daylight. I had to mend one, and I consider it good practice with superglue. Another one may need to be reassembled by a professional, since the leading has cracked.

All my stuff surrounds me, but it feels like nobody lives here.

Heidi Dru Kortman's blog

Wednesday, November 29, 2006