Come on, friends. Let's get happy.

My birthday occurs this week. It's a  time I like to shop for new clothes until I drop. This year I asked my daughter to take me fishing. Yes, we socially distanced. No, I didn't catch any fish, but we had a great time. At my age, why do I need so many clothes anyway? I just need to deal with the shrinkage they're experiencing from hanging in my closet.

You may think it's impossible to be happy because of circumstances. Sunday night I was thinking about writing this blog just to tell you why I'm happy. First we wanted to take a quick walk, but it appeared that a storm was coming. I came back home in time to hear on the radio that a hail storm with 60 mph wind gusts was headed toward us.  We've had two powerful hail storms lately, I'm thankful we've cleaned out enough of the garage to park the car inside.

The storm didn't come, and I decided to take out the garbage. Here's what happened next. The garbage bag popped open for some mysterious reason and dumped the garbage on the floor. So I decided to sweep up the garbage, but John had moved one of the plants and dropped the saucer under the pot. He was busy sweeping up the glass at the front door.

By then, I started thinking maybe this wasn't the night to blog about all the circumstances that make me happy, and John said something profound. He said, "I'm going to be as strong and upright as the bench.

Oh, here comes the storm.

 In this crazy time when life has a new set of rules, what are  you doing to stay happy? I'd love to hear from you.

My niece suggested we have a food service deliver us a package of meal kits every week. She and her mother have been enjoying doing this. We cook like we've never cooked before.

I'm writing more and faster than ever. Jodi Hockinson, of Southeast Media Productions, is helping me reproduce Manuela Blayne, A Life Apart, a short book about an African American girl, who endures an incredibly horrible life lacking in opportunity. She knows the secret of happiness. I first wrote this short novel in 2015, and I'm really excited that Southeast Media Productions is breathing new life into it and giving it a new cover. When it is released, I'll mention it here in the Collard Patch blog.

Also I'm writing a novel about the flu pandemic of 1918 during World War I. Conditions then were similar to what we're going through now. I've been reading about influenza and the first world war.

John is gardening and learning to play tuba. We enjoy our life together.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18, KJV)

Seriously, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what you've been doing. You can always reach me on Facebook Messenger.