where have you been?!?!

I've been depressed. That's where I've been. I don't write when I'm depressed so I thought it best to stay away from the blog for a while. It's a shame really that I stay away from writing when I feel bad because writing always makes me feel better....but, and this is a big but, nobody likes to read depressing stuff. Several years ago two people at work were pressing me to write another story. I was way too depressed to write anything but they were persistent. I finally broke down and hammered out a story during my lunch break. I sent it to them and they both asked me not to write anything so dark and sinister again. Ergo, (and I learned that word working crossword puzzles) I don't write when I'm depressed. Speaking of crossword puzzles, I've grown into a fan during the past couple of weeks. I hated crosswords growing up. In fact, I hated all forms of puzzles or word games. It was too much like doing homework. Now I love them and wish I had discovered them years ago. I visited a very distinguished and aged woman in the hospital a few weeks ago. Normally these visits go very quickly because older patients tend to not make eye contact while they're busy studying their bedsheets or they are trying to convince me I should sneak them out of the hospital and drive them to one of their children's homes in Lake Dallas. This visit lasted nearly an hour. I tried many times to end the visit and stay within the 9 minute max as recommended by the volunteer program but it was no use. I wasn't going to leave this woman's room until she had told me everything she knew....and she knew a lot. At one point I mentioned how good her memory was and how quick-witted she was "for a woman her age". Of course I worded it differently but she knew what I meant. She then told me she had followed the advice of her dad when she was a little girl following behind him in the cotton fields. He looked back at her one hot, dry day and told her not to waste all her time just walking and picking. She should exercise her brain while she worked. She has always done that. After her retirement as an investigator for the state, tracking down cattle and horse theives no less, she decided she needed to do crossword and word-find puzzles to stay sharp. I stopped at the Half-Price Bookstore on my way home from the hospital and stocked up. I've been working the puzzles every night while we watch TV and I must say I do feel a little bit more sharp. Can YOU come up with a 5 letter word for "more spartan"? Uh-huh, sure. I know you looked it up! You might want to head on down to the bookstore and get yourself busy. You don't want to spend your waning years staring at your bedsheets.