Jolene's Writings Around the Web

  2021 was not kind to a lot of people around the world. Just when we thought it was safe to go out more with or without our masks first, my father passed away after losing the fight with Leukemia in January. He did not want to be isolated in the hospital with no visitors, like so many patients were during the previous year. Plus, the entire medical community was just barely hanging on themselves, after being driven to the brink of exhaustion and really close to insanity. There just wasn’t enough personnel to help patients find their strength or even their will to live. There were very limited hospice nurses for home visits either. We had to rely on family members to stay with him, keep him clean, and administer his meds to help ease his passage. His wife’s daughters were such as help during this time as they both had a background in the medical fields.  After his passing, there was the inevitable in-fighting about what would happen to his body. His current wife took over all ...

Whether you love or hate the month of October it does tend to bring out strong feelings in most people. Floridians are not enamored with the month because September and October tend to be the busiest months for property destoying hurriances to sweep through. There are generally still mosquitoess, no-see-ums and knats about but also the love bugs are smashing into your windshield and front grill making a mess. To top it off it is generally still pretty warm the entire month. Unless we get some freak Artic blast dipping all the way down and pushing the hot air further into the Carribean we do not get a lot of cooler days or even nights. But there is always Halloween. No, I do not participate anymore with the holiday as my kids are all grown and my grandchildren are also grown as well. I only have two of those and have been told imfactically those will be the only ones I will have. And, at this rate I will probably not get a great-grandchild either. Anyway, I live out in rural Suwannee Co...

Just passed your midterms? - Celebrate! Just graduated from school? - Celebrate! - Just finished your first draft of that novel? - Celebrate! - for me the best way to celebrate is with Pizza and a Salad. I was never so happy than when the The Pizza Stone opened. Now I can call in my order and it will be ready for pickup by the time I get there - Fresh and Delicious - Thanks so much.  #ufcjconline What is your favorite pizza to order when you are celebrating something, have some extra cash or just need a pick-me-up to get you through the week? There are literary a million different ways to make a pizza! Factors contributing to the endless variations: Dough types: Different recipes exist for various styles, such as Neapolitan, New York, Sicilian, and Detroit-style pizza doughs.  Sauces: While tomato-based sauces are common, other options like white sauces, gravies and pesto are also used.  Toppings: The combination of available toppings, including various meats, vegetables,...

YES! I made it through the first day. I got all my assignments done and now I am listening to my only textbook online. There was a little snafu on getting access to that but with a flurry of emails between me, the textbook host, the university bookstore reps and someone else I cannot remember I finally have access to the book and have been listening to it this afternoon. I do love to create videos on PowerPoint and this is one of the three different introduction videos that each class wanted the students to create. I switch around some things, added a bit more to one than the other and of course the ever present question: "What do you hope to learn in the class" is different as well.   

  Check out one of my learning sessions I gave at the Writers Alliance of Gainesville Marketing Coalition group on Zoom. Now I may even be given a 45 to 90 minute talk at the 2026 Sunshine State Book Festival at their Writer's Day Conference the day before the festival. - (Oh My!!!) Yes, I will be graduating from Florida State College Jacksonville this month with my first bachelor's degree. You know it took 3 other tries and 40 years to get it. And YES! I have been accepted to the University of Florida - College of Journalism and Communication online masters program in Social Media! Now all I have to do is find the funds to pay for it all. I have been given the federal student loan limit for graduate students with will pay for tuition and books but I have to pay off the new Apple laptop (Baa Hum Bug!!) that I need to learn now to use efficiently as well as pay for some software to help me in my course. They were very sweet and gave me a $1500 per semester grant. (YEA! don't...

There are a lot of things happening in the world today that are just pressing on our hearts and minds. Why in the world humanity is such as dumpster fire I truly cannot comprehend some times. I mean, I get there are bad people and there are good people and then there are those just trying to figure it out. But the shear amount of creeps, Karens, and crooks who are bound and determined to destroy what they cannot possess is still so staggering. Common sense and decency seems to have been squashed and pushed aside for the majority who feel, "It is all about me!" and everyone else can just take a back seat and do without.  Since I do not have a solution to humanities stupidity or a magic wand that will allow me to erase all those who just do not really need to be on this earth a moment longer I think I will just say, "Have a great weekend", for my oldest son out there somewhere, "Happy Birthday and be safe", and finally all those brave souls out there who are...

In the Dystopian Worlds I have Read and in Real Life History We are Repeating Ourselves https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/tell-president-trump-and-elon-musk-hands-off-our-social-security Elon Musk's DOGE (the "so-called" Department of Government Efficiency), only cares about taking money from everyday people to line the pockets of himself and his billionaire buddies. Despite President Trump’s many campaign promises to serve the American people, he is not only allowing but endorsing Musk coming after your hard-earned Social Security benefits.  Since Trump's inauguration day, Elon Musk has been running amok to take away resources from programs like cancer and health care research, SNAP, Medicaid and Medicare and more. In just the last few weeks, Musk has used his platform on X to  spread outrageous lies  about Social Security to frame his pro-billionaire agenda as a righteous attack.  Congress, on both sides of the aisle, needs to fight back against the Trump administr...

Excerpt from the video and an upcoming blog post on my Workamping-In-Florida blog .   Challenges and Triumphs on the Road One of the significant challenges Debra faced was a health issue in 2023, where she encountered a blood clot in her brain. Requiring hospitalization, this experience momentarily halted her writing pursuits. However, it also taught her the importance of making her books accessible through formats like large print and audiobooks. Being on the road comes with unique challenges, notably the inconsistency of internet access. To overcome this, Debra and her husband invested in Starlink, which helped maintain connectivity to manage her writing and publishing business. Additionally, she embraced dictation tools to capture her thoughts while on the move, ensuring her creative process was not hindered by the bumps and jolts of travel. Check out her Website :  https://debraparmley.com/