Bagels and bologna

Yesterday marked the third anniversary of Dear Hubby's death. He fought stage 4 melanoma for 10 months and died peacefully at home, with those he loved around him.

In some ways, it seems like forever. Incredibly supportive of my writing, he died before my first book was published. I like to think that he's looking down from a cloud somewhere, nodding his head and saying, "About time,  babe."

In other ways, it seems like yesterday. Every so often I come across a piece of his clothing in the closet, and there are times I roll over in the night and pat his side of the bed, forgetting he isn't there.

Since he's not here to read this, I can confess that I have a thing for bad boy heroes and, yeah, he was kinda the impiration. He was, after all, the ultimate bad boy when I met him. Being young, impressionable and in love, I loved to hear his stories of derring-do -- street racing and fist fights mostly. And yes, like my heroines, I helped tame him a little. He was a great husband, a wonderful father and a dependable friend.

Darling Hubby never met a stranger. He held court on our front porch, chatting with everyone who walked by. It wasn't unusual for me to come home and find the neighbors sitting on the wide porch rail while Hubby sat in his favorite porch chair smoking his pipe,.

My kids have always joked that they never starved when I went out of town. Their dad had a limited cooking repertoire -- eggs, fried potatoes, hamburgers and bologna sandwiches -- but he always made plenty of it.

Last night, my critique group  met at a local coffee shop, so I ordered a bagel in honor of Hubby, who loved their cinnamon-raisin variety. And tomorrow, to commemorate Hubby's lasting influence on our lives, the kids and I are having lunch together after church.

The menu?

Bologna on white bread with mustard and thick slices of onion and potato salad, his very favorite.

Where did the decade go?

My wise grandmother warned me once that the older you get, the faster time goes. I understand now, since it seems like only yesterday I was greeting 2010 and now here we are, in the second decade of the 21st century.
I suppose I ought to make some resolutions. But we all know, don't we, that I'll never keep them. I fear I'm too impulsive for long-term change.
I am not, however, without discipline. That's good, since I have two books to finish for publication this year. The first is Blood Oath, the fourth in my Shadow Ancient series. I love my vampires, I really do, but I'm moving in a different direction with Claimed.
That one, which will come out in the second half of 2011, includes our mysterious Guardian Protective Services, better known as the agency. But the heroine is half-Valkerie, on the run with a jaded free agent for Guardian who connects himself to her with an ancient Sumarian binding spell.
2010 was a great year for me as a writer, but it was also pretty good personally. Despite last year's lack of resolutions, I managed to lose a little weight, I've whittled down my debts and managed to clean out a good chunk of the basement.
All in all, a pretty good year ... and I'm waiting in anticipation to see what the new year begins.