If you can’t beat them, join them!
A few weeks ago, when I felt so down and defeated about someone else’s book that is going to be a movie, a Linked-In business friend wrote this to me: If you can’t beat them, join them. And I thought, what can I do that stands out, so that my book gets more publicity, without hiring a professional marketer or spend money on expensive ads? The same friend, at the same time, recommended a way to promote Rising from the Shadow of the Sun in the Media. How lucky could I be?
I started with pictures and text from my book on Facebook and Linked-In. And now, since March 8, I have had a daily promotion running on both sites. On Linked-In the posts get views, and on Facebook many friends share my posts. I discovered that many friends, although they know about my book, have not read it, or they have read my first book In the Shadow of the Sun, published in 1992. But after that, I added historical facts I found through more research, as well as personal things, so Rising from the Shadow of the Sun is definitely worth reading. I highly recommend it to those of you, followers of my Blog, if you haven’t read it yet. Also, I would love a review on Amazon from you if you haven’t done that yet. You can do it under a pseudonym so your privacy is protected, and it is really easy. I don’t want to sound pushy, because I am very grateful for all the reviews I already have, but I just thought I should mention it 🙂
Spring
Everywhere white-blossomed trees are gracing the landscape. Around our pond the whole white tree circle is in bloom. And pink buds are bursting open on the tree by our bedroom window. Gorgeous! Very soon now all the “dead” bushes and trees will be green again and fill the area between the back yard and the freeway, so that the traffic becomes invisible. These days, when I let Lani out of the back door to quickly go potty, she goes to the fence and starts barking at all the traffic she sees. Never even hearing my command to come in for her breakfast, she barks and barks. I’m afraid she will wake up the whole neighborhood! So now, I put on shoes and wrap my robe tighter around me and put her on the leash to go out, so I can reel her in after her shi-shi (That is what we call a #1 for girls in Hawai’i. For boys we call it pi-pi).
Arthritis?
In 2008, my right hand was so painful because of arthritis that I could not do anything with it. I learned to do things with my left hand, because the pain did not let up. Then our neighbor recommended Original CMO. I ordered it online and used it for three weeks. Pills, accompanied with a strict diet: no coffee, tea, wine, red meat, night shade vegetables and more. A month after the three weeks my hand was normal again and I have been pain free ever since! That was eleven years ago. I was so excited and recommended it to many of my friends. But they could not stick to the diet and it did not work. Until our handyman, who was going to retire because of the arthritis in his hands, was so desperate that he followed the instructions to the letter and…it worked! He was delighted.
Two weeks ago, I noticed swelling in one index finger, and a thickening joint. Could I have arthritis again? I searched the internet and finally found a phone number for the company. Alas! They are going to close their business at the end of this month. They were out of the pills but they had cream, which would have the same results, the secretary said. So I ordered two jars and hope they will cure my arthritic finger, and hope too that it will last just as long.
A Celebration
We celebrated March 15 (the day we met 62 years ago) with an “Indonesian” dinner on the 16th at the family’s. I cooked lemper and krupuk, got saté at Costco and made the delicious peanut sauce to go with it. I’m lucky to have found a small Asian store about 2 miles away and they have a lot of Indonesian spices. I served a crisp kale salad with it ( from Trader Joe’s, just around the corner) and large chocolate chip cookies for dessert. So with a little cheating we had a delicious dinner and the family loved it. I had to borrow an electric frying pan from someone in one of the cottages down the street to fry the krupuk, and I had to be very inventive to steam the 6 cups of sticky rice, because all I have left is a small rice cooker. But it worked!
Sadness
I got to know the old couple in the cottage three doors down from us. I became friends with the sweet lady by the name of Madeline. We met at the Club when there was entertainment, and always at brunch on Sundays. I had not seen her for a while and walked over for a visit. I found her in bed, looking lovely but very frail. There were cards and balloons in her room and she told me she had just celebrated her 90th birthday. Aww, I could have known that if I had looked at the member directory. When I left I promised to bring her something as a belated birthday gift. I bought daffodils at Trader Joe’s and dropped them off, arranged in one of my vases. A week later, figuring the daffodils would be gone, I bought another bunch. At home I cut them to size again so the caregiver didn’t have to do anything, just plop them in the vase. I repeated that a third time, asking the caregiver to put them so Madeline could see them from her bed. I heard then that she was not doing well at all and, peeking around the corner, I could see the end was near. She passed away peacefully, so much like the lady she was, on Sunday afternoon; I heard it today. Sad days for the family, and I will miss her too, because we had become so close this past year.
Life goes on, and we are blessed to be healthy.
Until next time,
Ronny