What happened to July, August, and September? My last missive to you in June was filled with views toward the future but then my Filipino tropical bug bit me and laid me low for weeks and months on end. There were about two weeks in there that I was sure I was on my way to join Ms Hazel. I hated to leave such a dust covered, paper strewn house behind for others to put in order but there was little I could do. Death was imminient I was sure so I just turned over and went back to sleep.

Sleep has always been my way of dealing with unpleasantness.

Jackie King checked on me every day, either by telephone or in person. Norma Boone and Carol McCloud also checked frequently but the truth was, there was nothing anyone could do but let me die or live as the case might be.

And live it was! Hurrah!

So for my good friends and relatives at a distance, such as Virginia Torres, Carolyn Leonard, Carolyn Sue Chaney, and others who have inquired, here I am, almost fully recovered, walking slow but full of ginger. I even did a little exercise with weights this morning.

The only wonderful thing about my tropical bug was my complete loss of appetite. Nothing looked good or tasted good. That part of the whole affair was great. Jackie made me into a chicken soup addict but very little else passed my lips. Good for the figure; Bad for the energy level. I found I could function normally (and did) for minutes or even hours at times when it was required such as teaching classes, hostessing meetings, speaking to visitors, etc., but the little yellow truck shivered and ached and trembled all the way home from such activities and I fell immediately into bed, sometimes still wearing my "respectable" clothing.

But how boring! Talking about sickness is the most uninteresting of all conversations. Especially when it is one's own illness that is being discussed. Let's just forget about it.

CONTEST REVISITED

For you darling folks who sent in your guesses as to when I would finish CONFESSING FOR MONEY, we'll have to take another run at the book finishing date, say around December First or thereabouts? I'm working again. So please, please, Jo Etta Street, Jacqueline McMahon, Jackie King, Vickie McDonough, Carol McLoud, Annie and others whom I was too sick to record, please, guess again and the offer of an e disc of SALLY for the person or persons closest to the actual finish time still stands. Thanks good readers for sticking with me.

ROMANCE IS STILL ALIVE

Yeah. The romancers are still meeting at my house each month for their free fix. I'm pretty sure they never even realized they had an invalid on their hands. Their next meeting will be on October 21 at 7:00 pm and you're invited if you're a member of Tulsa NightWriters.

But hey! Even more romance is in the air. Remember the e book that I gave away through my newsletter starting in October of last year? It was called A STADIUM KIND OF LOVE.

Well, AWOC.COM is going to publish the book as an ebook very soon, then later as a paperback. Yay! I'll let you know how that project goes very soon, I hope.

AND ABOUT SOULMATES

The two who won an hour of my time for their offerings about soulmates, still haven't demanded their hour of my time and a good thing that was, folks, because only a shell of the former Peggy Moss Fielding was living here. So, Paula Gorgas of Poteau and Deborah Camp of Tulsa, I'm now poised and ready to serve you, even though I haven't written or sold the soulmate story... yet.

AND GOODBYE TO THE EX

Day before yesterday, Ray Fielding died of a heart attack in San Antonio, Texas. My stepdaughter (ex stepdaughter, real daughter of my heart) called me yesterday to let me know. I really loved that old boy as long as he allowed me to do so. I am sorry he is gone. I got a lot of mileage out of him over the years during articles written and seminars and classes held. He could always make me laugh. So thanks Ray Fielding, for almost everything.

AND HELLO TO YOU IN NOVEMBER

I'll get back to you next month unless I keel over and go to Heaven unexpectedly. Be assured, I'd rather stay here.