Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

Scary, swirly-looking weather patterns have torn the 2025 finish-line ribbon to shreds. Thank goodness the FLL (Fixin’ Leaks and Leaks) Headquarters has a new roof and a back-up generator. The back-up power system is courtesy of Nate’s electric car (which is not a Tesla). Not sure how the technology works, but the energy for charging the car stores up in a hicketty-do (battery?), so when the power’s knocked out, our house still has electricity for about three days if we don’t run the oven, the dishwasher, or the washer/dryer. Also, we turn off all the lights and use candles to simulate an actual power outage for funsies—and also to conserve energy for when we really, really need it—like baking cookies for this blog (Nate).

So it’s been a good year home-improvement wise, especially since I didn’t DIY any of it. (That’s why the title for this post is “Still Alive in 2025.”)

Other Things I Did

• Wrote 52 short stories with 24 acceptances and 24 publications in literary magazines. (Some stories were published/written in 2024 and got published in 2025. Also, I got lots of rejections, but I “forgot” to count them.)
• Finished writing a full-length horror novel and got it accepted for publication by a traditional, independent publisher. (The book won’t be out for a while, though.)
• Signed on to edit about eight different manuscripts for Running Wild Press.
• Participated in the Running Wild Press “Ask Us Anything” panels, which stream live on social media every Thursday from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Pacific Time. (You can see me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X as I say things like this: “My method for editing is the Roomba method. I’ll spend hours mapping out your manuscript, while bumping my head on corners before I even touch the mess that’s in the middle.”).
• Became a contest and priorities editor for Flash Fiction Magazine.
• Joined the social media team for Literary Mama
• Finally got all menopausal with hot flashes and everything. Apparently, hot flashes can happen even while you’re exercising in an unheated garage on a frigid day:
• Nate, when he sees me, wearing just a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, heading to the treadmill in the garage: “Aren’t you going to get cold?” Me: “Nope. Every fifteen minutes, while running, I get hot flashes, and I’m hoping you’re nearby to open the garage door and let all the ice and snow in, but I’m just trying so hard NOT to be a jerk.”
• Gave up my Coca-Cola in the morning—my only source of caffeine. And I feel…eerily calm. Instead of a Coke, I’m having…breakfast. A real breakfast. With eggs and cheese. So, I no longer crave as much sugar. I’m no longer HANGRY. Still menopausal, though. But I do have vitamins, which a doctor gave me: Vitamin C, B12, Zinc, Magnesium, and Calcium. I’m supposed to also be sprinkling kelp powder on salads, but I’ve decided I hate kelp powder, so that’s not happening.

Things I was Supposed to Do in 2025

• Get myself a pleather skirt. (Mission accomplished!)
• Spend more time with my pandemic weighted blanket. (Didn’t happen. Alex has it. It’s his now, but I bought myself another one, which is in a drawer in my office, but I do have it just in case.)
• Strap on a fanny pack. (Nope. I once came close with a Rick Steves “money belt,” and I ripped that thing off in a bathroom in London the minute I landed. You’re supposed to discreetly wear it under your shirt. Dude, I’m already wearing a bra. I just can’t strap anything else under a shirt without it itching—even if it doesn’t go over a bra. There’s only room in my life for one thing under my shirt, and it’s not your money belt, Rick!)

Plans for 2026

• I’m heading back to the pool! I’ve signed up to do water aerobics two times a week at the local Y.
• Last year, I played around with the idea of drum lessons, but I got bored with the introductory videos. However, I found a new one that was fun, so I might do something with drumming—but I won’t get a whole drum set. It’s too much of an investment, and I have nowhere to put it. So, bongos it is! I’m going to attempt to learn to play the bongos.

And, I think that’s enough for now. That’s enough goals. I’ll be noodling along the shallow end, perfecting my mermaid moves and banging on the bongos to dry off.

Cheers to more dolphin kicks in 2026!

Your Turn: What brought you joy in 2025? What do you look forward to in 2026?