If we were having coffee together, I would tell you about the weather. Another Nor’easter blew onto Long Island, the third one in two weeks.  Although my neck of the woods did not get more than three inches of snow, the east end was clobbered, closing schools for another boring snow day. I’ll be making up class time until the very end of June. The beaches took a hit. I am anxious to hear how my favorite Fire Island beaches fared.

If we were having coffee together, I would tell you about my meeting with my writer gals this week. We are a group of three who regularly gather just to talk about writing, read our stories, and recharge our focus. We haven’t met in over a month, so there was a lot of catch up. It helps to talk out loud about writing with those who appreciate the journey and can offer advice, feedback, and affirmation.

If we were having coffee together, I would mention that I signed up for the 2018 Blogging A-Z  challenge. My theme is Food Stories because there is always a story behind a recipe, a meal, or favorite nosh. It might be a crazy idea to commit to 26 days of daily blogging.  My house is bound to be more neglected and juggling one more thing—a demanding thing may make me more cranky. But, I would like to see if I have the stamina. It would also give me some fodder for my Stories Served webpage and pull my attention to more writing rather than wondering how I could ever master marketing and promoting my book.

If we were having c#offee together, I would report that my Get-n-Giving fundraiser for METAvivor has ended. $355 was raised from donating $5 from each Hug Everyone You Know book I had sold from January 17th to March 17th. METAvivor funds metastatic breast cancer (MBC) research through a scientific peer-review process.  100% of all donations go into MBC research grants. Grateful hug-filled thanks go out to all who participated and gave generously.

If we were having coffee together, I would look out my kitchen window. Snow edges the yard, and frost glistens on the patio table. It is St. Patrick’s Day. The local parades happened last weekend, but New York City will be decked in green and bagpipes will fill the cold air. I am staying home to put up my version of corned beef, onion, carrots, and cabbage in a crockpot so it can cook in the dark beer all day. No one can claim that this Italian can’t improve on boiled meat.

Have a good weekend, everyone. Make it great.

Antoinette Truglio Martin is the author of Hug Everyone You Know: A Year of Community, Courage, and Cancer. The memoir is a wimpy patient’s journey through her first year of breast cancer treatment.

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