When I named this blog site, I chose "Roundheads" because I was writing about my Civil War favorites, the 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment. My Twitter ID, "Roundheadlady" came from the fact that I was the only woman writing about them. My great uncle James McCaskey was a sergeant in that regiment, and the heroine of Beyond All Price was Nellie Chase, the regiment's nurse. I meant the "Ramblings" part of the name to refer to my verbal ramblings as I discussed whatever topic caught my fancy. Unfortunately, the world seems to have taken me all too literally. This Roundheadlady has some actual rambling to do, and it's going to play havoc with my writing schedule. You are hereby warned. Somehow I have managed to over-schedule the next 28 days of my life. In that 4-week period, I will be spending 16 nights in 9 different hotels. Travel arrangements include 2 road trips, 4 flights, a train ride, and 3 bus trips. I'm attending 3 conferences: one huge one (2000 people) where I'll be seeing dozens of good friends; one medium one (150 people) where I won't know a soul; one small one (50 people) where I'll know everyone. There will be 3 formal banquets, and 5 other dinner meetings. I will be presiding over 3 Lions Club meetings and attending 2 others. I'm also scheduled to participate on a conference panel, give a TV interview, and do a book signing. I'm hoping for time to visit with a long-lost cousin, check a family cemetery, see a grizzly bear or a moose, and discover gold. Luckily I have two people to help out along the way -- a cooperative husband to do some of the driving and the heavy lifting of books and suitcases, and a wonderful cat sitter who will keep the home fires burning and the feline members of the family fed, groomed, medicated, and suitably pampered. What I will NOT have is the opportunity to keep this blog rolling during September. I'm hoping for occasional internet access for Twittering, Facebook updating, and checking e-mail, but there will be days -- and one entire week -- when even that will be impossible. If you subscribe to this feed, don't despair. I'll be back in four weeks. In the meantime, catch up now and then on Twitter or Facebook. If you're desperate for a good read, jump over and check out my other occasional blog, "On the Road to Frogmore," where I've been posting some outtakes from my work-in-progress. Thanks for following so faithfully, and even more thanks for understanding my need to take a short break. I'll be back in October with news about my trips and a report on the progress of my self-publishing handbook. Until then, stay safe, everyone, and keep reading and writing! |
