Home
>
Writing
>
When I Grow Up

When I Grow Up

I've just come back to work after nine glorious, sun-drenched days at home. This year, vacation was the week of July 4th. We stayed home instead of dashing off to a cottage on a lake. Aside from saving a few thousand bucks, I had plans! Amazing plans! Projects galore, and the gumption to tackle every one of them!

I planned to weed every garden on the grounds. There would be no stragglers left standing when I was through! I would relocate the strawberry and raspberry beds to new locations. That, in itself, would be no small feat, since they are massive. Massive, and loaded with weeds, I might add. I would rototill a whole new border garden by the roadside and move the choked peonies and sundrops to a new home. It would be splendid! Superb! Riotous with color!

And, best of all, I would completely scour my proofs for Upstaged, the second book in the LeGarde Mystery Series. Due "any day now," I'd been promised that they'd arrive just in time for my carefully planned hiatus. When finished with Upstaged, I'd work on Counterpoint, the ninth book, and write until my fingers cramped or I became a mummified author, glued to the laptop with a glazed expression of delight on my ugly mug. I was psyched! I was ready! I was bursting with energy!

On top of the lofty goals for garden and books, I planned to spend every possible second with my grandsons. Julian, two and a half, is a whirling dervish who actually helps me in the gardens and keeps up a constant, delightful chatter that offers true companionship. He attacks the weeds with relish, and has begun to recognize the difference between the bean plants and the pigweed. Gordon, one and a half, toddles around happily, playing with the dirt and water and the sandbox until he is covered in mud. Both boys beg for rides on the lawn tractor, and we spend many an hour riding around the grounds, ducking beneath low hanging branches and plucking ripe gooseberries and blueberries from the bushes that we pass. The boys provide superb inspiration for my characters in the LeGarde mysteries. Gus, the protagonist, is blessed with three grandchildren. I soak up as much detail as possible when I'm with those little ones. Aside from the soul-quenching love that I receive, they keep me hopping.

All right. Back to the plan. How did it turn out? What vacation ever turns out as planned? Who's ever accomplished all of the things on their long "To Do" list? The gardens were finally weeded to completion. They'll stay that way for a few weeks. I never did move the major beds or start the roadside flower show. We picked and cooked gourmet feasts with cukes, zucchini, beans, beets, kale, peas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and more. I spent hours with my little buddies, lolling in the sun, floating in the pool, and digging in the dirt. Julian learned to jump in the water and go under! Gordon munched on Blue Lake beans and added to his vocabulary. I enjoyed a successful book signing at Borders. And I wrote like the wind.

Upstaged didn't arrive ? matter of fact, it's now due tomorrow, the day I return to work! But I polished up Mazurka, which is due to my new publisher soon, anyway. It's ready to go and should be out in November.

I'll be back to work in the morning. Glad to see my friends, but cringing at the thought of losing this amazing sense of freedom. As I've been sitting here writing this, it struck me. THIS is what I want to do when I grow up! Forget about that engineering stuff, I want to stay home! To spend time outside! To write! To cook! To love my grandbabies! To create roller coaster stories, ripe with life and endearing characters, to be passionate and alive and free!

Sigh. When I grow up, I want to be? retired!

Aaron Paul Lazar lives in Upstate New York with his wife, three daughters, two grandsons, mother-in- law, two dogs, and three cats. After writing in the early morning hours, he works as an electrophotographic engineer at NexPress Solutions in Rochester, New York. Additional passions include gardening, preparing large family feasts, photography, cross-country skiing, playing a distinctly amateur level of piano, and spending "time" with the French Impressionists whenever possible.

This article is from the "Seedlings" Column, found in "The Back Room" newsletter at: http://www.bobburdick.com/thebackroom/current_issue.htm

Altho ugh he adored raising his three delightful daughters, Mr. Lazar finds grandfathering his "two little buddies" to be one of the finest experiences of his life. Double Forte', the first in the series, was published in January 2005. Upstaged, number two, will be released in August 2005. Mazurka, number three, is scheduled for November 2005 release. With eight books under his belt, Mr. Lazar is currently working on the ninth, which features Gus LeGarde and his famil

no-contract cleaning service Mundelein ..

In The News:

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

When I Grow Up

Writing