I am so glad you’re reading my newsletter! Thank you so much.
I was silent for a few weeks here for a kaleidoscope of reasons. Here is a bit of an update of recent things I’ve done, gone through, will be going through soon, & some happy things, too!
💵 Paid Subscribers 💷 🪙
First - for paid subscribers:
Thank you for paying for a subscription to my newsletter! I am subsisting on a paltry, fixed income. Your paid subscription to my newsletter helps me financially. I truly appreciate it.
When I take a break, I pause the subscribers. So folks who paid me get that extra time at the end of their subscription. I think every subscriber now has 3 weeks or a month at the end of their yearly subscription added on. So you won’t get billed for weeks I didn’t send anything.
Second - what’s been going on with me?
✈️ Travel updates ✈️
I finished my summer travel. I still haven’t shared much about the trip in my newsletters. I intend to. I just haven’t had the clarity in my head with all the other things going on in my head, too.
In late August, I went to San Diego with a friend. She’s going through a rough time, so she flew me out there to visit with her. We had a lovely time exploring San Diego. My favorite part of the trip was sitting on the beach - we could see Mexico in the distance!
I have travel coming up in the middle of October, and again in the middle of December. Other than that, I think I am home with my dogs for the most part right now, during this favorite season of each year - Autumn.
🎧 - Podcast update - 🎧
In August, I recorded music for the “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone” podcast. My brother, Tim, has been pushing me to do this for a few years. It’s a fun project. The last song I recorded as “An American in Paris,” which was timed to come out with the podcast during the final days of the Paris Olympics. Not sure if anyone noticed, but I enjoyed doing that little detail for my House Band recordings. Tim’s latest podcast came out last week. If you listen to the two podcasts, be aware that there is some salty language in the recordings. AND - Tim and I have a bit of a banter in between the 2 episodes, in our own way. Tim and I are endlessly amused by how these came out.
Paula’s podcast, with me as the house-band, can be found here:
Paula’s podcast, with my brother, Tim Crump as the house-band, can be found here:
🚙 Road Trip 🚗 🏍️
In early September, I went to the Evel Kneival Museum in Topeka, Kansas. I remember when Evel Kneival was on every magazine cover and newspaper front page while I was growing up in the 1970s. He was a big deal! As a little kid, I mixed him up with Elvis - because they both wore those white jump suits with vivid colors. They both had outlandish personalities and did newsworthy things. And their names were both short, 2 syllable names that started with the letter “E.”
I found out maybe in late July that there is an Evel Kneival Museum in Topeka, Kansas. And I knew I had to go. The museum closes on November 2, to be moved to Las Vegas. So I had a deadline.
I asked family in the Kansas City area if they wanted to join me at the museum, and they did! They are about 10 years younger than I am, so I am not sure how much of the exhibits resonated with them the way they did with me. But they definitely enjoyed the museum!
Okay, enough about that for now. I have other things I want to cover in this newsletter, too!
🩺 Physical Pain 🩺
So, the week after going to the museum, my back went out. It happens to me every few years. My spine gets pushed very badly and I am in constant pain. I go from “Jodi who has interests and hobbies” to “Jodi who is in survival mode worried about how she will get from the bed to the bathroom.” It was difficult to deal with. It took up 2 weeks of my life. This was when I paused the subscriptions for the newsletter. I apologize I didn’t send a message, but I was in survival mode and couldn’t keep any productive thoughts in my head.
A friend reminded me about a chiropractor who I visited before when this happened to me a few years ago. This chiropractor set me straight. He hooked me up to a TENS machine which is an adventure all by itself. Then he cracked me left and right and got me able to walk mostly upright.
A week later, I went back, and he did all of that again. And over the next few days, the swelling went down and I’m mostly back to normal again now. Thank goodness!
🎻 Orchestra Update! 🎶
A few days ago, I had an orchestra concert with the Delano Chamber Orchestra in the Delano district of Wichita, Kansas. We had practice every week. I have a new stand partner! She moved to Wichita, Kansas in April, from Michigan, I think. She has family in this area and it was the right next step for her to move here. She and I hit it off and I look forward to having lunch with her at some point in the future. Our concert was this past Sunday. It was lovely! We played music inspired by the quiet, calm music played when you ask any smart device to play relaxing music.
I am also in another orchestra - this music is all western themed. This orchestra is the Southwestern Kansas Orchestra in Winfield, Kansas. Our concert is at the end of October. Winfield, Kansas is known for their annual Bluegrass Festival. I wanted to go this year, but between my back and the fact that tickets are over $100, I just couldn’t even think about attending. I do go to Winfield now and then and join their monthly Bluegrass jams, though.
[Above is a photo of Jodi holding her violin, sitting at her music stand. Behind her are musicians taking a break, chatting, looking at their phones, and such. Music stands and various musical instruments can be seen in the background.]
✍️ Dad’s Books 📘
One thing I keep on my plate in life is my dad’s projects. I’m hoping to finish typing up what I call “My dad’s Goal Book.” I found a journal he had been writing in, and realized it’s actually a book he was writing. The book is incomplete, but I will write the last of it with my own goals and how they are going. It will be a 2 part book - first half is my dad suggesting strategies and how they are guiding his life while he succeeds at some of the goals he set for himself. The 2nd half of the book will be an update about his goals, and then me trying his strategies and some of my own, watching me succeed at goals I have set, too.
My dad’s writing is enjoyable to read. His writing style is a lot like mine. You can see the most recent book of his that I published here. The book is available on Kindle.
[A photo of the book cover for Stuart F Crump’s book, “How to Travel Through Time. The image is black and light-filled blue, like light streaks, cars driving off into the distance.]
📽️ Dad’s Projects 🎤
I also have other projects I am working on - compiling my dad’s audio tapes and reel-to-reel tapes and home movies on movie reel. Writing projects, music projects, and trying to get them all digital thanks to Kodak. Now if only I could get off my duff and get those to the post office so they can be digitized. That’s probably a 3+ step process, because it’s expensive, and there is so much of it! It will be worth it once it’s all done, though. I look forward to sharing the digital files with my brothers and with folks like you who might be interested in them!
🤘 Bob Dylan & My Dad 🎸🪀
Somewhere in his collection is an interview he did of Bob Dylan. This particular interview was of such importance, that my dad is in one of his biographies. I have it around here somewhere. I’m sure I will write another newsletter about that at some point in the future.
📦 Declutter & Focus - Simplify My Life! 💡📦
Also, I have hired a new-to-the-area declutter expert! She is helping me cull my belongings and make a work area for me where I can work on all of my projects. Two more visits with her and I should have a lot more space to work on my goals and projects! I’m excited!
I have donated so much stuff, including clothing that’s now about 3 sizes too big - because while I ballooned up after heart surgery, during my divorce, during covid, and while moving and being home-insecure for a bit of time, couch surfing and even sleeping in my car, I am in a better place now and losing weight. I am so glad I held on to a lot of the smaller clothes. I did donate the nice work clothes because I can’t work anymore. But I have the more casual clothes, so I’m glad I don’t have to buy new ones right now!
🧑⚖️ Court 🧑⚖️
I have a court hearing at the end of October which may take up a lot of my time in October, so I’m not sure how much I will be writing during October. I hope to write several newsletters today (Tuesday, October 1 as I am typing this now) & tomorrow, to run through the end of October every week. We shall see if I am able to do that!
🥅 Goals & Focus 🧘♀️
Readers who have been with me since the beginning of 2024 or sooner may remember that one of my first 2 newsletters in January, 2024 shared that I had to carefully examine my priorities for the year. I would love to be able to do 80+ things in my life, but alas, my body and my brain only let me do a few things. So I’ve had to let go of many things I used to do - like jewelry making, calligraphy, sewing, knitting, making soap, lotion, makeup, and a whole bunch of other fun things.
I decided my focus needs to be on writing (thank you, SubStack for this platform!), playing violin, and art.
I haven’t started doing art yet this year, and now we’re into October !!
So I have gathered a lot of my art supplies with the gal who is helping me declutter, and I hope to start making some kind of little art every day very soon. I look forward to sharing my art with you as I make it & improve!
Thank you, again, for reading my newsletter.
I have some other updates to share, but they will come with time. This newsletter is long enough!