I took this photo last summer at a friend’s farm and it’s one of my favorites. My challenge to you is to take twenty minutes to write a short scene that could take place in this location at this exact moment in time? Please feel free to share in the comments and have fun with it!
Over the weekend, we finally went camping. It was a long overdue getaway due to about a million other things going on this summer, but if you know anything about me at all, you know that I love camping so I was eager for it. I haven’t posted Tuesday Photos in a while so it seemed logical that I should stop by and share our most recent excursion with you. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed living the moments…
First of all, no trip down memory lane would be complete with a photo of the campsite… The tent is brand new. Don’t you love it? I do too although we soon discovered that they just don’t make them like they used to. I bought my previous tent in 1998 and it lasted me thirteen years. It had nice, sturdy metal pools to actually hold the thing up. The new tent, while light and roomy, has very flimsy pools that we don’t suspect will last very long. Just to prove our point, one of the rain fly pools already snapped while we were taking it down. Ah well, what can you do, right? Hopefully Coleman will be kind enough to replace it free of charge. After all, it’s only the first time we’ve used the tent and we were being very careful.
(My little doggie friend looks so lost and lonely in this photo!)
I love trees. Here we see the sun trying to peek through the tops. Saturday it struggled to show itself through the clouds so these rare glimpses were worth photographing.
These puffy things always signal late summer / early fall to me, kind of like seeing fat, fuzzy caterpillars. I don’t know what they’re called but I think they’re pretty.
A view of the quiet lake during late day. I love the way the water reflects the trees. And wow, look at all those clouds. I am happy to report, however, that it didn’t rain a drop on us all weekend.
Last but not least, I include this photo from a hike through the woods. Those big, beautiful trees beckon me…
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the adventures. Be sure to check back tomorrow to share a different kind of adventure. I will be posting a sneak peek into the new novel Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings. It is your chance to read all of chapter one before the official book release in September!
I can’t believe we’re into the last Sunday in July already. Where did the summer go? Needless to say, I’m still very much wrapped up in the rewriting of my WIP, Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings, and getting ready for a month-long editing process in August where I will break the story down chapter by chapter and make sure all the pieces are in the right place. After that is said and done, it’s clean-up time. I’ll comb through the manuscript several more times before it’s suitable for human eyes, or ghost eyes even.
But wait … that doesn’t stop me from sharing my little snippets during our Six Sentence Sunday fun day! I love participating and I love reading what other creative authors share on their own blogs. Want to check them out with me? Make sure you click HERE to visit the official Six Sunday website with a list of all participants.
Last week I posted the first six sentences of the novel. Today I jump forward a smidgeon and present you with a brief interaction between Brianna and Greer. Now that Dan has proposed, Greer is determined to make Brianna understand the danger she faces by marrying him…
***
“I’m trying to understand,” she said hoping to ease the tension between them.
“And don’t even think about children,” he said practically choking on the word, “You probably wouldn’t survive having one of his kind.”
“One of his kind,” she repeated with a sigh, imaging a smaller version of the Greek god that slept by her side. She decided she could do worse as long as their children took after their father in looks. It was not an entirely unappealing thought.
***
Ah the dilemma she faces… she is finally presented with the perfect man who wants her as much as she wants him but now she’s being told she can’t go through with it. What’s a girl to do?
Hope you’ll stop back next week for more…
I plead insanity.
After a sleepless night, I’m trying to remember why it was such a great idea to get a puppy and I can’t come up with anything other than I must have been insane. Our little bundle of fur is thirteen weeks old today. He’s spent four weeks of his life with us and we’ve been pretty good about setting up a consistent routine, as much as we can manage being summer and all. So why, oh why, did he suddenly decide that instead of going into his crate and sleeping, like he’s always done every other night, that he would stay awake crying, whining, and barking? All. Night. Long.
By 5:30 this morning, I got up and shooed him outside, a little too late to get sleep, but if I didn’t get a break from the barking then I was going to start screaming and/or do something I’d later regret. I’m not exactly brimming with patience, you see, and it’s taking everything I’ve got to manage him during the day as it is. I need those precious nighttime hours to recuperate and if I don’t get them, gosh darn it, I am not going to be a girl you want to face in the morning.
So then, what are we doing wrong? Is it just a one-off bad night with quieter nights ahead?
Oh, darling doggie, curled up and sleeping peacefully as I type, don’t you get it into your head that I’m going to let you sleep all day. Ooooooooooooooooooh no…. I have very different plans for you today. If we’re going to make this thing work then things will need to change. Don’t think those cute puppy dog eyes are going to change a thing either.
I can’t complain too much. As far as puppies are concerned, he’s been pretty good so far. As long as he doesn’t potty in the house (so far, so good) and he doesn’t eat the children (still working on that one) then I consider it a good day. The icing on the cake would be no barking but well, he is a dog, and I understand sometimes it’s going to happen. I like to think I’m pretty easy-going for the most part. I didn’t even freak out when muddy paws raced across my kitchen…
But this nighttime thing is a different story. I need my sleep. No other way around it.
If you don’t see me around, it’s because I’m taking the dog for a walk or chasing him back and forth in the backyard. (That would be a sight to see, I’m sure.) The writing will get done, eventually, but first things first… I must secure a good night sleep ahead or Mr. Doggie’s days are numbered…
Gosh darn it, why does he have to be so cute though??
Back in my day … watermelon had seeds in it and half the fun of eating it was to spit the seeds on the ground and wonder if they’d grow.
Sound familiar? If you’re my friend on Facebook, it does. I posted this as my status yesterday evening after my son freaked out at dinner because he found a brown seed in his watermelon. He didn’t know what to do with it. Maybe I’m a bad parent, but I found his predicament slightly amusing. After all, to me, watermelon is supposed to be littered with brown seeds. That used to be half the fun.
And again, maybe I am weird.
I also remember when the weather was pleasant enough to spend every day outside. We didn’t get into “the three H’s” (Hazy, Hot, and Humid) until late summer and even then, we weren’t in high 90’s to 100’s *every* day. Today I look out my window to brown grass and July has only just begun. I looked at the current temp and remarked, “OH! It’s only 90 right now.”
Only? I should never have to say “only 90” as if this is a good thing.
Should I keep complaining or are you getting sick of me yet? Hmmmm…
Moving along… Karen Einsel has surprised me with a blog award today – or three, I’m not sure. I got a little confused. I’m easily confused. Cut me some slack, it’s hot, remember? Regardless, I want to offer Karen my sincere gratitude. I’m very flattered! Thank you! Please click HERE to check out Karen’s blog and learn a little more about her. It’s a great read, I promise.
First: The Rules.
1. Include the award logo somewhere in your blog.
2. Answer the 9 questions below
3. Nominate 10 to 12 blogs you enjoy. Or you pick the number.
4. Pay the love forward: Provide your nominee’s link in your post and comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been included and invited to participate.
5. Pay the love back with gratitude and a link to the blogger(s) who nominated you.
While I am very flattered and happy to participate, doesn’t this sort of thing kind of remind you of chain letters? Back in my day (yes, I’m going there again), chain letters came in an envelope via the mailman. We had to copy them and mail them to X number of our friends. Later, it came by email. I guess nowadays it comes by blog. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind. Gives me something to post if nothing else. I’m just relieved that I’m not promised some version of a horrific fate for not completing the rules exactly, especially since I am breaking the rules a bit. I am not going to nominate others. Not because I don’t know any terrific bloggers. I sure do! I follow many entertaining blogs and I will recommend all of them in a heartbeat. What I don’t want to do is spam people, especially the ones I really like, and that’s kind of what I feel like I’m doing if I list a bunch of people who are obligated to follow these rules.
So… in effect, if YOU are reading this blog and you have a blog of your own, then YOU are nominated! This is doubly true if you also happen to follow MY blog and I follow YOURS. BAM! There you go… that’s easily more than 20. 😉 You know who you are so come on, hop to it. Don’t pretend that I can’t see you hiding in the corner…
Alright then, here are the blog awards:
Wow! Now I really feel special. Thanks, Karen. 🙂
Questions for me to answer from award #1:
What is your favorite colour?
Red!
What’s your favorite animal?
This is a tough one. I love most. I’ve always had a thing for dolphins though.
What’s your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Coke
Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook for keeping up with family and old friends. Twitter for making new friends.
What is your favorite pattern?
Plaid, especially in the form of shirts on a man.
Favorite number?
5
Favorite day of the week?
Saturday. Family time!
Favorite flower?
I love all flowers and my favorite changes all the time.
What is your passion?
Writing!
***
Most Inspiring Blogger Award – Need to share seven things about myself that you don’t already know. This shouldn’t be too tricky since 99.9% of you don’t know me all that well. (yet)…
Hmmm… so what do I share??
1) I hate butter and all its wannabe counterparts such as margarine and the like. I mean, I really, really hate it and I have since I was a kid. People have often thought me strange because I will eat plain toast, plain baked potatoes, and plain corn on the cob. If I go to a restaurant and forget to ask for “no butter” on my pancakes, I can’t touch them. The sight and smell of butter melting over pancakes is enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.
2) As a kid, I was so skinny that my family nicknamed me Pretzel Legs. Once at the pediatrician’s office, the doctor asked me my name and I responded, “Pretzel Legs”. My mum was a tad embarrassed. 😉
3) My favorite sport is ice hockey. (Go Penguins!)
4) I once swore that I’d marry Simon LeBon from Duran Duran. I joined the Duran Duran fan club in Birmingham, England and protested when the band split. I never did marry Simon but I did eventually visit England and met the man that I would marry, a native of Birmingham. We share an interest in music.
6) I still think that Ghostbusters is one of the most amazing movies ever made. I secretly believe that I was put in this world to write screenplays this brilliant and when I overcome my fear of writing one, the rest will fall into place.
7) I am Mom to three boys. Because of #4, my kids will always have citizenship to both the US and the UK. I think that’s pretty cool.
That is probably more about me than you ever wanted to know! If you accept these wonderful awards (and I sure hope you do) then please make sure to send me a note so that I can learn more about YOU too!
Happy Weekend! See you next time for Six Sentence Sunday when I will share a snippet from something new.
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