Recent Life in Photos

I have intended to write an interesting post for some time now.  I sit down, stare at the screen, and nothing happens, even though I come up with fabulous ideas in the shower or at the farmers' market.  Luckily, the new novel is being somewhat less problematic.  Oh, the difficulties involved in writing about real life!

In any case, today, for lack of great words, I'm using pictures.  (Just a side note, there is only one day left to enter to win a signed copy of Violet Shadows.  See the widget on the right.)

 Our latest dance project was a tribute to "The Ballerina Project" and Jordan Matter Photography's "Dancer's Among Us," which both portray dancers in unlikely locations.  Here it is Chewelah style.

Mallorie, aside from being a lovely ballet dancer, is also a red belt in Taekwando.  Don't mess with her.

 Inspecting the engine of my parents' 1941 GMC.

...and as a bonus, here is Ferdinand making friends with our new puppy, Leo.

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An Update (Or Two) And a Princess

I really must apologize (again) for my recent comparative silence on this blog.  Our show on the 10th was a rousing success.  We were only a few tickets away from selling out, and we got a standing ovation.  Pleased?  Yes!  But I'm also going through withdrawals because I can't do it again tomorrow.

Aaron and I have added a new family member (photos below).  His name is Leo, and he claimed my heart the minute I saw him in a bin at the feed store waiting for someone to take him home.  As you can see from the photo on the right, he and Ferdinand are not yet the best of friends, but they are developing a mutual respect.

Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased my book in June, shared my last blog post, or in other ways helped to spread the word about my ten-year celebration plans.  I have not brought in as much as I hoped, but neither have I done as badly as I feared, and there is still the second half of the month to go.  I really am very grateful for everyone's continued support and encouragement.  I really believe in the UICC and what they do, and would be honored to contribute to their cause.  I'll leave you with a speech by Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, whose son had leukemia at the age of two, and who works with the UICC, as well as setting up and directing a cancer care center in Jordan.  A wonderful example of a powerful woman using her position for the greater good.

Chewelah in the Spring: Earth and Inspiration

I took a walk through town today.  May is probably my favorite month out of the whole year.  I love watching the colors suddenly explode.  There is a wind blowing today, and you can smell all the flowering trees at once wherever you go.  Our garden is getting better by degrees each year, and the berry bushes are thriving.  We take Ferdy out in the grass sometimes and let him run around.  He likes to snuffle about for a while, then always ends up nosing around in our clothing.

I've had a writing surge lately, and am hoping to finish my first draft of Violet Shadows by early June.  Then comes the rewriting and editing process.  I'm hoping to publish in the autumn again, around October sometime if all goes well and my characters don't decide to do something outlandish out of the blue.  On Saturday I'm taking part in a book fair with the Libraries of Stevens County.  It's being held at the golf course.  A good venue, but it does feel a little strange after last summer to be going up there in a capacity that doesn't involve serving beer.

Happy New Year to everyone!  I like the sound of 2012.  It has a nice ring to it.  Today, as it happens, is my birthday as well as the second day of the new year, so I get to start off clean and new on all fronts.  Ferdy had a bath yesterday, so he's starting out the year clean and new as well. We generally bathe him once a week.  We were advised to do it once a month, but he enjoys bath day so very much that we decided to make it a more frequent event.  He's more relaxed on bath day than at any other time, lets his quills down, and makes happy little snuffly noises.


I don't do New Year's resolutions, as such.  There's a general intention to be better and do better than the previous year, but I find specific resolutions (aside from the "made to be broken" aspect) to be more muddlesome than anything else.  I certainly ended 2011 in a different (and hopefully better) place than I began it, and isn't that what ought to happen?


Still expect the "controversial" post on the health care system one day soon, but not today. As it is my birthday, and I spent the morning in dutiful industry organizing my fabric stash, and the early afternoon getting Aaron's oil changed and promoting Ashford, I intend to retreat downstairs, make myself a cappuccino, and curl up with a book until Aaron gets home, at which point we shall go down to Sporty's to celebrate.  Hurrah!