I decided to indulge my inner gardener today, knowing that it would also be rejuvenate my inner writer. Sometimes spending the day reading and writing feels like doing nothing. Nothing gets accomplished. I love days when I finish things, a sewing project (I’ve got three, no make that four unfinished at the moment but I have to clear a space to work on them. Two unfinished books. A dirty house. Really, my downstair’s bathroom sink is disgusting. I’ve got to try to get to that today too.
So I took some time, bought some flowers and began the process of outdoor beautification.
I forgot to take a real before picture, but here’s an almost before series for you:
An empty container with my trusty un-assistant. Isn’t that what you’d call a helper who runs away with your tools and supplies? That’s what I call her. - Turkey.
This is a container I’d already started when I thought about photos. I’m apparently having a yellow and blue/purple summer this year.
This is the stuff I bought. That one plant in the window next to the Dalia? That’s a Boxwood! I’m thinking boxwood boarders like on an English Estate. Theres more of the beautiful blue flowers, a couple of tomatoes, a couple of red Bell Peppers, some ground cover and God knows what else. I love flowers.
And this last picture is the pot from the top of the page, finished. The big yellow dog chewed it to bits when he was little so I had to shore it up with a couple of cut up flower pots. Of course now, instead of writing I feel like napping. Isn’t that always the way?
It’s sunny today and I’m working on a particularly tricky part of Glimmer Girls. Naturally that means I keep wandering outside to see what the world is doing because I don’t know what this scene should be doing. Here’s what I’ve been looking at out in my world:
The Tulips -
The Willow -
The Apple -
(*before I forget, it looks like Disney has reverted back to the original Merida - at least here in America! Yeah!)
I googled Whimsy. I was thinking about what I wanted to post today, and couldn’t come up with much. My excuse is the horrible head cold/allergies I’m suffering from. I slept most of the day and my poor little brain is mostly mush. I don’t know Why Whimsy came to mind. But it did.
Then I clicked on Images because that’s what I do. I’m an images type of gal. You’d be surprised at what pops up. A lot of the pictures had wind in them. Swirls, pretty things, but also a drawing of the Joker from Batman. Here are a couple of my favorites:
This because I’m doing it to one of my trees. A strand at a time. Someday the whole tree will be covered in solar powered twinkle lights and I’ll be perfectly happy. Then I’m going to light up the three story willow!
I’m not sure why I like this one, but I do. Quite a lot.
Then there is the Yin and Yang Fish, The Volkswagen Beetle, mermaids and a couple of cute old dead heads!
But I am particularly taken with this book:
The Duchess of Whimsy.
Wholly Guacamole, you guys. I just got the soundtracks for the audible version of Crazy Little Thing Called Dead. I’ve started listening and crickets on a cracker can Sara Mackie ever perform. She never fails to amaze me. She makes the books so much better. I can’t wait for you to get your hands on this one.
I may have to forgo writing today so I can finish “proofing” the audio.
I feel slightly egotistical laughing at my own work, but I tell you, Sara is just that good!
I cannot believe Disney. They are planning to take the best Disney Princess Ever Merida from Brave, the best Princess Movie Ever, and girl-a-fy her. Yes, the plan is to take Merida give her more manageable hair, breasts, a skinnier waist a fancy belt, and take away her bow and arrows.
The original Merida is on the left. They’ve tarted her up on the right.
There is no limit to the depth of my dissapointment. Really, Disney, Really?
My God, what is wrong with this world. And here I thought they were finally getting it. Hollywood’s eyes had been opened and we were going to see more heros for little girls. I should have known better.
Bastards, how dare they burst my bubble?
There is a petition asking Disney to leave Merida in her original state. I signed it. I’m hoping you will too.
Go here: http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=https://www.change.org/petitions/disney-say-no-to-the-merida-makeover-keep-our-hero-brave
Guess what?
Today, after a full day of work, I got on a school bus with 16 7th and 8th graders and rode for an hour and a half to what was supposed to be the All State Marching Band Parade. The minute we got there lightning split the sky, resulting in an hour of sitting on the parked bus WITH 16 Jr. High students, while we waited. Would the storm blow over? Would it not?
Luckily the High School students were on a second bus so at least I didn’t have any of them to deal with. Although I’m better with the older kids, so it may have been more fun.
The result. No Dice. Hugh storm centered over Winooski High in Jericho was not going to let us march. We could go home.
Only we couldn’t go home. It was the bus driver’s anniversary and he had brought his wife along so they could go out to dinner in the big city. I use the term Big very loosely here. Because the whole area is about the size of Davis California.
We did eventually make it home. And I got to catch up with an old friend on the ride back. So that was nice.
And the marching band pictures I was going to take? I’ll just have to go to the Memorial Day Parades (we do two. One in our town and one in the next town over) and take pictures there. I have to have pictures – all three of my youngest children are in the Marching Band. If I remember I’ll post photos.
Will I never learn?
We’ve been working on boundary training with the Pipster. She is not the timid momma’s girl I thought I was getting, so we’re having to train her to the radio fence. We don’t have a lot of traffic, but the traffic we do have is fair game according to Pippin. It is apparently her job to chase the intruders away. All eight pounds of her. Right down the middle of the road. When her quarry is in sight I might as well be in another dimension as far as she’s concerned. She neither hears nor obeys.
Today was a little traumatic for us, so when I took her outside on the leash for our before bed tinkle and she sat down on the grass and looked up at me, I thought the leash was the problem. She couldn’t tinkle while on the tool of her earlier mortification.
No. I am the problem. There is something wrong with my brain. A she wasn’t wearing the radio collar so there was nothing to stop her from straying. And B, I could have had fresh steak in my hand and she wasn’t coming near me.
Twenty minutes later Pippin was having a grand old time chasing smells while I fumed. Finally I found a little snowman with a squeaker and that she would come for. Little turkey. It’s clear the six month old puppy is smarter than I am.
To make everything worse I’m going to have to listen to her squeak that stupid toy all night long.
Okay. I’m mad.
I bought a Gazebo from KMart to replace the one a friend gave me a few years ago that had finally worn out. This was to be my birthday and mother’s day present as both those are in the month of May. I brought it home and put it up. Even followed the instructions and used the tie downs and pegs.
Less than a week later a mild breeze came up (The plastic table and chairs that would normally get overturned in a wind were both fine) and in less than five minutes turned the Gazebo into a crumpled pile of crumpled metal and torn canvas. On top of my car, no less. Luckily I was home. I was already heading out to make sure it was secure when it all went south, otherwise who knows where the thing would have landed.
I called KMart they said I had to contact the manufacturer, Pacific Casual.
I sent Pacific Casual an email and they said all refunds have to go through the retailer. They could replace the parts, but they won’t issue me a refund. PARTS?!! The thing is a mess. And if I replace it with the same thing what’s going to happen the next time the air moves? I’ll be pulling it out of the back 40.
I’m sorry. This Gazebo is a piece of JUNK. I want my birthday money back. I’m going to borrow my friend’s truck, throw the crumple mess in the back and drive it the 30 miles to the closest KMart. They’d better give me my money back or I’m going to camp in their parking lot.
Don’t mess with my Birthday.
The non-novelists among us with have to forgive me. I’m talking about writing again. Specifically, what happened today while I was working on an under-the-sea scene in Glimmer Girls while “watching” the Dr. Who Special they did at the end of season two.
So maybe the whovians among us can relate even if they aren’t writers, or artists of other sorts.
Normally I wouldn’t mix the Dr with writing – that would be a waste of both the writing and the Dr. (David Tennant don’t you know). But this was the special they did about the music of the first two current seasons and I felt pretty comfortable listening to music and writing at the same time. Or at least comfortable enough.
The thing is they use music really well in Dr. Who. Rose has a song, There is the fighting Dr song and so on. The composer uses the music to intensify the emotion of the scene, and I had an epiphany while writing/listening/watching him talk about how he uses the music to enhance the scene. My personal feeling is that he does it really well. Made me want to add soundtracks to my actual books for readers to listen to while reading, it did.
Because it’s about bring the emotion to the scene. Pulling the audience in even more. I began to see the music as more than just a trigger to help me back into the writing of the novel, but also as a way to bring my characters to life. I could see (and hear) how Rose’s theme was used differently in different situations. It was still her, all Rose, but it changed and grew, shifted in feeling, transformed through Rose’s character arc.
I began to see how music could help me make those transformations with my characters. How the music could make me feel what was going on in the scene I was writing on a more visceral level. Really connect with what is going on. Not just see it in my head, but feel it in my heart. Really to be there, all senses, all in. It’s frightening in a way to be that invested in a story, ah but the results, they could be phenomenal.
Then I must be guest blogging at How to Write Fast. Please come visit me and leave a comment. I hate feeling like a Looser. It’s kind of like throwing a party where no one comes when you guest blog and no one comments!
