Approved

First thing this morning (after breakfast, yoga, and getting dressed), I skimmed through The Seaview one more time and pushed the "Approved" button. So now it's in the hands of the approvers at IngramSpark. They say they'll get in touch in a few days to let me know what happens next.

I'm determined to leave my latest (and maybe the last) Seaview Series manuscript alone for a few days/weeks but I missed writing, so I unearthed the very first manuscript I ever wrote and started working to maybe make it into something I can publish one day. It's a cozy mystery so now I have to learn how to write that. I have a how-to book.

 

It was lawn mowing day! The dandelion stalks were getting tall so I figured the mower and trimmer guys would be around. And they were. I'm so impressed with the speed and thoroughness of their work. I'd be surprised if they were here for 30 minutes. It feels more like 20. Maybe I'll time them next time.

Today's drawing is a Monkey. Once again it's taller and skinnier than the one in the book but that's okay. I like the hands, feet, and coloring. It has a nice smile too.

 

At suppertime this evening, the teenaged bunny hopped up onto the patio step and raised up to peer inside as if it was saying, "What are you doin' in there?" "Ain't doin' nothin'. Just eatin' my teriyaki chicken breast and broccoli."

 

At Friday Night Knitting I finished the third and last Melt the ICE hat/toque. I don't have enough of this red yarn to make another one. I've sold two of them and offered to give this last one to a knitting friend who said she might need a rebellious hat.

 

Then I cast on an Antipasto Chemo Hat in a soft nylon and acrylic yarn that has been kicking around here for at least a decade, maybe two. This yarn is leftover from a baby blanket I knitted a while back so there are partial skeins laying around in a bag and maybe an unused skein or two. It's nice and soft but it doesn't have a lot of give so it's a little hard on my hands. I'll take my time.

 

Last night when I was driving to OJ's soccer game, I turned a corner and there was a hen turkey strutting across the main east-west street in the city. I'm sure the guy behind me thought I was an idiot because I stopped in mid-turn but there was no way I was going to mow that huge bird down. I waited patiently for it to cross and then went on my way. My tenant/neighbor was nervous when the turkey went through the yard last week. She was afraid that it would nest in the lilies again this year but I checked and could reassure her that it wasn't hiding in the tall leaves. I liked the idea but it frightened her.

--Barbara 

Sixth Time's the Charm

I buckled down today and got through the proof of The Seaview and am confident that this sixth review is flawless. Or as flawless as I can make it. I found a few inconsistencies, like things that didn't translate to the later books in the series, and some formatting glitches. This writing thing is a lot of work. Never-ending work.

 

I got out my watercolors this morning and in between working on the manuscript proof (drying time) I painted these irises. I think I did a better job on the yellow one but I like them both. I'll try painting them again because I want to use very watery Payne's Gray to represent the weathered wood fence behind the irises on the retaining wall.

 

Since I spent so much time focused on the proof, I didn't see many birds. During supper I saw this pair of House Finches on the orange half. She's pecking the fruit so isn't as visible as he is. I haven't seen a Hummingbird in about a week or an Oriole either. *sigh* I should make fresh birdie juice to put in the Hummingbird feeder. I'll do that tomorrow.

 

But the ferns have really grown this week. I'm sure the warm, sunny days and Tuesday's rain encouraged them. It seems like they've really spread out this year and I wish they'd back up and fill in the empty spot next to the house. There is that one lone fern on the far right of the picture. Maybe I should loosen the soil there.

 

And my favorite springtime ferns are the ones that are still unfurling. I don't know what it is about those little coils of green, but they just please the daylights outta me.

 

Tonight was OJ's first soccer game of the season. (Tuesday's game got thunderstormed out.) His team dominated the other team, scoring way more goals. They still look like a scrum of boys chasing a ball but this year they manage to get it into the goal more.

--Barbara 

Yellow Iris

I was pleased when I looked out this morning and saw that the yellow iris had bloomed. I don't remember whether my grandma had yellow irises or only the purple ones.

 

I do remember that she called the purple irises flags. And I was surprised to find only one purple iris had fallen in last night's hard rain. The flowers are so big and heavy that the stalks tip over from the weight of them.

 

Here are the two small buds on the Christmas cactus. I don't know if they'll grow and bloom or not but I'm happy to see them.

 

Today's drawing is a Koala. I didn't have to erase too much to make it this way. Often I draw, erase, and redraw but today I only erased the part where the arm crosses the body.

 

A male House Finch spent a little solo time on the grape jelly. I looked all over the area but didn't see a female anywhere. He must be a bachelor.

 

I've added a few rounds to the Melt the ICE Toque. I know the big protests are out of the news and it's not the season for a woolen knitted hat, but I had it half knitted and thought I'd finish it before starting something new.

 

I'm sitting on a long line of Oriole pictures from the other day so here's another one for you.

 

I was just outside talking to a neighbor and a mosquito bit me on the knuckle of my right ring finger. Man, does it itch! I put After Bite on it and that's helping but I feel its itchiness on the back of my hand too. Of course, it was just at sunset when the skeeters come out to feast. Poor planning, but it's trash night and I had to put out some stinky trash, then my neighbors on both sides were out so visiting had to happen.

This morning and afternoon I went through The Seaview on Atticus, fixing things and getting it ready to export and then upload to IngramSpark. Within an hour or so I got the proof email so I started reading and scrolling through. Naturally I've already found a major booboo. I fixed that and will wait until I get to the end before reloading it. I'll get this done if it takes a week. I'm stubborn that way.

--Barbara 

Dodged a Bullet

I got an email today from Ingram Spark (a book publishing site) with a proof of The Seaview from my submission of a week or so ago asking me to approve it before publication. I started looking at it and realized that there wasn't a title page or table of contents or any of that publishing stuff that makes a manuscript look like a "real" book. I had a momentary panic until I remembered that all of my books are on an app called Atticus, which is a formatting app that lets you get things all organized and then exported to a file that you can save and upload to make a book. Whew. I reloaded the manuscript, they sent it back for proofing, I found things that needed changing, and am in the process of going over the manuscript again. I'll spend tomorrow working on tidying up and then send it back in for the umpteenth time. I realized that in some chapters the paragraphs are indented and in others they aren't, some are half and half, so I'm going through to fix that. It has to be right and I'll get there eventually.

 

This morning I was lucky enough to see three Sparrows on the suet nuggets feeder at the same time. I snapped the picture and immediately one flew away. Whew. Got it.

 

And this female House Finch landed on the orange half and had a few pecks at it. It's been a while since I've seen a bird on there.

 

The carnation's alien appendage is still growing. I don't know how this is happening since these are cut flowers and shouldn't be growing. I don't understand.

 

The irises are opening. The blue/purple ones first. These are so pretty and are probably lying down now because we had a hard rain this evening. But they were standing up when I took their picture.

 

Today's drawing is a Puffin. It was easy and fun to draw and I got to use a white paint pen to make the feathers on the wing. So, yay, another art supply used. And speaking of art supplies, I got a text from a former neighbor who also paints with watercolors and we're going to lunch next Wednesday and on a little road trip to an art supply store and gallery about 30 miles away. None of us need more art supplies but we need to check it out.

The third Christmas cactus flower is opening. I love the brighter color of these last flowers.

 

Tonight was supposed to be OJ's first soccer game of the season but it was raining and thundering so they cancelled it. Naturally they didn't cancel it until I'd driven across town and was at the park when I texted DS and got the news. Oh well, I always wanted to drive across the tallest bridge in town in the pouring rain with trucks alongside. Slightly scary. 

--Barbara 

I Tried Again

I tried to do nothing again today but sitting here thinking about my day I failed. For supper (for the next eleven nights) I grilled six big chicken breasts, cut them in half, and steamed cut broccoli in the microwave. It was so good, I could have eaten a whole breast, but then I'd have been too full and short changed myself.

 

I saw the female House Finch on the grape jelly and thought she was out alone, but then I saw him on the birdbath. Didn't get his picture, but he was nearby. 

 

The Sparrows appreciated that I refilled the suet nuggets. At one point there were four of them on the feeder, but when I got the camera up, two of them flew away. Ah well.

 

Today's drawing is a Goldfish in a bowl. I like the way the goldfish turned out, the bowl not so much. I went too fast when I was inking the lines and got off so they're squiggly. 

 

Here's the little (so far) volunteer fern that's growing in the middle of a bare spot in the flower bed next to the patio. I suspect the ferns spread underground.

 

Yesterday's iris buds turned into today's iris flowers. They're so pretty, I might have to paint them in a day or two. If I can find the page in my watercolor notebook that gives hints on how to paint irises.

 

These yellow iris buds won't be open tomorrow but I'll be watching for them to blossom. Maybe I'll paint a yellow iris instead of a purple one. Or maybe one of each.

 

I saw the first tiny buds on one of the Stella d'Oro lilies too. It'll be quite a while before they bloom but I was glad to see them.

 

And here's another Oriole just because I can and because I have seven more pictures of him.

 

Instead of just sitting around listening to an audiobook (which I did for a lot of the day), I folded sheets I'd washed, dried, and just wadded up. Then I washed another set of sheets, dried them, and folded them. I tend to leave sheets balled up downstairs because I have two sets of sheets that I can alternate and today I put both sets of flannel sheets away for the summer. I also sorted the dirty clothes but didn't wash them. I'll do that another day.

Tomorrow evening is OJ's first soccer game of the season so I dug out my bag o'chair and put it into the wayback of my car so I'll have it for sitting in and cheering from. I also made sure my water bottle is full because it's supposed to be near 90 tomorrow. Ugh.

Let's see. What else did I do? I unloaded the dishwasher, tried to unstick the garbage disposal, and attempted to clean off the patio table. I was unsuccessful with the disposal and did a bad job of the table. I should have used the hose to wash off the 409 and dirt, but I didn't want to get the chairs wet. It wouldn't have mattered because I didn't sit out there anyway. Oh yeah, I read through a few story starts and added a few lines to one of them.

And that was my day. Happy Memorial Day!

--Barbara 

Much Orange

There was a lot of Oriole orange in my backyard today. I saw the male Oriole three times and took pictures every time so I ended up with eight Oriole pictures today. The last three as the light was changing are a little blurry but the first five are pretty darned clear. I don't know if it was one bird or three different birds, but it went for the grape jelly every time, even after I replaced the orange half with a fresh one. In this shot, he's just getting ready to fly down to the grape jelly.

 

I had a quick Hummingbird sighting. Just as I was about to go out and fill the birdbath, I looked out the patio door and there was that tiny flash of green at the nectar feeder. It isn't as though I don't enjoy looking at the Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and House Finches, but I see them every day. The Orioles and the Hummingbirds are special.

 

Speaking of House Finches, the pair of them visited the jelly this morning. She comes, then he follows. She leaves and he takes off right afterward. I never see just one.

 

The baby bunny stopped by to nibble on the grass under the feeders. It's growing fast.

 

Today's drawing is a Luna Moth. One of these days I'm going to get the wings on the left side to match the wings on the right side better. It seems like I can draw one side and then can't follow the same curves for the other side. It's alright. I'm sure that the moth's wings aren't perfectly symmetrical in real life.

 

These iris buds are just about ready to pop. There are two blooming and these are going to be next.

 

I was going to try to do nothing today but I just can't do it. I ended up hauling the patio chairs out of the shed and then tried to put up the umbrella but it's too heavy for me to lift up that high. My neighbor was out digging up thistles from his lawn and graciously came over and, boop, popped it in like it weighed nothing.

After lunch I went to the grocery because I was out of bananas and grapes. I bought a family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I have marinating in teriyaki marinade. I plan to grill them tomorrow so I'll have twelve suppers of yummy grilled chicken breasts. It'll be amazing. Also delicious.

Then I looked at a couple of the story starts I uploaded this week and decided that one was finished flash fiction, then spent some time expanding another one so I've got two new stories to let settle before giving them a once over before posting them. I also went through a couple chapters of my Seaview manuscript but decided to wait until cda looks through more of them before editing any more. I really love writing.

Ooh, some of the new Amazon ads I made yesterday are already producing results. No sales yet, but Impressions and Clicks. Well, one Click. It's a start and waaaay better than zero. 

--Barbara 

Big, Medium, Little

Birds. I had all three today. When I went out to check the mail, this Turkey hen was sashaying across the front yard just as casual as can be. I was afraid she'd spook and run off when I opened the door but she didn't. She just kept up her pace and angled toward the side yard. I don't know where she went from there.

 

And of course, the little bird is a Hummingbird. It was the male, as usual. He's got my feeder on his radar and makes a couple stops a day for a sip. I didn't sit at the table much today so I was lucky to see him once.

 

For the day's medium-size bird, I have a Bluejay. It landed on the suet nuggets but stayed on the back so it was nearly invisible, but then it landed on the ground and finally hopped out from behind the crooks. It's in the shade and looking away but you can see it and that's good enough for me. 

 

The first iris bloomed! I looked out the kitchen window and there it was up on top of the retaining wall, and there are more buds getting ready to burst open. 

 

Yesterday I scrolled down to look at my Amazon ads which stopped producing Impressions and Clicks a couple months ago. And I had no idea why. Many many of them were blank. No activity at all, just the most recent ones are producing anything at all. I woke up this morning having figured it out overnight. I realized that the books I linked the ads to were the ones I unpublished so the ads had nothing to advertise. So I spent the greatest part of the day archiving the unproductive ads and making new ads linked to the republished books and eBooks. I went from 115 ads, down to 25 ads, and then back up to 68 ads--so far. Following the instructions I saved from the last time I did the Ads Profit Challenge (thank god I kept them), I made Auto ads and Category ads. Next I'll make Keyword ads which are the ones that always performed best for me. Luckily I also saved the Excel worksheets I used when I collected book titles and author names from similar books to use in the Keyword ads so I don't have to start from scratch. Whew.

 

Today's drawing is a Water Lily. I always have trouble drawing the petals that face the front, the perspective usually eludes me, but today I didn't do too badly.

 

Then I took my red shoes for a walk up to the stop sign and back.

 

When I came in from walking I saw that another Christmas cactus flower had opened. Isn't it pretty? I love the stamens and that purplish thing in the center. You can see another bud to the left of the flower too. It's pretty small so it may not blossom, but it might. 

 

I had convinced myself that at least one of the story starts I typed into the computer yesterday was almost ready to be published. Went looking for it after my walk. Nope. None of them are ready for publication. And none of them are any longer than the previous story starts I'd uploaded. Oh well, that gives me more room to maneuver. 

--Barbara