Uh-oh

I looked out the window of the bedroom when I opened the shade this morning to see this. The leaves of the dogwood shrub on the corner of the house are changing colors. Yes, the leaves on the big trees on the curve of the court are changing. Yes, I walked through crunchy brown leaves last week in front of the neighbor's house. But this is right here, right in my yard. Autumn.

 

When I looked out the back window this morning I saw a pop of yellow again. Another late blooming Stella d'Oro lily flower. All of the other lily plants are done blooming and the leaves are yellowing and drooping, yet here is this one plant pushing out blossoms in September. Yay!

 

The bronze mums have started blooming. I didn't crop the picture so all you see are the flowers because I wanted you to see all of the buds on the rest of the plant. If they all bloom at the same time it'll be amazing.

 

Right next to the Stella d'Oro lily is the pink sedum. There was a nice bee on one of the flower clusters and between the time I raised the camera and pressed the shutter, the bee flew away. So you get to see the flowers without the bee. Oh well.

 

The gratitude journal for yesterday was an easy one to find things to put on it. I tried drawing the Chair Pose for my yoga gratitude and I put starting planning cozy book #2 on there too. Also three, count 'em, three Bluejays!

 

Speaking of cozy book #2, it now has a name--Not Fair. I read that cozy readers like word play
and puns in titles, so I'm trying to be clever. I couldn't resist starting to write it. I managed to write four pages, maybe five, before giving up and stopping because I need to save something for Novel November (used to be NaNoWriMo, but they disbanded) since I said I'd write 50,000 words in November. Three Cheers for Murder isn't 50,000 words now and I think it's mostly done. I wrote 1,077 words today so I only need 600 more words to make the first day's goal. Let's see, 600 words divided by 38 days until November 1st equals 16 words per day. I can do that.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Boot so I drew a cowboy boot, an ankle boot, a moon boot, and a rain boot as directed. They're okay. If I'd taken more time drawing them they might have been better but I'm satisfied.

 

I spied the Red-bellied Woodpecker on the suet nuggets feeder. On the BACK of the suet nuggets feeder so only its head and tail were visible. *sigh* Why can't it land on the front of the feeder so I can take a picture of all of it?

 

The lawn mower came late this afternoon. It was almost 6 o'clock when he got started and he didn't have a kid with him to do the trimming and blowing so he was here for longer than 15 minutes. This was the first guy who came. He seems to do a better job, takes his time a little more. I think his name is Isiah. Or maybe Isaac. One of those "I" names. Whatever, he's a nice thorough guy.

This morning I repacked my display bag to make sure I have everything I need and loaded it and my book rack, poster, and rolling backpack of books into the car because I've got a craft show tomorrow. Then I have to get home, replenish any sold books, and reload the car because I've got a 2-day book fair this weekend. And my new book hasn't come and won't come because I haven't gotten a shipping notice.

 

I got to do the after school run today and we were almost to their house but had to go back to school to get something forgotten and saw flames and black smoke boiling up on the bridge. I had to pass the spot on my way home after dropping the kids off and saw it was a pickup truck that had a huge fire in the engine compartment. It looked like the whole front of the truck melted and they were still pouring water on it from a fire hose. I'd hate to have been in there when the thing started to burn. Scary.

--Barbara 

Three Bluejays

Three Bluejays showed up around the cob corn today. Three! I managed to take a couple of pictures. They aren't as sharply focused as I hoped they'd be but this one isn't too blurry. At least you can see what it is.

 

Another bird or birds caught my attention this morning while I was doing yoga. This Sparrow was taking its usual, splashy Sparrow bath and this Mourning Dove moved closer to take advantage of the splashing. I figure the Dove felt too dignified to get in the water and flutter around but it wasn't above sharing the splashes.

 

Yesterday's gratitude journal was fairly easy to draw this morning. I always like doing the child pose in yoga and I enjoyed spending a couple hours helping friends get started on Substack.

 

Before lunch I worked on the last two suggestions from the Manuscript Analysis so I think that the first cozy mystery is pretty well on its way to being done. So in the afternoon I started making a list of things for cozy mystery number two. Right away I had a change of plans. The person I thought was going to be the victim is actually a suspect, and the person I didn't realize I was setting up in book number one is the victim. I had a lot of fun brainstorming the possible features of book number two. I added two characters--a husband and a lover--that I think will be interesting to write. I looked up popular dog biscuit flavors, a really scrumptious looking kebab recipe, and a 10-cup cookie recipe to add to the mix. You can find anything on the internet. I have interesting ideas for them all. Oh, I forgot about Mr. Chan's egg rolls. I'll find a recipe for those too. Although I might have one in a cookbook on hand. I'll check the bookshelf in the basement.

 

A Downy Woodpecker landed on the Slinky for a little ride. There were Sparrows hogging the round feeder so it rested on the Slinky for a while before going over to the suet nuggets for a snack.

 

Today's drawing prompt was House Plant. Another oddball thing to draw. I might have to see if I can't find another class of drawing prompts because I'm not getting as much satisfaction out of this series as I thought I would. Still like drawing the letters, though.

 

And finally here's today's Dad's rose, red as ever and smelling just as sweet.

 

--Barbara 

It Was Getting Dark

But I went out and took pictures of Dad's roses anyway. I'll share one with you tonight and save the others for another night. Or two. Can't have too much beauty on one night, now can we? The guy across the street was taking out his recycling bin while I was out there taking pictures and sniffing the roses. He probably thought I was a little nuts, but I don't care.

 

I caught sight of a Red-bellied Woodpecker on the suet nuggets but it hid behind the feeder so all I saw was its head. I decided instead of posting a shot of the suet nuggets feeder with a bird's head peeking around the side, I'd go back in the archives to find a picture of the whole bird. And I did. You're welcome.

 

Only one Sparrow landed on the round feeder while I was looking today. There was a good sized flock of them but only this one flew up to the feeder to toss seed down to the masses.

 

I was gutsy enough again this morning to draw a whole me on the gratitude journal page for yesterday. I'm definitely not as thin as this representation and I wasn't running, which this kind of looks like, but I'll get better as time goes on. I promise.

 

Spice jars. What a goofy thing to draw today. I did a little better in making the sides of the jars closer to each other. I still like the letters the best.

 

I didn't do much writing today. Shocking, I know. In the morning my cleaner came so I chatted with her while she worked and in the afternoon I met with a couple friends to help them get their Substacks up and running. I don't know that I was much help but they seemed satisfied. Then I came across town to the grocery because I was low on frozen meals and stopped at the bank for change for the upcoming book sales this weekend. Unless there's a miracle (doubtful), I won't have my new book to sell this weekend. I blame the cover designer. If they hadn't been out on sick leave, they'd have gotten the cover designed in a week to ten days rather than the three weeks it took, then I could have published the book sooner and the author copies would probably already be here. Oh well, I can't change that now, I'll just have to be patient. They'll come when they come.

--Barbara 

I Remembered How

I realized today that I hadn't made any Amazon Ads for my new release, Sailing the Seas, so I logged onto my campaign manager page and got going. I remembered how to make an auto ad, which means Amazon picks where to display it. You only make one for each format of the title, so one for Kindle and one for Paperback. For me, that's the least productive ad form. Then I made a Category Ad for each format. I can make up to three of those per title and format but today I only made one for each. Those work okay for me. The most productive ad form for me is Keyword Ads. Those I didn't make today because there are a lot more steps to making those. Maybe on Wednesday when my calendar is open.

 

One squirrel was on the ever-popular suet nuggets this morning. It had its body twined around the feeder just nibbling away. I also saw one investigate the horse head feeder but evidently the corn kernels have run out because it was one and done. I'll fill that tomorrow.

 

Paintbrush was the drawing prompt today and my inability to make things symmetrical is on full display. It's especially noticeable on the brush with the number 5 on it. Even when I take my time, I can't seem to make the right and left side match. I like making the letters though.

 

One little Sparrow landed on the birdbath for a drink. I keep waiting for the whole flock of them to take a communal bath like they used to do but evidently group bathing is a thing of the past. Too bad. That was fun to watch.

 

Yesterday's gratitude journal page was fun to draw. I was most grateful for getting those two bins of fabric out of the basement and seeing the squirrel in the horse head feeder.  

 

I spent a lot of time working my way through the Manuscript Analysis pages, trying to make the writing align with the suggestions. I got to the end because so many things toward the end had "Great" next to them which means those things are working well. I still have two comments with flags on them to tackle but I'm happy that I've accomplished that much.

 

This week's flavor of Jello is orange. I'm a sucker for the citrus flavors, a mix of lemon and lime is my favorite, but orange is right up there. Cherry is okay for a palate cleanser. 

 

This morning I called The Clearing to see if I could find out which room we'll have when we go up in two weeks. So far we've got our first choice, but that could change. I hope it doesn't but it could. KS tried to convince me to come back up in mid-October for another watercolor class with my favorite (and only) teacher, even going so far as to offer me a scholarship, but I've got commitments here that I can't ditch so I declined. 

I saw on TV that there are frost warnings for 2 counties in Northern Wisconsin. *sigh* And so it begins. 

--Barbara 

I Saw One

I saw a squirrel going in and out of the horse head squirrel feeder this afternoon. It was moving so fast there was no way I could get a picture even if I was closer. It would stick its head into the feeder making it swivel around, then come out with a kernel in its front paws to eat it on the retaining wall. After a few assaults on the horse head feeder, the squirrel moved down the wall to the cob corn and climbed up there. I guessed it chose that feeder because it holds still.

 

A few more of the tiny yellow mums are blooming. I keep hoping that more and more of them will bloom making the whole mound a vibrant yellow. So far, no luck.

 

Sparrows figured out quickly that I filled the round feeder and wasted no time landing on the perches. In this picture you can see one of them just coming in for a landing. There are a lot more of them in the flock than I thought. I spent enough time up filling the cob corn and horse head feeder that the Sparrows showed up and there must have been twenty of them or more. I love the sound their wings make when they take off. Not as much as when Mourning Doves fly away but still a good sound. I've been seeing Canada Geese flying over, not going south, but they're starting to move around. 

 

A Downy Woodpecker joined the Sparrows for a bit. It chose a time when there was only one Sparrow on the feeder so it could jump around from feeding port to feeding port. I keep thinking it'll land on the nuggets but it likes the seeds these days.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Cactus. They were okay to draw. 

 

The thing I was most grateful for yesterday was getting the new The Seaview Series poster but I was also grateful that I took a couple boxes of tosses to the charity drop-off spot. Today I hauled up two bins filled with fabric and took them to Goodwill. I started out opening them and looking at the fabric, then I realized that was a crazy thing to do. If I looked at the fabric, I'd decide it was too good to donate and just keep it, even though I probably haven't looked at it in over a year. So I closed the lids, humped the heavy things slowly up the basement stairs, loaded them into my car, and took them to Goodwill immediately. I was planning to walk today but figured that hauling those heavy things around took the place of a walk.

 

I got stuck while I was writing again today. It's frustrating when I can't figure out how to implement one of the recommendations from the Manuscript Analysis. I read the parts it wants changed and I think it doesn't need changing, so I move on. Then I think maybe I'm wrong, and go back over it, changing a word here or there but essentially not changing the sense of the scene. I also worry that if I take all the suggestions, the work is less my own. I'll figure it out one of these days.

--Barbara 

They Figured It Out

When I got home from the post office and grocery today, I went out and filled the birdfeeders. I also took out the creamy peanut butter (bought specially) so I could smear a little on the inside of the horse head squirrel feeder and see if it needed more corn kernels. Well, evidently at least one squirrel has figured out that corn is in that feeder because it was empty. The neighbor kids and I filled it up on Monday and today there was nothing left in there or on the ground under it. Later in the afternoon I looked up there and saw corn kernels on the top of the retaining wall so I went up to look and, yes, at least one squirrel had visited and spilled kernels out. So I might not see them but they've figured it out.

 

The purple mums that started blooming in July are still going strong. I wondered if they'd poop out by September because they budded and bloomed early but they're still at it. A few of the more mature blossoms are browning but there are plenty of fresh ones to fill in.

 

This squirrel climbed up on top of the patio umbrella and sat staring at me. I don't know what it had against me, maybe it was trying to tell me that the corn kernels were gone.

 

Look at the me I drew on the gratitude journal page for yesterday. I'm walking and carrying an umbrella just like in real life. Suddenly I'm brave enough to try drawing a whole person instead of just my legs.

 

Today's drawing prompt was Fork, and let me tell you, that's not an easy thing to draw. You'd think because you're so familiar with a fork that you can just dash one off. Not so fast. It takes concentration to draw the tines and I never did manage to draw five tines like she did. Four was my limit.

One of my Friday Night Knitting friends discovered the joy of knitting with a certain brand of wooden Double Pointed Needles and was raving about them. I happened to have a bunch of sets of them that I no longer use, so I boxed them up and shipped them off to her today. Then I decided to sort through my other DPNs and fixed circular needles and weed out the ones I won't be using again. They got put in the tosses box and dropped off at St. Vinnie de P's this afternoon. Don't worry. I have plenty of needles left to play with. Plenty.

 

After consulting with OJ, I also tossed the play kitchen and all of the plastic, wooden, and crocheted food and the dishes, etc. The only picture I have of it is this one where it won Best of Show at the county fair a few years ago. It's time for some other child to have the fun of imaginative play. LC and OJ sure loved it for a long time.

 

Once I'd dropped off the tosses at St. VdeP, I drove a couple blocks to Office Max to pick up my new poster of The Seaview Series books. I can't wait to have Sailing the Seas to show off and sell. Oh, I hope the copies come next week, before Friday, which is when I have a craft show booth at New Perspective senior apartment complex and then Saturday and Sunday I'll have a booth at Untitled Town's Book Fair. Please, please, please, Amazon, send me the books in time. 

 

I only worked on writing a little today. The suggestions on the second Manuscript Analysis aren't ones I can just dash through. I have to read and think and ponder. But I know the changes will make the story better.

--Barbara 

Not Sharing

While it looks like some birds share a feeder, squirrels do not. This morning I happened to see one squirrel on the suet nuggets and another one leap up onto the suet cakes feeder roof and stick its nose toward the nuggets squirrel. The interaction was quick, so I didn't get them facing each other and the flash went off, but I knew I wouldn't have another chance.  So I cropped the flash out of the picture and you can see the nuggets squirrel has told the cakes squirrel to buzz off in no uncertain terms.

The gratitude journal page for yesterday wasn't easy. Part of it was, the part where I got to see LC and OJ, but the rest of it was iffy. I wrote a lot when I was home and not in the pickup line so I put that on, but otherwise I was stumped. There was no yoga yesterday because the pest nerd guy showed up just as I was about to start and when he was gone I'd lost the motivation so I just got dressed.

 

I pushed away from the laptop this afternoon meaning to take a walk and saw that there were raindrops plopping into the birdbath. I grabbed an umbrella and went anyway. I won't melt. It was only needed for the return when it started raining a little harder. 

 

On my walk I found fallen leaves. Not the pretty colored fall leaves, but brown crunchy leaves. I think they come from the big tree on the curve of the court or maybe the tree next to it. The tree across the street seems to have yellow crunchy leaves instead of the pretty ones. Is this going to be a dull-leaf year? 

 

I came back from my walk to find all of the Dad's roses drooping in the light rain. This blossom was the only one not bent so far that I couldn't get a good shot. 

 

The drawing prompt today was Bikini but I decided I didn't want to draw that, so I flipped to the next video to find Fish. Much better. I like them. I even like the one with the leaf shapes down its center. It's fun drawing fish.

 

At Friday Night Knitting, I got into the colored yarn on the sock. Hooray! It didn't occur to me that knitting the sock leg in ribbing (ribbed legs stay up better) wouldn't let the self-patterning yarn self-pattern the way it's supposed to. Maybe when I finish this sock, I'll knit another one with the same yarn (gasp!) in stockinette so the self-patterning works. I'll knit this one's foot in stockinette because ribbing would be uncomfortable on the bottom of my foot so that part will be patterned. Unfortunately it'll be in my shoe and therefore invisible.

 

Writing went okay today. I had an idea in the shower so I did some writing not completely dressed. Fortunately I'm the only one here so no one had to poke their eyes out seeing me undressed. I came across another recommendation from the Manuscript Analysis that will be more difficult to implement so I stuck on another flag and moved on. Pretty soon I'll let this manuscript rest and start brainstorming the next cozy mystery novel. I have all the characters outlined already and have a backdrop worked out so I just need to manipulate them like little puppets into action. Yeah, just that. Like it's so easy to juggle them around and make them perform so they keep readers interested. I figure once I get three cozies written, I'll order three covers, and publish them a few months apart. I've read that cozy readers like to scoop up a few books in a series at once so it's a good idea to pile them up before publication. I wonder how many I can write in a year?

--Barbara