Well, except for when I go on hiatus.
It's just been really busy here. Cody is completely recovered from his abscess. We had a ton of rain. The local weather station posted a story that our area is still in severe drought. I invite anyone needing water to come siphon off our excess.
Friday the wonderful H. came to massage Salina, with even better response this time. Although we were having light rain that morning, I put the geldings out of their stalls and opened up the arena so they could experience footing without mud. Within minutes the three of them were trotting and cantering around, including Cody. Keil Bay looked ready for at least a second level test. Meanwhile Salina nuzzled my hand with her lips and alternated between closing her eye and chewing as H worked. Rafer Johnson was highly indignant that while he earns the massage money, someone else gets the massage!
And this was writing group weekend. D. arrived and we hit the ground running. On Saturday we went into town and ended up discovering a steampunk gallery and coffee house that has been there for 9 months and I didn't even know it! The young woman who owns and runs it turns out to be a home schooler who moved down here and is following her dream. And while I know not very much at all about the steampunk genre, I admit I was intrigued by the artwork and the toys and the ambiance.
Even with all the exploring we did on Saturday, the weekend was wildly productive. I finished my final edit on The Magical Pony School: Jane's Transformation. It's the first book in my middle grade series, and at any moment it will be available on Amazon!
I'll do a big announcement when it's live there, but for now, I'm just thrilled that this book is so close to being out in the world. A secret: although it's aimed at early middle grade, I suspect moms and grandmoms of middle graders and younger pony girls and boys might also enjoy the story.... :)
We're back in the 50s as we begin the week and once again I am in hopes of major drying out happening. Between grooming the mud and walking in it, I am just plain tired of soggy, wet earth. The donkeys have nowhere to take their dust baths, and I think even the most deeply-rooted trees have had their fill.
And that is all I can say because I swore after seeing some fellow bloggers' photos recently that I would never complain again!
I hope we all start the sweet shift to spring, soon.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
May spring come soon - it can't happen soon enough for my taste!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like you've been busy. I've never heard of the steampunk thing. Maybe because I don't go to coffee houses or drink coffee anymore.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Salina enjoyed her massage. I could use one about now too.
We've got some warmer temps this week too and when this snow starts to melt it will be a muddy mess. I'm hoping it melts slowly and we don't get flooding.
That's so exciting your middle grade book is almost finished. I'll be looking forward to it. I finished "the meaning of isolated objects" and liked it very much. I still have to write a review for it on Amazon. I just haven't had the time to think about what to say and I want to do it justice, it was a very interesting book.
Kate, you certainly have more reason to long for spring given the conditions at your place! I hope it comes soon for you too.
ReplyDeleteSomeone will have to correct me if I'm not quite right here, since I only just discovered the whole steampunk thing - but I think it's a genre of writing that grew from Jules Verne's work, that assumes primarily that some of our current technology was invented in the 19th century - so it's sort of a cross between historical work and science fiction... ?
ReplyDeleteIn any case the coffee house gallery has a lot of very interesting art that introduced me to this genre.
I confess, I sat in there and started having ideas for steampunk pony books. :) Mainly though it stimulated the creative joints and got both D. and I really cranking so that the weekend was productive. We usually are productive, but we had to cancel January's weekend due to the nasty bronchial bug that went around down here, so it was nice to come back with a bang, so to speak!
Arlene, I forgot to say thank you - so glad you enjoyed Isolated Objects. I really enjoyed writing it.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll like the pony book even if you are, like me, well past middle grade! :)
Interesting - I just visited an etsy site yesterday with steampunk in the name - antique / industrial / collage looking jewelry and accessories. I found a treasure there but am saving it for a future blog post...
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you posting billie. I was hoping you weren't still struggling with that bug :)
Congrats on the new book - sounds like a perfect read for a re-rider!
C, I forgot to write that I do have a residual cough that on Thursday felt like it might be relapsing some, but fortunately my Mountain Rose herb order had come in earlier last week so I made a batch of organic elderberry syrup with local honey - things are back on track now. At this point the only time I'm coughing is when I go from outdoors to indoors - I'm not sure why that triggers it, but it does.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of reading to catch up on - looking forward to reading your books Billie. So glad cody is better.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it great to have someone whom you know will work magic when they come?
I had been going to post pictures of mud.....We also have had lashings of rain.
Thank you, Maire - I will look forward to hearing what you think about the books.
ReplyDeleteYes wrt knowing someone will work magic - the equine body workers always do, because the horses can so easily make the connections between what the chiro and massage women do and near instant relief. It's not always like that with the vet.