May days

I'm finding it hard to believe May is here already. We've had horses in the backyard grazing down the grass (they mow for me in 3 shifts and all are perfectly willing to work overtime!!), we'll soon be moving the grass paddock fencing to encompass the entire side and front yards of our house (that grass is now almost chest deep to Keil Bay, imagine their delight when we open it up to them!), all the trees are fully leafed out now which means our privacy is back (in other words, we can't see the road, much less the neighbors across the lane), and I am riding with Keil's Quiet Ride mask due to yellowish-orange biting creatures as well as those nasty little midges.

Because of those midges the herd has chosen to stay in the barn with their fans on more days than not the past couple of weeks, and I am using fly spray and various other ointments as well as the full-blown Kellon cocktail of chondroitin, spirulina, and ground flax to keep insect bite reactions to a minimum.

The ride time around here has shifted officially as of this morning. Still very nice temp-wise in the early mornings, and, before the insects come out, it's the perfect time to ride. This morning Keil Bay and I went in the arena and I left the back gate open. He heads straight for the back gate when he's had enough of the arena sun, and that is fine with me. There is nothing better than marching around the back field on Keil Bay.

Writing-wise, I am 15k words into my second novel this year. My goal is to write four first drafts by the end of September so that I can then turn to editing in the fall/early winter. So far I have completed Clairette, a short story; claire-voyant, the third novel in the Claire Quartet; and now I am four chapters in with claire-de-lune, the final Claire Quartet title. The key is writing 5-7 pages a day, no matter what. The REAL key is not letting that time get shoved right off the end of the table with all the other things I have going on. It's not that the time isn't there - it's that I have to actively prioritize my daily writing. (and my daily riding)

In other news, my son is coming home for two weeks! So I'm looking forward to spending time with him enjoying his all-too-brief visit. He is going back to school to do a research job with one of his physics professors and is also taking two classes in summer school. 

I hope everyone is having spring weather by now - without the crazy severe weather of the past few weeks. We had a few dicey days and I'm glad we made it through with no problems. 

Happy May!