Friday Feast, Pillar News and a Release Date

Death is a debt we all must pay. ~Euripides

Friday Feast One Hundred and Fifty Three



Appetizer
Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

Would you believe I don't really have a memory of a toy that made any great impression? I don't think I played with toys that much -- I preferred playing with my pets, or my friends. I did have a Barbie doll... and I remember wanting a Ken doll to go with it. You know what I got instead? G.I. Joe! LOL... do you suppose that's why I enjoy military romances so much?

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

Maybe 5 or 6. It really depends on what else I'm doing...

When I was in high school, my drama teacher sat the class down the moment it started and told us to write everything we saw on our way into the room. He prompted us: did we see trees? How many and what kind? Were there stairs? Doors to other rooms? Flowers? And so on.

Then, he took us for a walk to see what was really there. It was amazing how different it looked when I was really paying attention to things -- I'd been going to that school for two years at that point, and had never seen some of the things he pointed out.

Salad
Where would you rather be at this very moment?

Very nearly anywhere west of the Mississippi, but preferably in one of the Pacific states (well, maybe not Alaska -- but I'm good with the others). Have I mentioned that I really don't like the Northeast?

Main Course
When was the last time you learned something new?

Yesterday? And I imagine I'll learn something new today, too. I love learning. Lately, I've been building a new website, and I'm having to learn how to do lots of things. I still can't figure out the code for those collapsible bits of font -- Yanno, like SBTN does here. Frustrating.

I've also learned that milkweed lasts for about 2 - 3 days once you pick it. And that monarch caterpillars are nearly microscopic when they hatch.

Learning is a lot of fun. And, yes, I was one of those strange kids who actually liked school.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have legs, but I haven't started jogging.

I have curly hair, but I haven't figured out how to style it.

I have a dog, but I haven't figured out how to make her live forever.

Okay, I'll stop.

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Pillar Place: Swallowtail update -- we had a "Moe" sighting. He was having a sip of nectar on the daylillies next door. And yes, of course I'm certain it was him.

Pillar Place: Monarch had its first death. Thankfully DD was gone for the day and I could do a switch of the name tags. The poor butterbaby who died was Manuela -- named for my DD (her middle name). Another pillar needed a bigger home, so I moved her into Manuela's house and gave her the same name. Manuela II nee Betty is a happy, newly named pillar in a nice roomy house. Manuela is off in that big milkweed patch in the sky.

And DD is none the wiser. Phew.

Otto, OTOH, is about big enough I think my camera might actually take his photo. I'll see if I can have him say "cheese".

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I got the official release date for my story, "Pregnancy Cravings" -- It will be available for purchase and download on August 15th! Yay!

No word on "Magic" yet. I haven't even seen the galleys... then it'll be a little while for new stuff. But new stuff, there will be!

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You Are Eggs

Traditional and totally grown up, you truly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You don't skimp on nutrition or quality. You're likely to take the time to make yourself a decent meal each morning. You're a great cook, even if you aren't a showy one. You can make a feast out of simple ingredients. The food you eat may be basic, but you prefer to think of it as classic.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?