Writing, a Doe and Bugs

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

Yeah, I suck at titles... lol...

I got my weekly writing tips newsletter from Holly Lisle. This week she answers the question, "Why write fiction" with this (in part):

Reality was a caveman freezing.

Fiction was that same caveman wondering, "What if a god were to give us the magic of fire?"

And then telling his imagined story to someone who saw past the gods and figured out a way that a man might capture fire, and touch the realm of gods in the doing.

Fiction---good fiction, anyway---is dream made flesh, given purpose and drive, and set on a quest to show us the best in us and to give us the power and the tools to dream beyond reality's 'merely good enough' to a vision of what is truly great...

...and then to give us the stories of men and women of character who in turn inspire those of us who dare to reach for the truly great within ourselves.

Inspiring... thanks, Ms. Lisle. I do like her newsletter -- it's never very long, comes weekly, and usually makes me feel motivated and happy.

Yesterday we had a huge doe (a deer, a female deer) in our backyard. My DH hasn't cleared back there this year (the way things grow here, it'll be a forest by next spring) so there was plenty to eat. She just walked along munching on all the saplings, maple and oak appeared to be her favorite. She saw and heard us, but didn't appear to be overly spooked. It's pretty amazing how large they are -- especially their ears, which are a bit like satellite dishes.

Since my garden is pretty well caput anyway, I didn't mind having her there.

Speaking of my garden, my summer squash is infested with squash borers. The bases of all three plants is rotted and covered with frass. I sprayed the pogees out of them with some natural pesticides I have (used about half a bottle to make sure it soaked in really well and got those buggers) and then covered the base with dirt. The plants may not make it, but I don't want any babies surviving. :::grumble:::

I may mark summer squash off my gardening list next year, too. At this rate, all I'm going to plant is beans and cucumbers...

Not a lot planned for this weekend. Hopefully it'll be peaceful and stress-free. Wishing you all the same!

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You Are an Amaretto Chocolate Cherry Cupcake

You have a deep desire to leave your mark on the world. You want to change things for the better. You are an object of fascination for many. You shine brightly and boldly. You are youthful in spirit and appearance. You refuse to grow up! To be honest, danger excites you a little. You believe that anything that is worth doing has some risk.

What Exotic Cupcake Are You?

Maybe 25% right ...

The Weekend Recap

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Terri Guillemets

Happy Monday!

My blogging may be sporadic the next couple of weeks. Not only is my mom staying here until her apartment is ready, but DH is taking of next week, so things will be crazy. I should hopefully be back to normal (or what passes as normal for me *G*) July 11th.

Friday, Dru asked:

Is your mom living in the same place she lived before moving out west?

No. She lived with us before, in an apartment over our garage. When she moved, we totally renovated it, including some structural changes and it's not really usable (or available -- it's DD's school room, craft area and my office) now. She's getting her own real apartment thins time (complete with two pools -- one indoor, one outdoor, which THRILLS DD).

At DD's new school, do they wear uniforms?

No, though they do have a very strict dress code. I'll be honest, I wish they DID have a uniform. It would make my life a million times easier.

I spent the weekend reacquainting my mom with the area (much has changed -- even one road was completely redesigned and moved!) and letting her rest a bit. My DH went out on Thursday night to Kansas City to pick her up and drive her the rest of the way here. It was a marathon trip straight through with stops only for potty breaks and food. They got here Saturday morning, and both were exhausted.

But it's done.

In other news, I took my mom couponing with my on Sunday. We hit CVS, RiteAid and Walgreens. She got her cards for the two that offer them, and I showed her how to find the deals in the flyers and go from there. I gave her two of my UpRewards/ExtraBucks to get her started. She needed Zantac, and I showed her how it was on sale at one place - plus we scored: we HAD a $1 off coupon, but ONE of the packages in the store came with a $2 off coupon attached! She ended up getting it dirt cheap.

She's excited by the prospect and got her own coupon container started (with the UpRewards/ExtraBucks she earned) and is ready to do more.

I'm telling you folks, it's not THAT hard to get stuff for free or nearly so. In fact, at this point I won't "buy" toothpaste unless it's free (and I got two tubes at RiteAid for -$1 this weekend. They were free after UpRewards AND I had a $1 off coupon).

We've also been having a "Leverage" marathon -- we wanted to catch Mom up to speed since the fourth season started last night.

I did discover yesterday that the deer hit my veggie garden. My own fault -- I'd forgotten to put out my milorganite bombs (you put it in pieces of nylon stockings and hang it around the garden... keeps the deer away cuz it STINKS). They ate about 2/3 of my tomatoes down to about 6" high, nibbled my butternut squash and cucumbers about halfway down. I'm most upset about the tomatoes, though they'll bounce back. But they were loaded with blossoms and now ... they aren't.

*sigh*

Worse, I saw my first Japanese Beetles. We call them the advance guard. The first ones that hatch are this dull brown color instead of the shiny, iridescent color of most. It means the "real" beetles will be hatching in a couple of day.

Oh. Joy.

How was your weekend?

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You Are a Performance Based Tipper

You believe that hard work should be rewarded. You always like to recognize a job well done. You are a natural motivator. You propel others into action. You have an unusually high sense of fairness and justice. You give everyone a chance to impress you. You are an empowering influence. You encourage others to be the best they can be.

What Does Your Tipping Say About You?

That's about right...mostly.

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April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

It was gorgeous here yesterday! And nice this morning. Thunderstorms expected later, but then the weekend should be STUPENDOUS. AND... I checked the long range forecast and they don't think it's going to freeze again!! I could tempt fate and put in some of my "soft" crops... I'm giving some serious thought to it. :::shivers with anticipation:::

I really love gardening. I love eating fresh veggies even more. There is NOTHING like the taste of a garden-ripe tomato warm from the summer garden. Mmmmm.....

I saw my first bat last night, too. It's amazing how loud they are with their chatter when they fly. The bugs are out (the male blackflies have appeared... yuck... meaning the females -- the ones who BITE -- will be out in a week or so) so I was pleased to see the bat. I'd like to put up bat houses in my back yard, but DH has a "thing" about bats.

The wildlife is active though. The deer have been back through, eating down all my tender spring plants. My bachelor buttons, asiatic lillies and tulips have been eaten down to the nubs. Part of this is my fault: I haven't put out the milorganite yet (that's on my list for tomorrow morning after the rains this afternoon). And the other morning, just as the sky was getting light and I had the dog outside, there was a wild turkey gobbling loudly out back. I have a love/hate relationship with our wildlife... I do love having them around, but wish they'd leave my plants alone.

How are you enjoying spring?

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You Are Iced Coffee

You are witty, flirty, and fun. People love to be around you and your energy. You need change in order to feel alive. You are very dynamic and interesting. There's so much you want to try. There's so much you want to experience. You are always expanding your mind in some cool way. You are open to and curious about the world.

Are You Iced Tea or Iced Coffee?

About 65% right. :-)

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A Question, Wildlife and Dogs

Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. ~Plato

I'm doing a random poll today ... okay, I admit it's not THAT random, but still.

Do you think it's believable that grown men in their 20s and early 30s, siblings from a blue collar family, would still rough house? Would you find it odd to see one tackle the other and wrestle on the front lawn? This is outside of physical sports (like football and hockey) where you would expect it.

I'm curious to hear your response.

===========

My battle with wildlife in my gardens has already begun. Around my well pump I have piles of spring bulbs, mostly daffodils and tulips. Two days ago, I went to check them out and found deer prints in the soil and ALL My tulips eaten down to nubs.

*sigh*

And so it begins.

Lest I forget that we do live out in the wild, last night upon our return home from agility class (it was dark) we returned to a moose in our yard. Moose are really, really, really big. Truthfully, unless you've seen one IRL, you can't begin to understand how huge they are.

More, they have pretty much no fear, not of people, cars, dogs... so you sit and watch them stroll away.

They are truly amazing. We haven't had a moose in my yard (that I've seen anyway) for many, many years. I honestly hope we don't again. They're quite intimidating.

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A recipe for disaster: last night as the agility classes were turning over (advanced goes out one door, intermediate comes in another) two of our "reactive" dogs decided to ... um.... react.

One is a pit bull who loves people, likes about half the dogs she knows, but has zero tolerance for other alpha females. Her owner is about 5'2" and the dog is about 70 lbs of solid muscle.

The other is a lab mix, ditto the above. Loves people (in fact one of her favorite people is my DD ... the dog cries when she sees her), tolerates many dogs, but has no tolerance for any kind of bad behavior on the part of other dogs. Her owner is fairly tall (about 5'6") but very slim and the dog is about 90 lbs of solid muscle.

They saw each other, coming and going last night. The pit recognized an alpha female and starting barking, the lab was having none of that and responded in kind. Both dogs dug in and headed for each other, dragging their owners... oh boy. I happened to be close enough to the lab (who I trust completely not to tag me ... I don't know the pit that well, she's pretty new to class), so I grabbed hold of her and helped drag her away. But WOW! It was incredibly intense.

The dogs were all wound up yesterday. I suspect it was because of the rain... they hadn't been able to get their wiggles out during the day. It made for a very interesting class. The busy dogs were busier, the cranky dogs were crankier, the goofy dogs were goofier. Wonder what tonight at the beginning class will hold (aside from me having to push a 80 lb timid Doberman over the walk-it)?

I really do love dogs.

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You Are Regular

You are lively and energetic. You are constantly seeking the new challenges. You are easily inspired and are always coming up with new ideas. You have a lot of enthusiasm. You stay adaptable and flexible. You want to be agile and ready for anything. You are a rule breaker to the extreme. You get a thrill from pushing boundaries and breaking taboos.

Are You Regular or Decaf?

About 75% right ...

===============

Second Verse Same As the First

"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired." — Robert Strauss

Yesterday was a LONG day, and it ain't over yet. Seems my woes with the vacuum sealer weren't just about sliding the bag in (which, interestingly enough, we were able to do yesterday -- go figure). I'm guessing it simply isn't up to mass quantities of sealing in one round, because it did about thirty pounds of meat and stopped working. After a 10 - 15 minute rest, it was good for another 20 pounds or so, then stopped working.

At that point, I gave up. It was late and I was sick of dealing with it. So, I packed up the other 40 lbs or so into Tupperware and put it in the freezing cold garage overnight. I'll try again today.

DH apologized (tongue-in-cheek) for getting such a big deer.

So, I'll be busy all morning and then one of our nephews is getting confirmed (along with 55 other people) this afternoon. I'm not sure what that entails, but we're going ... and I have no idea how long we'll be there.

Thank heavens tomorrow is Monday!!! ::::happy dancing::::

How was your weekend?

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So ... I posted this on my facebook page yesterday and got some fun results -- but thought I'd share here, too, in case you either aren't my friend on FB or didn't see it:

So ... I have this character whose mother died and left her the house. And in the garage are TONS of boxes. I didn't realize they were there until the character tripped over them! What could be in them?

I have a little more room here, so I'll also say that my character doesn't know who her father is (mom said she didn't know ... but we've already established that mom didn't sleep around, so she would know) and that she's just gone through a divorce.

Thoughts? There are lots of boxes, so they could all have different stuff in them.

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You Are an Aqua Bug

You are a bastion of harmony and tranquility. You have come as close as possible to achieving inner peace. You have a lot of perspective on the world. You are able to see things clearly... much more than most people. You can see all sides to an issue or person. You try to find the middle ground or middle road. You are confident and sure of yourself. You are clear headed, and that allows you to do that needs to be done.

What Color Bug Are You?

HAHAHAHAHAHA... no. Okay, maybe 25% percent, but I'm still laughing over the "bastion of harmony and tranquility" part...

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The Day of the Deer

Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm. ~Ambrose Bierce

I won't be online much today. I'll be on my feet, packing and vacuum sealing deer meat. I finally pulled out my new vacuum sealer I got last year. It's pretty nifty with one exception: You're supposed to "slip" the open bag end into a slot where it will vacuum and seal automatically. Sadly the bags tend to gape in the middle, so you CAN'T slip them in (they get caught up). Last night, whilst creating bags from rolls, we had to open up the sealer EVERY time to get them to seal. Plus there is a ton of waste -- they seal about 1 1/2" up on the bag. My last sealer, you just popped the end onto the seal and voila! Done.

Sometimes I think they try to get too fancy for their own good. Plus, I have to wonder if they ever even tested the thing because it's clear it doesn't work. I'm looking into getting containers to use instead. But, they're expensive, so I'll have to wait for an amazing sale.

In any case, for me it's out the door at seven a.m. to get a couple things at the store, run to the P.O. to mail some books, off to the dog park for an hour so the pup will sleep while we're working and then on my feet all day -- here's hoping the knee holds up!

I did manage to get to a few blogs yesterday. I got to see pictures of Brandy's adorable new kitten, Christmas photos of New York from Dru, hear the woes of farm life from Maria Zannini who lost a chicken to a coyote and whose husband had his first scorpion sting, see sexy pictures of Daniel Craig at Joanna's blog and more! Hopefully this evening, I'll be able to catch up just a little bit more.

Have a great day!

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You Are an Online Deal Seeker

You are technologically savvy and extremely comfortable with online shopping. When it comes to Black Friday, there's no other choice but to shop online. How else can you be at multiple stores at once? Besides, you don't even have to leave your warm home to shop. You may have to get up early to get the best deals, but at least you can do it in your pj's. You don't need the stress of crazy crowds and long lines. The sales are just as good online!

What's Your Black Friday Shopping Style?

That's exactly right!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart.
~J.A. Shedd

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were awakened at 2:15 a.m. to our smoke detectors going off... sort of. They'd ring for about 45 seconds, then stop. After a few minutes, they'd do it again. And again.

DH and I checked all the detectors -- changed the battery in one -- couldn't figure out what was up. Finally called the fire department for help. The captain came over (it was about 3 a.m. by now) and went through them one by one, finally finding one that was broken and setting off the entire system.

So, around 3:30 a.m. we all crawled back in bed. Unfortunately, DH wanted to go hunting in the morning, so it was up at 5 a.m.!

However, despite the severe lack of sleep, it worked out okay ... DH just called and told me he got a deer. I was shocked, honestly, since it's "buck only" now and you can't take a doe anymore this season. I was also shocked, since he'd only been out for about five minutes. Right place, right time I guess.

So... we have much to be thankful for today.

I'm thankful that our smoke detectors weren't announcing that the house was on fire.

I'm thankful for the gorgeous buck who sacrificed his life so we could eat healthy, low-fat, no chemical meat for the year.

And, I'm thankful for all of you.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday!!

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You Are Mashed Potatoes

You are reliable and steady. People know that they can count on you each year at Thanksgiving, and you are never a disappointment. While you may seem simple, a lot of work goes in to who you are. You are a bit of an under-appreciated masterpiece. You are both decadent and indulgent, while still being accessible to the common thing. In some ways you are all things to all people. You get along well with other people, but you're also good all on you're own. The bottom line is that you're easy to love.

What Thanksgiving Side Dish Are You?

That's me... easy to love. :-)

===================

Stuff(ed Up) and Nonsense

Physical ills are the taxes laid upon this wretched life; some are taxed higher, and some lower, but all pay something. ~Lord Chesterfield

Thanks for the kind wishes yesterday. I won't say I feel better today -- in fact, health-wise, I'm probably worse (stuffed up, coughing), but at least I'm somewhat alert. Yesterday morning I was flat out exhausted. I'm hoping today is my "bad day", the hump you have to get over before you get better. My family and I are pretty healthy, typically, so when we do get sick it comes and goes quickly.

We're still praying for some real rain here. Haven't had any significant rainfall in our town in several weeks, and though they're predicting thunderstorms this afternoon (and I'm glad for what we get ... I AM), there's no "rain" on the forecast for the next two weeks.

I've been lax about getting outside and doing much of anything lately because of the heat. I'll do quick 5 - 10 minute forays, maybe weed a bit, and then back in. As a result, I've forgotten to put my milorganite down in the veggie garden. And yesterday, I paid for it.

My tomatoes that I said were as tall as DD? Not anymore. Deer came and munched them all down. Most are *maybe* two feet tall, some are even shorter. And, with the except of DD's Sweet 100s, he got them ALL.

*sigh*

Last night I was upstairs reading and DH ran in: "Did you put your milorganite down?"

"Yes, why?"

"The deer just walked out of our backyard and across the street."

I haven't looked yet this morning, but I hope it worked. I don't have many tomatoes left!

Speaking of wildlife, it appears we have a feral cat living in our backyard. We've seen it off and on, but assumed it lived with someone and was just visiting because of the bird feeders -- we have LOTS of birds, chipmunks and red squirrels, a kitty buffet. It's gorgeous looking, a gray tabby with white paws, but yesterday DD saw it climb under one of our brush piles. And then, early this morning I saw him lurking under DH's snowmobile trailer, which is parked out back for the summer.

Poor kitty.

I'm going to keep a lookout, and if we keep seeing him, I'm going to set a trap and see if I can catch him. It's no life for him to be out there -- especially in the winter. I wonder if folks are just leaving their pets behind if they have to move? We won't be able to keep him, no matter what -- DH is not a cat fan -- but I can get it to the shelter.

I've been tending my SILs garden for her this week and discovered that she has squash borer worms. The base of two of her squash plants is split and has "frass" coming out (looks like wet wood pulp). So, I dug into it a bit, and spraying my poison (BTW, for those of you who know I prefer organic gardening ... this "poison" is actually an organic pesticide of sorts and doesn't kill beneficial bugs, except bees so I keep it off the flowers. It doesn't harm mammals either.) into the slash. I don't know if it killed the wormies, but I can hope.

So far, I haven't seen that on mine, though I need to go out and saturate the nylons on mine with that stuff again.

And that is my exciting life. How's yours?

====================

You Are Mushrooms

You are down to earth and practical. You appreciate hearty foods and people. You are very grounded. You aren't unnecessarily fanciful, and you appreciate the little things in life. You are in tune with nature and the world around you. You appreciate the outdoors and animals. You are likely very handy and good at doing things yourself. You're the type most likely to make your own pizza.

What Pizza Topping Are You?

Okay... it's always a little freaky when they nail me on these quizzes.

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Growing a Salad Bar

Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise. ~Michael P. Garafalo, gardendigest.com

So, yesterday I went out to check my garden, excited that we've had this rainy / steamy weather that plants seem to love. I had visions of ten foot tomato plants covered in blossoms, cucumbers for days, squash plants taking over the garden...

... what I found instead were deer prints and 6" high nubbins.

Yep, it's true. The deer came and pretended my garden was a salad bar. All but three of my tomatoes were eaten down nearly to the ground, the cucumbers are half the size they were, and even the squash had a a few bites taken out of it. The also trampled my baby lettuce, and I lost about half of what was planted.

So, I guess my grand harvest will have to wait a while.

I swear, I'm going to move into the middle of the city.

=======================

In Pillar Place, we have one more pillar on walkabout: Beta hit the trail last night. There are two more in The Box: Theta and Eta, but I don't think they'll be quite ready to start baking for another day or two.

Alpha should be bursting free of his chrysalis early next week, and I'm excited to see our first butterfly of the season.

Speaking of butterflies, Maria Zannini emailed me about a great Monarch site I hadn't visited before. It's www.livemonarch.com and they have all KINDS of cool information about monarchs. I know Groovy is planning to host monarchs up in her neck of the woods, and there might be others of you. You should check it out.

Even cooler, they offer monarch eggs for sale. I'm seriously considering buying some... but they aren't cheap. We had such a shortage of them last year, though, I think it might be a great idea.

Again, I say to anyone who has some space: GROW MILKWEED. The loss of habitat is one thing that has affected the monarch population more than nearly anything. I have some milkweed seeds now and will have more in the late summer. It's common milkweed, indigenous to pretty much the entire USA, so you wouldn't be introducing a non-native species to your part of the country.

I will send it to you at no cost... just plant it if you can.

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You Are a Delight

You are easy to get along with and easy to be with, but you're definitely not a doormat. You'll cheerfully ask for what you want, and you're almost always ready to compromise. You are comfortable speaking your mind, and you're also willing to admit you may not be right. You know how to work well with others. You can bend in the wind, but you don't break.

Are You Dominant or a Doormat?

Actually... I think I'm a little pushier than that, lol.

Deer, Deer Go Away

When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved. ~Frank Swinnerton

I ventured outside for a bit yesterday, despite the cold and the gale force winds, because it LOOKED like it was nice out: bright and sunny. It wasn't, and I wore a warm jacket and ear muffs (yes, really) but just had to get outside.

What I found there broke my heart (and if you're on Facebook, you know what's coming). My flowers had been attacked brutally... by Bambi.

My bachelor buttons that were just beginning to bloom had been eaten down to nubs:



They used to rise ABOVE the peony ring, and were full of buds (see that little thing that looks like a pineapple? There used to be dozens of them on both plants).



Now I have only two buds left...



They also went after the oriental lilies, but must have been full after the feast of bachelor buttons, because they only nabbed the bud off of one:



It was a good sized deer, based on the hoof prints I found. DH is planning his hunting season as we speak...

In the meantime, I dumped milorganite all over everything everywhere (though it's not sold as a deer repellant, it has a reputation for working, and it's always worked for me) and will be putting out some deodorant soap (Coast or Irish Spring) on my well pump and on some of the rocks out in my garden. A friend suggested I chop up all the chives I have growing everywhere and blend them with some water to spray on the plants, which I'm considering. My yard will be .... aromatic.

But it's terribly discouraging, because with perennials, you don't get a second chance in the same year.

Bad deer.

In other news, however, our peach tree has a TON of baby peaches (do deer eat peaches???):




My mouth is watering already...

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In yesterday's news, my DH had taken a LONG road trip last week. I never share that stuff just cuz I don't like anyone knowing when he's out of town (paranoid? Me?). He went to Texas with a cousin to pick up a boat -- they made it round trip to Dallas and back in 4 1/2 days. Yes. Really.

But because he was exhausted, eating junk and cold (he'd dressed for summer, silly man -- and then hit SNOW in Pennsylvania on the way home) he caught one doozy of a cold. His voice is nearly gone and he just feels like dog doo. Sadly, he's on vacation this week... hopefully he'll recover soon.

DD is already feeling completely well, though. Her cold really only had two bad days and she's bounced back.

And, so far, I've kept the germs at bay. I hope it stays that way...

=====================

I did a short post over at Healthful & Homemade if you're interested. I'm reading an awesome book on homemade bread, so expect more posts on easy bread making soon.

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Saturday's Story on Sunday

As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again. ~Leslie Newman

Yesterday was a long day. I woke up and started cooking -- I made eggnog muffins for breakfast (our eggnog had expired, and at $4.99/half gallon, I wasn't throwing any away! LOL), then got to work on lunch because I knew we'd be working on the deer all day. So, cornbread went in the oven as soon as the muffins came out (I tried something new with the cornbread -- added some sour cream to it, and it was yummy. Next time, I'm going to throw in some creamed corn) and I started a crock pot full of chili (again, tried something new -- added about 1/2 cup of ranch dressing ... it was GOOD).

So, we worked all day until about 4:00, but the deer is butchered and in my freezer. We did have one problem come up: my vacuum sealer stopped sealing. So, I have about 25 lbs of meat unsealed this a.m. I'm hoping it just got tired, so I let it rest overnight. Fingers crossed that it works this morning. I really don't want to buy a new one.

Today is supposed to be a pretty nice day (sunny and 50 degrees), so I'm hoping to get out a little. I've discovered that if I don't get in a good walk every day, I ache in my hips at night. I could barely sleep last night for hurting. So, if the weather is decent today, I'm taking as long a walk as I can. It'll be good for me, for the dog and for Dd as we were all cooped up yesterday.

DH is ready to start snowmobiling, but the weather has been too nice! However, they're calling for snow north of us in a week or so, so he's getting set to go. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint him.

I got the shock of my life yesterday... my FIL (and you need to understand that my MIL/FIL are NOT animal people) came in and patted Dakota and then said, "She's really turned out to be a nice dog. If I had a dog, I'd want one like her." -- could have knocked me over with a feather. Seriously. So, KUDOS to Dakota for being a successful dog ambassador.

If you have a minute today, don't forget to Vote for Suzanne!

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Thinking Things Through

Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest. ~Author Unknown

So, I'm not going to talk much about the Bru-hah-hah at Harlequin, other than to say it's clear they didn't think things through much. Most of you who are readers ONLY probably don't know what happened, but it's made quite a splash in the writing world.

Harlequin has partnered with Author Solutions to open a vanity press. Again, I see no problem with this IF THEY KEEP THE TWO ENTITIES SEPARATE. Most people probably don't know that Random House own Xlibris, right? That's as it should be.

What bothers me most about Harlequin's venture is that they are referring authors that they reject for publication to this new vanity press. And that, to me, it completely unethical. If you're interested, much of the news regarding this little mess can be found at these links:

Author Jackie Kessler

Writer Beware

Dear Author

And there are many more -- just type "Harlequin Horizons" into Google and you'll see.

The biggest ramifications of this move to authors is this: RWA (Romance Writers Association) has revoked Harlequins "approved" status, which means that no author may submit their Harlequin published book for a RITA.

This is a big deal, and my heart breaks for my friends who are pubbed through Harlequin. This mess may be cleaned up before Nationals, but will it be cleaned up in time for the RITA? I have no idea.

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So, DH got his deer on Tuesday and we're processing it today. Thankfully the weather has been quite cold this week, so we didn't have to worry about hanging it for so long.

As much as I don't like the cold weather, I do have to admit that it's nice not having to pull in my bird feeders at night. I DO have to retrain myself to check them now and then to see if they're empty, though! I use to just fill them every morning before I put them out.

The morning sky is bright pink. Should I take warning?

So ... what are YOUR plans for the weekend?

OH...and I've been meaning to ask you all a favor. Suzanne McMinn is trying to get an online gig with Sam-E and needs votes! I've been voting daily, but there are never enough, and competition is stiff. You can vote every day and the link is here: Vote for Suzanne!

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You Are a Blogging Expert

You got 7/8 correct! You know so much about blogging, you should blog for a living.

How Much Do You Know About Blogging?

I wish they'd tell me which one I got wrong! LOL...

On the Bright Side

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. ~Daniel L. Reardon

I spent some time in my gardens yesterday, really taking a look at what had been done, what deer resistant plants I might already have that I can move around and what I have that hasn't been touched.

I may take a page out of Maria Zannini's book and plant irises and other deer resistant plants around my vegetable garden (I have foxglove, jacob's ladder and more that I can use -- it's all fairly tall, and if I plant things like chives and oregano at the base it might work).

So, despite the chipmunks doing this:




And the deer doing this:





I still have:








And I even have my very own haunted house spiderweb maker:



So, who am I to wallow and complain?

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Wildlife Scores Again

When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved. ~Frank Swinnerton

DD went outside to harvest pea pods yesterday and came in sobbing like her dog had been run over. Turned out, once I calmed her down enough to talk, that deer had eaten her yellow heritage tomato plants down to the ground. I decided to go see if she was exaggerating.

She wasn't.

And not only had they eaten her two plants, but the topped ALL our tomatoes -- took off a good 12 - 18" off every single plant (except my heritage plants which were significantly smaller than my DD's and apparently beneath notice). They also helped themselves to our green beans and about half the baby apples on our tree.

To top it off, they also grazed in my front yard, and ate the tops (ergo the buds and flowers) off of my snapdragons, liatris and columbine (this is supposedly deer resistant, but apparently MY deer didn't read the memo as they ate it nearly to the ground).

Normally I use a fertilizer called Milorganite to keep deer away. I sprinkle it everywhere and it STINKS. It's actually made from human waste and I've found it works better than anything else including various predator urines... or it would if it hadn't been raining constantly. See... we've had rain again for two solid days (and you remember the 23 days of rain in June, right), so everything I put down is washed away. And short of living outside to shoo them off, there really is little else I can do. I can't put a twelve foot fence all the way around my property.

AND... I've discovered it's not voles but chipmunks that are digging up all the bulbs in my gardens.

It's discouraging, to say the least. We won't talk about how the squirrels are able to eat on my squirrel resistant feeder... no, we won't do that.

I spent time yesterday considering a plan of attack. If the blasted rain would stop, milorganite in the veggie garden would work, but to be honest, I don't think DD's tomatoes will bounce back in time to produce fruit, and that breaks my heart.

I've researched various deer resistant flowers and bulbs, and will be completely redoing the garden in the front. Again. It's the garden the voles decimated last year. And, actually, I'll be paring down what gardens I have and planting grass, which breaks my heart.

But short of killing every living creature in my yard (who would only be replaced by more anyway -- even if I belived that was an option) there's really not much else I can do.

*sigh*

There is something to be said about city living. At least you don't have to battle the wildlife.

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This and That

Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed. ~Lewis Gannit

Did some weeding again yesterday, this time in my veggie garden. Found a whole slew of "volunteer" tomatoes, too -- those are always fun because I don't know what kind of tomatoes they'll end up being. And DD's cucumber died, so we moved some of the volunteers in its place.

Why do the weeds grow three times as fast as the plants we DO want? One of life's great mysteries.

The deer ate all my hosta in the front yard, so all that remains are green stumps. No more voles... yet... though I did find one hole. I covered it and am waiting to see if it reopens.

But WOW do we have ants everywhere! Our lawn is dotted with anthills. Poor Dakota was lying down in the grass yesterday and when she got up they were crawling all over her! Took forever to get them off... you can't just brush them out -- they stick. So I was having to pull the little suckers out one by one. UGH.

The columbine are blooming, though, and are just gorgeous. The iris' are starting to bloom, too, and my oriental poppies are amazing (especially when you consider that I had "moved" them from that spot -- apparently I missed some roots because there are 2-3 dozen flowers there! LOL... with the added benefit that they are also growing where I moved them).

I have much work to do, however. Lots of edging around the woods (the wild tries desperately to take over ... and would, I think, without our fighting it), more weeding, deadheading. I know it sounds like a pain, but I really do enjoy it.

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Still don't know if I'm going to make my interview on Sunday with Romance in the Back Seat. I don't have anyone to watch DD. Was thinking about taking her with me, but last night she was heavily congested and had a sore throat, so I'm thinking she's getting sick.

Dang it.

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You Are Imaginative

You are a creative, innovative person. You're not afraid of great risks. Right now, you are seeking excitement and a bit of adventure in your life. You are drawn to people who are passionate and deep. You feel like there is nothing in your life that needs to be changed. You find that any decision you have to make needs to be slept on... often for multiple nights.

The Jungle Test

Except the "nothing needs to be changed" part, this is pretty close!
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Living With Wildlife

Next time you have some weeding or a bit of pruning to do, start looking at plants and ask yourself: 'What made that hole in that leaf?' or 'What's living in that hole?' You start to look at your garden in a completely different way.” - Ken Thompson

Thanks all for your kind words regarding my not-so-good experience with Resplendence Publishing. I hope their non-response was an honest mistake, but I admit to finding it difficult to believe they misplaced three different emails.

I imagine I'll be overhauling "Return to Stiller Creek" a bit and resubmitting somewhere, but we'll see. It's one of those stories I've been messing with for so long, I dread returning to it. So, it'll sit aside for a bit first until it's not so fresh.

In the meantime, I'll be working on my fantasy and, most likely on "Drive Me Crazy" (if I could just get the two of them into the truck!). I'm desperate to get something finished again. It's too easy to get out of the habit of writing and submitting.

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So... I've decided that living with wildlife is beyond frustrating. We all know my VOLE problem (still ongoing), but yesterday I took a walk around the estate (har, har) and discovered that the deer have eaten down ALL my hostas. To nubs. Sure, they're going to grow more because they've only just started coming up, but now that the deer have found them, any bets they'll be back?

**sigh**

And it's only April. What's next?

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You Are a Ponytail

You are energetic, laid back, and a lot of fun. You are ready for whatever life throws at you. Your idea of style is looking presentable. You prefer simple, well fitting, and neat clothes. At your best, you are productive, inspiring, and full of live. You love to be active. At your worst, you are hyperactive and frenzied. Sometimes it's hard for you to calm down.

What Hairstyle Are You?

Hmmm.... some yes, some no...

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