Thursday Thirteen

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Thirteen First Lines To Stories I've Written (published and WIPs):

1. Corinne Weathers, Cori to her friends and family—but not to her very proper cooking class teacher, Micah DePalma—gave a squeak of fear at the flames creeping up her apron. ("Kitchen Matches")

2. It wasn’t going to happen, not by tomorrow morning anyway. ("A Change of Heart")

3. A line on the switchboard buzzed at the same moment Lizzie Scott glanced at the clock. ("Don't Fence Me In")

4. “Disgusting.” Cass Edwards wrinkled her nose against the stink. ("Magic")

5. Millie wiped down the counter and tried to keep from looking at the clock for the hundredth time that night. ("Miles From You")

6. “Come on, Mommy. Let's go!” Melinda's feet shuffled in place while she tried to drag Sarah off the motel room bed. ("Now That We've Found You")

7. Her obsession started innocently enough. ("Pregnancy Cravings")

8. Nothing good ever happened at Christmas. ("The Christmas Curse")

9. Tina Springfield knelt in the dark loam and nipped a dead blossom off her Veteran’s Honor rose bush, pleased with the remaining buds’ classic shape and deep red color. ("Tickle Fights and Barbecues")

10. Liv Leigh tugged a faded Boston College sweatshirt over her head, careful not to dislodge the wig covering her platinum blond hair. ("One Love for Liv")

11. Geoff Quigley stood on the sidewalk on a gorgeous, fairly warm May day and stared at his dream house. ("A Jewel for Geoff" - sequel to "One Love for Liv" and a WIP)

12. “Why can’t Micah do this with you?” Zach Weathers grumbled at his sister, Cori as she dragged him through a door with fluffy white curtains and into hell--otherwise known as Now and Forever Wedding Planning. ("Now and Forever" sequel to "Kitchen Matches" and a WIP)

13. No one deserved to be beaten to death. ("Return to Stiller Creek" - a complete novel in edits)

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In other news, we saw what was either a female tiger swallowtail or a black swallowtail yesterday. Usually tiger swallowtails are yellow with black markings, but the females occasionally color themselves in what looks remarkably like a black swallowtail. If the critter had let me hold it, I could have told the difference, but they're funny about that, lol.

It's supposed to rain pretty hard here today, but we'll start looking for butterbabies anyway. and, I need to buy parsley to give them a second choice of food.

I love Pillars.

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You Are Kind

You have a broad perspective on life. You are very understanding and forgiving. You prefer a quiet, peaceful existence. You don't like noise in your head - or in the world around you. For you, there's no such thing as too much calm. Having time to think is a gift that you treasure.

The Happy Smiley Test

That's pretty close to correct, except the forgiving part. I have a tough time with grudges, lol...

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Case of the Crankies

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Had a cranky day yesterday. It started when I found that one of Suzanne McMinn's goats had died unexpectedly. I know, I know... it wasn't even MY goat, but it really made me sad. **sniff** We've watched those little babies grow up, so it was rough. I can only imagine how hard it was on her and her kidlets.

Then it was overcast. Blech. So, all my plans went out the window. And TODAY, when it's sunny and nice? We have a family "thing" and I can't work outside in my garden (::grumble, grumble::) and tomorrow it's going to rain.

Ah well... this too shall pass.

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I spent some time yesterday talking to my voles. Yep, really. Stood outside the holes I HAVE found and gabbed. Told them if they wouldn't destroy my gardens I wouldn't kill them. Seems like a fair exchange.

Honestly, so far I haven't seen any more damage. I'm not expecting that to last, however, so I'm doing some research into what they won't eat... which isn't much, sadly. Still, I'm going to try some tricks (surrounding the root balls with weed block before I plant, etc) and see if I can't discourage them. I am on the hunt for some pretty daylilies (NOT orange or yellow -- everyone here has orange and yellow and I want to be different) because they don't eat them (nor do the deer).

It's frustrating. I've managed to work in concert with all the other wildlife. Yes, the chipmunks sample my garden, but they don't eat THAT much (though I do get testy when they take one bite out of several large tomatoes). The deer haven't decimated anything but my tulips in some time. The bear? As long as I pull in my bird feeders at night, he leaves us alone.

But these doggone voles? Sheesh... the most destructive thing I've seen. And they are so SMALL.

So, the war continues.

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I've been pondering first lines on Twitter and Facebook the past couple of days. If you haven't given your two cents worth, feel free to chime in.

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Your Inner Retro Girl Is 1980s Girl Next Door

Or at least, that's what your heart is.

What Retro Girl Are You?

Oddly... this isn't far off, really. LOL...

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