Birthmarked
Happy Solstice!
Morning sun, Winter Solstice 2016
As we speed through the shortest day of the year, I’m looking up and enjoying the low-riding sunlight. I like to think about how our planet is spinning to the east at a thousand miles an hour, fast enough for each time zone, one by one, to crest through sunrise into the light. The wintery air feels like the coolness of outer space right here in my back yard, pressing against my storm windows, while inside, the old heat of the sun resurfaces as the… Continue reading
Be Sure to Vote
Today’s
the
day.
Be
sure
to
vote.
Worth the Hike
The Franconia Ridge Trail, NH, September 10, 2016
The loop: from the parking lot at Lafayette Campground, up Falling Waters Trail, northward along Franconia Ridge Trail, down Greenleaf Trail, to Old Bridle Path and out.
I hiked the Franconia Ridge Trail this weekend with my family and tested my mettle. Famous to hikers in New England, the trail is a rugged, 8.5-mile loop with stunning views above tree line as it follows the ridge along four peaks. It took us nine hours to go up and down. We passed waterfalls,… Continue reading
Rainbow with Flying Saucers
Rainbow with 3 Flying Saucers
Having snapped this photo of a rainbow, I was delighted to discover afterward that the picture includes three flying saucers as well. What a fortunate coincidence that they happened to be orbiting in range. Enjoy!
Blood and Cookies
Donating blood makes me think of my father, who donated regularly for years. He earned something like the ten gallon badge. That’s a lot of blood. As a girl, I remember getting calls at the house when the Red Cross needed more of his type, O Neg, and he’d head down to the hospital. It seemed like he was a quiet hero, saving babies, and I wanted to be like him.
I received one of those calls this summer myself. I don’t donate regularly, but I’m in the database, and… Continue reading
Summer Revising
Since it’s summer and I spent decades in school, the schedule in my bones tells me I ought to be on vacation. I’m not, of course. I have work like the other grownups, so my bones have to be quiet and let me concentrate.
Today, I’m working on draft 5 of Vault 3, and the current challenge has to do with taking my existing scenes deeper and finding a way to thread in one of my characters who has so far preferred to stay on the sidelines. It’s tricky… Continue reading