I am having the worst problem with birds in the garden this year. I always have a lot of birds around. I have feeders and a birdbath. I like them. But for the first time, this year they have been gobbling the seeds I plant as fast as I can get them in the ground. I am going to have to cover the beds until the seeds start to sprout, I guess. I keep trying to convince them that they really like the nice, fat sunflower seeds much better than those teeny, tiny carrot seeds, but I am not having a whole lot of luck.
Other places in the yard are starting to show some nice color. The Siberian and yellow flag iris are in full bloom, the miniature lilacs are blooming, and the mock orange is starting to open its buds. I plan on splitting the irises this year and spreading out the color. The ornamental grasses that the BaldMan split off of the big one are picking up and growing. It’s very pretty out there right now.
We have another chili cook off this weekend. This will be the last one for about a month and a half. This one is going to be a bit different, because we are taking Lambeau with us. This will be his first long car trip, and first time in a hotel room. I am bringing his crate, and lots of stuff to keep him occupied. He will be going with us to the cook off, also. I just hope it’s not a disaster! I don’t think it will be. He’s pretty well-behaved in the house, so I don’t really anticipate much problem in the hotel room. And he hasn’t given any indication that he’s the type of dog that barks at every noise, so I suspect he’ll not be a nuisance that way. It will be interesting to see how it goes.
Things are going well on the writing front. I just published a short sci-fi novelette (Smashwords, Amazon, and most ebook retailers) called “Survival of the Fittest.” I plan on publishing a novel, also sci-fi with some magic elements, in mid-August. That one is called “Circle Unbroken.” More on that as we get closer. I am currently working on the story I am serializing here on the blog, and what I think is going to end up as a novella. So writing and stuff is happening. I sat down over the weekend and made a more orgainized plan for all that will need to be done, and put it all in a calendar. With luck, that will keep me on track.
It will be a busy week, but that is okay. Better to be busy and say: “Where did the week go?” than “Is this week EVER going to end?” Right?
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Coming in mid-August, a sci-fi novel, “Circle Unbroken.” More details coming soon.
Available now from Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most other ebook retailers:
And So On... 