Have you ever been really hot and watch something that is really snowy and feel cooler? It’s hot, so having fun with some snow is nice.
At 96K, doing final edits before I send Red Wolf to my beta readers. Yay!
Next up is a novella for the 10th Anniversary release of Heart of the Highland Wolf. Uh, no, next up is proofing the 10th Anniversary releases of Wolf Fever and Seducing the Wolf. Then the novella.
I work on my main computer all day and then my laptop at night. So it throws me off when I have no internet on my main computer. I received Wolf Fever to proof but I’m trying to edit Red Wolf still, so I meant to work on it there, but I couldn’t open my email where I have my updated version of Red Wolf. Yes, I could use a flash drive to transfer it. But I need my internet to do research and stuff while I’m working on the book.
Anyway, so I’m on chapter 10, catching changes, and making a list of stuff I mentioned and didn’t go anywhere with. Hoping to get another 10 chapters today. Tomorrow, little one will be here.
Playing around with the Chalk Version in Topaz Studio.
Yesterday, little one and I had fun making an angel food cake, making eggs that she didn’t want until I sat down to eat mine and then she wanted one. So I gave her that one and I made another for me and she wanted it. I ate mine and made her another one. I showed her how I made spaghetti.
On our trips outside, we found a ladybug and a BABY ladybug and a beautiful blue dragonfly, lots of monarchs and bad milkweed bugs. She’s learned that blue jays are blue jays. She recognizes bluebirds. We’re working on woodpeckers, robins, mockingbirds, and cardinals, instead of just birds.
She helped me with the laundry, washing windows, vacuuming and washing wood trim. It was a good day. lol
We painted toenails and did numbers and read books, did pre-school workbooks and practiced saying the letter S–she loses the s on snack, snake, and squirrel.
We had fun!
But it’s back to a wild day of edits and writing on Red Wolf!
Have a super safe day. Distance and masks. Save lives.
this Memorial Day weekend. We usually think of the soldiers who died in battle, but we have a new battle with COVID-19 and I want to remember all of those who have died while doing their jobs to save the sick and those who were providing a service that keeps us going too! All the people behind the scenes, the grocery workers, parcel deliverers, those working at the food processing plants. The list goes on and on.
The deaths continue to rise across the world in this deadly battle.
Had a ball at my daughter and son-in-law’s house for his birthday. I had gotten him a board game, Everdell, that we played and though I said he should win, since it was his birthday, I won! Even better. lol My friend said, they let me win. Ha! They are super competitive. We’d never played the game so we learned as we went and while they were wheeling and dealing, I was doing my own little hope-this-works strategy and it did. They were both shocked. I really thought my daughter had won. I had double their score. Yay for Grandma!
We’re having hamburgers on the grill for Memorial Day.
So, I’m back to working on Red Wolf. Starting from the beginning and editing more. Though I still need to finish it. I’m hoping working from the beginning, I will know what I need to do. Talk to me, people! (I’m talking to the characters in the story–they really do their own thing and if I interfere, I go down the wrong path.)
We’re supposed to get rain. But that’s been the same old story for days now. You have 100% chance of rain at 8 am, delayed now until 2-3 pm, wait, 10 pm, no, 2 in the morning, change that to 8 am, how about 5-6 in the evening, okay, not until 8 in the morning, make that 5 in the evening… This is the ongoing changes from day to day. They say women change their minds, ha! The weather is worse!
So not a a drop of rain, yet we were supposed to have it from Friday through Thursday of next week. It’s Sunday now. Noon–that’s what they say now. Honest. Noon. Well actually: 12:15 to be precise.
Right. It will come if it comes. And right now? I have no faith in the weatherman. Just saying… lol
I managed to get some background colors of yellow coreopsis and purple Spanish heather.
My goal is to finish writing Red Wolf by Sunday. I didn’t get but 250 words yesterday with little one here. So I have 4 more days to finish writing the book. That doesn’t mean I’ve finished it to turn in. After the book is done, I have to read and edit it. That is the fun part. Seriously. Making it better!
I’ve been getting my daily walk in before it’s light out. It’s getting to mid-90’s all week.
The juvenile squirrel was trying to get on this feeder, but he kept falling off. The white-winged dove was flapping his wings like crazy trying to get tidbits of seeds on the same little feeder. lol So I caught a few frantic flapping-wing trips to the feeder. They weren’t giving up.
And that’s dedication. Seeds are all over the ground, but somehow the ones in the feeder are worth the effort!
I managed 3,000 words yesterday–getting toward my 89K word goal. Eighty was minimum.
No sugar in my diet for a week now, no cravings. I picked up grapes and cantaloupe, have apples and carrots, so if I feel the urge to have something sweet, I’ve got it. And they taste sweeter now that I’m not eating tons of candy. Though my friend said that dark chocolate has all kinds of health benefits as long as it has 70% cacao, so I’m going to pick up some that have almonds in them (the almonds are also good for you), and have those as backup. BUT only a piece a day, or I undo all I’ve done with being good.
Sometimes it’s impossible to get any distance between your subject and the background, or you can’t get too close or you’ll chase your subject off. But if you have still life to photograph, or subjects that are prone to hold put even if you get closer to them, you can get some interesting effects. I love the bubbled bokeh, but creamy will do too. In the yellow and white mother’s day flowers, the bubbles are yellow esperanza in sunlight, and the flowers were on the patio. So when I went to shoot them, in the shade, the esperanza across the lawn several feet away gave a spectacular yellow bubble effect.
With the purple flowers, the bubbly effect is a waterfall behind them. The fall leaves–light filtering through the trees. The caterpillar–light reflecting off plants, and the wild grasses–that was harder since they were mostly on top of each other. I had to find some that I could get close to and the background faded away.
I try to get the sharpness of the subject, not really paying attention to the background as much, but I joined a group on Facebook to share silhouettes, bokeh, and reflections. I love to do the latter two, so it’s made me make more of an effort to try and find a fun light source behind my subject for natural bokeh when I can.
Ran to the grocery store this morning–empty, yes! Of people that is. I went at 8 am, but learned they are now open at 7 am, so will be going earlier next time. I haven’t gone in 3 weeks, most food in, lots of beef wasn’t available. But I really needed fresh veggies and fruits, and shoot, forgot tilapia and garbage bags. Always something.
And I took a walk first thing before it gets hot.
I’m off to write. Got my 80K in yesterday!!! Yay! So now I need to wrap this puppy up.
