Long Hollow

I woke in darkness yesterday morning.

A thunderstorm paid us a surprise visit in the middle of the night, giving us the whole shebang… lightning, wind, huge thunder booms and buckets of rain. Great snuggling weather. 

But a power outage, when you need to get ready for church and work, makes you realize how much you take electricity for granted, doesn't it? And you would think, by the third time you hit the light switch heading into the bathroom, you'd remember it's not going to work because there's no electricity!

By the time the sun rose, the dark clouds had moved on to terrorize other parts of the world and we've had glorious sunshine and dryer, cooler temperatures ever since… all the way down in the 80's!

Autumn has most certainly arrived in my part of Texas, even though the only color is still along the roadside in the form of yellow, white, and purple wildflowers. The only colored leaves are ones that succumbed to the long drought.

 

I met with my writing group last night. I'm still working on my book, even though progress is in baby steps. I even signed up to meet with an agent and an author for feedback at the writing conference coming up in February. That means I need to send samples of the book to them sometime in December…which means I need to have it {mostly} finished.

I love deadlines – without them I'd put everything off forever.

I've been subbing more lately, both in the elementary and the high school. I love the diversity of it, being able to help, and learning new things. Plus I love meeting new people. Even those a fraction of my age can be fascinating, like the third grader who gave me a refresher course on mancala last week.

What I don't love are rude kids, but those are few and far between, thank goodness.

Today is my sweet niece/goddaughter's birthday. I love being a Nina, but wish so much I could see her more often. Arizona is a long way from Texas.

This was from our summer reunion in Florida. (Nino Tom always grows a beard on vacation.)

Happy birthday, sweet Nicole! I hope you've had a beautiful day!

Through my writing journey, I've met so many talented writers. One friend from my screenwriting class, Richard Dean Johnson, has decided to tell his story in novel form first, just as I did with the historical fiction I'm writing based on my great-great grandfather's memoir.

Richard's story, Saving the Farm, was one of my favorite screenplays in the class, and I can't wait to read it in novel form, where he'll be able to better develop the characters and relationships without the page limits of a screenplay. 

Through Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects, he's raising money to hire a professional editor and publish the book in both digital and physical hardback book formats. Depending on donation amounts, supporters get perks, like copies of the book.

He's almost halfway to his goal, but only has a week left to raise the other half. Would you take a look at his Kickstarter page and possibly toss a few coins into his hat to help him with the project? You can find a synopsis of his book and information on how to donate on his Kickstarter page HERE.

P.S. I don't get a kickback from this plug – I'm just supporting a fellow writer who I believe in!

Good luck, Richard! Remember me when you're famous!

And now, my collection of sweet!s from the past week…

 

Sunday: a day with family; knowing your boys made it home from a road trip to visit their grandfather on his birthday

 

 

Monday: watching the Dark Shadows movie with your mom and dad; spotting a woodpecker just out the window; driving into a glorious red sky, headed home; a wiggly puppy greeting you on your front porch

Tuesday: a heating pad on a pinched muscle and a few more minutes to sleep; taking a day off for a slow walk through fall wildflowers and getting reaquainted with your drums

Wednesday: mist draped across a hill's shoulders; finally creating your photography business website; a whole hour of Modern Family, and watching it with your sweetie; following through on your promise to yourself to go to bed early

Thursday: getting up in time to run before heading to work; a refresher course on Mancala from a third grader (and winning!); elementary school assemblies; spending the evening with your daughter

Friday: your son letting you know of job openings he knows you'd love; finishing up a chapter in your book-in-progress; a call from a friend you haven't spoken to in awhile; a good news text from a friend; cyclops cookies, fresh out of the oven

 

 

 

Saturday: remembering the day your blue-eyed, dark-haired middle son was born; helping prepare for a wedding at a winery; celebrating your son's 24th birthday; pumpkin ale, pumpkin cider, and silly movies with your son and hubby 

 

 

Sunday: snuggling deeper under the covers on a stormy pre-dawn morning; blue skies after a night of thunder and lightning; power returning after an outage; spicy carne asada when you're feeling really drained; meeting with your writer's group in person for the first time in weeks

Monday: being in the right place at the right time to help someone; teenagers listening and following rules when you're subbing; high schooler's informational speeches; an afternoon walk with your puppies

 

I hope you already have a great collection of sweet!s started for this week!

Linking up with