| This tree house, at Nay Aug Park, Scranton, PA, is accessible to the public. Isn't it great? |
This marks another week in our current ROW80, and the time is flying by! I've always said that once Independence Day passes, summer is gone in a wink, so I'm trying to enjoy every minute. But the subtle reminders are there, pressing in on my bliss. I realized this week that I have only one month to complete the school shopping for my three boys. They all need everything, as I seem to have the sort of boys who NEVER stop getting taller. And I have kids that are smaller than average! (my eight year old may have broken 50 lbs this summer) Try to find pants for that waist! Yeah.....
Anyway, this summer has been productive. We planted our garden, which is finally producing. Zucchini, spinach, lettuce and peppers are coming in now, and tomato, cucumber, cabbage, and cantaloupe are coming along nicely. And I love my new potted herb garden. Fresh basil, parsley, cilantro, lemon balm, and thyme are right off my patio. Easy-peasy. We painted our house....(and believe me, the rain caused that project to drag on and on, as we did it ourselves.) We added a permanent canopy over a portion of the patio. It's absolutely wonderful to sit there and have my morning coffee or a late night Guinness. We traveled to visit family, and had lots of company. We laughed over old times, and made new memories, visiting Knoebel's Amusement Park, and watching a fantastic fireworks display in Wilkes-Barre.
This next week, the younger boys will have their wrestling picnic at Nay Aug's Water Park.
We will also head to the Jersey shore in a few weeks. I can't wait!
All this summer fun, and packing it into the last remaining weeks before returning to the reality of the school year, threatens to steal from my writing time if I let it. So far, I've been very good at carving out 'work-time' in the midst of such frivolity........
Goal Updates.....
I'm well into chapter 20 with the typing on Claiming The Prize. This leaves only one....ONE! more chapter to type before I send it off to my critique partner. I may finish it today. My goal was to type and read over one chapter a day, and I've exceeded the goal.......
I have no word count goals for my novella, Her Dark Baron, until I complete the typing on my novel. But I did send off all my character information/setting/blurb/images to the fabulous Elaina Lee for the cover design! I can't wait to see what she comes up with.
I'm also reading a novel, Pilate's Wife, by Antoinette May, and at the mid-point, all I can say is.....it's great! Claudia, Pilate's wife, is a wonderful character. And Pontius Pilate is brought to life as the ambitious seducer history claims him to have been. The story is written from Claudia's point of view, and follows her from childhood to womanhood, from daughter to wife, from follower of Juno to follower of Isis to....I don't know where it will lead, but the jacket describes an encounter with the mysterious Yeshua from the Galil, and then draws on the plethora of rumor surrounding the story that Pilate's wife begged him to spare the carpenter from Nazareth as she had the gift of 'the sight' and experienced visions or dreamed of him, and her transformation into a follower of the Messiah. Wow.
For Next Week.....
As soon as I get my edits, correct any deficiencies, tweak any problems, and complete a final read through, I'll be uploading to Smashwords and Create Space.......The goal is in sight!
What goals have you met - or planned- during this week? Can you see the end of a journey? The beginning of a new one?
~ Nadja
Sounds like you've had a successful summer! I've just started a small potted herb garden, and I love going outside to clip sprigs of rosemary and basil for dinner.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your final chapter! I just reached a major milestone with the draft of my thesis, and my WIPs are rolling right along.
Well done for exceeding your goal for Claiming the Prize.
ReplyDeleteI have managed to keep my goals this week but has ben a bit of a struggle. Think I am about to start a new piece of writing which is exciting! Have a brilliant week!
Great job! And it sounds like there's going to be a lot of fun happening with your family! :0)
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch! ROW80 has been very helpful to me in setting goals - and keeping me accountable to them. Hope you are all having success also. I'll be visiting around... ~ Nadja
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a treehouse like that for writing. I think I would get so much more done hehe Must be exciting to be up to your last chapter :)
ReplyDeleteAnd LOL at your comment on my blog... My Rex does exactly the same thing, nudging me in the armpit when he wants attention, and then sticking his head on my lap and snuffling all over my keyboard if I don't pat him straight away. He also has a habit of wedging himself under my desk and draping himself over the wheels of my chair so that I can't move. Makes life difficult at times but I wouldn't have it any other way.
good work on the garden - picked my first cauli's today beans maybe by next week - tastes so good - your writing and reading seems to be going well and summer with the boys sounds exhausting!! best of luck this week
ReplyDeletewell now not sure I can help am in the UK - when we had the new abode built 10 hyears ago i had a huge tank put in under ground under the drive - it was easy as the whole place was a building site - then every year I added more water butts connected to the drainpipes (the down pipes from the roof gutters) I now have 13 of them scattered around so that all water of the roof fills them then the underground one as well, any very heavy rain that accumalates on the drive or path ways all go into the underground one as I had the land contoured always towards the drains.
ReplyDeleteThe water butts aren't huge but are many two to three around every downpipe, including garage, greenhouse and shed - most years it works well but occasionaly it gets close to the bone. The underground tank is the only one connected to the hose it's watering cans and a work out for theme using the butts!!!
Thanks. It's all new to me, but I'd like to have something planned to put in place either in the fall or spring. You have quite an extensive collection system! You can't go wrong with that. ~ Nadja
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're doing well! Keep plugging away.
ReplyDelete