Weather changes things

left to right
salvia and iris
hardy orchid blossom

goldfish in a row

azaleas blooming above the pond

For the past few months, I've had the "blahs". I really didn't want to get out of bed and put off doing everything until the last minute, or later. But a few days of sunshine and nice temperatures, backed by a good evening rain storm seems to have turned the corner for me.

As you can see, I've been the garden a bit. After the rain, the weeds were easier to pull and we still had two years of weeding to do. When we went to Ireland last year, we missed all the decent gardening weather for the summer. We got a little done in fall, but there were too many other things on my plate and Fran's knees were bothering her. That meant a summer's worth of weeds were allowed full play everywhere.

It took me two days just to clear the paths of leaves. Yesterday and today, I hit the weeds in both the gardens and on the paths. I just about have the paths done. The gardens take a little longer. It helps that I am in weeding mode now. That means I walk around admiring, taking pictures and picking off weeds that come to hand. That can be a little embarrassing when I do it in friend's gardens.

I also weeded my in box. Now there is a manageable amount of "to do's" and I am working through them.

A very good friend asked me to write. I am literally years behind on my correspondence. Writing has been very dry for me, but I hope that this mood swing will get me back on track. I have a short story to finish and another to rewrite. (A terrific editor gave me her time and went through three of my stories. They are filled with suggestions to make them better and more marketable.)

I may even find the energy to post here more often.

W estercon

Every so often, science fiction fans get together to socialize, meet authors and artists, discuss things like science, art, acting, films and the like. These get togethers are called "cons" by the fen (fannish plural of fan). Westercon is one of these cons, an annual event held in the American west and moving from town to town depending on which local sf club is willing to organize a con.
Meeting favorite authors and artists is the big reason I started attending cons. But after a few years, I had made good friends that I only saw at one or another con. Published writers began taking me under their wing and making suggestions for improving my writing and/or getting my fiction published. There were always new, interesting people coming over my horizon.
For example, on the first day of Westercon, I met Stan Schmidt, an author and the editor of Analog, a magazine of science fiction fact. Michael Stackpole, another author, was there and they talked. during the time I was able to listen, I learned more about what publishers want from authors and how to present my work.
There are multiple activities at cons. These consist of panels which cover various aspects of writing, art, even of being a fan. Authors do readings of their work. Costumers discuss the making of hall and masquerade costumes. New and old types of science fiction and fantasy are discussed. Various experts give workshops. Woman hungry men search for women and vice versa.
At many cons, these activities stop (except for the searching) around dark and big events like the masquerade are held. But even when there is no big event, there are parties. The parties are hosted by sf clubs who are "selling" their city for a future con, by clubs wanting to thank fen for voting or working for them and by people who like parties. If they're not too noisy, the parties are great places for one on one conversations with people usually busy or surrounded by a group.
My ambition is still to get one of my stories published and to see my novel in print when I get around to finishing it. These parties usually give me the opportunity to put my name in front of a publisher or editor. They have resulted in invitations to submit work for consideration.
I'm running out of time before I go to speak on a panel of my own. I'll finish with a brag. Diana Gabaldon attended a caffe klatch and gave a reading yesterday. I attended both. If you don't know who Diana is, just look for her name in the fiction of the nearest book store. You are in for a delightful read.
There are a few pictures that I have of authors and artists. I'll post these when I return to Little Rock.

write or garden?

As I write this, my garden is calling.  The weeds are growing and flowers blooming.

But I'm supposed to be a writer!  A writer writes.  So why am I squatting in the garden, playing in the dirt?

One reason is certainly that my characters have become very lazy.  Instead of doing interesting things or following the suggestions in my plot outline, they sit and think boring thoughts.  I believe that they are as bored with them as a reader would be.  At the moment, I'm trying to figure a way to get inside the story and stick a pin in their collective behinds.

It's getting hot.  Now that's a perfect excuse to sit in the air conditioning and tap away at my word processor.  Arkansas heat is the midwest kind (I call it 90/90; 90 degrees and 90% humidity). That means I can work up a sweat taking a cool shower.

Speaking of cool, I came across an excellent simile a couple of days ago: "cool as the other side of the pillow."  I like it.  I think I'll steal it when I have a place to use it.

This is not getting the weeds out of the ground or the words into the manuscript.  I think I'll go outside and take a picture of some pretty flowers to post at the top of this, then take a nap.

Of course, when taking pictures in the garden, I can't take just one.