The Joys of Senior Kitties

Mar 7, 2019 | Cat Tales (Thursday)

My mom adopted Belle from a chain pet store where she lived probably close to 14 or so years ago. Her story was that she’d been left in a box on the humane society’s doorstep and for a great many years whenever mom tried to adopt a kitten/second cat, she...

My Perfect Mouthpiece

Mar 6, 2019 | music

I’m not quite sure what happened to the Yamaha mouthpiece that came with my clarinet. I know I still have it. But I think it might be in a case somewhere from one of my other clarinets (I have a ton of cheap, used, old ebay models I was going to refurbish), and...

Indoor Lizard Garden Update

Mar 5, 2019 | bearded dragons (Lizard Tuesdays)

Previously I’d blogged about wanting to grow greens inside for my bearded dragons. Well, finally about three weeks ago, I got those kitty litter buckets setup and I planted one with collard greens and one with arugula. I have a “window ledge” in our...

It’s Okay To Take a Break (Writing Advice)

Mar 5, 2019 | Uncategorized

My latest writing advice blog post over at my Patreon just went public, so I’m inviting you to hop on over and see it. Here’s a snippet: So this week I want to let you know that it is okay to take a break. Shifting gears, cleaning things up that have been...

Awaiting Shedding Season (Sunday Horses)

Mar 3, 2019 | horse stuff

There comes a time every late winter when you expect spring to be just around the corner. The narcissus (early daffodils) are up and blooming, not just here but in the wild patches along our gravel road. We just had our “late season snow” that inevitably...

Arugula Growing

Mar 1, 2019 | Homestead & Garden

Gardening update! Last weekend I finally got the dirt in my kitty litter buckets and put them in the north window. My collard greens aren’t up yet. But, the arugula is. I have tiny two-leaf sprouts coming up as of this morning. I’m thrilled! Not only is...

The Joy of Office Cats

Feb 28, 2019 | Cat Tales (Thursday)

I find myself very lucky in that my “day job” has an office cat. (No that’s not her in the picture). Since I’m usually the first one in the office every morning, I let her out into the main part of the office. She curls up and sleeps on the...

Why Clarinet Scales are Like Trot Poles

Feb 27, 2019 | music

As I was working on the Pares Scales books, and feeling myself getting better at keeping my fingers moving and playing one note at a time — not getting ahead and fumbling things — I realized that scales and trot poles are pretty much the same things, just...

The Sweet Sound of Spring (Peep!Peep!)

Feb 26, 2019 | birds & poultry

I walked into the feed store yesterday to cure the “emergency” of our being down to the bottom of the barrel (literally) for horse feed. And I heard the sweet sweet sound of spring. Peep. Peep. Peep. Baby chicks waiting to grow up and produce eggs....

How Do I Know What Project To Work On? (Writing Advice)

Feb 25, 2019 | writing

My latest writing advice blog post over at my Patreon just went public, so I’m inviting you to hop on over and see it. Here’s a snippet: So one of the biggest issues writers who are multi-passionate (aka scattered) has is what project to work on. And there...