What's Hatching?

 
Not eggs, in February. (Although the great blue herons should be starting their nest repairs really soon).



Not springtime just yet, either. No, I don't think those dead leaves are going to hatch.

However, I devoted my walk time to hatching the rest of the plot for Dead Mule Swamp Druggist. Actually, I only needed the middle. I know how the book is going to turn out--whodunnit. I just needed to connect the dots for how Anastasia Raven is going to figure it out.

Walking is my cure for everything, and it did not disappoint. I came home with this picture and the intermediate plot pieces, and have a rough outline of all the rest of the chapters in the book.

What kind of a nest is it? Don't really know. Probably some kind of sparrow. It's in a horrid autumn olive tree. I keep putting off getting the field guide to nests. So, I fixed that after I got home. It should be here in just a few days.

For sure it's not the eagle nest. One of the eagles was flying over just as I returned home and I caught it in the lens this time.

	See Birds' Nests and Soup See Parents of the Amazing Baby for an eagle nest
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Handbell Sunday- February

 
Finally got the issue with my conversion software straightened out, so I can once again edit videos taken on my camera. So... I bring you our handbell choir pieces from this morning. I really like both of them.

I grabbed a guy I didn't even know and asked him to record the songs. Maybe next time I'll remember to take my tripod, and then I can set it up and push the button before we go to the front.

First is Rondeau by Henry Purcell. We did this one for the prelude.



The special music was The Potter's Hand by Darlene Zschech, with a vocal ensemble. This piece is fairly hard, and we were really pleased that it finally came together. When we were able to practice with the vocalists it helped us all because it was easier to follow the tricky timing.



I've got bells ringing in my head! And I'm really pleased to be part of a group that can generate quality music, which I am not so good at on my own.

	See Handbells- A Different Perspective
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Authorpalooza Again

 
Today I traveled to Big Rapids to participate in another of their occasional Authorpalooza events. As I've said before, these are very well organized. I know, because I've been to quite a few that weren't. This time, there were 40 authors, and probably hundreds of books for sale.



I only sold a couple of books, but I'm developing a good network of contacts with other authors. Here are two that are like old friends now. Joe Roper writes youth fantasy, and Judith Wade (Lori Hudson) writes fiction for both young readers and adults.



One of the most fun things about the day was the presence of all these classic literary characters courtesy of the theatre fraternity of Ferris State University! How many can you identify?



General shots of events like this just look messy, but here's one anyway.



It was well worth my time for several reasons. I made friends with a person who's big on marketing, and had conversations about two potential programs. Also, picked up publicity for two other similar events in Michigan later in the year. My big problem with those, apart from the gas money, is that I'd have to take Friday night off work as well. That's a lot of lost income, since one can seldom make enough money through sales to actually pay for the trips. It's about publicity, really. To expand my reach would be great, but I can't really afford it. It's a dilemma. This one is only an hour away from home, so that's pretty do-able.

Fun day, but my limited sleep last night (this morning) may have caught up with me. Good night!

	See Authorpalooza
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Good News Can Sometimes Be Had for Cash

 
Today's quality item is that my car had some repairs. Although the total costs added up to more than I would have liked, the really good news is that there is no real damage. I wasn't sure that was going to be true.



On Wednesday a sudden oil leak appeared, creating much concern on my part. The dipstick showed DRY, so I added two quarts of oil, whereupon it decided to indicate that it was overfilled. Yikes. And what the heck?

Anyway, it now has a new oil pressure switch (the culprit), two worn belts are replaced, and the oil has been changed.

Huge sigh of relief. Tomorrow is the big Authorpalooza event in Big Rapids. I should have pictures and a good report to bring.

	See Acadia to Argent
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In and Out and Up and Down

 

Just another mouse tunnel/track in the snow, but I think this one is a lot of fun.



In some places, the mouse was on the surface and created a trough. In other places, it must have been just below the surface because it humped the snow up into a ridge like the way a mole makes a ridge of dirt



It always makes me smile when the critter goes diving. I just get this mental image of the mouse suddenly realizing he's been out on top of the world, exposed. Sort of like if we went walking on the outer edge of the atmosphere. Oops! Time to go below.

	See The Subnivean Layer Revealed
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