Spring is exploding in color!

Spring is finally here in Central New York and the colors are just amazing!! This is an upshot of our weeping cherry tree. We thought we were going to lose this tree because our winter was so harsh and it split the trunk. The thought of that happening nearly broke my heart as we planted that tree when my daughter started kindergarten. She just graduated with her bachelor's degree last weekend, so this beautiful tree holds some very dear memories for us. Below are the bleeding hearts next to our house. They are truly brilliant this year!

We have been busily working on our gardens to try to get them ready for summer. Weeding, feeding and watering. It truly is a labor of love.

I've been writing on and off, between bouts of bronchitis and my constant battle with Lupus. The will is always there, but the connection from my brain to my hands is intermittent at best. The frustrating thing is that I have so many wonderful stories roaming around in my brain that they get glommed together when I try to put them on paper. On the days that my brain is actually clear and working, the words flow like water. It's a wonderful feeling when that happens, I just wish it would happen more often.

In the mean time I will enjoy my gardens and try to work when I can. Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy.

Virus Protection

I read about a free home computer download available from AVAST. If you go to their website at: http://www.avast.com/ it will offer you a free download for their most up to date virus protection software. From the computer analyst column in the paper today, he recommends this highly, even over Norton and especially over McAfee. I currently have McAfee and have nothing but trouble with it. I uninstalled McAfee and downloaded the Avast with no problem. I also liked the idea of it being free.

Back up, Back up, Back up!!!

I had the unthinkable happen two weeks ago. A water line in the sprinkler system at work burst and destroyed my office. Everything was ruined and if it weren't for the fact that I backed up most of my material, it could have been devastating. There are many ways to back up your work: jump drives, exterior hard drives, emailing your work to a separate account, etc. This is a very important thing for writers to do - Disasters happen all around us, all the time. Don't take the chance on losing all your hard work to Mother Nature! Remember: BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP!!

When sending your Christmas cards.....

Tis the season for giving and sharing and one of the greatest gifts you can give this year is the gift of your time. There is a movement to bring joy to hospitalized soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. It only takes a moment of your time, but will bring so much to the recipient. It's easy to do and if you are interested, please send your Christmas cards to the following address:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

They ask nothing from us, yet give us their all. Bless them all for who they are and for standing strong.

Out of the Blue

It's been a little while since I posted to the blog. It's been a little bit crazy here and I just don't have the time I used to have. Where it went, I have no idea. I received a phone call from History Press wanting to know if I was interested in writing another novel for my home town. I was in a quandry because I was interested, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. When I write, I always put everything I have into the research and writing. My last book took over 300 hours of research to complete it. I had to let the editor know that I couldn't do it at this time, but I would be interested in doing one soon. I hated to do that, but I know that I wouldn't have been able to give it my all and if I can't do that, then I won't do the project.

So, I'll keep you posted as to whether or not I take this up in the near future.

He's Gone

Well, it's been almost two weeks since "Cool Hand Luke" died. No, not Paul Newman, but our Golden Retriever. It's ironic that both our beloved dog and his namesake died on the same day. They both had cancer and they were both loved dearly. Luke had always been an amazing dog. From the time he was little, he had a very strong personality. It showed in everything he did. His actions, he facial expressions, the way he would ignore us when he was mad..... so many things. I think what is the hardest thing to overcome right now, is the huge void that it has left in our lives. I keep waiting for him to come around the corner while I'm making my lunch in the morning. He'd be all sleepy eyed and half asleep, but he would sit at attention in case anything fell off the counter or he'd silently beg for a handout. I miss him coming to sit next to me on the couch and lean into me as if he didn't weigh over 100 pounds. He thought he was a lap dog and couldn't understand why after a while we would shew him off our laps. It wasn't because we didn't want him there, it was because our legs would fall asleep! Or he'd wait until I got into bed and then come in and sit right next to me to say goodnight. He did this every night for as long as I can remember. I would pet him for a while and then when I put my CPAP mask on and turned out the light, I would hear him wait a moment and then turn and go out into the living room where he would go to sleep. It was routine and one I cherished. He had a kind and loving spirit and he was so very loved.

How to write a great query letter

Noah Lukeman, a top NY agent, and the author of The First Five Pages, A Writers Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, is offering -- for FREE -- his book on how to write the great query letter as a download on Amazon. I've heard only super things about this, so I'd definitely advise everyone to take advantage of this freebie.http://tinyurl.com/49zk8a