Woo-hoo!

Go me!

I had been promising myself and my friends that one day I would publish a book. I finally have: Pluto's Promise, which is available at Amazon.com. It is a story about a group of travelers from a dying planet who have to deal with a number of issues in settling a new world with what appears to be inadequate preparation. Going back isn't an option, of course. It's only a short story, so I will let you read that for yourself.

I do have several other items in the works. I'll make sure to keep you posted!

Good Morning, Gentle Readers!

Today's image is titled Morning Glow. I originally intended to use an image I made of a slightly-stylized clockface, but this one caught my eye first. Considering how few people really enjoy the time changes, I thought this might help my readers feel better.

I spent part of last night working on a pattern for my mother to use with her jewelry business. However, I kept running across a quirk that kept the images from transferring and forming as I wished them to. I'll keep trying a little bit longer, but if it doesn't work I'll try a different approach. In fact, I may anyway just to see what will happen. In the meanwhile, I do have some shiny new software to try out! Maybe I can get some better results with that.

Until we meet, Gentle Readers.

Love Letter to Heaven

Good evening, Gentle Readers!

Today's image is titled Cradle. I made it for a friend who was feeling very down at the time. While I do not remember exactly what had happened, I do remember that he felt much better after receiving this.

Some of you may remember that I mentioned my Dad dying of brain cancer. I had hoped he would get to watch me Walk across the stage for my ceremony, but that didn't happen- at least, not in this life.

However, he has a far better place to watch from in Heaven now. His eyes, always a startling blue, will be able to see clearly. He did know I was studying hard. If I should find myself needing to make a speech- Dad, this is for you.

It wasn't always sunshine and roses between us. Show me any relationship that is, and I'll show you one that is completely fake. But the love was genuine, even when it was stormy. I still have your screwdrivers from your days as a truck driver, and I look at them while thinking about your traveler's tales. When I go to see Mother, I look at your picture with Jimmy in your lap. Your face in that picture is the one I thought of the last time I saw you on Earth.

Don't worry, Dad. You've passed the torch to those of us who stayed behind.

End of the old year, Begining of the new

Good evening, Gentle Readers!

It has been a while since I've posted here. Much has happened since the last time I did regularly, some happy and some not so.

My father has died after a short but vicious fight with brain cancer. I wanted to believe that maybe he could be cured- but the last time I saw him alive, I knew that wasn't going to happen. Mother and Aunt Shirley tell me his passing was peaceful. I imagine that now he is running and playing with Georgie, his favorite dog.

Shortly afterwards, Hurricane Sandy roared through. Oddly enough, my little corner of the world wasn't effected much, other than the usual thunder, lightning, wind, and rain. Points north of me were another story, though- especially after the storm melded with a blizzard. My friends on Facebook have said they've never seen anything like it. Most of the clean-up from that storm has been accomplished, though, for which I am grateful; One of the friends effected has a year-old baby girl. The baby thought it was some kind of great big game.

Now for the biggest piece of news: On January 13, I will have successfully completed my Bachelor's studies! It was a long wild ride, but I met some amazing people on the way. With my studies out of the way, I will be able to focus on getting a business up and running. Once that is accomplished, I will announce it here so you can go see for yourselves.

Until we meet...

White Wine In The Sun by Tim Minchin

Nine- Eleven

Good Evening, Gentle Readers!

Today's image is one of my early works, and has been displayed before. It, like the title of the post, is named Nine- Eleven. While it is slightly stylized to accommodate the capacity of the tools I used to make it, one can see the towers and flames.

On this day, we remember our lost. Some of those who witnessed the event were still children. Others who now see the documentaries and tributes were not even born yet. These children- and yes, even the adults- live in the shadows of these acts of terrorism.

Certainly, I do not agree with some of the new rules and regulations enacted supposedly to combat terrorism. In my opinion, many of these rules and regulations not only will not detect terrorists, they will harass law-abiding citizens and limit their ability to legally defend themselves should such events occur again.

Yet, because of the heroes that rose that day, I am free to express my objections. And we are all free to heal and move on beyond the ashes. While we survived terrible losses, we also learned valuable lessons. Let us use those lessons now.

Until We Meet...

Hurricane: Aftermath

Good evening, Gentle Readers!

There will be no image with tonight's post. At present, I am taking advantage of the library's connection to the Internet. Unfortunately, that means I have to forego some of the goodies.

The hurricane has hit, and hit hard. Oddly enough, my especial little corner of the world has not been hit as hard as some- but it is still an experience I am not eager to repeat.

Still, I did get to observe some wonderful things. The girls next door- whose home had a tree fall on it- are wonderful, smart, hard-working children. Bless their wee hearts, they came running to help clean up my yard, since they couldn't do much with theirs. After that, my husband and I put the underpinning back up on the trailer. While that project took a while, it didn't take as long as he feared. The neighbors on the other side watched out for our place as well as they could during the worst of the winds; My husband and I had taken shelter with my parents, much to the displeasure of the kitty contingent. They wouldn't have been any happier at home, though; They don't like storms.

The mood of the neighborhood was almost festive as everyone in the neighbor cleaned up and started putting their lives back together. We even got treated to the sight of an ice cream truck jingling down the road.

The second day was a bit more mundane, but a couple of gentlemen came by to clear the tree of the neighbors' home. One of them saw me chopping at a blown-over scrub tree with a hatchet and finished the job with a chain saw- a far quicker proposition! We were told to expect at least a week before we could get power back.

The local power outages were very strange indeed. It was more of a patchwork of outages than the usual pattern of clearly-defined areas. The holes without power are being closed as quickly as the power company can get to it, but some areas will need new poles.

Until We Meet, Gentle Readers...