Make Like A Tree and Stay Right Here

It has been an absolute whirlwind of a month or so. I celebrated the release of Shard & Shield, I attended the Realm Makers writing conference in St. Louis, I attended and taught at Gen Con in Indianapolis, I was home approximately 24 hours and then took off to attend and teach at When Words Collide in Calgary, then drove south to tiny Rachel, Nevada where I holed up for several days at the Little A’le’Inn (just outside Area 51) to work on Blood & Bond and hit the road for the ET Full Moon Marathon (I did the half), and then I drove home. (More on much of these to come.)

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Birds & Fish

photo of trees on the other side of pond

the heron, in the trees beyond the pond

I walked out to my pond today and was not nearly fast enough to photograph the Great Blue Heron I startled out of it, but I did manage to snap a photo when he perched in a tree to avoid the enthusiastic Doberman chasing and barking at him. (Undómiel apparently did not get the memo about large birds not being dangerous aliens.)

What? You can’t see the heron? Well, sorry, all I had was a cell phone and some excitement, which does not equate to a telephoto lens, no matter how much excitement is involved. Continue reading

Let the Sun Shine! New Solar Panels to Power My Work

two-story brick house with ladder to roof and solar panelsAfter two days of intense upgrades, my house is powered by the sun.

We’re brand new and still working out the bugs, but our first day of full sun produced enough power to fuel my car over 250 miles. Our first day of partial sun produced enough power to run our house comfortably. We’re on Day 3 right now, so I can’t offer much more in the way of numbers or averages. Continue reading