Happy New Year's Eve!

Ah, yes another year has passed.  It all goes by so quickly doesn't it?  What will 2013 bring for us?  What resolutions will we make?  And which ones will we actually keep?  Will you be ringing in the New Year on the town with your party hat on, or toasting the new day from the comfort of your living room sofa?  Will you be preparing for a New Year's Day feast with dishes said to promote luck (black-eyed peas), or nursing a wicked hangover?

Well, regardless of your party plans and resolutions, as we welcome in the New Year this evening, please be safe.  Many local cab companies offer free rides tonight.  If you don't have a designated driver, please take advantage of these generous offerings from our local cab companies and get a ride.  We want to see everyone to have a fun and memorable New Year while remaining safe.

Best wishes to all for and healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Artwork for Story "The Early Bird"

I have received a copy of the artwork for my next story, "The Early Bird" scheduled to be published by The Story Shack on January 3rd.  This illustration is by the talented Mike S. Young, a California native and regular contributor to the publication.  A really like Mike's visual spin on my story and think you will as well.  Look for it soon after the Holidays.

The Lovable Grinch, the HOA Community and the Endless Roast Beast

Ah yes, 'tis the season once again.  Out come the armfuls of Christmas themed videos and the cups of hot cocoa as we settle into the sofa to watch our favorite movies.  Some make us laugh, others make us sing, and an occasional one may even bring a tear to our eyes.

Last year I wrote fondly about one of my favorites, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in my blog entitled, "Grumpy Santa and the Non-Conformists", and this year, I'm going to reflect on . . . . (insert drum roll here), The Grinch.

Oh now, I love this one too.  Of course I realized early on that there was a clue that this green menace must have a bit of a heart.  After all, he did have a pet dog.  Now, his treatment of said dog I do admit would have put PETA and the SPCA on high alert, but he did pat the little dog on the head before throwing him out in front of the runaway sleigh.

And who can forget the littlest cast member?   I adore little Cindy Lou Who and her questioning eyes as she asks the mean old Grinch, "Why Santa, why are you taking our Christmas tree?" Poor little darling was too young I suppose to have a clue something was amiss.  Never did I remember seeing a green Santa in my storybooks.

Anyway, after the Grinch succeeds at stealing all of the decorations, food, presents and even crumbs too small for the Whos' mouses, you see a scene of Whoville come to life on Christmas morning, which is when it hit me -- Whoville looks like a little HOA community!  All of the houses are identically shaped and decorated.  Hmm, could this have been the start of our planned communities?  But let's get back to the story.

Now as you know, the Grinch's heart grows four sizes that day, and he saves Christmas by riding into Whoville with all of the items he had taken the night before (which contents remain in impeccable condition I must say).  I particularly love when he sits down to carve the Roast Beast.  You'll notice that with each slice he carves, the roast amazing remains the same size.  Have you seen the size of their community table?  No wonder they only needed one of those magical endless roasts to feed that army!  By the way, have you ever ordered a pound of "Roast Beast" at the deli?  If you get a smile, you know you have found a Grinch fan.  (Oh yes we (he) did.)

So next on the list was the classic, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, told by Fred Astaire.  Whoa!  Hold on.  Now don't even get me started on that one!  That's a whole other story in itself.  Perhaps I'll have to tackle that one later.

Cheers!

Can We Say SPOILED?!?!

Okay, I just had to share this one.  So "the boys" went to the groomer yesterday and well, it must have been an exhausting ordeal.  Here they are basking in the afterglow, sporting their nifty red and green checked scarfs, courtesy of our groomer.  As I  stated in the above title -- can we say spoiled?  Just exactly where are the humans supposed to sit?  Gotta love it.

Whew!  Hard day.  Had to go to the groomer.

Oh, so sorry to disturb you, little prince.  By all means, please don't wake up on my account.

Close up of their cute little red and green checked scarfs.  Yeah, those won't last a week.

New Story to be Published Next Month -- "The Early Bird"

Hi everyone,

I recently received my illustrator pairing and a tentative date for my new story, "The Early Bird", which is scheduled be published next month (January 3rd) on The Story Shack.  I will keep you updated of its progress.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is having a great week, and oh, only 19 days until Christmas!  (Sorry, couldn't resist).  For a detailed countdown of days, hours, minutes and seconds guaranteed to elevate your holiday anxiety level, go to http://www.xmasclock.com/.

Chris

Story Going Live Today - "A Homecoming Revelation"

Today "A Homecoming Revelation" goes live on The Story Shack.  This is a polished version of the story I posted earlier this year on my blog.  Be sure to check out both the story and the artwork by the very talented Shantala Robinson at:  www.thestoryshack.com, and as always, I welcome your comments.

Have a great week!

Quote of the Day

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” 
-- Oscar Wilde

When Life Gives You a Rotten Turkey, Make TV Dinners!

Well you all know the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  This year we applied this saying to our Thanksgiving meal.

It started Thursday morning with anticipation high in the air.  We pulled the turkey out of the refrigerator and prepared to make a wonderful feast.  The natural brined turkey was in its plastic casing and then wrapped again in a clear plastic bag.  I took a scissor out to snip the clear plastic bag and yikes!  The odor smacked us in the face.  We grimaced in horror.  We didn't dare attempt to cut the plastic casting around the turkey.  It was obvious it was bad.  So what to do next . . . .  We drove by the specialty store where we purchased the turkey, but it was closed.  No surprise really, so next we went to our local grocery store.  They had turkeys, but all were frozen rock solid.  We thought about how to solve this little dilemma looking at hams and roasts, but all were just too big for the two of us and besides, we wanted turkey.  So with an idea in our heads and a smile on our faces, and a determination to make this holiday mishap a little fun, we decided on the next best thing -- frozen turkey dinners!  Yes, that's right.  That night we dinned on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and vegetables from plastic containers cooked in the microwave and knew this would be a memorable year.  We reflected on the many things we had to be thankful for and knew that one rotten turkey in the 23 years that my husband and I have been married was not about to ruin a thing.  We have learned that with life, you have to be flexible.  After all, we have our health, our friends and families spread all over the country, and wonderful pets to share our lives with, and we are truly grateful for all of these.  A stray lemon now and then, well . . . . .

So Friday we took the turkey back to the store without any fuss.  Our money was returned to us and the manager insisted on giving us a turkey too.  They were afraid our Thanksgiving was ruined to which we said not at all and declined the need for a new turkey.  But they were determined for us to leave with another even better turkey.  So we picked the smallest from the bunch and upon exiting the store were handed a bunch of fresh flowers from the assistant store manager.  We told her how unnecessary this all was, really, but thanked them all for their generosity. 

Saturday morning we pulled the turkey out, stuffed him (oyster stuffing), and five hours later . . . . viola! -- turkey feast.  (Followed of course by turkey coma.)  Happy day!

We hope you all had a memorable and enjoyable Thanksgiving, and thank you all for your friendship and memories.

Artwork for Story "A Homecoming Revelation"

Good Morning,

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preview the artwork for my next flash fiction piece being featured on The Story Shack and again was pleasantly surprised at the result.  Another wonderful piece by another talented artist.  The scheduled publish date for this story is slated for December 3rd.  I hope you all tune in to see the final result.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Quote of the Day

“Gratitude means to recognize the good in your life, be thankful for whatever you have, some people may not even have one of those things you consider precious to you (love, family, friends, etc). Each day give thanks for the gift of life. You are blessed.” 

--Pablo 

Story Time - "Under"

Well, the date has arrived!  The following is a link to The Story Shack, the online publication founded by Martin Hooijmans, which has published my flash fiction piece "Under":  www.thestoryshack.com.  The illustrator I was paired with for this story is the very talented Mark Reihill.  This story is a little dark, a diversion for me from my current work in progress, so I welcome your thoughts.

Next date -- December 3rd for a very different story with another special illustrator.

Round Two!

Hi Folks,

The publish date for my flash fiction piece "Under" is rapidly approaching (November 6), and while I have been excitedly waiting for this date to arrive, I was ecstatic to see the arrival of another email from this same publisher accepting another flash fiction piece I wrote, "A Homecoming Revelation".  On this piece, I will be working with another very talented artist who is located in British Columbia.  The scheduled publish date for this piece has been set for December 3rd.

Thanks everyone for all of your support, and I will be providing you with the link for my first story shortly.

Update!

Hi All,

An update to my October 8th post.  I received a copy of the artist's illustration for my flash fiction piece this morning.  One word:  Wow!

More info coming soon . . . . .

Have a great weekend!

Chris

Quote of the Day

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” 

-- C. JoyBell C.

Exciting News!

Friends,

A quick note:  I am happy to report to you that a flash fiction piece that I wrote has been picked up by an online publication.  I am currently being paired with a very talented illustrator based in Belfast, and am excited to be involved in this project.  A scheduled publish date has been set for November 6th.  I will provide you with more details in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned!

Monsoon Critters - (My "Creature Feature")

So this was our first monsoon season, and we really didn’t know what to expect from that scary "monsoon" term.  But for our east coast friends, basically it was rain and thunderstorms with occasionally wind and dust.  Not too bad, we weathered it fine.  Thankfully, since we are in northern Arizona, we did not get the Haboobs that Phoenix saw.  By the way, a Haboob is a dust storm that looks like a wall coming towards you – think of the movie, The Mummy.  Google Haboob sometime to see some awesome pictures.

Now, as for the critters that came out during the monsoon season – yikes!  We saw some amazing creatures, some we liked, as many we did not, but it was “interesting” to say the least.  So now that the weather has changed back to dry, I thought I’d share with you some of the creature encounters on our property.  (Many of the below photos I sent off to Nature Abounds "Watch the Wild" volunteer program.)  Enjoy!  (Don't forget you can click on the photos to view larger images.)

A Horned Lizard (aka Horned Toad).  He was cute.

Green beetle on the Artichoke flower.

A little baby Horned Lizard/Toad.  Aw!

Okay, I know I've shown you these little lizards before, but this character somehow got into the house.

Meet our nemesis, the grasshopper.  What's wrong with a little grasshopper you ask?  Ha!  They came by the millions and haven't left yet!  They are messy and are everywhere you step outside.  See following photo.

Invasion of the grasshoppers!!

Bull/gopher snake.  I am supposed to want to see these non-venomous snakes because they will make a dinner out of our  problematic  pocket gophers.  So I am trying to practice the mantra, "Bull snake good.  Bull snake good."  Ugh!

Close up of Bull/gopher snake.

We estimate that the Bull/Gopher snake was about 4 foot long.

Ah, now this was an interesting creature -- Dactylotum bicolor (common names include:  Barber Pole Grasshopper, Rainbow Grasshopper, Uncle Sam).  This picture really doesn't give it enough justice.  It was a beautiful red, white and blue.  Hmm, hence the nickname Uncle Sam?

Now you get an indication of the size of the Dactylotum bicolor (Barber Pole Grasshopper).

Okay, now we get to the spider section of our creature feature.  The Tarantula.  I  really didn't care for these guys to say the least.

Another one on another day.  We saw them for about 2-3 weeks and then they were thankfully gone.

And my least favorite creature of all -- the Black Widow.  I don't have a photo of her red hourglass, but here is a picture of her and her egg sack on top of our propane tank  By the way, she and her offspring were promptly exterminated shortly after this photo.  (We didn't especially feel like making any emergency room visits.)

Well, that's all folks!

Quote of the Day

"There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I."
--John Steinbeck

Quote of the Day

"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music."
-- George Carlin

Zucchini Anyone?

Today's Riddle:  So if an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what will a zucchini a day do?

Can we say zucchini explosion anyone?  It seems that every day I go out to the garden I have a new zucchini waiting to be picked.  If you're in the area and would like some, by all means let me know.

Now what to do with it all . . . sauteed zucchini, grilled zucchini, stuffed zucchini boats, chocolate zucchini cake . . . hmm.

"Art"ichoke

Every year we try to grow something new in our vegetable garden, and this year was no exception.  Since this is our first "Arizona" garden we thought we would try something more indigenous to the area.  

So determined with cash in hand, we headed out to peruse the local gardening stores, and low and behold there in a corner we spotted a homely little fellow beckoning to us with its spiky leaves.  Intrigued, we cautiously approached.  Upon further inspection, we found this plant to be, the artichoke.  Oh what fun!  Why not, we thought and quickly scooped him up placing him in the cart alongside our tomato plants.  You could almost see the tomatoes cringe, staring at this ugly duckling and scoot to the far side of the cart.  But we wanted this little fellow to succeed.  We cared for it, watered it, gave it a home in our garden and gave it a little love.  We excitedly watched as it sprouted new growth.  And then one day it gave us flower buds. 

Now apparently you are supposed to harvest these buds when they are tight if you are using them for consumption.  We had heard that some people grow them just for their flowers.  We puzzled, these little spiky critters are grown for their flowers?  Well, we had fully intended to consume these chokes with a little melted butter and a glass of crisp white wine.  However, being new at identifying when a choke was ready to harvest, I allowed them to remain on their stalks for a wee bit too long.  Their buds started to loosen.  I figured, well okay, let's see what you've got.  This misfortune however was in fact a surprise.  

I therefore am sharing with you the “Art”ichoke.  Behold, the ugly duckling has morphed into a beautiful swan . . . . 

Apparently we are not the only ones enamored by these beauties.

Quote of the Day

"Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

-- George Bernard Shaw

Book Review Time - "The Beach House" by James Patterson & Peter De Jonge

I had no idea what to expect with this book, but having enjoyed the movies, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, and having read When the Wind Blows and Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, I was game to read another James Patterson book.

First, I thoroughly enjoyed Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, a really touching love story that was uncharacteristic for Patterson at the time.  Now, When the Wind Blows I found to be a little strange (people that could fly), but what the heck, it took place in the foothills of Colorado (Boulder and Idaho Springs) and since I was living in Colorado at the time, I was interested in reading that book.

The Beach House was different from these others.  Taking place in the Hamptons, a murder occurs in the exclusive community that has the locals crying foul.  It was an extremely quick read for me, which means that it kept my interest and made me want to turn the page to find out what was going to happen next.  That being said, I found it a little bit of a let down.  It was "okay".  I don't know, but for me I could take it or leave it.  It's not a book that I'm going to say, "Oh, you have to read this."  This disappoints me a bit because When the Wind Blows didn't blow me away either, no pun intended.  I guess I'd have to say that these were beach reads and nothing more.  It is commercial fiction after all, not literary genius.  So I give this neither a thumbs up or thumbs down.  To me, it was average.

Quote of the Day

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."
-- Terry Pratchett, Diggers

Try Kiva for Free!

Friends,

Once again Kiva is extending an offer to try them out for free, and for a limited time they are giving $25 to new users. If you are unfamiliar with Kiva, it is an organization that allows you to lend money to borrowers all over the world.  The borrowers consist of both individuals trying to improve their lives and small businesses.  You can view multiple profiles to find out how they are going to use the money, see their payback stats and choose who you'd like to lend money to.  Go to www.Kiva.org to find out more. When you are ready to try them out for free, go to:  http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/chris26043165  and feel good about helping someone improve their lives.

Thanks!

Book Review Time – “The Almost Moon” by Alice Sebold

Okay, I don’t quite know where to begin with this one, so I’m going to keep it short and sweet.  No, strike that, let’s say short and simple because sweet definitely is not the correct term to use here – no warm fuzzies hiding inside this book jacket.  

First, let me say that this is the author of The Lovely Bones, so I was eager to read another book written by her.  And although I felt unsettled reading this book, I do respect the author and her craft.  That being said, this book deals with some very difficult topics, namely matricide (killing one’s mother), mental illness and suicide, so definitely not light reading.  It is a fast-paced book starting immediately with “the act”.  The entire book takes place over a 24 hour time span during which the narrator takes you through childhood, bringing you to her current day calamity.   I will say that I liked the explanation the main character’s father used when describing her mother as the almost moon, meaning that she was almost whole, unlike the moon which is always full even if we don’t always see it.

A reviewer of this book likened Sebold’s writing to Edgar Allan Poe, and although it has been many, many years since I’ve read Poe, I’d have to say from what I remember, that it’s probably an accurate description.   Words that come to mind for me after reading it are:  disturbing, haunting and yes, well-written.  I suspect that some will abhor this book while others will find it successful.   Should you choose to read it, I’ll leave that up to you.

Now, on to the exciting part of finishing a book -- what do I read next?  Something a little more lighthearted perhaps?   Well, let me see . . . 

Fifty Shades of Lizard

I thought I would share with you some photos of the many different ornate tree lizards that we have been seeing around the property.  Like the Fifty Shades books, our little territorial lizard fellows feel the need to show off a little.  Do we have black, tan and white lizards?  Well yes, but they don’t stop there.  Instead they go about strutting their stuff all over the place in a wide array of colors.  I guess these guys feel the need to show off a little in the brown dry dessert! 

We have grown attached to our little Lizzys and so have our dogs and cat as they watch and chase them around the yard.  Having so many is a good thing though, because these little critters scurry about eating all the crickets, bugs, spiders and other insects (“go team”!).  They are also an inspiration.  Why?  Well every morning we can observe them keeping fit by doing their daily push-ups.  (I’ll have to try to catch this hysterical display on video sometime and post it.)  These push-ups apparently are their way of communicating with other lizards. 

As for the different colors, well it has to do with their hormone levels at different times of the year.  So without further ado, behold the Ornate Tree Lizards!

By the way, I think we have officially found a name for our property . . . The Lizards’ Lair.  Fitting, wouldn’t you say?

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Brown lizard staring me down.  He looks a little cross with me for taking his photo.

Pretty patterned lizard at back door.

This one has a blue gray back.  He was out by our vegetable garden.

This male has blue on his under belly and neck.

Close up of blue neck.

Here is our orange lizzy.

Another photo of our orange lizzy.

And finally, here is a lizzy with bright green stripes on his side as he sits upon a tumble weed.

Another photo of our green lizzy.

Quote of the Day

"It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it."
-- Maurice Switzer

Quote of the Day

It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.

-- Oscar Wilde

Book Review Time – “Track of the Cat”, by Nevada Barr

If you enjoy suspenseful novels that take place in the great outdoors, then Nevada Barr is your author.  “Track of the Cat” is the first in Barr’s Anna Pigeon series, which take place in various National Parks across the country.  Her protagonist, Anna Pigeon, is a park ranger who manages to stumble upon all sorts of calamities during her posts.

Having read “Deep South” by Nevada Barr several years ago (set in the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi) I was excited to read another one of her works.  “Track of the Cat” takes place in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, and involves the accidental death of a fellow ranger.  Anna of course couldn’t shake her suspicions when things didn’t quite add up.  Then when her own life is threatened and another fellow ranger ends up dead, well . . . now she’s in way too deep to turn away.   Being true to herself, Anna couldn’t let well enough alone.

Throughout her mysteries, Barr’s love of wildlife and the great outdoors is apparent as you read along.  Barr herself was a park ranger and spent time at many of the parks depicted in her books, so you know the descriptions are thoughtful as well as accurate. 

Conclusion:  Although I still like “Deep South” better, I have to say “Track of the Cat” was a fun read, and I look forward to reading about more of Anna’s adventures.  

Western Coachwhip Snake vs. Man & Baby Bird

Well, just another boring day out in the wilderness. . . . . Ha!  The following is an account of our excitement last Friday.  I just started volunteering for an organization named Nature Abounds for their "Watch the Wild" program.  I had only hoped to be able to start off with a bang, but couldn't imagine what my first incident report to them would be.  The following is my observation and photos of an interaction with what I believe was s a young Western Coachwhip snake and baby Cassin's King Bird. We believe the snake was a young snake approximately 3-4 ft long.

Observation: At approx 10:00 am I saw a snake climbing our flowering plum tree heading towards a nest containing a baby Cassin's King Bird. My husband and I ran outside and my husband flung the snake out of the tree with a rake. The snake dropped the baby bird and very quickly slithered away. The snake kept trying to come back and my husband kept flinging it away. When the coast was clear, we used a shovel to gently pick up the baby bird and put him in the nest. Not wanting to put human scent on the bird, but knowing that he still needed help, I put leather gloves on and uprighted him by his legs only.  The adult birds kept flying around but would not go back to the baby bird. The below photos explain why. Apparently, the snake climbed up an adjacent tree and crossed over to the tree containing the baby bird. Once again we ran outside and flung the snake away (this time before he got to the baby bird). My husband then transported the snake to a field across the street from our house.

Time will only tell now whether or not the baby bird survives, however, I am happy to report that about an hour after this incident the bird parents returned to the nest to tend to their baby. 

Do you see it?  Look closely . . . . 

Western Coachwhip snake going from right tree to left tree.

He wasn't too happy with us for taking him away from his meal.

However he did allow me to take a good shot of him.

Scott taking him to find a new home in a neighboring field.

It's hard to see, but the traumatized baby Cassin's King bird is back in his nest.

P.S.  Unfortunately this weekend we noticed that the nest was barren.  We can only assume one of two things happened, either a snake came back or the bird died.  Trust me, I was hugely upset at the snake because I so wanted that little bird to live.  However, after simmering down, I do realize this is nature running it's course.  I like to think that my husband and I have been very lucky to have observed some of the many wildlife incidents that we have.  One day when it's time to leave this earth, we will be able to say, "Wow, how fortunate we have been to have experienced life so fully."

For more information on Nature Abounds' Watch the Wild program, IceWatch USA, and their other initiatives, visit:  www.natureabounds.org.  

Have a great week everyone!