Standing Into Danger: May 2021

Friday, May 21, 2021

A little Hope

Hopefully, today, Friday, I will actually post this, even if late.

This post was supposed to go up last Friday, but it didn't happen.

While calmer, things remain hectic,

and my days keep getting sidetracked by the unexpected.

Terry continues to improve and stabilize after his heart attack.

He still hasn't been able to get a spot in the heart rehab course,

because the number of participants has been limited by Covid.

Maybe in two weeks, fingers crossed.

South Denver Cardiology is in the process of adding more sessions.

Yay, because Terry is anxious to get back to pickleball.

Just after Mother's Day, I spotted a new hawk around our home.

It showed up during our last day of snow on Tuesday, May 11th.

It's most likely a red-tailed hawk,

but I haven't seen the underside of its tail feathers to confirm its identity.

This hawk hunkered down on the spruce tree

below our deck for over two hours during the snowfall.

A Red-Tailed Hawk Hunkers Down as the Snow Falls

The Snow Just Keeps Coming,

Even After Mother's Day!

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Two Hours Later!

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

On Thursday, May 13th, Terry and I did something so normal.

We walked along Piney Creek, and it felt amazing.

I zipped around everywhere with my camera,

while Terry stuck to the sidewalk and his walking goal.

It was the first time I didn't worry about his being

out of my sight away from our home.

Here are some of my favorite shots from that wonderfully normal spring walk.

Female Catkins on a Female Cottonwood Tree

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Who Lives Here?

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Mule Deer

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Weathered Wood Litter

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Reflections in Middle Pond

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Horsetail (back) and Mullein (front) Emerging from Last Year's Growth

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Horsetail (Scouring Rush)

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Grackle and Male Catkins on a Male Cottonwood Tree

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Vibrant Dandelions

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Plains Prickly Pear Cactus

Easy to Step on ~ Those Spines Hurt!

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

I See You!

Mule Deer

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Golden Currant

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Springtime Cottonwoods

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

New Leaves Sprouting on Rabbitbrush

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Wary Mule Deer

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Male Catkins on a Male Cottonwood Tree

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Tiny Golden Draba (my best guess)

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Lush Spring Greens

Along Piney Creek

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

The hawk also likes to perch in the female cottonwood next door.

When I enlarged the photo, I was really surprised to discover

that it was sleeping with its eyes closed.

I guess I never thought about raptors sleeping.

The Red-Tailed Hawk Returns,

Sitting in the Female Cottonwood Tree Next Door

Friday, May 14, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

The Red-Tailed Hawk Sleeps, Perhaps Dreams

Friday, May 14, 2021

Aurora, Colorado, USA

It's been 41 days since Terry was revived in the cardiac catheterization lab.

I don't take any day with him for granted.

I hope all is well with each of you!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Note:

1. Horsetail (genus Equisetum), also called scouring rush:

The horsetail was a plant I learned to identify when I was seven or eight. It was easy to remember because it was so unusual, with its hollow, jointed, and ridged stems and tiny leaf scales around its joints. It was fascinating to me as a child that these plants were the only survivors of a line of plants going back to the Carboniferous three hundred million years ago and that the coal we burned in our furnace came from 100-foot (over 30 meters) giant horsetails in swamp forests. Later, in geology at university, I learned that horsetails belong to the Class Equisetopsida, a class of spore-bearing primitive plants. In our arid environment, horsetails grow near streams and in wet forests and meadows. Horsetails contain a lot of silica which is abrasive. A common name for horsetails is "scouring rush," because it it useful for scrubbing pots.

Friday, May 7, 2021

Just Released: The 2021 IWSG Anthology Dark Matter: Artificial!

The 2021 Insecure Writer's Support Group anthology, Dark Matter: Artificial

was released on Tuesday, May 4, and I can't wait for my copy to arrive!

I have read and reread the previous five anthologies,

and I had the honor of having my short story "Dare Double Dare"

published in last year's Voyagers: The Third Ghost.

I am excited for the ten talented authors featured in Dark Matter: Artificial,

a mix of authors from previous IWSG anthologies and others new to this series.

Being included as an author in an IWSG anthology is a wonderful opportunity.

It's like a boot camp for editing, publishing, and promoting a book,

and you have the support of the IWSG members to cheer you on.

I hope the authors have a fun ride and learn lots

under the guidance of the publisher Dancing Lemur Press, LLC.

I had a chance to ask the authors a question:

When did you discover science fiction as a genre,

and what compelled you to write science fiction?

I hope you enjoy their answers and learn something about them.

If you're a SciFi fan, perhaps you'll discover some new authors and books to read.

Olga Godim

Nano Pursuit

https://olgagodim.wordpress.com

I started reading science fiction when still at school, but those books were rare and far between. The reason: I grew up in Soviet Russia. The authorities of the state didn’t approve of speculative fiction. They wanted writers to sing hymns to the Communist Party, but science fiction writers tended to set their stories in the far future, with no mentioning of Communism. So, not many were published. And of course, fantasy wasn’t published at all, nor translated from other languages. Magic and Communism didn’t mix together well. I didn’t even know the genre existed until I immigrated to Canada.

Before my emigration, I read what science fiction was available in Russia: a couple of translated authors, like Arthur Clark and Isaac Asimov, and a few home-grown science fiction writers, but frankly, none of them made much of an impression on me. I wasn’t a devotee of the genre.

Only after I came to Canada, I discovered the wide field of speculative fiction existing in the English language, including such sci-fi giants as Lois McMaster Bujold with her Vorkosigan saga. I also loved the recent Murderbot stories by Martha Wells, but aside from that, I rarely found what I wanted in science fiction. Maybe that’s why I started writing it: to launch the stories I felt the lack of into the science fiction realm.

Mark Alpert

Vera’s Last Voyage

http://www.markalpert.com/

I've loved science fiction ever since I read Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot" when I was twelve years old. I studied astrophysics in college and became an editor at Scientific American. So when I sat down to write my first novel, it seemed perfectly natural to invent a story about a hidden Theory of Everything discovered by Albert Einstein. That book, "Final Theory," was published by Simon & Schuster in 2008 and translated into more than twenty languages. Over the next decade I wrote nine more science-fiction novels, focusing on everything from robotics ("The Six," published by Sourcebooks in 2015) to genetic engineering ("The Coming Storm," published by St. Martin's Press in 2019). It's my lifelong passion. My story in the Dark Matter anthology, "Vera's Last Voyage," is based on the life of the late Vera Rubin, the astronomer who discovered the best evidence for dark matter but never got the respect she deserved, partly because of sexism.

Deniz Bevan

One to Another

http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/

I first discovered science fiction as a child; one of my favourite books was a gift from my grandmother: The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree by Louis Slobodkin. I also used to order science fiction books at random during the Scholastic book fairs at school. Time Twister by Ged Maybury and Omni:Skyborn by Marci H. Krutchten were particular favourites. My experience of reading science fiction has been sporadic and random -- and always pleasurable!

Elizabeth Mueller

Resurgence

http://www.elizabethmueller.com/

I believe I was in middle school when I first discovered that Science Fiction was a book genre, despite growing up with the original Star Trek series.

One thing I didn't appreciate about reading SciFi was that it info-dumped with technicalities as though the author had to prove every nuance that made the story tick. I've been mulling over writing in this genre lately, and Dark Matter was my perfect opportunity for my official attempt.

Kim Mannix

Rift

https://makesmesodigress.com/

My first discovery of it would have come through watching science fiction TV and movies with my parents when I was small. Though it wasn't the first science fiction book that I encountered, I remember reading John Wyndham's The Chrysalids at about age 11, and that certainly had an impact on me. It made me realize that the genre could be both imaginative and important in its impact. As for writing it myself, I tend more towards horror or dark fantasy, but once in awhile the attraction of the strange and wonderful world of science fiction creeps in.

Stephanie Espinoza Villamor

Artificial

https://stephanieespinoza.com/

My dad has always been very big into science fiction--two of his favorite movies are The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet, both of which have artificially intelligent characters in the form of "Gort" and "Robby the Robot." It was only natural that I would grow up to be a sci-fi geek, interested in robots! We've watched episodes of Lost in Space and Star Trek together, attended all kinds of conventions, and then I probably started reading science fiction around middle school. More recently I've enjoyed playing sci-fi video games too! But except for one childhood story attempt I called "Holly and the Hologram," I never felt compelled to write science fiction until now. I thought it would be too hard for me, so I stuck with mostly fantasy instead. But after the IWSG anthology prompt, I've been inspired to play more with the genre and ended up writing another sci-fi short story that will be published in a local anthology! I hope to keep experimenting as I have fun with science fiction writing!

Tara Tyler

Sentient

https://taratylertalks.blogspot.com/

I started my journey into sci-fi as a teen. Michael Crichton and Isaac Asimov were my faves! In fact, when I came up with my idea for POP TRAVEL, I wanted to send it to Michael Crichton, but I was sad to discover he had passed away. So I decided to write it myself and he has been a powerful influence in my sci-fi adventures.

C.D. Gallant-King

Space Folds and Broomsticks

http://www.cdgallantking.ca/

My earliest sci-fi influences were definitely Star Wars and ROBOTECH - a giant-robot anime from the early 1980s that was heavily re-written for North American audiences. It had everything I love about sci-fi and adventure stories in general: serialized storytelling, deep space dogfights between starfighters, romantic drama, unexpected character deaths, a small group of human survivors facing off against a massive alien armada. It's not a coincidence that ROBOTECH shares a lot of similarities with the mid-2000s reboot of Battlestar Galactica, one of my favourite modern sci-fi series. My first sci-fiction stories were me basically doing fan-fiction of Star Wars and ROBOTECH. My current stories are still me basically doing fan-fiction of Star Wars and ROBOTECH.

(I also love Arthur C. Clarke, but I'll never be able to write that well.)

Steph Wolmarans

The Utten Mission

https://www.teasighcreate.com/

I have known science fiction since I can remember stories. My childhood movie memories include ET, Flight of the Navigator, Short Circuit, Batteries Not Included, and the list goes on. I fell in love with the original Dune movie because it irritated family members when they came to visit and my dad put the tape in. When I discovered in middle school that it was based on a book, my love of reading was born. That same year, I started coming up with my own story ideas. I always wanted to write about other worlds so people could find themselves lost in stories the way I was.

Charles Kowalski

Resident Alien

https://charleskowalski.com/

Science fiction has always been a part of my life. As a boy, cars, trains, even airplanes were too earthbound for me; I wanted spaceships. I grew up with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica. My favorite stories were the ones that took me out of this world, into fantastical realms or distant planets. (My nearest and dearest would probably agree that I'm still a little spacey.)

I always dreamed of writing science fiction, but it was decades before I seriously put my hand to it, partly because it took me that long to discover its real purpose: not just "fiction based on science" but "fiction AS science," a laboratory of the imagination where you can put a slice of the human experience under a microscope, add or change some element, and observe the result. In "Resident Alien," the slice of life I wanted to examine was the experience of immigrants, oppressed minorities, and formerly enslaved people, and the variable I wanted to change was: "What if we were all in the same boat? What if the struggle for freedom and equality were not a conflict of one race against another, but of the entire human race together?"

* * * * *

Dark Matter: Artificial

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Discover dark matter’s secrets…

What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?

Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter. https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Release date: May 4, 2021

Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95

EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99

Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies (FIC028040) / Space Exploration (FIC028130) / Genetic Engineering (FIC028110)

LINKS:

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08S7LP369

iTunes - https://books.apple.com/ca/book/dark-matter-artificial/id1548059392

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-matter-artificial

Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-matter-insecure-writers-support-group/1138581452?ean=2940164777661

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56632113-dark-matter

* * * * *

I wish Dark Matter: Artificial lots of success!

It's so exciting to receive that first royalty check!

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

IWSG: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 ~ Running in Circles

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine.

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.
I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:

Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect?

If so, did it surprise you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy May, Everyone!

I hope this spring month brings you big doses of energy and optimism.

Congratulations to all of our IWSG authors included in this year's anthology!

Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Dark Matter: Artificial was released on May 4, yesterday.

I can't wait for Amazon to deliver my copy.

You can order your copy here:

Print copies of Dark Matter: Artificial are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and from the publisher, Dancing Lemur Press! eBooks are also available.

I also can't wait to see the genre and theme for this year's anthology contest

which will be revealed today on the IWSG website.

On the Verge of Spring ~ Terry Walking in the Park

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Friday, April 30, 2021

April has been a challenging time for Terry and me.

Terry suffered a serious heart attack on April 10th.

He was very, very lucky to survive, and it's still hard to believe it happened.

Our lives were upended, but we are learning to live with this new reality,

and Terry's prognosis is good.

He's walking most days, as much as two miles at a time, weather permitting.

Hopefully yesterday was winter's last gasp,

a dank day of snow spitting from a sullen sky

when it wasn't dumping torrents of icy rain.

We are so ready for spring!

Cheerful Harbingers of Spring

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Sunday, April 25, 2021

I haven't been writing.

I've barely been blogging.

I haven't managed to stay on top of comment moderation

which I accidentally enabled mid-month.

I've fallen terribly behind in replying to comments.

This is the story of my April:

What the Hell?

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

I found that blob on my phone when I was trying to figure out why

I had been credited with an 11-minute-57-second run on my fitbit

on the second day after Terry was discharged from the hospital.

Understand I am no runner.

I'm not even allowed to run for medical reasons.

I have never, ever, in all my fitbit-wearing years, been credited with a run for exercise.

It turns out that was how my fitbit tracker recorded my 19,124 steps that day,

and the numbers 1-8 are "laps" I did on my "run."

That's all inside our home; I didn't even make it out to the mailbox.

LOL!

The next day I hit 26,613 steps and the day after that 19,893,

but I wasn't moving fast enough to hit the threshold of a continuous ten-minute run.

I only was credited with walks.

The Amazing Doctor Who Saved Terry's Life

Things are calming down.

I no longer feel like a frantic bushy tailed woodrat.

I'm no longer running in circles.

I'll get on top of things again.

I'll start writing again shortly.

I will check comment moderation today.

I will answer comments.

I appreciate you all so much!

Happy writing in May!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Books Read in 2024

"5 Languages of Love: The Secret to Love That Lasts" by Gary Chapman
"Eruption" by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
"In Darkness" by L. Diane Wolfe
"In My Time of Dying" by Sebastian Junger
"The Bat" by Jo Nesbo
"The Dark Forest" by Cixin Liu
"The Last to Vanish" by Megan Miranda
"The Montauk Monster" by Hunter Shea
"The Road to Character" by David Brooks
"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller
"The Twist of a Knife" by Anthony Horowitz
"The Uninhabital Earth: Life After Warming" by David Wallace-Wells
"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
"Writing the Shadow" by Joanna Penn

Pages

Friday, May 21, 2021

A little Hope

Friday, May 7, 2021

Just Released: The 2021 IWSG Anthology Dark Matter: Artificial!

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

IWSG: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 ~ Running in Circles