Standing Into Danger

Friday, September 6, 2019

Message Received! Deadline Met!

I'm a wreck this morning as I work on my post for tonight.
I took that bolt from the black a couple of weeks ago very seriously.

A Bolt from the Black!

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Pixabay.com

I metaphorically got off my derrière ~
metaphorically, because that "something" I had been putting off
required a whole lot of sitting. As in sitting and writing.

I had promised myself months ago that I would submit
a story to the IWSG 2019 Anthology Contest,
even if I had never written in this year's genre.

I had been playing with an idea for months,
but it was still in a nebulous form.

Lagoon nebula (Messier8)

Wikimedia ~ JU. Köhler ~ License

Okay, it was so nebulous that I hadn't written a single word
and I couldn't see past the first scene.
I had the vaguest idea for a plot,
so vague that it could be summed up in one word.

Ever since that bolt I've been frantically bingeing on writing;
well, between a wedding in Colorado Springs,
a visit from a writing friend in Seattle,
a doctor's visit and tests,
working with my trainer on the consequences of my fall,
moving heavy furniture
(Bad idea when you've been injured.),
and the other stuff of life
(Do 10 crackers slathered with Nutella count as a meal?).

I'd add a photo of me binge writing,
but it would be a scary sight!

I was in the flow, and thrilled to be there.
But let me tell you, in the flow is not a placid float on the Sissiboo.

Kayaking on the Sissiboo River

Nova Scotia, Canada

August 2, 2019

It's a wild ride on the raging Arkansas.

Rafting Seidel's Suckhole on the Arkansas River

YouTube ~ lokeybh

My fabulous and patient husband supported me all the way,
by plunking food in front of me periodically,
by not suggesting that I really should sleep and/or shower,
and by giving me lots of big hugs accompanied with,
"I'm so happy to see you happy and having fun with your writing."

He didn't even complain when yet another obscure book showed up from Amazon.
Shhh! Don't tell him, but I paid more for super fast delivery than the book.

At Our Friends' Wedding

(Also Our 35th Wedding Anniversary)

Colorado Springs

September 1, 2019

Perhaps even better than submitting my story to the contest,

I have a sense of direction in my writing again: not nebulous or vague.

I've been floundering around without direction for months,

and now I have a clear route.

And kudos to Alex Cavanaugh, the founder of The Insecure Writers Support Group.

He was kind, patient, and helpful to me

on a very busy day for him yesterday.

Technologically-challenged me was in a panic over technical problems

when I tried to submit my manuscript to the IWSG.

But we got it done!

If you have not discovered Alex's website, the IWSG, or his great science fiction books,

you should do yourself a favor and check them out!

I've read and enjoyed all of these!

Alex's Books

Amazon

So now it's back to reality, hopefully a little more structured.

And maybe I can drastically shorten the list of blogging buddies

I have gotten behind on visiting. See you soon!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Me, on Donnie and Martin's Deck

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Julie and I at Her Wedding

Colorado Springs

September 1, 2019

Julie and Terry at Her Wedding

Colorado Springs

September 1, 2019

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 ~ Black Bears Don't Growl

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 Cavanaugh are:
Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson, Chemist Ken, 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:

If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story,
where would it be and why?
Would it be some faraway, exotic location?

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

Hi, Everyone!
I hope that you are having a fun IWSG Day!

My post is late today,
because I had an important deadline to meet:
Today's closing date for the Annual IWSG Anthology Contest.
I just submitted my manuscript at lunchtime.

Whew!

Late Monday evening I crawled into bed convinced
that I would not finish my story before the deadline.
I thrashed around for hours really upset with myself
and unable to calm my hyperactive brain.

I kept going back and forth between how could I meet the deadline,
and have I made any mistakes. Especially bonehead errors!

Take black bears, for example.
Did you know that black bears don't growl?
I didn't.

I should clarify that: Black bears rarely, if ever, growl.
However, it's true that a black bear's moan of fear can be mistaken for a growl.

American black bear (Ursus americanus)

near Riding Mountain Park, Manitoba, Canada

Wikimedia ~ Diginatur ~ License

I was fascinated to learn that people expect black bears to growl,
so they tend to interpret any bear vocalization as a growl.

I was even more fascinated to learn that a recording of a wolf growling
is often used for black bears in movies and television,
because people believe that's what black bears sound like.

There went this scene I was writing
about a black bear running out of the woods
growly fiercely as it attacked some people:
snagged in an unspooled pile of growling wolf tapes.

The thought of bonehead mistakes like this keep me spinning around in bed.

dailymoss.com

I expect a lot of things from myself when I write,
and accuracy is near the top of my list.
If black bears don't growl,
then I'm going to be damn sure one doesn't growl in a story I write.

Have you ever caught a bonehead mistake in your writing?

With regard to this month's IWSG question:
If I could pick one place in the world to sit and write my next story,
I'd sit at my kitchen breakfast bar where I'm writing right now.

Why?
It's the center of our home
(so I'm in the middle of everything)

Unlimited coffee at hand
(to keep me perky when I'm drooping)

Lots of chocolate in the fridge
(to keep me running when I'm depleted)

CNN or HGTV on my kitchen television
(white noise to calm my distractible brain)

My shower and bed nearby
(So, if I remember I need to shower and sleep, I can do so quickly)

Nowhere exotic please!
I would not be able to concentrate on my writing.
I would have to get out and experience the place fully!

Blue Ice Covering Lake Fryxell

(formed from glacial meltwater
from the Canada Glacier and other smaller glaciers)
in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

Wikimedia

Happy writing in September!

Note:
If you are curious about black bear vocalizations, this is an excellent source: bear.org

Friday, August 30, 2019

A Bolt from the Black!

Do you ever think that the Universe is trying to get your attention?
A little over a week ago, I certainly did!

The Milky Way

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Pixabay.com

I was sitting at our kitchen counter one evening working on our budget,
when out of nowhere, a gigantic thunderbolt boomed overhead.

A Bolt from the Black!

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Pixabay.com

Startled, I shot straight up out of the high chair I was sitting in,
simultaneously backing away from the open door to our deck.
I fell backwards, well over the arm of my chair, and my legs followed.

I dropped at least three feet straight down,
landing in a V on my tailbone, my right hand partially breaking the fall.

Terry, who was standing on the other side of the counter by the fridge,
yelled "Louise" and ran for me.
He thought I had been struck by lightning.

He found me sitting on the floor stunned by what had happened.

As soon as he determined I had broken nothing,
he pulled me up off the floor and helped me to a soft, comfortable armchair.

A violent thunderstorm rolled over us following the initial thunderbolt,
and it seemed to last forever.

Every time lightning struck around us,
I covered my ears and cowered in the armchair.

Thunderstorm

Image by Felix Mittermeier from Pixabay

Pixabay.com

It took me a while to recover from the shock of my fall
and regain my usual composure during a thunderstorm.

The next day everyone was talking about what a storm it had been.
For the next two days I was nursing a swollen and painful wrist
sandwiched between two ice packs. And sitting very carefully!

This might seem like nothing more than a ridiculous fall,
but I saw it as something different:
a message from the Universe telling me to get off my rear end
and get busy with something I've been putting off.

So I'm frantically working on it against an impending deadline.
Wish me luck!

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Me, on Donnie and Martin's Deck

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Friday, August 23, 2019

Family Is the Best!!!

One weekend in my annual calendar is permanently booked.
It's booked in a lot of calendars among my extended family members.
That special weekend is the first one in August.

Wherever we live, if we possibly can, my extended family heads
for Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, to join other family members who live there.
We may come for three or four days, tens days, or several weeks,
but however long our trips, we make sure they overlap that first weekend in August.

First Sight of Home!
Bear Island and Digby Gut
from the Bear River Bridge

Nova Scotia, Canada

July 2019

Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, grandparents,
grandchildren, husbands, wives, and significant others,
we all get together and cram everything we can into the time we have.
It seems like one big, extended party with ever-changing activities.

A definite highlight among all the highlights is the lobster-scallop feast
my sister Donnie and her husband Martin host every year
for the descendants of our parents Don and Sara MacBeath
and all the significant others, relatives, and friends this event brings together.

My Sister Donnie
Smith's Cove

Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Martin on Scallop Duty

August 7, 2019

What we do doesn't matter.

What matters is that we are together.

The MacBeath, Mundry, Heembrock, and Barbour Branch

of Our Extended Family

Front: Left to Right
Sara, Susan, Barb, Louise (Me), Bertie, Natalie, Donnie
Back: Left to Right
Gavin, Roy, Terry, Peter, Martin, Krista
Photographer: Olivia

August 7, 2019

Olivia, Honorary Sister, Daughter, Cousin, Niece

with Donnie, Pete, Sue, Roy, Terry, and Bertie

August 7, 2019

We all chip in for the lobsters and scallops and drinks,

and a number of us prepare special hors d'oeuvres or a side dish.

My claim to fame is my homemade guacamole.

Bertie's Claim to Fame: The Salad

with Martin and Terry

August 7, 2019

Guaranteed the evening will include ferocious card games,

noisy yard and parlor games, a huge bonfire in the fire ring,

a fabulous playlist of music put together by Martin,

and way too much to eat and drink.

And of course, photographs.

We Five, my brother, my sisters, and I, always must get a photo of us.

The First We Five Photo
Donnie, Barbie, Me with Bertie, and Roy with Gretchen
Margaretsville

Nova Scotia, Canada

April, 1959

The Latest We Five Photo
Barb, Bertie, Roy, Me, and Donnie
Smith's Cove

Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Some of the NexGen

Gavin, Sara, Krista, Natalie,

and Olivia
August 7, 2019

OurGen

Front: Left to Right

Susan, Barb, Louise (Me), Bertie, Donnie

Back: Left to Right

Roy, Terry, Peter, and Martin

August 7, 2019

Here are some more photos from this highlight of my year.

Bertie, Krista, and Terry

August 7, 2019

Barb

August 7, 2019

Sara (standing) and Olivia

August 7, 2019

Gavin and Krista
Donnie and Martin's "Children"

August 7, 2019

Peter shows his daughter Sara how to prepare a lobster.

August 7, 2019

Sara ~ I've got this!!!

August 7, 2019

Martin relaxes for a bit.

August 7, 2019

Louise (me) and Sue

August 7, 2019

Barb and Sara

August 7, 2019

Natalie
Bertie and Peter's Youngest

August 7, 2019

Roy and Terry

My Brother and Husband

August 7, 2019

Sara, Olivia, and Natalie
Three "Sisters"

August 7, 2019

Playing with a Lobster
Natalie and Sara

August 7, 2019

Lobsters to Eat

August 7, 2019

Sue

August 7, 2019

Digging In

Clockwise:
Natalie, Krista (hidden), Peter, Gavin, Sara, and Olivia

August 7, 2019

Did I really eat all this?
Yes, this and more!

August 7, 2019

Don't Even Ask!

August 7, 2019

I am so missing everyone, those I was lucky enough to be with this summer

and those who couldn't make it to Nova Scotia this year.

I am keenly aware of the passing of time and how fleeting and sweet life is.

Most of all, I treasure the love of those who love me for exactly who I am: my family!

Family is the best!

Roy and Me

August 7, 2019

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Me, on Donnie and Martin's Deck

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

August 7, 2019

Personal Note: Sorry, but I'm still catching up. I had a spectacular fall earlier this week,
but I'm almost back to normal now.

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Location of Nova Scotia

Wikimedia

Location of the Annapolis Basin

Google Maps 2019

Location of Smith's Cove and Digby

Google Maps 2019

Books Read in 2026

"18 Days in Heaven" by Gale Poirot
"A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Hope, Love, and Overcoming" by Kerrie Rawson
"Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life" by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD.
"Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics Deepest Truths" by Eugenia Cheng
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir
"Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout
"The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese
"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber and David Wengrow
"The Life Impossible" by Matthew Haig
"The Lord go the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
"The Match" by Harlan Corben
"The Night the Path Disappeared" by Terri Bergen
"The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper" by Roland Allen
"Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi
"Think Twice" by Harlan Corben
"Why Christianity Must Change Or Die" by John Shelby Spong

Standing Into Danger

Pages

Friday, September 6, 2019

Message Received! Deadline Met!

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

IWSG Day: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 ~ Black Bears Don't Growl

Friday, August 30, 2019

A Bolt from the Black!

Friday, August 23, 2019

Family Is the Best!!!

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