Still Early for Spring - A New Book, Though...
The truly cold winter days are now over. March and April "whether" forecasts predict grass growing. Meanwhile, I've finished up that last book...
Hi,
Thanks again for being here and opening this. For being part of this community.
Too many emails? Too few? Go here to adjust your settings.
Farming News - Warm enough to get outside with a simple jacket. Grass, next? Roofing repairs first.
Writing News - Finished editing Forgotten Bestseller Secrets
Fiction News - The Hooman Saga serial continues. The Hunting Council again meets. Snarl is disruptive - wants to split the hunters..
Expectancy Factor - A quiet week. Another Nightingale essay for you.
And - a book bonus down below….
Farming News
And just like that, everything is thawed out. Some ice on the ponds and in barrels that are hanging on - for now.
But it’s warm enough for roofing:
Last fall, I found a soft spot on the roof where the vines had pushed the flashing away and water had weakened the underlying wood. An inspection showed that we had some hail damage - so that’s covering the cost of replacing everything. Since that roof was done in different sections (each with their own errors) this will be nice to get a roof that’s got a 20-year guarantee. They are supposed to be done in about four days.
Meanwhile, our next thing to expect is the grass greening up. Some grasses come out of dormancy earlier than others. But it’s not air temperature, but how warm the ground is. That can take awhile.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
The blue line predicts the air temperature, the red one is the soil.
Some grasses, like our miscanthus, start shooting up at about 38 degrees. That’s what fed my cows most of the summer last year - a smallish patch. I had to keep them on it as it grows some 12 foot high. This year, I’ll amend that somewhat. Still learning about how to graze that one.
Tiny Home News
Got that private loan arranged now. The actual money will show up in April and May. Meanwhile, I can have enough stashed away to get the driveway and building base ready.
The whole plan is:
gravel drive.
building base, then pole barn with concrete base.
electrical to that barn.
water and electrical to that barn.
current cottage moved to side, along with my writing trailer.
The weirdest thing is that we can’t get electrical to a new house (principle residence) without a full septic system installed. But we can get it to a barn or storage shed. Our cottage is on wheels so it is technically an RV, which there are no sewage regulations for. Once we have the full house built, then this will include everything to have flushing toilets, etc. We’re running water to the “barn” for now so we can hook up our cottage and not cart water jugs about a football field over to it.
As the weather heats up, I’m getting started or my writing trailer. Paint is first, then interior. It will be brown sided, with green accents, like our current cottage. The roof is white roofing paint - but won’t show except from above.. While the roof nominally doesn’t leak, it’s needed. Might only be a few weeks to get it ready. Just have to work on it daily until it’s done. A rear window needs replacing, but that’s lined up.
That’s why I pushed this book through - to have time for other things.
Homesteading Videos
My wife has gotten me hooked on these. There’s this family group of 3 Alaskan’s who go and find homesteads in trouble, on their last legs, then have 7 days to get them up and running again. Some series on Discovery (streaming) called Homestead Rescue. Sure, there’s drama and tension, but they pull it off. And meanwhile, we all learn about construction, planning, gardening, small livestock raising, and all types of climates.
This is giving me a great deal of information on how to plan and prioritize our coming expansion this year.
One point for sure - that garden and chicken house will be nearby the house, not an acre away. The funny part is that we’re building a barn first. Which is a summer kitchen and to be set up for processing the garden produce and canning, storage.
Writing News
It’s done! Writerpreneur: Forgotten Bestseller Secrets.
Well, the writing and editing. Next is getting the audio for the three mini-courses inside it.
Each section has its course to get ready - with audio. There are three mini-courses here, with the transcripts in the book. Still reconsidering the podcast stuff.
That brings us up to this series:
Authors Survival Guide
Copywriting for Authors
Forgotten Bestseller Secrets
The Basic Formulas of Fiction
The Lost Books Anthology
And there are some four additional short books or study guides.
This gives me five courses. And another to update from earlier. If I can get 6 courses of about 8 lessons each, then that gives me a year’s worth of lessons so anyone can come along for the journey through a newsletter. Pretty much what we’ve been doing with the Writerpreneur section for the last year or so.
Like the Golden State Bridge, I can simply update these very week and return to the beginning once I finish everything off. A service I can continue to provide.
I’d like to do this type of scene for all four legs of the Living Sensical system - just publishing all the evergreen principles as books and courses so people can improve their lives.
As noted before, there’s Homesteading (Five Acres and Independence) and The Expectancy Factor, both waiting. I’ll do a similar approach with both of those. The fourth leg will probably be my fiction works, published as serials.
The future looks bright.
Again, see way below for your advance beta-edition of this current book.
Also published this week (ICYMI):
Writerpreneur Guideposts
The reason scenes are the building blocks of all stories is seldom told. Because most writers only sense a good scene, but never studied its framework.
You’ve read stories that are riveting, that keep you right to the end and then leave you wanting more. Their authors specifically wrote those in scenes with sequels.
By its name, we know a sequel happens next. And continues the story…
Fiction Posts
The Hooman Saga - XVIII - Serial Fiction
AT THE RISE OF THE second moon, the hunters gathered outside the Chief's den.
THE HUNTING COUNCIL WAS called by the Chief, to meet outside the Chief's den.
The chief was resting when the hunters arrived. He'd called all the male and female hunters to a great meeting. Most thought it was about the ferals. The Chief cleared his mind, then barked to get their attention. All thoughts were silenced…
(If you can’t wait to see how this comes out, Here’s the book link to get your copy.)
Expectancy Tips
Thought you might like this essay from Earl Nightingale:
Writing: The Most Important Element — Earl Nightingale
“What is the single most important element necessary to make an effective speech — or book?” I don’t think that’s a difficult question at all.
Thanks for being there, opening this.
Sharing is caring. You’re who I do this all for. I value your input.
Leave a comment if something strikes your fancy.
I hope your life is not too interesting to be overwhelming, but sufficiently engaging to keep you amused. (Like some of us here...)
Robert
PS. Again, you can always email me about anything.
PPS. Again, do upgrade to the paid newsletter version. That helps me keep the lights on - so I can keep all this coming to you. As much or little as you want… And you can always buy me a coffee…
Bonus:
Here’s the beta version of the book-in-progress above.
(Final update this week…)
Available for limited time as pay-what-you-want…
Hint: You can get a copy for as low as a buck.