The Polar Vortex Fizzles
A classic case of media over-hype. Yes, we had a big snow dump. Yes, we had three nights of near 0 temps. But it wasn't really that big of a thing. Just having them all at the same time. But not new...
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Farming News - Winter is being winter. Media “whether”-casters are over-hyping as usual.
Writing News - Hobby-horsing my next book instead of getting my three paperbacks’ covers done.
Fiction News - The Hooman Saga continues. Race with ferals closing in this week.
Expectancy Factor - The expected becomes the usual. With practice.
Farming News
The dire predictions fizzled out. Two days before the snow, it was in the 40’s. So that show just acted as insulation on the ground and watering spots. What ice we got thawed from below (ground heat) - all the forecasted ice went south.
And the worst cold was over in three days, like usual. We’re now back to average winter again, where it sometimes gets above freezing during the day.
The best part was having all that wood up near the house. So we could fire up the fireplace in the Great Room of the main house as well. In a few days, I’ll let it burn out. Once the nights are back into the teens, the little space heater in there can keep up. But I will have to get back onto cutting and splitting more wood…
The cows are enjoying their hay bales. They’ll finish most of five bales in another two or three days, and then I”ll move the bale rings that are empty over to new ones and then reposition that fence in front of it, moving it two more roles back (two fences tend to keep the clever wanderers down to a minimum.)
I did find one thing I should have taken care of - with real low temperatures, the batteries don’t last as long. So the smart idea is to replace all your batteries with fresh-charged ones on those electric fences before the storm hits. Lugging around a 40lb. battery in 6-inch snow gets tiring fast.
Lots of layers are the trick. But I have sets of insulated everything that are hung up all but these few days each winter, waiting for their cue to come on stage. Here’s where they prove their worth.
They are much like the mattock I only use to chop ice. Finding it this year was simple, as it was where I left it from last winter. This year it will travel in the truck bed until I put it away in the spring. Properly, this time.
The general rule goes: always put things away where you expect to find them.
Little Orphan Andy got a special room which he likes. Four walls with a wide open window facing into the barn. I left the door cracked open so he can come and go as he wishes. That room only has a few straw bales stored in it, but cuts all the wind off. Since the snow hit, Andy hasn’t been out of the barn so far. I have a big tub with water in it that I chop a hole in daily, then add a gallon of hot water.
With that big bale of hay in the bale ring nearby, plus a smaller net sack of hay, my feeding him a half-pound of feed mix twice daily keeps him content.
Tiny Home News
Got the electric blanket out and the place stays cozy overnight. That oil-filled radiator heater keeps it in the low 60’s, which is fine. There’s a spare space heater I can bring out of the storage trailer if we need it. But wearing an extra sweatshirt takes most of the chill off. Making coffee also warms up everything in the morning.
Another typical winter. Despite the hype.
Writing News
Those paperback covers are still hanging fire. Last time I worked on these in earnest was before Christmas, as I discovered.
Busy, I guess.
This week found me again succumbing to my temptation of that new book once again. Cobbling it together and testing out ProWritingAid to polish some 8K of words into a final shape. Just another 42K to go, or maybe more.
This is taking shape in my mind quite well. I just have to pull out the parts I want to revamp and copy/paste them into a work document.
Got a bit more writing/revising done this week. And found I can work on a laptop in the cottage loft bed just fine. (A few properly-placed pillows do wonders.
To be sure, you’ll be the first to know about my book progress. Right here, every week.
And the wheel keeps turning.
Also published this week (ICYMI):
Writerpreneur Guideposts
This seventh lesson continues an 8-part mini-course covering the eight elements of getting your book marketed. One more chapters after this.. Here, we find a musician who mastered building a community by giving away her music…
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Fiction Posts
The Hooman Saga - XI - Serial Fiction
THEY TRAVELED FAST and hard. They had about a day and a half of travel. To cover in less than a day. There would be no stopping if night fell before they arrived. Neither for the ferals, who were now howling behind them. The small band of sentient hunters kept an even pace rather than a fast one. Soo-she's breath came in ragged gulps, but they were the …
Sue and her protective wolf-pack hunting party are now going to the protected sentient valley - but a feral pack over twice as big as theirs are on their tails. And gaining fast…
(If you can’t wait to see how this comes out, Here’s the book link to get your copy.)
Housecleaning News
I found a small set of people (38 out of 660+) who simply haven’t opened anything in over a year and removed them. That drops my subscriber graphs, but improves my opens, slightly. Don’t need to be ghosted.
Expectancy Tips
Writing this new book simply brought the whole expectancy scene full circle. Because everything starts with the expectancies you set for yourself. Sure, you have to follow through with the mechanical efforts - but the opportunities show up first.
This new one makes three books that start out there, now.
Just reminds me that I have another book after this one. Then maybe I can get onto the humdrum stuff of business and marketing. All part of what I expect of myself. Which essentially means I quit being so reclusive with my writing and such. Big shift for me. Again, setting your vision can require a change in attitude to match.
Just have to finish getting my own vision all sorted out in the details…
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I hope your life is not too interesting to be overwhelming, but sufficiently engaging to keep you amused. (Like some of us here...)
Robert
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Of course, in my rush to publish, I left typos and grammar oopsies galore.
Once I'm back from chores, I'll fix things.
Sorry.