Sent off another submission to the publisher

This one is a romance/drama set in Port Dover, Ontario and a couple of the characters from Desperate Measures make an appearance. I won't know the answer from my editor until late August, so fingers crossed, and I'll have to keep myself busy with other things to distract myself in the mean time.

High School Graduation!

Spent a very pleasant evening cheering for my son and his classmates. It's fun when they announce the graduate's plans for next year -- everything ranging from architect to plumber -- and to imagine these kids, many of whom we've known for years, going out into the world.

The principal, in her speech, quoted from a 12th-century writer who said that if you try to change the world, you will eventually realize you can't; you can only change yourself. But by changing yourself, you can change the world.

The world needs a lot of changing right now. This graduating class is going to face challenges we can't even imagine. They will need ingenuity, creativity, courage, and determination. From what I saw last night, I think they have a fighting chance.

Here he is, dressed in his best.

Just shoot me now

Went to the staff lunch room to eat my spaghetti squash and read my book in peace. There were three coworkers at the adjoining table, and for half an hour the only thing they talked about was whether one of them should cut her hair or not. Pros and cons. Best styles. Whether guys like short or long hair better (though her colleagues hastened to assure her she should do it for her not for him).


Half an hour of this droning voice repeating itself. "I don't know if I should cut it short. Maybe I shouldn't cut it short." Aaugh! I admit it was the closest I've ever come to turning to a complete stranger and saying, "Just shave your head and shut up!" But I managed to control myself. I cut my lunch short and went silently back to my desk, while the debate rages on in the staff room.


Honestly, honey, the world is in turmoil, the ice caps are melting, refugees are risking drowning to reach Europe, society is rapidly devolving into tribes...and that's the best conversational topic you could come up with?

Sunrise in the Garden

I always feel sorry for the people who never get up early enough to watch the sun come up. It's the same feeling I have for children who never get to taste a home-baked cookie or the people who have access only to frozen or canned peas.

Update on the Hydroponics Experiment

Well, the tomatoes and cucumbers we had growing in the hydroponic tanks showed spectacular growth, and they got quite a bit of small fruit on them, but the fruit never really developed. The tomatoes stayed hard little green pearls, and the cucumbers never got to more than a few centimetres and stayed white. We decided the issue was not enough light.

My husband rigged up several more grow lights, aiming at the plants from all directions. We waited a few more days. No change.

And then we decided that a huge electric bill was not justified for a handful of tiny tomatoes.

So down it all came, everything was turned off and disassembled, and we're back to rethinking all this. We haven't given up yet but we need to find a way to go about it differently. At least we know that pollination occurred, so there's potential. And it was great fun watching the twelve-foot tomatoes grow and grow into a pungent jungle.

Light has returned to the dining room (the tomatoes were blocking the window before). The house seems very quiet now, without the frequent gush of water.

Man of the Year

So while I was over weeding and watering someone else's garden, my wonderful husband was home trimming my hedge and propane-torching my weeds. What a guy!

Carrying Water

Like an idiot, I figured I didn't have enough to keep me busy and volunteered to oversee the local Salvation Army's garden where they grow fresh vegetables for their food bank. Their past volunteers had faded out and the big plot was going to weeds. It seemed a shame to see this garden die off, and the cause was a good one. So I bit off more than I could chew.

My son's girlfriend valiantly helped me weed it, and another girl and I planted a bunch of seedlings. But to water this space, we have to stretch about five long hoses from the church, across the parking lot, and out to the garden. And then wind it all up again. It's a heavy task I find daunting. Tonight I didn't have the energy, and found it easier to just carry a watering can back and forth to the spigot.

After about seven or eight trips, my back started to complain and so did I. And then of course the thought followed: "There are women in Africa who have to carry gallons of water a mile or more for their families every day. Surely I can cross a parking lot." And after that it wasn't so onerous.

It is a gratifying thing to give a thirsty plant water. You can feel its gratitude. It brings a deeper appreciation for John chp 4, where it speaks of "Living Water." Water is indeed life.