I write a column for a local online network about local people, places, and events. This time I've selected to write about my friends and neighbors (out here in the country, you can live a couple of miles away and still be neighbors) who own a farm market. This is just one of the photos I snapped. Now I need to get busy and write the column. It was due last weekend.

The last few Wednesdays have been madness, and I realize I've failed to post here that I was over at Working Stiffs. This Wednesday is only slightly less hectic, but at least I have a moment to send you over there where I share my tale of the cheapskate who attempted to stiff this Stiff.

Panic has set in. The Pennwriters Conference is only two and a half weeks away and I am NOT READY. I had high hopes of spending the last month before the conference polishing my manuscript and my pitch. I also planned to spend lots of time researching the agents who are scheduled to attend. I was going to be PREPARED. Then Hubby got laid off. Priorities changed fast enough to give me whiplash. Suddenly it’s more important to generate immediate income. Sell Avon. Teach yoga. Writing does not provide that immediate income at the moment, so it’s taken a backseat. Of course, that means I’m battling a severe case of the crankies. Today I at least got to attend my critique group where I produced the second to the last chapter. The story is working. My critique buddies have been totally sucked in and demand to know what happens next when we reach the end of the chapter. It’s hugely satisfying, I might add. But what I really crave is time to fix the little things that need tweaking. Instead, I

This is my flowering crabapple tree. I haven't seen blooms like this on it in years! I knew I'd better catch a shot of it today because the next good breeze will swipe the tree clean of its blossoms. A reminder that spring beauty is a fleeting thing.

Most of my first readers have returned their copies of my manuscripts to me complete with a variety of insightful comments, criticisms, and suggestions. They’ve given me much food for thought, from technical mistakes to motivational shortcomings to situations that frustrated the reader. Some fixes are simple. Some require a bit of revamping. All comments have been given serious consideration. And today I have begun what I hope to be the last major rewrite, also known as THE THIRD DRAFT. Last major rewrite? Perhaps I’m too optimistic. Perhaps it would be more accurate to specify that this will be the last major rewrite prior to the Pennwriters Conference. It’s occurred to me that this Third Draft thing is going to happen in layers. I had six first readers. Three of them had returned their marked-up copies to me, and I had gone through them, making notes of my own to the pages. This gave me a pretty good idea of what needed to be changed. Yesterday, I received a fourth copy back. Rather

And here they are!

Some days you’re the bug, and some days you’re the windshield. Don’t know where I picked up that quote, but it feels appropriate today. We’ve known it was coming for quite some time now, but this afternoon, my husband, like so many others in this economy, lost his job. He’d been there for 32 years, so he’s a little rusty at his job search skills. It’s the health insurance issues that are most scary. If it weren’t for that, we’d just kick back and pretend to be an old retired couple for a while. As is, I’ve suddenly become the “bread winner.” HA! That’s REALLY scary, too. Don’t suppose anyone out there has any freelance work for a hungry writer, do you? Need any Avon products? Check out my online store at www.youravon.com/adashofy . We have lots of great Mother’s Day gifts at reasonable prices. Okay, back to writing. With a vengeance.

On Good Friday, Hubby and I had taken advantage of his day off, and we drove to our camp in Confluence. It was just a day trip, not an overnighter. We checked on the condition of the camper, rode bikes, and left some supplies. I also left another item. My wallet. And not intentionally. It was mid week before I realized it. I needed my charge card to order something online. When I went to my purse…no wallet. There was a brief moment of panic before I realized what I’d done. I’d put my wallet in the bag I carry on my bike when I ride and had then left the bag in the camper without first removing the wallet. I had no money in it. Only my driver’s license, registration cards, insurance cards, auto club cards, and every single credit card I own. ONLY. So we just HAD to go back this weekend. The plan was to leave Friday after work, but my mom wasn’t feeling well. That’s a whole other story. Suffice it to say, she’s fine now, and we managed to leave early Saturday morning. And by “we” I mean,

Miss Fleck of the barn Katz Family is very, very, VERY pregnant. While there may be no such thing as a LITTLE pregnant, this kitty is a LOT pregnant. Her belly drags the ground. I'd have to say kittens are imminent.

It's early April and well over 80 sunny degrees. Do I stay inside and work? Or take advantage of the glorious weather? That's the question I ponder over at Working Stiffs today.

I’m starting to gather the copies of my manuscript that I passed out to my first readers. So far, I haven’t looked at the detailed comments—I’ll save that for later this week when I plan to hang a Do Not Disturb sign on the door to my cave and put in a marathon rewrite session—but I have read and been pleased with the general overviews I’ve received. So it’s time to look beyond the spit and polish and revisions. Beginning with tonight. I plan to attend a joint Sisters in Crime/Pennwriters meeting which will focus on the pitch. I have the start of one, but it needs more polish than the manuscript does at this point. Hopefully, I’ll find some guidance in tonight’s presentation. Next on the agenda is the annual Festival of Mystery . Someday I hope to take part in it as an author, but once again, I’m serving as an escort for one of the participants. Besides being a fun way to spend the day, it will also be a prime opportunity to rehearse my pitch whenever someone asks what I’m writing abou

I took a long walk with my camera the other day hoping to capture some minute signs of spring. About all I got were some interesting shots of Skunk Cabbage sprouts. "Interesting" being the key word there. Other worldly? Yes. Weird? Definitely. But not at all pretty. Instead, I found what I'd been looking for in my own front yard. Daffodils and bugs. A perfect illustration of spring. I'll save the Skunk Cabbage shots for another day.