Iris

26 Years Married to the Day

Perhaps if I hadn’t waited until the last moment, I’d be able to share photos of the iris. Three purple ones are in bloom, the smell – intoxicating. I stopped to inhale them after joining a group of bees, wasps, and other flying insects at the pink lilac bush on the roadside path. I truly thought its early buds had suffered from the frosts, but I coaxed it and encouraged it to be strong. I took a few shots of the spectacular bush knowing I can never capture its pale pink beauty, but even those I couldn’t get to send through email. So, I updated my email. And it didn’t work. I updated the photo app. I thought – let me send a simple email first – to see if that worked, and now I guess Elon and Bozos have decided I can’t send emails from my phone, let alone photos. I could last month. Gee, what’s the thing that changed since then?

Can you see how far back I’m rolling my eyes at Google and the crapware under the guise of Generative Anti Intelligence that they seem to have stuck into everything like it’s a teen penis?

I honestly hate this race to make the worst incel programs that glitch when you look at them. I’m joining a chorus, I know, but really. This is ridiculous.

From this wave of recent stupidity, I learned I cannot trust a friend any longer because he’s now wearing spyware. Unbelievably, he thought it was fine to violate people’s privacy (and drafts that had never been online) which is insane since those things scream HIPAA no-no. Until I told him about class-action malpractice suits that I would make sure his name was included in, and how his insurance likely does NOT protect him from this sort of privacy breach – only when it occurred to him he personally would be financially liable – did he stop defending his butthead action of reading a story sent to him through the mail while wearing those hideous metaglasses. He’s not feeling well. I wonder if the “better vision” he claims he has from those things is the thing making him sick. AI is making me sick.

At a meeting an environmental rights woman who says she champions artists, passed around a Generative Anti Intelligence rendering of a float that as explained was going to have people dressed up throwing boxes representing books, as well as chicken people catching eggs. There were more things, but it is for a parade that begins in less than a week. I’m sure ChatGP told her this would be easy and volunteers would appear like magic. Maybe they will, but I couldn’t believe she didn’t think to ask an artist to sketch out the little cartoon she had made from “her ideas.”

I do apologize for being so down on this crapware, but I have taken up pen and paper and I’ve been spending a lot of time in nature. I planted peonies today and most of the houseplants were moved outside for summer. I’ve been piecing together a “thing” floating around in notebooks. It started with two…flash sized bits that are not part of a novel and I’m learning to pick out notes on a mini keyboard in the shape of a green hippo in case it turns into a musical.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? It does to me, a very happy Luddite who had a working phone until this latest nonsense. I hope you are well. It’s been rough emotionally to see no one that claimed their second amendment was important is doing a blessed thing to defend their fellow Americans being abused by these ice agents or stopping the military from entwining with the Israeli military – I mean – what the f are you doing, guys? Pretend I’m Jody Foster if it helps.

Ah well. Another month down. I read “Yesteryear” in a day – what a romp. I read “Remarkably Bright Creatures” in a day – lovely and twee. I am up to 3 books read for the year and since I can’t even access my email contact list on my phone anymore, I guess I’ll be reading even more. F the tech.

Thank you for stopping by and for the read! Sorry for the lack of photos this month. Cheers and good tidings to you!

Potato Heart!

For 21 years I’ve been married to a friend. What does that mean? Our marriage can legally buy liquor and cigarettes now? Can it vote, too? No? Why not? (I’d insert the picture of the Chipmunk of Doom looking askance here, but it didn’t export properly.)

Early this month, I was a maskless guest in someone else’s home and it was glorious to hug again! (Thank you Nina for inviting me!) Shortly after, we had the pleasure of visiting with Bob and Teresa. They were vaccinated, we were, too; it was a lovely time. Unnerving at first, though – being maskless in a house with humans. Who knew that would be an anxiety producer? I mostly remembered how to behave. I didn’t trust myself to throw a dinner party, so it was nibbles and drinks here – and interesting conversation.

A few years back I made my bones and joined a gang of philanthropists so now I get invited to cool things like tours of new buildings. This is the new clinic by the hospital on the hill. (I went inside and took pictures for a yet-to-be-written-story.)

B and I mostly finished a project this weekend. You know that feeling when you’re sure you have a can of paint and you don’t? I felt that and now I wonder if the partial gallon I’m so sure we have (though I can’t find it and have checked all the hidey-holes) will turn up the second I come home with a new gallon tinted that color. So, a bit of paint – less than a few tablespoon’s worth – applied to five small spots and it will be done. Of course sprucing up one thing makes the rest of the room look shabby…but I only have so much time because knock on wood, we’ll see family soon. They – of all people – would understand walking into a construction site/battle zone/fresh paint situation, but I’d prefer to greet them with some things under control even though I know surprises happen…like going out to get a sump pump on my birthday and B taking care of that fiasco which turned out to be my present. Anyways, since I’d like to do a big in-person reveal, I’m not posting pictures of it now. What I can show you is this round flower though I’ve forgotten its name:

And this sassy iris:

It has been a plant-centric month. Holding out as long as I could, I finally succumbed to the lure of a mown front yard. (I have to mow for the rest of the summer now, which displeases me.) Saturday, the new flowerbed was weeded and part of the raised bed was hoed. With the weather being unusually cold, the seedlings needed extra time and care. I also had to figure out which nursery I bought citronella plants from last year. I found it on my second try and learned how to propagate them. I mean, I don’t mind plants taking up my energy, but I am surprised they take so much.

There’s more work to be done in the garden and keeping the lawn up, but the basics feel scoped out so I can get back to concentrating on what I want to write and hone. The book I’d gone back to finish writing? Yeah, I hit the point where I was able to convince myself that I had the wrong MC and should stop before I went any further. I don’t know, essays are being plotted out in my notebooks. I’m reading. I’m watching movies. (Props to the Hamburg library – they’ve been doing me good recently. I’ve found amazing reads in their 7 day shelves) I’m soaking in the changing weather. If I could, I’d gift some of this stress-free time to Mary. The Zoetrope/Firefox has been resolved and I’m already diving back into Kim Chinquee’s “Hot Pants” room. The gracious Kathy Fish is hosting her Fast Flash Reunion room there next weekend. PitMad is on Thursday. There’s so much to look forward to in the coming month – and I don’t want to jinx it – but sometimes feeling obligated to write actually works to get it done…kind of like writing this blog once a month, you know?

Anyway, I hope you are feeling fine and know you are appreciated in so many different ways. You rock. You roll. You need to get out of here and frolic in freshly cut grass or some sand!

Thank you SO much for stopping by and for the read!

Cheers!

Career Progress, Rewrites, and Sex Scenes

In case you missed it, I am Fiction Editor at Literary Orphans now!!! This thrills me like you wouldn’t believe. I thank Scott, Mike, and Brittany for being such wonderful people to work with and willing to let me join the next tier. And as I assured Mary, I will remain in my position at r.kv.r.y., too.

The Blueshift Journal published “Our Mother’s Memoir was Published Posthumously. On Purpose.” Oye, I’m so glad. The original version was written on 4/16/11. I worked on it occasionally and earlier this year got a higher tier rejection from Vestal Review. I looked at it again, tweaked it and boom! Six years later, acceptance.

And while that is a tale of not giving up, I admit that I did give up on this lilac bush. I planted it at least 5 years ago and nothing. I quit weeding around it, neglected it, really. Yesterday, it caught my eye.

Gorgeous, isn’t it? And it smells great.

I nervously sent my pages to Mary and Gina. Nervous because “Sweet Spot” was part of it and in an earlier chapter I’d mentioned how badly written most sex scenes are so I was basically setting myself up for comparison to that and if I didn’t nail it, if it wasn’t right, organic, plausible, good, I feel the whole book would have failed. It worked. There were a few (very few) comments on that part so, now I have the confidence to proceed with the rewrite.

So here’s to more reading and writing!

The Columbine and Iris are in bloom and even after all this rain, the tomato plants are in the garden. On a deeply personal note, Husband and I have made it another year so happy 17th anniversary to the man who never reads this blog unless I print it out.

Have a lovely day.

Thank you for stopping by and reading.

Remember, you are a great person!

Cheers!

(*These are my Creekside reflections. Your experiences may vary.)

Blaming the Rain

Taking Alex’s advice, I am doing what I can do…

This is a picture of the creek I live by. The house is to the right.

The iris bloomed last week.

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The tomato and pepper plants are in the garden.

This is the interior of the portico with the wisteria growing up the side.

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I saw these blooming outside the hallway window last night.

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Due to the way the creek changed this year, we have a swimming hole.

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The peonies started to bloom this week.

Besides the political nonsense and the environmental destruction, I’ve had a lot of disappointment with my so called writing career recently. I knew there were going to be days (weeks) like this, but that doesn’t make them pass any faster or lessen the sadness, so I’m posting pictures of the things that I’m grateful for, besides my tremendous friends, family, Husband and colleagues. I truly am grateful. I’m just having a bad few weeks and I know, I need to get back to writing, submitting and repeating and I will. It’s just hard to find the desire right now.

I’m blaming the rain.

My dreams haven’t been helping with the sadness. “Dexter” was my boyfriend in one. I’d cheated on him and he wasn’t going to kill me, he was just going to torture me. I’ve never woken up more fearful, disturbed, and upset than after that dream.

I don’t know what to blame for that one.

(*These are just my Creekside Reflections. Your outlook on life may vary.)