Take a Walk With Me--But Keep Your Distance

Go to Your Room--Your Mother Has Had Enough

It's not all bad news--as countries shut down, the planet is trying to heal itself--folks stay home; air and water pollution drop. Swans and porpoises are spotted in Venice's usually murky canals -- now clear. (See article HERE.) UPDATE: Well, the water is clearer, but no swans and porpoises. This was evidently some wishful thinking. 

It's as if Mother Nature had told her naughty children to go to their rooms and think about their bad behavior while she cleans up the mess they've made in her nice world.

It may be the dope slap we've needed all along.

Light in Dark Times

Life goes on--at the moment, hardly changed for me. I'm an introvert anyway and, aside from taking Josie to the library or going to the grocery, don't normally get off the farm much  except for my writing workshop class.

Now that's moved on line. I don't miss the drive to and from and we're getting better at managing a semblance of  classroom chat on Google Hangouts but it's not the same.

No more library now either and John has been making the recent grocery runs. I'm busy with Josie or editing--class pages as well as an entire novel by a past student. AND I have to proofread the just received copy of CROWS one last time.

 Meanwhile, the warmer weather has me eager to get out and pull weeds and dig in the dirt. Good therapy for working of my anger at reading that NC Senator Burr, who, privy to advance knowledge of the severity of the covid-19 pandemic, was able to sell off around a million dollars worth of stock before the market nosedived. (Article HERE) And to hold a private meeting with big donors, all the while reassuring the common folk that things were under control.

Didn't Martha Stewart do time for something like that? Insider trading? 

Burr wasn't the only one. I suspect we'll find our more and more of those folks who were dragging their feet on declaring an emergency were just buying time to protect their already considerable assets.

Meanwhile, the little guys-- the independent bookstores, the restaurants, the art galleries, so many of our local businesses are struggling to stay afloat and to serve the community as best they can.

Not to mention the health care professionals, the folks at the grocery stores and public utilities, the charities, the working parents who struggle to deal with kids home from school, those same closed schools that are providing meals for students who might otherwise go hungry-- and all the people who just keep on keeping on.  

There are heroes out there.

With Thanks

With gratitude to all who read yesterday's post and commented, shared, and/or pre-ordered.

XOX~ Vicki

It's Here! Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Link

And at last I've been given the go-ahead to reveal the cover of my forthcoming novel about the Shelton Laurel Massacre during the Civil War here in western North Carolina. The cover uses a woodcut by the very talented Nancy Darrell of Shelton Laurel (you can find galleries of her work online.) I'm very happy with the way it turned out -- thank you, Nancy, and thanks to Regal House Publishing and Lafayette and Greene for the cover design.

And I received an ARC (advance reading copy) of the book. What fun, after so very long, to hold it in my hands! (And read through it very carefully in search of errors - not so much fun but necessary.) 

But wait, there's more!  Though Crows won't be on sale till October 16, there is now a page for it on the publisher's website where you can pre-order. And on this page is the option to order the standard trade paperback or a hardback special edition-not available anywhere else.

 It would be great if a bunch of folks went ahead and pre-ordered. Of course I hope to be doing events, reading and such here and there after the book is out, but in these uncertain times, I'd love to see my book get some early support. 

You can Pre-order HERE from the publisher (where hardcover is also available.} Or from INDIEBOUND and benefit a local bookstore. And you would have my heartfelt gratitude.

Springing

Life Goes On

The hydrangea is coming back.

And works proceeds on rebuilding the barn.

But we have cancelled our traditional Easter Party,

the only responsible thing to do in these troubled times.

Josie and the Big Kid

Friday night we all went to supper at Bob and Sue's.  We were going to watch some basketball games on television but there weren't any. We went anyway. 

I picked a daffodil to take to Sue.

There was a really nice big kid there.  Bob and Sue are his grandparents, like Grumpy and Meema and Apa and Grandma are mine. We built stuff and after supper, we played hide and seek and chased each other all around.

He is nine years old. He is my friend,

On Saturday Bob came over to help with rock work. Then Sue came for supper too and she brought my friend!!!

We played with my little cars and looked at stuff with binoculars.

He is really special. I hope he comes back soon.

The World is Shutting Down

but still it turns and still the sun rises.

Foggy Times . . .

These photos are from Wednesday when we were fogged in till after noon.

The white mists rose and rose till they were lapping at our windows, and I was reminded of C.S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength in which Edgestow, a University town not unlike Oxford or Cambridge, has been taken over by the forces of Evil in the shape of a quasi-governmental agency called the N.I.C.E. As the evil spreads, a blinding fog grows.

And here we are, led by an incompetent and amoral dunce backed by a deeply cynical/corrupt party/cult, in the midst of a primary that has the arguably less cynical/corrupt party divided against itself.

And the Covid-19 pandemic -- which the Fog Machine-in-Chief wants to minimize, downplay, ignore by withholding information. And the plunging stock market which the same Fog Machine wants to boost by giving more tax breaks or other handouts to (surprise) Big Business. Meanwhile, the White House gets a tennis pavilion. Be Best!

Now my writing class is moving on line and plans for our traditional Easter Party are on hold . . .

And the fog is rising.

Josie Stays Busy

Hey, it's me Josie.

I have my binoculars ready to watch the car race.

Also, I keep an eye on the ceiling.

My dolly was a little sick and I had to put on my doctor glasses to examine her. She is better now.

We had pancakes for breakfast and Meema made a giant one with the leftover batter. She said it would be for the dogs and she left it in the pan to cool. I sneaked into the kitchen and got my little chair and got the humongous pancake for myself. And I ate it all. 

I had peas and carrots and little tomatoes and apples and yoghurt and granola for lunch. When I was a baby fifty million years ago, I had a bottle and baby food but now I eat grownup food.

I played school with my birds and dinosaurs. I am the teacher. Dinosaurs lived fifty million years ago but now they are stinct. 

Of course I danced.

I am learning to take pictures with Meema's little camera. This is a mama cardinal.

There is a daddy cardinal in the tree but there are no babies. Meema says that soon the mama will lay some eggs and later there will be babies.

Then it was time to go for a walk. 

We went out in the pasture and I explored.

There is cow poop and donkey poop and dog poop. I am careful not to step in any of it.

I am glad it is getting warmer and we can play outside.