Wildlife, Writing, and Time

Here's a critter my 18 y.o. found in one of our window wells. We put a wooden fence post in and it climbed out during the night.

We've been busy since I last blogged. Among other things, the kids started school, we went on a float trip to southwest Missouri, we finished making hay, my 5 y.o. contracted whooping cough (yes, she had had her immunizations!) and my husband has been working on a workshop.

I've been diligently working on several manuscripts. I submitted the photobiography I wrote to a major publisher. I made major revisions to the rhyming picture book I started about 10 years ago. I am finishing (today) the revisions on an ABC book (and took hundreds of photos) and two days ago, I started a new concept book and took over 100 photos for it (many duplicates). I received critiques on those manuscripts (and just requested another) and have implemented many of the suggested changes.

Where do I find the time? Well, today, I got a lot done while in town waiting for my husband to do several errands. I also try to write first thing in the morning before my 5 y.o. is up and then I write some more after I've finished her home schooling. If something is important to you, you will find the time you need. Pretty soon, I will be helping with harvest - either driving a tractor or delivering implements and meals. There will be a lot of waiting time. That's when I will have my handy-dandy notebook to write or make revisions.

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."

Wildlife, Biography for Children, & Harvest

I don't understand Blogger. I have the blog entry formatted the way I want it but when I publish it, Blogger removes my paragraphs and it's all squished together. Then, the next time, there will be too many spaces between paragraphs. Anyone have any advice?

(Second photo) Days before the buzzards (vultures) migrated, they would warm up each morning by spreading their wings while perching on the hay barn or the fence posts. In this picture taken October 4th, there are 8 buzzards in the foreground and 5 turkeys in the background. I think there were a total of 13 buzzards that day, but I couldn't fit them all in one photo.

(First photo) For the past week, there have been 5 does eating (acorns probably) under a tree across the road. One day, three of them crossed over to our side of the road. One brave doe came right up to the basement walk-out. This photo is from this morning. As I write this blog entry, two does just came to eat more acorns.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a raccoon cross the road. The next thing I know, it was swimming in the pond by our house! I didn't know raccoons liked to swim. The digital camera wasn't in the house so I used my 35mm camera. The film is so old, I'm hoping the pictures come out well when I get it developed.

I've been working diligently on the biography for children. The first draft is close to completion. I keep finding more interesting facts to include and I'm not sure if I can use them all. A friend of mine went to the Library of Congress and researched newspaper articles for me. He found one article from 1919 that I can use and he will be going back to research some more. Yea!

It's been so wet this year - and when it isn't raining, there hasn't been much sun. Hopefully, we can start today.

Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.