It's starting to look a lot like...

Christmastime.

One day you're remembering your nation's war heroes and the next the man in the red suit is getting set to squirm down your chimney.   I looked at the calendar and sure enough, it's only eighteen days 'til the big event.  The kids are right - it is time to decorate.

Last night we cleared a spot and hauled the tree up from the basement.  Now. the whole tree decorating thing has never been a big thrill for me, but when I see the kids actually cooperating toward a shared goal - well, you've just got to love that.

So the tree is up and, weather permitting, I imagine the outdoor lights might be going up tonight.





There was also a birthday around here and it was one that we almost missed.

That's right - the lovely Willow is now eight years old.  The kids insisted we do it right and get her treats and a new toy.  Unlike this particular picture, she was thrilled with her birthday gifts.

This weekend my wife and I attended a murder mystery dinner party hosted by our local BIA.  It was well-attended with local merchants, restaurateurs and even a local council member and the township's mayor.  I am glad to report that I neither murdered nor was murdered through the course of the evening.  My wife cannot make the same claim.

I know that I promised some pictures of our new, used car, but the safety discovered some invisible issues that are being dealt with.  I should get the car back today and pictures will follow.

I need to get back to writing so I'll leave you with this picture.

And yes, that is the beard.

Strange Days, Indeed...

It's been a strange one here for me.

First of all, I had a very satisfying day at the key board.  Root of Evil keeps growing but I think tomorrow or the next day and the 1st draft will be finished.

Secondly - my birthday came and went and I was having a wee bit of a crisis.  I have been a little frustrated with rejections of late and after a disheartening Friday I gave myself a slap in the face and told myself to smarten up.

A wonderful thing spawned from my birthday.  In the fall we added the wonderful Willow to our family.  On Sunday my daughter gave me her big birthday secret that wasn't finished in time to share with me on my actual birthday.

My daughter found a pattern on-line and with some help from her mom cut out the material and sewed it together.

It's amazing.  It sits.  It stands and it lies down.  It has four points of articulation and it is entirely handmade.  It will live with me in the basement office.

The weather has been a roller-coaster.  Mostly we've been in the bitter grip of Arctic air but for a short, miraculous pair of days it was merely freezing.  Here are some shots of our river - normally this time of the year the flow is far less frozen.

The next thing I have truly mixed feelings about.  This morning I heard that my former employer - the one that canned me after 16 years without cause - filed for bankruptcy protection along with its US parent.  I am worried about the friends I have who still work there and the uncertainty of their futures but I predicted this three years ago and my timeline was pretty much spot on.  There's the satisfaction of "I told you so" but there's also a lot of folks not sleeping well tonight that deserved better governance of their company.  Oh, did I mention that the top five executives of the company took bonuses well in excess of one million dollars only a week before declaring bankruptcy.  Oh, there's bankruptcy all right and not all of it is fiscal.

The last thing I'll share is one of those moment you have when inspiration hits you from out of the blue.  I was washing the dishes a little while ago and my mind drifted to The Witch.  The Witch has been shelved for a while - fermenting, I guess - and as I was scrubbing something stubborn off a pan, a huge portion of the story gelled in my mind.  I now have a very good idea how to proceed with The Witch.  

I should wash the dishes more often.

Awesome

Well...she's here to stay.

My last post talked about the lovely Willow and how if she adjusted to life at the Beynon house she would be a welcome addition to the family. I'm happy to report that after a few nailbiting days where she wouldn't eat her food, Willow is comfortable and happy in our home. We are all so very pleased.

With Willow adjusting to life in the house, I haven't been getting as much writing done as I would like. I made a little bit of progress on The Witch. I also reread Patriot in preparation to flesh it out to novel length. In addition, I have been mapping out a series of stories centered around the main character in one of my short stories, Old Timer. Another project that has been on the back burner is Middleman Acquisitions and it seems that a crossover between Old Timer and Middleman Acquisitions is inevitable. It's great to have tons of material, but now I need to knuckle down and get it on paper.

One last little note-about a week ago I was watching the Discovery Channel - someone who writes speculative fiction does well to watch the Discovery Channel -and I came across this little gem below.

Enjoy-I really did...