Is That a Bit of Green?

For some reason, Mija was all over the organ in the living room on Sunday afternoon. Something had attracted her attention. After nudging stuff and my having to catch some breakables, I finally had to physically remove her and say, harshly, "NO!" Then she left the top of the organ alone and hasn't gone back. I still don't see what was so attractive because I haven't changed anything up there.

This is very evident by the layer of dust that lies on the organ top. Oh dear. You could write your name in it. I need to clean that off but I can't find the dust rag. This is not a problem. I simply go into the basement and grab a new piece of something from the rag box.

So, I'm dusting and I'm thinking I should put the amaryllis I got for Christmas last year from Bill, in the basement. I don't know if the thing needs to be in a chilly environment to reflower, but it's been sitting, in the gorgeous box that came with it, in the same place since February. The stalk has long shriveled and I pinched everything back, but I never got around to moving it to the basement. I'd water it but that's about all. I really like the ceramic box it's in. In my mind's eye, it's the perfect box for a candle or other Christmas decoration. I just haven't gotten that far.

I pick up the container and decide it really should be moved to the basement and I see this.

Is that a bit of green? Is that the beginnings of a leaf? I quickly soaked the bulb in water. I don't know if I should feed it. I can't imagine the bulb is going to flower again. The sad reality of these is that they are designed to be one year flowers; bloom and then add to the compost pile. I never got that far.

I guess we'll see what happens. I put it back in the container and put the container back on the top of the organ. I loved the colors of this amaryllis and would be thrilled if it bloomed again.

I'll also be happy with green leaves. They will be welcome in winter.

Beverage:  Darjeeling tea

Deb

Still Green

I'm just amazed at this.

This is the amaryllis Bill sent me for Christmas. Remember the gorgeous blooms?

I let the stalk and leaves die back, then pulled them off and gave the bulb a good soaking, taking care not to get water in the top where the stalk sprouts from. It has rewarded me with three more green leaves. Now, it needs a dormancy period in order to produce flowers again. That will probably mean putting it in the basement for a time. Right now, however, I'm enjoying the splash of green in the living room.

Beverage:  Yorkshire Gold tea

Deb

Last Flowers

The amaryllis has gone dormant now. Here are the last flowers.

I can't say enough about how happy this made me; to come home and find these smiles in the living room. I'm sad that it's over but I'm going to make an effort to bring this bulb back. It's going to take some work on my part as these are tropical plants and Wheaton, Illinois is hardly tropical. But this beauty in the dead of winter is something I'd like to try to recreate. I finally took the dead and dried bits of Carole's Valentine's bouquet to the compost pile this week, too. I have a lovely clear glass vase to use. I'm thinking a bouquet from the grocery store is in order.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

Second Stalk

The second, and taller, stalk off the amaryllis bulb has finally bloomed.

It would be a lie to say I won't miss this when it's gone. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching it grow and bloom. I'm wondering if I can force it next year.

Beverage:  Rooibos tea

Deb

What Valentine's Day Flowers Mean

Aren't they beautiful? I cut an inch off the stem and plunged them into water last night as I was supposed to. I didn't realize it this morning until I'm here at work posting photos of them, but I should have added more water to the vase. It will be dry when I get home. Oh well, they will perk back up if they droop a bit. They were quite droopy when I pulled them from the box once I got home. But, by bedtime last night, they were bright and colorful. I didn't realize the blue flowers were lilies until I pulled them from the package. It's such a beautiful bouquet. I'm so thrilled.

The second amaryllis bulb cracked this morning.

I will probably have flowers by Saturday.

I am so happy right now. A year ago, at this time, I was feeling sorry for myself. A year of practicing gratitude has caused me to look at things so much differently. Would I wish for a special someone in my life? Of course I would. But, you know what? I can be happy wherever I am and in whatever situation I find myself.

I look at these flowers and it's like life is smiling back at me. I remember the words of Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of "A Christmas Carol". He's just sent Bob Cratchit out for a new coal scuttle and he's trying to get his work done. He gives up and says, "I don't deserve to be so happy, but I can't help it." That's sort of how I feel. Actually, Ebenezer, we all deserve to be happy. Finding that little bit of happiness in each day, not just when you have flowers blooming in your living room, changes your whole point of view.

It really is a happy Valentine's Day.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

Flowers!

I got flowers from my daughter today for Valentine's Day. The UPS man really enjoyed bringing me the box. He walked into my office and said, in a very sing songy voice, "Somebody likes you. Someone sent you flowers." I didn't believe him. No one sends me flowers, well, almost no one. Ignore the amaryllis Bill sent at Christmas. I pulled the perforated zip opening and, wow, someone did send me flowers. Who?

The UPS guy had to point out the LARGE white card that says "Thinking of You" on it because lord knows I couldn't find it and didn't know who would send me flowers. I was just so thrilled, the obvious wasn't obvious.

See the plastic covered box at the bottom, just off the middle? That box contains chocolates. I couldn't get a good photo of it. The UPS guy was having as much fun watching me open this as I was. He's been the office's UPS guy for years. I should bake him some cookies or something because he really takes care of us. He gave us his phone number so when we have something coming that's time sensitive, we can text him in the morning and he'll look out for it. I'll see him over by Subway or Panera and we will wave at each other.

Here are the flowers.

Tulips! I'm thrilled. I'm going to have to rearrange the top of the organ so I can set these next to the amaryllis.

It can be cold and dank and overcast and snowy all it wants to. I have fresh flowers in my house to remind me that spring is approaching.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

From Little to Big

On January 29th, I had a legitimate second sprout to my amaryllis.

This is what it looked like yesterday. Today's photo is way too dark. Danged heavily overcast mornings.

It didn't, this morning, show any signs of opening so I wonder just how tall it's going to be.

Whatever Bill paid for this, I got more than his money out of it.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

It's Beautiful

I have full blossoms now. They are beautiful. Every time I look at it or the photos of the flowers, I smile. It's so simple, a flower, and yet, it gives me such pleasure and happiness.

Saturday morning, things were a bit scary. I walked into the living room and was greeted by this.

I tried to set it upright but it kept flopping over. It needed water anyway so I took the bulb to the bathroom sink. While watering it, I noticed something. 

I think there is another flower stalk sprouting to the left.

What to do about the leaning flower? This is when being a pack rat helps. I still had the part of the dowel left from making a wall hanging earlier last year. I duct taped the dowel to the inside of the ceramic box.

With that firmly in place, I put the bulb back into the box. The end of a skein of yarn from the scarves was used to tie the stalk to the dowel. The yarn won't dig into the stalk and it's a loose tie. It's just to hold it upright.

Viola.

I could see, via the reflection in the bathroom mirror, that I would probably have flowers within the next 24 hours.

I became more excited. I'm thinking the flowers are white with red but maybe there's a sheath around them to protect them so they'll be red with white?

Sunday morning, this is what I saw.

One flower had started to open. I couldn't get a good photo of it, or see it really, because the flower stalk is so tall. I moved it to the organ bench to get a better look. It's beautiful.

Over the course of the day, the flowers opened. I could almost watch them open. By evening, I had several beautiful Candy Cane Amaryllis flowers.

I cleared a spot on the organ and moved the flower there so I can see it. It's just too tall to be on the secretary and the cats don't bother it. This morning, it was like a smile greeting me.

This is so beautiful. I can't look at these photos and not smile. I'm going to have to print out my photos and frame one to remind me of beauty and happiness. I'm delighted with this gift. It's been so much fun to watch grow and to anticipate the opening of the flowers. Now I'm wondering if I can get the bulb to go dormant and if I can get it to bloom next year.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Impending Flowers

The amaryllis is not going to get any taller than its current size.

What is going to change now is the flower head. I'm hoping to have glorious blooms by the weekend.

Yesterday, it looked like this.

Today, it looks like this.

I'm thinking these flowers will be white with red stripes. I'm excited.

Beverage:  Lady Grey tea

Deb

Almost a Blossom

This amaryllis is huge. I don't remember one quite so robust and tall.

Saturday, January 19th.

Sunday, January 20th.

It doesn't look like anything has changed until you look at the top. There is a small separation at the tip of the flower.

Monday, January 21st.

The separation is more pronounced.

Tuesday, January 22nd.

This morning, there is a peaking of white from the bulb. Thursday maybe for the first flower? I'm anxious to see these. Bill said it's called "Candy Cane". Mostly white with red stripes or mostly red with white stripes?

Beverage:  Darjeeling tea

Deb

I Can Almost Watch It Grow

I don't know, but I might have flowers by the weekend.

Monday, January 7th.

Tuesday, January 8th.

This morning, Wednesday, January 9th.

You can see the difference between last night and this morning. That's roughly 12 hours between the two photos. It's been awhile since I've had an amaryllis in the house. I've forgotten how fast they grow.

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

With Date

I think this is going to grow fairly fast so I did a rearrange of the area where the amaryllis sits. Every day, I'm going to photograph it and I'll have the page-a-day calendar there to remind me.

More growth after a couple days. I think, this morning, it was bigger. Here, you'll be able to watch it with me.

Beverage:  Lady Grey tea

Deb

On the Way to a Smile

Remember the amaryllis my friend, Bill, sent me for Christmas? I finally got it placed where I can watch it every day, it gets decent light and the cats can't get to it. It rewarded me with some growth.

I gave it a good soaking last night so I kind of expect a spurt in the stem. Bill said it's supposed to be "candy striped". I can't wait to see.

That's the china box it's in up close. When it's all done, I'll wash it out and then, well, I'll find something to do with it. It's beautiful.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

Snowflake

It's the time of year when boxes start materializing on your front porch. I have shipped all but the one I'm waiting to hear is framed and ready for pick up. I'm not really expecting any more boxes to come to my address so boxes behind the milk container are always viewed with a, "What the...?"

I bring this one in and it's got "Live Plant" all over it. I have learned, over the many, many years I have given and received packages that what is on the outside of a box is, often, not what is on the inside of the box. It can be exceptionally humorous when a sturdy box labeled "yogurt" is reused for newspaper clippings. Yet, why toss a perfectly good box, particularly at this time of year? You never know when that box is just the right size. Hence, it says, "Live Plant", but is that really what's in it? Let's see.

I don't know who would be sending me something either. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it's Christmas and the potential for gifts exists all month. All into that my birthday at the end of last month, and boxes arrive from the middle of November through the days just before Christmas. I set this down on the floor to have it "cat scanned" and they ignored it. I think they are on box overload. I can almost see the thought bubbles. "Another box? Wake me when it's treats time."

Inside the box was this styrofoam "plug", if you will, It was tight inside the top and you can see that I had a devil of a time getting it out of the box. It kept disintegrating when I would try to pull and grab it. I had no idea what was under this so I hesitated to grab a knife and cut it apart. Finally, it popped out.

Oh look. It's another box. But, in looking at this box, I noticed there was potting soil on the inside of this one. There were an awful lot of packing peanuts, too. Whatever it was wasn't going anywhere.

On the side of this box is the word, "Snowflake". I'm still not sure what that means, nor can I find any card or anything that tells me who sent this. I pull all the packing materials out of the main box. Still nothing.

I open the inner box and find this.

It's an amaryllis. But who is is from? It's driving me bananas. Then, if I'd really learn to read, I notice a plastic bag taped to the side of the exterior box. "Merry Christmas, Deb. Your pal, Bill."

I'm so touched by this. If you go back in time to the summer, you will remember the New York Giants mug I did the insert for. Bill was the recipient of that mug. It arrived last week and he dutifully opened the box and the wrapped gift therein, in spite of the enclosed note that said, "Doesn't need to be opened until Christmas." He says he's very happy with the mug because it's something I made for him and he won't have something that everyone else has. We laughed about how I had blogged extensively about the mug as I was making it but I knew he doesn't read the blog so he'd never see it. "You got that right," he laughed.

I don't give gifts to have people give me gifts in return. I give them because I want to. Some years are flush and I can send out a lot of gifts. Some years are lean and I have to cut back. I send gifts because I want to and, at the time, I have the means to do so. To get something like this in return really touches me.

Now, amaryllis bulbs are poisonous. I've had the bulb sitting on the table and it's been sniffed several times. That makes me rather nervous. You just can't tell if they get enough information via the sniff or if they think they have to "taste" the bulb to be certain it's not food. I know exactly where I'm going to put this but I need to move a few things to make room. The ceramic box is filled with packing peanuts that I want to remove and replace with those clear marble things. I think I have some in the basement. If not, I don't think they are too expensive that I can't get a package at JoAnn's when I go to pick up the framed piece. Then, this will get a thorough soaking and we'll begin the great amaryllis watch. I don't know, for sure, if the amaryllis that blooms will be the one shown on the card. I don't care. This is so wonderful.

"Friends do things because they are friends." Yes. Yes, they do.

Beverage:  Rooibos tea

Deb

What I Hated About Christmas This Year

It was not the snow, the wonderful, powdery snow of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was the kind of snow that Hollywood created at the end of the movie "White Christmas". It was the kind of snow Irving Berlin wrote the song "(I'm Dreaming of a) White Christmas" about.

It was not my friends. One of them blessed me a hundred times over with a gift that has left me humbled beyond words.

It was not the neighbor who came over and blew out the driveway apron even after he'd put his snowblower away on Sunday. I would have shoveled the apron. I would have gone slowly and it would have been cleared. But it took 10 minutes instead of 45, which meant my whole morning wasn't spent shoveling snow.

It was not the two members of my World of Warcraft guild, Amber and Bill, who spent real money to get me in-game items that have no real value other than they are cool. Likewise, I do not hate the son-in-law who spent real money to get me in-game items that I am going to have incredible fun with.

I do not hate the daughter who called late on Christmas Eve and talked to me into Christmas morning (technically) because "calling mom on Christmas is important". Yes, I was still up anyway.

I do not hate being alone on Christmas. There is a time and a place for the hectic life of holiday rushing. I have reached the age where being alone is just as good as being with my family although I really would have liked to have seen Brett and Blake's face when my mother handed them a gift they were not expecting. While it may sound weird, there is great comfort in the quiet and being with the cats, reading the newspapers I didn't get to and having a big, black cat complaining that not enough ear scratching was going on.

What I hate about Christmas was BOTH living room lights burning out in the evening, one after the other. They are 3-way lights and of course I don't have extra of those bulbs. So, at lunch, I head over to the grocery to get new bulbs. I am presented with a dizzying array of choices in light bulbs. None of the compact fluorescent or the "long-life" seems to work in a 3-way lamp. I am forced to buy conventional bulbs. At least they were inexpensive.

I came home and replaced the bulbs. We now have lights in the living room.

When you live with a black cat, no lights in the living room is NOT a good thing.

Beverage:  Huckleberry tea

Deb

Getting My Geek On

If you need me, I'll be in the office on the computer, not that that's anything new.

The online game I play has "expanded" once again. There's that dragon what toasted Bill and I last week. You could officially play the new content yesterday. I had to go to Hallmark and get more Christmas cards for the office and Game Stop is just a few doors down so I nipped in and picked up my copy, which I pre-ordered back in early October.

The past 2 times the game has added content, installing and then logging onto the game the first day it goes "live" has been something of a joke. Their very first expansion, called "Burning Crusades", was fraught with problems. Servers hosting the game kept crashing. I didn't buy it when it first came out because my character was at a low level and it would be months before I could play it. So, I waited until I was close in level before purchasing and attempting the installation. It took me a whole evening. I'd have to look, but I think it came on 3 discs, maybe only 2, but it was huge and problematic.

The next time the game expanded, they were smarter and had people download some material before the game went live. It still came on a couple of CD's but it was much less of a problem to install and get operational. I think it took 2 hours instead of a whole evening and I was able to play the same day it went live.

For this game, we have been background downloading data for over a month, a couple months, I think, actually. It's released in small chunks that download behind your game as you play. If you don't play very often, you'll have more to download. As I play pretty much every day, the chunks were very manageable. I was kind of dreading the game installation. It was one CD which I started and then went to do a load of wash. When I came upstairs after loading the machine, it was done and I could play right away. From the initial installation, which also took an evening, to a 20 minute installation now, well, it's been 6 years so you hope they have learned something in those 6 years.

It's fun and I had a good time roaming a little around the new areas. The problematic phone sits to the left and a couple of calls came in last night. I took one but couldn't get the phone to work for the second. I forgot to get a new battery at Target over the weekend to see if that fixes the problem. If you don't get me, it simply could be that phone. I'm trying but I can't get it to work.

It also could be that I'm in the middle of a fight for survival and can't answer the phone. Would it be weird if I change the voice message to say something like, "Can't talk now. Raiding and the boss has the group down to 20% health. Leave a message and, if he doesn't kill me, I'll call you back."

Beverage: English Breakfast tea

Deb

Yes. This Makes Me a Nerd.

Several years ago for Christmas, Jon gave me this plaque. It hangs proudly in the hallway of my home.It's one of my favorite things. As I have discovered with the online game I play, World of Warcraft, it's also very apropos.

Dragons are a feature of pretty much any mythical story. "Beowulf", the first epic poem of the Anglo Saxons, tells about the hero battling a dragon. We have come to realize that "dragons" were real to these people, although what the dragon would have been is up for debate. It's not that much of a mental leap to have a previously unknown animal be labeled a "dragon" when it makes off with Uncle George and you can't stop it. Every civilization seems to have had a dragon of some sort.

In World of Warcraft, some dragons are friendly but most would rather kill you first and ask questions later. My guild had lots of fun running around the world killing the "world dragons", 4 green or greenish blue dragons that started out hard to kill, but as we got better armor and better skills, became something of a laugh. But they were dragons and if we saw them in their dragon haunts, the cry went up "Emeriss is in Duskwood!" and we'd mobilize to go kill a dragon.

World of Warcraft is set to what's called "expand" again on December 7th. The game has been changed in anticipation of this event. The dragon you see above is the reason why. According to lore, and Warcraft has deep lore roots, having started as a stand alone game for PlayStation and that ilk, Deathwing tried to take over but was defeated and sealed underground beneath the sea. On November 23rd, the 6th anniversary of World of Warcraft, he broke through his prison and changed the world. Places I'd known and loved were destroyed and changed. It's been fun to run around and see what's changed and what hasn't.

Deathwing is very much a part of the game scape beyond just altering the landscape. There is a chance to encounter him. Randomly, he shows up in one of the zones in the game and "destroys" it. I was running around with my best in-game friend, Bill. We had just tamed a beetle for him as a hunter pet, which, if you don't play the game, makes no sense, but bear with me here. We're riding back to the main town and my display goes blood red. Seriously. The sand, the mountains, the animals, everything. I thought, at first, there was something really wrong with the computer. I don't know what I would do if that happened, which is yet an other reminder that I need to make CD's of these thousands of WOW screen shots and movies and move them off my computer to make room for the game.

Anyway, the world around us erupted in flame and I briefly saw the tail end of an enormous dragon.

You die and you have to run back to your body. Plus, your gear has been battered so you need to go repair once the event is over. You also get an achievement, which is in-game recognition of something unique. That's my lowly dwarf hunter lying dead on the red sand. A guild member said the sky turns gray as Deathwing approaches but honestly, if you're going to tame beetles, you're not looking at the sky.

Beyond the fact that I play an online game whose target audience is male between the ages of 18 and 35, Bill and I agreed we are definitely "nerds" or "geeks" or "neeks" or "gerds", whatever appellation fits. I sat at my computer watching, with my mouth hanging open and then we spent the next 2 hours bragging to anyone we know that we'd been "toasted by Deathwing". And, pointing this out before you do, I am now bragging on my blog. Yup, that's me there, crunchy and good with ketchup.

Silly dragon. I didn't have far to run to get back to my body and my repair bill was a paltry 62 silver. I pay more after a few minutes of beating on skeletons in Icecrown Citadel. But, I got the Deathwing achievement which is very rare. So far, only one other person I know of in the guild has been roasted.

So, my advice is, "Don't stand in the fire but in this case, enjoy it."

Beverage: Orange Cranberry Juice

Deb

She is a fickle mistress.

I mentioned I'd been writing this past weekend. I have no idea of the word count but it turned out to be 32 pages on the computer and was 2 chapters in this on-going story. These are the opening paragraphs of each chapter.

Chapter 1 - There we were, minding our own business, Skipperdo, Superkind, Junas and myself, taking a stroll through Elwynn Forest. It was a lovely sunny morning and we were on our way to Westfall as we heard some horde was making life miserable for lowbies just trying to find Goretusks with livers.

Chapter 2 - A hum, like a deep vibration, stirring the dust on the ground.

Chapter 3 - “They should be in here,” said Zelde as she turned into the Pig and Whistle. Her companion nodded. “Usually are,” came the sardonic reply.

Chapter 4 - The light changed slowly as Gimmlette felt herself on solid ground. The silvery white light of the teleport gave way to a greenish white with blue undertones. The bar sounds gave way to the call of songbirds.

Chapter 5 - Drexthorian leaned back in his chair. The remains of a feast of mana biscuits, tundra berries and Dalaran clam chowder nestled amongst the mugs of Darkmoon Special Reserve on the table in front of him.

Chapter 6 - The gryphon lifted off easily from Shattrach City and flew north. As it passed from Terokkar Forest into Zangarmarsh, Superkind felt the sting of rain. Below him, the misty landscape unfolded and fog draped the shoreline of the lakes. It was always rainy or misty or foggy or some other such wet weather in Zangarmarsh. But, once he and Drex made it to the rim of the world, that would be gone, replaced with the chill of the emptiness that stretched beyond the edge.

Chapter 7 - Memooshu jumped back as Zelde bounded off the gryphon at Light Hope’s Chapel. She almost didn’t wait for the bird to land before hopping off which earned her a very disapproving glare from Kaelyn Steelwing, gryphon master. Zelde smiled sheepishly, mounted her war bear and rode a few dozen yards down the remnants of the road in front of the chapel. She turned to look back at the gryphons. The human DK who had been startled at her arrival was gone, no doubt off to other adventures.

Chapter 8 - It was a blast of hot air off the plains of The Barrens that awoke Gimmlette from her deep thought. She looked around. “How much further to Theramore?” she wondered. Crossroads appeared off to the right. It was going to be a hot day on the plains if the midmorning mountain air was already this hot.

Chapter 9 - The Mistress of the Mines looked Rineva over very carefully. She muttered something but waved the warlock onward. Amaera stood at the junction of the two cart railways.

Chapter 10 - Skipperdo opened the letter. “Nice,” he thought. “Gimm’s on top of things. Wonder how she’s doing getting an audience with Thrall?” He pocketed the letter and picked up one of the bags of herbs.

Chapter 11 - Gimmlette just stood looking at the ambassador from the League of Arathor. Tired. That’s all her brain was registering. The ambassador waved. Gimmlette couldn’t muster a wave back.

In case this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and I'm sure it won't completely, the framework for this novella is my World of Warcraft guild. Chapter 1 started as a joke. The author of part one of Chapter 2 had been missing from guild events for over a month. We didn't know why. He wasn't responding to emails and, as I have his phone number, one or maybe 2 phone messages. He is busy. He lets me know when his schedule is spottier than chicken pox, but, last year, we had heard nothing. Of course you start to worry. I've known Daniel for over 2 years now and you do wonder if something has befallen those you may know only as an avatar in an online game.

One day at work, when it was particularly slow, the idea for a very short story came to me. As Daniel plays a healer, I would write a story where the most innocuous of bad guys kills us because we didn't have healing. Jonathan, Bill and Javier thought the story funny so I sent it to Daniel with the title, "If Only..."

Unbeknownst to us, Daniel was battling swine flu. He was so sick, he couldn't get out of bed to let any of us know he was sick. By the time the story reached him, however, he was up enough that he could pen a few lines about coming to resurrect us after we had "died". I added another section to what he penned and then had an idea for Chapter 3 and, well, the rest, as they say, is history. I cranked out Chapters 10 and 11 over the weekend instead of attending the neighborhood BBQ to which I was invited.

In working on the story, which is about half done, I would guess, all other writing falls to the way side. Eating does too and I forgot to take my anti-inflammatory on Sunday because I awoke and went right to the computer to get the words exploding in my head onto the computer screen. Does writing on a computer make me more productive? Possibly. People were absolutely amazed that there was a Chapter 11 posted on the guild's web site a day after Chapter 10 was posted. 10 has been the longest to date, but there was a lot of ground to cover, a battle and a bit of plot explanation to be shove into this chapter.

When I write, I write. I checked the Seed program which has paid me $70 to date and there just weren't any topics that caught my eye as being exciting enough to write about. The muse is a fickle mistress. I may not write on the novella for another week, although the bits of Chapter 12 are pulsing around in my brain even as I type this. I wrote Chapters 8 and 9 at the office in the spring. The muse demands to be heard when she will be heard and then I must listen as long as she's willing to speak. When she goes away, I can write for Seed or something else or do other things knowing that she's watching for the time to come forth with new ideas.

I don't know if that's how other writers do it. I'm told that "great" writers often forced themselves to write even when they didn't want to. Carole did that National Novel Writer's Month exercise in November where you are challenged to write 50,000 words in a month. There's no editing, just writing. I don't know if I could do that, although I've thought of challenging myself to attempt it.

So, if you were looking for posts from me over the weekend, that's why there weren't any. The muse was sitting on my shoulder, whispering into my ear.

Skipperdo finished his bandaging as the shield hit the demon. He looked up in the direction of the noise and saw the sky shift, grow dark and then resume the indistinct shape of Hakkar. The panther’s attention was turned toward the shape. Skipperdo extended his right arm, chanted some words and a large column of fire streaked downward onto the panther. It staggered. Minmax beat on it with his sword as his ghoul collapsed. Skipperdo extended his arm again and another column streaked downward on top of the panther. Minmax looked at him.

“You could let me know it’s coming,” he smiled. “That stuff’s hot.”

“Oh, okay. Hey Min? Another column incoming,” Skipperdo called.

The only thing I know about this story is how it ends. No, I won't tell you. Too many of my guild members read the blog. I don't really have a road map for getting from where the last chapter ended, “Well then,” said Minmax. “Let’s begin our day.” and the group crowded around Tizzy before fanning out to finish step A." to where the whole thing ends. The muse dictates and I write. Weather doesn't matter. Time of day doesn't matter. She comes when she comes and then can, just as quickly, decide she's off to investigate something else.

I've become used to this. I went through years of not writing so I am thrilled the muse is back even if she is rather fickle in her appearances. I always think, when I'm in the grips of word lust, that I can get this novella written by X date. I've seen enough of those arbitrary days slip past to say, "It will end when it ends." And then, I am certain, the muse will find something else for me to write.

She's good to me that way.

Beverage: English Breakfast Tea

Deb