black hole of winter

Man, I think we fell into a black hole of winter weather, and we can't get out. It's first day of Spring and I almost froze pumping gas this morning- 19 degrees!!!. Now it's snowing like crazy and the forecast is same, same, same for days. My maple sap is frozen solid in the plastic jugs and I'm out of wood for the stove. Next week is Holy Week and I hope we finally get something of a break.I guess we're paying back the installments on the hot weather we enjoyed last March- four days in the eighties.

I have a major decision to make and soon. My publisher of the short collection has pulled my book due to some "adult" situations. I have been offered the option to re-write some of the stories, remove some, and essentially get it back to a PG-13 rating,or to have rights reverted back to me and try to sell it elsewhere. This a tough one. I really don't have time to re-write, even with the generous help of their editors. But I also don't relish throwing my lot back into the query game for a book that I already did that groundwork lesson on. I have a few weeks to decide so I'm milking it for now.

Until next post (think summer temps!), my best

ron

New moon

Once again swamped with no time for writing, or is that a over-used excuse? Anyway, I have been working out a lot since my doctor told me I was heading into troubled waters with blood pressure, a little too much belly and some poorer that expected blood work. So I bike (inside and out), lift and pound the bag.

My work schedule is likewise astronomical but I better not complain about that. I know too many here on NE Ohio who are out of work. I am blessed with a good job and, notwithstanding the doom predicted by my MD, good health (I wake up alive each day).

Stories: I've pulled back on the novel but found a path for a novella I started four years ago but couldn't progress. Werewolf with a twist. And I worked out a pathway for another short that started with a murder-in-progress.I think I'll work on these for a while. Who knows, maybe I'll finish something.

Calamity with my publisher also. I'll update you with that tale next post.

Keep your eye on Orion. He'll be leaving us soon

Looking back

Full Snow Moon waning

It’s still cold and surprisingly, it’s snowing hard. But even though it’s very cold, 26 degrees, it’s a soft snow with big flakes and no wind. It feels like this could be winter’s last gasp. For one thing the daylight is lingering on well past 6:30. That helps a lot. I think I hate the darkness of northern latitude winters more than the cold.  Oh, I’m sure there will be some more snow and the archetypal Ohio Spring comprised of Rain, Fog, and Temps in the 40’s. But, I welcome it after this hard winter so far.

I was reading some of my earlier posts from years back and I often mentioned my wolf, Yukon. With sadness I have to tell you that we lost him this fall. A month later we lost Kato, our Husky. Yukon was thirteen so he lived a long life. Kato was eleven. We got Yukon as a pup from a farm in New Alexandria PA. He was hiding in a cave-like lair and from that day on he always preferred holes. He burrowed under his dog house and laid there instead of inside. Kato was rescued from a pet store where he was sickly and underfed. When Diane bought him, Yukon had been gone seven days having run off with a pack of feral dogs. We’d given up on him. Then, like a miracle, Diane saw him running on a ridge-top while she was driving Kato home from the pet store. He came running when she called. Kato followed Yukon everywhere. After Yukon died, Kato wandered around the house looking for him and, when he came down with an infection, I think he just gave up. He died one month after Yukon. I still miss them, especially on winter nights when the moon is full and Orion is glistening in the southwestern sky. I’d stand outside with them and marvel at God’s cosmic artwork, give them a bowl of evaporated milk mixed w/ water.

I’m making myself sad again so I’ll end this. Until next post.

My best