After 37 days of no rain (and wonderfully spring like weather) the skies have finally opened up. No, no. I’m not complaining. I love the rain and we can use it. The grasses are so dry around here the farmers where starting to panic.. Besides, it’s much better than the freezing cold nights. My poor orange tree can contest to that. Perhaps it’s a good thing I had trimmed it back last spring: it’s not like there would be any fruit worth saving after the cold snap.
With the rain, the frogs have returned. No, not a couple of little frogs croaking away down in the slough. I mean an army of frogs. Perhaps well over a hundred. Trust me, I’m not over exaggerating here. Every year during the winter the slough that runs about 100 feet in front of our house starts filling with water (it’s a slough, not a stream, so it’s all over flow that, personally, I could do without. Who in their right mind would want road-side runoffs running next to their house?). Right now there are only a couple. 5 or 6 perhaps. You can tell by their croaks. Like people, they all have slightly different voices. Some low and long, others high and fast. It’s rather comforting in the evening. It’s when you get more and their all going at once that’s creepy. Well, it’s not really creepy while their going, but rather when they stop all of a sudden.
Imagine, if you will, walking out side. It’s cool, damp, and dark out. Your taking out the trash that somebody forgot (you can’t leave it in because the dog will have it all over the living room in the morning and you don’t want to clan up old chicken bones off the couch). The frogs are croaking, the leaves are dripping, then all of a sudden... nothing. Dead silence. Now you wish you had turned on the back porch light even though it wouldn’t have made any difference since the garbage can is on the other side of the house. Off in the distance you hear a crunch and a snap as something wonders through the orchards. You know it’s nothing. The neighbors dog, perhaps. Or one of the neighborhood strays. It doesn’t matter, panic has already settled in the pit of your stomach. Get it? Yah, I thought so. Once the rest of the ‘gang’ arrives, I’ll have to get a recording.
In other news, I was able to take some awesome pictures with my camera. Being without a car and having to take the buss opens one up to many unique opportunities. For one, I get a nice workout. Having to walk 15 minutes to the buss stop and 15 back is a great work out. I’m not a slow walker, so I know I’m burning something. Second opportunity: mochas. Mmmm. There is one of those drive through coffee shops on the corner of Main street that makes wonderful mochas. If I take the buss to the downtown hub, I treat myself (and whomever else is with me) to a Black and While Blended Mocha. Yah, does wonders on the diet, hu? Good thing it’s a 35+ minute walk home from there. If I get a mocha and I‘m not buying groceries, I walk. That brings us to opportunity #3. Wonderful camera shots. In an old, Victorian-style ranch town, there are so many neat things to take snap shots of, even if it makes me look like a tourist.
Lastly for the day (even though it is already past midnight) I have re-put together my ornament package for the LUNA ornament exchange. Yikes! I know, its February. I felt so bad for my partner that I made up an extra little baggie for her. I hand-knitted the little bag, stuffed it with some Burt’s Bees samples and a lipstick that’s more like a lip-gloss, homemade by my mother. All natural, wonderful stuff with no animal testing (well... we didn’t test, but that doest mean they didn’t get into our stashes). I had some dog treat set aside, too, but the cats found them and, well, there gone now. Hopefully she doesn’t have any dogs right now, so I don’t have to feel too bad (she’s one of those won derful people, much like myself, who is helping the animal community by fostering rescues. That makes me feel even more terible that I hadn’t gotten the ornament to her sooner).
Now, since it’s well past my bed time, I’m outa here. I’ve written more on this blog today than I have on my whole story and I really must get back to work. Yah, I did just say it’s past bed time. I’m going to lay in bed with my note book and see if I can pop something out for the synopsis.
Happy writing, happy reading, happy life!
Amber
Oh! Before I forget. For those of you who don’t know, The Gilded Pen will open March 1st! I have some wonderful authors already on board who just might be sending in some gifts for the grand opening! Feel free to spread the word to EVERYBODY! And if your and author and have something you’d like to send along, check out our home page: http://thegildedpen.com. ~A
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