Sunday Salon: Thought and Independence

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This has been a fun week with having a holiday in the middle.   Hubby picked up a big pack of safe and sane fireworks for us to put off on Wednesday.  Unfortunately our new neighbors had the insane kind which they had been putting off all week and culminated in a noisy show on Wednesday.  It unfortunately was too loud for James and frankly for me too because we ended up going back inside without setting off any of our fireworks.   We told James we could do ours over the weekend.

James and I went to the nursery on Friday and picked up a few things, including some marigold and salvia for hubby which he gets to plant.  Saturday evening we had our own little fireworks show and it was nice, relaxing and unstressful. All except for the cleaning up part. James decided as soon as the fireworks were over that he had to go to bed.  Due to the resulting argument he got in big trouble and lost his technology privileges.  Unless.....   Father came up with the idea James would have to copy the Declaration of Independence and read it to us, while we videotaped it.  The child loves his technology because he diligently copied the majority of the declaration this morning and read it out loud for us and I captured it all on video.  And yes he had his technology privileges restored.

Visit my fellow rowers here

While he worked on writing out the declaration I worked on my wip, typed up edits for one chapter and searched for pictures of my settings. Found a few I liked which will help me visualize my scenes a bit better.  I changed my mind about Veins of Gold after perusing through the book.  Decided that I had analyzed myself enough doing The Artist's Way and just didn't have it in me for now. Would prefer to concentrate on learning more about my characters and finishing the story.  I've managed to get up an hour earlier for most of the week which is helping me with creativity and getting more done. 

Have I said how much I lurv James Scott Bell.  Here's his latest on 7 things writers need to know.   Also following Jennifer at Inkybites Recharge Your Creative Batteries in 31 days challenge.  So far so good and have gotten a few folks from my online home school group joining in.

Speaking of which this is week 27 in our read 52 books in 52 weeks quest and highlighting Carlos Ruiz Zafon. His latest book in the Cemetery of Forbidden books series is coming out on June 10th - The Prisoner of Heaven.  There was a delay with the publisher getting out the books for the TLC Book tours so my date has been rescheduled to August.  Meanwhile since it's been a couple years, think I'll take the time to reread The Angel's Game and The Shadow of the Wind and reacquaint myself with the characters and setting. 

Also spent part of Sunday afternoon planting blue and purple lobelia in our front patio planters (pictures above)  and de-stressing.  Forgotten how much I enjoy getting my hands dirty!

Please keep my mother and father in your prayers. She has copd and osteoporosis and broke a disc in her spine again and will be having surgery on the 30th. Meanwhile she is having difficulties and is in major pain.

Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall.  Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day.  Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down.  And this is all life really means.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson