Photos, Fiction, Friends, Fun, Flowers, and Faith

Last week was the first time I returned to the blogging world in a little over two months, and I posted a deep, heavy subject about control. This week I thought I’d go with a lighter subject to share a little bit about what I’ve been up to, and maybe even a tiny spark of hope.

I finished my first read-through-edit of my WIP novel. It’s now in the hands of my critique group, getting picked apart for improvement. I’m grateful to my author friends from Florida for welcoming me back into the group from now 1,200 miles away. I’ll be working on changes from their suggestions over the coming weeks.

Before I took time off from blogging, I mentioned I was going to stop and enjoy the flowers I planted. Well, they’ve grown into a jungle of flowers, which is a huge feat for me. I’ve never had a green thumb.I’ve been missing my boy, Max, so the following pictures are a few animal friends I made by putting out a bird feeder.

Sparrow?

This is a rare sighting around here. A yellow bird? I did a search. Could it be an American Goldfinch?

This is my little redhead. He’s not a cardinal. But I think he’s a finch? Any thoughts?

Check out this rainbow-colored cardinal. He’s my fave.

“Chase” the Chipmunk reminded me to share a picture of him, too.

We spent some weekends doing what you’ll see in the following photos.

We were able to breathe fresh air and spend time with friends. A simple lake with no mountains or sea-green colors, but one of peaceful nature, beautiful people, and kindness.

No one asked or cared what our politics or values were. No one cared who did or who didn’t wear a mask.

Wherever we docked, strangers who had docked themselves helped us maneuver our boat.

Wherever we stopped to eat or see a sight, friendly people welcomed us and even laughed with us.

Check out the dog in the water and the giant shepherd on the boat

Wherever we drove our boat down the river or on the lake, people waved and smiled.We stopped for dinner and then crossed a street to see this dam (above). There was no crosswalk. We stopped to wait for cars to drive by, and something unusual happened. People stopped in the middle of a busy road to politely wait for us to cross.

And if you think the people were just in a good mood because they were out enjoying the weather and the water, I’ve got another for you.I hopped on facebook to request a favor of people to send some cheerful words to my mom where she’s been locked away in her senior facility for five months. I was hopeful for a few, but the amount of offers I received was heartwarming. And, do you know what? My mom looked forward to getting cards and cheerful notes, instead of only bills and junk mail. (Thank you for taking the time to do so, you know who you are. 😉💗).

This gave me back faith in humanity. This is who we really are, if only we each recognized it in ourselves and others.So, what have you been up to since I’ve been away?

 

 

 

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