Coffee Power

I love coffee. Any time of the day, every day, it doesn't matter when, I need coffee. It would be nice if cheap discount coffee was as good as designer coffee, but its not. Coffee is one of the things you just can't skimp on and get the same flavor and aroma. I love the smell of a good quality coffee. It makes you feel warm and comforted even before you take the first sip. You'll find timothys k cups here and can experience the very best in top quality coffee. I do so much during the day that I would never get it all done without a good cup of coffee keeping me fueled and energized.

Signs of Spring

I put out a bird bath and installed a bird feeder in the yard about a week ago. Since then there have been flocks of starlings and sparrows in the yard, and a few turtle doves too, but today I got a real treat. An American goldfinch glamour was at the bird bath. I sure hope to see more of these beauties around and some other species as well as the summer goes on. Here's a picture I found online of the bird I saw. Unfortunately I didn't have my phone on me to grab a shot of the one that stopped by here today.

Wonderful Wireless

My granddaughter is following in my footsteps and learning how to play the guitar. Its exciting and fun to watch her get the thrill of creating music. It's even more exciting to see the new things available. One of the biggest pains I remember was always getting tangled up in cords. New wireless systems like the great shure pg48 makes everything so much easier. No more getting tangled up, or being limited on where you can move because of wires. There's a certain freedom inherent in creating music. Now there's even freedom while you create it.

Hobie Hoping

As much fun as I am anticipating the new inflatable boat to be, what I really want is this: Hoping that the house sale of the place down south goes through and we have a little extra money to get it. :)

Do It Right First

Now that I have a garage I can actually work in, with room to move around and the tools I need to get things done, I am really having fun making things and customizing things for the house, fishing and other uses. It also means I am learning how to find the right tools and items for a job. If I need zinc plated malleable iron handle nuts, I know why and how to find them. I learned a long time ago that when you need specific items to get a job done right, you might be able to rig up a substitution, but it's never going to be as good as the real thing, so do it right the first time and avoid having to fix it later.

Great Custom Work

This is a pretty cool example of a very tricked out customization of the same type of inflatable boat I have. It's a cheap and fun way to get out on the water. I've done a lot of the same customizations, but some of the ones on here are more than what I did at least for now. If I find the boat holds up well, I may put more time into doing a few more additional add-ons

All Work and a Lot of Play

I use all kinds of software to do my work online. Of course, there's the old trusty word program, but I also use a lot of special programs for artwork, design, site building and print shop software for making business cards, fliers and even book covers. These great programs have a lot of power and let me do a lot of things, but it's not all about work. There's a lot of play involved too. I love creating things with the programs I have. I grew up in the era before computers, so I think it gives me a greater appreciation for what is possible and what they allow me to do than some of the younger generation like my grandkids age have.

Big Projects

My winter project has been customizing a raft boat for the small ponds and rivers around here. Now that spring is (supposed to be) here, I am getting itchy to try it out. It's almost done. I just have to glue the indoor/outdoor carpet to the floorboard and install that, and I'm done. Today I fixed the transducer for the fishfinder/gps to a pipe I fashioned since it can't be screwed into the hull like it would a fiberglass, wood or metal boat. I don't know how well the inflatable boat will hold up to the rigors of fishing shallow waters, but it has been a real learning experience creating the special additions.

Cigar Aromas that Add Flavor and Ambiance

I love the smell of a good cigar, and I especially like when my husband smokes flavored cigars, because they have a delicious aroma that is just delightful. I've even tasted a few of them. It's not like smoking the cigarettes I usually smoke. The flavoring actually stays on your lips for a few minutes to the point that you want to lick your lips and savor it even more. It's nice to have a few different flavors so that you can change between them. That way you never get used to the flavor and it is always a fresh and full experience. Usually when my husband buys them, he gets strong flavors like cherry or mocha. I like the cherry, but I love the aroma of any of them and find the honey flavored cigars to add a lot of soothing ambiance to a room.

Want This So Bad!

I am so excited and hopeful. I may finally get to have my dream "boat" a Hobie Pro Angler 14. First though, I need spring to finally get here and stick. We've had some nice'ish' days, but they always drop back down to the 30s again after a day or two. This is a crazy long end of winter here in Illinois. Here's a video of one part of a review of the pro angler 12 (the smaller version of what I am looking to get.)

Missing Music

Along with the guitar I also played the flute in Jr High and High school. I loved it, even though the sax was probably my favorite of wind instruments, the flute was so beautiful. I still have my old flute, but have been looking to replace it. Finding flutes for sale online makes it easier to get the best prices as long as you know what you are looking for. I might even try looking around for a sax and get my jazz on. Music was such a big part of my life when I was younger, and I really miss it. Now that life is calming down some, it's time to get back to it.

Shake it Off

Have you ever had those times when you just don't feel like writing? It's a slump that goes beyond writer's block. I'm really fighting it, and trying hard to overcome it. At first, I just said, okay, that's fine. Take some time off. But that little bit of time stretched into weeks and then months. It's time to find some way to shake off the cob webs and get back to business. Maybe this will help.

Keeping It Real

Addiction is a serious subject. I have characters that live in a life that is surrounded by the elements that create addictions. Many of my novels are ensconced in the music world. So having characters who need help getting free of drug or alcohol abuse is commonplace. I have to find out a lot about places like marijuana rehab at Malibu Horizon. While my novels are just stories, their work is serious and important. Knowing how they work and what is available helps me keep it real in my work too.

Breaking up Cabin Fever

This is such a cool video. I'm looking forward to spring. I'm getting a little bit of cabin fever so watching fishing videos is the only way at the moment to break it up. Just when it seemed like the weather was getting nice, the weather channel says we're in for up to 10 inches of snow tomorrow again. At least, the higher temperatures following it looks like it will make it go away fast. Until then, I'll watch my fishy videos.

Atmosphere

Do you think about the settings when you write? Building characters is important, but even the best characters will be flat if their surroundings aren't believable. If you are doing a church scene do you look at the possibilities for chapel chairs? If you are writing a beach scene, do you take weather and seasons into consideration? If you are setting a scene in a home it's pretty easy, but it gets a lot more complicated when you put your characters in specific places that have certain requirements to be believable.

Frustration

I had a tough week this week. Early in the week I had a new client for my freelance work. It was a mid-size project, and I was really happy to have it since things have been slow. I got the work done quickly and then the client seemed to drop off of the face of the earth. I was getting worried that they weren't going to release the escrow payment set up and I was going to be out the money I had already counted on since I did the work. Finally, today they released the money. I am always happy to work with people, but I get a little upset when they want rush projects and I get it done for them and then they feel like it's okay to take their time paying for it.

Good Business

I used to have all of the swag for my books wherever I went. I haven't done that as much anymore, but I have found that not having a good business card on me when an opportunity presented itself is costing me in sales and readership. I tried making my own. It seemed like the prudent thing to do, but it really does just look "homemade". It's a lot better to look for great deals like the cheap business cards from zooprinting.com. It makes sense, they look professional and they are always handy. The designs are flexible enough to give me a lot of choices. Even have individual ones printed up for each book, or make series related cards, or just my name brand. Swag is fun, but business cards are just good business.

Buying and Selling Boats

Yeah, I'm looking to sell my boat and buy a smaller, more specific boat. I loved the time we spent on the cruiser, but it's expensive and better as a slip boat meaning it costs money to rent slip space during the short season as well. I would prefer a bow rider or a fishing boat that will get into shallow areas better for getting the most versatility when out, and is easy to trailer and get in and out of the water. In a perfect, well-financed world I'd keep the cruiser anyway, and get the other boat too, but that's not going to happen. I need to sell the one to afford the other. I'll miss the big girl.