Linda Lael Miller's Blog, page 4
February 2, 2012
Intermittent Sunshine
And I'll take any sunshine I can get! :)
Yesterday was SUCH a good writing day--I can hardly wait to get back to the book. I won't pretend it's been easy to get this one rolling, but the story touches me very deeply, and I hope it will touch you as well. It's called "Big Sky Mountain" and it's the second book in my Parable, Montana series, following "Big Sky Country."
Mom and I are going out to lunch on Saturday--a belated celebration for her birthday. We always have a good time together, and I'm looking forward to the visit.
The gardening catalogs are starting to arrive, and I'm getting the itch to raise another container garden on my deck. I skipped it last year, but it's time to try again.
I'm listening to a great book recommended by my friend Debbie Macomber--it's called "The Circle Maker", by Mark Batterson, and the subject is the power of prayer. Very good material.
Not much time for art these days, but I've got some backgrounds ready for two new batches of artist trading cards.
Lastly, my new website will be up soon. Very cool.
And that, for today, is the news from the Triple L.
Yesterday was SUCH a good writing day--I can hardly wait to get back to the book. I won't pretend it's been easy to get this one rolling, but the story touches me very deeply, and I hope it will touch you as well. It's called "Big Sky Mountain" and it's the second book in my Parable, Montana series, following "Big Sky Country."
Mom and I are going out to lunch on Saturday--a belated celebration for her birthday. We always have a good time together, and I'm looking forward to the visit.
The gardening catalogs are starting to arrive, and I'm getting the itch to raise another container garden on my deck. I skipped it last year, but it's time to try again.
I'm listening to a great book recommended by my friend Debbie Macomber--it's called "The Circle Maker", by Mark Batterson, and the subject is the power of prayer. Very good material.
Not much time for art these days, but I've got some backgrounds ready for two new batches of artist trading cards.
Lastly, my new website will be up soon. Very cool.
And that, for today, is the news from the Triple L.
February 1, 2012
Happy Birthday, Edith
Your card is in the mail. No, really. :)
It's a rainy Wednesday morning here in old Spokaloo, as we locals affectionately refer to the place. Just the right kind of day for writing.
I had a great writing day yesterday, and Bernicie and I managed a good walk. We spotted moose tracks in the snow, huge ones, but fortunately did not encounter Bullwinkle 'in person'. :) What am I thinking? I had a fierce Yorkie along to defend me--just ask her. She's always chasing off wild turkeys, lest they storm the house and take us all captive.
Still listening to the Daily Audio Bible on iTunes. Brian reads from a different translation of the Bible each week, and I enjoy his messages and powerful prayers after the reading. The app is free, if you think you might be interested. If you're not interested :), that's okay, too. I like to pass on things I enjoy.
On the art front, I found something cool, Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plates. You smear them with acrylic paint and then press paper onto them and lift, so the color stays behind, the idea being to use layers, different paints and textures, etc. I haven't had time to try them out yet, but you can bet I will soon. Art is my therapy--I use it to decompress.
At the end of May I'll be attending the CREATE Retreat, in Irvine, California, and I'm so excited. Finally, I get to take classes from Laurie Mika, polymer clay artist extraordinaire. I simply LOVE her work. Looking forward to that and hustling to get plenty of writing done beforehand, so I can concentrate in the workshops. September will find me in Durfort, France, studying with Lynne Perrella and Lisa Renning. If I've already regaled you with all this, forgive me, please. I'm just YEEHAW excited!
More tomorrow. Be well and, as always, be kind. Folks are having a tough time out there, and a smile and a warm word can make all the difference.
It's a rainy Wednesday morning here in old Spokaloo, as we locals affectionately refer to the place. Just the right kind of day for writing.
I had a great writing day yesterday, and Bernicie and I managed a good walk. We spotted moose tracks in the snow, huge ones, but fortunately did not encounter Bullwinkle 'in person'. :) What am I thinking? I had a fierce Yorkie along to defend me--just ask her. She's always chasing off wild turkeys, lest they storm the house and take us all captive.
Still listening to the Daily Audio Bible on iTunes. Brian reads from a different translation of the Bible each week, and I enjoy his messages and powerful prayers after the reading. The app is free, if you think you might be interested. If you're not interested :), that's okay, too. I like to pass on things I enjoy.
On the art front, I found something cool, Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plates. You smear them with acrylic paint and then press paper onto them and lift, so the color stays behind, the idea being to use layers, different paints and textures, etc. I haven't had time to try them out yet, but you can bet I will soon. Art is my therapy--I use it to decompress.
At the end of May I'll be attending the CREATE Retreat, in Irvine, California, and I'm so excited. Finally, I get to take classes from Laurie Mika, polymer clay artist extraordinaire. I simply LOVE her work. Looking forward to that and hustling to get plenty of writing done beforehand, so I can concentrate in the workshops. September will find me in Durfort, France, studying with Lynne Perrella and Lisa Renning. If I've already regaled you with all this, forgive me, please. I'm just YEEHAW excited!
More tomorrow. Be well and, as always, be kind. Folks are having a tough time out there, and a smile and a warm word can make all the difference.
January 31, 2012
Happy Birthday, Mom and Jerry
My mom and brother share a January 31 birthday, just as my dad and I shared June 10.
Here's wishing you both lots of love and many more birthdays.
Blogging in the afternoon seemed like a good idea at the time, but it apparently doesn't work for me. By three p.m., my brain has switched from writer mode to wall-staring mode, since I'm basically a morning person.
I'm well and I'm hard at work on the new book, and I just wanted to let you know that we're plugging along here on the Triple L. Bernicie and I even got a walk in yesterday--the air was so wonderfully fresh--stepping around mud puddles and the occasional stubborn patch of ice. She doesn't even slow down from the moment she sees me put on my boots--it's Hallelujah Day for her. Lots of yapping follows, and I have to remind her to stand still so I can hook on her collar and leash, and then we're off, out the door, into the big, wide world.
It's wicked slick around the barn, so the Canadian Wrangler made trails leading from the outside doors of the stalls with old shavings, making sure the old Buckaroo wouldn't slip on the ice. Traveler, the little pinto, doesn't step sedately out of his stall of a morning, like the gentleman he isn't. :) He thinks he's the Wabash Cannonball. Banjo has a Seabiscuit complex, and only the ladies, Coco, Skye and April, use any common sense at all. Coco, as the eldest mare, is the leader of the band, but everybody defers to Buck, out there in his muddy green coat.
The weather was sunny when I got up, but now it's mildly overcast.
The jury's still out on whether or not Bernicie and I will get our walk, but I'm thinking probably.
See you tomorrow.
Here's wishing you both lots of love and many more birthdays.
Blogging in the afternoon seemed like a good idea at the time, but it apparently doesn't work for me. By three p.m., my brain has switched from writer mode to wall-staring mode, since I'm basically a morning person.
I'm well and I'm hard at work on the new book, and I just wanted to let you know that we're plugging along here on the Triple L. Bernicie and I even got a walk in yesterday--the air was so wonderfully fresh--stepping around mud puddles and the occasional stubborn patch of ice. She doesn't even slow down from the moment she sees me put on my boots--it's Hallelujah Day for her. Lots of yapping follows, and I have to remind her to stand still so I can hook on her collar and leash, and then we're off, out the door, into the big, wide world.
It's wicked slick around the barn, so the Canadian Wrangler made trails leading from the outside doors of the stalls with old shavings, making sure the old Buckaroo wouldn't slip on the ice. Traveler, the little pinto, doesn't step sedately out of his stall of a morning, like the gentleman he isn't. :) He thinks he's the Wabash Cannonball. Banjo has a Seabiscuit complex, and only the ladies, Coco, Skye and April, use any common sense at all. Coco, as the eldest mare, is the leader of the band, but everybody defers to Buck, out there in his muddy green coat.
The weather was sunny when I got up, but now it's mildly overcast.
The jury's still out on whether or not Bernicie and I will get our walk, but I'm thinking probably.
See you tomorrow.
January 27, 2012
Still Iced In
Bernicie and I took a short walk yesterday--she was barreling along, on the trails of passing turkeys and coyotes and deer, while I picked my way cautiously from dry patch to dry patch. :) The fresh air was good for both of us and the weather, as I mentioned, was beautiful. More sunshine today--I can't get enough of it.
I'm working on the new book, and making some real progress, so I'll be switching the blog-writing from the mornings to the afternoons, when I have my pages done.
See you then.
I'm working on the new book, and making some real progress, so I'll be switching the blog-writing from the mornings to the afternoons, when I have my pages done.
See you then.
January 26, 2012
Take Cover, I May Sing
One of the songs from the musical, "Oklahoma", is running through my mind this morning--"Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day..."
The sun is brilliant in a blue sky--this despite the fact that there is more snow on the way--and the driveway looks treacherous. We are "iced in", I think, the kitties, Bernice and I. And that's okay, because all I want to do today is write. :)
A happy-birthday shout out to the Canadian Wrangler, Larry. (I won't say how old he is.) January is a heavy birthday month in our outfit--my sister Pam, cousin and trail boss Mary Ann, her husband Larry, my mother and my brother all celebrate within a few days of each other.
The wild turkeys have been passing through, and I've spotted coyote tracks on my walks with Bernice, but our moose visitor has not been back. (I like seeing him from a disance.)
Off to write. Have a good day.
The sun is brilliant in a blue sky--this despite the fact that there is more snow on the way--and the driveway looks treacherous. We are "iced in", I think, the kitties, Bernice and I. And that's okay, because all I want to do today is write. :)
A happy-birthday shout out to the Canadian Wrangler, Larry. (I won't say how old he is.) January is a heavy birthday month in our outfit--my sister Pam, cousin and trail boss Mary Ann, her husband Larry, my mother and my brother all celebrate within a few days of each other.
The wild turkeys have been passing through, and I've spotted coyote tracks on my walks with Bernice, but our moose visitor has not been back. (I like seeing him from a disance.)
Off to write. Have a good day.
January 25, 2012
Feeling Considerably Better
We even have sunshine today, though it's very cold and the roads are too slick for Bernicie and I to go for our walk. Maybe later--we took a short one yesterday, and she was practically bounding along, while I picked my cautious way between patches of ice. There were four turkeys in the neighbors' driveway, but I don't think she even noticed them. :) She's old, and doesn't see that well, methinks. We met another dog at the top of the driveway--a portly and elderly gray-muzzled black lab. He was quite benign, and gave a half-hearted woof at the sight of us--translation: 'this is my part of the road so watch it'. I smiled and we turned and went the other way. Bernice had her nose to the ground and was either unfazed by the old gentleman or never knew he was there.
I'm especially eager to get into the book, but I'm not very speedy. :) Not sick anymore, just a little flimsy and fragile. (OK, whiny.)
Now for the comments: Thanks, all of you, for the kind words. And Jessica, in response to your post--I would LOVE to see the McKettricks in a TV movie or better yet, a series. Wouldn't that be great???? There was some interest in such a project at one point, but nothing more was said. The movie/TV business is like that--I think my friend Josanne spent something like five years getting "Last Chance Cafe" on Lifetime. Nothing happens and nothing happens and then one fine day, the phone call comes in and it's Nellie-bar-the-door.
Hope springs eternal.
And now, to work.
I'm especially eager to get into the book, but I'm not very speedy. :) Not sick anymore, just a little flimsy and fragile. (OK, whiny.)
Now for the comments: Thanks, all of you, for the kind words. And Jessica, in response to your post--I would LOVE to see the McKettricks in a TV movie or better yet, a series. Wouldn't that be great???? There was some interest in such a project at one point, but nothing more was said. The movie/TV business is like that--I think my friend Josanne spent something like five years getting "Last Chance Cafe" on Lifetime. Nothing happens and nothing happens and then one fine day, the phone call comes in and it's Nellie-bar-the-door.
Hope springs eternal.
And now, to work.
January 23, 2012
Slathered in Vicks
I have a cold today and I'm laying low.
Back soon.
Back soon.
January 20, 2012
January 19, 2012
Let it snow, let it snow, let it, oh-for-Pete's sake, SNOW
I guess with a heading like that, you don't need a weather report. (As if you did in the first place.) The stuff is actually very beautiful, and I'll post a picture later today.
I loved your responses to the Valentine question--Margaret, I DO remember making those Valentine boxes with crepe paper and glue, and waiting in anticipation to open them on the day. It was very exciting--a lot of things about attending grade school in Northport, WA were major events--like the last day before Christmas vacation, when we always had cookies, punch, a movie and a very modest gift exchange in the afternoon, followed by dismissal. Hard to know who was happier when the bell sounded--us, or our teachers. :) Those of you familiar with small towns will note that movies were a very big deal in those days--our local movie house closed sometime in the early fifties, I think--I recall being enthralled by Disney's "Toby Tyler". That kid would have had me sold on running off to join the circus if it hadn't meant leaving home. :)
I mentioned my big plan, right? The one where I get up at 4 a.m., etc.? Well, it finally occurred to me that God's plan for me might just be a little different from mine.
He seems to want me to sleep in. :)
I loved your responses to the Valentine question--Margaret, I DO remember making those Valentine boxes with crepe paper and glue, and waiting in anticipation to open them on the day. It was very exciting--a lot of things about attending grade school in Northport, WA were major events--like the last day before Christmas vacation, when we always had cookies, punch, a movie and a very modest gift exchange in the afternoon, followed by dismissal. Hard to know who was happier when the bell sounded--us, or our teachers. :) Those of you familiar with small towns will note that movies were a very big deal in those days--our local movie house closed sometime in the early fifties, I think--I recall being enthralled by Disney's "Toby Tyler". That kid would have had me sold on running off to join the circus if it hadn't meant leaving home. :)
I mentioned my big plan, right? The one where I get up at 4 a.m., etc.? Well, it finally occurred to me that God's plan for me might just be a little different from mine.
He seems to want me to sleep in. :)
January 18, 2012
Today's Snow Report
The white stuff is coming down pretty hard at the moment, though the flakes are tiny and it looks as though we've got less than an inch. Hope those won't turn out to be Famous Last Words. :)
Today is my sister Pam's birthday--happy birthday, Sis. She and husband Jon recently moved to Seattle from California--sure hope that snow doesn't come as too much of a shock. I'm a little envious, to be frank--I'd love to be able to buy fresh fish and farm flowers at the incomparable Pike Place Market, eat at the New Orleans Cafe in Pioneer Square, and shop at Westlake Mall. :)
Sure, I could probably manage a condo in the Emerald City, but where would I keep my horses? :)
Snow or no snow, I'll be writing today. Under my special sunshine lamp.
In the meantime, let's talk about Valentines. (I know, it's a little early, but hey. It'll be fun!) What was your most memorable Valentine, either given or received? Mine was presented to me by a high school flame--it was six feet tall. (The Valentine, not the flame.)
Until tomorrow.
Today is my sister Pam's birthday--happy birthday, Sis. She and husband Jon recently moved to Seattle from California--sure hope that snow doesn't come as too much of a shock. I'm a little envious, to be frank--I'd love to be able to buy fresh fish and farm flowers at the incomparable Pike Place Market, eat at the New Orleans Cafe in Pioneer Square, and shop at Westlake Mall. :)
Sure, I could probably manage a condo in the Emerald City, but where would I keep my horses? :)
Snow or no snow, I'll be writing today. Under my special sunshine lamp.
In the meantime, let's talk about Valentines. (I know, it's a little early, but hey. It'll be fun!) What was your most memorable Valentine, either given or received? Mine was presented to me by a high school flame--it was six feet tall. (The Valentine, not the flame.)
Until tomorrow.
