Patrick Jones's Blog, page 59
January 26, 2013
Scatology
Reblogged from Where The Wolves Once Roamed:
Another week, another neighbor. This time it was a white-tailed deer. No, no investigation this time; there was no need. They’re very common in the area, I’ve seen them napping in my yard, and they’re the only even-toed ungulates in New York with the exception of the moose (and believe me, you’re not going to mistake a moose print for that of a deer).
This blog is an excellent resource for wildlife biology topics.
January 25, 2013
The Feel of a Book
Patrick Jones, author “The Wolf’s Moon”
I wrote a blog not long ago about how my daughter at two years of age received her first library card.
A couple of decades later she has a room full of books. Many of them I gave to her when I moved from St. Louis to Crawford County, Missouri.
Crawford County Courthouse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
She still is in the modern age and uses her computer for reading, but she’d rather have a book.
Although my son has almost every type of electronic device known for communication, he still has books for his three sons to read. The cherry wood bookcase has books so packed in that if he buys anymore, I’ll have to make another bookcase.
As for myself, I have no problem with the electronic devices. People who do use them buy my book (I hope). I just have a problem reading from them.
A book has a certain feel. A new book has a smell that differs from a used book to one that is very old.
The local newspaper, The Bourbon Beacon, has two articles about the library. (The Beacon is back in print after sixteen years). One article is how residents can apply to borrow eBooks. The other article is about “The Alphabet Train” for youngsters.
Where I like turning pages, others like moving a finger. I can take a book to my cabin to read in the evening and not worry about batteries.
Last evening at the local grocery story, I saw a friend, Carol. Her mother is up in years and has been ill lately. Carol was with her mother while the doctors conducted testing.
While Carol waited with her mother between tests, she took out her
January 24, 2013
Little Things
Reblogged from When Timber Makes One Still:
“You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.”
-Andy Warhol
© Tom Gable
Everyday I wake up and look out to my bird feeders to see if any birds are perched there. Typically, there are squirrels stealing the seed I have put out and occasionally a couple chickadees and perhaps a nuthatch or two.
As the author notes, we should stand back and relish the beauty in nature.
January 23, 2013
Woodworking as a Hobby
Many people have hobbies; the ones you use working some item with your hands.
For me, it’s wood. There is nothing wrong with oak, it makes great furniture. Pine is good but it is a soft wood. It can have a nice grain but it can “sweat” sap and it needs to be sealed.
Cherry and walnut are the two I love to work best. Both have unique grains and properly worked look like nothing else.
A person starts with a piece of rough cut lumber. Then you plane it to the thickness wanted. Next in the process is to joint the sides (make them board straight).
Now comes the time consuming part – sanding. I start with an 80 grit, then 120 and 220, but I go a little further. I use a 400 than finally a 600 finishing grit.
Cherry when it’s sanded is a very light pink. At this point a person can stain the wood to make it red, or take lye and “burn” it red. You had better be quick to wash the lye off, otherwise it will ruin the wood. Personally, I tan the wood. I use oil on the wood and then let the sun do the work.
Once the wood reaches the proper depth of color, it’s time to build the piece of furniture with the wood that you worked so hard to perfect.
Now that the table, or whatever it is, you’ve just built is finished, it is time to use the tung oil to finish it.
You pour the oil on the wood and buff and polish. It takes more than weeks. Sometimes it takes months. You can’t rush it.
Then the day comes and you know there is nothing more you can do to make it any better.
You have worked hard, making all the changes, taking all the time needed, and you have a finished item.
Kind of like all of the steps you take when writing a book.
Copyright © 2013 Patrick Jones, All Rights Reserved
January 22, 2013
Golden Eyes..
Reblogged from Howling For Justice:
I want to share a beautiful song by Robert Schmidt, his tribute to the suffering, majestic wolves.
He writes:
This song and video was inspired by the cruel inhumane slaughter of wolves across the U.S.
Humans were created to care for the earth and it's creatures, not kill for the sake of killing.
Thank you so much Robert! I can't listen to goldeneyes without tears welling up.
Please stop this needless slaughter of this majestic animal as we near the Wolf Moon on January 26, 2013. Tremendous work has been done to reintroduce this species back into the wild. Put the wolf back on the endangered species list.
How to Get More Followers on Your Social Media Sites
Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online:
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Joining Goodreads, Twitter, Google+, Facebook or Pinterest is only the first step in creating a community platform. To make these sites working for you is only possible if you have lots of followers, friends or people in your Google+ circles.
Don't be a Tweep with a pathetic following of less than 100 people. And don't sign up with only one or two Social Media sites.
Excellent resource for social networking. There are over 500 different articles for the writer on this site!
January 21, 2013
The Summer Garden
Copyright (C) 2013 Sandra Jones, All Rights Reserved
A few years ago as a birthday present for my wife I dug an area next to the deck and made a flower garden.
My wife knows about flowers; when to plant them, where the sun is best, etc. As for me, I figure if it goes in the ground and it gets sun and water, it’s going to grow. It will produce flowers if I did those things.
Boy, was I ever wrong.
Even though it was early summer and we had enough spring rains, the ground was rock hard. Using a shovel, I dug an area thirty feet wide and fifty feet long. The ground was full of rocks. There were small ones and large ones and a few VERY large ones. Two days later the ground was turned over, preventive weed cloth was down, assorted plants were in and all covered with pine bark.
My wife was working out of town and was to arrive home the afternoon of her birthday and I had, in addition to the garden, planned a party.
That evening I had far too many people telling me about the plants in the wrong spots.
Keeping my mouth shut, smiling and nodding my head, I listened to why nothing that I planted would grow.
Most, after the party, went home. A few stayed over and the next day was actually no better. My lip now has a permanent indentation from my upper teeth.
Once they had all gone to their own homes, Sandy and I relaxed to the quiet on the deck.
She smiled at me and said how much she loved the garden. Later that day we moved some of the plants to other, more correct, spots.
Since then we have more flower gardens than anyone else on this road. Each garden has different flowers but all beautiful.
I know your question: What does a flower garden have to do with writing?
Not a damn thing.
Copyright © 2013 Patrick Jones, All Rights Reserved
January 20, 2013
Ice Age Predators from the Early Paleoindian Period
Reblogged from BLACKWATER LOCALITY #1:
We don't find many predators in our assemblages on the Southern High Plains. When we do, it is generally a tooth, a single toe bone, or a few bits. Predators weren't hunted in droves and likely wander off to die alone so they don't end up in the cultural assemblage. However...
There are some interesting finds coming from UNLV lately. Las Vegas wash has produced many fossil animals, but, just as in many other ancient sites, it's the predators that are the rare ones.
January 19, 2013
10 Great Ways to Get Noticed as a Blogger
Reblogged from Bucket List Publications:
Getting Noticed with Your Blog Content
If you’re new to blogging, it can seem impossible to make a name for yourself among the hundreds, or more likely thousands, of bloggers out there covering the same topic, but don't let that discourage you. Everyone had to start somewhere. I've compiled a list of ten things that worked for me. Of course, not every technique will be right for your blog; hopefully, these techniques will help you build a foundation for success over time.
Great information for newby bloogers to focus on the readers
January 18, 2013
Why You Should Split Your Book Apart
Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online:
…. and sell each piece separately. This advice gave me a very successful writer. Here in a nutshell his ideas: Think of your writing like baking a cake. And what do bakeries and confiseries do with a cake? They divide it into tiny slices and sell each piece separately.
In your case, your book is like the cake and has a secret ingredient that is called “
An excellent resource into how to split your book into different market segments.
