First Day of my Early Retirement! Woo Hoo!

I forgot to turn off the alarm clock, of course, and so when it went off at 0530, I just lay in bed, thinking of all the exciting things I could do today. Have already written a flash and dragged a box full of art supplies out of the closet- the kitchen table is covered in tubes of watercolors and brushes and piles of lovely paper, all just begging to be turned into books.

Today is also Boo at the Zoo, and I will be taking my gigantic son, now 6'5" tall, off to the party with all the other kids. He is sleeping, I believe, with his pirate costume, and has been practicing 'aaaarr' and other pirate noises. Always a highlight for me, a trip to the zoo means we can walk through the rose gardens, and the Abraham Darby is in full bloom. I just stand in the middle of the bush and smell until my head's spinning.

My new Dreamspinner book is coming soon- Idaho Battlegrounds, with a cool cover of the heros in a pink bathtub painted by Paul Richmond. I'm really happy with the story. The main character, Grady Sullivan, loves old roses, and standing in the middle of the Abraham Darby is what made me think up this side of his character. The other character, Edward Clayton, is the cheesemaker! I think I put on five pound writing this story, since I had to start by learning how to make homemade ricotta cheese. Which is delicious, by the way, made with fresh lemon juice and raw milk.