Spring: What's Not to Celebrate?

First day of spring. Hurray, hurray! What's not to celebrate?

Sunflower sprouts basking in the warm light.

Vince and I had our first cup of coffee on the patio today, and I know that some of you are still dealing with snow! But the day WILL come when the sun shines again, so hang in there!


My sunflowers are now sprouting in their pots under grow lights. Last year's experiment was good and bad. Some seeds took forever to sprout, while others like my tomato seeds grew two inches and stayed dormant for a month. They DID finally grow in the garden, but how frustrating to watch. I wondered....was it the seeds, the grow lights?


This year I DROPPED THE GROW LIGHTS LOWER and...guess what?

The seeds starting sprouting twice as fast. ~Sigh~ There is always something new to learn.....and here I am taking a Master Gardener course.

GARDENING IS SO MUCH LIKE LIFE.

WE LEARN THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR.

Alas, I did not place in the Pitch Madness contest, but I can celebrate that I entered my first contest and practiced pitching my novel. The examples of the 60 novels that did place are a GREAT LEARNING TOOL. You can read the authors' pitches and first 250 words at the website. I urge you to take a look.


Biking the local trails is right around the corner.....actually NOW. I found a map of our area in the newspaper this morning that shows some of the wonderful trails we can bike in Pullman and Moscow alone. The trails extend to other communities as well.

Map of region in local paper.

If you ever visit the Palouse region, BRING YOUR BIKE. There is plenty to see in our two communities alone.

Note the Cougar and Vandal mascots in the middle of the map. FOOTBALL IS HUGE HERE (although personally not my favorite sport), but with two universities back to back, you can just imagine the crowds that come to see the games. Lots of energy and great for local businesses! Not bad for two communities with a combined population of less than 60,000.

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!







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Weekly Recap: Okay, Did It

Ever have that epiphany moment when things come together and you know it's time to do something? When you are buzzing along in life, smelling the flowers in happy bliss, and suddenly your eyes pop open and you know it's now or never?

I've had moments like that. I still remember a job I wanted so badly I could taste it. It was within the company I worked for at the time (General Telephone), but the laws of advancement were in place and not in my favor. I was in a position that did not normally advance that high. My boss had already told me she would not support my efforts, since the timing was off and it was during our busiest season.

But I knew the other job was perfect. It was in the town where I lived and would be easier on my family. I said a prayer and decided to go over my supervisor's head. It was a scary can-do moment, but I was bursting with energy and determination. I introduced myself to the supervisor in the office where I wanted to work and explained my situation. I was practically hired on the spot, and was later told that my energy-level had convinced her I was perfect for the job, and......more positions followed.

So did I learn something from this? Yes, indeed....

 FEAR OF STEPPING OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE CAN KEEP US FROM SUCCESS, YET IT IS FEAR ITSELF THAT CAN BE THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR OF ALL!!

Others have written about this, too.

Winston Churchill wrote:
"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all the others."

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote:
"Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others."

(And my favorite....)

Victor Hugo: "Wings"
"Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings."

I wish I could say that I still had the same thirty-something energy. The laws of nature, i.e. getting older, have put a damper on some at least, but I did have a moment of courage this week. I entered my novel in a contest for the first time, Pitch Madness. I have no idea how I'll place, but there was a moment of
"I can't do this. People will judge my novel. Some may think I can't even write." Ee-eh, I hate those feelings, don't you? Or am I the only one who ever feels this way?

But it was time, and my 'self-assigned' publicist husband was already kicking my butt. "You gotta do this. Either put the book to rest, write another, or quit." 

Me: Hmm.....typical male logic. "Okay, okay, quit getting so emotional," I told myself. I was also remembering something my son had said.

Son: "Think of this as a product, Mom. Take yourself out of the ratio." Okay .....so I'm selling a car then? Hmm......maybe not, but it does give a whole different feeling. 

So, today I wrote the email, pasted in my 35-word pitch and first 250 words, and hit the 'send' button!! No explosions, no hurrahs from the email Olympians of the Internet, nothing extraordinary to report at all. But boy, did that ever feel good.

When Cats Take Over

A crazy busy week, so sharing a funny video. I think I need a cat in my office, don't you? I'm reminded of Sassy's "cats rule and dogs drool" remark in the movie Homeward Bound. Remember that?

Also wanted to let you know about a contest called "Pitch Madness" coming up this March. A friend just clued me in, so I thought I'd give it a try--practice pitching my novel and see if my first 250 words are strong enough. Check out the link below.




(for Young Adult, Middle Grade, New Adult, and Adult)

http://www.brenda-drake.com/2014/01/announcing-pitch-madness-clue-edition/

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing