Outings! – Bush’s Pasture Park
Welcome! By the time you read this, I’ll be back in Oregon after a whirlwind trip to Arizona. Fun fact about whirlwind trips: there’s not much time for things like walks and blogs. Luckily for you, your girl planned ahead for this very reason! So, hop on in the Way Back Machine™ with me to a sunny fall day in mid-November when my writing friend, Madhu, and I went for one of our traditional Walk ‘n’ Talks. Bush’s Pasture Park It’s hard to talk about this park without talking about a bit of local history. As the name suggests, this park was once the home of Asahel Bush (who may or may not be a character in my next book) and his family. The house was built in 1882, and includes a gorgeous rose garden and the oldest conservatory west of the Mississippi. It’s a museum and art gallery now,…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #47
Hey Blogland. I’m writing this from the breakfast bar of my dad’s house in Arizona. Just kidding! After an utterly hellish delay for an absurdly short flight, I’m writing this post from a terminal in Las Vegas. It’s my first visit to the gambling capitol and we’re here for the next ~6 hours while we wait for our connecting flight back home. The spousal unit is okay with that, because there are literally slot machines in every concourse. Meanwhile I’m suffering a stress relief migraine and nausea. But with nothing better to do until 5am, I thought I ought to at least try to get this blog post done. Last Week Nano – Keep Pace (43,342 words) Finish reading The Lost Metal Newsletter Prep Workout/read 30 minutes/day How’d I Do? Nano – Keep Pace (43,342 words) Nope. I’m about 5k words behind right now. Finish reading The Lost Metal Yes! It was…
Outings! – Hilfiker Park
Welcome Another weekend, another urban outdoors adventure! Let’s just get to it, shall we? Hilfiker Park If you’ll recall, I originally planned to visit this park last week. But an adorable old corgi made the attempt less than ideal, so Simon and I went elsewhere. This week we got up bright and early, put on our winter weather gear, and got to the park before anyone else so we could have it all to ourselves! This park claims to be a field with an out and back trail of just over a mile. On the map it shows a straight line leading from one neighborhood to another, so naturally this was what I expected. What I got was a pasture, some trees, and a poorly marked loop trail that, was probably closer to half a mile. The park entrance is at the dead end of a neighborhood road. You can…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #46
It’s a chilly, but clear day today. Everything is crisp – sights, sounds, smells. It’s all fragile and frigid and begging for care and consideration, even as the blue sky beckons through the window. Last week was long, Blogland. It felt longer than the whole rest of the month so far, and while I’m looking forward to this holiday week, I’m also exceedingly anxious about it. You know, the usual. Last Week Nano Catch Up (31,673) Finish Reading The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes Workout/Read for 30 minutes a day How’d I Do? Nano Catch Up (31,673) YES! Finish Reading The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes YES! Workout/Read for 30 minutes a day YES! Weekly Word Count: 14,402 I feel like it’s been a long time since I achieved all of my goals in a week. I also feel as though I should be much more excited about this accomplishment, but I’m…
Treatment – Six Months
Okay, yes. It’s been a little bit longer than six months since I started taking medication for my ADHD. But only by a couple of weeks! This month is always a hectic one, and 2022 has offered no shortage of surprises so far. So I thought it’d be nice to take a step back and look at how these past six-ish months have gone, ADHD-wise. This would be a good opportunity for you to read my initial post about my ADHD treatment journey, if you missed that from way back in April. What’s It Like? Six months in, my meds are still very effective. I don’t notice the transition in the mornings or afternoons as much anymore, I don’t notice the quiet in my brain like I did those first couple of weeks. It was so foreign to me then, a novelty that couldn’t be ignored. But now it is relief…
Outings! – Morningside Park
Welcome! Welcome back to Outings!, a blog series chronically my urban outdoors adventures. Basically, each week I try out a different park/trail in my town, and write up a review for you! This week was a bit of an audible for a couple of reasons: Trevor got hurt setting up an event on Friday. He’s okay! But he did sprain his ankle pretty bad, so he’s out of commission for this walk, and probably next week’s too. I originally wanted to walk a different trail, but we struggled to find the trailhead and once we did, there was an old man with an ADORABLE old corgi starting their walk. Sadly, Simon is very dog reactive and I didn’t want to ruin all of our mornings by starting on the trail at the same time as this old man and his old corgi. So, I flipped a bitch and headed to…
Goals Summary 2022 – Wk #45
This week went by quick, a blur of late night writing, bedtime reading, and morning spent in the fog. Throw in a good friend’s nuptials and the spouse down and out with a sprained ankle, and I can hardly tell if I’m coming or going. Last Week Get word count back on track (20,004 words by end of day Saturday) Workout/Read 30 minutes a day Edit and post podcast How’d I Do? Get word count back on track (20,004 words by end of day Saturday) So. I got caught up on Thursday. I even had a tiny bit of cushion. Then Friday was a friend’s wedding, Trev got hurt (he’s okay!), and then Saturday was busy with helping out with the business since Trev’s out of commission for the next week or so thanks to his sprained ankle. So, now I’m behind again. I want to call this a mixed…
Top Shelf Librarians – October Episode OUT NOW!
It’s a little late, and I do apologize, but there were scheduling conflicts, illnesses, and technical difficulties to overcome. All that said, it’s another doozy of an episode, so enjoy! You can listen here, or over on the Listen page! The Library Pros™ will be back in December, so until then, Happy Holidays and happy reading! BZ
STORY RELEASE – “Lifelike” Out Now!
I posted this sale announcement a few months ago, and I am so so happy to let you all know you can read Lifelike NOW as a part of Wyldblood Press’s Flash Friday Series! “Lifelike” is a spooky little story that waited a long time to find its home. I’m excited for you all to read it, and hope you enjoy it! READ “LIFELIKE” HERE Thank you to Mark at Wyldblood for giving this strange story a shot, and thank you to my readers for all your excitement when I announce good news – it’s always better shared. Also, I just want to say that waking up to a notification for an email saying your story’s been published is my favorite kind of alarm. BZ
Outings! – Steam Donkey Trail
Welcome Welcome to the… fourth(?) installment of Outings! I wasn’t able to walk at home this week due to some serious time commitments, but I managed to sneak in a short walk on the drive out to the coast. For better or worse. Steam Donkey Trail The Steam Donkey Trail was an unexpected delight on my journey Northwest to Seaside, Oregon this weekend. Equally unexpected was the snow in the mountains, which was the whole reason I stopped at the Sunset Rest Stop in the first place. Everywhere I looked was a dirt road or trailhead that had me absolutely salivating to explore, but I was on the clock, didn’t have any gear with me, and I was alone. So when the sign for the rest stop came up, I decided to pull in and take a couple pictures of the winter wonderland, and then be on my way. But, in…