I just got home from my grandson’s birthday party. He’ll be nine tomorrow and he had a fishing party. I don’t fish, but it’s fun watching the grandkids fish. Austin – that’s my grandson – he hooked a big one, but it broke his line and got away. After that he lost interest and began hunting other game. And soon he was the proud possessor of a nice green frog. He wasn’t a bit worried about getting warts. No, wait – that’s toad frogs. This was a regular pond frog who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He ended up in a plastic cup with a little water to keep him hydrated and an occasional fly when the kids were able to catch one. He wasn’t a particularly happy frog although he did eat the flies. We went on a hayride from the fishing pond to a picnic spot some three or four miles away. The frog went too. The frog made it through the hotdog roasting, but then somebody uncovered the plastic glass and the frog made a mighty hop and landed on one of the great aunt’s chest. We weren’t sure who was the most startled, the frog or the aunt. It must have been the frog because from there he made another mighty leap right into the hotdog roasting fire. He didn’t stay there long. That’s for sure. He hopped right out of there and ended up back in my grandson’s hands. The frog was liberated eventually to a stream that was running alongside the picnic spot. One thing sure, not every frog can be so well traveled or have stories to tell about the time it jumped out of the drinking cup and into the fire.
Not much else is going on in the neighborhood this week. I’m still editing my new book. Changing a word here and there and then sometimes going back and changing it back the way it was to begin with. Thank goodness this book isn’t too long and I don’t have to think about cutting out pages and pages. I like to trim the excess, but when you start cutting pages it feels more like slashing the vital parts. Even so, there are times when I just can’t seem to make a sentence read the way I want so then I decide maybe I don’t need that sentence at all. I just hit the delete key. That’s one way to fix awkward wording. Works every time. 😉
The twins are doing well. I hope to have some photos of them and the other grandkids posted on my website soon. I’m adding a gallery of photos. Some will be of me and others at special events and some of me way back when. That should be good for a smile or two.
My book event for The Outsider at the Anderson County Public Library is next week. I’m hoping I’ll have lots of friends and readers show up to hear me talk about “Writing about Shakers and Other Odd Characters.” We’ll have a Q & A time and discussion time as well as door prizes. The library staff have been great. They’ve put my posters up and made a big announcement board as well as displayed all my books on a table at the library. I’ve published 18 books now and they have all of them but one. I’m going to hunt that one up and fix that. So if you live in the area, come on down to the library next Sunday afternoon. We’ll have fun talking about writing.
Till next time, remember to abide in the precious present. That’s what all the kids at Austin’s party were doing tonight. And they were having fun. They may be covered with chigger bites tomorrow and too tired to get out of bed, but tonight they were having fun.
Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend.