June Wrap-Up

SOME AWESOME SHIPS, SECRETS, AND SURVIVORS STUFF IS COMING UP but first let's talk about June...

First things first, I got a new bookkeeping job, which is cool. For a local restaurant, run by a local couple. I get to open carry every day, so I basically get to swagger around the place with paperwork and a handgun and look Important. But now my schedule is different and it's throwing me through some loopholes. Hence the short and sweet blog posts and frequent absence on Instagram.

Second things...we sent out a call for folks who want to help with the cover reveal for Ships, Secrets and Survivors (yes, I'm going to mention that book as often as I can now).

So we moved the little pigs into the pasture with the big pigs. And the big guys adopted the tiny ones. :)

A friend and I camped overnight and rode 15 miles.

Went for a ride with Pepper and Max in the rain.

Max got a bath.

A clean puppers gets to stay in the house and help me draw a map.

Hitched Pepper up to the cart and went for a drive (with Max).

Did a Ride and Tie with a friend and her horse (she took the photo).

Going for a drive with my boys.

Did a Ride and Tie with Sister 2. She can't wait to do a "real" race, haha.

Hope y'all got your fill of Pepper and Max. Cuz in July you're going to hear a lot about Ravin and Adi and the Red Wind and PIRATES and TALKING SHIPS and ASSASSINS and the CAPTAIN OF THE SEAS HIMSELF.

 

May Wrap-Up

Guess who barely noticed that May has finally come and gone? Me.

Anyways, my month was super busy. Lots of farm work. Lots of editing. I got a new bookkeeping job, so that's cool. Read a bunch.

Thanks to some fun farm happenings we now have:

1 horse (Pepper)

2 dogs (Louie and Max)

2 cats (Spice and Ragnar)

3 cows (Susan, Sweetie, and Sir Loin)

3 big pigs (unnamed, haha)

4 little pigs (Itch, Hen Wen, Bee, and Red)

20ish egg laying chickens

3 roosters

3 hives of honey bees

1 useless white male duck

1 useless mallard duck

20 meat chickens

10 baby turkeys

60 baby chickens of some weird french breed that my dad randomly ordered

Oh, and some fish in a tank that my mom takes care of.

And approximately only ONE HALF OF THE BARN ROOF (and did y'all know that NC has been getting a crazy amount of rain this month????)

So THAT IS WHY I AM SO BUSY GUYSSSS

Met up with Evan and Sarah for a hike - first time seeing each other since the virus stuff happened.

I WENT HORSE CAMPING

My mom doesn't ride, so she hiked while Jennifer and I rode our horses.

Some of the steep mountain trails.

Sarah and Joe stopped by for a few hours and we went for a hike.

 

Jennifer's girls also came for an afternoon and they got to ride while we hiked with them.

Taking the horse trailer through the drive-thru because we couldn't park and go inside...

Max went on his first trail ride and did splendidly!

  

Such a well behaved puppy!!! <3

The new little piggies!

Going for a drive before the rain returns... 

Cows, horses, and the big pigs out in the pasture enjoying it *not* raining for the moment...

Max enjoying a gator ride.

Ragnar in the flowers.

Busy bees, haha.

I trailered Pepper up to VA and we did a nice 10 miles together.

Hope everyone else had a lovely May. I'm worn out...fixing the barn roof, feeding all the animals, nursing a sick pig, doing a 100 mile virtual race with Pepper, finishing a round of edits on a CERTAIN BOOK THAT SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS BUT I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT, and trying new kinds of teas because JUSTIN THATS WHY.

April Wrap-Up

(AKA I don't know how to QT properly...)

(To be fair, we only had like, 3 cases of COVID-19 in our county, and they all recovered in a day or two.)

How did QT go? Well, in a sense, well. We never got sick. Our friends and neighbors never got sick.

But on the other hand, during this time when we were trying not to go to the hospital, my family had a tough time.

-Someone got attacked by bees and reacted rather badly to the stings
-Someone got serious poison ivy and had to go to the doctor
-Someone got their finger's stuck in a winch
-Someone tore up their hand while hammering boards
-Someone sliced up their palm with a honey scraper
-Someone was lighting a fire with a tub of gasoline and the tub caught fire and exploded in their hand (and it wasn't the first time this has happened to this person...)
-Someone had a run-in with a police officer
-Someone sliced their finger with a knife
-Someone was balancing on the raised bucket of the tractor while chainsawing branches and nothing bad happened but just the thought

-The barn caught fire
-The truck wouldn't start and had to be towed
-We got bees
-We also got chicks

Social distance ride - 6 feet apart, lol.

Clearing the new pasture.

Super fun and new little .22 (with night vision mwahaha).

Baking cookies!

Riding out with more friends!

And even my dad came along!

Spying on the neighbors.

More farm work.

Louie and Max going out for some farm work.

Sweetie and Pepper getting a good grooming.

Max.

Going for a Ride and Tie with a friend.

Cleaning out the Falcon. (Considering the CD player hasn't worked in years, there is a surprising large quantity of CDs....)

The Falcon: farm car!

Going for a hike with Max.

New chicks! (Cornish Rocks...meat chickens.)

Got more bees.

Went to work and there was a food truck selling doughnuts. I had no excuse.

Went for a Ride and Tie with another friend, and she grabbed this picture of me and Pepper. :)

Went for a bike and ride on the greenway with the fam.

So, yeah...QT didn't go so well.

Anyways...

Camp NaNo went well. Reached my goal. And then started on editing The Red War trilogy. And guys. I'm gonna need help. The entire 3rd book is basically gonna be rewritten, and AHHHHHHHHHHH *panics*

Hope y'all have been doing well and surviving and enjoying your Camp NaNo and warmer weather and Springtime. :)

March Wrap-Up

First things first, yes, I'm still alive. COVID-19 isn't changing my life much (though grocery store trips are less frequent). Still working. Still going about my daily life as much as possible.

I've mostly been doing farm chores and working with Sarah Rodecker to get Ships, Secrets, and Survivors ready for the beta readers.

Lots of things outdoors, since it's finally warming up.

Sold another horse early in the month (Spirit, the Tennessee Walker).

Louie photobombing Ragnar's picture.

Going out for a ride with Pepper. I think most of our time was spent getting him clean, lol.

Found the first lizard of the year while cleaning the barn.

Burning old wood and hay and branches after cleaning the barn and pastures out.

Farm picnic - supper on the flatbed!

To keep Max from getting underfoot while collecting branches, simply insert the puppers into a bucket in the back of the truck.

Max is growing!! <3 He's been coming out with me on farm work days and keeping me company.

Puppy selfie in the truck.

Pepper is finally shedding his winter coat!

Reading at the creek with Ragnar.

Hope y'all have been doing well. Is anyone else doing Camp NaNo in April? Has anyone broken out their shorts and flip-flops yet? (I have.) Any exciting plans while folks are in QT?