
I opened up my laptop, saw that image, and thought, “WTF am I up to?”
Actually, it’s just my amazing ability to hit pause at awkward moments.
An author's collection of thoughts and stories
Last year, someone living in the area got some chickens, then told me all about how good they are for gardens. I suspect that she imagined they’d carefully pick their way through the plant rows, eating pesky bugs and leaving fertilizing poop, so I burst her bubble by saying, “They will eat your vegetables.”
Come to think of it, that woman hasn’t spoken to me since, lol.
Actually, they don’t stop with vegetables. When you set up a chicken run, expect *everything* to die inside of it. And if you want to use the poop as fertilizer, then you need to compost it first — otherwise it will burn the plants and kill them.
Chickens aren’t a romantic pet in the slightest.
On that note: chickens are mean.
Really mean.
Our flock has taken to bullying one in particular, and I’ve had to separate her from the rest. This is actually a really common problem, and if left unchecked they won’t stop until the poor chicken is dead. Our little dear had a bloody comb when I pulled her from the coop, and was absolutely terrified of the others.
Interestingly enough, having a rooster prevents bullying, because he will manage the hens and keep them on their best behavior. Unfortunately, we aren’t allowed to keep roosters in our area because of the noise. Personally, I don’t think that they are any worse than dogs, but that’s how it is.
Chickens are fun, though. They’re definitely worth it if you can put up with everything. Just don’t expect them to maintain your garden for you.

A bit of random trivia is that Carol was actually the name of the main character from the first novel I ever finished … when I was 14.
I technically still have the file, but it’s encrypted so it can never come back to haunt me, lol.
As you’d expect from a novel written by a 14-year-old, the main character was a Mary-Sue. She had unlimited magical abilities, fell head over heels for a handsome prince, but was tragically the daughter of The Evil Antagonist. So. Epic.
But, because I’m a MAJOR weirdo, I didn’t name her anything AWESOME like Silver Raventhorn or whatever.
I named her Carol.
Yeah … I dunno.
I guess I had a pragmatic streak back then, too.
My current Carol, with The Scion Suit, is not in any way related to or inspired by the original. I recycled the name because it fit as normal and average.
And maybe also as a nod to my teenage self.


A dying bumblebee.
The word on the street was that it was stung by a wasp, but I didn’t see it happen.

Saw this at the park.
Just about sums up some days, right?
WordPress has informed me that today is my ten year anniversary.
I distinctly remember something different, but who knows. The whole 2011-12 era was an alternate world.
In June 2011 my husband and I were living in southern California, and hating every minute of it, lol.
I guess some people like cities, but I thought that the cost of living was ridiculously high, I couldn’t open any windows in the apartment because the smell of pot would instantly stink up everything, and there was absolutely nothing to do.
Not kidding on that last one, too. I asked one of the locals in my age group what they did for fun, and they answered, “Drinking at bars.” Wow. So stimulating. I think I’ll pass.
Other than that, everyone was a massive workaholic because the cost of living was so high. The only people we met who did anything remotely interesting were homeless hippies.
I just ain’t a city girl.
Heck, yesterday I took the kids on another mile-long bike ride, and the only person we saw during the whole time was a UPS driver. I waved, and he waved back. That’s how I like it.