More Wildlife

Curiouser and curiouser. Frogs in the morning, mice in the afternoon. Or at least mouse, singular. The last time we had mice in the house, I used canned foam to seal all around the pipes or hoses under the kitchen sink, since evidence in the form of droppings suggested that was their way in. Just to be on the safe side, I set a trap as well. That was months ago.

This afternoon, when we pulled out the trash can to empty it, there was a deceased mouse in the trap. I don't think it had been there too long, as there was no noticeable olfactory evidence.

What next? We've been seeing squirrels, raccoons and deer outside, but I hardly think they're going to come in. Hmmm. We haven't had a starling in the vent pipe over the kitchen stove for a while.

Early Morning Surprise

I had just turned on the water, planning to take a shower, when this dark gray-brown THING leapt out of the drain area and began rocketing around the tub.

I turned off the water and jumped back. My sleep-fogged brain was telling me “mouse” because of the size and coloring, but at the same time arguing “that thing didn’t look like a mouse, and it moves like a…” and I was just getting to “frog” when I cautiously drew the shower curtain aside again and peeked in.

Our little tree frogs have chameleon characteristics—this one had been hanging out in the drain area, mimicking the color of the metal crossbars, but was already well on the way to a more frog-like green. I tried to catch it by hand, but the critter was too excited by now to hold still and I was afraid I would hurt him.

I finally got a wide-mouthed glass out of the kitchen, and a stiff plastic CD mailer out of the office—didn’t think cardboard or paper would do as well in the wet tub. He was a very pale green by then—probably the closest he could get to the ivory-colored tub.

After a couple of false starts I managed to pop the glass over without injuring the frog, slid the plastic under, and voila, bottled frog. I dumped him on the mat at the back door, where he was still sitting when I closed the door.

They tend to “freeze” when frightened, using their camouflage to avoid detection. We get them in the house occasionally, but that was the first in the tub.

I guess he got over the trauma, as he was gone when I looked out later.

Westwind is back

There were rumors that the NWSFS magazine Westwind was about to make a comeback. I was delighted to find a copy in my mailbox today, and even more excited that my poem, "Trapped in a Bubble of Eternity," was on the back cover. What a delightful way to start the new year.

Page Readers Interview

To hear my recorded December 7 interview on Page Readers (Blog Talk Radio) go here

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers/2009/12/07/page-readers-talks-with-janice-clark-author-of-mou

I had a good time talking with Nanci Arvisu about my books and writing in general.

Good news from the publisher: Orchard House Press tells me that The Door in the Sky is at the top of the queue for layout. I'm not sure what that translates to as far as a projected publishing date, as editor and almost-everything-else Cris is treading water as fast as she can just to keep up with day-to-day operations. But I'm confidant that they'll continue to keep their heads above water and sufficient distance ahead of the sharks, and eventually things will get better.

New Book

I've finished writing book four of the Hall of Doors series. It's tentatively called The Secret Door. In this one, Sammy and her mother are going to move away from the house where Sammy has lived most of her life, away from the place from which she (with the help of the cats) has been able to "climb a moonbeam" to Princess Selena's castle. Naturally, she's upset. But Peaches the cat takes her up the moonbeam path for another adventure.

I won't give you all the details, but the story includes unicorns, as requested by granddaughter Maggie. It also includes the "wild and dangerous teddy bears" she wanted, except that these are more like bandit koalas. I did have to pass on the space aliens--I couldn't see any way to work them in:) There are some tense moments, but Sammy makes it safely home again with the possibility that she may be able to return.

For a brief synopsis of the first three books of the series, see my website at www.janiceclark.net

Catching Up

Looking over my old posts, which are few and far between, I see I left out a lot of important stuff. I had mentioned Joyce, my Chinese daughter-in-law-to-be. I'm happy to report that she FINALLY (!!) got her visa in June. She and Jeff were married on the fourth of July.

Later that month, brother Richard and I traveled to Colorado to visit my daughter Sarah and family. They recently moved from Fairbanks, AK to Fort Collins, CO. We got to help out a little while Sarah was in the hospital giving birth to Winter Rose.

Also in July, Anita Donihue and I finished editing our "Bless This Home" book and sent it off to the first publisher on our list. No response yet--I'm hoping no news is good news. Anita went on to work on another book, and I've been copy-editing for her.

September included a "visiting author" appearance at Oakville Library, as well as a Christian women's retreat in Easton, WA.

In between I tended the garden, and gave away or processed for storage a lot of food. Lots of peas and green beans went in the freezer. We were blessed with an abundance of tomatoes, which I finally picked green and brought inside to finish ripening. The cupboard is full of canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato jam, and dried tomatoes. Love that dehydrator. We'll eat well this winter.

Author Interview

Tomorrow, November 13, I'll be featured in an author interview on Hank Quense's blog. http://hankquense.com/blog
Hank has a couple of books to his credit as well as many short stories, and also writes articles on writing. Feel free to pass this on to as many people as possible.