So here we are with half the year gone. I find myself thinking that any year that has no disasters is a good year, and thus the year has been good so far. The summer has been wonderfully mild and I'm happy to report I've been making the best of it in the sense of spending a good chunk of time outdoors.
The most interesting aspect of this summer to me -- and I report this as a matter of reference -- has been the incredible lessening of flying insects around my house. Usually the rafters are full of paper wasps, I get at least one hornet's nest, a carpenter bee or two dive bombing me, Japanese beetles assaulting my trees, and a proliferation of bumble bees in my gardens. This year I have seen none. Even the mosquitoes are down from previous years (although they still chase you inside after dusk). I have no explanation for this as I have done nothing different, other than to have a fair amount of mulch in Spring. Now that I think of it, even the deer/bunnies have been laying off my hostas. It could be random or some kind of natural cycle. It could be they found easier pickings elsewhere. Either way, I am glad for the lower stress enjoyment of my yard.
Writing has slowed again. To the point where I fear for ever finishing my latest project and have begun to question myself and my abilities. This is a natural, normal thing I have to fight through. So I've started reading Peter DeVries' Slouching Towards Kalamazoo. DeVries was a huge inspiration when I started writing and so I'm going back to him in the hopes of extracting a little more mojo.
I find myself with about four weeks of use-it-or-lose-it paid vacation time, which is the result of my scaled back travelling, of course. A good problem to have. I really wish I could travel more. I do miss that about the previous decade. Perhaps I can kickstart that again in the second half of the year because there is no way I am going to lose it.
[Travel] Return to the Mack
[Rant] Snapped Cable
[TV] Lords of the X-Files
[Movies] More Action
