A Change of Seasons

Something in the Air...

So I survived my first summer in the Deep South, and I do have to say that had it not been for a very good AC system on my house, there were days this summer that would have been unbearable, especially when combined with the humidity. But Fall is here and already I have gone at least three weeks without using the air-conditioning, nor has the humidity been a factor. The mornings are cool and with the temps only reaching into the 80s, now, I've been able to get out and work in the yard. I also see that several weeks have passed since I posted to this blog. Instead, I've been finishing a few writing projects:

• Three volumes and the final books in my Common Threads in the Life Series. For a look at this series and my thoughts about completing it, visit my writing website.
• A new and expanded collection of autobiographical essays called Slices of REAL Life.
• The Columbus Writer's Guild and each of us editing work by other members.

There's just something about the serene days of fall weather, when the days are beautiful and the nights are peaceful that allow me to concentrate on my post-retirement avocation of writing. I've even thought about writing about this Reality TV Presidential Election (soontobeoverthankgod), but there's no sense in driving away readers who might be as sick and tired of this most disgusting election cycle in American history as I am.

Now that my twin calico girls are getting a little more mature and don't need to hang onto every thing I do, I don't have to escape their incessant curiosity by hanging out at the local coffee shop to do any serious reading or writing. For example, right now, they're not locked in the prison of the master bedroom/bathroom while I'm at my computer. They're free to come and go as they want, and usually, these days, they just hang out on top of the computer desk, staring upside down at the computer screen and allow my fingers to move over the keyboard or move the mouse without their help. I've also been able to work in Photoshop again and I've come up with an apropos cover for Slices of REAL Life. This book will only be available as a Kindle book and will sell for $3.99. It contains essays I wrote for three literary anthologies, two of them published by Dutton, one published through a grant from the New Mexico Arts Division in a literary anthology, titled, The Deming Six: Voices of the Chihuahuan Desert. And several more of the essays are those I've written and never published anywhere until now.

Several people have told me that it can get quite cold in Columbus, Mississippi, in the winter, and if the humidity has something to do with making it feel colder, I'll tend to listen to those people, so I hope the heater works as well as the AC did this past summer. But for now, there's just something in the air that has got my creative side working overtime.

For those who want to traverse Mississippi on one of the most beautiful highways in the state, consider the Natchez Trace Parkway that runs from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee, over 400 miles of uncomplicated driving without Semi-Trucks. There are plenty of exits off the Parkway to visit historic towns  along the way.