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dernwyn
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Apr 12 2025, 1:26am
Post #26 of 62
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are doing a lot better than the Red Sox - although it seems like their whole league isn't doing very well.  I hope you do get to see the Dodgers in action in person before too long.
Seems like you've had some lower-stress weeks at work lately, I hope the company is doing okay?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
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Apr 12 2025, 1:28am
Post #27 of 62
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Well, maybe you should actually purchase one? Do you have a good spot to plant one?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Starling
Half-elven
Apr 12 2025, 1:33am
Post #28 of 62
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They are scattered all over the park for agility fun.
One of the tracks we go on has had a recent rockfall, and Tama loves climbing and investigating.
Edited to add, this park is at the edge of the main Victoria Park, where the horrible events portrayed in Heavenly Creatures played out.
(This post was edited by Starling on Apr 12 2025, 1:40am)
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Starling
Half-elven
Apr 12 2025, 1:34am
Post #29 of 62
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that makes total sense.I am lucky this park is only a 5 minute drive away, but it really feels like it's well out of the city.
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Starling
Half-elven
Apr 12 2025, 1:36am
Post #30 of 62
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I'm glad you are enjoying some sunshine too.
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Starling
Half-elven
Apr 12 2025, 1:37am
Post #31 of 62
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I get them around my garden sometimes, which is such a treat.
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dernwyn
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Apr 12 2025, 1:43am
Post #32 of 62
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That's one of the best "secrets" to good writing
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Like a sculptor with stone, start with a ton of words, then pare and sculpt them into the form you want to see. Enjoy!
Quince brandy? I'm curious! How do you make that?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 12 2025, 2:15am
Post #33 of 62
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Springy Springy... Lovely Thingy!!!
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Michigan is STILL playing with us. Cold Mon, colder Tues, warmer Weds, cold Thurs, better today (Fri)... I feel like I'm riding a rollercoaster! But I do see some of my Spring flowers trying to venture out of the soil.
Daughter and I decided to have an at-home date today here in my nest. We had bbq spareribs, fries, garlic toast and watched a movie ("Oceans 11"). We had a great time and both needed this break :D
No other real plans. I'm feeling a huge urge to get on with my Spring visit to Charlevoix up north on Lake Michigan. I'm keeping an eye on the weather so I can get up there. 50 to 65 degrees is best... so hopefully it will get here soon! *twitch* They just had a very damaging ice storm within the past 2 weeks, so they're still doing damage clean-up and waiting for better weather. They're 3 hrs north of me, so the weather is often way different.
Thanks lots for taking such great care of us, Altaira! Have a great weekend everyone!
We have been there and back again.
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Kimi
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Apr 12 2025, 2:45am
Post #34 of 62
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Peel and core, grate them, pack into a jar, fill jar with brandy, and leave for as long as suits - at least a month. This is just something I've (successfully) tried out, not a real recipe, but fun! It makes a very nice liqueur (always assuming one likes quinces, of course), and afterwards the soused quince bits are yummy as part of a crumble/cobbler/etc with apples or pears.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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DwellerInDale
Rohan
Apr 12 2025, 3:38am
Post #35 of 62
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There are a few Redbud trees for sale locally, but unfortunately they are a bit expensive. April is a very bad month for buying extra things, especially this year; in addition to taxes and sending the quarterly tax payment for my academic editing business, my major source of projects may be under threat, as about 90% are from researchers in China, and certain comments about "peasants" have gone over like a lead balloon.
Don't mess with my favorite female elves.
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 12 2025, 4:40am
Post #36 of 62
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A day or two ago one of their announcers joked on air that he looked forward to them playing the Chicago White Sox this weekend, as the White Sox 'invent new ways to lose baseball games." Well, tonight was their first game head-to-head, and the White Sox won 11-1.  Talk about karma.
Thanks, I hope so! We're trying to find a game that's not with some powerhouse like the Yankees, who bring the prices up. Just have to keep looking!
Oh hm, I have no idea. Personally speaking I think our owners are mostly incompetent, so it's a bit of a miracle they've made it this far, but who really knows haha. I've certainly had the odd idea here and there of just throwing my hands up and applying for a job at a local bookstore as a bridge between whatever's next, but I'm not quite there yet.
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
(This post was edited by cats16 on Apr 12 2025, 4:40am)
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dernwyn
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Apr 12 2025, 2:07pm
Post #37 of 62
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Re-using the soused quince bits!
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Mmm, that would add a lovely taste to a fruit cobbler! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
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Apr 12 2025, 2:13pm
Post #38 of 62
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"Oceans 11" is one of our favorites - we like to watch that, then follow up with "Oceans 8", which is also superb. (And has Cate Blanchett and Richard Armitage in it, for a bit of LotR/Hobbit connection.)
This Spring has had such ups and downs with weather! I'm sorry to hear of the ice storm north of you, I hope their budding trees weren't too heavily affected!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 12 2025, 3:29pm
Post #39 of 62
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Amazing view, indeed. What a great place to give the pup some adventures, and have a few yourself.
Happy weekend! 
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 12 2025, 3:32pm
Post #40 of 62
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Pretty much going from Fiesta right into happy hour? Way to start the weekend!! 
Have a great one!
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Annael
Elvenhome
Apr 12 2025, 3:34pm
Post #41 of 62
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describes the first draft as "shoveling sand into the sandbox." You don't start sculpting until it's full, and then you start on building the castles. I use this metaphor a lot with clients and it helps them get going without second-guessing themselves as they go.
I also like Tolkien's comment that he had to rewrite LOTR "backwards" after finishing the first draft because so much of his original ideas got changed as he went. I tell my clients who write nonfiction NOT to write the introduction until the last because they're going to have new ideas as they write. (No one listens, but it's good advice.)
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
(This post was edited by Annael on Apr 12 2025, 3:35pm)
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 12 2025, 3:37pm
Post #42 of 62
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Sounds like a lovely sight to have pink everywhere. We have (or *will* have), some pink, but mostly white and pale pink, interspersed with pink and lavender lilacs. Can't wait for that phase of Spring to start.
Enjoy!
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 12 2025, 3:45pm
Post #43 of 62
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There you go making me hungry again!
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Sounds like quite the harvest you're having, and have well-laid plans for what to do with it all.
Goodness, you've cut several thousand words? I guess the first pass is to just get the story on the page, then the next involves making it flow better? A very interesting process!
Enjoy all that wonderful food!
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Altaira
Superuser
Apr 12 2025, 3:51pm
Post #44 of 62
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I feel your frustration, but warmer weather will be here soon enough. Lovely 'date' with your daughter! Glad you both got a much-needed foodie and movie break.
Keep watching that northern weather, and have a wonderful weekend!
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Apr 12 2025, 4:22pm
Post #45 of 62
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The seasons seem to be having a bit of fun at the moment, whichever hemisphere you're in! We're coming to the end of a ridiculously warm spell for April; the sky clouded over this afternoon and rain (hooray!) is expected tonight. We've just had the driest March since 1961. I've been out with the hosepipe, helping along recently planted things and everything growing in pots. It's been an expensive couple of weeks; I went halves with the next-door neighbour on replacement of a 6' wooden fence, then my fridge-freezer expired! I have a new one now and will be watching the pennies for a while. First world problems, eh? Have a good weekend, what's left of it, folks - cheers!
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dernwyn
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Apr 12 2025, 10:33pm
Post #46 of 62
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I'm assuming that was a 6' tall fence? How long was it? And did you paint it, stain it, or let it go "au naturel"?
And refrigerators have a nasty tendency to suddenly die without warning. Was it very old? The new one would be a lot more energy-efficient, so that's a good thing!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Kimi
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Apr 12 2025, 10:57pm
Post #47 of 62
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Yes, a very helpful way of looking at things. I sometimes think of it as like erecting a scaffolding as I write my way into figuring out how a scene will work, or getting to know a character, and then removing that scaffolding (along with the versions that just didn't work out) when I have it how I want.
I've sometimes told myself that this time I'll write a "tidier" first draft, and have less work to do afterwards, but I've now more or less accepted that it's just not a way of writing that works for me. I feel that for me the end result is richer if I've allowed myself to explore more widely and deeply as I go along.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Kimi
Forum Admin
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Apr 12 2025, 11:11pm
Post #48 of 62
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Yes, a good harvest this year.
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Not for everything - that would be too much to ask! Some things were badly affected by our windy, dreary January - almost no figs, for instance. But the freezer is filling up nicely with other bounty.
I tend to write a messy first draft, with far too much in it, and trim that down fairly viciously (see the mini-convo with Annael just above for useful metaphors). Subsequent drafts will (hopefully!) further improve flow and refine the prose. It's a lot of work, but very satisfying when it turns out how I'd hoped.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Apr 13 2025, 1:36pm
Post #49 of 62
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in a tolerable shade of brown, so that can look after itself. The fridge freezer was only 7 years old - they don't make 'em like they used to! Hope this one lasts longer.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 13 2025, 4:28pm
Post #50 of 62
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And here I wasted my time last night watching an ACDC Concert! ;) I definitely got thunderstruck...
We have been there and back again.
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