A snowy morning can be inspirational

February 17, 2024

Last night's weather forecast was abysmal - four to eight inches of the white stuff was coming. As usual, the weather guessers were off. The measurement equaled a normal-for-us of two and a half inches. I was happy about that, let me tell you. I was so happy I wrote about it over at Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway and set up a page for a series of snapshots I took this morning. 

Sometimes it's good to stop and look. My life is currently less than peaceful, but it was easy to forget everything as the sun topped the mountain and turned the woods into a winter wonderland. Hours later, it's still lovely. The wind is blowing the snow off the limbs in quick gusts which gives the appearance of snowfall. 

I think I needed this quiet morning to simply breathe. 

*_*_*_*_*_*_

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: 
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Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

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Between the Keys, KC Kendricks, Rayne Forrest, snow, peace, rural living, LGBT gay romance, m/m romance, Kindle romance books, gay lovers, forest dwellers, 

The Elder and The Crone

December 27, 2021

I posted this over at Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway) last year. I don't write a lot of poetry, but every once in a while, the words come. Perhaps one day I'll have enough for a small volume. I hope so, anyway. -KC/Rayne

The Elder and The Crone

Of Christmas snow, I would wish

for it to kiss the ground

Pristine and white falling down, 

to the earth forever bound

Silent night gives way to day, 

quiet stirrings under brightest rays

The fire warms, the cat sleeps on, 

wrapped in quiet, steeped in peace

The elder and the crone, 

as we have now become

Sip coffee and smile, hidden behind our walls

Tasks fulfilled, our legacy fading (as it should)

Indulgent to our past, 

memories notwithstanding

KC Kendricks

Another three inches

 

February 11, 2021

Don't go there.

Yes, I write romance with some, ahem, interesting love scenes, but that is not the "another" three inches to which I refer. I'm talking about snow. As in it is fucking snowing again. 

I'm so over this winter? Maybe not. 

In reality, this winter has been reminiscent of the winters we had when I was a girl. We actually had appreciable snow in December, and that pattern has carried through to at least today. 

Winter makes living on the side of a mountain very interesting - and beautiful. When it snows, the world becomes a quiet white cathedral. It's incredibly peaceful. The other side of that coin is one should not hop in a vehicle and expect to drive down the hill. One should prepare to slide down the hill. Better yet, one should plan ahead and stay home. In the case of the writer, she should stay home and write. 

That's the plan for today. As I work on this blog entry, it's predawn. To enjoy the snowfall, I've switched on the backyard floodlights and have a nice view out my window. The deer are moving along the top of the yard, close to the stone fence (I must tell the story of the stones someday). Quiet, graceful creatures, I wonder how they fare in this sort of weather but I dare not provide any food. My garden will be in enough jeopardy from them come summer. 

It's time for me to get to the manuscript, but I'm reluctant to miss any of the dawn. I've waited so many years to finally have that luxury and it feels like I'm cheating myself if I ignore it. There will be plenty of time to work on the manuscript today. And to enjoy the snow. One does not preclude the other. 

KC Kendricks
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IWSG - Seasonal Depression

February 3, 2016

Seasonal Depression

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Seasonal depression is nothing to scoff at. It’s February. It’s cold. It’s dark and damp, devoid of sunshine. They say the days are getting longer but how can one really tell with the grey cloud cover? And snow. Let’s not forget the northern residents who have the white shit to deal with. 

Having been about this business of writing for a while, every year I read posts from various authors dealing with seasonal depression. It consumes them. It’s all they can focus on and all they can talk about. It steals their talent and their time.

Those of us who experience only a mild desire to hibernate don’t fully understand just how debilitating this disorder can be. At least I won’t pretend I understand what a full-blown case of seasonal depression must be like. An extra hour of sleep a night is all I need to get through mid-January to mid-March and stay on track in my life.

It’s tough enough on a good day to hit whatever word count you’ve set for yourself. Exercise? Yeah, forcing myself to go out in the cold to walk takes some amount of willpower, but the fresh air is worth the chill.

It scares me to think of what would happen if one day I would simply give up and not step outside. Or only have the will to write in the sunshine. This fear is more real in 2016 as my mother was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I'm many things in this life but at the core I'm a writer. It's who I am. I never want to lose that. 

Need a quick read? Hey, Joe is available at online booksellers for a whopping big 99-cents. 

HEY, JOE:

Available at:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V2TDF3M

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00V2TDF3M

iTunes/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/hey-joe/id1073505551

Barnes and Noble/Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hey-joe-kc-kendricks/1123238308

Rakuten/Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hey-joe-7

Universal link to additional booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/47oJj4

Hey, Joe webpage:  https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/hey-joe-by-kc-kendricks.html

 

KC Kendricks
My home on the web- Between the Keys: http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
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My country life at Holly Tree Manor

Deja vu strikes

January 22, 2014

All you retailers out there, read up. Us middle-age folks just don't understand all these new-fangled gizmos you're using. We've got money, honest we do. Let us select our purchases, put them into our basket, and continue shopping. We get a little testy when you treat us like criminals. We're hard-working-tax-paying-born-on-American-soil-go-to-church-meeting-law-abiding-baby-boomer-citizens. While we don't excuse our little laspes, such as leaving a mess of men's toiletries lying in the aisle, we are far from contrite. In fact, some of us will never be contrite again.

To what do I refer?

The spousal unit decided he needed a new electric shaver. No problem - or so you'd think. It turned out to be a big problem, same as the last time.

We hopped into his full-size Chevy Silverado pickup with an extended cab and honking big redneck tires able to plow through a foot of snow like it's confetti, and we did sally forth into the bitter cold night to the not-so-local pharmacy. It's about ten miles from our home to what passes for a town. And did I mention it was freakin' cold?

The spousal unit drives through the parking lot and not finding a reserved handicapped parking space (yes, he has HD license plates) he picked out a really tiny parking space in which to park his truck. (Please refer back to the line which describes said truck as a full size Chevy Silverado.) We slip and slide across a poorly plowed parking lot into the pharmacy and find the aisle with the electric shavers and that's when the trouble started. Again.

Yes, we've been down this particular ugly road before, about seven years ago, and with the same consequences. It was deja vu in a different store.

The security boxes will not, WILL NOT, come off the hook on which they attached. We looked for the security latch, but no luck. So my beloved gave the box a good yank. Giving the box a good yank had consequences. Remember Newton's Law that states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Right. The box was attached to the metal pegboard-thingee which was attached to the shelf-unit-thingee which was not attached to the floor.

Also not attached to anything - men's deodorant, men's hair color, men's shampoo and, of course, condoms. At least nothing shattered into a million pieces upon landing on the floor. BUT the electric shaver came loose and we ran to the checkout as fast as we could knowing one true fact:

The only safe place for us is on our mountain.

We have no clue as to why electric shavers are hot contraband. I have no clue why we couldn't convince the clerk to help us, either. Apparently she couldn't lock the cash register and come help. The experience has left us a bit jaded and thinking maybe we need to reconsider big online retailers. And that's a shame because we think buying local is important and we endeavor to do so.

But I'm not sure we can go back to that pharmacy. Considering the mess we left in our wake, they might not allow us in the door....

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
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A dusting of snow

January 18, 2014

I missed signing up for today's My Sexy Saturday and the sky did fall - we got a dusting of snow in the overnight hours. My world looks white and clean this morning, but it won't last. The fine powder is already blowing off tree limbs and branches, and in a few hours will be gone. It was pretty to wake up to, though. 

It was a hectic week. Getting the new processor up and running has taken a lot longer than I thought. You see, the moment I mentioned I had purchased a new processor, my lovely stepdad had to rush out and get one, too. Guess who he called for help? 

Laughing at the man who takes care of your mother, and does it quite well, simply isn't very kind, but I couldn't help myself. I hope that doesn't make me too much of a bad person, but ....okay, I'm laughing again thinking about it so maybe I should move on. He's really a great guy and it's nice to be needed, isn't it? 

I'm not sure where the hours will lead me today. The dusting of snow tempts me toward the outdoors for a walk, but since my old dog's arthritic feet don't allow him to travel far, the lure of clean, crisp air is muted. I miss his presence on my walks but I can't bring myself to get a pup. How could I take off on a walk with a young dog knowing it would distress my poor old love to be left behind? I can't do that. So if I go for a solitary walk, I'll sneak out of the house while he's napping. 

The fact that part of my day will be spent working on a story goes without saying. I'm down to the very last pages in Fallon and Sundown's latest adventure. A lot of truth about the Chal shapeshifters come to light in this story and it leaves Fallon wondering about his total involvement with his lover. Maybe not a happy thought, but certainly a natural progression to their story. 

With that said, it's time to get to it. The cup of coffee I made in our handy-dandy K-cup machine needs a trip to the nuker to be warmed. Being Saturday, I need to check for updates on all the electronic gizmos that crowd my life these days and then I need to get some writing done. 

Have a great Saturday! 

KC
www.kckendricks.com
http://kckendricks.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Jett

Again? Really? More snow?

December 9, 2013

Did the people at the Weather Channel draw a bullseye on western Maryland? Yesterday we had 5 1/2 inches of snow at my location, followed by what amounted to about an inch of ice forming on top of the white stuff. This morning, warmer air made it possible to get to work, but relief that this early December blow was past was short lived. 

My once and future honey called me for the express purpose of telling me we might get up to another six inches of the white stuff tomorrow. Excuse me? Is this a joke? He does like to have fun at my expense, but he's not joking this time. 

I'm trying to see the silver lining in the clouds, but I guess because I had to come to work today I'm too grouchy. I don't want to have a snow day dangled in front of me like the carrot in front of the donkey again. I want a damn guarantee! 

So here's my bribe to the universe. Let me stay home tomorrow with my DSL intact and I'll finish my Christmas shopping online. It'll be good for the economy! 

KC Kendricks
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***UPDATE***
December 10 - It's snowing. Like REALLY snowing. Looks like today's the day to finish Christmas shopping. 

Here comes the snow, ice and freezing rain

Once again, it seems that the Weather Channel has my world on high alert. I could poke fun at them, but that would be admitting that I've plugged into it. So, okay, I admit I have. I take seriously all the warnings of doom and gloom about the impending snow and ice freezing rain. My goodness, what are we going to do? Those folks on the television will tell you to the point of insulting your intelligence.

Maybe I’m a tad grouchy this morning. Today was the day I was supposed to go to Hershy, Pennsylvania to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert. I haven't been to a concert in many years, not because I'm unable to go, or unwilling, but because I'm generally financially opposed to the cost of a concert. Anyway, the tickets are going to go unused. The Weather Channel says a winter storm is bearing down on our location.

I confess I've been watching the screen on my smart phone as the blue cloud closes in around us. I've also been looking out the window to see the first snowflake, but it hasn't come yet. I have a bit of an ulterior motive in watching for the snow to begin because snowfall is the best time to burn a brush pile, and I have a huge one that’s been growing all fall. If I can’t go see the TSO, I can at least play pyromaniac. The falling snow keeps the fire contained, and I don’t have to worry about burning the forest that covers the side of my mountain. Now there's an activity for keeping warm the Weather Channel won't mention.

Or maybe I’ll just fix a fresh cup of coffee and retire to the sunroom to watch the pretty snow. It seems a better plan for the remainder of the morning. 

KC Kendricks
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Christmas Eve

It’s Christmas Eve, and like every day I don’t have to go to my day job, I’m up early. It's strange how that works. Heaven knows that on a typical Thursday, I can barely drag my butt out of bed in time to make it to work on time. But this is not a typical day. It’s Christmas Eve.

Being up so early has several benefits. The house is quiet, except for the ticking cuckoo clock. I started a fire in the woodstove, and it snaps and pops from time-to-time, but I like that. It reminds me of my grandparents home when I was very young. I suppose I even like the clock, but it wasn’t always so.

When my partner first moved in, and wanted to hang that monstrosity on my living room wall, I balked. The cuckoo has a stag on top, and a hare and pheasant hanging upside down on the front. Dead carved animals. Just what my décor screamed for. But I confess I’ve gotten used to the chiming, especially in the night. And one clock is a small concession for those finer things the man brings to my life.

The winter solstice is past, and the days are getting longer. Already I sense the difference in the light. It’s still early, and the world outside my window has been cast in shades of gray, but the moment when the sunlight sneaks in under any cloud cover, and what colors found in winter appear, is upon me. The tiny green holly tree outside my window is a thing of beauty against the white snow, as are the cardinals hopping around on the snow, coaxing for a handout.

There is also that old saying, “red sky at morn, sailors be warned.” The sky to the west is quite pink, but as long as I can write, all warm and cozy in front of my monitor, let it snow, sleet, rain, whatever.

I need to get writing. I’ve crested the 10K mark in the current work-in-progress. That’s almost a third of this story, or so I think. It may go a bit longer depending on what the characters have to say about it. I do want to get it done, so that means no more promo work until it’s finished. Some writers can do lots of promo work and still churn out several thousand words a day, but I’m not one of them.

The writing will have to wait one more hour. The man of the house has shuffled out of the bedroom, moaning, in need of caffeine. I’ll spend a little time sitting at the dining room table with him, watching the birds, and then he’ll have to amuse himself for a few hours while I write.

It’s Christmas Eve.


KC Kendricks
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