Weekend Miscellany

Friday was devoted to proof-reading THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS, lips moving and carefully reading aloud in my mind. It's the very best way to make sure I have the dialect right, that I am making sense, that I'm not repeating the same word in a sentence (a common failing of mine), and that the words flow easily when read aloud.

I got as far as page 147 (out of 401) and have been charmed to find that I keep wanting to see what's next.

Since I spent most of the past year working on the novel in a very different configuration, the story I am reading now is almost new to me, as those major changes were made quickly and there was no time for me to read and reread again and again till the story was fixed in my mind.

Now, with a bit more distance between me and the previous version, I can really appreciate how right Herself was in having me pare away that other subplot.

The pictures? Just odds and ends. The yellow sedum at the top is called Hundred (or is it Thousand?) Acre sedum because one small plant, given time and rain, will spread over vast areas.

The second is a picture of the pond with raindrops dancing on its surface. And the third is a tiny box turtle that Justin found while weed eating and brought in to show us.

And last? Bobotie, made from a recipe Eleanor posted over at Thatchwick Cottage. An Indonesian dish finds its way to North Carolina via South Africa and we agree, it was lekker (tasty)!

Thanks, Eleanor!

Alien Abduction Theory

This time of year brings out the box turtles, roaming around in search of food and love. And like the fabled chicken, they always want to cross the road. I often stop to help them to the other side, having seen far too many get run over by folks who weren't paying attention. The problem is, sometimes, that the other side of the road is a sheer cliff I doubt the turtle could climb or it's a steep drop off into a rocky stream that could be fatal. So I put the turtle in the car with me and drive till I find what looks like a nice turtle habitat and there put my befuddled passenger out into a nice grassy place with water nearby.

The turtle has generally stayed tight shut as we travel. I set him down in this new place and he slowly lowers his shell and peers suspiciously out.

I imagine him later, hanging out with new turtle friends.

"Well, the way I got here is I was abducted by an alien. Thelma Lou was expecting me and I was already running a little late and just then along come this strange vehicle. It slowed down and then it stopped and hovered right near me."

"What'd ya do, Tee Roy, what'd ya do?"

"Well, I shut up tight, hoping it'd lose interest and move on but then all at oncet something grabbed me by the carapace and swooped me up. It must of been the alien, putting me into its vehicle. I stayed shut as tight as I could, having heard that them aliens are bad to to put probes in a body's orifices-"

"That's gross, Tee Roy! Did they do it?"

"Naw, they didn't do nothing. Unless it was some kindly of a mental probe, scanning my brain to steal all my knowledge. I didn't feel nothing though. The vehicle went along for a few minutes and then I could feel it stopping and could hear the hatch opening. Then the alien got out and carried me a little ways and set me down. And that's how I come to be here. Reckon how long it's going to take me to get back to Thelma Lou's? And reckon if she'll believe this story?"