Day 9: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Another slow NaNo writing day. I got less than 400 words written before midnight today. At midnight the new report is logged into the site and anything written after 12:00 goes onto the next day’s total. Makes sense, right? But if I keep writing and add my totals in, it changes the numbers in my widgets here on my blog, and therefore they don’t line up with the numbers I’ve told you. Usually, I like to add my number of words per page as I go, but if “the Muse” is on a roll, I keep going and add ’em up later.

I’m not proud of my small efforts today but this is all part of it, so even if I should write nothing I will still report here. Hopefully, I will always write something through this challenge.

My widget said I have 24% done, but now it is at 25% because I wrote a little more after midnight. My stats report tells me that at this rate I will finish Dec 10. 🙂 I hope to improve my words per day to finish on time.

Soon after I woke this morning, an idea came to me for PiBoIdMo challenge. I wrote it down and this afternoon I had the idea ”fleshed out’ so that I have a story planned from it. So that’s 13 ideas so far, and also I have added a little here and there to some of the first 12.

It’s been nearly a week of rain, rain, rain, with some families in Nova Scotia having to be evacuated because of serious flooding. Wednesday the rain will stop and the sun will reappear. I’m so busy that I even forgot to get depressed due to lack of sunshine! 🙂

Have you had trouble with too much water, especially along the eastern seaboard?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Day 5: NaNoWriMo & PiBoIdMo

Wow! It’s the end of day 5 already in these challenges. Today I only got around 13oo words written for NaNoWriMo, less than the 1667 I was supposed to write, but I was ahead so didn’t really lose anything. As it adds up, I’m 300 words into the next day. The weekends are going to be much harder to find writing time, I think, and I’m not sure how to keep this story going so that it makes sense, but aside from that .. it’s all good! 🙂

When only two days into the NaNoWriMo challenge, I started to talk to my husband about something that evening, then stopped, thought a moment, and said, “Oh, never mind, that isn’t here, that’s in my story!” 🙂

Even though I am already thinking in terms of my story much of the time, I also am aware of the little things going on around me. There are picture book ideas everywhere. Today I captured three for PiBoIdMo. Of course, some of those will never go anywhere, but this is all part of the brainstorming that has to happen in writing. It’s fun.

This evening I took a pause from writing to do some reading. I am still working my way through the Bible, but I also read another little book today and added it to My “have read” book list page.

It has been a very windy and rainy day here in Nova Scotia, but we are having warm days and warm nights after a cold spell. Our beautiful leaves have finally reached the end of their colourful display, I’m afraid. The wind has been plucking most off their trees and is now blowing them helter- skelter. It makes the trees bare of colour but adds variety to lawns and fields.

Don’t forget to check my new page: NaNoWriMo Updates (2010).

What do you like about Autumn/Fall?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

Different Thanksgiving day, same thanks giving

Here it is already a few days past Thanksgiving. Our weather has changed from a week of above normal temperatures for this time of year, to the next week’s cooler than normal temperatures for this time of year. Strange weather persists, but .. I honestly believe it is all part of Earth’s natural cycle. Just look back in history. Still, no matter the varied opinions on that, we have much for which to be thankful.

Thanksgiving here in Nova Scotia, Canada, was a windy but colourful day. The leaves have changed colour and many that have let go of their tree’s branches are now either blowing in the breezes or are already part of the Designer‘s carpet covering the ground. Very pretty.

I have been asked why is our Thanksgiving earlier than USA’s? Well, our harvest comes a little earlier due to the fact that we are further north.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October to give thanks for a successful harvest, but was first started in 1578 as a thanks for surviving the long journey from England. In 1621, settlers in what is now the USA celebrated a bountiful harvest with the Wampanoag Indians who helped them survive. It now is celebrated the fourth Thursday of November in remembrance of those Pilgrims who settled the ‘new world.’

My family always has a big dinner on the Sunday, as do many families, even though our actual Thanksgiving Day is on Monday. It is a day we spend together (after church for some of us) enjoying the produce of our gardens and a beautifully cooked turkey. And yes, we eat too much. But who can resist all those wonderful veggies and the selection of pies? Yum!

God has made ample provision for us in our two nations. We have so much for which to be thankful.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name. – Psalm 100:4

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you observe any traditions at this time of year?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂

ends and beginnings

This week we are experiencing a heat wave in Nova Scotia. As we enter hurricane season, Hurricane Earl is making its way up the eastern coastline, and we here are enjoying (or not!) the high temperatures and heavy humidity. By the time Earl arrives on our shores its hurricane status is expected to be downgraded to tropical storm strength. That means we will get lots of wind and rain but with less fury, and probably some areas will suffer damage, but because the storm keeps veering a little off the course it was on we do not yet know for certain how much of the province will take the brunt of it. One good thing is that the storm will sweep the humidity away with its passing, and the temperatures will lessen by more than ten degrees making it seem quite cool in comparison to what we are enduring now. (I want to make it clear that I am not complaining – because Summer is far too short – but the high heat and humidity combination really drains one’s energy.)

For awhile this evening my husband and I stood out on our deck enjoying the refreshing evening breeze, which is cooler than what the fans can push around in our house. I love looking at the sky filled with stars, and listening to the night sounds. How amazing it all is! Now the crickets are chirping steadily, a sure sign of the end of Summer. This morning I heard another flock of geese honking loudly in unison as they flew over, another sure sign of the oncoming Autumn.

And today …. today our darling little grandson started school! How can it be this all-important day so soon?! He was excited to climb onto that big yellow school bus, taking him into the next phase of his precious life. (Later over the telephone he told us he enjoyed his first day of school.)

I remember my very first day of school. It was horrible; I was so painfully shy. And to add to the problem, I had become very ill with tonsillitis during that summer and had to have a tonsillectomy just before school began. Of course, that meant that I was unable to start at the same time as the other children, which made it even more difficult.

So … do you remember your very first day of school? What kind of memory making day was it for you?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂