A short while ago, I stumbled across a group of friendly writers on Facebook and they have weekly memes to write for. Today is Flasher Fiction Friday. Not being a regular on Facebook, I initially put the right picture up on the wrong day. *sigh* Check out today’s bit of flash, then scroll back a few posts to see the first bit I wrote for the same picture prompt. Two completely different emotions. Which do you like better?
http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

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My daughter called to say the first robins have arrived 60 miles away. Those early birds might get more than a worm for their gamble. It’s been a pretty disagreeable winter so far. Who knows what curve ball hides in winter’s mitt. There’s always potential to launch a whopper of a spring storm sometime between now and May. Right now 50MPH wind gusts have been pounding the house since 7:00 last night. The rain made a hard topping of ice on the snow. I was just out with the dogs. Holy cow. The ice crystals hit your skin like a spray of broken glass. Blah, enough already.

To many people, myself included, Robins are the harbingers of spring. I can picture them now, hopping through the new grass listening for worms, their round reddish bellies rocking as they dash from one choice spot to the next. I’m surprised I can picture grass. It’s been ages since I’ve seen any! I figure it’ll be two weeks before the birds actually get to my yard. Spring travels east to west, and south to north. I’m so looking forward to it. That spring song they sing makes me want to throw open the windows and let the cold air in just to hear it. 

To me, the advent of returning robins also means I need to clean. Known as the Annual Purge to family and friends, this is my spring cleaning time. Even my husband’s co-workers ask if I’m doing it again this year. Every nook and cranny, every drawer and closet, every frayed towel and threadbare anything goes. Perhaps I’m a little premature in my plans, given the robins haven’t actually arrived here yet. But early bird or not, I’m restless. Bad weather has kept me housebound, and icicles are starting to act as magnifying lenses on my life. I see the cobwebs and the rust and sense a hidden potato in the pantry ready to turn angry. Winter always forces me to see those shortcuts, incidences of laziness, declarations of a busy life, and inexplicable hording of little items like rubber bands and wine corks. (???) It’s time to sort and organize important things and fix the broken things. It’s a time to discard the unimportant and irreparable. My husband and I are not the same people we were a year ago. Some things just no longer fit the life we’ve built.

So…I’ll be cutting back on blogging temporarily. I’ve made commitments so I need to finish things such as the next 47 days of 100 Things Challenge. Come March, I’ll be in The Romance Reviews month long anniversary bash on my other blog. I also have quite a handful of pre-made mini posts ready to go on my other blogs that will get posted over the next several days.

While I’m knee deep  in domestic alchemy, I’ll be dreaming up new topics to complete the seemingly endless symbol series lol. I’ll also be mentally crafting new books, the A to Z Challenge, and new promo opportunities for authors to take advantage of on Exquisite Quills.  In the evenings when I’m physically dog-tired, I may even read some fiction!  Binge fiction reading and binge cleaning have always gone hand in hand. I’m an informational reader by nature. I only do fiction in batches. When I’ve filled up on it, I might walk away from fiction for a year or more. What an odd thing for a romance writer to say. Proof again I’m not really a romance writer. 😉

In the meantime, if you’d like to follow or friend or just see what else I’ve been up to here and there, please check out the tabs at the top of this blog. My Pinterest page is certainly worth a look-see as I’ve packed it with something for everyone. I also have that free 1st and 2nd chapter sampling of my novels (see link below). Do consider subscribing to this blog for future posts as I won’t be actively advertising it while I’m busy. That all takes an incredible amount of mental juggling and my mind will be on the enormous task at hand. I wouldn’t want to discover I’ve sent all my husband’s socks and underwear, our tax stuff, or the dogs to Goodwill by mistake.  😀

See you on the flip side. I’ll be infinitely more organized and creative!

Awake, thou wintry earth – Fling off thy sadness!

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Another 100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’ll post something from my chosen topic: Words on the Verge of Extinction. There are 49 entries to come.

Here’s one for today:

Colaphize (verb 1450-1656)

to beat or buffet

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Today is Author Renee Vincent’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/