What Am I Doing Now?

Happy Tuesday friends,

Things have been slow lately so I'm gonna take pages from Julie Wunder and Austin Kleon and tell you some of the things I've been doing recently.

Bookwise: I was reading through the Cecilia and Kate series by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I got part way through the The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After when I saw I wasn't going to finish it before it was time to return it, because it's difficult for me to visit even the nearest branch of my local library I use the digital library and check them out through my kindle app. I'm not sure how to extend my check out, and I don't want overdue fees so I figured I return it an check it back out, didn't realize someone else was on the waiting list, so I'm waiting for it so I can finish. Sadly not all peeps can speed read like I tend to.

Binging: Still watching Critical Role I'm making my way through the second campaign. I love the characters especially Jesture, she's just adorable and mischievous. If I keep watching at this rate I'll be caught up before long. Upside caught up, downside what to watch on the bad anxiety nights, never fear I am going to rewatch and maybe actually finish Barky's Brigade.

Music: I have The Old Ways from Loreena McKennitt's The Visit album stuck in my brain. It's a beautiful song. It's based off a New Year's Eve experience she had the turn is as haunting as she says the experience was in her song description on the CD booklet (Hit the info tab on the website to read it for yourself). I love to lay in bed and listen to this song.

Food: I have been eating everything in sight lately. I'm hungry constantly lately. I think it maybe one of my meds. Cause I had some trouble with eating like this last time I was at a full pill of it. I am thinking about making up some of Sugar Bean Bakers' Pumpkindoodle Cookies, they are so yummy. 

Animal Friends: In the backwoods we have many wild animals that we encounter. I heard a deer snorting last night, I've also heard the call of a screech owl.

For a few days I made the acquaintance of a frog hanging out on a trail, sadly it seems to have moved on, I wish I'd gotten a picture.

I did get a picture of this cute ground hog out my window:

It's things like this that make me happy to live where I do.

Other Things I'm Noticing: I've been noticing couple spider webs. The first is one made on the trail where I spotted the frog. I first noticed the huge spider in the middle of it. Then as days go by I look up in it to see what's up with it. Seems the spider has left it, but it's still hanging there. Sadly due to it's position I couldn't get a picture of it.

The second web I noticed in this morning's sunlight. It shone like a brilliant rainbow of colors. The photo doesn't do it justice:

Saying Goodbye: We had to say goodbye to an old friend. A pine tree:

It was dying we think due to some ivy and it'd got over grown from us not being able to trim it. So we bid it adieu.

What are you guys up to this week? Let me know in the comments.

I hope your week is good, happy Fall, and may God Bless You!
Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Daily Treasures: Watching for the Space Station

Hello Sky Watchers,

After a few failed days at seeing the space station, we've been covered in clouds when it's gone over, I finally got to see the space station fly over. It's not the first time seeing it fly over, but each watch is unique in it's own way.

Tonight I saw the dark silhouettes of the leaves shaking in the breezes that touched my skyward face. The neighbor's cars riding the roads, causing dogs to bark nearby. Hearing also the motorcycles all the way from the interstate.

Something small jumped in front of me on the drive way and hid in the grass. So that will remain a mystery. Lorenna McKennitt's "The Old Ways" was probably in my head as it is now.
I saw a hand and arm reaching out in the clouds, perhaps to pull the station along.

Looked better before I grabbed the camera.

Then finally the station come over silently. It looks so small, but I know in contains it's own wonders, and maybe people looking down at us.

Do you guys have any good sky gazing tales? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you all have a good weekend, may there be plenty of stars, and God bless you!

 Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Pumpkin Skies

Happy Pumpkin Spice Season friends,

The season has brought with it it's numerous pumpkin spiced offerings which now includes Spam. *gags* Why, just why?

Because of this I thought I'd share with you peeps a funny pumpkin related story that happened with  Fangirl and me a few pumpkin seasons ago.
We were coming back from a day out and we'd just had supper. I was stuffed, but Fangirl wanted to get some Pumpkin Ice Cream from our local Dairy Queen. I think I got a small and  ate as much as I could before I got sick from being over stuffed. I actually for a while after this whenever I smelled pumpkin I'd get sick.

Anyway after getting the ice cream we stopped at a store some where, and Fangirl offers to finish drink the melted remains of my ice cream. Well as she was drinking it the setting sun turned the sky an orange. Apparently Fangirl's eyes were either closed or obstructed by the cup as she drunk it cause she was done and saw the sky and asked if the sky was orange or was it just her. I assured her the sky was indeed orange and it wasn't just her. I guess she thought she over did the pumpkin.

So what are you favorite Pumpkin, or Pumpkin Spice offerings? Let me know in the comments. I hope you guys have a good week, enjoy your pumpkin spice, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Halloween Goodness

Happy Friday my friends,

Sorry for the blog silence. Between an abscessed tooth, the mental health hydra, and worrying over getting the tooth pulled, I've not been in the best of states. Well the offending tooth has been removed, by a great dentist that made the process practically painless, which was not the case with my last tooth I had pulled in middle school I recall feeling needle pain, unless that was for the tooth fillings... Any who I'm good.  So today I'm going back to this past Saturday. With it being September the world is erupting with Halloweeness, well actually that probably started in July, but Fangirl and I just now started looking at the stores for Halloween goodness. I though I'd share some of my favorites.

First is the return of Ashland's® Meditating Yoga Skeleton at Michael's. I want this so much, but it is a little big for my current space. That is why I'm happy to see Halloween Makers Namaste Yoga Skeleton that is smaller in size at Jo-Ann's.

I saw also at Michael's Ashland's® Typewriter. I love typewriters. This one had the ominus message: help typed out. Strange thing is Maker's Halloween has a type writer with the same message at Jo-Ann's. So who copied who?

I also loved Maker's Halloween animated radio with a glowing skeleton head. I like you turn knob and get different music numbers.

The next two are both favorites of Fangirl's and mine. First from Jo-Ann's The Boneyard's Mini mermaid skeleton. You can totally use it for your year round bathroom decor.
Michael's wowed us with another Ashland® piece with this winged skeleton on a tombstone. It's all morbidly beautiful.

We also made the stop at the orange Halloween Express tent. As usual it was hot even more so on this warm September day. We didn't stay long, just long enough for me to oggle over the John Lennon style glasses for their hippie costumes. I so want those style glasses.
The one thing I noticed at Halloween Express this year was the disturbing clown pieces by Morris Costumes especially this Tug of War Clowns one.

That is some of my favorite things I have seen this year. Do you have any favorite things you've seen in the stores this year? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you guys have a good weekend, stay weird, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Max Patch Trip

Welcome to another Monday my friends,

Saturday my family and I went to Max Patch. We rode over in our new to us truck, the radio was playing good hits, and we had meatloaf in the cooler. It started out beautiful, the sun light shining down.

I was surprised how crowded it was at Max Patch I never seen so many cars on the side of the road. We went down to Max Patch Pond where there was a family fishing, so we decided to ride around till later when hopeful they'd be gone. We road over to where my Grandpa grew up, I think one of the barns is still standing. We passed a squirrel and I did my best Doug impression.

We had lunch which consisted of Mom's meatloaf, some potato wedges we bought at this general store called Ferguson's Supply, and Mom's homemade biscuits. Nom Nom.

As we road back toward the pond it came a rain and there was a major exodus of vehicles. The rain subsided by the time we got back and the sun was out. The water was so beautiful.

When I walked to the other side of the pond I saw a frog jump into the pond, didn't hear any of the bullfrogs this time we usually hear.

On the way home Mom spotted this mushroom so I had to get out and get a picture.

If you ever in Madison County NC check out Max Patch and it's nearby pond, their beautiful. Click here for more pics of the patch and it's pond.

I hope you all have a good week, go adventuring, and may God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

The Ninja Writer's Library- The Wood Cutter Sisters Series

Happy Friday Book Lovers,

In today's segment of the Ninja Writer's Library we are looking at some of Althea Kontis'
The Wood Cutter Sisters series. A realm where  fairytales collide.

Enchanted: The Woodcutter Sisters Book 1 

Continuing from the last book I reviewed: Spelled (The Storymakers) by Betsy Schow, we have another retelling of fairy tales. Though unlike in the last book where there the fairy tales were mashed together in that world, it felt like they were a subtle blend in this world.

I like the use of the Monday's Child in the story, the link actually mentions this book series. I guess that's why I like Sunday cause I was born on a Sunday, though I do not fit the poem at all. Sunday also collects stories which I think is cool, and gets lost in her own world, I'm guilty of that too.

The book held enough mystery to keep me interested to wanting to know what was going to happen. If you love fairy tale retellings this the series for you.


Hero: The Woodcutter Sisters Book 2 

This book's focus is on Saturday, the tomboy of the sisters, and the one who is perceived the normal one amongst all the magical siblings. The other main character is Peregrine a prince trapped at the top of the world. These two characters cross paths after Saturday accidentally breaks the world and is eventually captured and taken to the top of the world.

The first book in the series I knew what fairy tales were used, but I'm not familiar with most of the ones in this one except Snow White that briefly pops in. I like the character of Betwixt, I think I got that name right. He's a chimera I think and always transforming between beings that is a mix of two animals. My other favorite thing in this book is Saturday's ever-changing name day gift it was a axe, then a sword. It'd be cool to have something like that!

Dearest: The Woodcutter Sisters Book 3

This is the story of Friday Woodcutter, the sister with mystic sewing skills and full of kindness. We get to see the events of the previous book from the people in the kingdom, and how they endured during the upheaval of their world.

This was another beautiful blend of fairy tales we saw, I can't remember the name, but it involved swan princes, the swan princess, even the Darlings from Peter Pan appeared in some form in this fairy tale clash.  I love how the author puts her own unique spin on them. I especially she did with the one swan brother who was particularly cursed, much cooler than the version I read in this fairy tale book as a kid.

Sadly this is the only three my library has at the moment, maybe I'll be able to continue the series at some point.


Are you guys reading any good books? If so let me know in the comments. I hope you all have a good weekend, read lots, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Cemetery Decoration Tales

Hello Friends,

So this past Sunday was Homecoming at my church, which means the Saturday before was Decoration Day. We decorated family and friends'. graves. Our little cemetery is so peaceful and it has an amazing view:

I think this cemetery has been here since the first church existed. I think they built a new one right before my Dad was born or when he was young. Just a few years ago they added a new section.
I love that you can learn the community history and the people. I was doing some research one time about my small community and learned that some of the old postmasters (mistresses) are buried here. I found an old postmaster listing then got curious and looked them up on Findagrave.com under this cemetery. Love this website it's helped me out on family research.

Speaking of Family this site is a trove of personal family history. I got four generations of one side of my family buried here, plus two gens on the other side of my family. Three sadly only have a simple square marker that just says Hannah. So we don't know which in my great Grandmother and her second husband and his brother.

A Decoration Story

I actually have a funny story that started with this cemetery. One decoration we were talking to a church member who I think is over the cemetery. The church had been thinking of making the new section at this time. Well they wanted to see who of their members was going to be buried there to get an estimate how much more space they had. Well since my folks, sister, and I are embers we asked for four. We didn't know if my sister wanted one so I said I'd message her when we got home. Now my sister and me have a sense of humor. I could have been normal and just asked if she wanted to have a plot, but no that wouldn't do for me. I think I said something like "Do you know where your remains are gonna lie for eternity." I figured I get a ha ha or a eye roll in reply. What I got was my sister freaking out. I very confused did explain.
I'd find out later on why. My sister and her family where driving out to do a family walk and play Pokemon Go. She'd just parked and her lights were shining on the headstones of a graveyard when my creepy message came through hence why she freaked out. I should feel bad, but it's kinda funny.

I hope you all are having a good week, pray for the victims in the latest shooting, and may God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer