Unseasonably Warm

It was “unseasonably warm” here today and this evening, but I call it just about right. It was so nice to take a walk and not be in below-freezing temperatures! No need for gloves or a hat! I even took my jacket off! To those of us around here, where it’s been a tough winter, this is something to get excited about! It was about 60F or 15C. I heard it even broke a record today.

Fog was in the air, as the light rain and melting snow met the warmer pavement, giving a bit of a spooky look out there tonight. I enjoyed my walk so much that I might go take another one!

That’s it for tonight, just a lighthearted post, after some “heavy” subjects in recent days.

Blog Post Streak Count: Day 7

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Circles

Circles.

It seems to me that life runs in circles.

You come around again, to face things you haven’t faced before, then you move on. Well, we move on regardless, but I think we can choose to move forward on the “high road” or on the “low road” – one with more joy or one with more pain. So, which path are you on?

It seems Nature likes circles and ovals (and I am spelling Nature with a big N, as I like to give it the respect it deserves). We came from the circle ourselves, when our father’s DNA mated with our mother’s egg.

Many spiritual paths talk about this “coming around again” and some even speak about reincarnation as the big wheel of life. So, maybe there is something to it, this circle thing. Perhaps the universe is one big circle, or even a donut shape (don’t mean to make you hungry, there).

I have noticed the many circular shapes in Nature, and they make very strong structures. Some people even live in ovals, or dome houses. I think they’re neat and a great idea for many reasons. I’ve been in domes before, and there’s something calming about them; womb-like, even. It can be eerie too, like you are returning to a former, very tiny you inside your mother.

What does it mean when people from your past show up in your life again? It could be for many reasons. Sometimes it’s clear that we should open the door to them again, and it feels right. Other times, we wonder if it’s the right thing to do, and if we want to open up our lives to them again or not (they may have been out of our lives for good reasons). But people can change; not everyone, but I have seen many people change so much for the better that they have surprised me. I just take it on a case-by-case basis when I encounter one of these situations.

Life and Nature have a way of surprising us, and we often are not aware that another “turn of the wheel” is about to come our way and thrust us once more towards issues we have unresolved. I don’t think we have a choice about that. But we have the choice whether we fall in love with the process of growing and learning, or we shut down and try to block it out.

I know which choice I prefer, and I wish you good fortune in your choice of path as well.

Blog Post Streak Count: Day 4

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March 2017 Full Moon

March 2017 full moon

Very nice full moon here tonight! It’s a clear and cold night, perfect for the bright moonlight to fall on the landscape and illuminate things, almost like it was a pale daylight!

The March full moon is called the Worm Moon, as the worms start to become more active as the ground warms with the coming spring.

Other names are the Sap Moon, as this is the time to harvest Maple Syrup. And also the Crow Moon, as the crows return for spring as well.

I’ve put a picture up I took tonight, but I’ll see if I can get some more later on.

Animal Tracks in Snow – Feb. 11, 2016

It’s been a fairly easy winter here this year in Ontario, and after a few days of no snow we got about 10cm last night (different story on the west coast of Canada, where Vancouver and the rest of BC has gotten the winter we’ve missed!).

This morning I woke up to look out in the yard and saw 2 or 3 tracks of different animals. I thought one of them looked like a cat (small footprints close together with pads and claws, and in a tight line, with some wavering), and we’ve had a cat roaming around here from time to time, so that was a good bet that’s what made one set of tracks.

The other tracks look to be from a squirrel (smaller footprints with pads and claws, and drag marks in fairly straight lines), of which we have several that visit here on a daily basis.

There was also a third set of tracks, I think, more blocky. Could be the cat again, in different snow, but I’m not sure. I looked online for examples of animal prints in snow, but they were not easy to find.

I made a video of the tracks, so you can take a look. If you think I’ve missed the mark on what any of the tracks are, let me know by leaving a comment, I’d appreciate it.

On the Writing Front

I’ve been working on getting the paperback versions of my short story series “MIB Files” out, so those should all be available from Amazon, soon. Here’s a link to the first two that are now online:

MIB Files: Movie Time – Tales of the Men In Black (Volume 4): http://amzn.to/2lv1jdu
MIB Files: Bigfoot Hunter – Tales of the Men In Black (Volume 6): http://amzn.to/2keBez5

Writing Now: D.U.M.B.s (Deep Underground Military Bases) – Book 6 (See the other books in the series: http://amzn.to/2l4FfW0

Saving my rotting cactus update – over 4.5 years later!

I’ve just made an update video about my 14 year-old cactus! It’s been over 4.5 years since my cactus was first cut to save it from rotting (top AND roots were cut off!), and almost a year since the last video.

See how its doing now:

There’s 10 videos in the series about my cactus and how I saved it: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE3C42EC133017FC5

I also wrote a book about it! “Saving My Rotting Cactus” (ebook or paperback) http://amzn.to/1xteqdM available from Amazon and most online book stores.

You can also buy the ebook right from me via Gumroad! I like to sell my work from there, as I get better royalty rates than other distributors and more control over how I distribute my work. They are available in the formats: EPUB, MOBI, PDF and there is a Send to Kindle function. Thank you for supporting an independent writer! https://gumroad.com/l/sfHd#

Icy shore Lake Ontario and sunset

I made this short video the other day on a walk to the shore of Lake Ontario.

I liked how the ice had formed on the tree branches from the splashing of the waves — that should tell you how cold it was!

The sunset was very red and vivid that day, and I tried to capture some of it at the end of the video. It was filmed on a pocket HD camera (very handy!) so the iris was automatic and closed down some, otherwise I’d have adjusted it to give a better exposure on the sunset. Still, I think it’s a fun little video for what it is. If you look closely, you’ll see the ducks swimming, cavorting, and bathing in the frigid. rough water.

Recently Published: MIB Files: Bigfoot Hunter – Tales Of The Men In Black

“The cry from the creature rang out in the misty night air, waking up Chuck Panter and his family in their tent.” In this installment of the MIB Files, Mr. Unknown presents the story of an encounter with the mythical forest creature who draws the attention of the Men in Black. Disclaimer: This is an original work, not based in any way on the popular movie series “Men in Black”.

Get it direct from me via Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/l/JNtEw I like to sell my work from there, as I get better royalty rates than other distributors and more control over how I distribute my work. They are available in the formats: EPUB, MOBI, PDF and there is a Send to Kindle function. Gumroad is Paypal enabled! Thank you for supporting an independent writer!

The story is also on all the major ebooks sites for the regular price:
Amazon (Direct link: http://amzn.to/1VdsYHP)
iTunes, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Google Play, and more: https://davidsloma.com/book-stores/

Saving my rotting cactus 8/9 – Oct 2015 Cactus cut part rotting

The section I cut from the main cactus in June 2015 (see the video on this) only made it until October 2015 when rot overtook it. Think it got too wet being outside in the open, as we had a lot of rain. The main plant is still fine (it was under cover), see the update for October 8, 2015 on the main plant: https://youtu.be/Bx9K0r6ocxg

See my book 3 years in the making: “Saving My Rotting Cactus” (ebook or paperback) http://amzn.to/1xteqdM and my site for other places to buy the book and a lot more: https://davidsloma.com

You can also buy the ebook right from me (via Gumroad.com) and I retain a larger royalty this way, and more control over the distribution of my work. Thank you for supporting an independent writer! https://gumroad.com/l/sfHd#

https://www.youtube.com/user/RockinFilms/videos

Crickets tell the temperature

I love the sound of crickets at night, making their mating calls! I believe it’s only the males that make the sounds.

Near where I live is a large field with a lot of crickets! At night (and even at times in the day) they make a lot of what some might call “racket” but I call music to my ears.

Did you know you can tell the temperature outside by counting the frequency of the cricket’s chirps and a little math? It’s true! This is how you do it, and I’ve tried it and it works: http://www.almanac.com/cricket-chirps-temperature-thermometer

Here is a video I recently made of the crickets nearby at night:

Night crickets walking

There’s more on my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/RockinFilms