growing

It's RASPBERRY SEASON! When I was growing up my grandma had a raspberry patch behind her garage and I thought the coolest thing was picking and eating my fill back there in the summertime. I couldn't wait to start my own patch, and my sweet neighbors Jim and Janet, donated my first canes from their abundant garden. After we built our shed in in 2013, I transplanted those canes and added more to this strip between the building and the sidewalk. It's an ideal location because the canes can't spread into the yard, I can reach the back without much trouble, they get plenty of sun and water there, and it's easy to keep weeded since I put down some fabric and mulch. A few weeks ago I cleaned out my canned goods, dumped everything out of date and unsafe to eat, scrubbed and sorted the jars and lids, and this week I WAS READY for picking! They're coming in gangbusters thanks to all the rain and I'm sad I'm leaving midseason because I know I'd get another 2 batches of jam off this harvest.

I reckon if you work in my labor keeping this weeded and pruned plus picking time and paid me per pint of raspberries, I deserve $8 per pint.

It's also HAMMOCK SEASON! My hammock is in a shady spot and catches the breeze on the corner of our porch. I dragged over an old crate to keep a beverage within reach and nothing feels more luxurious than a lazy nap and reading time while I listen to the birds and insects.

When we built our house, one of my first purchases was this hammock and it still makes me so happy.

In other news, deer continue to decimate my hostas, turkeys are hanging out in our front yard, and Rose came inside the other night and made it all the way back to our bedroom before I noticed her face looked weird. Upon closer inspection, I saw the baby rabbit she carried by the nape of the neck. I freaked out a little, but D (AKA Dr. Doolittle for a long history of caring for all kinds of creatures great and small) took it from her and said it was still alive. He carried it back outside and found it a safe spot beneath some bushes, out of sight from the owl in the tree nearby. We're not sure whether Rose was acting maternal or about to have a snack based on how carefully she was handling the rabbit, but Woody was NOT PLEASED as D took the bunny outside. I had to hold him back so he wouldn't rush out and take that fresh snack for himself!

Woody's really cute when he's sleeping. Bit of a jerk when he's awake.

No clue why they think our front yard is so great.

Last year I attended several conferences with the goal of sucking up all the knowledge I could to improve my writing and approach to marketing. Lucky me, I had more hits than misses while adding exponentially to my readership and network of fellow writers. I mastered using BookFunnel and joined a newsletter swap with other writers, I entered the exciting world of Facebook Groups and discovered great conversations and opportunities, I became a podcaster (!) which landed me thrilling interviews. What a rush! Every year I sit back and make a list of goals for the year ahead and that list often includes learning/mastering new tools or skills.

I'm about to head to the Romance Writers of America 2026 conference and I hope it doesn't feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose this time. I've highlighted several sessions I want to attend and I can't wait to spend time with some of the people I met last year. I applied for pitch sessions with agents, a brand new experience for me, and I spent HOURS writing, rewriting, crossing out, and starting over the opening sentences for a 3-minute pitch. I love the MS that I wrote and I came up with a half-decent title and great comp titles for it. Stay tuned for my report on how it went!

I mentioned some misses. I joined Pinterest because I'd read an author's testimony about how great it was for broadcasting your book, but I never quite figured out how to use it and I wound up swamped by emails featuring pins that all looked the same: 20 ways to style baggy jeans, cozy bookstores, and fall decor ideas. No matter what I did, the pins I saw rarely changed and the platform seemed so glutted with AI slop that I sensed anything I pinned would never rise above to slop to be seen by anybody. It's possible I was Pinterest-ing all wrong, but no matter. I deleted my account and feel relieved by my decision. I also deleted my Etsy account because that platform's overrun by sellers who aren't quality, vendors basically reselling stuff they bought cheap at craft stores on online. I know enough crafty people to source what I need going forward, or I'll hit local markets to find things. The Little Known Art House downtown Appleton features Wisconsin artists and I'm happy to pay more knowing the work has been done by real people. It's a shame, I used to love finding gifts for people on Etsy, but enshittification* is real and happening everywhere online.

On this note, if you're looking to avoid AI, I highly recommend using Duck Duck Go for your browser. It allows you to opt out of any AI without a hassle and it didn't take long for me to appreciate the improved accuracy and relevancy when I used it to search for things.

Spill it, reader. What season is it in your neck of the woods? What new things are you learning or trying? What have you quit?

*In 2022, Canadian journalist, the brilliant novelist and activist Cory Doctorow coined the term “enshittification” to describe the degeneration of the internet.