My article came back from the cleaners with 18 more questions to answer. I guess the deadline of 6/26 was not set in stone even though I busted my butt to finish on time. I'm looking forward to the publication of this science/history article. It's a captivating story.

The delphiniums are still not out. Photographs forthcoming.

I guess I'm a little slow - maybe a lot slow. I was kind of flabbergasted to find a nice reference to my article about wolves on the July 25, 2008 Cynsations blog by Cynthia Leitich Smith. It's a well-read blog. Here's what she wrote:
"I enjoyed "What Good Is the Big, Bad Wolf? This Predator Helps Its Habitat. by Linda Zajac on pgs. 6-7 of the July 2008 issue of Highlights for Children. "

I am eagerly waiting for my delphiniums to blossom so I can take a picture. They refuse to open, clenched fists in the rain. My outline is done. I like it. I think it's an interesting important topic, but I wonder about pictures and if there is enough material.

It's been dark and dreary all day. Now that the sun is finally out, Walt spotted a raccoon marching through the backyard at 4:28PM. My hunting cat chased after it eager to defend her territory. Eek, but raccoon's are nocturnal. What's he doing out now? Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough with the camera.

The past week or so I've been busy doing a lot of research online and printing off a few research papers I've found. I'm very happy that my outline is all down on paper and just needs to be verified for accuracy. I think the subject is an important one and I also think it's unique. More on that later.

Good news came in the mail today! I sold another article to Fun For Kidz. Now I've got two articles in the same issue.

On the trail today, I thought I saw a red fox, but it was actually a deer wearing red fox clothing. I also saw a mystery animal. I couldn't tell what it was, then it disappeared around the corner. I ran faster and followed it, but it vanished in mid-air. I suspect if it was a small dog or cat, it would be hanging around on a lawn somewhere. It might have been a fox. If I'm not mistaken, another runner once mentioned he'd seen a fox in that area.

Talcott Mountain

Today I hiked up to the Heublein Tower with Abigail, my 8 year old niece. She is a great hiker! The tower is the tiny speck on the horizon in the first picture. I think we hiked 7 or 8 miles around the entire reservoir on Avon Mountain and up to the tower. I was pretty surprised our hike started in West Hartford, went through Bloomfield, then into Simsbury. Wow! Lucky for us, the tower was open and we were treated to a splendid 360 degree view. I've hiked to this tower many times, but just recently found this route. After a week of clouds and rain, the Metacomet Trail was more like the Wetacomet Trail. We spotted 3 orange salamanders. Mountain laurels were in bloom. I think Abby enjoyed "mudman" most of all - a very filthy mountain biker.

Abigail, maybe you could do some research and figure out what kind of salamander they are?

As far as my outline goes, it's really coming along quickly. Last night at 4AM, I came up with some punchy subheaders. Unfortunately, the cat likes to walk on my head at that hour. THREE TIMES!

I'm off and running on the design portion of a new project. This AM I did a lot of research hoping to find an exciting morsel that might make a good beginning. Right now, nothing stands out. I'm also considering how to structure the information, what to include....

This article describes a pretty radical step by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Certainly it has the advantages of saving the schools lots of money in textbooks. But, I prefer reading in an Adirondack chair or a comfy recliner instead of being hunched over a computer monitor.

Yesterday, I dropped 2 envelopes off at the post office and emailed a story. It was a good day of accomplishment. Today, I made some modifications to the "about me" section of this blog.

My son sent me the link to this Youtube climate change video with spectacular photography. It really is worth watching, but it's long - one and a half hours. I watched enough to realize I had to mention it in a blog entry. I plan to watch the whole thing when I've got a chunk of time. I also added it to the climate change link on the right.

Last night, I read a magazine article that my aunt thought I would be interested in. She was right. It was about climate change and mass extinctions of frogs and bats. Scary stuff actually.

Peonies

The peonies are out and so was I. Walt noticed the raindrops on the bamboo are perfect little spheres so he took a photograph.

On the article deadline day, the librarian called to tell me my interlibrary loan was in. Too late. I'd already gone up to the university to review the book and it was well worth my time. And that 2009 Champion Chip peanut butter cheesecake ice cream was certainly worth the trip!

Today, I finished up the revisions and emailed the completed article, which is now close to 3,000 words. The publication date is not far off - December 2009. For a science article, I like to think I blended some art with my words. Of all the science articles I've written, I believe this one is the best.

Iris'

I liked the way the sun was shining on these iris' so the camera came out once more.

Yesterday, in splendid weather, I did some kayaking on the Farmington River. I watched as mother ducks plunged their heads in the cold river while their legs paddled away at the surface. The ducklings did not copy the process nor did they appear to reap any rewards from mother duck. It made me wonder how they get food.

Only my warped mind would interpret an odd comment as a symbol of a chemical element. Wishful thinking perhaps. Only time will tell if I am correct.