Rose Farm, Bolton

Rose Farm, Bolton, CT

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are fantastic opportunities to take college courses at no cost.  It's wonderful that complex subjects such as climate change are available to all.  Although scientists concur, the general public still considers climate change to be a controversial issue.

I help out as one of the many teacher's assistants in a Climate Literacy class at the University of British Columbia.  The voluntary job entails monitoring the discussion board, answering student questions, providing links for further reading and reporting problems that need the instructor's attention.

Walt and Lola

Alternate viewpoints and healthy debate are encouraged on the discussion forum.  Disrupting the forum, derailing discussion, demeaning other students and discrediting teacher's assistants are not tolerated and are dealt with on a case by case basis.  In only two runs of this class, all of these problems have occurred.  This has brought about a flurry of discussion and suggestions on how to prevent future problems.  It has been an eye-opening experience realizing the lengths that some people will go to to disrupt a learning environment.  Unreal.

At this point, I've had enough of picture time

I am really looking forward to the American Association of School Libraries Conference in mid-November in Hartford.   

These photos were taken at Rose Farm in Bolton, at the height of fall foliage.  I'm really not big on appearing in my own blog/website, but the leaves were spectacular that day, so I thought I'd share.

Home tweet home

At New Media Day in Amherst MA, I listened to speakers discuss the digital revolution.  James McQuivey, author of Digital Disruption, was the first speaker.  He impressed all one hundred people in attendance by giving his entire lecture without Powerpoint because the projector wasn't working.  To get an understanding of the quantity of the digital marketplace, he mentioned Apple has sold 155,000,000 ipads.  He also said that the most successful writers are those that publish with traditional publishers and also self-publish.

Reflection in pond water

Rubin Pfeffer, who works at East/West Literary Agency, discussed the market and how publishers are creating digital imprints and collaborating with e-publishers to meet this new demand for digital content.  Three authors discussed their experiences turning their out of print books into e-books.  Sales are tough because the app search facility is lousy. Lastly, Ruth Sanderson spoke about her long career and being flexible and willing to try new things.

The nicest strip of community garden

I brought my camera on a stroll through the woods out back.  Color was everywhere.  
 

Yesterday, I attended a workshop about school visits given by Alexis O'Neill.  I was fortunate and grateful to have had that opportunity.  She was excellent and covered a lot of material in two hours.  The time flew by as I sat their soaking up her words of wisdom.  She discussed how to create engaging presentations with a beginning, middle and end and she also stressed that this was THE most important consideration.  Then, she talked about getting gigs, how much to charge, promotional material and what to send the booked customer.  One of the things she cautioned against was ending with a question and answer session.  If you do that, the momentum and enthusiasm will slow right down and the presentation won't have a strong ending.  . 

As I drove home I thought about the presentation that I created.  It definitely was engaging--definitely, but the beginning and ending needed work.  I'll have to think more about how to improve those.  The talk also sparked my interest in creating a new smaller workshop, one that I could give at the art center in town.

When I take photos, sometimes I'm so immersed in getting the shot that I fail to notice the details, like goose C484 (see prior post).  In these photos, I didn't notice the small notch of red on the clear wings until after I downloaded the photographs.  They reminded me of colored tabs in a file cabinet.  I believe this is an immature male autumn meadowhawk dragonfly.

Btw, this looks like a great website to identify wildlife if you live in Connecticut.     

Lake Waramaug State Park

Moonrise in a pink sky, Mount Tom Pond, Litchfield

I applied for and was accepted as a teacher's assistant for the Climate Literacy class at the University of British Columbia.  Thirteen TAs from Australia, Thailand, India, Germany, Vancouver, the United States, and possibly other locations, were enlisted to help.  Even though class doesn't start until September 30th, I've already fielded one question.  About fifty students have introduced themselves in the discussion forum.

Although it takes time to browse the threads, I am enjoying reading comments from all over the globe.  It is rewarding knowing that I'm contributing to the students' greater understanding of climate change.

Eating a "quacker"

October is shaping up to be a very busy month.  On October 6th, I'm going to a school-visits presentation by Alexis O'Neil, a school-visits guru and excellent presenter.  On October 19th, I'm going to New Media Day, another SCBWI event.  The third week in October may give me some anxiety with a first-time platelet donation, a trip to Boston, and notification about something.  It has the potential to be an awful week and it has the potential to be a great week.  So, I'm not allowing myself to think about it.

Lake Waramaug, Kent Connecticut

I've been making inroads.  I've learned it's a lot more work to get the water wheel moving again once you let it stop.   Today, I finished up a lovely piece of literary science.

It wasn't until I looked at my photos that I noticed Goose C484.

Last week, I spent the day at Lake Waramaug with my friend Carol.  We sat by the shore admiring the beauty of the lake and watching the wildlife waddle way too close.  She read while I wrote.  I would have loved to have kayaked on the glassy lake, but the rentals were closed for the season.  On the ride home, the harvest moon was stunning, shining over the pond.
 

Our stomping grounds on the shore of Lake Waramaug

   

Story ideas continue to stream in faster than I can tackle them.  The urge to write a blog post seems to stem more from photographs I want to share than from writing related news.

Faulkner's Island Lighthouse

This past week I received a couple of nice emails:

From the Climate Literacy class I took:

"I'm writing to invite you to apply to become a Community TA for the next run of Climate Literacy, which will begin on September 30th.  If you're reading this email, it means that you were one of the very top students in the class, as measured by a mixture of class performance and forum contribution. In a class so large this is quite an accomplishment."

From Denise McConduit:

"I checked out your website and I was amazed at the good environmental work you are doing! Just bringing awareness about climate change, wildlife and nature is so worthwhile."

Two weeks ago, I drove down to the shore, hoping to take a boat out to Faulkner's Island Lighthouse, which is only open one weekend per year.  When I got to the marina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency was debating whether to take the aluminum boat out in three foot swells.  Although high seas sounded quite exciting, the open house was eventually canceled completely.  On that cloudless day, I sat on the rocks, watching the seagulls and taking photographs.       

A Writing Chair

Along came a spider, who sat down beside her

Last month, I shipped out a whole bunch of things.  After tallying everything up, it turns out, I churned out the same amount as when I wrote science passages in the fall of 2012.  It will likely be a long while before I hear back about any of these.

This month, we gutted the family room.  It was long overdue.  We've been painting and painting and painting and painting the dark paneling, and it's still not painted.  Walt used a sledgehammer on the couch.  He said I spend a lot of time in that room writing and I should think about getting a couch and/or chair with that in mind.  So, like Goldilocks, I've been sitting in all kinds of chairs and sofas, testing them out.

That got me thinking about what makes a good writing chair.  Outside my Adirondack chair has wonderfully wide arms and comfortable seating.  I can't see myself writing in a stiff backed formal chair.  Some couches and chairs are meant for tall people; the cushions are so deep that your feet dangle in mid air.  Other seating is hard or butt ugly.  We settled on a couple of cushy recliners with wide padded arms.  I can't wait to sit in my new writing chair!

Cooked chicken dangling from a spider web

Last week, I was outside writing.  Every time I looked up, I noticed this spider.  I decided to try an experiment and see what the spider would do if I dropped some cooked chicken in its web.  Initially, the spider ran up the web and hid under a shingle, so I think beef would have been a better choice.   I wondered if the spider would wrap up the chicken or if it would try to clean up its web.  After a few hours, the dog came outside, smelled the chicken, poked her nose in the web and destroyed it.  So much for my experiment.       

Book Review - The Boy Who Wouldn't Read

 A fellow Chautauqua conferee asked me to do a book review.  After reading the book, I was glad to oblige.  It will be published in September 2013.  
 
 The Boy Who Wouldn't Read by Denise McConduit


Robbie doesn't like reading.  With the sweep of a sorcerer's magical wand, he no longer has to worry about this dreaded activity.  In this rhyming book, his expression goes from boredom to glee to horror as he gets a glimpse of a world without words.  Colorful lively illustrations make readers realize that reading doesn't only take place in the pages of a book.  This story has the potential to open up a whole avenue of discussion about where we read and why reading is an important skill.

Rose of Sharon, a hibiscus

For most of the past month, I've been hunkered down in my writing cave, digging up ideas, drafting letters, and developing stories. Ever since I finished my class, I've been sprinkling seeds, lots and lots of seeds.  The diversity reminds me of a wildflower mixture.  With luck, something lovely will sprout.

My approach has changed.  Usually, the story comes first, then I find the market. Lately, I've started with the market and gone hunting for the story.  For my effort, I've uncovered entertaining, amusing and wildly exciting subjects.

I've backed away from the social media writing community because, right now, I don't feel a need to divulge these sparks of activity.  I've cut back on blogging too.  I'm particularly satisfied that I finally wrote and sent out a cute story I've been wanting to write since 2009.

When the weather cooperates, my writing group meets at this picnic table for plein air critiquing.

I signed up for New Media Day despite it falling on my birthday.  Groan.  It's all about technology and the digital age, which is my background.  I decided if I don't go, I might miss out.

The Birds and The Bees

Bee with its proboscis sticking out

After debating whether I wanted to commit to a summer course, then debating how much effort I wanted to put in, I'm mighty pleased with the grade I received today.

Some people wrote on the discussion forum that they thought the quiz questions were tricky and meant to deliberately trip up a student.  I disagreed because I thought they went beyond the material, challenging the student to think deeper about the subject matter.

Other problems on the discussion forum with some students (climate skeptics) showing general disrespect to all of those who disagree with one's position were corrected.  "A small number of students have resorted to outright abuse, rather than simply expressing alternative or unpopular views. This has now been remedied: students who are regularly abusive will be banned from the forum."

Male cardinals are striking.

Class Statistics:
24,303 registered to take the course
2,600 were active in the last few weeks of the course
750 earned certificates (a mere 3% of those who registered)

Alumni have since started groups on LinkedIn, Facebook and on Google.  I joined all three. 

Male cardinal

I've decided that my mid-range camera takes great macro shots, but the photographs aren't so crisp from far away despite resting the camera on the deck railing.        

Enders State Forest, Granby

For a sense of scale, take a look at the umbrella on top of the falls.  Someone was under it.

I try to take advantage of conferences when they're in my area.  So, when I found out the AASL (American Association for School Librarians) was planning a November conference in Hartford, a mere twenty minutes away, I was delighted and so were my writing friends.  I think I can get by with a one-day, exhibits-only pass.  Excited!!!

The first view of the water.

The Northeast region of the American Chemical Society is also having a conference in New Haven at the end of October.  I will be checking back on that one to see if there is anything of interest.

Walt and Lola look dwarfed by the water.  Here you get a sense for how slippery it was.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Climate Literacy class that I just finished was the world map.  It had numbered pointers that corresponded to other students' written classwork.  The impacts of climate change could be seen from Kiribati to Crete to Croatia, from Bangladesh to Belgium to Bulgaria, from the Southwest to South Carolina to South Africa.  It was an eye-opening global view of how climate change is affecting the planet.  Many students wrote of drought, rising sea level and fires.

It is shameful that while we haggle here in the United States over whether climate change is manmade (it is) or natural (don't be a moron), there are other people on the planet that are suffering the very real consequences of inaction.

Another waterfall

These photographs were taken at Enders State Forest, a place where roaring waterfalls cascaded from the rocks.  The hike was short and more like a walk with an incline.  On a hot humid day, the only rain shower in the state dumped a bucket of precipitation on Enders while we were there.  We were soaked, which made the trek along the edge all that more treacherous.  Since someone had recently slipped at the park, a couple of news teams were in the parking lot.  I practiced my speaking skills by agreeing to be interviewed, dripping as I was.  They aired footage of kids doing flips in the water instead of one soggy hiker pretending she was at Toastmasters.  What a shame!

      

A First Draft of A First Draft Machine

Mexican sunflower

I don't let Hope play near traffic because she'll get hurt.  Instead, I keep her close to my heart. ~ LRZ

A first draft is a tricky little devil.  It slips and slides out of grip.  Often times I wear myself out running through starts that cough and sputter.  Those are false starts that don't get the engine roaring.  I want a beginning that powers the piece.

Conference prep

I've been reading a lot about how we sit too much and about treadmill desks, so I thought I'd try the treadmill for hammering out a first draft.  The machine does not appeal to me at all for running.  A mile feels like ten when you're staring at cement walls and shelving filled with books and other stuff that you can't seem to part with.

I simply added a wooden table insert over the treadmill arms and voila, a desk.  It's dark in the cellar so, I enlisted the help of a retired dorm light.  Together my team and I are moving forward much faster putting words, okay scribbled words, on paper. 

Daylilies

Last post, I mentioned I wanted to start three things, but I hadn't even decided what three.  I hopped on that treadmill and walked my way through that decision, selecting three diverse projects.  Not only that, in one hours time, I wrote 2.5 pages of anything but neat writing.  That writing moved me forward on all three projects.   

The one bothersome aspect of this First Draft Machine is that it uses electricity.  Thus the trade-off becomes productivity versus energy use.  I am now thinking sitting on an exercise ball or standing may be enough movement to get momentum going on a first draft.  Next time I write a first draft, I will test out one of these ideas.  

Hydrangea

I used the treadmill prior to the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference to read books by authors and publishing houses.  Aside from one book that I mentioned, that prep work was all but forgotten when I got there.  Stellar.  I noticed 2014 information is on the website.  I plan to return.

   

The finale

A science writer is an air traffic controller, of sorts.  Stories appear on the radar from all directions.  As the cargo lands, it's processed and evaluated quickly.  Is it worthy of sending out?  Can I get a scientist on board?  Which direction is best?  Outbound flights are strategically packed with good science so they arrive in the best possible manner.  At the radar screen, it's hard to gauge the reaction on the other end.  All science writers want more than a safe landing.  They want their cargo placed in the loving arms of an enthusiastic recipient.

Tinkerbell must surely be on her way

I still feel like an apprentice, slow at matching stories to markets and settling on a direction.  My airport is a sorry sight.  This week, I'm aiming to study the radar screen and make some quick decisions.  If all goes well, I'll get three flights on the runway.  I have made great progress in writing first drafts quicker, which I'll blog about next week. 

At the end of the evening, the smell of gunpowder hung in the air as smoke billowed up from the trees.

I had a dream an editor snapped at me, "Quit babying me!"  I suppose that comes from my latest line of thinking that they are a touchy bunch. (grins) 

In an effort to go head to head with fiction, I wound up with first and sixth honorable mention in a Children's Literature contest.  I swapped chapters of a manuscript and was hoping for a first place win for both chapters 1 and 2 (chapter 2 which used to be Chapter 1, won in 2010).  It was not meant to be.  The judges commented "well-researched" and "thorough bibliography."  Yep, that's what on want on my headstone, she wrote a great bibliography.  Not! 

A dandelion puff, high in the sky

It was a mighty delighty nighty watching fireworks.  I've never been successful taking fireworks photographs (perhaps I should have done some research on what settings work best).  This Canon SX260HS has a "fireworks" setting which works fantastic!
           

Tassy Walden Contest

Tassy Walden Contest winners

Last Wednesday, my writing friends and I trucked down to the Connecticut shore to attend a reception for the Tassy Walden Contest winners.   I was thrilled that my friend, Natasha Garnett, was honored.  Also on the list for the NINTH time was a friend I met at Chautauqua, Betsy Devany.   It was great to see her again.  I enjoyed listening to the distinct voices of the winners and also meeting veteran writers like Leslie Bulion and Doe Boyle.

I just finished up module 7 of my online course and I will breathe a sigh of relief when I'm done in a few weeks.  I have learned so much, but I hesitate to tell anyone all that I know because I'm going to sound like Chicken Little.  I am enjoying the banter on the discussion board and I've noticed those that STILL believe the climate is changing due to natural causes have regressed from stating things without supplying supporting facts to name calling.  I've been called delusional and stubborn and I've been told my voice is meaningless.  One person wrote, "What has to happen to you to return to reality, have a piano fall on your head?"  Thankfully, there are hordes of sharp participants that squash all the untruths such as one thread titled, "Global Warming Debunked: NASA Report verifies Carbon Dioxide actually cools Atmosphere."  WRONG!  Use reliable sources, NOT blogs! 

21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference - the wildlife

Red-tailed hawk

First of all, I didn't go to this conference looking for wildlife, it just happened.  I burned the candle at both ends while I was in New Paltz.  Late one night, we went on a field trip to check out the racy signs in the ladies' room, but that's not the wildlife I'm talking about.

Suny, New Paltz

Sunday morning, I got up too early and I knew that getting back to sleep wasn't going to happen, so I strolled by the ponds outside the Student Union where the conference was held.  In a matter of minutes, I got lost in the sound of songbirds.

Muskrat

While I was taking a photograph of the ducklings, a muskrat popped its head out of the water.  I sat on a rock watching it until it disappeared.  Then I walked a short ways and stopped.  Across the pond, a red-tailed hawk swooped down low, landing on a weeping willow limb.  It eyed those ducklings like they were dinner rolls.  I SO enjoyed that walk in solitude and found it hard to pry myself away, but I'm glad I did because it turned out to be another great day for nonfiction.
  

21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference

Faculty from Charlesbridge, Cobblestone, Lerner, Pearson, Time Home Entertainment, National Geographic and Highlights

    This past weekend I attended the first ever 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference.  I had a great time! It was at Suny in New Paltz New York, an appropriate setting for writers who frequent university libraries.   I listened to lectures on pitching, the Common Core, making the most of book fairs/conferences (how fitting) and school visits.  All of them will be helpful as I move forward in this writing journey of mine.

     The conference was Chautauqua-style, where editors were accessible.  The biggest surprise were the "mystery editors" that lurked anonymously among the tables.  Boy, was I ever floored to find out I was sitting next to an editor at Harper!

Chalk petroglyphs (this was the only chalk art I found)

       The conference was an excellent place for meeting other nonfiction writers.  One of the nicest things is that although our resumes differed, I never felt inadequate or unwelcome in the rather large crowd of published authors.  In fact, a prolific author of 180 books came up to me and noted that we were Facebook friends.

One of the entertaining signs in the ladies room of the dorm

      There was quite a mix of people in attendance.  Aside from writers and editors, there was a rep from an assessment company, book packagers, a Publisher's Weekly rep, educators, folks from the Highlights Foundation and Highlights magazine and those "mystery editors."  It was a conference that represented the needs of nonfiction writers and the various markets they write for.  Perfect for me!
      By Saturday afternoon, I was yearning for some solitude.  I longed to take a walk around the little ponds near the Student Union where the conference was held.  I resisted the temptation because I didn't want to waste a moment.  On Sunday morning, I got my chance.  I took an early morning walk and was absolutely delighted with the wildlife I found.  I will post those rather amazing photos next time.
      The thought of hurrying home to salvage Father's Day was on my mind as I pushed it to meet two more editors (we're having a Father's Day, observed).  It was a little intimidating knowing they were sizing me up as I spoke.  I have replayed those conversations, over and over, picking them apart like owl pellets.  Why didn't I say that?  Why DID I say that (open mouth, insert shoe)?   I learned I need to polish my approach and not be in haste.

The world's largest vending machine is the size of a bus depot!

     I put a lot of thought into whether I wanted to plunk down a good chunk of change and commit to this.  I'm glad I went.  Although I have nothing but good things to say about the regional conference (NESCBWI), I feel more at home in the throngs of other people with the same passion for research.  After the evaluation forms are read and reviewed, I expect that next year's conference will be even better.
   

Hubbard Park, Meriden

View from the castle at East Peak - Mirror Lake in Hubbard Park

Sometimes I get so immersed in writing that everything else fades into the background.  I snap at writing when my efforts aren't rewarded.

How could you do this to me?
Writing answers (see "asylum" under labels).  "It's not me, it's YOU."

What striking shelf fungus!

The sting fades when a new story comes prancing along.  It sweeps me away with fascination or it cries to get on paper.

Last night I read that a lot of people sign up for MOOCs, but only a small percentage finish them.  Stopping is easy because when you invest nothing, you have nothing to lose.  Despite the odds, I'm still plugging away at the Climate Literacy MOOC.  I'm almost halfway through it.  What I'm learning is that we the people of this planet ALL need to do our part to cut emissions of carbon and it is imperative that we move on this now.

The discussion forums are wonderful resources.  There are some on the boards that think that climate change is from natural causes.  After conversing with them and posting a bucket load of facts on that board, I've come to the conclusion that some people like to argue for argument's sake, not because they have a valid point that can be backed up with fact.

Standing on East Peak, wishing we were on West Peak 

Sunday we had every intention of hiking up to less crowded West Peak in Hubbard Park.  Surprise, surprise.  At the end of the steep trail we found ourselves at the Castle Craig Tower on East Peak (976').  I climbed the tower and took the vista shots.  We were looking for the blue trail off the white, but we didn't realize that we needed to hike a small piece of the red trail to get there.  

This is a GREAT map that I wish I had taken with us.  Next time.