Went to my first Springfield Art Museum board meeting this evening; everybody was very friendly and I enjoyed being there. It took about two months to become official. Of course first there was the interview with the assistant mayor and the director of the art museum. Then the city council had to approve my nomination, and finally I was sworn in at another city council meeting. Verrry Interrrresting…. 😛
This month of May started with me finding three four-leaf clovers in two days at home. Yesterday coming back from Memphis I stopped at Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, to give the dog a chance to do what dogs need to do. I found a total of five four-leaf clovers before we got back in the car and left. This morning I found one more! This must be a good omen for a good decade.
Were there really no wells in Amsterdam in the late 1600s? While researching material for my book about Maria Sybilla Merian I realized that not once had I come across any reference to wells. Nothing was mentioned in the books I read. I had not seen any marked on old maps of the city. Oh there was plenty of water with all of those canals, but I suspected that the canal water was salty since they did connect with the sea. So where did the residents of Amsterdam get their drinking water? Who could I ask?
The illustrations and cover are finished. The book, Chloe Starcatcher, written by Beverly Crandell based on a story by Chloe Pierce, will be privately published. I will post a few illustrations from the book later.
Today the participants of Jano celebrated with a party. A group of local writers, who liked the idea of writing for one month on a novel of our choice, but didn’t like doing it during the month of November, decided to do it in January. (So instead of Nano, we called ours Jano.) We had participants from coast to coast; not even sure how one of them even found us! Four people actually reached the goal of 50,000 words. But not me. However, I now have a good start on a mystery novel. Prizes were awarded at our celebration party for several things; I tied for “best first page.” Yea! We all enjoyed hearing what everyone has accomplished. This was fun, and the mutual cheerleading encouraged a lot more writing. (Now for Jano 2011)
Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery writers group I belong to, decided to spend a month in which each member (who chose to do so) would write a 50,000 word novel, but not in November when it’s usually done. We chose the “bare” winter month of January. Problem was…I got sick and totally drained of all energy. Took a long time to “come back.” And while I did not reach the 50,000 goal, I got a really good start for a novel that has been just running around in my heard taunting me for a few years. Now to go back to work finishing other projects!
I plan this year to finish the five major writing or writing related projects that I’ve been working on.
One: complete the editing of my biography about the life and times of Maria Sybilla Merian, a woman who captured my heart because she played with caterpillars all of her life, was a very important part of the development of the field of entomology, did her own meticulous research, and became famous. She persevered and did all of this even though everything was stacked against her. What a gal!
Two: finish the illustrations for a children’s book written by Beverly Crandall.
Three: complete the last bit needed for my picture book about Maria Sybilla Merian, and send the dummy book out searching for a publisher.
Four: send out a children’s book I have written about a ghost’s discovery that he is a ghost.
Five: complete the writing of a 50,000 word mystery novel during the month of January, even though I have a slow start right now. : )
Last weekend in Columbia, MO, I tried Tiger Ice Cream at MU. It was quite tasty and the scoops were the biggest I’ve seen in awhile.
Last night we went to Andy’s where I had my favorite––a concrete with raspberry topping (which means the topping is all mixed in). Delicious.
But my all time favorite is the ice cream I had in the little town of Wilster, Germany, at the Eiscafe Rialto across from the church. It was a dish called Spaghetti Ice Cream; looked like real spaghetti with tomato sauce! Tasted fantastic! I loved the combination of looks and taste. And if I’m ever back in Hamburg, I will definitely take the train to Wilster for more ice cream at the Eiscafe Rialto.
I have taken Maria Sybilla Merian and her family from Frankfurt, Germany, where she was born to Nürnberg, back to Frankfurt, on to Castle Waltha in Friesland, northern Holland and now to Amsterdam.
The first photo shows the cobblestone street––notice the width of the street––and a modern wall that is boundary of someone's house/yard today.
The second photo gives a better look at the outer wall. The tower has the door which is an entrance to the upper walkway of the wall. Here I can imagine the men, whose duty it was to defend the city, walking their assigned stretch and keeping a close surveillance of any activity outside the city.