Technical Difficulties

1. Yesterday, I wrote letters to Senator Feingold, Senator Kohl, Congresswoman Baldwin, and President Obama (email to the president, paper letters to the legislators) about the oil spill and BP's abhorrent behavior. This is the first time I have ever written a letter to any of my elected representatives, and if it does even a particle of good, I will be passionately grateful.

2. Because my mother-in-law asked, I went out yesterday and took pictures of various portions of the yard: roses, lilies, marigolds, etc. Plus a picture of the Elder Saucepan for lagniappe. Gallery here.

3. Last night I managed to get out of the stupid anxiety dream wherein I'm back in high school and failing calculus, but only by turning it into a MUCH WORSE nightmare about undead ghoul/vampire/Fury creatures feuding with each other.

4. There is no item 4. Yes, there is! Item 4 is that today is the 66th anniversary of D-Day. I loathe war, but that does not mean I do not honor the bravery of the men who died on the Normandy beaches--and the men who survived. And although I will argue about the necessity of war in almost all circumstances, I have read enough about Hitler to know that in this case, yes, war was the only way to stop him, and he had to be stopped. So, those who died on June 6, 1944, and those who survived to fight on, I am grateful to you and I honor your memory. And those veterans who are still alive, I hope this June 6th is a good day.

5. Have I mentioned that I'm going to be at Fourth Street? Because I so am! It looks like I'm going to be on two panels (including one that is based on this post, about which, yes, I would admit to being a bit chuffed), and of course I will be there for the rest of it, too.

Inevitable addenda:
(1) I am very near-sighted and very shy, but neither of those means I don't want to talk to you!
(2) Unless I'm late for a panel (or otherwise obviously busy), I'm always happy to sign books.

1. Dave Freer could use some help. He and his family are emigrating from South Africa to Australia, and their definition of "family" rightly includes their dogs and cats. As Dave says in his FAQ:

They had always been part of moving budget: we’re selling our home to do this, and will have to start afresh in Australia. The part we didn’t figure on was currency fluctuation and quarantine costs. Thus we have some money towards moving them, but simply not nearly enough.

Dave is putting his novel Save the Dragons up on the web, a chapter at a time on the Scheherazade model, to raise the necessary money. Waltz over to the website to read and/or donate.

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2. Also, while I'm here, I missed Outer Alliance Pride Day--not in any sort of deliberate fashion, but because I've fallen into a hermit-like hole. I can, just about, nag myself into making posts, but keeping up, even with my minuscule reading list, has become more than I can cope with. I've probably missed a lot more than Outer Alliance Pride Day.

So anyway, yeah, Outer Alliance. Support thereof. A story of mine featuring queer characters.

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3. Instead of the internet--or actual work--I've been conducting guerrilla warfare with various parts of the yard. Started with the Anthropophagous Rosebush, cleared the sidewalks of encroaching sod, cleared some breathing room for the Grandfathered Rosebush, removed dozens of tiny maple seedlings. I like gardening when it's a full-contact sport.

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4. We have thought for years that the big green thing in the back yard was a flourishing bush, but closer inspection reveals a tree stump: the "bush" is a thicket of saplings. My question, revealing my complete lack of woodsy lore: what kind of tree is it?

ETA: It's the rootstock of an apple tree.

( Name That Tree )

Yes, that's me in the second picture. Photography by mirrorthaw.

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5. I mentioned Peter Mulvey's new CD, right?

Today I planted two Cerise Bouquet climbing roses, in the hopes that they will be obliging enough to climb the trellis on the west end of the front porch. I am uneasily aware that I am standing at the top of a slippery slope, rose-wise, and am hoping that my aversion to sunlight will keep me strong.

Also, a plug: HelpMeFind.Com is very aptly named, for they did, in fact, help me find the identity of my roses. (The nursery from which I got them had had them for quite a while and had lost their information.)