So I edited Ms. C’s invitation from “Let’s go eat some BUGS” to “Let’s go eat    [Continue reading]]]> I finished yesterday’s post, published it and looked at it again — something felt Not. Quite. Right.   I did a little research, and sure enough, cardinals eat nuts and seeds, NOT bugs. Shoulda known that from my bird feeder.

So I edited Ms. C’s invitation from “Let’s go eat some BUGS” to “Let’s go eat some SEEDS.”

Phew, much better.

And then I thought about it some: I spent actual real-time minutes researching whether a talking –  hello? — wild songbird would eat bugs or seeds. I was aiming for authenticity in my dialogue.  In billable hours it would have been only five bucks or so, but still.

That’s just plain nuts. If I were Ms. C chattering away in my front yard, I’d say, for sure, “Let’s go get some chocolate croissants and maybe a latte.”

Next time I’ll try for more authenticity, more true grit.

Whoops, wrong cardinals…. sorry.

This morning I walked down the driveway to get the paper and there in my palm trees (minus the snow, thank heaven) were not only the male cardinal, but a female cardinal as well.    [Continue reading]]]> I know y’all are anxious to find out what’s happening with my kamikaze cardinal, so here’s the latest:

Whoops, wrong cardinals…. sorry.

This morning I walked down the driveway to get the paper and there in my palm trees (minus the snow, thank heaven) were not only the male cardinal, but a female cardinal as well. Phew. A couple of minutes later I saw them both in front of the garage window, where I overheard the following conversation:

Mr. C: …and then I fought him – bam bam bam – until I scared him out to kingdom come. (Cardinals = get it?)

Ms. C: Oh, you brave thing. Just look at your crumpled feathers from defending the territory for me!

Mr. C: Yeah, you shoulda seen the other guy. I just knocked him out of the park. (Cardinals = get it?)

Ms. C: You are my hero! Let’s go eat some seeds to celebrate and then gather a bunch of sticks for a love nest.

And they sailed off into the oak trees.

**

Obviously I am having difficulty working on my novel this morning.

But no more. Sunday A. and I were sitting at    [Continue reading]]]> I admit it: I’ve been a slacker lately. I’ve diddled and dawdled away my writing time and not had much to show for the last month or so. I’ve read alot, and that’s good, but my writing production has been pretty tiny.

But no more. Sunday A. and I were sitting at the kitchen table with coffee when I announced that, From This Day Forth, I would write at least 1500 words a day of my novel to try to get closer to the elusive target and my goal words: The End. As I said that, the sky — which had been sunny and cloudless — suddenly turned black. We looked at each other and laughed.

Was that a sign?

Dunno. Later I was reminded that Monday was the start of NaNoEdMo, cleverly dubbed by my writing buddy Kathan as ‘the ugly stepsister of NaNoWriMo.’ And that I had, in an earlier time zone, committed to NaNoEdMo since I, silly girl, thought I’d actually have a completed novel by March 1 to edit. And then spend 2 hours a day editing it.

No matter.

I’m not a fast writer, and only on rare days of sublime inspiration am I able to crank out 1500 words in 2 hours or less. So I figured I’ll just keep with my 1500 word goal set during the mid-day darkness. And if I get my 1500 words in less than 2 hours, I’ll keep going. (Please note there is nothing, nothing, about writing quality in my current goals.) Crank it out; crank it out.

So what’s that ‘bam bam bam’ against the side of the house?

Sunday I walked through the garage and there at the window was a male cardinal, flinging himself against the window. He’d bounce off, dazed, land on the ground, pick himself up, and hurl himself against the window again. I chased him away, figuring that the presence of a Large Person would be enough to scare him away.

But no, a minute later he was back. We read that cardinals sometimes do this during mating season when they are establishing their own territory — they see their reflection in the glass and think it’s competition. They can bang against a window until they kill themselves. I guess the term ‘birdbrain’ came about for a reason.

A got the ladder and an old flannel sheet and draped it over the window. It looked ugly, but hey — we were saving a life here. We took it down late last night because the weather report called for heavy rain today, which would knock the sheet down anyway when it got soaked.

This morning I went to get the paper and as I walked through the garage, ‘bam bam bam!’ Poor thing was back and at it. I taped sheets of newspaper against the inside of the window and that seemed to do the trick.

I came upstairs to the kitchen. ‘Bam bam bam.’ This time he was throwing himself against the window in A’s office.

I’m wondering if there’s a cautionary lesson here. I’m hoping that my own writing efforts are better directed than the poor cardinal’s. But I don’t know. And so I’m just going to keep on keeping on. I hope it’s the right thing to do.

What do you think? Can I focus more productively? If so, how? I don’t want to keep slamming into a pane of glass.

Just. Keep. Writing.

bam bam bam