Sorry for my silence!

I can't believe it's been more than two months since I posted. In my defense, this is my final undergrad semester, and I'll be graduating in mid-May, so things have been brutally hectic. Considering that I first enrolled in a college course in August 1987, approaching 30 years to obtain a degree is perhaps stretching it, a bit. Call me a late bloomer.

Things have mostly gone swimmingly well this semester. I sang a couple of small roles in an opera workshop performance, and it was great fun, and the second night of the show was a personal breathrough, of sorts. There's a regional opera workshop I've been asked to participate in, but I don't think the timing will be right with all my other commitments this summer. It's good to be singing again, in any case. Most likely, nothing more will come of it, but it feels good knowing I broke through some old challenges. :)

In this area of Texas we've really not even had a winter, so I have managed to eke out a little time to work on gardening around the house, and it's starting to look better. To my dismay, though, my rock rose (labdanum) seems finally to have given up the ghost. It has thrived on my neglect for years, but I think I finally let it get too dry for too long last fall. In any case, it's gone, and I need to track down another specimen.  Even though it's been a warm winter, I was surprised to see a big black swallowtail butterfly in the area on Monday. They are my favorites, and I've already potted a bronze fennel for them, but I thought it would have time to get up to size before the swallowtails sailed through. I need to get a few more of those and put them in various places and see if I can't lure more of those lovely creatures.  The butterflies love that type of fennel, and they lay their eggs on the plant, and they look like tiny bright yellow grapes on the stems.  The caterpillars eat the ferny foliage all the way to the stems, often, and then there are more butterflies. It's a fun cycle to watch. I am thrilled to see many new shoots of a tall, sky-blue salvia I love, as well as about a dozen shoots coming up from my Texas Star hibiscus, and they'll get to be about 6 feet tall, or more. :) It's odd, though, seeing perennials appearing that I normally wouldn't see growing until April or May. I hope this summer is not too brutally hot, but I'm not holding my breath, either.

I will try to write more before I graduate in May, but no promises. I have tons of papers to write, and a few huge final projects for various classes. They are largely pleasant tasks, but there are so many, and miles to go before I sleep. All best to all of you, if anyone is still reading.

A new western novel from Peter Grant

My friend Peter has just published his second in a series of western novels. Rocky Mountain Retribution is out on Amazon now, and it's already had a handful of nice reviews. :)