Green Gal

National Novel Writing Month is officially half-way through, which means I should be at 25,000 words... Sadly, I'm not, but I am doing pretty well at 18,354 words! It's definitely more words of fiction than I've written in the last two years combined! So now you might be able to guess why I've been absent from the blog since November began, and likely between now and December 1, I'll be spending all of my non-work typing time trying to crank out enough words to reach 50,000 before the month ends. You can learn more about NaNoWriMo here and read my author page on the site here . Despite knowing that I should be typing words on my novel right now, I wanted to share a quick story about how I've been able to go more than a week without turning on the tap specifically for watering the garden. I also want to share some photos of the garden. It rained last Sunday, giving my plants a happy dose of water straight from the natural source. It's only rained a few ...

What is it like to ride in a torrential downpour of rain? It feels like soggy feet when you step in a creek, and like drowning a little every time you breathe in your nose. It's a whole lot of wondering if your hands can squeeze the brakes any tighter, and having to change into your contacts because your glasses have become blinded by raindrops. Then it feels being poked in the eyes by droplets of rain, skidding a little in some places, and getting drenched by puddles in others. It's like waterlogging a book you borrowed from the library, finding out your backpack isn't as waterproof as you thought. But you know what it's really like? It's taking a rain bath in one of the first heavy downpours of the season, and tasting fresh rain on your tongue. Getting a chance to experience rain--really experience it--and feeling it kiss your face and drip drop into your boots. It's finding that a street near your home is flooded after accidentally riding into...