I NEED A HOLIDAY!

Did you know that my first blog post was in July of 2008? Did you also know that I've been blogging regularly since then? As in any activity, a break from it refreshes the soul of whoever practices it.

From 2008 until today, I've blogged for two reasons. One was to bypass editors and reach people with my views, The second reason, important to prove my diligence to Canada Pension Plan, was to promote my books.

Being able to publish one's musings without editorial censorship gives common folks such as myself a platform, small though it is. I've enjoyed being able to present my views to the public without some editor saying they won't print it. I can publish my writing instantly as well. There need be no waiting for somebody to approve what I've written first.

During the seven years I've been blogging, I tried not to blatantly flog my three memoirs. I've published excerpts from them but I've refrained from making wild claims or saying that people will miss out on the most fantastic writing the world has ever known if they don't buy them. I hate it when people play head games with me so I don't do it to others. Neither do I have gimmicks to lure in customers. What you see is what you get when it comes to my paperbacks.

I suppose some folks would say I was foolish for not using high pressure sales tactics. After all, they get results. But doing that also alienates people. I'm sure we've all bought something because a sales person kept saying how much it would help us. Often times, it doesn't do much for us at all.

Though I've tried my best to let my writing sell my books, sales have been dismal. Because of this, I wish to devote the summer to writing short fiction stories and enter them in contests. As of late, all my writing has been done to promote my memoirs. Not having to write and edit my posts will free up my time to create the scenarios which have been floating around in my mind. It might not look like it to some readers but I do make the effort to edit my posts and find links online when I need them.

So I hope all of you readers have a wonderful summer filled with fun, sun, and good times. I plan on using my laptop to write with and to enjoy the fine weather which we occasionally receive here in Alberta. I'll start posting again in September when the weather starts getting cold.

WALKING IN MY WINTER WONDERLAND.

The cold, the dark, the endless snow: this is what winter is all about for us adults. Frost is a nuisance we scrape furiously from car windshields as we run late for work. Billows of crystals from car exhaust obscure our vision at times as we try to drive through the ruts of ice on the roads. Then there's the inevitable dead car battery that has to be jump-started. No wonder millions head to warmer countries and spend thousands each winter just to get away.

Not so for children. Snow is just fluffy stuff to them, perfect for building forts or snowmen. Icy sidewalks on slopes are great fun to slide down. Watching their breath rise in the cold winter air is an enjoyable game, as is pretending to be a fire-breathing dragon. Watching snow fall through the beam of a street light becomes a journey through the stars.

In my Deliverance from Jericho (Six Years in a Blind School) memoir, I wrote many vignettes about how I loved playing in the snow. Being from Alberta, what little snowfall Vancouver received reminded me of home. Much to my supervisor's dismay, my dorm mates and I frolicked in it while adult motorists cursed.

When I was home for Christmas, I usually enjoyed being out in sub-zero weather. Of course it wasn't fun when I froze my feet, as I did while exploring the creek by my home one afternoon. Apart from that, I felt proud to be an Albertan and being able to brave what others thought of as impossibly cold weather.

I'm no fan of winter these days. I hate having to dress like an Arctic explorer so I can take out the garbage. Shovelling snow may be good exercise but it gets old fast. By march, I'm tempted to leave the snow where it lies and let spring take care of it.

How I long for the warm sweet-scented breezes of May and the lazy afternoon heat of July. I miss the birdsong I hear coming through opened windows, magpies not withstanding of course. I long for the fresh scent of the air after a thunder storm. Waking to brilliant sunlight and retiring to bed as the sun sets is one of many fond memories I cling to during these long winter nights.