Tulips

brilliant sunshine, cooler and breezy, temps zero

The first of the maple syrup has arrived. Calls back and forth last night, announcing it. The cans were spotted at EdwardsFeed Store in West Brome. Pat said she'd pick us up a couple pints. And down the road cars were parked beside a cabane a sucre - basically an old shed, a sugar shack - on a neighbours property. A young man was shoveling snow - part of the process.

In the cabane a sucres of my childhood there'd be long pine tables filled with food. Baked beans, fresh bread, eggs...all smothered in maply syrup. Les Oreilles de Christ... Christ's Ears (not kidding). I can't quite remember if they were pastry or fried pork rinds. With maple syrup. I do know that Les Pets des Soeurs (Nun's farts) are pastries. I blogged about them last year when in Quebec City.

This is a glorious day - sun blinding off the snow.

Pat just arrived with the syrup. Kirk called - he's coming in a few minutes with new pillows for the living room. Cannot have too many pillows. Which reminds me - I was out with Trudy this morning, jogging with her down the driveway - when I realized that I am not designed for running...or even jogging. Too awkward. Now swimming I can do...and certainly bathing. I walk very well and toss things up into the air and catch them also very well. I have great hand/eye co-ordination, and am very good at napping. But I don't run well.

The writing went quite well today. Trying to keep the critic at bay, but that door is straining against the force of the critic wanting in. And every now and then, from the gap under it, comes a whisper - the book is dull, it's stupid. The characters are silly and characaturish. Quite a whisper. You can imagine what it says when actually allowed right into the room.

But so far, so good. Finished the second chapter. I won't tell you what happens at all...so you needn't worry.

What a relief these days are when all I need do is write and answer emails.

We're now discussing the cover designs for the American publications. Extremely interesting and very difficult in that it is so subjective, and very hard to find words to describe when a design works and when it doesn't. And why it doesn't.

Well, off to relax...I went into Sutton as soon as I finished the pages...do some grocery shopping. And bought four bouquets of tulips. Ahhhh. Now we have a huge vase of them on the pine table in the kitchen and another huge vase on the piano in the living room.

Oh, Kirk is here - must fly. Speak tomorrow...

Maple syrup and ideas running

mainly sunny, temps zero

It's a perfect late winter day. A little on the mild side - but perfect for maple syrup season. Apparently it's a great year so far for syrup producers...they need lots of snow (which we've had) - then days above freezing and nights when the temperatures dip back down.

We once considered tapping some of our trees but decided it was too much work... we'd also thought about getting bee hives and producing honey (notice we have not considered growing turnips or brussell sprouts - but maple syrup and honey. If we could grow gummy bears and hot cross buns, we would)...but it became clear that if you produce honey you also produce bears. We found this less attractive.

Fed the birds this morning - the off to Cowansville for breakfast while Deanna cleaned. We just get in the way.

Home by 11am, and right to work.

Just finished the pages for the day. 16-hundred words so far. Finished the first chapter. And made notes on thoughts for the next chapter. i find especially at the beginning of a book it's crucial to keep that momentum going - to always know where I'm going next. When I get back to the book the first thing I do is re-read the work from the day before...this helps get me back into it, and i can smooth and add. Did a lot of that today. I find I do more of that at the beginning of a book - because I'm getting more and more familiar with the story. Connecting with it. And so the details, the little turns of phrases, often come to me when I'm reading over the pages from the previous day. To be added.

Fun, and a bit of a relief, to be getting deeper and deeper into the book - in my head. To hear conversations, to see scenes. To finally heave BURY YOUR DEAD behind and move into A WORLD OF SIGHS.

As you see, I only briefly visit the 'real' world. It's such a fascinating, strange, life - being a writer. living so much in my head - trying to open my heart to inspiration - seeing things that don't actually exist. hearing voices.

As you see, I'm preparing the ground work in case I'm ever charged with a crime.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Oh, just sugar-off

sunny, mild, gorgeous day, highs zero

Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
Eleanor Roosevelt

This is an absolutely stunning day. Picture perfect. Still lots of snow on the ground, but grass beginning to appear around the base of trees and beside our old brick home. Fed the dogs this morning then went out and fed the birds. Just wore a toque, mitts, a scarf and my regular clothings - no heavy winter coat. Wonderful.

It's a big sugaring-off weekend. That's when local maple syrup producers have parties and we all get together for baked beans and fresh bread - and the real purpose...boiling maple syrup drizzled on snow - where it immediately solidifies and turns into a kind of toffee. Then you take a stick or twig and roll it up and suck it. Yum.

It takes like childhood.

Of course, we have to elbow all the kids out of the way to get at it, just as we were elbowed as kids by greedy adults! Oh, the memories.

A local guy - Bobby Derby (upon whom Billy Williams in Three Pines is loosely based) - is having a big party at his maple forest today. It's also a fundraiser.

Had a great on-line talk yesterday for an hour with the wonderful readers and members of 'bookchatcentral'. My ridiculous computer kept kicking me off-line - but the members of the chat room were very patient and understanding. I felt like Curley in the Three Stooges racing at the wall and booooiing-ing back. Nyah, nyah, nyah.

But I sure enjoyed the chat - very supportive, there warm and thoughtful people. When we write in isolation I cannot overstate the important, at least to me, of people being supportive. And these people were.

And I know you are too - makes a difference.

One of the members was planning a Three Pines dinner - where she'd make meals described in the books. I thought that was a splendid idea. I wonder if people will come as their favorite character. I wonder if Nichol would be banned?

That would be fun for the next book tour - build it around a series of Three Pines dinners, that I could go to. Wonderful food and fun company. I'd come as Ruth - and I'm sure I'd be FINE.

Jane wrote to say there's a review of The Cruelest Month in the Richmond paper today - wonderful news. She included a very nice email she sent the book editor, suggesting a review. I blushed when I read it...but the third or fourth time I blushed less. Now I plan to have her email tattooed to Michael's chest.

I'm off - breakfast, then writing. My last day to write before heading to the UK. British Airways says we're going in to terminal 5. Oh, dear.

Oh, forgot to mention tomorrow - a couple of fun events...I'll be involved in the launch of the Canadian Mystery Project - all part of trying to get people interested in Canadian history. It's being done at the Redpath Museum in Montreal at 3:45 - and includes a few short talks - and I'll be doing a reading from a book loosely based on the murders of two Redpaths back in 1901. Fascinating stuff.

but before that Michael and I will be having lunch with three friends from Los Angeles.Cora, Oliver and Molly Muirhead. He's the son of one of Michael's oldest friends in the UK. Oliver is also a wonderful actor. I'll often see him in episodes of Will and Grace and Seinfeld and more recent stuff too. So that will be fun to see them again!

Long message, hope to blog tomorrow before we head to Montreal, then on to London on Tuesday.

Be well - beautiful day.