February Be Gone

Today is the last day of February and I can only say, "Good riddance!" The weather would have been bad enough this month. Subzero temperatures and snow followed by ice rain canceled quite a few appointments and made me housebound. Add to that three malfunctioning appliances (including the furnace, which actually turned out to be a frozen pipe that backed up into it) and a watermain break next door.
Yet, things got worse when I learned that my dad had been admitted to the hospital. And then my husband's uncle died. The funeral was scheduled for yesterday, a day after my birthday. So this year, my birthday was wedged in between a viewing and a funeral.
Because our uncle had been in the Navy during World War II, two retired sailors were present at the cemetery. It was the first military funeral I attended and the taps barely left a dry eye in the small crowd. I don't want to remember our uncle as I saw him last, his mind lost to Alzheimer's disease, but rather as I saw him first, standing next to my husband when I got off the plane after passing through immigration. He was the first relative I saw here in Pittsburgh and he was very kind to us.
There are some good news, though: My dad was released from the hospital yesterday. On the writing front, I am now finalizing a long-time writing project and am also working on a nonfiction article. And--this morning I saw a groundhog and a chipmunk in our backyard. Hopefully, winter will be over soon. I can't wait.

Books I like to read

An op-ed commentary in the paper this morning spawned me to write about the novels I lke to read. Thinking back, I find that my reading has evolved over the years. In my twenties, I used to read a lot of self-help books and, occasionally, a chick-lit novel. But I also read lots of James Michener, John Jakes, John Steinbeck and Leon Uris novels. The more I learn about writing, however, the more I find flaws in almost every novel I read. Sometimes I reject a novel after reading 20 pages, sometimes it takes 80. I recently read a novel that seems to be popular for its social content. Yet, the novel was at least 90 % dialogue with no description of the characters or the town they lived in. While I usually enjoy dialogue (and reject novels that have page after page of description), 90 % is too much. I found myself getting weary. My brain needed a break. I'm currently reading a historical mystery set in Victorian England and I'm enjoying the descriptions a lot.
You may wonder now what novels I enjoyed reading all the way through. Here is a partial list of the books I've read and loved during the last few years:
Snow falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Wish you Well by David Baldacci
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb
Down to the Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck
North and South by John Jakes
Out of this Furnace by Thomas Bell
The Haj by Leon Uris
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

My first craft show

I survived my first craft show where I sold my bird photographs and greeting cards. It was not the rousing success I had hoped for, but I am not discouraged. It was bitterly cold that day and I don't blame anybody who preferred to stay home.
I had an opportunity to talk to another photographer who gave me some valuable tips. One of my customers actually asked me, "Are you the lady who won the award?" I was amazed that people still remember that. In late summer 2005, I won first place in the Amateur category of WildBird Magazine's annual photo contest with my photo of an airborne Tufted Titmouse. After that I sent a press release to the local part of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, hoping for a one-sentence write-up. They ended up printing a half-page article about my bird photography which, in turn, led to a TV appearance on KDKA-TV.
Children were particularly intrigued by my photographs at the show. Some of them came back three times to look at them. Perhaps, one day they will ask their parents to buy one of my photos. One can always dream...
I have not taken any new bird phtos lately since I am not weather-proof for these low temperatures. In fact, I barely leave the house to feed the many birds who visit our feeders. Another trip to the Aviary is in my future.