Busy Times

To say that I'm busy this week is an understatement. I had four meetings in two days, of which three were on Tuesday. On Monday, I gave my fourth speech at Toastmasters and it was a great success. One woman said, "I can hardly wait till you're in the storyteller's manual!" Of course, speaking is a lot like writing: You need to grab your audience with your opening, support it with the bulk of your speech and round it out with a conclusive ending.
Now I'm getting ready to attend the Pennwriters Conference that starts tomorrow. On Tuesday evening, we practiced our pitches on each other and it was a real learning experience. I learn a lot from listening to other people. And it's great to have a support network of friends to help me through the setbacks and celebrate the triumphs.
In between all my meetings, I'm trying to photograph birds. I have not been too successful this spring, and the weather is partly to blame. On weekends, it is often windy and cold and the trails are too muddy to hike on. I'm hoping that will change soon and can't wait to report any new species in my bird list.