A whole lot of egrets

Look at all the egrets I saw at Estrella Mountain Regional Park, down by the river.  There must have been at least fifteen altogether in that one area, with others along the way.  I also saw some great blue heron, a noisy kingfisher, coots, and maybe an osprey (he flew away too fast for me to be sure).    

If you look carefully, you'll see both great egrets and snowy egrets.  The great egrets are bigger and longer-necked, with yellow beaks and black legs.  The snowy egrets have black beaks and yellow feet.  

Greater Roadrunner

A greater roadrunner I met on a bike ride along New River in the middle of the Phoenix metro area.  It's a good thing this roadrunner didn't meet the tarantula from my last post.  The tarantula might have become dinner.  

Tarantula in the desert

A little tarantula friend I met recently on a hike in the Phoenix area:

I actually think they're quite cute...as long as they don't startle you.  They're also pretty mostly harmless (to people).

My story, "Silence," in The Dread Machine

Looking for something creepy to read?  Look no further.  The Dread Machine just published one of my stories.  

"Silence" takes place on a space ship where you're completely alone.  But that's okay with you.  Until things start going thump in the night.

And yes, it's written in second person.  I kept thinking, "This will never sell. Second person is weird."  But the story kept reverting to second person, as if on its own, even when I tried to turn it to first person.  That's simply what the story wanted to be.  

I'm happy that I found it a home at the Dread Machine, where you can read all sorts of other interesting stories too. 

Click here to read "Silence."

     

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2021

Completed:

In case you aren't familiar with Goodreads, it's an awesome site for book lovers:  book reviews, book lists, quizzes, challenges...all sorts of cool stuff.  

This year I challenged myself to read 50 books.  Don't get too impressed.  Working as a children's librarian, I tend to read a lot of middle grade novels and other books for older kids, which are generally a lot shorter than adult books (but not infantile fluff, as some snobs seem to think).  I also counted two audio books, five graphic novels, and two novels in verse, all of which take less time than most adult books.  But still, I'm proud of my success.

Some interesting stats:

Fiction was 74% (up a little from last year)

Of that, about 13% were science fiction or fantasy.  Exhalation, by Ted Chiang was the best.

About 19% were historical fiction or classics.  Tie for most memorable:  Soul Lanterns, by Shaw Kuzki, about the bombing of Hiroshima, and R.J. Palacio's Pájaro Blanco (White Dove) about a Jewish girl in hiding in WWII.   

I also read a strangely high number of contemporary books with some sort of speculative element.  My favorite was the wish-granting fish in an otherwise very realistic middle grade novel, The Seventh Wish, by Kate Messner.  

Best novels of the year?     

-96 Miles, by J.L.Esplin.   A middle-grade novel about survival in the desert and the love between brothers. 

-Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech.  A fantastic middle-grade novel in verse from a boy who at first thinks poetry is stupid.  

-The Canyon's Edge, by Dusti Bowling.  A middle-grade novel in verse about survival in the desert and survival through tragedy.  Hmmm...is there a pattern here?

-The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennet, about identical twin sisters who choose very different paths.

Other favorites:  365 Days to Alaska, by Cathy Carr; How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O'Connor; A Place at the Table, by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan; With the Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo; The Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Daré.   

Nonfiction:

A staggering 54% were about animals.  Go figure.  My favorite?  Wicked Bugs, by Amy Stewart (I read the young reader's version, not realizing until  I'd checked it out).

Favorite non-animal book:  Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer 

Arizona Sister Butterfly

A beautiful butterfly I spotted at Workman Creek in the mountains between Young, Arizona and Roosevelt Lake in September.  I think it's an Arizona sister butterfly.

You can even see its proboscis curled up!  

There were so many butterflies in the area.  It was a joy.

  

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Very Hungry Caterpillar Before:

Very Hungry Caterpillar After:

All done!  

I took the second photo almost three hours later, on the way back from my hike.  It's the very same stalk, but...no more flower.  The caterpillar is a beauty, but he's indeed a very hungry caterpillar.  Poor flower.   

Spotted in September at Workman's Creek in the mountains between Young, Arizona and Roosevelt Lake.