Spring Ahead with Trivia - Barbara Baker

 

Goodbye winter. Hello spring. Another round of setting clocks ahead is behind us as well as all the rant on social media about why we continue with this practice. Some people blame farmers for screwing with our circadian rhythm, but they're not the culprits. Cows and crops rely on the sun. Not clocks. Maybe that’s why Saskatchewan ignores time change.

In 1895, George Hudson, an entomologist, made the first attempt to introduce time change. He wanted the world to go ahead two hours in the spring so he could hunt bugs in daylight after his day-job ended. He was unsuccessful with his request.

Time change kicked in during WW1 and WW2 to optimize daylight hours and conserve energy. After each war, it was up to jurisdictions to decide whether they stuck with it. In the winter of 1974, permanent daylight-saving time came into play and children started walking to school in the dark. Hello logic.

But now I’m over time change and have moved onto hello spring. The hunt for the first crocus, first dandelion sighting and of course watching birds as they construct or renovate their nests.   

I checked some of my favourite nesting sites. Unfortunately, the great horned owl's home was gone. When I found the pile of sticks scattered at the base of the tree, my heart sank. Great horned owl parents raised their fuzzy owlets here for over a decade.

I went down the Google rabbit hole to determine whether owls rebuild in the same place. What I read, shocked me. Owls typically do not build their own nest. What? How did I not know this? They apparently take over a suitable nest from another bird and spruce it up to their liking. I’m a huge owl fan. Should I think less of them for being opportunists? Or more of them for conserving their energy?

Later that day I discovered owls aren't the only opportunists. A ballsy Canadian Goose honked at me from it's perch high in the tree. Last spring a bald eagle lived there with an unobstructed view of the Bow River. Maybe I have never given geese enough credit. Maybe they are smart.  

But the first flight for her goslings will be a true test of wing power.

Geese can be cheeky buggers.

And the bald eagle moved on, seemingly unperturbed about the nest thief.

Cowbirds don’t steal nests. They merely deposit their eggs in an already furnished home. If the eggs in the nest she selects are white with beige specks, the cowbird will lay her eggs with the exact same colour pattern.

After the cowbird lays her eggs (sometimes as many as six) in the unsuspecting nest of, let’s say, Mrs. Red-Winged Blackbird, she might peck tiny holes in the host’s eggs. This way her chicks won’t have to compete for food or attention. When Mrs. Cowbird leaves, she doesn’t go far. She sticks around for a while to keep an eye on her eggs.

Mrs. Cowbird may be a negligent mom, but she wants to make sure Mrs. Red-Winged Blackbird has adequate mothering skills. If she dares to push out any of Mrs. Cowbird’s eggs, well, female cowbirds have a way of getting even. She will return to the nest when it’s unattended and toss out the original eggs.

When Mrs. Red-Winged Blackbird proves she’s a worthy foster mother, Mrs. Cowbird flies away to enjoy her freedom. In just a few weeks, she’ll flit her wings at another dashing male cowbird and the process repeats itself. As for her young, they grow up knowing they're cowbirds without their mother ever being around.

Nature is fun and funny. 

And Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humour. She can still turn on the snow-switch randomly for a few more months.

 

 

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

So You've Finished Your Novel... Now What? by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

    

Yes! You see correctly! I have finally included another cover amongst my books! Twice Hung is finally finished (at least the draft) and I can rest easy knowing that it has now flown off to visit the editors, who will--hopefully--rip it apart until I cry and feel sorry for myself. A good editor does that, ya know. Any editor that tells you the first draft is perfect is... well, fibbin'. Get you a Doctor Frankenstein if you can, because an editor that can take a few bare bones and help you to stick some meat on them, is worth every penny. Really though. But what do you do after you write a novel? In my case... start a new one! But if you aren't ready for that, just sit back and bask in your ability to follow through on an idea.

... I was going to end the blog there for comedic effect, but I DID follow through! I finished a book!

I think I'll watch an entire crime docuseries... With icecream... What do you do to celebrate when you finish a book? After George R. R. Martin finishes a book he...

Just kidding! George R. R. Martin never finishes books...

Moon meets Sun by J. S. Marlo

 

The Red Quilt 

Sweet Christmas Story

 Click here to buy

 

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

NASA estimates that 31.6 millions people live in the path of today's total solar eclipse.

I'm not among these millions of people, and I will only experience a partial eclipse, but it's still a big thing. Around here, school kids will be kept inside at recess so they don't accidentally, or not, look at the sun.

Here are some facts about solar eclipses:

- A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are aligned. It's called syzygy. If you play Scrabble, remember that word. It's worth 21 points (without counting doubles or triples).

- A solar eclipse can only happen at New Moon.

- Eclipse totalities are different lengths.

- Today's total eclipse will last a maximum of 4 minutes 28 seconds, and that will happen over the small town of Nazas, Mexico.

- The longest possible total solar eclipse is 7 minutes 32 seconds.

- The temperature can drop by 20 degrees during a total solar eclipse.

- Wildlife reacts to solar eclipses.

- There will be 69 solar eclipses over the next 100 years, but most of them will only be seen over the water.

- The first solar eclipse was recorded more than 4,000 years ago in China. At the time, the inhabitants thought a dragon was eating the sun.

Beware of people selling fake glasses and keep your eyes safe. Happy watching!

J. S.

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Back to the Research by Eileen O'Finlan

 

Click here for purchase info

Ask almost any author of historical fiction and we'll tell you we love doing the research for our books almost as much as we love writing them. My favorite was the research I did for Erin's Children, the sequel to my debut novel, Kelegeen. The reason it was extra enjoyable was because I set Erin's Children in Worcester, Massachusetts, the city in which I have worked for almost 20 years. 

I grew up in Holden and I still live there. The town line runs down my street so all I have to do is walk across the street and I'm in Worcester. Despite living so close to Worcester and working in that city for so long, I didn't know much about its history until I started researching it for my novel. Once I got into it, I found the history of Worcester in the 1850s to be a fascinating study.

I don't know if it was because of the setting or because I was already familiar with several of the main characters, they having come from my first book, Kelegeen, but I had more fun writing Erin's Children than any other book I've written. That's saying a lot since I greatly enjoy the writing process.

Now that I've decided to write a third (and, possibly, a fourth) book in this series, I am excited to dive back into the research. This time it will be Worcester in the 1860s which will take the reader into the time of the American Civil War. Most of the characters will remain on the northern home front, but I will be sending a few of them to the battlefields. To write this story accurately, I need to research Worcester at that time, the volunteers sent by the City to serve in the Union Army and what life was like for them, as well as the war itself, not to mention everyday life in 1860s Worcester. 

The books have been amassed, the map of 19th century Worcester unrolled and spread out on the table, the notebooks ready to be filled, and trips to the Worcester Historical Museum await. As is true for every author of historical fiction, I know my research will encompass much more than I will actually use in the story. I'm also sure I'll travel down a great many rabbit holes in the process. All of that is okay. More than okay - it's welcomed. It is the joy of research! 

I am determined that the books I write are as historically accurate as possible. I found from the response to Erin's Children that readers love finding out the history of Worcester and "seeing" it played out on the page, especially readers who know the City. So, I know it will be a pleasure to offer them more as well as to learn about it myself.

The timing on this turns out to be perfect since I recently met a local author, Mary Anne Kalonas Slack, who has just released her debut novel, The Sacrificial Daughter, also set in Worcester and featuring an Irish family. We are now planning some author talks together this spring focusing on our Irish in Worcester books. Talking to readers about Erin's Children should really galvanize my momentum towards digging into the research so I can start putting words on the pages of the next book. I truly love those characters and can't wait to revisit my old friends!

The table in my home library where I read and take notes.

The book open on the table contains the annual reports of the City of Worcester from 1861 through 1865.

Among these books are several on the American Civil War and its aftermath.

My steadily growing collection of books on Worcester's history.

My 1870s map of Worcester. 

It's been rolled up for so long I needed to put something on every corner to hold it down.

Do You Sort and Eat M&Ms by Color?

https://books2read.com/Her-Scottish-Legacy

I’m so glad winter is over and the days are getting longer and warmer. I have spent my winter down the social media rabbit hole, answering questions on lists to see what I know, what I eat, where I’ve been, how old I am based on pictures of my youth, who I know and if I’m smarter than a fifth grader.

I will admit that I don’t answer online because nobody really wants to know whether I open my Oreos and lick the frosting while getting a tattoo, but I mentally answer and sometimes put my score in the comments section. I’ve found that you have to read the start-up sentence carefully, because sometimes it says “one point for each thing you’ve done, eaten, gone or recognize”, but sometimes they try to trip you up with the phrase “Never have I ever…”.

And while I try not to, every once in a while I read too much into the question. For example, “one point for every food you eat.” Does that mean the ones I like to eat or ones I’ve sampled but won’t eat again? (That’s definitely where liver comes in.)

The travel lists pose a similar problem. If it says “one point for every country (or state) you’ve visited”, what exactly constitutes a “visit”? Do you have to have stayed the night; eaten a meal, or can potty breaks as you drive through count as a visit?

I like the lists that give you extra points for more information. Take the picture quizzes where you get 1 point for identifying the item (like a wringer washing machine) and an additional point if you’ve actually used one. They should give you 3 points if you know it; used it; and still have it in your house! I think these lists were generated by Millennials, because they usually refer to the items as “antiques” but I never have any problem recognizing every one of them. Does that mean I’m old?

The random lists are the most fun. There’s no rhyme or reason to the items that might include-- have you ever gone zip lining, eaten armadillo, ridden on an elephant (camel). What is the weirdest thing you have seen on a list?

Now, back to the original reason for this post – spring. In honor of the new season, here is a short list of spring type issues. Give yourself 1 point for each thing you have done. If you only get 1-2 points, you’re still hibernating!

*Bought Easter candy the day after so it’s on half price.

*Put away your winter clothes and got out your spring/summer ones.

*Had an indoor egg hunt and the kids only found 11 of the 12 hard boiled eggs you hid.

*Already bought potting soil, seeds and new garden gloves.

*Like licorice jelly beans.

*Actually tried on your spring/summer clothes to see what still fits.

*Started spring cleaning and came across a book you haven’t read so decided to take a “little” break.

If you didn’t get a point for the last one, visit my website at Books We Love: https://bwlpublishing.ca/baldwin-barbara/ . You’ll find all things romance – historical, contemporary and time travel. Just because it’s spring, doesn’t mean you can’t read. Just do it on the porch or out in the yard or park. Enjoy the sunshine.

 

Barb Baldwin, who does sort her M&Ms by color

http://authorsden.com/barbarajbaldwin