October 2, 2020
Hello ,
I hope this finds you well. 2020 seems to keep getting more challenging with each season. My heart goes out to those threatened by fire and smoke, to those sick, or in grief over loved ones lost to covid-19.
If you're anxious about the future of our country, I'm right there with you. I'm trying to be still with my fear and find the space for wise action. But I have no answers.
I can repeat some wisdom from Viktor E. Frankel.
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
I had a wonderful and relaxing time at Yellowstone! I took this photo and call it Aspen of Hope.
The trip was an oasis of peace and quiet amidst the chaos of reality right now.
I came home to yet one more round of edits on the Catherine Leroy book. To be honest, I was totally depressed by this. How many times have I thought I was finished? At least three or four.
And subconsciously, I was taking this as a reflection of the quality of my writing!
But on this last round of edits (it is the last!) I realized it is not that I wrote the earlier versions poorly. My editor is picking out details that might be unclear to young readers. And the Vietnam War is very complicated!
Here's one of Catherine's photos I hope to use in the book, but have to pick and choose, which is hard. This shows civilians caught up in a huge battle in Hue during the Tet Offensive.
Now, I have come to appreciate his editor's eye very much. In trying to clarify details, I continually went back to the research, discovered much more than I had understood before, and then tried to decide how much needed to be in the book, how to remain accurate while leaving stuff out and how to be succinct and accurate when every tiny detail seems to have an ocean of complexity behind it.
I finished the revision Wednesday, sent in the photos I propose for the book Thursday, and I feel very good about my efforts.
I want to show you all my photos of Yellowstone! But I'm sure many of you have been there, and much better quality photos are all over the internet. I will introduce you to the Yellowstone Welcome Wagon that met us shortly after we arrived at the park.
The buck elk and his harem where not easy to miss either!
I really enjoyed getting away from everything. We did not run into crowds of people, though the benches were full at Old Faithful. Lots of people were wearing masks, even out on the hiking trails. I brought my trusty pot to make my own espresso, so all was good.
We saw a whole pack of wolves! Too far away to take photos, but nice people there let us look through their scopes. Saw four or five adults tearing into a fresh bison carcass and returning
to the pack rendezvous to feed the pups. The Junction Pack in the Lamar Valley is raising 18 pups this year! We also saw one young grizzly bear hanging out with the wolves, but again, from to far away to take pictures. People who had been watching said the grizzly had been hanging out with the wolves for a few days playing intermittent games of chase. First the wolves chase the bear, then the bear chases the wolves, then they go back to their own business.
Recommendation this week from Bob. Not a book, but a relevant article Fascism Anyone?from Free Inquiry Magazine. Thanks, Bob! Difficult subject with what's going on right now, but to roughly quote advise maven Carolyn Hax, the intel hurts, but aren't you glad you know the facts.
Back soon with more stories!
Read a great book? Have a burning question? Let me know. If you know someone who might enjoy my newsletter or books, please forward this e-mail. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe anytime at the link
below.
To find out more about my books, how I help students, teachers, librarians and writers visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com.
Contact me at MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. |
|
|
