At some point in the early 1660’s Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1625—1712) told Pope Alexander VII that he would not to be ordained as a priest. Cassini was a gentle and holy man, but he did not feel called to the priesthood even when asked by the Pope. Cassini had worked for Pope Alexander on several [...]
Steam punk and modesty
My mind works in a spiral, moving through different topics over time. As I struggle to finish a story about sheep and shepherds several problems have been evident. This particular story involves a LOT of animals, and I am not and never have been an animal person. That’s a steep, if fascinating, learning curve. I’ve [...]
A day late …
My computer developed a problem Monday night and it took all of Tuesday to figure it out. Also, the amazing grandchild was born and that distracted my thinking. I taught class on Monday and Tuesday and the report was, that the students said it hadn't been as bad as they had been afraid it would [...]
Waiting and working…
We are waiting for the new grandchild, expected in the next few days. I am going to teach two 45-minute classes, one Monday and one Tuesday, next week at my old school. Preparation is intense. (Besides the actual classes I had to read a 128 page employee handbook and sign a paper saying I had [...]
Writing practice and a book recommendation
There’s a lot of advice out in the wild for people who are trying to write. Unfortunately, making this advice usable often requires figuring out what writing niche you belong in. Fiction or non-fiction? Poetry? Literary or genre? What’s the difference between the last two? Women’s fiction? Cozy mysteries? Why does ‘cozy’ sound so insulting, [...]
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