Catching up on the summer solstice

Yesterday was the summer solstice, and it was an unexpectedly fresh, luminous day here after what seems like weeks of nonstop rain. I ran around like a headless chicken doing chores and errands, catching up after two busy months. That's the reason I haven't posted much here on the blog. I'm sorry for that, but I had a sudden influx of manuscript clients. It's always like that for a writer—feast or famine—so I'm grateful for the busy times, though they are stressful. It's a lot more stressful when there is no work coming in though!

So I used my so-called down time yesterday to drive out to the produce stand at The Rock—though it's the fanciest produce stand of all time. It's set on a working cattle ranch amidst shade trees and lovingly-tended flower and herb beds. I went to get some blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, grown right there on pick-your-own bushes. Later in the summer they will have kiwis and pomegranates as well. Yesterday they also had farm-fresh eggs and all kinds of vegetables. Normally when I go I treat myself to some strawberry ice cream, but even for this ice cream-aholic, it was a wee bit early in the morning for that, so I passed.

I took along my trusty Panasonic LX5 camera with a new optical viewfinder. I needed a break from words for a while, to refresh myself and change gears so I can get back to work on my own middle grade novel. I love this little camera, which has full manual controls and a fast Leica lens, but I've never been able to get used to composing shots using the LCD screen on the back. Besides, it's invisible in bright sunlight. So I found a vintage Voigtlander viewfinder on eBay and yesterday I broke in it. I think it worked pretty well, but judge for yourself.

Today is another gift of a lovely summer day, so I'm going to take my iPad Mini and my wireless keyboard outside and dive into chapter 11! May you find some time today to write, too.