Enough with the snowdog picture. How depressing is that?

Hopefully, within a few weeks (See? I'm an optimist.), my gardens will look more like this - that's barring drought, more hard freezes (guaranteed) and insects and marauding deer.

I've been crazy busy practicing. My brother and I and two of my percussionist sons are playing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story next week. I've never played jazz before so this has been quite the challenge starting with my believing that transcribing it from a score written for two pianos to a score for four hands one piano would be a piece of cake. Well, zillions of hours and eight rolls of scotch tape later, I realized that I had taken on a lot more than I had planned for.

And then the rehearsals commenced: pretty close to the most frustrating experience I've had since deciding that writing novels would be easy. But the good news? We have our final rehearsals starting Monday, play on Thursday and I'm very confident it's going to go well. (That's me talking myself into not running away to hide.)

My second novel, "Plagues: The Sequel" has been out for the last couple of weeks with my beloved beta readers. I've received very positive feedback with some great, doable, constructive criticism. One reader felt I had to tone down the sex - Where's the fun in that? It was fun writing it (I giggled a lot to myself) and I think it's a hoot reading it, but I understand where they're coming from and I'm definitely going to make Deirdre behave herself when the action really gets going. Sometimes her shenanigans get in the way of the story flow and she just has to understand that she has to behave, at least occasionally. Naughty girl!

I hope to make revisions the week after my concert and then it's out into the cold, cruel world of submitting. Been through this before, so I do at least know the ropes. Interestingly, I'm really not that keen on submitting to agents, at least in the early rounds, who don't accept email. It seems so archaic. But wait until I get a few rejections. Then I'll change my haughty, little tune.

Here's hoping.