A new week

And maybe this one I won't screw up.

Looking out the windows thru the denuded trees, I see white capped mountain peaks and I don't think the snow is going to melt any time soon. There was frost on the deck this morning instead of the snow that covered it most of the weekend and the skies are a clear bright blue. When the frost melts and the deck dries I'm going to take advantage of the warm sun (it has been around 30 lately) and stain the deck because I don't know when I'll get another chance and it needs to be done this year. Don't want the deck to rot out from under me. That's a long fall, but it's the hard rocky surface that will stop me that I'm more worried about. The last thing I need is a broken anything right now. No one will find me and I'll end up being eaten by foxes and all the squirrels and chipmunks I ticked off when I took the plants inside.

Yesterday one of my winter visitors came back twice. He is a black crested jay. He has a tall sooty Mohawk crest and light charcoal gray shoulders partially covered by deep blue wings and a long blue tail. If he's here my beautiful iridescent blue magpie with the white shoulders can't be far behind. He brightens my days when I see him out there, his long beautiful blue tail draped over a tree branch like a waterfall of metallic blue.

As the trees lose their summer weight of needles and pine cones, more of the surrounding mountains are visible, all capped with snow. Winter is not far off right now. And there is so much work to be done before winter grips everything firmly and covers everything with glittering snow and ice. So much needs to be done and I have plants I'm going to transplant in the basement and set up under a grow light to see if I can get them moving. Not to mention, the work I need to get done between now and Friday when my parents arrive.

And I begin writing my columns for the new horror literature site I'm hosting. The site hasn't been completely changed over with my columns and info, but it will be done by the end of the week. I'm already looking into books to review and authors to interview. And I'm counting on my friends and casual passersby to give me their horror favorites and finds for adults and children. Keep your eyes fixed here because there will be a pop quiz -- polls actually. You and your families are the target audience, so it just makes sense to poll you all to find out what I should be doing. Get ready for the work ahead. Roll up your sleeves, give me your horrific choices, and then tell me if I do them justice. All opinions are welcome -- even the ones I don't agree with.

That is all for right now. Poll ahead (if I can figure out how to do it).

Don't go too far. Your input is required.