Butterfly in the Desert

 Today at Thunderbird Conservation Park:

Vultures circling

So, I often see vultures making lazy circles around me, and joke with them about how I'm not dying yet, but on an October hike at Skyline Regional Park in Arizona, I was on a high ridge and they started circling RIGHT above me.  So close I could clearly see their eyes.  First four, then five, then seven.  At one point there were thirteen.  Circling, circling.  

Usually there's only three or four.  Usually they're not so close.  Usually they don't circle for 15-20 minutes.  I admit, it was a little creepy.  I even called out and looked around to see if there was anyone really in trouble.  

I think there were just good currents that day, and they were having fun.  

Thanks, vultures, for the awesome show.  

  

October full moon in the Grand Canyon

Delayed posting:  this was from October 16, 2024 at Mohave Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  The (almost) full moon rose in the east just before the sun set in the west, so whichever direction you looked, it was gorgeous.

Full moon:

Sunset:

My story, "The Lighthouse Keeper," appeared today in Diabolical Plots

This is a rather dark, atmospheric story that I really enjoyed writing.  Read it for free here:

https://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-117b-the-lighthouse-keeper-by-melinda-brasher/

My story, "The Trouble with Vegan Spiders" appears in On the Premises

 I won second place in On the Premises' "Expertise" theme.  You can read the story free here:

"The Trouble with Vegan Spiders," by Melinda Brasher

If you're interested in other stories set in the same tiny space settlement, check these out.

Free to read online:

"Stalked," also in On the Premises: https://onthepremises.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/On-The-Premises-Issue-22.pdf

"Foreign Bodies" in Intergalactic Medicine Show: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=issue&vol=i39&article=_001

"Passcodes" in The Future Fire: https://futurefire.net/2014.30/fiction/passcodes.html

In anthologies:

"Stashed Away" in The Martian Wave: https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Wave-September-2020/dp/1087902622

"Radish Hunting" in Animal Uprising: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Uprising-Michelle-Mellon/dp/173354822X

"Salvage Operations" in Leading Edge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791953603

"The Twenty Percent Club" in Double Feature Magazine: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Feature-Magazine-Science-Fiction/dp/1540684997

"Sand and Fire" in Spark: A Creative Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Creative-Anthology-Volume-IV/dp/0988807297

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, by Gennifer Choldenko

This was really well-written, with characters I loved and was totally rooting for.  The premise was powerful.  The plot and pacing were good. 

I found a few little things silly or repetitive, but it wasn't a big deal. 

The ending was satisfying.

Overall, a really great book about difficult issues. 

4.5 stars

I Survived True Stories: Five Epic Disaster, by Lauren Tarshis

I haven't read any of the I Survived novels by Lauren Tarshis, despite loving survival stories, and despite them being popular with kids at my library.  But I read this as part of a Summer Reading challenge…and now I want to read all her novels.

The subject matter was fascinating.  The writing was engaging.  The extra facts at the end of each chapter added great depth.  I've been a little fidgety lately with reading, not finding anything that will keep my attention for too long, but I read about 70 pages of this in a row, and finished the book in three sittings. 

Well done.   

5 Stars