authorstories – Author D.L. Finn

From Finn’s Forest #31 #updates #authorlife #forestliving #writingcommunity #nature #writer

Hi!

I had a wonderful Beatle Birthday. It was a nice celebration with family, plus we made a quick trip to Portland to see our son. It has been 19 months since I last got a hug from him. It was a ten-hour drive, and we only had one day to visit, since I had to get back for an appointment. It was worth it, though, and we packed a lot into that one day. We had a nice lunch, swam in the river, and enjoyed a tasty shrimp-and-steak dinner his girlfriend and friends prepared for us. It was nice to see where he lives, works, and just visit!

After that end-of-July vacation, I was getting back into my routine when a busy period came up. We got in lots of family time. Started with taking the younger grands to the fair and watching them dance with their dance school, and then watching them do more rides.

The younger ones stayed with us a couple of times, and that meant back-to-school shopping and, of course, ice cream and finding those squishy toys they all love.

We also attended a party for my sister-in-law’s 70th birthday, and the next day we had a celebration at our house for our grandson, who turned 18.

Things were about to calm down as school started, but one of my grands got sick and couldn’t go to school after the first day. She stayed here, and after a doctor’s visit, we found out it was strep throat. So she hung out here until she was better and could get back to the first week of school.

Then it was quiet. I worked on the poetry I’ve written this year on my computer, then finished my newsletter when I got a message from my youngest daughter, Danielle, that she had to evacuate her home. She works from home, and her husband was at work. So I hung out with her and her kitties. My cats weren’t big on socializing with them. Luckily, they got the fire under control after a few hours, and she was able to return home. She found that the fire line they bulldozed was at the top of her property. They live at the bottom of a slope. That was way too close. My other daughter, Desiree, who runs a preschool, had to shut down as they were in the warning zone.

So that was an eventful day for everyone. They did arrest the person who started it; it sounds like he burned down his own house, and it spread to 13 acres. It is definitely fire season here, but when it’s intentionally set and not from lightning or an accident, then it makes it all the worse.

That is just part of living in the forest and foothills, and more so the last few years. We started a firewise group in our neighborhood, and we have two-way radios to communicate. Everyone has cleared around their houses, and we’ve discussed putting sprinklers on our roof. Plus, we’re lucky to have some of the best firefighters around and the planes nearby. Although I prefer not to test out all the precautions we’ve taken to stay safe.

This week, I’m becoming a dance grandma, picking the younger ones up from school and getting them to dance. I will be brushing up on my ballet bun skills.

Right before this all got started, I got my book to the editor too. Whew!

So that’s where I’ve been. Now I can finish my blurb and set a release date.

I’m hoping to be back on schedule; I’ve missed visiting everyone!

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:

Someone left this in the Little Library. Cute!

The girls and I at the fair, Grass Valley

Zuzu likes to sit next to me when I write. She is a little big for the basket, though…lol

I took this pic through the screen. This little hummie supervised my writing.

Smoky Oregon skies make for great sunsets.

Yes, we played the Beatles song to go with it.

Embrace your inner child by looking through their eyes. Denise

From Finn’s Forest #25 #authorlife #writingcommunity #nature #forestliving #snow

Hi! I know I’ve been quiet lately, but between doing taxes and the last storm, it’s kept me busy! I still have some catching up to do.

Last week we got winter here, or cooler temperatures, finally. Along with that came snow, our first for the season. It sounded like we’d get a foot of snow, which is doable, but instead we ended up with 34 inches or almost three feet! This was a lot for not only humans but the trees that began to embrace spring.

In the 36 years living in our house, we’ve never had a tree hit it. This storm changed that. Luckily, we were okay, and the roof seemed to survive it, not sure about the shingles, have to wait until the snow melts to see. But what took the hit was our fence and part of our gutters. My husband was home from work, so he was able to get most of the tree off the house that day. What was on the roof would have to wait, as we had other things to do, like clear the snow off the trailer and get the generator going because the power went out.

The rest of the week left me alone as my husband went back to work, and I managed to keep the wood stove going for heat and shoveled snow where I could. Finally, the weather cleared, and my husband was working, I got a nice surprise. One of my sons-in-law, his father, and his brother-in-law showed up to get the top of the tree off the house. This required a ladder to climb onto our steep roof with a chainsaw. Not a one-person job. I should mention my husband is one of those people who doesn’t usually accept help. I accepted the help for him.

My take on all of this? When bad things happen, people are there to help, like with the tree that no longer sits on our roof. Our neighbors checked in on each other. Getting gas for those who needed it for their generators, food, or to get their driveway plowed. All via our two-radio group.

Even though I felt totally alone in the dark of the morning when my husband went to work. I insisted we shut the generator off until I got up to give it a rest and save gas. But I woke up right as he left and imagined all kinds of things. He made it to work, and I waited until it was light out to restart the generator. With dawn came the realization I wasn’t really as alone as I believed. That two-way radio was there. Still, after that, there was no early morning generator shutdown.

I have a feeling that moment of pure disattachment to the world will creep into a story. Boy, the things one can think of in the dark.

Now we’re going to get rain, and soon the snow will melt away. Then back to the warm and dry weather, winter seems to be fond of this year.

We have our power back now after three days out. Not our worst storm, but it’s up there as the most memorable. I would give it a mini Snowmegdon status. Here are some pictures. We got to snowshow on my husband’s one day off this last weekend.

I think the snowperson tire expresses the piling snow best 🙂

Embrace your inner child by offering to lend a helping hand or just allowing yourself to enjoy what life offers! D. L. Finn (Denise)

From Finn’s Forest #10. When things are what they may seem. #writingcommunity #authors #inspiration

Last week on the thirteenth was an unusual anniversary and I thought I would celebrate it today. It was the day I broke my foot. Here is the updated post and story on why this event is so important to my writing—things aren’t always what they seem.

It was Friday the 13th late at night in 2015. My bedroom was heavy with the chill of a snowy day. I‘d finished reading for the night and made one last bathroom trip. As I jumped out of bed, my feet hit the cold hardwood floor. That sent me running through the icy room without paying attention to where I was going. As I crossed over the bear throw rug, my left foot caught on our twenty-pound black cat, Coco. He had made it a habit to lie on top of the bear and blend in.

In what was only a few seconds seemed like forever as the cat didn’t move, but I did. My weight shifted trying to counterbalance, and I reached out to the dresser but missed. At that moment, I knew I was going down. So, I twisted in an attempt not to land on top of the cat who had a lot of trust in me I wouldn’t hurt him. That’s when I heard a loud snap. Then I hit the ground.

I lay there next to Coco wondering what to do next. Through this event, my husband was still peacefully sleeping. After several painful attempts to get up, I finally called out for help.

“Why are you lying on the ground? You should get up and sleep in the bed.” My groggy husband replied.

It took him a few moments to realize that I couldn’t get up and was hurt. Once he up-righted me, I hopped on one foot to complete my task. Each jump jarred my foot painfully.

Not wanting to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, I slept with a fortress of pillows protecting my injured foot.

I slept very little.

The next morning was Valentine’s Day. The hospital staff found amusement in hearing my story as I spent Valentine’s Day in the ER. My husband never left my side and reassured me it didn’t matter where we were if we were together. He had a good point.

Later, I left on crutches and rested through the weekend. As the days went by, I found I had too much time on my hands. I tried to fill it with TV shows, but I realized I needed something to do.

That’s when a family member suggested I should publish one of my children’s books.

With this unusual downtime, I did a lot of research. I set up a website, blog, had the story edited, got a cover created, and entered social media. Finally, four months later, I was ready to push that button with the company that helped me first publish. Now, I was published.

Once I released that first book, I haven’t stopped. I kept going forward into the writing world.

So, happy late ninth anniversary to the time I tripped over our black cat on Friday the 13th and broke my foot. What seemed like a bad thing ultimately opened the door to a whole new world.

Embrace your inner child by reading a good and be thankful all those events that might not be what they seem! D. L. Finn