Winter in Duluth
Closing of the shipping season is imminent
The St. Lawrence Seaway closes on the 31st, the Welland Canal on the 8th of January and the Soo Locks on the 15th of January.
This means that all salties (ocean-going, - usually foreign - ships) must be to sea by the end of the year on pain of being kept in the Great Lakes until the season reopens (March or April).
Why?
These pictures from tonight should give you a good (albeit cool) clue...
Drawsko (owned/operated by Polsteam out of Poland - carrying wheat) above, cutting through the ice already covering a lot of Duluth harbor.
Federal Oshima (owned/operated by Federal Navigation - probably coming in for wheat), only about half an hour later, still slicing through the ice.
Rumor has it that Federal Hudson, on her way to Thunder Bay, Ontario, might yet come to Duluth to complete her load, but we'll see. They have two weeks to make it out of the St. Lawrence Seaway - which takes a week to traverse!
This is the first winter I've been following these ships - and I know Duluth gets very iced up - but I don't know the extent of it. So, this will be exciting to follow.
Nanowrimo and upcoming romance webnovel
I think I mentioned previously that I hadn't intended to do the Nanowrimo challenge this year, but that changed a couple of days before November started when I did a little NSFW freewrite that promised a whole lot more than a quick fling!
Taking place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (where I may move some day if I get the chance still), it now sits at 68k words and will probably finish right around 70k - almost solid into novel territory! The most difficult part of this was writing in the Yooper dialect! Although I've heard the dialect a number of times, it's a different thing altogether to make it sound right when writing it... especially when not all my characters speak in it.
I'm on my read-aloud proofread/edit at the moment (about half-way through) and will pick up my last couple of chapters as I get to them this time. I've got to be quick, because my current book ends around New Year's Day and I want to have the next one start then. Until Nano butted into the way, I was planning on finishing my first Swan Valley novella first, but this one is almost ready, so it will be next.
In the mean time, my Wednesday NSFW short-stories are now taking place in fictional Ash Creek, Michigan - which is where Phantom Road is set.
The biggest challenge with writing???
There's always a "next" story! My job will never be finished! But that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it, 
I do need to do that other post about my evolving views on sexual relationships though - I have some issues with the "rules" that are placed upon writing by the status quo... "rules" that often disagree with nature and the human species. "Rules" that can also smudge the line between "normal" and "indecent" in a number of categories... and it might not be an accident either. Ho hum.
New Chickens also imminent
For our anniversary, my husband promised me a new chicken setup so that we can reclaim our surviving hen and some of her new friends...
Although I would (vastly) prefer building it ourselves to save (tons) of money, I had to realize that this is not my husband's view. He would rather put the money in and just help assemble... (I am not really in the shape to do everything myself - nor do I have an easy way of transporting everything right now - a small trailer is on my list of desires right now.)
So, I ordered the two things - a "hutch" for laying and a pen. Whereas the hutch was quick to arrive, the pen took its time to come across the country from who-knows-where, got lost for awhile, reappeared in Denver, and finally turned up about two weeks late! Anyway, finally have it put together. We have a light set up so that the chickens will lay in the winter and things like ceramic eggs and nesting herbs to keep pests out of the nests and all sorts of things. Just have to install the coop apron now (hopefully tomorrow), then collect the hens - hopefully on a warming trend rather than a cooling one.
Not discussing elections or covid
Goes without saying...
Too much craziness to place any bets before January 20, no matter how much main-stream-media wishes to tell you that everything is over. It's not.
Covid is the same thing. I don't believe most of what they tell us these days. Not sure what the truth really is, but can pretty much guarantee that it's not what they're telling us.
D.Buzz
Gave this a try this week... However, there are several issues - the main one being that the very-short format makes me look lazy compared to my normal posts. (Even with the 1 HBD max payout for those posts.) So, I'm not going to be using that anymore. Sorry, 
Photos captured today from Duluth Harbor Cam in Duluth, Minnesota. Go take a look for yourself and join me in this madness!
Past issues...
Feb 2, 2020 - Flu Sucks!
Feb 9, 2020 - Planning 2020
Feb 16, 2020 - Skating and Eating and Writing, Oh My!
Feb 23, 2020 - Chicken Scratchings and Graphics
Mar 1, 2020 - Inspections R Us
Mar 8, 2020 - New Chicks
Mar 15, 2020 - Pandemic Hits Writing
Apr 5, 2020 - Fools in April?
Jun 14, 2020 - Of Gardens and Vibes
Oct 6, 2020 - Drawing the Line - When it is time to quit (Not Sunday)
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
(Buy my work at RedBubble, TeePublic, PicFair and DeviantArt.)
verified author on Goodreads
(Buy my books at Books2Read and at LBRY)
find me on Twitter
