Tag: Winter

Lollygagging into 2023…

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized30 Comments
Snail
Photo Courtesy of Canva.com

Recently, I wrote an article over on LinkedIn about how 2023 could be the year of the slowdown (in a proactive way). I’m not slowing down much myself, but I am taking some time out here and there for some fun things that don’t really accomplish anything useful. *gasp*

The pressure is on, though, to get the income needed to help me escape what I’m now calling the Nightmare Hell Zone* (and not in a fun way), so I’ve been applying for jobs in brick-and-mortar locations as well as online remote-work locations. One thought I’ve recently had was that I could maybe get a job with a chain and then use that to transfer to another location in the United States, or, perhaps even more wishful-thinking, transfer to a Canadian locale!

Anyway, until I go figure things out (or win the lottery–the HGTV dream home–Travel Channel Sweepstakes), I’m sharing some links for you to stroll through as you, yourselves, meander into 2023.

(Unless, of course, you just want to stop reading here, and go write a snail mail letter or take a day off next week to hang out with your houseplant BFFs. That’s fine too!)

Here’s January’s “Tarot Card Readings for Inspiration”: https://horrortree.com/january-2023-tarot-cards-for-creative-inspiration/ and their snarky horoscope sidekick: https://horrortree.com/january-2023-horoscopes-tempting-fate-in-the-new-year/.

And if another bomb cyclone is bearing down on you again, check out my “Cultivating Winter Magic” post as well: https://horrortree.com/cultivating-winter-magic-for-writers/. Who says you can’t go out in style, right?

*Want to exercise your creative muscles? Feel free to share (in the comments) your own wild and wacky names for a terrifying town in rural U.S.A.!

Pulling the Plug for the Solstice

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized31 Comments

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Happy Winter Solstice! Merry Yule!

I don’t have anything particularly festive planned, although I did wake up to a world today that looked suitably wintery. The snow had mostly melted, but the trees and bushes were decked out in their finest frost-lace. And the sky was wonderfully grey and gloomy as I spread out the seed and nut feast for the local birds and squirrels.

I have my virtual Yule log crackling in the background, and I’ve got a meditation for Freyja playing softly as well. And, wouldn’t it be nice to have a complete scent “library” from shops like this? https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/yule-2022/

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I do plan on spending some time reflecting–I’ve got to come up with a way out of this Kansas nightmare–and I’ll be spending some time doing my favourite thing: organizing!

I’ve been having a nice comment-chat with another blogger about one of their latest posts re: organizing and planning strategies, and, although it appeared in my WP reader, they have grabbed the dubious honour in not only being WP’s longstanding follow/unfollow glitch casualty, but a first-timer in a glitch that has me both following this person, and not following them, simultaneously–and I didn’t even have to open the box!

Anyhoo, check it out–it’s a very funny post! https://stuartdanker.com/2022/12/20/this-is-how-you-overcome-procrastination/

And, Horror Tree never fails to deliver with another insightful article–this one’s about planning as well, in a way: https://horrortree.com/a-fresh-start-to-2023-how-about-we-dont-claim-it-as-our-own/.

So, in the absence of Twitter, I found some colourful days-of-the-week schedule sheets, and I created one for each social media platform/places where I post content (or have planned to post/crosspost content–examples: WordPress, LinkedIn, Goodreads, Horror Tree and…Pinterest!) that I can use as daily reminders, or reminders for tasks that are reoccuring. We’ll see how it works!

Speaking of Pinterest, I was really excited to get the 2023 “Pinterest Predicts” in my inbox! I do love Pinterest; however, I have to admit I actually let it lapse from my regular routine. But now I’m inspired to start exploring it again–and, yes, I did a planning sheet for that platform as well!

And, no sooner than I had typed that, I checked my email for something or other, and saw a notification to this post. Which is perfect in terms of creative-minds type of planning!

Regarding Twitter. Sigh. I went back and forth quite a few times–deactivating my account, reactivating it, etc etc. But then a news piece came onto my radar, and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t been aware of it. I mean, I am even subscribed to news alerts, call-to-actions, and sign-the-petition requests from PETA (and many more nonhuman animal and environmental groups) and I still only  just learned about it a little while ago.

I’ve put in some links that have more information (sensitivity alert).

Here’s the article I first read about this issue. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/05/neuralink-animal-testing-elon-musk-investigation

Another article. theprint.in/tech/elon-musk-called-out-by-peta-for-neuralink-animal-testing/1253973/

PETA’s news release waaaaay back in February of 2021. *gasp* www.peta.org/media/news-releases/peta-to-elon-musk-use-your-own-brain-leave-monkeys-alone/

And, just so you know, I don’t just include animal advocacy in my short stories, I put in the volunteer work as well. For example, I volunteered for call-bank shifts that contacted New Mexico residents and asked them to reach out to their representatives about these chimpanzees: https://apnm.org/what-we-do/securing-sanctuary-for-chimpanzees/.

And, (almost) last but not least, the updates that were part of the inspiration for this post.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2557814/almost-45-alamogordo-lab-chimps-were-denied-sanctuary-in-2019-a-federal-judge-just-ruled-that-wasnt-the-right-call.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/12/15/1143143941/judge-former-research-chimps-retire-federal-sanctuary-haven

Okay, so now I’m at the end of this post. Like I mentioned earlier, I knew that Kansas probably wasn’t the best place for someone like me, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. Sometime in the New Year, I’ll post up about the mind-boggling experience that is small-town Kansas. Or at least this small town in Kansas. There’s a certain date that has to pass, and it’s also probably predicate on getting myself and my cats to safety.

It’s felt very terrifying, dangerous, and threatening here–I mean, I grew up in a pretty urban environment, but who knew a small town in Kansas could feel even more scary than that? *wry laugh*

At one point, I was thinking to myself that it could be a good place to be an animal advocate, as there was plenty of work to be done, and progress to be made. But, wow. Just wow.

It’s my plan to unplug from the online world for a few days, maybe even as many as five, starting tomorrow. But, you know, the road to hell, and all that.

Happy New Year! See you on the flip side!

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Pretend You’re a Time Traveller Day: Winter Post Redux!

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized8 Comments

Today is “Pretend You’re a Time Traveller Day”!

(Read more about this fun day, and ways to celebrate, here: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/pretend-to-be-a-time-traveler-day-december-8/)

So, what does this have to do with the redux of my post? I realized I’d meant to wait for my other winter-themed post to show up at Horror Tree, but I simply forgot what with all my busy job-hunting-and-geographical-escape madness.

I did add the link to the other post, but just to give it some extra winter sparkle, I’ve included the links below. Just click on the images to travel to another dimension! (Or a festive winter destination to get you into the “spirit”–yes, pun intended!)

(Also, I’ll just insert another shameless plug here–if you’re looking for editorial or other coaching services, or even a tarot reading of your very own, check out my cozy new website! https://kirsten-lee-barger.mailchimpsites.com/)

Winter Magic 2022

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Enjoy the Winter Solstice!

It’s Winter Only in my Imagination…

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized12 Comments

…and over at The Horror Tree!

Get into the winter spirit by checking out my latest batch of posts I brewed up for the season! (Click on the picture to be taken to the post.)

Winter Magic 2022

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And *drum roll*…The premiere of my Spooky Six interviews! Head over to Horror Tree to see who the opening act is!

The Spooky Six Interview

 

Thanks to Stuart Conover for the fantastic cover art!

 

Wednesday’s Book Look–Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized3 Comments

I’ve been a little off-kilter lately. First the time change, and now temperatures are rising, and it seems winter has left. While I like all things nature-related, winter and autumn are my favourite seasons.

I miss cold, crisp days, and walking in the snow, and eating dinner when it’s actually dark out.

And so it was chillingly comforting when I read Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fiction.

The characters were like the voices of friends, by virtue of their shared experiences that were revealed in many of the stories.

Yes, the content was dark, but it also felt like some mysterious, imagined presence had appeared, wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, and whispered to me “you are not alone”.

Maybe that’s why I’ve been a little discombobulated lately. Reading this collection of stories was not only a haunting experience, but a visceral one as well.

Sure, I could talk a lot more about this anthology. But it’s proving to be a bit of a challenge, because my readerly experience went deep. And I’d rather listen, anyway. Listen to all the authors’ voices, as they tell their stories. Stories that remind me that I’m not so alone, after all.

Special thanks to Editor Rebecca Rowland for the advance reader’s copy.

You can dig up a copy for yourself when it releases June 1: https://rowlandbooks.com/unburied. Because, admit it, we could all use a little less “alone time” and a little more community, about now.

Am I right, or am I right?

Winter Solstice and Ice Dreams…

On By Willow CroftIn Uncategorized5 Comments

I hope you all are enjoying this winter solstice and have hot chocolate and blankets ready for the conjunction viewing tonight. Alas, there is so much light pollution here, and my new locale is lit up so brightly I’m surprised you can’t see it from outer space.

There’s a little teeny part of me that’s expecting something momentous to happen, even though I fall more on the skeptic’s side of things. But I’ll settle for the veil between worlds to thin so that I can spend some time with my ghost cats of season’s past. I miss them.

I don’t even know about the veil-thinning thing, but I have been thinking a lot about the past. Many of my poems have elements taken from experiences I’ve had in the past, and turned into what-might-have-been second chances, or alternate dimensions.

The spec fic story (“The Ice Dream of the Crow”) I wrote for Excalibur’s Books’ Phantom Games: Dimensions Unknown 2020 was inspired by my grandmother’s boyfriend Ernie (he died some time ago). As the story goes, he was an excellent skater, and worked at the Lake Placid Olympics. From the family’s written record of the story, he laid the flag under the ice, and escorted Sonja Henie onto the ice. He was gifted an ice skater ornament for his work on the Olympics, which is still in the family.

So, if you’re looking to escape into an alternate reality and want to experience a fictional journey to the Games, and can’t wait for them to start next year, check out the anthology by clicking on the link here: Phantom Games: Dimensions Unknown 2020 or here https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Games-Dimensions-2020/dp/B08KQP53X2/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Thanks, and enjoy the rare conjunction tonight! Merry solstice!