Weds ROW80: Back on the River

Last night, I should have checked in with ROW80. Instead, I organized fabric. I swear my office looked like a bomb exploded with stacks of batiks and traditional fabrics everywhere. But I sorted by color and type, organized into bins, and gave away some. A picture would have described the chaos, but my next quilting projects are now organized. Phew!

Now I'm tackling those library books that must be returned and those end-of-the-year letters that must be written in January. We're two weeks away from leaving for a month to a warmer place, one with no snow, south to Corpus Christi, a little off the beaten path taken by winter Texans. 

Going away for a month means letting go of the routine. Yes, the laptop goes with (as does Rivers of Stone), and I will still be present in the land of ROW80, setting goals and reading about everyone's progress.

Goals & Progress for this Week:
--Edit Rivers of Stone, 5 out of 7 days each week. So far, 3 out of 3 days. I love writing in this world of traveling through wilderness in the 1840s!
--Awaiting final approval from ACX for Standing Stones' audiobook. Had a glitch, now corrected. Now waiting the 10-14 days for approval.
--Blog x3 each week on ROW80x2, Poets on the Page Mon x1. All posted. WIPpet Weds one day late (see below). Current with reading all.
--Build realistic marketing plan. I'm actually reading The Frugal Book Promoter, and making notes.
--Review 2 books by indie writers each month. List other books read. Yes! Finally. One review (Annette Drake's cozy Death Goes to the County Fair) completed and posted! Just read a horrible (and nameless) book about bikers (tats and all), and a fascinating tale by S. J. Watson, Before I Go to Sleep, a debut novel about a woman with amnesia who forgets everything that she knows and remembers every night -- until she keeps a secret journal. Does anyone else get seduced into reading far too many books on Kindle?
--Exercise minimum 2x week, building to 3x week. Well, does one short session and a walk count?
--Declutter office and E-mail under 150. Yep. Clean up WSQ projects, write letters. Not yet.

WIPpet Wednesday (one day late): Based on the date, 2016 brings you 17 (16 + 1 for January) sentences from Rivers of Stone. It's 1846. We join Cat, back on the river with the fur brigade traveling west on the Hayes River in upper Manitoba:

    Sobered, the men clambered down from the overlook. They were truly in the middle of nowhere, desolate, unending forests, and the river before them roiling with white water, despite it being late summer. "Somebody say a prayer," said one of the men.

    Pierre hit his arm. "Hell, we don't need a prayer. Just stay clear of that whirlpool."

    Cat stayed on the hill with Thurston. They watched the rest of the men climb down to the river’s edge where the boats had been pulled ashore, and she wondered if today her journey would end. Cat surveyed the land around her, limitless trees, the gorge ahead cutting deep and the river boiling white with spray up the narrow channel.

    The rest of the party seemed a little nervous, checking and tightening ropes on the packs. When all was stowed away, Pierre called out. “Follow me and paddle hard, as if the devil were after you.” His boat was the first to enter the gorge. His crew shouted and paddled in unison, their oars flashed in the sunlight. 

    Thurston and Cat saw the boat emerge at the end of the gorge as if the river spit it out. Thurston waved to the men below. “He’s through. Take the next boat.” 

And that's all folks. Time to get back to work . . . Check  out what other folks have written at ROW80 HERE and read a few snippets from WIPpet writers HERE.

Whitemud Falls from "Paddling through History" by Bartley Kives,Winnipeg Free Press

Note: This great article also has a very clear map of the Hayes River from York Factory down to Norway House, exactly the route that fur traders took during the time of Cat's story.