September begins as the Giveaways end.

 Well, I love summer, the way most people on a school year cycle love summer.  The fact that the paychecks stop coming and their can be expensive, time demanding requirements to do things like update credentials and take classes does not stop me from enjoying the chance to spend more time with my own children.  The fact that my children are no longer children does cut back on the time that they need me around, but I still love every minute they choose to spend with me anyway.

 So I signed up to write in CampNanoWriMo again, and I did, but didn't  reach the goal I had set for myself of 50,000 words.  It's Ok though, I loved the process and have a good beginning on the next Duffy Barkley Novel.

 I spent a lot of time with my husband and we walked in the redwoods and on the beaches and by the river.  I went camping once, had a few picnics, spent time traveling with the youngest son and my daughter-in-love.

 I tried to do some book promotion by hosting a 5 day free kindle giveaway on each of my three books.  I also just closed the Goodreads hosted giveaway of 5 paperbacks of the newly published, Double Time On The Oregon Trail and have five winners from the 612 who signed up.

                                   The Winners are:

T. Nicholas	of			OK
P.Riccobono	of			MD
L.WEAVER	of			OH
C.  Mongillo	of			CT
M. Ulrych	of     MI			and the paperbacks are in the mail

 I got to "dogsit" my favorite boxer mutt - my blind and sweet "Grandpuppy" and I had a wonderful summer.

 Isn't this a cool shot?  Now if I could just bury that wounded cherry tree in the ocean for long enough to form amber, I could add to my jewelry collection.

 I'm doing a challenge on the 365 Project, where a lot of September's pictures of the day have to have the same something, same subject, setting or shape.  I chose this funky little set of nesting dolls and have been having fun with that.

I've also been canning and baking because this time of year my yard is bursting with apples, blackberries and plums.  Today I even had a deer coming to beat the bear who usually claims a bunch of my apples come mid September.

Now, because it is a new school year, I get to renew my new resolutions and promise myself that the things I loved, I get to keep

 and the things I wanted to improve, I get to try to do better this year.

May you also get to move forward in Joy that this beautiful life offers so much more than Facebook and endless Political campaigning.