Changing hats and other ramblings...

I've had to change hats these last two weeks and put on my writing cap. I have a deadline (this Wednesday) that I need to keep for the book to move forward on time.

Even though I hate them, I know that deadlines serve their purpose. Although just look at that word, it makes me nervous just to read it. Dead. Line. Eeek! Where in the heck did that word come from? I'm going to go look it up.

Here is what I found in Websters:

"a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot"

I dug around a little on the internet and found that it possibly originated during the Civil War. Prisoners in that war didn't always have prison buildings. They were often herded at gunpoint into a drawn boundary. There were two lines. A prisoner who stepped outside the inner boundary was warned/ordered to go back. But if you kept going, and stepped over the outer boundary, you were shot.

Interesting stuff, yes? And yet another example of how the internet keeps me from getting any work done.

So I am going back to my writing cubby now. I offer my heartfelt apology for not visiting your blogs and commenting. I will be back in force in a few days, and I am thinking it is just about time for a pre-Halloween giveaway! In the meantime, here are some pictures to get your mind off of that horrible D-word, and to remind you that my most favorite season (that being fall!) is just about here:


There are pots of mums sitting on my front and back steps. Soon there will be pumpkins!

The apples are ready for picking in Frederick, Maryland!
And this Mr. Sinister. He is hanging out over at Spooky Time Jingles with all the other sweet and spooky offerings from those wacky artists this month.

Boo!