On Reading, Writing, Gardens, and Chickens

In these crazybusy times, I have been keeping myself sane with the crazy business of reading, writing, gardening, and raising a new flock of chickens. Those of you who have been with me for a long time know that I also homeschool my children, a thing that used to set us apart from most of our friends and family. Now, everyone is doing it. How surreal!

(Side note: If you or any of yours have found yourselves suddenly faced with homeschooling and want to chat, complain, or brainstorm solutions, feel free to email me. We have been homeschooling for 18 years. Been there, done that, still learning.)

On Reading: Please join me here on Wednesday for more about that.

On Writing: I have been busy with several writing classes to help prepare for entry to an MFA in Creative Writing. As a part of that effort, I have been working on the craft of short story writing. If you are curious, hop on over to the Writer’s Workshop at the godoggocafe.com to read more (https://godoggocafe.com/2020/05/02/writers-workshop-iii-may-2020-story-structure-difficult-choices-and-birds/). For May’s workshop, I have shared one of my shorts and the assignment prompt that it was written in response to. For now, we have changed the format of the Workshop to a single prose prompt a month without the editing challenges. Everyone is busy, and life in the midst of Covid-19 is crazy. That said, I would love to have you join me in the Workshop for some fun writing challenges!

On Gardens:

On Chickens:

I have been a bit behind in my Monday posts. As these weeks go on, I will post some of my new poetry, a few of my short stories, and more posts like this, sharing a bit of what we are doing to make our lives at home as rich as possible in a day when we aren’t able to do much else.

Stay safe, healthy, and creative everyone!

©️2020 Tanya Cliff

20 thoughts on “On Reading, Writing, Gardens, and Chickens”

      2. It is a great hobby. I just got back into it after several years living in town. Felt good to get my hands dirty. 😂
        Have a great week.

      4. Chicken coop and fenced run. We will let them free range during the day once they are fully grown. Most of the predators come out at night.

      5. Yes. I saw on YouTube one guy had a guard goose, which I just thought was funny and kind of entertaining.

  2. I am so eager to get back in the garden. We’ve had a string of beautiful days, but I have to be so careful with my allergies turning into an asthma attack or worse. So for now I remain inside and watch the weeds grow alongside my plants. Feeling a bit sorry for myself.

    Reply

    1. You are allowed to feel that, Kathy. With all the craziness of coronavirus, I suppose you have to be extra careful so you don’t end up needing a trip to the doctor. The garden will be there…Stay safe and healthy! ❤️

      Reply

      1. I do have to be extra careful because I have breathing problems. I also have asthma which is usually triggered by allergies so I’m limited in my time outdoors. It’s just frustrating.

      2. I am sure it is! Especially now. It is so cold here in the winter that, once we get to spring, I just want to be outside. I crave it.

        Take good care of yourself, Kathy! Hugs! ❤️

  3. The photos are great! Affirmation that life goes on. I can’t get anywhere near a garden center lately. The lines are extremely long. I hope that you are doing well!

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Rob! I am good. Just using the time here to catch up on some things. I tried to stop by the garden center yesterday, but they had lots of people waiting outside to get in…crazy! I will try again in the off hours, but I was lucky to have lots of seeds started this year. That helps. Hope everything is good your way. Stay safe and healthy! ❤️

      Reply

  4. The photos look great. I loved the flowers! They look so beautiful. The writer’s workshop seems great. Looks like you’ve got a lot on your hands. Stay safe. Take care.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Tanya CliffCancel reply