Blog 81 posting

Another tidbit from the first novel of the Tessera Trilogy, Golden Gate. 

Comrade Thanh knew it; knew they were pinned down, with no easy way to escape. That last salvo of mortar rounds had caused mainly shell shock, disrupted his men, and inflicted few injuries. He sensed disorientation in his men’s movements. Other VC, from further down the island and harassed by the earlier salvos, were moving to his position alongside the rice paddy. This reinforced his position, his chance to break out.

“They’ll be weakest there,” pointing to area ahead and to the riverbank on his right. “Throw grenades to shock them, and we can rush through. We can be clear in an hour. Forward!”

Tooley and Hung looked up – “It’s starting! I hear it, Hung - increased rifle fire and grenades.” Hung knew and whispered, “This can only mean they are breaking out! Damn, our weakest point, and our least experienced Sergeant there.”

Blog entry 80

Well it’s time for an update.

Is it Spring?  There are signs.  A large blue jay, or perhaps a blue bird, came strutting across the railing of our back porch.

If that wasn’t enough, “Chippy”, our friendly and ultra-cute furry friend came out of his burrow beneath the back deck. He scurried from hole to hole (beneath gaps in the decking), and was being followed by a small sparrow, as though the sparrow couldn’t quite figure out what “Chippy” was.

Another sign of Spring is the renewed activity of all our squirrels. They are running around the yards and trees, and activity indicates they are rebuilding their nests. Daffodils are about to bloom, and grape hyacinths are blooming. Tulip sprouts are also in sight. Another Spring marker is the absence of an ugly raised bed planter; it has been consolidated into the nearby, larger planter.

So … these are a few of the reasons I’ve not been able to get a segment of Sooley Base ready for the writers group review.  Ah the distractions ….