First bit of news … to those of you who have so kindly wished relief for those of us in the drought-stricken American West, the storm door has opened. We are now expecting at least five days worth of rain. Yeah!
Second bit of news … I’ve been working with Duke Miller on a darkly humorous mystery which will include the character of Fiona Butters from the 2014 book published by Booktrope and entitled Flipka. It may involve other characters from Flipka but at this point, I’m not sure. If you’d like to read about the original, click here.
And finally … in the shameless bragging about one’s offspring’s department, here is a video clip written and narrated by our granddaughter Audrey. We were there the day of the filming (which she also did) and she probably spent six hours in the garage working on it. By herself. She did have help with the editing from her parents. Afterwards we all celebrated with burgers and fries. Since the family is split between the meat eaters and the vegans we had to go to two different places. Thus, everyone was happy.
I hope everyone is staying out of Black Holes! They don’t sound like nice places to explore.
Saying nothing in particular 
Audrey one day will graduate from a university’s astrophysics program!
Thanks! I hope so!
John and I just listened to Audrey. Wow!!!!!
Thanks Mary Alice and John. She worked really hard …
Hi Jan,
So the last nine years of our social media hell has finally paid off with this garage-infuse adorable story of mostly black holes. Where can I get some of Audrey’s enthusiasm? I’d be happy to purchase it if that is possible. Does she bottle it or perhaps grind it into powder? I could have used it today to put one foot in front of the other in order to have actually made it out the front door. Unfortunately, gravity attacked me just inside the kitchen and sucked my head into the sink drain. My words got really attenuated until Matilda bit me in the heel and drew blood. She was similar to the tail of a comet in this respect. The bite set off a chain reaction that caused Mises Him to jump as high as my face. The whole episode was something similar to what Audrey was describing, but, of course, in a non-scientific way. Anyway, tell Audrey that Dr. Miller would be happy to recommend her admittance to Stanford before she gets too much older. I think it best that she begins school at less than four feet in height. Don’t you agree? Thanks again. Love. Don Duque, el Fechado Viejo y el Amigo a los Pobres de la Calle
Oh no. Duke encounters a black hole in the kitchen! I think she’s already over four feet.
So much to love here, Jan!! Rain in CA, your collab with Duke (and Fiona), and Audrey!! Thanks for all this good news. Needed it today.
Yes … Duke and Fi Butters are quite the pair – I try to stay out of the way as much as possible! If you ever need to the talk, I think you have my phone number.
Yeah for the rain. And that collab.
Your granddaughter is adorable. What a pro!
It’s amazing how excited and happy everyone here in California is. It’s been three years since we’ve had an early rain. Early rain generally means the end to the fire season. We can breath again.
Finally. Fingers crossed it rains a lot.
I think a black hole might be useful for some of the rubbish we generate. It has to be better than ending up in landfill…
True.
OMG! She is so cute. A TikTok star is born!
Thanks Susie. I hope she stays interested in science!
I’m sure she’ll have lots of interests. 😎
What a lovely blog full of good things. Your granddaughter is very clever 💜
Thanks Willow! Kids these days can figure out how to do almost anything!
I know it’s amazing
One day in my only two weeks in the USA I actually went to Long Beach and observed Queen Mary from the outside. We were there to see the studio where our host worked at the time. He is a video artist and did a video for Arnold’s birthday. Your granddaughter is happening. Great things in store. And good luck to Flipka!
Thanks Manja. We were staying in a resort near the Queen Mary and I was lucky enough to get that shot. In the bright daylight it doesn’t look that surreal!
Your granddaughter produced a most entertaining video. I learned a few new things about black holes. I am very glad you are getting rain. I also live in an area where we get long periods of no rain and it is awful. By the end of our dry winter, people are all suffering from hay fever, sinus and other ailments. October is called suicide month here.
Thank you Roberta. Suicide month – OMG, that’s terrible. I hope you guys get rain too. My husband has started the Navage treatment for his sinuses. So far, it seems to really help.
I am very happy to know that. My son has a big issue with his sinuses and nothing seems to help much.
Unless he has some kind of infection, it should help. Joel can finally sleep through the night.
This is a fun post. Audrey is wonderful and articulate and knows her stuff. She reminds me of my niece at that age, that’d be a niece who’s currently working on her PhD in Astrophysics. You never know how far they’ll go.
Thank you Ally. I certainly hope she goes that root!
Obviously you have a rising star in the family. Audrey is amazing.
I hope the rains don’t cause havoc.I know you need them, but after fires they can be dangerous.
Yes! Trains are the way to go. 100% agree!
Thanks Resa. Right now the officials are worried the strong winds associated with the incoming front. I’ve got to make sure we have enough batteries, etc.
Good grief! Be safe!