I know something’s up when I’d rather do laundry than write.

Another more subtle sign of procrastination is when I conduct endless research, but never write a rough draft. I’m in trouble when I’m hunting in the refrigerator after every sentence.

But what can I do about it? Here are a few ideas that have helped me negotiate this rough terrain in my writing life:

My favorite apple is the Russet, an heirloom variety. They only have a two-three week season. After that, the crunchy texture becomes mealy.

I am also very fond of sunchokes, sometimes called Jerusalem artichokes. The roots of this sunflower family plant are harvested in autumn.

I prefer both apples and sunchokes fresh; I eat them as soon as possible after they are harvested. Neither apples nor sunchokes store well raw for very long. Both also tend to discolor when cut. So here is a way to enjoy the ones that I cannot eat right away:

I giggled when a marketing expert suggested I include the word the in my metatags.

Apparently I underestimated the power of this three-letter word. The is one of only three articles in the English language (a type of adjective that gives information about a noun) and the only definite article (can be singular or plural).

But thanks to President Bush (“the google “or is it “The Google?”), THE is getting a lot of attention. That works out nicely for me. In response to some recent inquiries, I’ve decided to devote time to sharing the nuts and bolts of my writing life.

I’m always fascinated by how others react to my work.

I spend a lot of time trying to determine how to resolve the innate conflicts between my naturalist life and my writing life. Then I get a bit of feedback that gives me a lift.

I’m munching on my favorite variety of apple, the Russet. Two house sparrows are perched on a rhododendron branch, out of the winds, pecking at seeds and conversing quietly. The maple managed to keep its yellow leaves despite the recent storm featuring 45-50 mph wind gusts.

Leaf season is reaching its peak around here. Now when I hike, beech and birch trees stand bare among the red, yellow and brown oaks, hickories and maples. Witch hazel and asters are in bloom. I’ve put away the shorts and pack a hat and gloves. It’s almost time to add another layer of clothes and a windbreaker.

I love this time of year. I love the abundance, the color, the crisp
easy-to-breathe air. I love the smell of wood fires wafting through the
air near some of my favorite trail heads.

I love the fullness of this season, especially knowing that in just a few weeks the trees will be bare until May.

I love it when I hear about artists who are not just hype to sell products. With no school-aged
children living in my house, I have to rely on my friends with kids to
share some amazing music.

When a colleague sent me Pink’s Dear Mr. President,
I wept. Her high school age children listen to Pink. People in their
teens, 20′s and 30′s have a greater stake in what happens in the future. They
are waking up to the fact that we, as citizens, are each responsible for
what happens to the people around us in the places where we live. They
know the folks in charge are clueless and not accountable. They have
the energy and the means to set things right.

Of course The Dixie Chicks also get my vote. They faced unfair assaults for speaking the truth early on, when most people failed to notice that the emperor had no clothes. Our country has a history of attacking artists for free speech, but the artists have always prevailed. Sing Out Magazine may well be one of the longest running publications in this country. When will we ever learn?

I was recently asked if I would consider writing blogs for busy entrepreneurs and business owners.

To my understanding a blog is a first-person account of some important issue or aspect of a product or service. So how do you ghostwrite a journal entry? I certainly won’t pretend to be someone else, but is there an ethical way to help someone for whom writing is more painful than root canal?

I began with the search engines. “Ghost Blogging” brought me to lots of sites where one or more apparitions are the main topic of discussion, especially with Halloween coming up. But there were a number of sites and forums for writers providing information that gave me insight into the real differences between ghost writing a blog and ghost writing a speech. The fact that a blog is ongoing makes a huge difference.

Now, where do I draw my personal boundaries when deciding to provide writing support for blogs?

Without the Internet, I would not have a website, a blog or a business. Without free access to search engines and information, I could not provide timely research or content to my clients.

I watched the Bill Moyers documentary The Net @ Risk and what I saw scared me witless. How bad does it have to get before we realize just how much freedom we
are losing?

The issue is NET NEUTRALITY. Basically, the major phone and cable companies including AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner continue to lobby our elected officials and the FCC; they are close to pushing through legislation that would allow these corporations to create a two-tiered system of Internet access. Yes, it would cost each of us more money for less Internet access than we currently have. The mega media corporations don’t stop at the federal level. They have succeeded in 14 states in making it harder for local fiber optics companies to become established and operate. At the local level these relentless corporate entities are trying to trample American municipalities that have successfully built
their own fiber optic networks.

The situation is so dire that MoveOn and the Christian Coalition have become allies in the fight for what’s left of free speech.

I like boiled white oak acorns in soup or stew.

I like them warm, so I experimented with a variation on my warm chicken mushroom salad. I cooked the mushrooms and froze them when they were fresh. I have defrosted steamed mushrooms for this recipe.

This is an excellent time of year to use your webcam for nature study.