Midsummer’s Here!

Summer is in full force where I live. Heat, storms, everything green . . . we’re getting it all. Which is okay because it’s the Summer Solstice! The time of the big change. The turn of the seasonal wheel. (BTW: I consider the solstice the middle of summer, not the beginning. Anybody who understands how things work can see this, right? And the Swedes even add skinny dipping to mark their Midsummer holiday.)

Here are some recent highlights of 2022’s summer so far for me…

Swimming
You know I love swimming. Been doing it for more than 60 years. And especially when it’s outdoors. Because I spend much of my day inside, I love to escape into the long 50-meter pool of my local fitness club. I both swim on top of the water and spend as much time as possible under the surface. In this pool, I can dolphin kick the whole length without a breath. And when I do that, the creative ideas just explode and bubble up.

Around the House
When I’m not writing or swimming, I stay active around our house in the woods. In addition to my power-hiking around the property, there’s always plenty to do, whether admiring the rhododendrons or doing a bit of “slow sawing” on a downed tree.

Family News
Besides spending time with my wife, I’ve been keeping in touch with my far-flung family and relatives. My cousin recently moved from Germany to Costa Rica, and we’ve been Zooming regularly. Ditto for another cousin in Germany and my sister’s family in Texas and Maryland.

My Mom is aging, so I value our weekly Facetime conversations.

Writing + Book Publishing + . . .
All four of my completed novels are still finding readers around the world, and I’m happy to say that I’m more than three-quarters done with the first draft of my new novel, which will release around the end of this year. It’s a departure for me: a different genre, a slightly different style. But I’m excited!

And I’m also excited about something I can’t fully reveal just yet. But will soon. HINT: it relates to this place, where I used to live: (try to figure it out)

So on this Midsummer/Solstice day of 2022, here’s to a continued good summer for all of us. Skinny dipping anyone?

— Harald