Erica O'Rourke

Bacon Jam and Summer Plans

Today is my sister's birthday, and to celebrate (Happy birthday, sister-mine!) we are heading up to Madison, WI for the weekend. It's one of my favorite places in the whole world. I'll try to post some pictures over on my twitter feed so you can see our regular haunts.

Today is also cold and rainy -- it was 95 last weekend and now it's 55, and my natural reaction to this sort of temperature drop is to make something consoling and indulgent. I like cold, rainy, gray days, because nobody tries to make me feel guilty about staying inside where there are books and the internet and coffee and my bed, instead of going out into nature, where there are weeds and bugs. To celebrate the fact that I don't have to do battle with the weeds, I am making Bacon Jam.

Yes, bacon jam. This recipe really appeals to me, because the only thing better than sweet/salty food is sweet/salty/spicy food, but I have a long to-do list today and kids who don't appreciate spiciness the way I do, so I'm going with this version, which has the benefit of cooking unattended while I Accomplish All The Things. I'll keep you posted.

But the REAL point of this post is to give you a quick-and-dirty update about where I'll be this summer. (Other than Madison, which is not an official trip but an "eat lots of delicious things" trip.) The list isn't inclusive -- we've got a few more events in the works, but for now, this is where you can find me:

Printers Row Lit Fest
Chicago, IL
2:45 pm Sunday, June 10 (subject to change -- check schedule)
Panel Discussion: Writing Young Adult Isn't Writing Down

Lake Villa Library
2-4 pm, Sunday, June 17
Workshop: What's the Point of POV? (registration required; designed for teens)

Grayslake Library
Writer's Bloc: Camp NaNoWriMo Kickoff
August 30 (Registration required; grades 2-6)

Midwest Writers Workshop
Muncie, IN
July 26-28
I'm teaching multiple classes on YA, and the entire faculty is outstanding -- especially this brilliant agent.

The other thing we have going this summer, of course, is the launch of BOUND! I'll have giveaways starting this weekend, and other fun things planned, so stay tuned. And now I'm off to check on my bacon jam.

 

Three Guesses Where We're Going Today? (UPDATED)

...and the first two don't count.

 

(Your first hint.)

 

(This ain't my first time at the rodeo.)

 

(Rare footage of the elusive Kitty Maya.)

(We are not amused, says Per.)

 

Looks like fun, right? I envision the afternoon going much like this book, which is a favorite of ours.  The current plan is to bait the carriers with oodles of treats, since they're lazy, greedy little beasts. Other tips/tricks/advice are welcome.

 

Update: Mrs. Silverstein's advice (see comments) was spot-on! We lured Per in with treats, and she totally fell for it. Maya does not like treats, so we suited up, lowered her in, and trundled off to the vet. The verdict: generally healthy kitties, though we're going in again next month. I haven't broken the news to them just yet. I'm sure they're already plotting their revenge.

WIP Friday: In the weeds. Literally.

Remember how I said April was trying to kill me?

I was not wrong.

April almost did kill me, but it waited until May 1st to do so. Because I had let my guard down, you see. I survived speeding tickets, locking my keys in the car, multiple conferences, #gasleak12, various kid illnesses, and then April was over. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to a signing at the IRA convention. Four hours later, I was in bed, feverish and hallucinating for a solid week.

Suck it, April. I know you were behind this.

Now I'm recovered and enjoying a bit of a breather. We moved to this house a little less than two years ago, and I've spent the bulk of that time frantically writing and serving a wide variety of frozen pizza to my family. I'm enjoying making real food, and unpacking the boxes in the garage, and generally restoring order. Also, watching Sherlock. Bendedict Cumberbatch was my reward for surviving April. (This never gets old, btw)

Alas, it's not all fresh vegetables and fun with the labelmaker. Something had to give in the two years that I was writing the Torn Trilogy, and since I'm firmly convinced that Nature is out to get me, it was an easy decision. I ensconced myself in my office and ignored the backyard entirely.

In retrospect, this might not have been the best idea I've ever had.

  

(I told you nature was out to get me.)

Guys, I can't even. I CAN'T EVEN. They are taller than me. If I let Big Marshmallow into the yard, she gets swallowed up in weeds, just like that scene in Little House on The Prairie where Baby Carrie gets loose on the prairie and everyone runs around looking for her, thinking she's been swallowed up by some sort of sinkhole. Every time I think about it, I start to twitch. It's like living in the rainforest, if the rainforest was located just north of Chicago.

So, here is my plan. Fifteen minutes a day. I can do anything for fifteen minutes a day, right? Surely I can attack weeds for fifteen minutes, and then come in for a cookie and a bit of a lie-down. And once the biggest, prickliest, most vicious weeds have come out, I'm going to pay my kids to do it instead.

I always feel better with a plan. In the meantime, send cookies and iced tea. And bug spray. And sunblock. And maybe a lawn service. And a money tree to pay for the lawn service.

What are you doing this weekend? Please say it's more fun than weeding.