I'm Baaaack! News from Fred.

I wanted to share with everyone some pictures taken on the Butternut Creek because late spring is finally here. Upstream from me is the Butternuts Beer and Ale Brewery so if you look closely at the picture to the left, you will see one of their products has traveled downstream to my place. What a wonderful delivery system!

But maybe not. Because of what has been happening around the cottage, I'm worried that the beer deposited in my backyard may be a prank played by Fred. You do remember Fred, don't you? He's our ghost, silent since last summer, but I fear he is letting us know he's still in residence.

The first few weeks when we returned from Florida, the nights were cold. We had frost often and I had to cover the delicate plants I transported back from the south. We have serveral electric fireplaces downstairs, one in the living room, one in the dining room. They not only look real with fire dancing across their burning logs (all a light show, no real fire), but they also deliver heat. The one in the living room has a remote which we set on our coffee table. Several mornings we have come downstairs to find the fireplace turned on. Because we turn down the heat when we go to bed, we figured the cats were chilly and had walked on the remote, found it turned on the fireplace, and managed to do it several more times. Well, one of our cats is that smart. And the other one is a great imitator. We worried about the safety of the cats manipulating the heat level in the hourse, to say nothing of the cost of electricity, so we placed the remote on a high shelf with the device pointing backwards. That way even if the cats walked on it, there was no possibility it would activate the device.

The other morning the fireplace was on when I came downstairs. I know it was Fred.

Just today when we were having lunch in the dining room and discussing writing as we like to do often, the lights dimmed. As soon as we both said "Fred", they came back on. He hates it when he's left out of anything.

I've been sloppy in the past, leaving my computer on "standby". Now I am careful to turn it off. I think Fred might have his way with my writing or publish something on this blog. I hope I'm not giving him ideas.

Perhaps the only way to satisfy him is to give him his own time here. I may do that sometime, but for now, the computer is off limits to him. I love a sense of humor, but I'm unclear what that may mean in someone dead.

If anyone has any ideas of how to placate Fred's need for attention, feel free to post them.

More interviews with craft brewers coming and a visit from my critique partner where we discuss writing groups and exchanging manuscripts.