First let me say that my heart goes out to Albertans. The flooding has been horrendous and many have lost so much. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

We’ve been having some intemperate weather the last few days in my neck of Canadaland in the form of a heat wave. Mama Weather has been slapping on the sun screen and flopping at the beach.

Now, all of spring has been cool and rainy. So much so that the back fence remains unstained. I weep.

Not really. It’s an awkward job, and I am the one who will be doing it.

The first day of heat, the temp climbed to 90 Fahren with a 95 humidex — so really, 95. I roll my eyes.

And on the first day I said, “We don’t need no stinkin’ air conditioning.”

That was my mantra until about 10:30 at night when it was still 90 Fahren.

And then I totally caved and have not turned off the air in three days.

I wimped out.

In a major way.

I don’t really like turning on the a/c in June. I’m cheapo that way. I like the lower digits on the electric bill.

I’m sure you can relate.

But I cannot work when I’m melting.

And I cannot cook when I’m melting.

And I cannot eat when I’m melting.

You get the drift.

I cannot [fill in the blank].

But one of the good things about the heat is that it causes plants to grow about a foot a day. And they begin to bloom whether you have a green thumb or not.

This is one of my favorite perennials, and this is the best blooming year it has seen.

Blue and white campanula, aka bellflowers. They bloom from late spring into early summer. They’re bloomers.

Once again with feeling.

It does a heart good just to look at them.

In writing news, I’m back at Fast Drafting. My FD-ing had been interrupted by a trip to the U.S., or a roadmance as I like to call it.

This time, I have the opportunity to be part of a Candace Havens Fast Draft Workshop. There are somewhere between 35 and 40 of us. 20 pages (5000 words) a day for 14 days.

I got my 5000 words in Tuesday. More than 5000, but I’m banking the rest for another day. It took me 4 1/2 hours and looked like this:

1st hr – 931 wc
2nd hr – 1141wc
3rd hr – 1463 wc
4th hr – 1363 wc
30 mins – 580 wc

Turning off the editor is hard. I want to fix, smooth, and polish as I go along.

That is my nature.

That’s not what Fast Draft is about. It’s about pushing through and getting your story on the page. All of your story.

Each day I hope to get a little faster.

Feel free to cheer me on.

Because after Fast Draft comes Revision Hell.

Hump Day! I’ll be fast drafting over it.

Elen