Newsletter 11: Ants, Plants, and Circumstance

April 2024

We have ants. Not in the overwhelming way — most of our food is already in glass jars or Stashers — just in the we-are-constantly-aware-that-we-have-ants way.

When we first moved into our house, almost twelve years ago, we discovered a small trail of ants marching around the perimeter of the kitchen. A quick survey of the house’s exterior revealed there were numerous breaches in the siding and walls — holes that had been drilled through by the previous homeowners for reasons unknown to us — but nothing a tube of caulk couldn’t fix. Holes filled and an added sprinkle of baking soda along the ants’ preferred trails for a week or two put an end to their infiltration.

And then we had ten ant-free years. But, last summer they returned. Breaching our walls by secret passages we still can’t understand. Lead by some small, six-legged, female Ephialtes. And we haven’t been able to convince them to leave since.

Perhaps this is karma for the times I ran up to ant hills as a child and thrust a stick into the middle to watch them swarm. Oh how excited I was if the bright white eggs were revealed. I was fascinated by the way the ants set about taking care of the mild catastrophe with such calm focus. I also survived a few, well-deserved, bites.

The small black ants we host now are quite different from the red ants I grew up with. However they, too, go about their duties with calm focus, marching in meandering lines along our kitchen counter, searching for food. But a few haven’t stopped at the kitchen counter. Some explore my desk, others inexplicably brave the bathroom, and some even try to explore me, their small feet tickling my arm.

Living with nature is a constantly shifting experience. How often we vacillate between trying to fight it, annoy it, survive it, revel in it, change it, ignore it, destroy it. How I refuse to eat animals or animal products because I don’t want to be part of the harm that causes, but how I will smoosh an ant if I have to. Nuance. (One of my favorite words, by the way.)

And then, with much discomfort, I realize I am part of nature, too. What forces outside of me react to me the way I react to ants? But, more important to my own personal growth, what parts of me react to myself in the way I respond to nature? What am I trying to destroy, survive, fight, annoy, change, revel in, ignore? And by doing these things, am I actually embracing myself and my place in the world?

I often find myself watching these small creatures, wondering about their lives and whether or not they can find peace in a life spent endlessly wandering, searching, snacking.

Then again, I ask those same questions about myself. 

The idea I’ve contemplated the most lately is what if most of the fun in life is found by veering off track just a bit? Searching for a tasty snack in an unexpected location. Wandering in circles on a desk. Exploring the bathroom when everyone tells you to be in the kitchen. Okay, not sure what the ‘bathroom’ of life is, but, you get the idea. It’s a metaphor about ants, you knew it was going to be a bit ANTi-climatic. ;)

Are We There Yet?

This last month has been a great month for our writing on Bones (book two in the Discovery of Legends)!

Adam Lombard

and I have finally found, what we think, is the best method for our joint writing yet. (I’ll most likely talk about it in a Good Writing Days post in the future.) So we’re moving forward quickly and really excited about the stuff we’re creating and polishing.

Lucky has been on the back burner this month because we’re working so intensely on Bones. But I’ve been feeling the pull to jump back in on that. So I’m sure I’ll visit it again in May.

Speaking of May we’re going to be collecting notes from our Manly Hero rerelease readers starting in the middle of the month and I’m really looking forward to hearing from them. So lots of writing and editing going on here and I love it!

NaPoWriMo

April has been National Poetry Writing Month and

Tara Connor

has generously been posting the daily prompts in her Notes on Substack. I’ve been busy with novel writing, but have popped in a few times with the odd poem. However, there are several people creating some beautiful and emotional poems daily. So, if you’re in the mood for some lovely poetical exploration, you can read through the comments of each of her Notes.

I’m going to start sharing a few poems in the coming months in some poetry posts here as well. So keep an eye out for that. :)

Bye, For Now

I hope you’re finding joy in your journey, whether you’re marching in a straight line toward your goal or meandering off track, because, why not? 

Love you, Petra  ❤️

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