Annie DeMoranville

Full Sail: Chapter One

Full Sail cover Golden Fishing Pier with sailboat and dolphin in the background

TJ Wilde has been busy the last five years. A good job, a good guy, and a nice house. Stevie, her dumpster rescue kitten and Wyatt, a two-year old Bernese Mountain dog rescue complete their little family. But TJ is restless and looking for adventure. Be careful what you wish for…

The eBook is available now at this link.

As is my custom, here is Chapter One:

ONE

Murder is my favorite crime – LAURA

Fuck! I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain in Southern California. I was soaked to the skin standing in a torrential downpour underneath the fishing pier at Venice Beach. A few miles down the road from the ritziest of Malibu mansions and the kitschy fun of Santa Monica Pier’s Pacific Park. Grateful Colby convinced me to buy what had to be a military-grade phone. It was holding up to the deluge better than I. Of course, I would never tell him he was right. Keep him guessing. That was my relationship philosophy.

I had been following the ping of my best friend Mimi’s phone, but it had suddenly stopped, leaving me anxious and stranded, dodging the incoming tide. I tamped down the growing dread. She was in serious trouble, but I wasn’t sure what kind of trouble. Was she a fugitive on the run, or had some harm come to her? Either prospect was frightening.

Full Sail: Chapter Two

TWO

I have to warn you, I’ve heard relationships based on intense experiences never work – SPEED

I am a medium girl. I’m medium height and medium weight. My hair is medium brown and medium length. I live a medium life. I take walks in the forest. I’ll never hike the Appalachian Trail. I cycle on groomed paths. I’ll never ride down the Rocky Mountains or race on a BMX track. I run a decent mile, but I’ll never run a marathon. I quit kendo before going much further than the average tween. Though skilled, I’ll never master.

Sure, I have had a few adventurous moments, but no more cloak and dagger for me. No more being shot at, held at gunpoint, stalked, and terrorized. Now, I live a quiet life. I was conflicted on the merits of that.

These days, I have a nice, unassuming position at a museum near Arlington, Virginia. A middling, nine-to-five job, researching and authenticating art acquisitions for a modest, quite ordinary collection. My life at this juncture was unremarkable.

Climate Solutions: Regenerative Landscapes

x-posted at Living Lightly

2015 Water Stats from USGS — USGS Water Statistics

In the U.S. alone, one-third of all water use goes to landscaping, second only to thermoelectric power usage.

Grass lawns are both an ecological and economic disaster. Fertilizers that deplete soils of organic matter, pesticides that harm beneficial insects, birds and wildlife, and water usage are only a few of the reasons to kill your lawn.

In this post, you’ll find information on how to create a regenerative landscape and examples, including my experience. Let’s start with an overview of what it actually means to have a regenerative landscape.