Priorities And Costs...

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Here's a little bit more of the third installment in the Petri Dish Chronicles! As always, the disclaimer is that this is a draft and, as such, it's unedited and likely full of errors and is subject to revision, revamping, and being completely scrapped and rewritten. But, with that in mind, I'm reasonably satisfied with the basics of it, at least at the moment, or I wouldn't have bothered posting it. Enjoy! :-)

Excerpt from the third Petri Dish book:
The lead Arcanum moved closer to her and reached a hand up as if to brush her cheek, but stopped just short of touching her. “I can feel your anger and pain, child. You learned much during our time together, and your shield is strong enough that I can no longer read your thoughts unless you let me through, but your emotions overpower your barriers and leak out. Does the resentment you project mean you believe we gain any pleasure from coercing you? I assure you, we do not. You are our greatest achievement; quite possibly the next step in our evolution. The last thing we wish is to cause you more distress and drive you further from us.”

Petri straightened. As short as she was compared to humans and many other species, she towered over the Arcanum. Her jaw clenched, she met its glowing gaze and said, “Then don't make me do this. Let my friends and me leave, and deal with this yourselves.”

The alien backed away, its hand falling to its side. “We cannot. We have tried and failed to discover the method to assume direct mastery over digital systems. And those you call the Hatari are advancing. There is no more time to learn through a slow process of controlled trials; we require your assistance.”

“No matter what it costs.”

The alien did not respond.

Something Worth Watching?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I'm back today with another video I wanted to share. Yes, this is an ad, but I think it's a powerful one. Especially now, when Bernie is the only one of the prospective presidential candidates who is actually displaying any leadership ability, and who is the only one fighting for regular Americans. He doesn't just talk the talk; he walks the walk. And that's something that's so rare and precious in a politician, I really hope we don't blow our chance at having it, just so we can put a racist, corporate-sellout, rapist in the White House. And if you can't tell if I mean Biden or Trump by that statement, consider the implications of that as you watch this video and think about what we could have if we fight for it. Peace!

Quick And Easy Pan #Sauce #Recipe!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

This is just a really quick, easy pan tomato sauce that's good served over almost anything. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:
6 tomatoes diced
2 zucchini chopped
1 fennel bulb cleaned and chopped
1 onion chopped fine
1 28oz package button mushrooms sliced
2 cups fresh basil chopped fine
2 cups fresh oregano chopped fine
1 cup fresh parsley chopped fine
8 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp fennel seeds
4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large, deep-sided skillet, put a quarter cup of the olive oil with the onion and saute until the onion starts to caramelize. Remove the onion from the skillet, reduce the heat, and add the rest of the olive oil, the fennel seeds, the garlic, and the red pepper flakes (optional) and heat the oil gently until the seeds start to perfume the air. Add the zucchini, fennel bulb, and mushrooms to the skillet and increase the heat slightly. Cook until the vegetables start to wilt and add the onions back to the skillet. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and water and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and stir to combine the ingredients. Add the oregano and half the basil and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes break down. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the rest of the basil and the parsley. Serve hot over pasta, rice, couscous, quinoa, or a nice, toasted crostini.

Buon appetito!

Exciting #Opportunity! #SummerTime #Giveaway Signup!

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If you're a fellow author and/or blogger, and you'd like the opportunity to grow your social media following without spending a lot of $$$ on advertising, check out the details in the image above. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, click the link below and answer the questions. Happy writing! :-)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2020SummerGiveaway/

#Animal #Rescuer's #Guide To #Staying ( #Relatively ) #Sane! #Free! :-)

Hey Everyone!! :-)

Just a reminder, for those who haven't checked it out yet, I've collected all my animal rescue/care posts together and published them as a small book.  If you'd like, you can download the book for free from Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, and iTunes.

Amazon

Smashwords

iTunes

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Thanks for stopping in today, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for the next installment of Mistral Dawn's Musings! :-)

#APC #Spotlight: Valkyrie: Darkness Awaits By Mark McQuillen and Mara Reitsma!

Hey Everyone!! :-)

I've got Mark McQuillen in my APC spotlight, today! Mark is an active and supportive member of the  Authors-Professional Co-op Facebook group and his epic, dark, mythological, horror, fantasy novel, Valkyrie: Darkness Awaits, looks great! Here's the description:

Time was but a moment. Past, present, future: it mattered not. The mirror was supposed to give the viewer a look into these moments and prolonged use could lead to insanity. Many had succumbed to the mirror's effects, but Tisiphone, the heir to the Valkyrie throne, had promised herself not to let it get that far. She had no choice, she had to find her mother. She had to learn from the past to prepare for the future, and that mirror was her only option, but the only story she can see is the tale of her Uncle Gil and Aunt Mist... 

An ex-soldier, suffering from a bad case of P.T.S.D, falls head over heels for a Valkyrie, and embarks on a mission to save her realm, from none other than Tisiphone's mother, Malice. Can Tisiphone unlock her mother's secrets through the story of her Uncle Gil? Can she handle what she sees in the mirror?

She's going to have to if she hopes to figure it all out...

If you think this sounds like something you might enjoy, go ahead and grab your copy here:

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy reading! :-)

#Agent Thoth's #Personal Log: Day 1112

Hey Everyone! :-)

Happy April Fools Day! :-) Agent Thoth discusses more of the trials and tribulations associated with living with hominids. Incidentally, if you've missed Agent Thoth's earlier entries, you can find them here: Thoth's Journal

Department for the Preservation and Confirmation of Intelligent Life (DPCIL)

Agent Thoth's Personal Log

Day Eleven-Hundred-Twelve:

My hominid-servant has spent the day setting up silly pranks for my fellow quadrupedal residents of my domicile and myself to fall victim to. For instance, she set up a device that projects laser beams at random. She did so knowing that the dancing dots of light would prove completely irresistible to any living being whose instincts haven’t been dulled to the point of nonexistence by the type of overly-controlled, artificial environment hominids seem to prefer.

After my youthful companion and I had exhausted ourselves chasing the ephemeral lures, my hominid-servant deactivated the machine and bellowed the words “April Fools!” as if they were an incantation. She similarly tricked the canid by miming as if she had thrown a bauble the canid is particularly fond of. When the idiotic creature dashed away in an attempt to follow the nonexistent treat, my hominid-servant made the same declaration, “April Fools!"

April, in case anyone there at Agency Headquarters is unaware, is the designation the hominids from the part of this planet that I’m stationed on have given to a certain portion of the planet’s revolution around the central star of this solar system. However, the connection between astrometry and my hominid-servant’s foolishness escapes me. Once again, I find myself despairing over the increasing unlikelihood of ever finding definitive proof of intelligent life on this planet.

Hominids can be so illogical! ;-) You may have noticed that Agent Thoth has a new look. I hope you like his new picture as much as I do, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, either way. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. ;-) Happy reading, everyone!