Danny January: Blog

Feasting and Summertime have generated quite a few questions from readers. Let me try to answer some.

1. Owning a horse isn't cheap. Before you do, I suggest you learn to ride. Not just a little. Take lessons for a couple of years first and decide if you want to compete or just ride for fun. If you need more saddle time, consider leasing a horse on site. You share time with the owner. It's a pretty smart way to go until you're certain.

2. Horseback safaris are a real thing. There is a huge variety. Some are not much more than a dandified pony ride through an animal park. Others are pretty intense. The most important thing, IMHO, is to match your proficiency with what the provider offers. Some require advanced riders. There's a reason for that. Don't overestimate your proficiency.

3. Learning to box is a great introduction to martial arts. I could say it's the best but it's actually the only one I know. First, you learn to hit and get hit without having a panic attack. Too many karate schools may as well teach theory. Part of that is due to skyrocketing cost of liability insurance and part of it is due to many of their students being afraid. Learn to box or teach your kid to box, then introduce them to the other martial arts.

4. Puerto Rico is a fantastic vacation destination. Really.

5. Biomedical engineering is still a growing field. We need people who can innovate. If you or your kid wants to enter a challenging career field where you can really make a difference, this might be it. Just make sure you study math like you mean it.

6. Family law can be heartbreaking. Be sure.

7. Lots of harbors have boating clubs where you can join the club and use their boats. They're a bit like an aquatic time share. They aren't cheap but they are cheaper than owning a boat. Charleston has a good one. I believe many port cities do.

8. The world will always need heavy equipment operators. Generally, the bigger the equipment, the better the pay.

That's my short answer to some of the questions I've been getting. I figured some people who didn't ask might want those little nuggets as well.

Danny

Well, it's that time of year. I enjoy looking at who readers have nominated for the coveted (cough cough) golden clitoride. Truthfully, it's a great time to explore the works of authors I've never read before. If you've never looked at the nominees before, I encourage you to do so. If nothing else, you get to discover what other people like. That can be very entertaining. And then, some people are just plain weird, so there's that. Have fun.

If you've read Feasting with a Silver Spoon, and Summertime and the Living is Easy, you know that I love Charleston and the LowCountry. There's a lot to like and more to love about it. But the weather can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Today, we had a severe weather warning, and a tornado watch.

That meant checking the fences (bad fences can mean escaped horses), checking the generator, marking phone numbers on our horses (actually painting the number on the side of the horse), then debating whether to turn them out or not. A lot of people think you should turn your horses out if the weather is really bad. We're sort of torn.

Lots of preparation, and then nothing. A little wind, a little rain, and that's it.

Such is life in Charleston.

I've had a surprising amount of positive feedback on feasting and the follow on, Summertime. I've decided to continue the story and am working on Aquaman and Kim's junior year. It's taking a while so be patient.
In the meantime:

If you've never been to Charleston, pay us a visit. Spring is best. April and May see the azaleas in full bloom and it's not too hot or humid.

Emmylou Harris collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt for an album - Trio. If you like Country at all, it's a great album. If you don't like country, give it a listen anyway. Very sweet sound.

I was at the stables the other day and there was a horse that reminded me of Ghost. She was 37. I miss Ghost.

If you've ever thought about a riding vacation, a horseback safari is an amazing adventure and one you'll never forget. PM me if you want to know more.

I enjoy the comments and emails. I've made a few corrections, mostly typos and such.

Before you send me an email telling me about an error, realize I'm trying to write this from the POV of Jack at 15. I've learned a lot of Spanish and physiology since then. I know there are errors in some areas. Most of it is intentional.

Merry Christmas, ya'all

I just re-posted Science Experiment and Cousin Removed. I did a bit of editing, providing some clarification where needed, made a couple of continuity corrections and broke them into chapters. I may do that with other stories as time permits. I'd rather write than correct so I'll work on them a little bit at a time and post about it in my blog when I do. I've gotten a lot of feedback recently and appreciate it. Thanks.