NEWS

Prairie Pasture January 1st 2024

Yes the land is looking considerably dry and without the usual foot of snow cover. It provides farmer/rancher families of the prairie land some concern as to the 2024 moisture levels. Some folks anticipating continuing drought have sold off the bulk of their cattle herds as there simply will not be the required feed for them. While it is true feed for cattle can be purchased but doing so destroys the potential profit margins.

Other farming families are content to watch and wait and see if the Easter blizzards show up before making farming decisions for the 2024 crop year.

The D.A.R.I.A. Chronicles (6 book series)

D.A.R.I.A. is stunningly beautiful, she is brilliant, she is a hologram, and she is a Sentient Artificial Intelligence computer program! Matt is looking for a partner that can watch his back during his Bounty Hunter endeavors. It never occurred to him that his partner might be a female Artificial Intelligence system. A super human AI entity that learns, recognizes, monitors, controls, evaluates, and recommends at levels that humans could only envy. DARIA is an Archangel and 10 years ahead of anything even visualized by DARPA. D.A.R.I.A. is the first book in a six book series that follows Matt Southam, Bounty Hunter and his partner sentient AI System. If you liked Ex Machina, Her, or J.A.R.V.I.S. from Iron Man, then you will love the new Martin E. Silenus book D.A.R.I.A. Buy D.A.R.I.A. to discover this powerful new series today!

Yes as a matter of fact I am very pleased to see the advancements in Technology. Yes I do see great advantages for AI and Robotics doing repetitive menial warehouse labor. However I am also a realist and can see we are a long way away from AI and Robots eliminating humanity. That is a media fear in the category of “Henny Penny and the sky is falling!”

Some might look at these ebooks as nothing more than fearmongering. For those that do I refer you to the ongoing Vancouver Canada earthquakes, Southern California earthquakes, Japan earthquakes and Tsunami, Iceland earthquakes and Volcano and by recent counts forty six other active volcanoes around the world. It’s just a matter of when.

Hud and P-man are a sniper team operating out of firebase Foxtrot. They are good, maybe too good at their skill set, as their ability to perform and survive brings increasingly difficult and dangerous missions. A powerful evil other than Charlie is stalking Hud and P-man. Can Hud’s spiritual link to his beloved Daria tip the balance to level the playing field?

The beginning of a New Year is a time when many folks make New Year’s Resolutions. Frankly I don’t know why as most promptly forget them as soon as made and do not follow through on them anyway. Seems like a form of “public admission” of ones shortcomings to be shared with friends and family while they continue on with no change whatsoever.

However there is one aspect of this annual exercise which may have some value which is the “taking personal stock” of your lot and perhaps letting go of some refuse while focusing on those higher priorities and aspects of the day. A kind of metaphysical housecleaning if you will whereby you clean up your mental room of junk to reduce distractions and increase focus on specific items.

With that in mind I’m going to take the dog’s out for run and do my own mental housekeeping.

All the very best for you in 2024

Season’s Greetings

As our year of 2023 draws to a close we absorb the knowledge and experiences it provided us as we set plans for what 2024 might bring. I wish you the very warmest season’s greetings. May you enjoy good health, work which is rewarding and experience the love and security of your family. Hug your children extra tight and the grandchildren should you be so fortunate and revel in peace, tranquility, and inner serenity.

Quantum computing, robotics, artificial intelligence fueling the phenomenal growth industries of the day. The benefits of which come at a cost as yet undisclosed.

The D.A.R.I.A. Chronicles (6 book series)

D.A.R.I.A. is stunningly beautiful, she is brilliant, she is a hologram, and she is a Sentient Artificial Intelligence computer program! Matt is looking for a partner that can watch his back during his Bounty Hunter endeavors. It never occurred to him that his partner might be a female Artificial Intelligence system. A super human AI entity that learns, recognizes, monitors, controls, evaluates, and recommends at levels that humans could only envy. DARIA is an Archangel and 10 years ahead of anything even visualized by DARPA. D.A.R.I.A. is the first book in a six book series that follows Matt Southam, Bounty Hunter and his partner sentient AI System. If you liked Ex Machina, Her, or J.A.R.V.I.S. from Iron Man, then you will love the new Martin E. Silenus book D.A.R.I.A. Buy D.A.R.I.A. to discover this powerful new series today!

SANCTUARY, The Cataclysm of North America, is a premonition of a series of geological events which succeed in triggering the Yellowstone Super Volcano.

From mountain slumps on Hawaii to Mega Tsunami’s colliding with the west coast of North America triggering the rupture of the San Andrea’s Fault and the Cascadia Faults resulting in magnitude 9 earthquakes and wide spread devastation. Culminating in the ultimate disaster for North America, the eruption of the Yellowstone Super Volcano!

If you enjoy disaster eBooks or movies like San Andreas 2015, Geostorm, The Quake, Volcano, The Perfect Storm, then SANCTUARY, The Cataclysm of North America is the eBook for you.

The world watched in horror at the tragedy and devastation of the 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Phuket, Banda Aceh in Sumatra, Thailand, Siri Lanka and Indonesia killing 230,000 people. More recently the world again was transfixed as it watched the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami kill 20,000 men, women and children. The absolute destruction of everything reaching inland for 10 kilometers.

Even so no one was prepared for the under sea fault rupture Earthquake and the Mega Tsunami which destroyed the coastal areas of Southern British Columbia, Canada and the North Western coastal area of the USA, the area called Cascadia.

Written by Martin E. Silenus following the popular “SANCTUARY: THE CATACLYSM OF NORTH AMERICA” book, Martin once again examines our societies terrible vulnerability and risks from inevitable natural disasters.
Pickup your copy of ARMAGEDDON OF CASCADIA today to get a grasp and understanding of the horrific scope of this pending disaster.

Get your bug-out bag, night vision helmet, flak vest, emergency meds, and all the ordinance you can carry. Take the high ground and use the moderator to mask the direction of your sniper shots. Aim for the Officers. Freedom!!

Thank you very much for your interest in my work and for your continued support in the future. To build pictures and create worlds with words and prose is a great delight for me and I’m very honored and humbled by those who take the time to read my work.

Season’s Greetings and all the very best to you in the New Year.

Martin

While I really appreciate the stability and steady temps of the more Southern locations and their lack of snow, I do quite enjoy watching the seasons change and in particular watching autumn.

The scenery is pretty impressive to me at the best of times as I really admire Mother Nature when she behaves. But when autumn comes along and the scenery explodes in vivid colors it just takes the game to another level altogether.

In my mind it becomes a sort of Nature fireworks display to celebrate the activities and accomplishments of the year. It’s a really good time for agriculture related folks as they have time to collect their thoughts and maybe indulge in some hunting to help fill the deep freeze. You do have a huge deep freeze for meat don’t you? I know plenty of folks that have one just for the wild game they harvest and another for store bought meat.

The entertainment of the hunt, comradery, plus lots of very good eating is a recipe that is hard to beat.

I’m offering a special bargain this month with The Vietnam Trilogy series free, yes FREE on November 11th and 12th. Grab them while they are free and read them at your leisure. Just click on the pic.

And how about the recent breathtaking leaps forward in Artificial Intelligence, how about that indeed. There are suggestions general AI will be commonplace in five years. I don’t doubt for a moment it is not possible and achievable. But I wonder if humanity is prepared for the radical change it brings. I rather fear it is not.

It almost seems a sacrilege to offer books in this category given the amount of war in progress currently. How sad is it humanity is incapable of stopping the systematic extermination of itself?

Yes I am neglecting my “to do list” in favor of walking in the autumn leaves, taking pictures, drinking in the stunning scenery, pondering and enjoying myself immensely. Of course the dogs absolutely love this time of year and can smell and sense the seasonal change so are highly motivated to gallop around snuffing and rolling, best day ever they tell me. I think they are right.

Enjoy autumn everyone!

Best

Martin

I confess to be nothing of a historian and really not much for traditions either. That said my parents always spoke highly of the Thanksgiving time of the year. Not from a religious standpoint you understand but from a viewpoint of pride and accomplishment in the annual dealing with Mother Nature. There was an “accounting” of sorts as to how the year went and generally a sense of achievement and perhaps relief the harvest was completed, the garden produce canned/stored and the feed for the livestock put up. As Marty Robbins once referred to as “When the work’s all done this fall.” An expression used liberally in my parent’s day.

On the Thanksgiving weekend families would get together and perhaps neighbors too all bringing food to groaning loaded tables. There was much excitement, cheerfulness and contentment among the grownups and plenty of kids my age to play with. As travel was not easy back in the day visitors often stayed over and the good times continued for a second day. After the very hard work of harvest Thanksgiving was just a huge celebration and a time to relax with friends and relatives.

This month’s free book is a change away from serious to the frustrating, humorous and generally rewarding realities of following your dreams. Perhaps it is a primer lesson of what to expect should you venture down this path. But then what is life but a series of linked adventures? The Man Shed Report free on October 14th and 15th check it out!! Just click on the picture and enjoy.

Will there be Pirates in space do you suppose? Those miscreants who victimize and live off the avails of unfortunate travelers. Human history is quite repetitive you realize and travelers of space and our oceans have much in common.

And speaking of wayward travelers not un-similar to the ocean sailors of yore or the settlers to the west. The wise traveler walks quietly and cares a big loaded fire-stick with backup pistol and combat knife. Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best is a fine motto!!

Yes in our location the seasons are rapidly changing and the cooler weather is not very far away. Excellent timing for collecting plenty of reading material to keep us mentally delighted and refreshed through the long winter months.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend and be very thankful for what you have and how the year has gone. Hug your family and friends and remember those in the world who are not as fortunate as you have been.

Happy Thanksgiving

Martin E. Silenus

Well it has not been a stellar year in terms of agriculture on the prairies of North America. It seems the drought which has been lingering around for four years continues to be causing havoc. The lack of snow, rain, and reduced moisture combined with extremely inconsistent rain shower activity has contributed to yet another poor growing year.

“Buy a farm, be a farmer, it will be fun to be outdoors in nature they said!” Yeah, well maybe not so much as it can be rather discouraging to see little crop growth on your land but lush growth just a few miles away due to spotty rain showers.

When agriculture does poorly the country does poorly is a common mantra. There are so many businesses which are chained to the state of agriculture that year to year crop and grazing production will dictate the success of the myriad of support businesses.

Not to even mention the increasing world demand for food.

While on the topic of food, shelter, water and safety, consider the effects on the populace during a natural disaster. It seems we have them on an increasingly regular basis. How would you survive and protect your family if you happened to be caught in ARMAGEDDON OF CASCADIA. You can ponder on this and see how the protagonists faired for free on September 16th and 17th.

How are things going to look in another five to ten years? Do you suppose there will be anything you recognize or will the world have changed beyond anything you know? Stop by at PEER INTO THE FUTURE to see what excellent SCI-FI writer’s project the future to be.

Not to promote war, crime and violence as there seems to be plenty of that about in all directions these days, but if that is your reading pleasure be sure to visit the website above for a delicious selection.

When the day has ended, the sturm and drang faded, when the silence has descended and we contact our souls, I ponder of the dreams, aspirations and goals of those hardy pioneers who came, lived and left before us. What stories these empty and abandoned farm houses could tell.

Best

Martin E. Silenus

Takakkaw Falls, Yoho National Park, 1224ft

“Sunrise, Sunset, how swiftly flow the days.”

A paraphrase of a very poignant song “Sunrise, Sunset“ from “Fiddler on the Roof” which speaks to the rapidity of our children growing up and the associated alarm of the parents.

Or in another interpretation, what the heck is happening to my holidays as they are slipping away so quickly? Adventures with the family, a hike to a thundering waterfall, a terrifying zip line experience the kids want to repeat, a few rounds of golf, some social time around the fire pit, a few libations, a couple of books and we have to start buying fall school supplies?

I don’t want to go back to reality, I want to stay with our brood in vacation mode for much longer. My inner eye can see all the ugly work issues piling up on my desk waiting and lurking for me to return. Or the hours yet to spend in an agricultural machinery cab, the “green prison” it’s called.

Don’t even breathe the words “school” around the children unless you want an instant uprising, abuse, runaways, hysteria, etc. As far as they are concerned they are never going back.

My apologies for the technical glitch regarding the free book in July. Let me try that again for August and see if I can do better.

And speaking of wanting to avoid the cold hard aspects of reality consider the protagonist’s plight in the SANCTUARY book above. You can read this book for FREE on Aug 12th and 13th. Yes FREE an uncommon price in this day and age!

Even I am startled by the speed of recent Artificial Intelligence development and it’s amazing capabilities. Be sure to visit ESCAPE VELOCITY for excellent books on Sci-Fi and AI.

While from time to time some of us may become negative or embittered with our military. It’s good to remember that in times of national disasters the military will be what holds the remnants of society in check from complete collapse.

A gorgeous sunset on Waskesiu Lake

Sunrise, Sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears.

Best

Martin E. Silenus

GPS Straight

Prairie folks are inclined to see things a bit different than let’s say urban folks might. The rural prairie folks live very close to the land and the critters thereon. It’s tough unrelenting outdoor work and not for everyone. Weather is always the determining factor in the success of prairie folks endeavors. Yes there are factors of International markets which affect prices both for purchasing of supplies and prices for the finished product sales. Arable lands are a defined commodity and always in demand as are the crops grown thereupon. The world is a hungry place and it only gets more so as the years go by.

You would also likely see a substantial difference when it comes to people’s harmony if you were to compare rural and urban folks. Rural folks think nothing of helping a neighbor with seeding, spraying, harvest if there is a need and would never expect to be compensated. The reason being “well you are a neighbor and in the same boat as me and I might need some help sometime too!” That sense of camaraderie seems to be often missing in the isolation of the urban jungle.

Self Sufficiency is the active term for rural folks, find a way or make a way as they say. Never let an engineer tell you it cannot be done. Just go ahead and build it. In the time it takes an engineer to tell you why it cannot be built rural folks can build it, break it, repair it, break it and have a third version solid prototype working nicely thank you very much. Necessity being the mother of invention, that sort of thing.

And speaking of self-sufficiency and necessary inventions consider the protagonist’s plight in the SANCTUARY book above. You can read this book for FREE on July 15th and 16th. Yes FREE an uncommon price in this day and age.

May I recommend the D.A.R.I.A. Book Series as an excellent choice for your vacation relaxation reading in between naps, libations and sun tanning. Why would you read Sci-Fi you ask? Well the book series deals with the positive aspects and effects of Artificial Intelligence instead of the usual doom, gloom and death of humanity as is so commonly portrayed these days. A refreshing change I say!

If Sci-Fi is not your favorite genre in books do follow the link above and explore some excellent Action, Crime & Thriller books.

Rural Prairie Scenery

Enjoy your summer!

Best

Martin

My father was a farmer and his father before him. Not a lifestyle to be taken lightly by any means. Dad never did have a cab on any of his machinery and endured one hundred degree heat, gale winds, rain, snow, hail, terrible choking dust and whatever else nature’s weather could throw at him wearing his Stetson hat, bib overalls and whatever else was required to cope with the weather that day.

These days the farming lads talk of “cab incarceration”. Months of time spent in cabs of various farm machines from dawn to dusk preparing, seeding, spraying, harvesting and only brief periods of actually being with the family. Most farm families work extremely hard to schedule a week at the lake between seeding and spraying to enjoy family times and make wonderful memories.

FREE yes FREE on June 17th and 18th you are invited to download a FREE copy of D.A.R.I.A. BOOK SIX from Amazon. Check out science fiction which will very soon be reality, feed your imagination and enjoy. Just click on the picture!

They watched the skies noting the wind direction and smelled the air for any indication of rain while the livestock milled restlessly. Others consulted weather reports, long range forecasts, expert tech predictions but the rain did not come. For more than three weeks the wind howled and moaned from the East both day and night shuffling clouds around while stealing what little moisture and life was left in the land amid billowing clouds of dust from dirt roads reduced to little but cracked powder trails.

On the twenty-third day the east wind died off, changed direction began to gust and freshen and the rain came without fanfare or thunderstorm or tornado. It rained an afternoon and through the night, paused for a day to catch its breath and rained again for two days. Calm rain all but straight down not driven sideways in a gale. The clouds blue and heavy lumbered by but there was no discernable wind as the rain hissed down, a “soaker rain” it is called.

There is calmness over the land as the rain washes away the dust, dirt and despair providing a rich fresh smell of prairie grasses and cultivated dark soils. It washes away the frustration, bitterness and jealousy of those who had suffered little or no crop for going on three years living on their wits and a meager sustaining budget. Even the livestock are given to graze quietly and thoughtfully.

Within a few days the prairie is transformed to brilliant green, the crop coming up, machinery washed clean, and of equal importance a spiritual freshness and optimism is imbued in those who are tilling the land. The rain while a physical necessity is also a critical psychological necessity of prairie life.

Best

Martin E. Silenus