Plumber or Archaeologist?

We're having our septic tank replaced. The yard is all dug up, dirt everywhere. But the most interesting thing is the plumber. He may be a plumber, but he looks like an archaeologist, from the perfectly trimmed gray beard to the oddly exotic-looking straw hat. It makes the excavation project much more fun to watch.

God and Grandpa

I have my grandfather's Rosary, which my mother gave to me. It has a unique scent, which I assume smells something like Grandpa. He died when I was two, so I don't remember him, or even if we ever met, but I've always felt connected to him.

When I was four years old, I was sick with a really high fever. My grandpa visited me in a dream. He was wearing a crown, which my mom said means he's in Heaven. Since then, I've thought highly of Grandpa, and I'm honored to have his Rosary.

Whenever I'm feeling really sad or scared, I take out Grandpa's Rosary, and go outside to sit under the stars or take a walk. Sometimes I pray with it, in times of crisis. But usually I'll just hold it, smell it, kiss it, and it's comforting.

Tonight I took a walk in the darkness. No moon tonight, so it was very dark, and the stars were very clear. I walked up this lane that runs out behind the barn and through the west fields to a back road. I walked halfway down, clutching Grandpa's Rosary, talking to God and to myself and some to Grandpa. I didn't really have much to say, but I wanted that connection.

Sometimes I feel very much alone. I talk to myself a lot, but I figure that so long as I'm not talking to invisible people, I'm still sane. :) I have the misfortune of wanting to talk to someone when everyone is busy. So that's when I go outside and talk to God and Grandpa. They always listen, and I know they're there.

Nancy Pelosi

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Harvest Time

Dear Reader, we're in the midst of sweet corn season. I'm going out in a bit to pick eight dozen ears for freezing. I should get about nine quarts out of that many.

After that, I'll be canning the carrots I pulled and cut yesterday. I'm hoping to can 12 pints of carrots, though I'll save some for frozen mixed vegetables.

It was a good year for gardening.

John Jakes Revisited

Dear Reader, I'm still having trouble getting into "Love and War", but I've had a breakthrough with "North and South". Technically, I should have started "North and South" first, but I didn't see it there in the bottom of the bag. I picked it up yesterday, and started reading during commercial breaks from the Olympic coverage. This book is great! It's everything "Love and War" is not. I will finish both books, because I'm too stubborn to let a book defeat me.

New Story

I'm working on a new story. So far, I've written three pages of dialogue. I have a few more scenes and lines to type out before I forget them. I'm considering writing this as a screenplay. I'll have to do some research first, because I don't know much about screenplays. I'll probably write it as a book, too.

Supermom and the Toddler

Toddlers are adorable. Even when they throw fits, they can do it in an adorable way. This afternoon, the angel was upset because her cookie was broken. After several failed attempts to explain that the cookie was still ok to eat, I finally figured out the secret. I gave the cookie a kiss to make it "all better" and that was all that she needed. Snack time was saved!

Right now, the angel is standing next to me singing "Mommy Beluga." :)

A Little Exercise

Dear Reader, I'm having a bad day. So I'm going to try something to make myself feel better. I'm going to make a list of things that could make my day worse.

1. Being kicked in the face
2. Decapitation
3. Uninvited company
4. Invasive surgery
5. Falling down a flight of stairs

Gardens and Storms

My garden is far from weed free, but it's in a lot better shape than last year's was at this time. This afternoon, I weeded the sweet corn and the sunflowers. I was just finishing up when it started to rain. Then the wind came up, with 50+ mph gusts that blew over half the corn, and broke at least one sunflower.

I'll have to go out tomorrow for a closer look. The corn should be alright if it was just bent over.

Reading and Writing

I am slowly trudging through "Love and War", and it is getting more interesting now that the villain has been introduced. Having seen the North and South mini-series, I'm already familiar with the villain, and I know he'll add to the story immensely. I'm really hoping things will pick up, because I want to like John Jakes' writing.

My own writing has picked up lately. I've given up on the idea of adapting my fanfic for publication. My original characters are taking the story in entirely new directions. It's exciting to see the story unfold, even though it's still mostly inside my head. It's going to be so different from what I first thought, but hopefully so much better. I don't think the book will be ready for publication by the end of the year, as I'd hoped it would, but I am making progress.

More Reading

I have finished The Age of Innocence, and since read The Magnificent Ambersons. Over the weekend, I started The Scarlet Pimpernel. By the end of Summer, I'll have read more books than I have in the past few years.

I've also decided that John Jakes is kind of boring. I loved the North and South movies, and have an attachment to some of the characters, but Love and War is boring me terribly. However, I know from reading Hawthorne that some books don't pick up for a few chapters, so I'll keep plugging away at it.

Books

Dear Reader, last night I finished the three books I was reading, and started another one. I think I'll read three at a time again, since the books I've chosen are so completely different from each other.

Books I just finished:

It Doesn't Take a Hero - autobiography of General Schwartzkopf
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
The Night Before Christmas - a collection of short romances that I borrowed from my sister

Books I'm reading now:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Civil War Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
Love and War by John Jakes

Weekend of Reading

Dear Reader, I plan to spend the holiday weekend finishing the three books I am currently reading. I've been reluctant to start any new books because I've already started so many. But next week, I'll be free to start a couple more. Finishing a book always gives me a sense of accomplishment, and that would be very helpful right now, as I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.

Age

Dear Reader,

You know what the best part is of being 25? I'm finally at an age where people will take me seriously. Age discrimination sucks.

Anniversary

Today is the 23rd anniversary of my brother's brain surgery. He's a 23-year cancer survivor. He wasn't expected to make ten years. Shows what doctors know.

More Weather

The sun is shining today! It's been a week since I've seen it. I feel creative today. I think I'll make a music video, or do some writing. I should probably write, because I haven't written anything for days; but music videos are fun too. Maybe I'll do both. :)

April Weather

April weather is depressing. The forecast calls for one day of sunshine -- an island of sunshine in a sea of gloomy rain/snow. It's a ten day forecast, which is about as accurate as you'd expect for one so long, and it changes daily(sometimes hourly). But at the moment, it's quite depressing, and threatening to ruin my good day.

Finally

Lent is finally over. I got through it without cheating or slipping up. Six and a half weeks without caffeine.

Now that I can have coffee again, I'll see if I can restore my writing routine to successful results. I haven't written anything in a week. I'm far behind, and out of practice. I'm hoping to get back to normal now.

Banner Ads

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just saw the most amazing banner ad for McDonald's. When you roll over it with your mouse, a plate bearing a McSkillet Burrito comes out of the banner at you. You can then roll over the enlarged burrito to see what the ingredients are. Just like this:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/features/mcskillet_burrito.html

The burrito page is not as impressive as the banner, but it's still a neat way to advertise food.

Five Weeks

Today I reach the five week mark. Five weeks with no caffeine. It's been rough, and I still have a week and a half to go. I'm very tired today, and I want my coffee. I've already forgotten today's country. I picked it at 6 am. I can't remember more than three of the last 8 countries. I'm too tired to think.