Thursday Thirteen

I know it's Valentine's this weekend, but I have snow on my mind. There's so much of it out the window!

So here are folklore and quotes about snow. Some of them I heard growing up.

1. If it snows before 7, it quits after 11.

Or maybe it is the other way around.

2. If the snow lays around on the ground and doesn't go away quickly, it is waiting for more snow to join it.

3. If the snow blows out of the trees, it will snow again. If it melts out, that is the last snow.

4. If the deer are out eating during the day, snow is sure to fall.

5. From Japan: In ancient times, it was believed that a spirit called Snow Woman caused men traveling in snowstorms to sleep, ultimately causing their deaths.

6. From Finland: Snow is an ancient king who has three daughters: Thin Snow, Thick Snow, and Snow Storm.

7. From Germany: It was commonly believed in old times that Old Mother Frost caused snow by shaking the feathers from her bed. These feathers would then fall to Earth as snow. I have also heard that as Mother Nature instead of Mother Frost.

8. Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand -- and melting like a snowflake.
-Marie Beyon Ray

9. Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow. -Alice Mackenzie Swaim

10. One measure of how creative you are is how you respond to changes in your circumstances and environment. How flexible are you? Consider how water adapts to its environment: evaporation, condensation, snowflake, melting, flowing, goes around rocks, fills containers, etc. - Author Unknown

11. For many years I was a self-appointed inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms and did my duty faithfully, though I never received payment for it. -Henry David Thoreau

12. The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show. - Author Unknown

13. Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway. -Maya Angelou

Lots of people play Thursday Thirteen: find out more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is my 126th time I've done this!

Tongue in cheek

Over on Facebook, some of the locals (Republicans) have started a "cut my taxes, I want small government" type of group. This is a response to a comment that the chairman of the Board of Supervisors made about increasing the meals and lodging taxes, as well as the new real estate reassessment numbers, which for some folks (including myself) went up in spite of the national decline in housing values.

People cry, "don't raise my taxes" but they never say what they will do without. Statewide, you hear that with the gas tax, for instance. Fix the roads but don't raise taxes to do it. Do these people not realize it would be cheaper to pay the gas tax than to fix their shocks or their busted tires? Not to mention the time spent without a car while it is being fixed. So when I hit a pothole, I thank a Republican.

I have no children. I receive absolutely nothing from the school system, but they did educate me a very long time ago. This county has no trash pickup, they don't clear my sidewalk because I don't have one. I do use the libraries and I expect a sheriff's deputy to come with siren blasting should I have need to dial 911. Otherwise I don't really get much for my tax dollars. But frankly, I consider it a privilege to live here, and I don't mind paying my taxes and I don't mind paying so that others may have services, even if I don't use them. But apparently I am a rarity.

Anyway, locally, this county does not have serious government bloat. But let's just cut these taxes and services. I want to see what we will do without. I have been writing about the county budget for five years; I happen to have a copy of the county's budget (but not the school budget) right on my desk.

So let's talk numbers. The county spends about $90 million a year. The school system gets over half of that, about $53 million.

That $90 million comes from state, federal and local taxes. Local taxes - the ones the supervisors have any control over - make up about $41 million. That includes real estate, personal property, business taxes, machinery and tools - all of that stuff. The monies are all lumped together in the budget, so it is difficult to tell what state monies pay for and what local dollars purchase. But $41 million is less than half the budget.

So let's cut some stuff. I'm going to try to cut $41 million out of the local county budget. That means there would be little to no local tax! Yippee.

By the way, just for fun let's say that this $41 million works out to be about $2,700 annually for each tax-paying person in the county, if you figure 15,000 of us pay taxes (that's less than half of the population paying taxes, and I honestly don't know what the real figure is. I'm just guessing.) That really isn't what we pay because businesses pay big chunks in machinery and tools taxes and business license taxes, etc. But for my purposes, I am going to look at it like that.

Using this fantasy, each million the county spends costs each taxpayer about $66.

Numbers are so much fun to manipulate.

But here we go! I'm making cuts (this is all tongue-in-cheek, for those who can't recognize sarcasm when they read it).

1. Parks and recreation. We don't need all those little ball games for the kids, do we? I sure don't. We don't need those ball fields at the schools mowed (the county parks & rec folks do that) and we don't need that senior van that picks up the old folks and takes them to the doctor. We don't need the fishing thing, or the Easter Egg Hunt, or the bridge club for the older generation. We don't need the grounds mowed at Greenfield. Let's get rid of all of that. That's $1.1 million for parks & recreation staff, $77,000 for the senior van program. Oh yeah, let's close the Sports Complex, too. That's another $350,000 right there. We're up to $1.5 million gone. Here's your $99 a year back!

2. Libraries. I guess these go next, even though I do love my library. But we don't need free books, DVDs, books on tapes, right? We don't need access to the Internet, free WiFi. We don't need a place to take the kids for children's program. We don't need those meeting rooms, either (because we're going to nail these buildings shut and maybe sell them). Nevermind that enough stuff is checked out to represent frequent visits by all 32,000 county residents. Let's close these suckers, all of them. That will save $1.1 million. Here's another $70 a year back to you! Will you buy books and DVDs with it?

3. Emergency Services. I hate to see these guys go, but we used to be all-volunteer so we'll go back to that. I mean, so what if when my mother was dying of cancer we had to wait for an hour and 20 minutes for an ambulance to come from Eagle Rock? So what if she was in so much pain we couldn't touch her and all we could do was watch her writhe in agony while we waited for help? We have to keep those tax dollars down! So let's lose this $850,000 in staffing costs plus the $1.5 million the county gives to the volunteers who still run calls. Whew! That's a big cut, with $2.4 million gone. Here's $150 a year back to you! I personally hope it burns a big hole in your damn pocket. May you never need these services, you A-hole.

4. Animal control. Here's a quick way to lose a half-million from the budget! Besides, we don't need the dog catcher coming to get the strays, do we? We don't need him to come and shoot the wounded deer on the side of the road, or get the skunk out of the basement, or any of those other things that animal control people do. Here's $33 back to you!

Gosh, all of these services gone and we're only up to $5.5 million dollars. I've only saved each taxpayer $360! Who knew that those dollars could do so much? Well, let's keep cutting!

5. I want to cut out the school buses. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the school budget, just the county one, and yes, they are different. So I am going to make this number up. Let's say it costs $2 million to bus the kids. It might only cost $1 million or it may cost $3 million I don't know, but I consider busing a waste, just like you maybe consider libraries a waste. I don't care if you have to quit your job to get your kid to and from school. That isn't my problem. You can go work the night shift. I want my $120 a year back, not spent on hauling your kid so she can get an education.

6. Teachers. Again, I don't have numbers for this, but I think 20-25 students per classroom is too few. Let's double those class sizes. Surely it doesn't matter if your kid needs a little individual attention, right? Let's give her a Popsicle and stick her in the back of the room. This has to save at least $2 million, too, wouldn't you think, if we get rid of half of the teachers? I like these big numbers and getting my money back! Whoo! That's another $120 a year in my pocket!

7. School athletics. I don't care about this one at all. We don't need the football teams, wrestling, baseball, any of that crap. Again, I don't have these numbers but I'm going to say $2 million (because it's an easy figure) and do away with this stuff, too. Because that's another $120 a year in my pocket! Whoo! I can go buy myself a football with that if I want.

8. Okay, back to the county's real budget. Oh, here's refuse disposal. That's $600,000. That's more than $33 annually out of my pocket to get rid of trash. Let's go back to dumping stuff in sinkholes and contaminating the water supply. And I like having the trash along the side of the road, too, don't you? Isn't it colorful?

9. Here's a line item that confuses every one. It's "comprehensive services" which I think is actually foster care. This is $1.4 million dollars. Let's do away with foster care because, well, I don't have kids so I certainly don't need it. What do I care if some child is abused and neglected and left to die in the street? Surely someone will take her in, right? And if not, well ... that's what the pauper's cemetery is for.

10. Let's see. Planning and zoning uses up $377,000 of the county's budget. Let's do away with that. Now, when the house next door to you goes into foreclosure and a pig farmer buys it to make a hog mansion, don't squeal! Because you've saved about $10 annually by not having a planning and zoning department.

11. Community organizations. The county supports a number of nonprofits, like TAP and the Free Clinics and things like that. They give $282,700 in that, which is less than $10 a year out of your pocket. Let's do away with that, too.

Let's see. How much have I cut so far? Gosh, just $14.2 million. I've only saved Joe Taxpayer about $950 annually. I'd better cut some more stuff!

12. How about we cut the voter registrar? Let's not even have that at all. Because we don't care if we vote, and you know it's all rigged anyway. That's $209,000 saved.

13. The sheriff has a big budget of $4.1 million. Let's cut that in half and get rid of $2 million from the sheriff's budget. That means we have half the deputies and detectives on the road. Your stuff get stolen from your back yard? Tough. Hope you have insurance.

14. There is also a $3.5 million budget for the jail. Let's get rid of $3 million of that. When the murders and rapists escape and come after your wife and daughter, I guess that's just your bad luck.

Gosh. There are 14 cuts and I've only chopped out $19.4 million. What else should go, do you think? How about the courts? Commonwealth's attorney? After all, with fewer deputies, we won't be prosecuting as many criminals. Maybe we could get rid of the probation officers? Really, don't you think more of these cuts need to come from schools? Maybe we could close a few schools. Do you volunteer your school for a closure?

Anyway, see, I've halved your local tax dollars by half. Look at all the things you no longer have to pay for.

Is it really worth it? I don't think so. I like having libraries, and I like having the parks mowed. I think kids learn better with smaller classes and I want the youth of today to grow up to be productive and vibrant citizens tomorrow. Even if they aren't mine.

I want foster care, social services, mental health care. As a citizen, it is part of my responsibility to ensure that folks who can't care for themselves are taken care of. Handing out $66 a year to ensure that an abused child is cared for is absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I wish people would stop and think. Because it is obvious to me that they really don't know what they're saying. They don't really know what they're asking for. They don't realize, or maybe they just don't care, that their $66 out of pocket goes a very long way when combined with everyone else's.

All they want to do is cry, "lower my taxes."

For Want of a Sled

Except for one day, I have been stuck at home since January 29. The January 30 snow trapped me, and I did not make it off the hill until Thursday, February 4. The snow the following day left a mess.

The driveway looks like this:



It's very steep. And quite long--almost a quarter of a mile.



I drive a Toyota Camry with a 4 cylinder engine and front wheel drive. The car does fine most of the time but getting it up the ice-and-snow covered driveway is another story.

I could park it and walk it, but the snow is slippery. I am a bit of a klutz. The two together spell "broken arm" or "twisted ankle" or some such. It is not a good plan.

My husband in past snows has actually shoveled out that hill, not with the tractor and blade, which is what you see above. No, he's used his back muscles and sweat to get all the way to the gravel. This time, I have suggested he forgo that. He's pulled something in his shoulder and I don't see any reason to aggravate it.

I cleared the deck myself, for the most part, pulling on boots about every hour and heading out with a squeegee and broom to keep it clear. I have a wounded wrist and I'm not really able to shovel the driveway, too.

With more snow expected, I expect to be home again for most of the week. My husband drives a big pickup truck with four wheel drive and all; he comes and goes at his leisure. If I need to go out, I wait until he can take me.

It is one of the great advantages of working at home.

Dogs

Lately, I have wanted a dog.

Folks who know me will be surprised. Not because I dislike animals, but because I am highly allergic. I am go-to-bed-for-a-month allergic, not just watery-eyes-and-sneezing allergic. When I am around cats and dogs, I choke up, my asthma goes nuts, I lose my voice, my head stuffs up and feels like a big hot air balloon, I have vertigo and I can't stand up. I am quite sick and it lasts for weeks, not days.

So I don't have inside animals.

But I used to.

Growing up, we had lots of dogs. I am not sure I can recall all of them. There was Prince and Princess, two Dalmatians. I think one of them was run over by a milk truck (this was when I was very small and we lived in Salem for a while). There was a German Shepherd whose name I can't remember. Lady? Maybe. And there was a dog named Jinx in there somewhere. Seems like there was a parade of dogs before I was six years old.

We had a dark poodle named Heidi for a very long time; she had puppies, and one of those was Major. We had him for a long time, too. He was white. He died in my brother's arms one day; he had been chasing me in my car as I left for one of my first solo drives. I was 16.

Schooner was a collie or maybe a collie-German shepherd mix. He was around for a very long time, too. He died after I married and left home, I think.

Trixie was my mother's dog; she was a black mixed mutt, rather small. There was another at my parents house about this time whose name escapes me as well. These two dogs came about the time I was leaving home.

My dog, the one that was mine alone, was Ginger, and I purchased her at a flea market in 1984. James and I hadn't been married but a year. I was home alone much of the time and I thought a dog might help.

Ginger was part Eskimo Spitz and part something else, maybe terrier. She never was very big, and unfortunately about this time my allergies worsened (or maybe I finally figured out their cause) and we had to keep her outside on all but the coldest nights. She had her own little house and a blanket, though. I kept the house filled with cedar shavings and I bathed her and combed her, but I did all of that outside. And I had to wear a mask.

She moved with us up the hill from the little house we'd rented from my husband's grandmother, but she didn't like her new home. For a long time I had to drive down the hill and gather her up because she kept going back to the old house. We finally had to pen her up, which I hated, but it was better than letting her wander to the road where the cement trucks raced.

Every day when I came home from work or school, she jumped up and down and greeted me like I'd been gone for weeks. When I began working at home, and we could let her out of her pen because I was there to watch her, I would rise from my desk periodically and tap on the window glass to draw her attention. She would wag her tail and bark at me and sometimes she would put her two front paws on the house and stand on her hind legs, her tail wagging, while she looked in at me. Often I went to the door and bent down and petted her. Then I washed my hands. Damn allergies.

Ginger lived for 17 years, or 119 years in doggy years, which was a very long time for a small dog. I like to think we took good care of her even if we did make her stay outside. She became very feeble and arthritic and when she seemed to be in so much pain that it made us cry to watch her, we put her to sleep. That was in 2001; a double whammy because my mother had passed away about seven months prior.

We did not get another dog. For months I would go to the window and look out, expecting to see her waiting for me. I looked for her every time I drove home. Finally, I stopped hoping.

These days, I have the deer, the rabbits, and the cows, but they are not the same. Some days you want to be licked. You want to feel fur. You want to feel a cold nose under your arm. (Ginger used to poke her nose under my arm, asking me to rub her.) You want to see someone waiting for you. You want that unconditional love.

I know I won't get another dog; my allergies are too bad now. They are worse than they ever were. I can't even visit the homes of friends who have pets, I don't care how much they dust and vacuum. I couldn't love on a dog, couldn't have it inside. I couldn't properly care for a dog and that would be unfair to the animal.

But some days, I want a dog.

Still More Snow, Feb. 5-6, 2010

More Snow Feb. 5-6, 2010

Snow of February 5-6, 2010

Thursday Thirteen: Sites for Writers

Today, I bring you 13 useful websites for writers.

1. Character Building Workshop. If you're interested in creating a character and are stuck, this is a good place to start. If you're interested in taking courses or just being involved in a community, then you might like the Writer's Village home site. They also offer a free 7-week class, which I have taken and found helpful.

2. Writer's Market "Paid Services." This is a listing of stuff writers might like to pay for, like conferences, contests and self-publishing. This is a new site and I haven't fully explored it but it looks like a nice reference.

3. 50 awesome resources for writers. This site has software, most of it open source and free, that writers might find useful.

4. Funds for Writers. C. Hope Clark offers up a listing of grants and contests. She has three different newsletters, two of which are free, and her paid listings are worth the small price she charges.

5. Absolute Write. This site used to be one of my favorites but I find it a little difficult to navigate these days. Even so, there is an awful lot of information there and it is worth checking out.

6. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Even if this is not your genre, there is a lot of information on this site. The "Writer Beware" site in particular is invaluable. There are a lot of people out there who just want your money.

7. MediaBistro. This site is for writing of all kinds, and it offers classes, information, etc. Some of it is free.

8. The Chicago Manual of Style. This is where you go when you need to know where the commas fall, whether to write out numbers or use numerals, that kind of thing. The "questions and answers" section that comes out once a month is a hoot.

9. U. S. Copyright Office. One of the first places you should check out. Understanding and knowing what you're giving away before you sign a contract is incredibly important.

10. Writer's Weekly. This offers up-t0-date information on the industry. Very informative.

11. Behind the Name. If you're interested in naming characters, this is a wonderful site. If you just want to know what your name means, it's a good site, too!

12. National Writers Union. More industry information from a different perspective.

13. American Society of Journalists and Authors. This organization has a strict membership requirement but they offer free information that anyone who writes should find valuable. They send out a public portion of their newsletter each month which offers up interesting articles.

Lots of people play Thursday Thirteen: find out more about it here. My other Thursday Thirteens are here. This is my 125th time I've done this!

Ice photo

Passion Potion #5

Sometimes I do the free things at tarot.com. They are, well, free, for one thing. Occasionally interesting.

The most recent free one was a numerology thing. This is what the sample report gave me. I wonder what folks who know me would say to this?

***********

Your Hidden Passion Number is 5

You love travel, change, and new challenges. You are highly adaptable and versatile. You have a talent for languages, and are generally good with words. Writing, promotion, and public relations work suit you perfectly.

You are sensual and a bit impulsive. You love to satisfy your senses, which can get you into trouble. Overindulgence in food, drink, sex, and drugs are common among people with too many 5s -- six or more.

You are resourceful and original. You have a good sense of humor and a quick tongue.

Your desire for freedom is extremely strong and it will take effort and discipline to stick with whatever it is you started. There is a tendency to give up a project or situation prematurely.

You may be interested in too many things, which can make it hard for you to apply yourself to one area successfully.

You are very unconventional.

Commitment in relationships and your work is fundamental to your happiness. You may have a tendency to wander from person to person, job to job, making depth of relationship or deep expertise difficult.

*************

I would argue that being married for 26 years makes that last part, at least with regards to person to person, a little, um, wrong. It takes a lot of work to stay married that long.

Also, I have been freelancing since 1994, which is a long time. But, freelancing is kind of a "jack of all trades and master of none" type of job, so I think there is a bit of truth there.

As for the rest of it... well, I can't argue with much of it.

Books: Lady of the Forest

Lady of the Forest
By Jennifer Roberson
Copyright 1992
593 pages

I picked this book up in the bargain bin at Books-A-Million over the Christmas holidays. While it was rather long, I greatly enjoyed it.

This a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend. It is more of a prequel, really. The author introduces the main characters - Marian, Robert of Locksley, Little John, Will Scarlett, the Sheriff of Nottingham - and the sets out to explain how they all come together.

The tell dwells on Marian and Robert and is told, generally, from their point of view. Marian in the beginning is a bit of a bubble head but she quickly moves from budding young woman into adulthood and "finds her spine," as she puts it. While she is still acted upon, mostly, it is fitting in this setting. After all, she is of somewhat noble birth and that is how she was raised to act and perform.

Robert is tortured young man in this book. His time in the Crusades have not been years of rejoicing. Rumors of an affair between him and King Richard are rampant. His father, the Earl of Hunnington, is a humorless and powerful man who thinks of Richard not as his son, or even as a man, but only as the possessor of his bloodline.

The Sheriff of Nottingham turns out to be a rather complex character. Near the end of the book his ideology changes and it seems to me that, out of this whole long exposition of nearly 600 pages, a paragraph went missing at that point that aptly explained exactly why his lust for Marian vanished. Or maybe I just missed it. In any event, except for that puzzle, his character was finely crafted and nicely done. He wasn't necessarily a bad or evil man; he was a product of his time, and the author did a nice job of portraying that.

I had never read a Jennifer Roberson book before but apparently she has written over 20, mostly fantasy. There is a sequel to Lady of the Forest, as well. While I may not go hunting for it, certainly should I find it in the bargain bin, I won't hesitate to pick it up.

Sunday Afternoon

I sit in my office, which is really a converted spare bedroom in the house, staring out the window.

The snow sparkled this morning, but after a day of brilliant blue sky and warm sun rays, it is now a solid, secure white blanket that covers the world. The sparkles are gone.

That same sun must be awfully warm where it shines, because I see water drip-drip-dripping from the tips of the big blue spruce. The tree limbs are mottled with the white of the snow and the darkness of the evergreen beneath. It is lovely.

Yet the air is frigid, and I can feel it trying to seep through the windows. The sun is a deceptive villain, making it look like it should be warm and sultry. The moon, now, this morning she was warning me of the cold when I looked out to see her shining brightly above the mountain. She did a slow waltz toward the horizon before disappearing behind my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains. I can always count on the moon.

The snow in the front yard has been greatly disturbed by an animal that ventured through in the night. It left furrows, not tracks, and dug great areas of snow away in search of the earth. I thought it must have been a red fox or a possum - but a close inspection reveals deer tracks in the areas not furrowed. The furrows puzzle me greatly and I wonder if the animal is wounded. But would a wounded animal have dug out such great mounds of snow?

It is a day for thinking, contemplating, and wondering. A quiet day.

Snow of January 30, 2010

Another snow-dump has left about 11 inches of snow on the ground.

Books: S is for Silence

S is for Silence
by Sue Grafton
Copyright 2005
Audiobook (Abridged)
Read by Judy Kaye

This book was a little different from Grafton's other Kinsey Milhone books in that it switched backwards in time to offer vignettes of the life of some of the characters who may have been involved in the disappearance of Violet. Violet in 1953 was a headstrong and winsome woman who vanished. Thirty years later, her daughter, Daisy, hires Kinsey to find out what happened to her mother.

Kinsey sorts through a long list of suspects to find the answers to Daisy's question. Along the way she encounters a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to hide his secret.

Since I listened to this over a rather long period of time, and because of the book's format, I recommend reading this one instead of hearing it. Occasionally I forgot where I was in the story; whether that was from time lapse or the book's abridgement I cannot say.

The book offered a strong story line, although it felt like a lot of Kinsey was missing in the book. I learned very little about her character here. Still, it was a solid performance from the author.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I give you headlines from the print edition of my local daily newspaper. Some of the links I include go to other stories about the same topic, mostly because I am too lazy to look for the exact one that ran in the print edition. Incidentally, the fact that I can't easily find the same stories at their website drives me nuts sometimes.

1. Body Found at Roanoke Co. landfill & M. H. likely died quickly. These are two stories about recent murders in the area. The step-father of a two-year-old in Roanoke first reported that the child had been kidnapped; police later arrested him and charged him with felony child neglect and then began looking for a body. They found a body in the local landfill yesterday. The other story is about Morgan Harrington, a young girl who went missing in several months ago after attending a concert in Charlottesville. Both stories are sickening. Shouldn't a society supposedly as advanced as that in the United States be able to better deal with things like drugs and poverty, which I feel contributed to the first incident, and possibly the second? Why are we merely reactive? Why do we hesitate to spend money to be proactive? Why not try things, even if it might not work the first time? If it saves somebody's life, is it not worth it?

2. In Poland, survivors mark Auschwitz anniversary. One of the great atrocities of the 20th century. A sidebar offers up comments from Iran's supreme leader, which essentially says Israel will be destroyed. History should be remembered and recalled, lest we forget, and do it all over again.

3. John and Elizabeth Edwards have separated, friends say. You know what? I don't care. Since when did personal lives become such fodder? Why is this news? Let these people alone. He was stupid and made a mistake and she, bless her heart, has cancer. Give it a rest.

4. Parent wants last word on use of school dictionaries. From L.A. comes this story about banning the dictionary. My initial inclination is to wonder where these folks come from, these uptight, self-righteous censors who won't be happy until the whole world walks around looking and thinking exactly like they do. I despise censorship. The story I have linked to is an update to the one in the local paper; the school has decided to keep the dictionaries but parents can "opt out" of having their child use it for a resource. Good call.

5. McDonnel laments growing debt. Our new Virginia governor, fresh out of the gate, gives the Republican rebuttal to President Obama's state of the union speech. The "bipartisan" efforts touted during campaigning flew hard and fast out the proverbial window, which surprises no one, myself included. (I couldn't find the same story anywhere online, even when I searched for the first line of the story. What's up with that?)

6. Bastion of history. John Kern, regional director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, is retiring. I know John. He is a good man, and a great advocate for history in all of its aspects. I worked with him in the late 1990s when I was president of one of the local historical societies. I found him to be quite knowledgeable and very earnest in his efforts to save the things that many people just tear down. This is a good piece of journalism about the locality. Too bad the newspaper doesn't do more of it.

7. Person dies in blaze at duplex apartment. The poor fellow's dog died, too. Botetourt County's fire services are operated by volunteers. I am not saying if that is good or bad, I am just stating a fact. While the help is volunteer, the county pays for most of the equipment, so tax dollars are involved. And paid fire services lose people, too. Localities of all natures are keen to cut back on these types of services when the tax dollars start dwindling. People forget that big fires once roared through entire blocks of cities. They forget that the Town of Fincastle lost blocks to blazes. Again I must ask, what is life worth?

8. Lawmakers turn up the heat on Appalachian. I don't understand this. We are a Republican-run state and our Republican leaders pledge their souls to the "free market" system. Well, here's the free market. Either you pay the electric bill or you freeze. It's like health care. Either you pay for your heart medicine or you die. That's what free market is. You can't have it both ways, boys. If you regulate APCO, aren't you doing that socialism thing you are so afraid of? And yes, I want regulation on utilities (my last bill was $350 and I dread to see what the next one is). I want health care. I don't see a little socialism as a bad thing - and apparently, neither do these lawmakers.

9. Budget plan may threaten public safety. The Virginia General Assembly is looking at cutting sheriff's budgets. Locally, Botetourt County could lose at least 13 positions its sheriff's office if the funding cuts go through. That is not in the story; that's just something I know.

10. Blue Ridge Parkway may add 50,000 acres. Congress is looking to keep the scenic highway scenic. This might not be a bad investment of tax dollars. I think we need to keep some land pristine and not use it up.

11. IPad: Apple introduces its latest creation. I own a little iPod but that's it. I love gadgets, would probably love this, likely won't buy it. I wish I could afford a Blackberry and a Raspberry and an iTouch and all of those cool things, but I live in the real world where my electric bills costs me $350 and I have to pay for my eyeglasses.

12. New home sales tumble sharply in December. This is probably bad news. Maybe it was the snow and the cold weather, or the holidays, but the economy doesn't seem to be picking up quickly, if at all. I hear talk of "signs" but honestly, I don't see them. I see gas and food prices rising, I see people out of work, but I don't see signs of an improving economy. You guys up there in Washington and on Wall Street happy yet? Have you finished creating your Great Divide between rich and poor, or are you still not done?

13. Gemini: Take the initiative and deal with any pressing matters immediately. If someone is not pulling his or her weight, you may want to intervene. Be determined and strong about what you want to see happen. 3 stars = you will reach your goal.


Lots of people play Thursday Thirteen. Learn more about it and see other participants here. You can see my other Thursday Thirteens here. This is entry number 124!

Framed

In early January, I realized my arms weren't going to grow longer and I needed to go the eye doctor.

For some time I have been moving books, newspapers and other items up and back in an effort to focus. Squinting, too, had become common.

Time for new glasses, and this time I was sure I would need reading glasses.

The eye doctor (I can't spell opthamalogist (?)) confirmed my suspicions. An eyeglass shop is located conveniently in the eye doctor's office, so I headed there.

The optician suggested progressive lenses.

Progressive lenses incorporate a long-distance vision, a medium vision, and a reading vision in the lenses, and do this without a line. Bifocals, on the other hand, have the long distance vision all around but have an insert for the reading part.

Progressive lenses also utilize "channels" so that the vision to the side of the lens can be blurry.

When I first put these new lenses on, I thought I had fallen underwater. Between the increase in strength and the change in the lenses, I was sure I would stumble and fall.

I have fought with these things for the last two weeks, hoping to adjust to this new vision. I have improved with them - the underwater feeling is gone, but when I am out in a large space, like in Walmart, things seem wavy. I don't notice the same effect looking outside, though, so it is something on that level of distance and horizon.

Reading with a book in my lap or at the kitchen table or desk (as opposed to the computer, which for some reason has been fine from day one) has only now become something I am somewhat comfortable with. Even so, I feel I need a pair of just reading spectacles if I am going to read for a prolonged period.

The optical shop will take these back and provide me with the old-style bifocals if I determine I can't use these. I don't hate these glasses but I am not enamored with them. I like the frames; they are titanium and very lightweight. My last pair was a little heavy and I kept an ache near my nose. That has vanished with the lighter frames.

Being able to see has always been incredibly important, probably because I did not get glasses until the 7th grade even though I needed them sooner. I always sat at the front of the class so I could see the blackboard. I remember the day my father took me to pick up my glasses. The mountains had trees! I could see the license plate on the vehicle in front of us. Things were sharp and detailed, not fuzzy and blurred. The world opened up.

A very long time ago, I wrote a poem about being able to see. Moments ago, thinking of this poem, I flipped through an old file in search of it. Apparently I wrote it in a class at Hollins. A note from a professor or a reader is with the poem. He/She didn't like the ending at all. The note says, "you've established some big overtones... I was not pleased, fulfilled but disappointed, & indeed annoyed, let down, by the conclusion." Yikes. And here I am sharing it.

You can tell me what you think if you want. It needs work, but I also find it wryly amusing. Even if the reader above didn't like the ending.

Mirage

Mornings after I bathe my body
with sweet Arabian soap,
dry my skin with linty towel,
cover my nakedness with pants, shirt, and burlap tie,
I stand before my mirror.

The radio speaks in foreign tongue
of sweltering suns and star-filled
nights, then plays a sonata of desert moon.
The room behind me shimmers
in blurred horizontals
as the sun slips through the sheers.

My reflection tells of tossed sheets,
midnight murmurs,
making love in veils of silk.
My eyes are dry, windblown sands,
smothered with heavy canvas tents.

From the little oasis
on my dresser's corner,
I pull out my vision,
open the tent flaps,
pop in the plastic.

You Can Do It

I started reading when I was four years old, according to my mother. I remember proving to a young uncle that I could read by challenging him to bring home something from school that I had never seen before because he said I wasn't reading, I was simply memorizing and repeating. He obliged by providing me with "Green Eggs and Ham," which I had never heard of and which I proceeded to read to him. He was wrong. I could do it.

Once I learned to write, which was prior to kindergarten, I was on my way to what would be my world. That would be a place of language, thoughts, and ideas. A place in the head, as it were, and on paper.

My teachers encouraged me. "You will be a writer," each said, from the second grade on. I didn't know what that meant but it sounded good, and like something they admired.

As I grew older, though, this ambition became something of a hindrance. Teachers encouraged me in other areas. "Go to college," they advised. "Be a teacher, a professor, a scientist."

My mother, in particular, was not keen on my being a writer. "You better take secretarial courses so you can support yourself," she warned. "You can't make a living off of words."

I should have studied to be a journalist from the outset, but circumstances kept me from that. Instead, I set out to prove them wrong in other ways. In 1985, when I was 22, I finally found my stride with newspaper writing. My first published piece outlined an apple-butter making event at a church in Eagle Rock. "Making Shiloh Apple Butter" came out on a fall day and I picked up the paper at Mike's Market in Daleville. I danced around the parking lot while I waited on my mother to pull in for her daily stop for milk and bread as she drove home from work. I practically shoved the paper up her nose in my enthusiasm to show her the piece.

"See, I can do it!" I said.

In the newspaper archives, one can see that after that first article, I began writing one feature a week. I was employed elsewhere and attending Hollins College, but I found time to interview and write these articles.

My byline has been in The Fincastle Herald for 25 years.

I kept writing newspaper articles and occasionally published a poem or a short story. At Hollins, certain professors encouraged me to write, to spread my wings, to grow in new directions.

In 1993, I decided to try to freelance full time. This was not a financial decision or even a smart one, really. But I have never regretted it.

I proved the naysayers wrong. While I may not have earned significant sums of money, it was enough. I have been happy with my life and with my life's work, and what else matters?

And now we come to it. The stars changed, and again I hear the voices saying, "You can't do it." Part of me even believes this, for I have heard it for so long.

But another part of me says, you will prove them wrong. And that's the part I want to listen to, the whisper that sends shivers down my spine.

For writing is like breathing; it is something I do as naturally as I blink my eyes or lip my lips. I write my thoughts here in this blog, on pages that never see the light of day, and in articles that are meant for the eyes of all. I write my life and I write about the lives of others, using the appropriate turn of phrase, the right touch of empathy, or the slant that brings tears.

Not everything I write is golden; I have been at this long enough to know about 80 percent of it is like compost. It's the food and fodder for the better words, the higher sentence structure and the greater good. Editing until the words glow like neon on the mountain takes time, thought and attention.

Even as I write blog posts, jotted down in the software's editing program, I go back, reread, make a change here or there. I know these words are not pristine, but I also don't mean for them to be. Sometimes the rough edginess is necessary, when the goal is to let loose the dream.

Writing allows me to connect, to teach, to share and to learn. Words give me insight into others and opens up possibilities. I may sputter and choke when I try to speak, but give me pencil and paper and a little time and what comes out will provide you with the answers to the questions asked of me.

Some days, writing seems as distant as the farthest mountain. It moves like a shadow in the mist of my mind and my weak grasp sends the words slipping like a landslide on the other side of a great divide that I cannot cross.

Other days, it is a hug enveloping me, coddling me, loving me and giving me warmth and friendship that goes so deep that my eyes well with tears. Some days, writing is a miracle.

To the naysayers, I say, "A pox on you." My work is not yet done.

Roanoke Regional Writers Conference

The Roanoke Regional Writer's Conference, held Saturday at Hollins University, offered a choice of 26 different 45 minute seminars. Of course, many were held at the same time, so you had to pick.

This was the third such event in as many years, and I have attended all of them. I go for networking purposes, to see who I can see and, frankly, to be seen. To remind folks I still exist, if nothing else.

I think a beginning writer, someone who hasn't published much or who hasn't read at least 100 books on writing, as I have, would find this event quite valuable. I think it is certainly worth the $50 it cost to attend.

However, I learned new information in only one of the seven seminars I attended. (I could have attended eight, but chose to sit out one hour in order to spend time getting to know a new friend. Relationships are always worth it to me and I felt like that was as beneficial as anything offered, and definitely worth my time.)

My favorite parts had nothing to do with the classes I attended, which are summarized below. Instead, it had to do with spending time with people, old friends and new. I enjoyed seeing my former professor, Jeanne Larsen, in particular, because she has always supported me and believed in me and I greatly admire her work.

I was also pleased to see Bonnie Cranmer, a fellow former Hollins Horizon student whom I have known for years, Becky Mushko, Mildred Sandridge and Beth Rossi, who are fellow members of the Roanoke Pen Women, and Michelle Shimchock, who was my student in my October class on freelancing. Others I knew I saw in passing and I was glad to see them, too, even if I hardly had more than a chance to say "hello" as we dodged one another in the hall.

Social Media

Unfortunately, the social media seminar I attended was a bust - I was looking for something more. I was hoping for information about how to use social media and make it work for you but that was not forthcoming, at least not in that talk. There were other seminars on social media scheduled but after that one I dismissed the whole idea of learning anything about that topic.

My notes from the class include this: "It's lonely in Twitter when you have no friends," a line spoken by one of the conference attendee. I have a twitter account with few friends so I could relate, but I don't work this social media so I am
not surprised.

The remaining notes consist of, "create a sense of community and an intimacy" and a few websites. The speaker was so busily hyping the virtues of Twitter that she sped by the other stuff so quickly that these few websites were all I wrote down: ePinions.com, ehow.com, tumbler, problogger.net, copyblogger.com. I know what a few of them are but will have to look up the others. She had other websites in her presentation but damned if I could write fast enough to get them down.

Also, blog posts should only be about 300 words. As you can see, I don't pay attention to this at all in this particular blog.

Writing NonFiction (or what was this again?)

The second seminar, entitled "Opening Pandora's Box: Reliving a Painful Past to Write a Helpful Book for Others," also left me scratching my head. While the presentation was interesting, I wondered what the title actually had to do with the information presented. The speaker was the author of Stand By Her, a book for men who are affected by women who have breast cancer. He spoke mostly about his journey as he wrote the book and what he learned about how to write a nonfiction book.

These are my notes:

Get the idea.
Have a strong drive and passion/strong vision.
Create a platform for credibility.
What do you want to say?
Write a book proposal. Remember it is a business.
Write a chapter by chapter outline.
Create and analysis of the market - who will buy the book?
Write a sample chapter.
Find your voice.
"It's not a simple journey."
Write a bio.

As you can see, while this is a nice summary of the nonfiction writing process, it doesn't have much to do with going back into your past to write something that will help others. Oh well. I guess the seminar was poorly named. I think it would have been better to have called it, "How I wrote my book."

Self Publishing

Next up was a panel discussion on self-publishing. I arrived a little late and missed hearing the first two speakers. Becky Mushko, over at Peevish Pen, was one of the panel members. She has self-published a number of books. Becky is very informed
about the publishing process and I have a lot of respect for her opinion. At least one of the other speakers, a professor from W&L, appeared to disagree with every word she spoke.

Becky and a few others touted the virtues of Infinity Publishing, a print-on-demand publisher with whom she has good experiences. Other names bandied about included ex libris and authorhouse. Websites to look at include authorsguild.com and scbwi.org.

The cost of printing a book raised eyebrows. My friend Michelle dropped me a note during the discussion asking me, "Are they all rich?" after hearing numbers ranging from $499 to $7,000 for printing costs. I wrote back, "They believe," meaning that these folks believed enough in their work to find the money to front the book. But they might also be rich, too, I don't know.

Self publishing is, if anything, a lot of work. Not only the work of writing the piece but also marketing it. However, other folks noted elsewhere during the event that any book published is going to require extensive marketing on the part of the
author. Book publishers are demanding that the authors do more of this work. "It ain't like it used to be," which turned out to be the unofficial theme of this event, was a battle cry.

Overcoming Writers Block

The next seminar was. "When the Muses flee: How Writers Woo Inspiration Back When They Hit Writers Block." I think my subheadline above is a lot shorter! Anyway, I enjoyed the speaker, Mary Hill, who was very interesting and entertaining.

Apparently the biggest obstacle for writers is fear of stinking. To overcome this, "Accept that you stink," and move on. Next problem? No good ideas. Overcome this by letting the come. She offered many nice suggestions for this, including foundmagazine.com, postsecret.com, and stumbleupon.com, along with living your life, walking in nature, reading, and creating a memory map.

She mentioned the memory map but didn't go into detail as to what that actually was. Does anyone know? I think I know but would be interested in hearing others' thoughts on this.

Anyway, she also suggested "trying the ridiculous", googling the words "writing prompt" and similar things. She also said to get a notebook and write stuff down because otherwise you forget. I have notebooks strewn everywhere with stuff I can hardly read in them; I suppose it is time to start another one.

She also mentioned loneliness as a reason for not writing, and I found that interesting because I don't recall hearing it before. She suggested a writing buddy or a writing group, even a writing coach,to help with this problem.

I also have the word "biorhythm" written in my notes; as in, write when you are at your best.

The Law

Freelance Writing and the Law was an excellent seminar. Dave Cohan, a lawyer with Gentry Locke (where I once worked, by the way, in another life), gave a great presentation on copyright and the legalities of writing.

I always need to hear someone tell me that I could lose the farm and get kicked in my donkey butt if I libel someone, so this was a good reminder. He also gave a very thick handout with his PowerPoint presentation on it, for which I was grateful. I really like handouts.

The most important things a writer needs to remember about copyright: the stuff you write is yours until you sell it or give it away. Read your contracts. Have a contract. I can't tell you how much stuff I have written without any kind of contract (most everything, actually). Take steps to protect yourself.

Beyond Blogging

This was, hands down, the best seminar of the day for me. Maryke Barber, a librarian at Hollins, offer up "Free and Fabulous Online Tools." She actually demonstrated these things, and I and everyone else in the class sat with our jaws open. She also gave a hand-out, yay!

She offered an excellent presentation on RSS and readers, such as Google Reader, and listed several options for readers if you aren't a Google fan. For the first time, I realized how useful this thing could be if you learn to use it.

She talked about finditva.com, which any Virginia library user can access. I was the only person in the class who knew it existed (I use it a lot). It is a database of journals, many with full-text articles. Very good for research. Since I am on my county library board, she received many bonus brownie points from me for this mention.

Next she talked about "social bookmarking," which allows you to access and share favored websites. This is delicious.com, diigo.com, digg.com, and others. I have heard of these before but didn't realize what they did. Again, marvelously useful stuff.

What really wowed me was "bibliographic management software." I sat with mouth agape, thinking of all the papers I'd had to footnote when I was in college, as she demonstrated how this add-on for Firefox would save your links and then create footnotes in your MS Word documents. What a time saver. Not only that, for the first time I understood the allure of Firefox. I have Firefox and use it for a few things but it dawned on me the add-ons, which Internet Explorer doesn't allow, are what makes that a superior browser. Lesson learned.

I thought she could not top herself but then she went on to introduce us to "wikis." She showed us how to create a website using Wiki software. Once again, my mouth hung open. Actually, I think I might have drooled during this part.

The websites to check out include wiki.zoho.com, www.pbworks.com, www.wikispaces.com, and www.wetpaint.com. I haven't had a chance to look into any of this yet but you can bet I will.

Don't Bother Freelancing

The last event was a panel discussion. I was dismayed by the message, which seemed to be, "Don't bother freelancing if you want to do it as a career, it can't be done anymore." There was lots of talk about the lack of pay, the loss of jobs, the way the media has changed, the loss of print media. The message I came away with was "Be Entrepreneurial," as that is the only way to have any modicum of success, and "The old way is dead." I was left with the strong impression that I should find another career if I want to eat. I would be interested if others took that panel session the same way or if I was the only one who heard it like that.

After about an hour of that, I had heard all I could stomach, and I left. By then it was 5:30 p.m. and I was tired, anyway.

And that was the writer's conference, as I experienced it. And yes, I would go back again, even if this sounds a little negative. The good outweighed the bad.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I present to you, in no particular order, my favorite actresses ... and the roles that I remember them in. I am partial to fantasy shows so the list is heavy in that genre; also, I really don't watch that much TV which is why some of these are pretty dated.

1. Sharon Gless as Christine Cagney on Cagney and Lacey. I did not see Cagney and Lacey much when the series ran-couldn't get the channel - but I watched it all in reruns. I love the show and wish more than Season 1 would come out on DVD.

2. Lindsey Wagner as Jamie Summers on The Bionic Woman. Lindsey played a strong yet sensitive character in this show. She was someone who stood up for the little guy and true rights and wrongs.

3. Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. As the first female captain of a starship, I simply had to like this character. She was tough and no-nonsense.

4. Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am currently watching this entire series while I exercise in the mornings. I originally only saw up to season 3 when the show first aired, thanks to the change to UPN from the WB (or vice versa, whichever it was). I have seen the other seasons in reruns and/or read about them, but I won't be sure until I finish this viewing that I have seen every single episode.

5. Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. She had an invisible jet and a magic lasso! What more could a girl possibly want?

6. Kate Jackson as Sabrina on Charlie's Angels. She also played Amanda on The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, played on Dark Shadows (one of my favorite soap operas when I was young) and on The Rookies. I suppose if there is an actress whose career I have followed, Jackson is the one. I thought she was the best angel and quit watching the show when she left.

7. Lucy Lawless as Xena in Xena: Warrior Princess. She kicked butt while taking on the God of War and other deities. Not to mention cleaning up all the bad guys in town.


8. Kim Zimmerman as Reva Shane on the Guiding Light. Aside from Dark Shadows, which went off the air in the 1970s, I think, the Guiding Light was the only soap opera I ever spent time watching. I stopped watching it with regularity at least 15 years ago but I occasionally caught an episode. I always enjoyed Zimmerman's portrayal as the "bad girl" Reva.

9. Catherine Bell as "Mac" on JAG. I enjoyed watching her but I hated that she always played second fiddle to the male lawyers. Oddly, I have not liked Catherine Bell in any other show I have seen her in.

10. Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda in Ghost Whisperer. Even though this show has badly "jumped the shark" and I no longer make a point of watching it, the early seasons gave us a feisty character who would "do what it takes" to get her message across.

11. Candace Bergen as Murphy in Murphy Brown. She was a news person who knew how to do the news. I liked the character (well, after they made her a mommy I didn't like her as much) and enjoyed Bergen's portrayal of her.

12. Phylicia Rashad as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show. This was a mom who really did bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, take care of the kids, and keep her husband in line.

13. Dixie Carter as Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women. This sitcom cracked me up; I'm pretty sure I know some southern ladies just like the ones on that show. Carter's character always seemed realistic and the actress played her well.


Lots of people play Thursday Thirteen. Learn more about it and see other participants here. You can see my other Thursday Thirteens here. This is entry number 123!

Just Away

I wish I could say I haven't been posting a lot because I'm in the middle of writing my book, but it would be untrue.

Work calls me, but it is not my own. I am editing a novel for someone else. I have been writing "keyword articles" for a marketing company and working on a few stories for the local paper. Writerly stuff, but like water. No hot chocolate brewing in this brain, alas.

My own inspiration lies as flat and dormant as the grass that we can finally see again, now that the snow has melted. Even coming up with topics for blog posts seems daunting, because I can't think of anything exciting or interesting to say. I feel as boring as the naked oak trees.

Perhaps it is the calm, the deep breathe before the turning of the world. Just another moment, and the tide will change, brown alfalfa will turn to green sprouts, the oaks will dress up in their leafy finery.

And inspiration will seep back into my soul just like the melting snows have replenished the streams, making them full and bubbling again.

Around New Year's, the full blue moon.



The blue moon.




Sun and fog.



Sun and snow.



Sun, snow, fog.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I offer up a few peeves, in no particular order.

1. The new Windows 7 operating system apparently reverts back to some kind of a DOS check occasionally on start-up. It takes the computer several minutes to run a chkdsk command. It never finds anything wrong.

2. My Brita filter in my Brita pitcher has little black specs of carbon or charcoal or something. All the time, every filter. According to the literature on the box, this is "normal." And of course because some corporation says so, we all believe it, right?

3. Snow on the ground for four weeks. Okay, I'm ready to see some grass! Preferably green.

4. Junk mail. I still get an awful lot of it and this year at Christmas it seemed worse than it had been in years. I apparently got on some mailing list after spending years trying to get off of them all.

5. Leaking windows. Our windows, which were installed in 1987, let air in now. During some of the really cold days this month I thought I would freeze.

6. Books that aren't as good as promised.

7. Movies that are worse than I ever expected. (Pretty much anything with Adam Sandler fits this bill.)

8. Pillows that go flat within a month of use. What is up with this, anyway? I pay $30 and up for a name-brand hypo-allergenic support pillow and in 30 days the thing looks like it's been run over by a fleet of trucks. Where's the neck support?

9. Chatty checkout clerks who feel it is their duty to comment on your purchase, the color of your checks, the kind of coupons you use, etc. Mostly I don't mind but sometimes it rubs me the wrong way. I try to remember that pushing items across a little beam of light all day (not to mention hearing that "beep beep" for eight hours) cannot be that exciting.

10. My husband's chewing tobacco. If he only knew how much I loathe that stuff! Or maybe he knows but doesn't care - Lord knows I've complained about it enough. At any rate, I hate it. That big cup of spit sitting around the house. Dribble on his shirt. Flecks of tobacco all over my car. Yuck.

11. Emotional reactions to social and economic issues that instead require actual thinking. I see a lot of this going on, not only from the man in the street but the people who are supposed to be making changes for the better. It scares me.

12. Telemarketing phone calls. Thanks to the federal "do not call" list there are fewer of these interruptions, but I still get them. Other countries don't have this problem. Why? Because they are "opt in" and not "opt out." That means that people can't just up and call you unless you've given them permission to. And would you give permission to the banks, the politicos, etc., to call you whenever they feel like it? I didn't think so.

13. No decaffeinated Irish Breakfast Tea at my local supermarkets. I frequent three and none carry it. It is my favorite and it is extremely hard to find in the Roanoke area.

Lots of people play Thursday Thirteen. Learn more about it and see other participants here. You can see my other Thursday Thirteens here. This is my 122 entry!

The Promotional Ceremony

Today was the day of the promotional ceremony for Roanoke Fire-EMS. My husband, named a Battalion Chief in December, received a gold badge.



Members of Medic 1 came to watch.



Chief Hoback and the minister.



Chief Hoback shakes hands with my husband as he presents him with his new badge.




The new battalion chiefs, Terry King and James Firebaugh, my husband.




A picture of all of the men who received promotions.



The husband and his proud wife.

What are YOU looking at?

Thursday Thirteen

Daydreaming about the upcoming year and the next 11 months ... some things that might happen?

1. That book will get written. So far it's off to a slow start, what with not having a clue, but I think this will be the year.

2. We'll put replacement windows in the house. Maybe. If we can afford it.

3. A number of pounds will fall off my frame. This would be good for my blood pressure, my self-esteem, etc.

4. New clothes will fill my closet. This, of course, would be in conjunction with #3.

5. I'll read 45 books. This is a lower number than usual - I usually read 55 or more annually - but given that I am not sure I should be reading a lot of books when I am trying to write one, I have dropped the number.

6. I'll do counted cross-stitch. I picked up this little hobby many years ago and dropped it, but in November I started doing it again. I did three little hicky-doos and then stopped but hopefully will do some more hicky-doos in the near future, that being once my wrist is better.

7. Exercising will be something I long to do instead of look at, eyes crossed, and go, hmm.

8. A long hike up to McAfee Knob. This won't happen unless I lose weight and get in shape, because it is a good walk and I am not capable of it at this time. I have never been up there. It is close and I sure would like to get there before I die.

9. My husband and I will take a cruise. This likely won't happen but I would like for it to. I have never been on a cruise. I also am not sure where the money would come from, though.

10. In lieu of said cruise, we'll go on a vacation. Hopefully someplace different. Maybe we could go to Florida. Or drive out to see the Grand Canyon. He's never seen that and I haven't seen it since I was 12. I would love to see it again.

11. A visit to the Greenbrier. I still want to go see the bunker. Maybe this will be the year.

12. We'll buy more cows. The herd has been thinned as the cows have aged, so it's time for a few more brood cows.

13. The sun will shine, the rain will fall, the seasons will turn, the world will continue on, and time won't stand still. I'll turn 47 years old in June and wonder how that happened, and in November I'll celebrate 27 years of marriage. My hair will continue to sport this interesting white and the wrinkles around my eyes, which are just starting to show, will deepen. One day someone will call me wise.


Thursday Thirteen is a way to get to know a bunch of folks. You can learn more about it here. This my 121th week of participating!

Nonfiction Books

Women Who Worry Too Much
By Holly Hazlett-Stevens, Ph.D.
Copyright 2005
168 pages

The Blood Pressure Cure
by Robert E. Kowalski
Copyright 2007
304 pages


These are two nonfiction books I've delved into over the holidays. Nothing like a little "light" reading, eh?

The first book was a present from Santa, who apparently thinks I spend too much time contemplating impossible endings to situations, aka as worry. The book offers a hands-on method for dealing with worry. Identify the worry, determine the absolute worst outcome, find ways to stop avoidance behaviors, and other ways to clear your head are among the techniques the author explores. Living in the present, known as mindfulness, is highly touted.

The second book I bought in hopes of controlling my blood pressure. I am doing all the right things, mostly, but this was a good reinforcement for my behavior. The book advocates five "secret weapons" that are supposed to help with blood pressure. These are arginine,which is an amino acid, grape seed extract, tomato extract, pycnogenol, (which frankly I never did understand), and cocoa (but not milk chocolate; pure cocoa).

Also, lose weight, don't smoke, eat your fruits and veggies, etc.

After this heavy reading, I'm ready for a little fiction!

Flames

Yesterday, my husband started a fire in the fireplace.

We haven't burned wood in the house since we painted and installed new carpeting in 2005. The fireplace will heat practically the whole house but it makes a huge mess.

It is also very labor intensive.

First, there is that whole chopping wood thing. That falls on my husband's shoulders, and while those shoulders are broad and his arms strong, he is no longer a young man. While 50 might be the new 40, he's still 50.

Second, I am allergic to woodsmoke. I am also allergic to a lot of the wood itself. When we have a fire, a sinus infection is generally not far behind. I downed a 24-hour allergy med in hopes of keeping said sinus infection at bay.

Third, the mess. The fireplace insert lets a good deal of smoke back into the house, which stains the walls and ceiling. Wood chips get into the carpeting. Bugs crawl out of the logs. If you're a clean freak, a wood-burning heating device is not necessarily the best heat source.

But cold is cold, and 10 degree F with 40 mph winds is frigid indeed. Besides, the light bill for December was very high.

Fortunately the wood pile, stacked with pre-cut logs, has been sitting behind the outbuilding for many years. So there was no need to trudge through the fields and the woods and the remaining snow and ice, except for what is left in the yard, for fuel. Instead he was able to fire up the tractor, hook a trailer to it, and haul a big load from the woodpile to the house, a distance of about 50 yards, without breaking into much of a sweat.

Building a fire on a cold hearth is no easy task, but with some old newspapers and relatively dry kindling, soon there was a blaze. The blowers on the wood stove insert cut on after about an hour, and the house slowly began to warm.

Today I have lifted my bottom from my chair every hour or so to go and stoke the fire. I throw in a log, hit it with the poker, and watch it flare. The thermostat in the hall has hit a toasty 70 degrees and best of all the furnace isn't cutting on.

My office and the bedroom, both in the front part of the house, are not as warm as the living room but they are comfortable enough. Wood heat feels warmer than what the heat pump and furnace sends out, so the chill has lessened considerably. My old bones aren't feeling the cold like they were this past weekend, anyway.

Fireplaces have heated humanity for thousands of years. I have done nothing new. Watching the flames dance makes me feel a part of something greater than myself. The hearth calls. I answer.

Footprints

A New Day

This morning I watched last year's leaves dance and twist as they skittered across the frozen, snowy field in front of the house.

Two deer moved briskly along the fence line, their fur bristling from the brisk wind. I envisioned chill bumps along their backs as they headed for the skimpy shelter of the cedar trees and thought it an act of Providence that they generally give birth in the spring. A fawn would not easily withstand these frigid days.

The sun moved hesitantly in and out between the clouds and I wished he would stay put a while. The idea of warm loving rays heating up the area around my windows was a welcome one.

The old windows in the house leak so that I could feel a draft across my chest while I tried to work a little at the computer. My hands around the window seals found spaces where the cold air poured in. This despite attempts this fall to seal the things up so we could get another year or two out of them. I thought of my electric bill (we heat with electric) and felt the dollar signs in my gut.

A calm settled over me as I greeted the second day of the new year; I have found myself looking forward to 2010 with an optimism that is almost foreign. New beginnings or just acceptance?

Either way, the world is okay even on a cold, windy gray day, and I feel at peace.

Welcome 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!