If I were…

If I were a month, I’d be September

If I were a day, I’d be Friday

If I were a time of day I’d be late morning in the spring

If I were a planet I’d be the earth

If I were a sea animal I’d be a whale

If I were a direction I’d be west

If I were a piece of furniture I’d be a rocking chair by the fire

If I were a liquid, I’d be a cup of English tea with cream

If I were a gemstone I’d be lapis lazuli

If I were a tree I’d be an English oak

If I were a tool I’d be a computer

If I were a flower I’d be a rose

If I were an element of weather I’d be rain

If I were a musical instrument I’d be tubular bells

If I were a color I’d be forest green

If I were an emotion I’d be the love of a hug

If I were a fruit I’d be an apricot

If I were a sound I’d be giggles

If I were an element I’d be silver

If I were a car I’d be a Subaru

If I were a food I’d be green chile

If I were a place I’d be a library

If I were a material I’d be suede

If I were a taste I’d be wildflower honey

If I were a scent I’d be a forest after a rain

If I were a body part I’d be a pair of warm arms

If I were a song I’d be “This Kiss” by Faith Hill

If I were a bird I’d be a Stellars Jay

If I were a gift I’d be handmade with love

If I were a city I’d be Cambridge

If I were a door I’d open onto a secret garden

If I were a pair of shoes I’d be a pair of moccasins

If I were a poem I would be Kids Who Are Different by Digby Wolfe

what would you be?

Or perhaps, what would you be at this particular moment? For, if I filled this in next week, or tomorrow, or even in an hour, I might be something entirely different.

Borrowed from Laume  who borrowed it from….

To Blog or not to Blog

That’s the question. I am trying to decide whether to delete two of my blogs or not. First one is Digitally challenged, the blog story I have been writing and which has sort of come to an end. The other is one I am thinking of re-purposing. I just have not had the time to update either of them and so have been rethinking them.

Digitally Challenged, I want to turn into a story in book form. However, I need to have it easier to edit, hence the taking it off the blogsphere.

Anyone out there have an opinion?

Meanwhile, Adventures has run it’s course in a different way. Not sure what to do with that one. A friend of mine is doing a story a day thing and I am thinking of trying that with this site. Sort of like DC, only a different theme. Still thinking on that one.

Then there is Pagan Way. Dan and I share that one and it is due to be moved to a website. Once again, similar purpose, but more coverage/access needed.

Lots of thinking…. Sorry for the sound of grinding gears and smoke.

Today was a lazy day otherwise. I got the front porch straight so I can do some more sewing. Wheee!!!! The weather is warming up at last and I will be able to sit out there without freezing.

Ian went to bed early and Dan is playing video first person kill’um games. I think I will work on that pair of socks that needs the heel turned.

Three Cups of Tea

Over the holidays I finally got a chance to read this book. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Great book! Wonderful book.

It first got brought to my attention a few years ago when Gardner School was doing a Pennies for Peace drive and had the short synopsis of the story available. I emptied my pockets into the jar that afternoon. I tried to get the book at the library and had no luck. So, I bought it. Did I have time to read it at first? No. sigh… So it sat on my shelf and waved every time I passed the shelf.

I finally picked it up on Yule. (December 21st) The story is about Greg Mortenson, a mountaineer and high altitude climber. He was climbing K2 when a team member needed an emergency evacuation. On his way down, he gets lost and ends up in a small Baltistan village called Korphe. The villagers take him in. “Here ( in Pakistan and Afghanistan) , we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything—even die.” Haji Ali, Korphe Village Chief, Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan (Moretenson & Relin, 2006, Penguin books)

Mortenson realizes that so much depends on education, and that was one of the biggest things missing from the small villages. He promises to build a school. Working on that epiphany, he returns time and again to build schools for the small isolated villages in Pakistan and later Afghanistan. The book is about his struggle to achieve this.

The book struck cords on many levels. First off, I’m a daughter of a mountaineer. I spent every weekend as a child either hiking, camping or waiting for my dad to come down off of the high peaks. I understand the climbing culture and the drive that some people have to be out in the mountains. It took me years to understand that when Dad talked about God, he meant Great Out Doors.  I share that love of the mountains and high places.

Next, education. I live in a rural area where education is a struggle for so many. I’ve been on the local school board and shared the joys and frustrations that go hand in hand. Especially when it came to raising money.

Most of all, this is a wonderful story about what a person can do if they try. Greg Mortenson is a beautiful human being. Three Cups of Tea is worth the read! http://www.threecupsoftea.com

A Muse by Any other Name…

Would have shot me a long time ago. Why? Because I have so many stories just hanging there waiting to be finished. I don’t so much get stuck or blocked, but simply run out of time to work on a story. So, I let it sit… ferment as you might say. Then, the inevitable happens…. another story pops into my head and I start to work on it because it is screaming in my head so loud I can’t not write.

Really must figure out how to get some of these published. Publishing = money= more time to write…. hmmm…. I understand that part of it is fear. Where? How? Why? etc…. Oh, and rejection. Basic issue, is that I simply don’t know where to start on that bit.

Not to mention that I have some stories only fit for certain markets. Fairy Light is a children’s story that needs illustration. Sheeple, Sweetwater, In the Arms of Fenris… Adult market, ala LKH’s books. Then there is Chase, the latest stream of words…. Spy guy/werewolf/sex all rolled into one. Oh, and set literally in my own backyard. This one is only 23 pages in, but at least reads good so far. I’m picking Dan’s brain for the technical bits. Right now, I’m in the middle of a bear attack scene.  This story is called The Chase. It is about a team of marines that is going in to pick up a “vet who has lost his mind”.  The vet is not off is rocker, but has a secret that the military wants. So, he runs up into the mountains he knows like the back of his hand. The marines follow, and chaos ensues. Nerys is the main female character. A Navy nurse stationed at 29 Palms.  Here is an excert. She has just had to deal with a drunk ex-boyfriend who is also on this retrival team.

Nerys breathed a sigh of relief and turned down the bed to climb in. Before she had a chance, there was a knock at the door. Opening it, she found Gunnery Sgt. White and the LT standing there.

“Sorry about that,” she said.

“Ma’am, you weren’t the problem. We put him back to bed though.” said Sgt. White, making a fist pounding gesture.

Nerys smiled. “You can call me Betty. Want to come in? Or just stand on my doorstep?”

“We’ll just stand here if you don’t mind Betty,” said the LT. “If you don’t mind me asking, what the hell is between you two?”

“Nothing now, and that is his problem.”
“Oh?” the two men asked at the same time.

“We use to date, but when he decided that he liked playing mind games more than fun and games, I said enough and kicked his ass out.”

“Ma’am, umm… Betty, sorry, but this old Sargent just can’t see what attracted you to him.”

“Sargent, every sailor or marine gets drunk and does something stupid. I got real drunk one night, took home a pretty thing from the bar and when I woke up in the morning, thought I’d at least give it a try sober. However, sometimes the strays you bring home have bad habits. He has plenty, and after a while, I just couldn’t cope any longer. So I tossed his ass out. Been holdin’ a grudge ever since.” Nerys leaned back and took a deep breath. The air up here was thinner than she’d ever experienced.

Both men laughed. Sgt. White smiled and nodded with a knowing look to his face. “Well, I’ll see to it that the ‘stray’ stays out of your way.”

“Thank you Sargent, you are a gentleman.”

“Oh no ma’am,.. Betty. I’m a Marine,” he said with a big smile.

Nerys smiled. “Have to admit that if I’d known that this little flight had him on it, I probably would have found myself a weekend to enjoy at the psych ward. Didn’t know until I got on the bird.”

“No wonder you went from smiles to growling in about thirty seconds,” said Charlie. “And is it me, or is this about the weirdest mission you’ve ever been on? Eighteen people just to pick up one man?”

More later …. maybe…

Then, there is my college class. English Comp II. Seems like it might actually be a decent class. I’ve picked a rather touchy subject for my essay, but I do hope she lets me keep it. Otherwise, I’ll probably pick another thorny issue. Not into writing boooooooooring stuff. The Guardian Newspaper is so good for edgy articles. Being bored during the last class about had me ready to quit.

Well, I think I’ll pull up Chase and write more on the bear slaughtering soldiers.

The topsoil is blowin’ in the Wind!

And today, it is actually mild compared to what is to come later this week. Last week we had more than one day when the winds were between 30 and 44 miles per hour. Todays are a breezy 20mph with gusts up to 35mph. Tomorrow is 20-35mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph. Gads! Honestly, I think that I’m going to have to scrape all the soil off the fence and put it back in the yard at this rate. We have places in our backyard where the loose soil is just gone and all you see is the hard stuff with lots of rocks in it. Not good for gardening. sigh…

I think that what I may do is turn the front porch into a greenhouse. Plant a bunch of stuff in pots, get them going on the front porch which is sort of a big cold frame at the moment and go from there. By the time the stuff is too big to be in the pots, I’ll have the back yard ready. I hope.

Meanwhile, I am still camping in the offices of the CSU Extension office. The Chamber is still out of the building and doesn’t look to be going back in any time soon. sigh….. Very frustrating. Oh well.  Plus, I’m putting my name in for other secretarial jobs that pop up. We will see. Still no apologies after all that dreck.

I got my taxes filed and am nearly caught up on other things. So, this afternoon, I am going to work on my writing! Wheeee!! I have two stories in my head that I need to get started on before they go the way of my topsoil!

And the copier commits suicide…

Today was busy at work. Pauline stopped by, as did John Carlson, Carol and her hubby as well as half a dozen people looking for work. At least Shirley was there to deal with them. Oh, and the phone rang. Most of it was hang up calls. Why on earth would anyone prank a Chamber of Commerce? Bored? Stupid? Oh well… I was trying to get two days work done in one so that I could have tomorrow off. Since I get paid by the hour, it doesn’t work to just take time off.

While trying to hunt down information on concealed carry permits, I told one of our businesswomen in town about the Open Source software we’ve been trying to make people aware of for weeks. She wanted a copy of the  disk and a chamber application. So, gathering my stuff, off I went. Dan covered the office. I dropped off the software, new brochures from the chamber, got invited to present this info at the next school board meeting and then stopped by the Huerfano Journal. I had paychecks! Wheee! I really enjoy working for the Journal. It helps that my cousin Gretchen and her hubby Brian own and operate the paper, but I actually enjoy writing the articles.  (hi Brian! hi Gretchen!) I’m starting a history column mid January. I already do three. I picked up a laptop they want Dan to work on as well.

I got back to work with lunch in hand. I was working on getting stuff caught up and almost had everything ready for the board meeting next week in between bites of french fries. Emphasis on almost. Dan went to go copy something and the printer made this noise. Sort of a cross between a cat being pulled apart and one of those really annoying party horns. He cussed and tried it again. Then the tool bag came out. First he threatened it and then he started pulling it apart. Dan worked on copiers and printers in another life, far away in Nashville. More cussing. Then he borrowed the phone. He talked to Gobins and discovered that while the parts needed were covered by our service contract, the labor  wasn’t. $380 worth of labor for a 14 year old copier. Hmm…. I don’t think so. However, that isn’t a decision that I can make. So, I added it to the agenda for the meeting.

It also meant a whole new flurry of emails to boardmembers to let them know what is going on. Wheeee……

A hot Tuesday afternoon

And what may be my last quiet day for a while. On Monday I went to an interview at the D.A.’s office. I was hoping to have a full time job there. However, it seems that there are other candidates with more clerical experience than me. Therefore I was interviewed for the part time job. I was suppose to go meet the D.A. tomorrow and see if he “liked” me. However, the woman I interviewed with called me this afternoon and asked if I could start tomorrow. I said yes! Granted, it is part time. 8 to 5, M-F for at least 3 weeks, or until such time as the full time person is ready/in place/etc. $8 an hour too. After that, they’ll decide if I will be kept on part time or what. I’m hoping that they find I’m just what they need. Fingers crossed!!

Also this afternoon, Dan and I went to a meeting at the Huerfano Journal. Chere Cuz Gretchen and Hubby Brian’s newspaper. The other local paper is about to take a nose dive, and they are trying to get ready to pick up the slack. :> Dan writes the Tech Savvy articles for the paper and I went along because it’s family and I help on the tech articles every once in a while. During the discussion, other columns were brought up.  Some being the Moon Talk and Weirdness Beat. Of course, just previous to that I had mentioned that we needed a Huerfanology column to cover all the odd things that go on in the county. Of course, I said I’d help with the Moon Talk column, and then Gretchen asked who would like to do the Weirdness Beat and they all looked straight at ME! So, I get to write two columns!!! It will probably be once a month for both, but that doesn’t bother me a bit. teeheehee… I get to cover weird lights in the sky, tarantula and tortoise migrations and all things Weird. :>

We also talked about doing humorous columns about life in Huerfano County. I think I’ll submit the story about John being upset that I was related to everyone except the postman, only to have the postman walk up and say, “hello Cuz!”

Today I’m going to finish up various bits here at 520, like painting doors and then some laundry before I head off to bed. 6:45am is going to come very early. I’m going to baby my knee a but too. I tripped yesterday and bashed my right knee rather nastily. sigh….. I am such a klutz at times. Dan and Brandy both tried to help me up. Poor pup! She may not have thumbs, but she is loving.

Friday afternoon!

I am finally getting caught up! Yesterday all I had time for was a quick post just before I went to bed. However, yesterday was a very full day.

First off, it snowed again which made it very cold. Found out later that places like Cuchara got nearly 10 inches of snow. Brrrr! On the 15th of May no less!

Plus, around 5am, Stella started having kittens. By around 7am, she had four little tabbies and one black kitten. She looks to be a very good mom. :> Oh, and Beth was ill with some sort of stomach bug which caused havoc for her. I took her some gatorades and crackers while Dan headed to Aguilar for two jobs. I did some banking and then headed out to pick up Matt and Morgan who went on an all school rollerskating trip to Pueblo. They had a lot of fun in spite of the cold. I brought them back to the office because Beth was sick. They were going to spend the night here.

While we waited for Dan to get home, Erin, Morgan and Logan showed up. With a bit of convincing, they went to the store and I made steak and potato pie for dinner. Half way through cooking, Dan got home. He’d forgotten a part and had to come back here for it.

We ate and cleaned up just in time for Dan to get home. He was too tired to eat so I saved his share for lunch. Around 9:30pm, Erin and family headed home.  Morgan and Matt went to bed and Dan and I finally had a little time to work out some things for today. Oh, and I wrote the first episode of Digitally Challenged.

This morning at 9am, my sister Pauline showed up. She had just come from a job interview and needed a cuppa tea to relax. We all chatted and then I went with her to her house and picked up chairs and a desk. Daniel was suppose to go with her out to Mike’s to unload the bus, but friends of his kidnapped him to buck bales of hay. Pauline left about 30 minutes before they got here. I gave them directions and out they went. With three young men, it only took an hour to move everything. I even got two more chairs out of the deal. 🙂 Wow! We now have places to sit that aren’t desk chairs.

We are suppose to have a business meeting in about 15 minutes. Erin, Karen, Carlos, Dan and I. A first! 🙂

I also took pictures of our furbaby. Brandywine came home today from training. Wheeee!

Brandy surprises Dan with a kiss

Brandy and Morgan in the garden

More later!

Ha-HA!

I’ve done it at last! Set up a new blog page and started the story that has been in my head for months. Now to see if this works. I feel giddy!

http://g33kgurl.wordpress.com/ is my new blog and latest interactive writing work. Hope people read it and enjoy the story as it unfolds. Hope I can keep it going!

WOW!

    What a week, and it isn’t even over yet. Sunday night I was leaving the office and had just gotten to my car when I felt like someone was looking at me. I looked over the hood of my car and straight into the eyes of a six point buck! He and his buddy, another 6 pointer, were standing on the side of my car like I was suppose to let them in! I opened my door and they just slowly walked off!

I also got a bit of knitting done Sunday night. I made a kitty pie. This is a knitted and felted cat bed that is pie shaped. Very cool, and it is up on my Ravelry account in the projects section.

Monday morning it was so icy and foggy that I could barely see 100 yards ahead of me on the way to school with the kids. Good thing I was going slow, as there were 3 elk cows in the middle of the highway! Gads! They were each bigger than my car!  Tuesday morning was also icy, but there was only one elk by the side of the road. This afternoon there was a deer on the road by the house that I had to wait for. She crossed and then I headed off to get the kids.

We also got hacked at the office this week. It sparked a story that I am writing in blog style. Don’t know where I’ll post it. Maybe here when it’s done.

I also took Daniel over with Oscar to Karen’s house. We re-introduced the two dogs, Oscar and Stormy and saw how they got along. Karen is going to train Oscar to be a better dog. Yeah!

Well, I’m off to bed to read my book! Dates from Hell!