It’s been a while…

 

It’s been a while since I was here last. I had a migraine from helllllll in the middle of the month which postponed posting. Then, my father died on Saturday, November 28.

His passing was sudden – a stroke or heart attack, we’re not sure which (an autopsy was not performed). He passed within seconds. Which is a blessing. He wouldn’t have wanted a long-drawn-out illness. Quick and fast.

So, the last month has been filled with grieving, paperwork, organizing, family, and rearranging things. Christmas was all right – the three of us were together (spouse, mum, and me). But it also kinda sucked. Although he liked to play “scrooge” and all “bah-hum-buggy,” Dad wasn’t there.

So, this next week will be taking care of more paperwork. The death certificates are taking a bit longer – probably due to the holidays and a screw-up with Dad’s social security number. That has put a few things on hold (like the financial and governmental things).

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know why I wasn’t out here.

I’ll get back into my groove in the new year.

Peace.

My last few days

It’s been a little wacky these last few days – heck, WEEKS, but who’s counting?

Although we spent the weekend brain-farting, the spousal unit and I were extremely pooped when we started back up on Monday. We both had a pretty intense cold that just knocked us down. We spent the weekend watching brain-fade TV and relaxing. I think we finally left our pajamas on Sunday – only because we had to go to Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers

I think I just finished week 4 of my “maintenance” routine. That means 2 more weeks to go until LIFETIME (which = FREE meetings and support). $40 a month has been soooooooooo worth it (don’t get me wrong), but ZERO sounds great, too! I am maintaining quite well. My goal was 135 and I’ve gained and lost about a pound each week. THAT IS PERFECT! I’m not supposed to be below 133 or higher than 137.

Wait until Thanksgiving. I think the Sunday after T-Day is my final weigh-in. Wish me luck.

NaNoWriMo

Wellllll, I am approximately 5000 words behind. The cold this last weekend wiped me out – and I spent Friday with my dad.

Annnnndddd, I read a book:

The Hunger Games

The first in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy about a “game show” (of sorts) where young people aged 12 to 18 are tributes in a fight to the death.

Quite good!

Unfortunately, I have the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire, next to me on the desk. It’s a little too tempting.

Cooking with the Kiddos

WHAT WAS I THINKING!!?? Yesterday, I planned a “day of cooking” with 16 rambunctious, monkey-energied children. The good news? There were no heat sources involved (I thought that much ahead). But we made Energy Balls with peanut butter, banana, graham crackers, and various toppings. What a mess!!

There just wasn’t enough time! They made (maybe) 20 balls. Sigh. Ah, well, whatcha gonna do?

Off I go. Chores to do, novels to read, novels to write, children to educate (hee hee – I’m REALLY the one who gets the education).

Have a good one – whatever you do.

Quick update – NaNoWriMo and “The Girls”

Just finished my writing session for the day. I just hit 16829 words! The kids met grandpa and they introduced him to the wraith in the pool. Scared him a lot! Hee hee.

16829 words is 159 words ahead of the recommended daily allowance for NaNoWriMo. 10 days at 1667 words per day = 16670 words. Hooyaaa!!

And my daily count (for the 5 out of 7 days that I write) is 2500 words. This is Day 7 for me, so I should be at 17,500, but that’s all right. I’m just 700 behind that.

I’m planning on attending an all-night writing frenzy this weekend, so I’ll catch up. :-)

The Girls

Well, one of our girls has bad legs. Esther. We’ve been chatting about what to do with her. We think she might be in pain because her legs shake when she stands and she doesn’t stand much. However, she does roost once in a while. And I noticed the other day that she walks on her own feet.

Here they are (I took this today – don’t let the watermelon fool you. I found it at the store the other day). Esther is on the very right, with her back to us (I don't know if you can see her legs, but they are quite large):

And she hasn’t started clucking yet – the other girls (including her bio sister) have. She still cheeps. And she is soooo funny. She chases after the other girls like a little sister cheeping at them as if to say “wait for me!” And she comes when we call her.

However, she spends the majority of her time, laying underneath the warming light in the coop.

We hope to get her into the vet soon. Then, we can make an informed decision about what to do. We’ve decided that if she is in pain or if she is contagious/whatever, then we will put her to sleep. But if she isn’t in pain or a problem for the other girls, then she stays. She is very entertaining and awesome and let’s us handle her a lot. We think she’s a great addition to the flock. And the other girls cuddle with her at night so they aren’t put-off by her. But we don’t want her to have a rough life.

We’ll keep you informed.

Off to get ready for work. Cheerio.

NaNoWriMo Day 5…

After hauling serious bootie the first few days (I averaged 2500 words per day), I’ve hit a block. A wall. A block wall.

I made it to a little over 1200 words today, so I’m giving myself permission to stop for now. Can’t get blood from a stone, right?

So, I’m stopping at 11,300 words to date. More writing tomorrow.

Have a great one.

A quick blog: NaNoWriMo, Chickens, and the Zoo

I just want to update my blog really quickly since it’s been a while.

NaNoWriMo

I am doing NaNoWriMo and want to use my “writing energy” for it. So far 4314 words (in two days). Not bad. I’m a little ahead of the game, so I’m feeling kinda cocky! I hope to have nearly 7000 words by today.

The Chickens

We were out doing chores the other day (the husband at the chipper shredder):

and we decided to let the girls do some adventuring. We let them out into the yard – and they frolicked. They ate a lot of bugs, played in the grass, and came home (into their run) to a pumpkin. Lucky girls.

This is a picture of 4 of our girls: Polly (tan), Lucy (red), Netty (brown and black), and Petunia (black). Esther and Miss Priss don’t seem to be around when I take pictures. Hmmmm.

Esther has bad legs, we discovered the other day. Her legs are bigger than they should be and she shakes as if her legs are too weak to hold her up. We do find her laying quite a bit. She takes small steps and usually steps on her own feet. But she does all right eating and hanging out with the other girls. She’s also the only one who hasn’t started the clucking sound. She still “peeps.”

The Zoo

The husband wanted to go to the zoo on his birthday last week, so we went for the day. He wanted to take some photos with his good camera:

And we were there for over 5 hours. It was a wonderful time. The elk and cougar exhibits were closed, but we got to see a lot of other animals.

A few pix (the hubby took the majority of the photos).

Two of the 5 elephants on their trek to “squish the squash.” A local nursery donates HUGE pumpkins that the elephants smash and eat. There were a zillion people there, so I didn’t get a good photo.

A leopard. I stepped into a little house-like structure (made for kids) and this cat came walking up to me. FREAKED ME OUT because I thought I was trapped in the little house with it. Just for a second. Made my heart leap.

Off to write for NaNo! Have a great day – whatever you do.

No Plot? No Problem! Chapters Three – Eight

Wow, what the heck have I been doing that I haven’t blogged about NPNP for a while?

Work.

So, here we go. When we last left our novelist-to-be, she was rallying the troops for support, agonizing over the idea that she can write a novel in 55 hours, but realistically thinking that 1667 words per day might be do-able.

On to the next piece. Chapter Three offers tips on places to write – and how to write in those places. For example, if one can’t afford the chalet in Paris, then, writing at home might be the next best thing. But those distractions. Oh, those distractions. The solution? Isolate oneself from the temptations. Some people write better in coffee shops – lots of outlets, no one sneers at you if you hang out for 2, 5, 10 hours a day, and there’s quiet background music.

Other viable places (because people have done it): libraries, bookstores, the gym, pubs and bars, cheap motel rooms. What these places offer that home and trendy coffee shops might not: quirk, interesting people. (Although, you might find that at home, too.)

Chapter Four asks us to look at what we like in novels (our Magna Carta I) and what we don’t (our Magna Carta II). For example, I like zingy language and short zippy chapters. I dislike a lot of boring prose and having the protagonist be an orphan (overdone much!). These are gentle reminders of what we find interesting and what might help us plod through our novel without too much pain.

A quick reminder from Chapter Four (in Patti-esque language): if you write, the plot will come.

Chapters Five – Eight are about the four weeks of NaNoWriMo. The highs, the lows, the madness, the frustration, the giddiness.

Week One is the honeymoon phase. Life is great, the novel is great, and this is a great idea. Write as much as possible to get a “bank” of word count ready.

Week Two is the slam of reality. Life is trying to wiggle back in. The elusive 1667 words per day seems impossible. This is when we tend to give up – like the whine of a 10-year old kiddo, we exclaim: “it’s tooooooo haaaaaard.” We tend to lose word count this week – building up a debt.

Week Three finds us at a less-than-optimal word count (we should have 35,000 at the end of week 3). However, this is when we find our groove-thang again and can let ‘er rip! Have fun. Let the words flow, even if they make no sense, don’t move the plot, or describe a gnat in excruciating detail. The goal is 50,000 words, not the Great American Novel (at least not yet).

Week Four can be exhaustive. The holidays are here (Turkey Day) and family obligations may take over. Or our bodies are physically exhausted and sore and we’re cranky. Use eye drops, walk around, stretch, get away from the keyboard or pen and paper – you can collapse and sleep for days on end at the end of the month.

Then CELEBRATE!!! Baty recommends champagne or beer. I recommend whatever makes you happy – and perhaps something you have been neglecting these past few weeks. Take the kids to the zoo, eat a brownie, go for a run, see friends, see relatives, heck, go see a movie. The world went on without you – join it again.

And thank those who supported you. Let them know that you’re back – and that the editing process won’t be as bad as this month was. And get them on board for next time. There will be another NaNoWriMo. And another. And another after that.

Tomorrow (or some semblance thereof) I will finish up Baty’s book with Chapter Nine – what to do with your novel after you’ve “won” NaNoWriMo.

Reading and Writing (NaNoWriMo Pt 2 and Waiting)

Another productive morning.

I decided to carve out a few hours each morning Tuesday – Thursday for reading and writing. And this is Day Two of that endeavour.

It’s going well. I have been productive each day – and feel as though I am getting things accomplished. Then, I reward myself with The Sopranos on A&E at 11.

No Plot? No Problem Chapter Two

In Chapter Two of Chris Baty’s 50,000-ish word book, he speaks about time – the management and mismanagement of time. In this, he challenges us to spend a few minutes writing down each activity that we have worked on throughout the day (bathing, eating, working, playing on the computer, etc) and to write down how much time we have spent on each.

We then look at our day’s activities in three categories:

1. The required activities
2. The highly desired activities
3. The forgo-able activities

and figure out how much time we have spent TOTAL on the forgo-able activities. This is where we find time to write our 30-day, 50,000-word novel.

It’s up to each of us what to decide what are our forgo-able activities. For some, it might be time with family. For others it might be computer games. And for another, it might be activities that can be pawned off on someone else, like laundry or mowing the lawn.

Then, we use that time to write our 1,667 words per day.

Additionally, in this chapter, Baty writes about using friends and families as tools to keep up motivated. For some, it could mean asking people to nudge/push/shove us into our word count. For others, it might mean shame-filled incentives such as declaring yourself a 50,000-word god or goddess and having to adhere to that for fear of ridicule. And again, for others, that could mean setting up bets or monetary “punishments” for not reaching that 50,000-word goal (Baty suggests that if we fail to reach 50,000 words, we contribute a substantial amount of money to an organization we abhor to keep ourselves on task).

For me? That ever-achievable illustrious novel-writing career and the independence that offers is enough to keep me on track. I make that promise here and now. For fear of ridicule and fun-making.

Waiting by Ha Jin, Part Two

What a delicious book. Another 100 pages into the book, I am no less enthralled by it than I was at the beginning. The more words I read, the more deeply I find myself in the story and the more intrigued by the characters I become. I don’t know the ending – I have a few guesses – but the introduction to the novel promises struggles and difficulties along the way. Does Lin Kong successfully divorce his wife, Shuyu? Do he and Manna Wu stay together? And if so, are they happy? The journey is fun.

(spoiler alert) As an example, toward the end of the second part, Manna is violently raped by a former-officer and friend of Lin . This plot twist was not surprising to me as I expected this (plot-wise, I didn’t feel as though her much-discussed virginity would remain intact throughout the novel and Lin and her chaste relationship).

However, I was not disappointed by this plot “twist.” I was pulled into this piece of the story as much as I have been by every other plot point to date. It was done well, with grace, enough violence to jar me, but not so much that I feel that it is used for shock value.

However, the “repercussions” of the rape are jarring. Manna’s apologies to Lin about putting herself into that situation and losing her virginity is are unsettling. His reaction (wonderfully out of character) is surprising. And the reactions of Manna’s colleagues and friends are abhorrent, yet feel correct for the place, the time, and the political environment.

I look forward to the remaining pages with glee. I can’t wait until tomorrow to finish the book. Ha Jin has put together a wonderful piece of literature. I hope the last 1/3 of the book does not disappoint.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Part One

Well, this year, I have decided to take NaNoWriMo seriously. I have participated twice – sporadically – and have never won. To tell the truth, I haven’t even come close to the 50,000 word “win.”

So, this year, I am going to work on my mid-grade novel. I have the entire thing skeletonized – characters are mostly fleshed out, the major plot points are expressed, and the temporary title (Freak Squad: Wraith For It) has been chosen.

I have a decent computer. And a word processing program.

I have my official Camp NaNoWriMo t-shirt.

I have my No Plot? No Problem book handy-dandy. I’ve finished the prologue and chapter one. And I am taking the advice to heart:

1. drink lots of coffee,
2. embrace “exuberant imperfection,”
3. take breaks from the computer (body as well as eye-ball),
4. stay busy with life as normal and write in those “in between times,”
5. write with a group that will hold me accountable, and
6. aim for those 1667 words per day – even on the hard days (and there will be hard days).

And I have hatched a plan to read a chapter a day for the next 8 days.

Now? To write. Oh wait, I have another 12 days until it starts!!

Waiting by Ha Jin

So, in the meantime, I am enjoying reading Waiting by Ha Jin – which I am reading for my book group on Sunday. It’s absolutely delicious. I made it through the first 1/3 of the book and I absorbed it. To the point where I am, the book takes place in the 1960 – 1980s, during the Communist Party’s strongest influence in China. It is one man’s story about how he defines his life, living, and responsibilities – to family and country. I look forward to the next 1/3, which I will read tomorrow, most likely.

Life is busy(-er) again

The time has come for all good persons to get back to work. And that would be me.

I was a little nervous about going back to work – especially after this last summer, but I managed to process through it and place some understanding into the mix. And (voila!) no worries.

My hours have been cut, but that’s all right. I can use the extra time to write. 1.5 hours doesn’t really seem worth it gas-wise, but I love love love the kiddos! And my job, so 1.5 hours is okay with me. I might volunteer those days, but we’ll see. It depends on how much of my own stuff I have to do.

Fall is here – and I’m loving it. The leaves are turning and its nearly sweater-wearing time. I’m almost at goal for Weight Watchers (about 1 pound to go) and I’m buying new jeans and bras on Friday. Good times. I hate jeans and bra shopping. YUCK! But it’s necessary. I’m practically disappearing in my current jeans and I haven’t had a proper bra sizing in decades (who knew?). And where am I going? The Pepto Bismol Pink Puke Place – Victoria’s Secret. Duuuuuuuuuuuude could they make it more pink? Egads.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

Girls Update…

Well, the chickens are still growing by leaps and bounds. Here they are at 4 1/2 weeks old:

That was just last week. They were still living 24 hours in their brooder. And we had the “heat lamp” on for them at night.

This is Lucy figuring out the small perch that we placed in the brooder for them. She balanced quite well and had no problems getting out of the brooder from this location.

Now, they are living the daylight hours in their new run. We put them back into the brooder at night because their coop isn’t done yet. This is their run:

The piece of plywood on the right is the space where their door will be. The door will be at the very spot my spousal unit is standing (below). In this photo, he is building the coop, which is about 2/3 done now. He is doing a FANTASTIC job!!

Here are the girls in their run.

It’s 3 x 6 feet. And 3 feet tall. The top lifts up so we can get into it. But we leave it closed in case cats, skunks, possums, etc., decide to visit. Eventually, the girls will be able to fly out. But we will clip their wings.

Yesterday, as the spousal unit was building the coop, I went scrounging for worms, grubs, slugs, etc., and gave them to the girls. Here’s one of the girls (I think she is Esther) with her treat (grooooossssssssssssss):

Here’s Netty eating watermelon:

Netty at a full gallop in the pen (do chickens gallop?)

Esther checking out the world. Next to her (the red girl) is Lucy. The girl in back (she’s black) is Petunia. The girl behind Esther is Miss Priss.

They are in the brooder right now. I can hear them chatting away. It’s a nice sound. And our pup, Mora, keeps a good eye on them, too. Our little protector. :-)

Have a good one – whatever you do.

One of my favourite places…

Every year, at least once, my dad and I go to one of our favourite places to eat, drink tea, and hang out with one another.

That place? Tao of Tea. We always go to the location on Belmont. It’s fantastic. We each get a pot of tea – his is usually an assam tea, mine is either a chai (500 Mile Chai is fantastic) or a white tea (White Dragon). We then dive into some amazing food: somosas, dal, aloo parantha, naan, and lime-soaked yam.

I’m drooling right now.

And everything is reasonably priced. We can get out of there for less than $40.

Next door is the retail store. I can buy tea in bulk or buy tea sets.

It’s a nice place. And we’re going to go again before the end of November. Dad is retiring at the end of October, so I’m going to treat him to a nice time at Tao of Tea.

A YAY for me and a YAY for Dr. Horrible!

As you might remember, I was working the PNBA trade show this last weekend. I had a complete blast! I met some amazing and funny and talented and powerful people. And had fun doing it. I hope Greg invites me back next year because I would love to do this again.

Yesterday, I helped with author signings. I worked with 3 YA novelists and one murder-mystery author. Then, I hauled and counted books for the PNBA Rural library donation. It was a busy day even though 1/2 of the people and publishers were there. But it made for a nice day!

Yay for me (from author Lili St. Crow):

From Lili’s website: “Last night I was at the PNBA Nightcapper event. The volunteers were awesome, especially Patti, who stood next to me and handed me books, soothing me all the while.” http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal/ (dated September 11, 2009).

Seriously, Lily St. Crow was fantastic and wonderful and funny and amazing and I loved loved loved working with her. I dropped her a quick line and told her how many of my fellow volunteers and some of the booksellers were commenting all weekend about how much fun  we were having! And we were. I really enjoyed working with her. THANKS LILI!!!

Yay for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog:

I love, love, love Dr. Horrible. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a 3-part story about a man who wants to be a famous villain (Dr. Horrible).  But there are complications.

And the majority of it is sung! Neil Patrick Harris (Dr. Horrible) is a FANTASTIC singer.

Anyway, they won an EMMY!!

Congratulations!!

If you need a good laugh – and to have a cool song stuck in your head. Check out Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog!

PNBA Trade Show Day 2

Day two was also a lot of fun! The people I’m working with are hilarious and knowledgeable! And I’m learning a lot about “the glamour” of being a writer. Not so glamourous!

Today, I worked the front doors as the floor opened. We had to make sure people had badges and that they didn’t bring in large suitcases in order to remove large piles of books!

Here was my view from the door. There were over 180 booths and tables.

I then ate some lunch and moved some boxes of books around the trade floor. At the end of the day, many of the publishers decided to leave their books on the trade floor.  Apparently, it’s cheaper to leave them there than mail them back to their publisher. Ridiculous.

So, the PNBA has set up a program where the majority of the discards go to a rural library.  This year, the books are going to a library in Idaho.

The rest of the discards are put on a “free” table. And we got first dibs.

My pile:

Quite a few of the books are for kids and young adults, so I envision using them as rewards at my job. I will blog about some of my treasures later – after I read some of them.

Off to get some rest. I’m kinda pooped. Another long day tomorrow. I work the autograph area tomorrow, then finishing up cleaning up the trade show floor (1/2 of the houses, publishers, businesses will be there tomorrow).

PNBA Trade Show 2009

I am volunteering at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Trade Show this year.  I started last night with a quick training, the stuffing of materials – then off to the Nightcapper which is the evening autograph session with an open bar and dessert goodies.

I ended up working with a local author the entire evening. Lili St. Crow, who is a FABULOUS and WONDERFUL woman. She has written over 30 books thus far, still works at her local book store, and is raising 3 kiddos. Very busy! Her most recent book is her first YA series. The book is titled Strange Angels. The second book in the 5-part series, Betrayals, is coming out in November.

She and I had a complete blast last night. We were laughing and joking – and she was wonderful with the persons who came to our table. And she may have talked me into do the GPS option on my iPhone.

This is us:

I also met other wonderful authors:

Patrick deWitt is a local author who wrote Ablutions, which came out earlier in the year. I didn’t get to chat with him much, but he’s going to be at Wordstock, so I’ll see him later.

The third author I visited with is a Seattle-based author, Cherie Priest, who wrote a cyberpunk novel called Boneshaker, which is due out at the end of the month. I have a signed Advanced Uncorrected Proof.

This is me with Cherie Priest:

She’s gorgeous up close! Guess that’s why I look like I have stick up my butt! :-)

Off I go! Second day today! Have a good one – whatever you do!

Update about the girls…

Hi all. My computer went kaput – and it took a while to fix it, reinstall programs, and put on all of my data and information.

So, finally, I am up and running. Good thing I keep a running list of my information and accounts. Egads.

So, our girls are now 2 weeks old. One of our girls is a few days older, but soon it won’t matter. They had a quick bout with coccidiosis, but we found the bloody poops and got medicine. All of the girls made it through without a problem.

Then, one of our girls met our pup, Mora. They played like best friends. Lucy ended up chasing Mora around the living room. It was hilarious. Who knew our dog needed her own pet chicken. This is Mora and Lucy:

So, yesterday, we introduced them to a few new things: millet and cobs of corn.

First, the millet. I put the millet in their brooder and they were a little leery:

Then, Lucy got a little braver:

Then, they decided that millet rocks (I tucked it into their food area so they would get used to it):

Then, the spouse and I ate dinner and each had a cob of corn (which is DEFINITELY at the end of its season). So, the girls got the leftovers. They weren’t overly thrilled at first:

Then, they really liked it. We could hear them fighting and chasing each other around:

This is one of our bigger girls, Antoinette, enjoying the corn. The kids have nicknamed her “puffy cheeks.”

It’s an adventure. The next “chore” is starting to build a chicken coop and attached run this weekend.

We have named the girls…

It didn’t take long to get the girls named.

Orpington - The buff coloured girl in the front is Polly (dad named her). She is 8 days old. And she is getting some serious feathers coming in. She is very observant of us and looks intently at us when we come near the brooder. She may be the protector of the group later on.

Rhode Island Red - The red girl in the back is Lucy (mum named her). She’s definitely the youngest of the flock. We think she’s 2 or 3 days old. And Robert thinks she’ll be a mama’s girl.

Australorp - The black girl in the back is Petunia (Petty for short). She is a little lover. She’s small. She’s 4 days old.

Ameraucana - The girl with the black stripe pecking in the sawdust is Antoinette (Netty for short). She loves to cuddle. We hold her in a cloth (to keep her warm) and she snuggles right down and sleeps.  And she is quite the nester. She is all ready making nests for herself throughout the brooder. She’s 4 days old.

Brown-legged Leghorn - The brown girl on the left with the multi-coloured wing is Miss Priss. She is the feistiest of the girls. She is all ready pecking at the others’ beaks. But she’s small – maybe that will help. She’s 4 days old.

Brown-legged Leghorn - The brown girl under Polly’s butt is Esther. She is settling in really quickly, but doesn’t have a distinct personality – yet. She’s 4 days old.

They’re chirping up a storm right now. Just chatting. Nothing major. It’s nice to hear them sing and chat all day. Quite the relaxing sound. We have the garage door open between the house and the garage so we can hear them and they can hear us. Chitty chat. Chitty chat.

Bringing Home the Girls…

We went chicken shopping today and brought home 6 girls – well, we hope they’re girls. They were sexed, but there’s a 5 – 10% chance they might be boys.

So, we bought a brooder pen, light, food, etc., and brought them home.

We have 2 brown-legged Leghorns, 1 Ameraucana, 1 Rhode Island Red, 1 Australorp, and 1 Buff Orpington. All of the girls are 3 days old except for the Buff Orpington. She is 1 week old.

I introduce you to the girls:

The store where we found the girls: the Urban Farm Store in Portland.

 

In the “pastry” box. Looked like we were bringing home cake – except for the cheeping.

Their home for a few weeks. They huddled together for a few minutes – then they discovered the water and the food. That was the end of that.

A closer view of the girls. The red girl is the Rhode Island Red, the blonde girl is the Buff Orpington, the black girl is the Australorp, the brown one under the Orpington and the girl to the left are the 2 Leghorns, and the girl pecking on the ground (with the brown stripe) is the Ameraucana. The Rhode Island Red was named Lucy by my mother (she does look like a Lucy – my mother also named my car, so mum’s good at this stuff) and Dad named the Orpington Polly. She is going to be huge (10 pounds) and puffy. And quite the egg-layer, too.

The hubby holding the two Leghorns. They are all ready pretty aggressive, so we are trying to extra-socialize them and give the other girls a break. We are handling each of the chicks often. And they are doing fine.

Even Mora doesn’t care. She’s curious – and a little excited. But for the most part, she is way okay with the new additions.

Right now, as I type this up, I can hear the girls in the garage chirping away. It’s a nice sound.

Until later…

Our Local County Fair

Hi all.

I know. I know. I haven’t been around for a while. I had a super bad migraine thingy that lasted most of last week. And then the hubby and I decided to go to our local county fair yesterday, which just plum wore us out.

We had a nice time at the fair. We ALWAYS go see the animals – cows, pigs, chickens, etc. And that’s where we spent the majority of our time. We were there for about 3 hours – and we don’t go on the rides. BBBAAAAAAAARRRRRRRFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!

Anyway, here are a few photos:

A duct tape dress that a 4-H fiber arts student presented

A little buddy of mine. He was crying and crying and crying because he was alone in the pen (his buddies, siblings were in the show pen at the time). So, I spent about 1/2 hour with him, just talking and petting. He had the BEST eye contact of any goat that I’d ever seen.

3-week old piglets. Mama was just a few feet away getting some rest.

Me negotiating with a llama to not spit on me.

We did a little chicken investigation. We decided on Bantams – Rhode Island Red or Americauna. But we looked at all of the breeds carefully. And they check us out, too.

And sometimes, you have to check out the competition.

One little goofer just wanted his freedom. A woman caught him a few minutes later. He jumped on a mustang (the car, not the horse) and she whipped him out of free air.

We had a great time.

So, now, today, we are off to the chicken store.  Yup, we’re getting chickens. They have 3 day old chicks at the store and we’re gonna go check it out.

See my updates coming up…

If summer won’t come to me…

I went out with my aunt and my mother yesterday for a day of yummy food and beautification.

I’ve been complaining and moaning and groaning about our lack of summer here in the Pacific Northwest, so I thought I would try to “summer-fy” myself in one way or another. So, I decided to do my toenails in a fun color. But I couldn’t decided between bright green or bright orange. So, the nail technician said “let’s do both.” And we did.

Girlfriend needs a tan, eh?

So, how are your summers going?

Willamette Writers Conference

Hi all.

I’m at the Willamette Writers Conference in not-so-sunny (is it still summer?) Portland, Oregon.

I’m heading into Day 3.

I will have updates tomorrow – after I recuperate.

Unfortunately, I am not brave enough to take photos. So it will be a prose-y blog.

Suffice it to say – I’m having a blast!

Until then. Adieu.

Book Review: Take Joy, A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Craft

I borrowed Jane Yolen’s Take Joy, A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Craft from the local library and it sat on my coffee table for nearly three weeks. I never really thought about it, but took comfort in the “take joy” part of the title. Yes, I have been taking joy in my writing process. But some days, it’s a struggle.

I found myself in one of those struggle-places yesterday, so I thought I would crack open the book and partake in Yolen’s advice.

Much to my chagrin, I didn’t make it past page 51. I wasn’t feeling the joy.

There are pieces of really good advice: a quote from Louis Pasteur (“Chance favors the mind that is prepared”), listings of publications to read in order to keep a finger on the pulse of publishing (Publisher’s Lunch was new to me), and open and honest advice about the business of publishing (“trust me, it’s just business”).

But for all of these good points, I found Yolen’s book full of snide comments and through-the-back-door critiques which didn’t offer “joy” to me as a hopeful author.

Some examples:

Kalliope

In a discussion about Kalliope and how stories can bring joy or “hurt your ears,” Yolen offers harsh critiques of Love You Forever, The Giving Tree, Hannibal, Ludlum thrillers, psychological self-help books, New Age (which she references as “woo woo” or “newage to rhyme with sewage”), and romance novels.

Don’t get me wrong, but her points about the first two books gave me pause to rethink how I look at children’s books and the messages that they offer (a feminist critique). And I was in perfect agreement with her about her critique of Hannibal (unbelievable ending).

But is the proper venue in a book that offers writers the promise of finding joy in their writing?

Metaphors

On page 51, Yolen offers a story about a letter she received from a child who read her book Owl Moon. In this section of the book, she is discussing the use of metaphors in stories.

“Of course, I once got a letter from a child who wrote, “I love the meddlefurs [metaphors] in Owl Moon.” … I think the meddler in this case was the teacher. Besides, Owl Moon mostly has similes, not metaphors. We must be ever pedagogically correct.”

In an otherwise lovely discussion about metaphors, the use of metaphors, and examples of metaphors, Yolen has to throw in this snide comment, which only detracts from the point she is making about metaphors.

Facile

So, I lied a little bit above. I ended up glancing through the book in case I could find something that could entice me to read more of the book. What did I find? More snide comments and opinions:

On pages 71 – 72, in a section entitled Be Care of Being Facile, Yolen offers a best-advice comment from an editor “do not be beguiled by your own facility.” Nice advice – in an appropriate place and to the appropriate person, in my opinion.

Yolen then gives examples of writers who are facile (including herself in a final exam example). She calls the concept “party tricks.” She lists two very popular authors, Barbara Cartland and R.L. Stine (the Goosebump series) and notes “interchangeable sets of ciphers acting out a plot-by-the-numbers. Party tricks.” I think her point could have been made without stabbing at other authors.

In each of these examples of my displeasure, I do agree that there are appropriate places for these comments and critiques.

But not in a book that promises us that it will help us “take joy” and offer us a “guide to loving the craft.”

This is the kind of book that I would have purchased (used, most likely) based upon the title. But I am glad that I didn’t. It didn’t offer me what it promised. Instead, I’d like to offer a different title for your consideration: “Taking the Joy Out Of Writing”.

I was very disappointed.