Showing posts with label Drive Me Crazy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drive Me Crazy. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

If It's Snowing, It Must Be Wednesday

Fly fishing for trout is like raising children. You never know what's going to happen next. - Jimmy D. Moore

It's snowing this morning. Not a lot, but it was supposed to be rain last I looked. I jinxed it by putting DD's swings back on her swingset yesterday afternoon because it was so warm and sunny. I even started scooping dog poop from the exposed spots on the lawn -- that is the true meaning of spring. *G*

Dakota went into the vet yesterday and FINALLY got her shots, including the one for kennel cough, so she's finally able to go back to her agility class. YAY! She's really suffered from no doggie interaction, no agility, no dog park. She's a very social dog, and it really impacted her.

Got a bit more done on "Now and Forever". For those of you who've read "Kitchen Matches", this next story is Cori's oldest brother, Zach's story. I also have about half of the next brother's story done (Working title: Drive Me Crazy). That one is about Nick. I only have one other unmarried brother after that... It's fun to write about the same characters. It's a bit like visiting friends.

Yesterday, DD went to a friend's house. She went while I was at the vet with Dakota -- and I told her to leave me a note with an X if she was picked up by her friend (and not, yanno, kidnapped ... yeah, I have a vivid imagination). This is what I came home to:



Yes, the X is there -- but also a ransom demand: "If you want to see me again, you must make mashed potatoes".

She cracks me up. And, yes, I made them -- but only because I'd planned to anyway.

I love my DD.

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You Are Rational



You are a very meticulous and organized person. You strive toward minimalism as much as possible.

You are both fussy and discriminating. You find yourself attracted to the simpler choice.

You are a very wholesome person. You have your own set of ethics, and morality matters to you.

Well put-together and elegant, you sometimes seem standoffish. You aren't a snob, but you do have high standards for yourself.



That's pretty close to right on... weird.

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Waiting For Spring

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

I've made some jokes about the snow melting here by June... but I gotta tell you, I suspect once it warms up above freezing on a regular basis, it'll be gone lickety-split. We had days in the low 40s this weekend -- two of them -- and we lost a good 8 - 10" of snow to the melt. Our mailbox is now above the snow!

I've started getting gardening catalogs in the mail -- it's so tempting to buy stuff, but honestly I don't need any more ornamental plants. I will go to my local Agway and get seeds (they have SO MANY CHOICES!) and then get some annuals later, but I'm avoiding the temptation of the catalogs so far. I think I'm going to plant at least one or two new veggies this year, just because. And, if my knee holds up, I'm going to expand the area of my garden a bit because you can't grow too many veggies.

I can't WAIT until spring.

I've written another 255 words and am actually thinking I might finish this story. Amazing ... I have a screwy timeline I need to figure out, though, because this story -- "Now and Forever" is actually going to be happening at the same time as the next story in one has apparently become a series in my brain, "Drive Me Crazy". Still, it's moving forward, slow and steady.

=======================




You Are a Zebra



You are a multifaceted and complex person. The front you provide is even a bit of an illusion.

You are a study in contradictions and strong contrasts. You believe that there is more than one way to look at things.

You also believe in accepting yourself. You feel different from everyone else, and you embrace that.

You inspire others to be their true selves and even flaunt what they've got!



Um .... okay. Maybe?

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Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Thoughts On My Writing

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." - E.L. Doctorow

I was contemplating the writing I want to get done this year. It's not *that* much, really, and if I apply myself, I should be able to.

*Queen and Assassin (my fantasy): Finish by 1/31 -- it's at 30k words right now, and nearly finished (maybe another 5 - 10k to go), so I should make it.

*Now and Forever ("Kitchen Matches" sequel): Finish by 4/30 -- it's about 18k words right now. I'd planned for it to be around 20k, but that's not going to happen! There's a lot more to go, storywise, so I think I'm more like about half done.

*A Jewel for Geoff ("One Love for Liv" sequel): Finish by 12/31 -- this will be at least 55k, and since I have to redo the entire thing, this is the "iffy-est" goal on my list.

*Drive Me Crazy (another "Kitchen Matches" story -- technically the sequel to "Now and Forever" even though I started it first): Finish by 8/31 -- it's at about 15k and more than half done, so I should be good.

At least two "short" short stories (15k words or fewer) -- possibly "Perilous Love" or "Beautiful Blossom", both of which are started and *sort of* outlined.

If I have time, I'd like to complete "A Change of Tune" (the sequel to "A Change of Heart"), also started, but not outlined.

Since all of those except "Geoff" are novellas, I don't think that's unreasonable.

I wish I was like Dru -- who mentioned yesterday that she prefers to get around 5 hours of sleep a day ... that would give me 3 extra hours of up-time daily!!

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You Are Easygoing



Your friends would all agree that you have a pleasant personality. You're easy to get along with.

You appreciate people from all walks of life. You especially like colorful, quirky folks.

You are mostly a flexible person, but you can be unpredictably stubborn at times.

You always need to stick to your routine. If you end up deviating from your plan, you aren't as dependable as you'd like to be.



About 50/50 -- I'm neither flexible nor particularly easy-going but otherwise it pretty well fits.

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Saturday, November 14, 2009

This and That

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare. ~H.F. Hedge

I'm in a rambling mood, so beware :-)

DH asked me to wake him up this morning to go out hunting if it wasn't windy (the leftovers from Ida are hitting us today). At 2 a.m., the dog had to potty (*sigh* She hasn't had to do that in a long time), so I took her out (and noticed it was already windy) and then curled up on the couch because I'm a light sleeper and DH ... well... he can really saw the ZZZ's so getting back to sleep would have been tough.

Anyway, at 4 a.m., my alarm went off (startling the cat who was drooling on my pillow -- guess SHE isn't a light sleeper) and I looked out the window and saw the trees swaying, so rolled over and went back to sleep.

Only -- here's the thing. There is no window I can see out of from the couch, and it's too dark at 4 a.m. to see anything anyway. At 4:45, I stretched and thought, "Boy I'm glad it was windy so I could doze off again and I wonder if it still is." then rolled over to look and realized I couldn't see out -- and had DREAMED the whole other thing! LOL... I jumped up and stuck my head outside and almost had it blown off, so it was still windy, but wow. Vivid dream.

===============

Maria Zannini got the book thong DD made especially for her. DD tried to match it to the banner ad Maria has at the top of her blog for her book, "Touch the Fire".

It sounds like it was well loved, and my DD was thrilled she appreciated it. BTW, if you want a custom made book thong or earrings or bracelets, email DD and put in your order (she's at distinctivelydd AT gmail DOT com). We've had several custom order requests already, and she enjoys the challenge of making them.

Speaking of Distinctively DD, she has her first bracelet/earring set up. Once we get bracelets down pat, we'll be moving on to necklaces. And then maybe some fancier earrings.

==================
Allie posted this on her blog yesterday and I think it's something that should be shared:



I recently posted about losing Georgia, the pit bull mix in our agility class. She was an amazing dog. Some of the best, gentlest dogs I've know were Rotties. The most amazing dog I ever knew was a German Shepherd named Jenny that one of my SIL's owned. People have ideas about dog breeds because of the media -- I've only been bitten once in my life, and it was by a chihuahua (and it was a bad bite). Instead of punishing a particular breed, we need to start punishing the people who make the dogs the way they are.

As an aside, a breed that is the most well loved family pet is also a breed with one of the highest rates of reported dog bites (albeit not fatal bites): The Golden Retriever. So don't judge a book (or in this case, a dog) by it's cover. Breed specific legislation is wrong.

==========================

I'm slowly beginning to write again, but not on my NaNo book -- because I can't seem to brainstorm a really good, juicy conflict for my H/H. OTOH, I did think of a really great conflict for my H/H in "A Jewel for Geoff" so that was exciting. AND, I found some pretty hot pix of a good-looking blond guy to replace my folically challenged Geoff in my mind, so I'm hoping that will help me find him more attractive. I have to be able to fall in love with my heroes, or I can't feel like the heroine can. Yanno?

I wonder if it's legit to add together the writing I do on "A Jewel for Geoff" to the writing I already did for "Drive Me Crazy" and total them for a win on NaNoWriMo?

Probably not. *sigh*

==========================




You Should Have Curly Hair



You are cheerful, outgoing, and downright bouncy. People find you to be very personable and real.

You are confident in your own skin, and you don't feel like you have to fake anything.



You are very independent and unique. You wouldn't like to look like every other person on the street.

People find that you're honest, and it's easy to trust you. Others expect you to be honest in all facets of your life.




Well... that's convenient, since I HAVE curly hair. Except -- check this out! I got my hair cut and flat-ironed on Weds. What do you think?



I like it :-) ... or I should say, I likeD it -- cuz it's curly again.

Okay, time to get back to work. Have a great Saturday.

============================

Monday, November 02, 2009

Today, the Night Before

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. — Stephen King

I'm writing this the night before, so that I have plenty of time to write in the morning. If you want to know my word count for the day, check JaNoWriMo a little later for what I've accomplished.

Today was crazy -- I had lots of work to do on the LASR/WC site, but despite this, DH decided to cut down a huge oak tree in our back yard. DD and I went out to help after it was down: dragged brush, moved logs, stacked them in the place where the OLD stuff we just split and moved used to be so it can season for next year.

I also hurt myself. I have a bad toe -- no one seems to be able to figure out WHY it hurts all the time, but it does. It's the big toe on my right foot (and writing that makes me think of a song the Smothers Brothers sang:

I have a daisy on my toe,
It's not alive it does not grow,
It's just a tattoo of a flower
So I look neat taking a shower,
It's on the second toe of my left foot,
A stem and flower, but there's not root,
(spoken) Because that wouldn't look good.
I have a daisy on my toe,
My right foot loves my left foot so-o-o-o-o.


*ahem* ... moving on...) and it's -- my toe, remember?-- it's hurt for a good ten years or so. In any case, today while I was carrying a log to the trailer on our tractor, I stumbled and landed with that toe on the edge of a log. I heard :::crackle, crack, crackle::: and then was overcome with pain. It's currently swollen and bruised, and it's a little hard to walk.

Ow.

I also had to make dog food. I'd cooked the chicken yesterday, and had DD remove it from the bones this morning while I chopped and cooked veggies. When we came in from processing the tree, I put the dog food together.

And I still had time to do the LASR/WC pages AND this:



Because NaNoWriMo isn't NaNoWriMo without a collage.

How was your weekend?

===========================




You Are Milk Chocolate



A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.

You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.

Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.




Hmmm... maybe.

======================

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Out of Focus

"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape" — Unknown

Why is it, when you want to focus on one project, another starts to jab at you? I'm trying to make sure I'm as ready for NaNoWriMo as I can be (working on scene cards and jotting down basic ideas for stuff I want to see happen) when WHAM!!! I figured out how to fix "Return to Stiller Creek". It's a MAJOR change, and will require a complete rewrite of the entire story, and it won't get out of my head.

I have less than two weeks until NaNo. I even officially signed up for this year. I want to work on "Drive Me Crazy", dang it. So, Stiller Creek -- get thee behind me!!!

*sigh*

We won't talk about how much I've also been thinking about my fantasy. I love my fantasy. It's so freaking hard to write, but I think it's one of my best stories (she said modestly).

FOCUS, where are you?

=====================

DD is going through some funky phaze. She's totally unable to focus (maybe there's something in my house? A non-focus virus?) and won't sit still. She started school yesterday, sat for about 45 mins then popped up. "I'm antsy, I'm going to take the dog out to play."

Uh, no. It doesn't work that way. Sit down and do math.

And, oddly enough, she's too busy with school to do her chores, but has plenty of time to read or jump rope.

Uh, no.

So, yesterday, she lost .... everything. No TV, no books, no dog, no outside until ALL her school and chores are done. Amazingly, school was finished in record time, and the dishwasher was emptied without me having to ask more than once. Incredible.

We'll see how today goes.

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You Are Dumplings



You are cute, polite, and considerate. You are well known for your generosity, and you truly love to share.

You have a real style and presence about you. You know how to take the simplest thing and make it look chic.



You tend to order carefully and conservatively off the menu of life. Simplicity is your motto, and you don't like to take on too much at once.

You are the type of person who does one thing at a time, really immersing yourself in the moment. You detest multitasking.




HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... This couldn't be MORE wrong! *snort*

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Friday, October 09, 2009

Relief, Recipe and wRiting

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. ~Erma Bombeck

Thanks for being patient with me yesterday... I'd gotten buried in LASR/WC/Aurora work. What's that? Aurora? Yep... we're adding another site to "The Long and the Short of It" brand -- a YA/Middle Grade site! WOOT! It launches 1/1/10 (and, how did it get to be almost 2010??), and we have all kinds of promo stuff going on: free ads, interviews, etc. So, if you or anyone you know writes YA/Middle Grade stuff email me for deets at lasreviews AT gmail DOT com -- k?

In any case, things got a little crazy the last couple of days and I just couldn't do even one more thing.

Hopefully today will be better.

======================

DD and I both were craving something sweet yesterday. We haven't had any dessert-type food in the house for over a week. No cookies, cakes, fudge... so I decided to make No-Bake Oatmeal Fudge until I realized we also had next to no sugar.

What to do?

I had DD make Peanut Butter Candy instead! It's easy and it's actually quite healthy, as sweets go. It's 100% natural with no refined ingredients. And it's yummy. So, I thought I'd share.

Peanut Butter Candy

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Honey
1 1/2 c instant (dry) milk powder

Mix together and roll into balls. Put into fridge to harden. Eat!

=================

I had the best experience with our curriculum provider yesterday. We opted to do the DVD curriculum with Abeka Books this year. It's pricey, and I agonized over the choice... but then DD had a question about how to solve a math story problem. And here's what I've been coming up against in her math this year: I can get the right answer to the problems, but I can't always solve it the way THEY want it solved. This one was no different and I was completely stymied.

THEN I remembered that they offered live teacher support with the purchase, only I couldn't remember how to contact them. So I dug around on the Abeka site, and found an email link that looked right.

I emailed them with the exact question and problem and left my phone number... then told DD to go work on something else while we waited for a response.

Only, she didn't get more than about four steps from the table before the phone rang and it was THEM. A teacher was on the line and talked to DD, walking her through what she needed to do and answering all her questions.

Unbelievably fantastic. I've been so down about customer service lately, it was just incredible to have my faith in people and businesses restored. And the fact is, that one thing is worth all the extra cost of the program.

===================

I've made two writing decisions this week.

One: I'm shelving "Return to Stiller Creek". I still like the story, love the characters and am not completely giving up on them, but I just don't feel comfortable enough with the crime-solving details to rework and submit this. I'm letting it sit in my subconscious and letting my brain work through some other options for the story.

Two: I've started working on "Drive Me Crazy" (the sequel to "Kitchen Matches") again. I've had a dozen potential scenes pop into my head this week and they are funny (at least I think they are, lol) and some of them surprised me. And, on that note, I'm going to sign off and write before anyone wakes up.

Have a great Friday!

=============================

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Writing and Turkeys and Birthdays, oh my!

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again. ~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

So... those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook know that I actually managed to write some words on Tuesday. Not very many, but I think they were good words. AND, they helped my solidify my H/H's first (and last) kiss from high school. You know, the one they NEVER TALK ABOUT. Yeah, that one. My poor hero, Zach, is obsessing about it on his drive to my heroine's place.

It felt amazingly good to write. I forget, sometimes, when I'm so busy I can't breathe how much I crave the action of putting words to paper (or letters to laptop screen). It's as though the tension builds in my brain and I have to let some out or run the risk of having my poor head explode.

It was only a few hundred words, but it helped. I need to do that again. I can't figure out how Zach is going to get Syndey to cooperate, so am stuck in that scene right now, but I think I'm going to hop ahead to the scene where Cori, Cori's mother, Syndey and Michah's mother are discussing the upcoming wedding (this story takes place just over a year since "Kitchen Matches"). I'm also considering the bachelor party. Hmmm.... dunno. But this story is going to be one I write out of order, that much is clear. To be honest, I don't care how it's written, so long as it IS written.

How about you? Do you write your stories in order? Or do you write miscellaneous scenes and them sew them together like a patchwork quilt?

===================

The wild turkey has visited my feeders every day this week. On Tuesday it stayed for nearly three hours! I think I'm going to buy it some cracked corn today. I'm a little afraid to get too attached: there are two turkey hunting seasons in NH and one of them starts soon.

Still, I think I need a name. I noticed that it has a "beard", and I've researched it and discovered that females don't -- not even little ones. I think he's a young tom, still finding his way in the world. Aside from the name, Tom, anyone have ideas?

=====================

Today, DD and I are celebrating her birthday. It's a day early, but tomorrow she is going fishing with her dad. We're going to run a few errands and walk the dog first thing so Dd is tired enough not to mind being crated for several hours. Then it's off to the mall.

She doesn't know it, but she's getting her ears pierced. I'd planned on waiting until she was 14 (like I had to wait!), but I really think she's ready and I know she'll remember it forever.

We're also going to Toys-R-Us to get her a bow and arrow set. She's been asking for one forever, and they sent her an ad book with a small set in there. We'll probably hit up AC Moore for some art supplies as well.

We'll browse (she loves to browse... that's my girl) and putter and then it's off to lunch at the Olive Garden.

I'd intended on taking her to a movie, too, but with the dog we can't do the mall and the movie, so we're going to Blockbuster and renting "Bedtime Stories". We'll pop some popcorn and watch it at home. The next best thing for her last day of being nine years-old.

What about you? Do you have any plans today?

======================

Monday, April 20, 2009

Monday Miscellanea

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel ÄŒapek, The Gardener's Year, translated by M. and R. Weatherall, 1931

The family "thing" yesterday exhausted me. For whatever reason, those things are terribly stressful for me. DD had a FABULOUS time, though, and I'd attend for that reason if no other.

My talk with the voles apparently stirred them up as I found two new holes in the gardens in front of my house and they got one of my crocus bulbs (thus far, they'd limited themselves to the greens). Going to make Vitamin D peanut butter balls and drop them down the holes, I guess. Frustrating.

We had a wild turkey at the bird feeders yesterday. Cracked me up. One of my tube feeders hangs a little low and if the turkey stretched her neck a bit, she could eat from it. Of course, she pecked so hard it would swing pretty violently, but she figured it out. It always amazes me how big wild turkeys are AND how smart, considering how incredibly stupid domestic turkeys can be. I imagine she'll be back as this is her second visit that I've noticed (though the first time, she only ate off the ground).

DH saw a bluebird yesterday, too. They are so gorgeous. Made me think about getting mealworms to put out to see if I can attract more. I really love the colorful birds, but they are more difficult to attract. Last year I had a pair of Orioles, but had to keep half an orange on my feeders constantly. I think I'll put out hummingbird feeders this year.

I've been struggling to write the past week -- I just sit and stare at the computer and nothing comes. It's driving me batty. Going to try a couple tricks (going to write the first scene of "Drive me Crazy" from Zach's POV just for grins, for instance) and see if I can't get the juices flowing again.

I planted cucumber, squash and tomato seeds a couple days ago and have them in my spare bedroom (which gets nice, full sun). I should have done it all a little earlier, but just keep forgetting. DD bought seeds for purple and orange striped carrots that we're going to plant outside this week. She asked if there is a way to keep the swallowtails from laying their eggs on the greens because we can't bring those inside (the greens die), so I am going to have to rig some sort of netting to discourage that. It's not as though we don't have plenty of parsley, rue and dill in the garden! Silly bugs.

A friend mentioned that she'd heard there is an invasive plant locally that looks like milkweed but is actually toxic to monarch butterflies. I've tried to find information about it online, but haven't been able to. If anyone out there has heard, I'd sure love more information.

DD turns TEN this Friday. We're going to celebrate a day early (because DH is fishing on Friday and DD wants to go). I have a couple of surprises in store for her. I think it will be a good day. I can't believe she's ten. Where does the time go?

I was notified that our next year's curriculum was shipped and it made my heart go pitty-pat. Why do I get so excited to receive the new stuff? We're trying a new curriculae next year as I wasn't thrilled with what we used this year. We enrolled DD in the Abeka DVD Academy. She'll watch a DVD every day with a teacher giving the lesson and then do the work in her work books. The lesson plan is already done (yay) and I'll have all the tools I need to help her, too. Hopefully she'll respond well to this.

That's enough rambling for now. I still have nearly half an hour to try to write something before I have to wake up the house! Have a great Monday.

===========================




Your Sunglasses Say You're an Artist



You are clever, unique, and a total nonconformist.

Your sense of fashion is based on your own personal creativity.



You need to be shaded from the mundane parts of life.

You feel sunniest when you can express yourself freely and without judgment.



Okay.

==========================

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Writing and Reading

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. ~James Michener

I wrote a little on "Drive Me Crazy" yesterday. It's fun. Zach is such a man. Poor Sydney is all keyed up about seeing Zack again. His response? To get out of the car and say this: "Gotta use the can.” He pushed by Syd, the slight touch of his hand on her shoulder enough to make her shiver, and let himself into her house.

She wasn't pleased. Or amused. And yet, she will be driving from Montana to California with the man. And a goat.

=========================

My friends, Charity and Darcy, have an upcoming release (I always want to *squee* a little when I say that!) with Simon Pulse: The Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading. I'm going to be giving away a copy next month, but for now I must satisfy my inner geek by taking their quiz:

Your result for The What Kind of Geek Are You Test...

You are: BETHANY, a WORD NERD


You know the difference between a period, a comma, a colon and a semi-colon. You are on a first name basis with all of the characters in Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and probably the Twilight books too. No one doubts your supremacy in English class, but your ability to diagram relationships or punctuate a social life can be … well, meh. Get your nose out of those books occasionally. Real life can have happy endings too.


See the other results here.


Take The What Kind of Geek Are You Test
at HelloQuizzy



Oddly, this doesn't surprise me at all! LOL... you?

And folks, I've had the privilege of receiving an ARC of this book. I'm about halfway through and it's fantastic. Buy one for all the teens on your list, and then do yourself a favor and grab one for yourself!

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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

The Voices in My Head


I've been beyond busy with the LASR website the past few days and haven't been able to write. My sanity is paying the price...

I can't stop thinking about "Drive Me Crazy". I constantly have snippets of dialogue, scene ideas, little movies (my heroine now has a pair of box turtles: Frank and Jessie ... don't know how these suckers are going to figure in, but gotta go with what the voices tell me) and more. It won't leave me alone. I was absolutely exhausted when I went to bed last night, and yet... 45 mins later, the story was still rattling around in my brain, keeping me awake (mostly because I really like some of the ideas that were popping in there and was terrified I'd forget them by morning, but was so tired I didn't want to get up to write them down).

Today, busy or not (and I KNOW I'm going to be busy, oy), I have to write... I have to let some of this stuff leak out or my head might just explode.

I think being an author is just another word for schizophrenia.

===========================

I think I've found a moderately humane way to kill my voles AND not risk my dog at the same time. Hopefully, if I'm clever enough, it won't get the chipmunks either.

Vitamin D overdose.

Yep... that's right. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and will accumulate in your body. It takes a lot to overdose a human (or a larger dog), but not so much for a three ounce rodent. It causes a calcium deficiency and the critter just loses all desire to live. I'm hoping it's a little less painful than an anti-coagulant (which is what most rat/mouse poisons are... you just bleed to death internally over a period of about 5 days, ick).

Anyway, if you're interested, here is the "recipe":

1/2 cup peanut butter
3 crushed vitamin D tablets
Roll in oats, place inside a 2 inch cardboard tube and bury in a tunnel or where damage is occurring. This creates a calcium deficiency and so our unfavorable rodents perish!

I'm actually going to use something sturdier than cardboard so that things larger than voles can't chew through it easily. I really want to do my best to specifically target the animal I want. I don't like collateral damage.

If it stops raining today, I'm going to give it a go.

==============================




You Think Concretely



Your brain works best when you are able to see or visualize what you're thinking about.

You have an both an eye for detail and for the big picture. You study things carefully.



You are in tune with all of your senses, and you think better with a clean workspace.

You are open to all sorts of input. You are a free thinker who lives in the now.



Mostly right... but that part about a clean workspace? Um... no. I subscribe to the "a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind" train of thought.

=======================

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Update: Cunning Voles of Doom

If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change. ~John A. Simone, Sr.

Yesterday, DD and I had a movie day. DH had to work, so we girls popped popcorn and watched "Bolt" (what a cute movie!) and "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (which, as Veggie Tales goes, wasn't really up to par -- a few cute moments and funny jokes... I may have nightmares about cheese curls with teeth... but not as clever as I've come to expect).

Then we went outside for a bit, even though it was overcast and windy. DD and Dd played and I scooped poop (whee). As I made my way around to the back, I saw a VOLE. A gray, furry vole -- he ran right by me and under the deck into the rock wall. The little buggers have been eating the tops off of my crocus before they can bloom and probably have their eyeballs on the bulb part as well. The scary thing is, this means they are EVERYWHERE. And... and... and... all my neighbors have them, too!! Dakota found a vole body at her friend Bugsy's house and they live clear at the end of the road. And now that the snow has melted, I can see vole trails on HER neighbor's yard AND the people across the street from me.

Dear heavens.

I don't know what to do. I'm probably going to resort to poison, which I HATE. But I have to make sure I do it in such a way that Dakota doesn't find it. And I don't want to kill the chipmunks, either. And, once I get rid of mine, what's to stop the neighbors' voles from moving in?

DH said we should get an outside cat (and yes, Brandy, my kitty is an indoor one) at which point I reminded him: BEARS. Hello? Not to mention the fisher cat I know lurks out there. And, cat safety aside, I don't want the kitty eating my birds or chipmunks.

Maybe I'll just move into an apartment somewhere and not deal with the wildlife.

*sigh*

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Last night I couldn't stop thinking about the "Kitchen Matches" sequel, which now has a working title of "Drive Me Crazy". I thought of scenes, dialogue, how to realistically transport an orphaned baby goat (I want to say "kid", but need to make certain folks understand it's the four-legged variety) across half the country, how my H/H can make each other totally nuts AND still fall madly in love.

It's fun.

I like it.

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You Are Twitter



You are energetic to the point of being hyperactive. You are the ultimate multitasker.

You don't have much of an attention span for anything. You like things short and sweet.



You can't help but let everyone know what you're doing, even if it's just what you're having for dinner.

You are big on sharing what's going on in your life. If anything, you share too much!



The first part... mostly yes. The second? Not SO much...

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