Thursday Things

If you made a list of the reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you'd have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Again, I'm writing this on Wednesday night for Thursday morning. :-)

DH is home until Sunday, and it's driving me wonky. DD is having trouble sticking to her school schedule, and we won't even talk about MY schedule! OY.

But... there is some good news! We didn't haul wood today!! Yay! Unfortunately, the reason for this was because DH badly sprained his ankle on Tuesday evening while we were -- you guessed it -- hauling wood. I know it's hurting him because he's actually complained that it hurts and has shown some discomfort. I've seen him drop a transmission on his hand and not flinch. He took an ax to his foot (well, it was supposed to hit the log next to the foot...) and barely complain -- though he did have to be carried, piggy-back, by our BIL into the emergency room, lol. So, the fact he said, "This hurts" means it must be excruciating.

Makes me feel like a wimp complaining about my toe.

Having him here is making life very difficult interesting. He was up with me this a.m. and about the time he left to go out hunting, my DD got up... So, I only got about 700 words done for NaNo today -- and I really needed 1700. Hopefully I'll be able to make up the difference tomorrow if everyone will just STAY IN BED. I'm already getting up at 4 a.m. -- how much earlier can I set the alarm so that I'm not disturbed? Sheesh...

Part of my NaNo issues stem from logistics. Originally, my heroine lived in Absarokee, MT but that wasn't far enough away from Sloughhouse, CA so I moved her to Olathe, KS. THEN, she let me know she was a licensed wildlife rehabilitator this morning, but only AFTER she and the hero rescued a poor baby gray squirrel. So, I spent forever researching how to properly rehabilitate baby squirrels. I sure wish she'd told me earlier. Now, on top of Marsha (the goat) and Garwood (the Cockapoo) and Awkward (the turtle) we have Rocky (the squirrel). There's quite a menagerie in the truck heading to California from Kansas.

Worse, my hero told me this evening when I tried to sit and write (that lasted about ten minutes before I was interrupted) that he isn't feeling well, and that he's coming down with something. I don't know WHAT he's coming down with, but I guess I'll find out in the morning. My poor heroine.

Worse, the wedding of Cori and Micah (from "Kitchen Matches") is fast approaching and my H/H are the best man and maid of honor, and at the rated they're driving, they're going to be late for the wedding!

In any case, I sure hope I have the time to write 2700 words tomorrow morning (THIS morning, as you read this). Wish me luck.

Found this cute video thingie on Facebook today ... if you like smiling dogs and cats, give it a look. It's from the Best Friends Animal Society.

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You Would Be a Tempestuous Celebrity

A part of you would love to be famous, but only for the true fans who understood your art. It wouldn't take long for the whole Hollywood scene to become a drag for you, and you'd probably often be in a bit of a foul mood. If you were a celebrity, you'd be well known for your crazy, unstable antics. The press would always be decoding your bizarre behavior. You'd be a celebrity in the mold of Angelina Jolie, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Manson, and Christian Bale.

What Kind of Celebrity Would You Be?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

Oh yeah.. that's TOTALLY me. :::rolls eyes:::

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Monday Morning Meme, Mums and More

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~Chili Davis

1.If your children are going trick-or-treating this year, what costumes are they wearing? Do you take them door-to-door or do you take them to a sponsored event? Tell us about the last time you dressed up for Halloween. How do you feel about Halloween in general?

We go out to dinner on Halloween -- we don't trick-or-treat, mostly because my DH and his family are ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY against any form of celebrating Halloween and it's really just easier. The day after, we go to the store and buy tons of candy for half price, and when DD was younger, I used to buy her costumes for dress-up, too.

I think Halloween is an odd holiday, really, but otherwise don't much feel one way or the other.

2. Do your friends and family read your blog? How does this knowledge affect your writing? Do you feel like you can totally be yourself on your blog? Where do you draw the line when it comes to disclosing too much about your life on your blog?

Yes and yes. And, I am not totally myself on my blog, because it's not a personal blog, per se, but a blog for my writing. I never post pictures of anyone but me (well, and the dog and cat, but they told me I could). I don't use names of anyone in my family, and don't say what town I live in. I suppose folks could find all that stuff out if they really wanted to, but I'd like to protect my DD as much as possible.

I did post a picture of her once, a long time ago -- in her ballet costume, and got some slimy, sexually perverse and anonymous comments about it. That pretty much clinched it for me -- no pictures of DD again. Ever.

3. Are you an early bird or a night owl? What do you like to do in the early morning hours or late at night? How do your sleeping patterns affect the rest of your family?

I'm very much an early bird. The morning hours I work -- I write or blog or work on the LASR website. It's peaceful and calm and there are no interruptions (except for the cat, on occasion, if she needs food). How do my sleep patterns affect everyone else? I don't know that they do. My DH and DD could sleep through a bombing raid, so it really doesn't matter much what I do. I, OTOH, will wake up if you drop a feather in the basement... which really stinks.

4. Do you lie about your age? Why or why not?

Nope. What's the point? Who cares? HEY EVERYONE -- I'M FORTY-ONE YEARS OLD!! So what? LOL...

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Hey, lookie -- the woodpile!




Five and a half piles. Phew.

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I was wandering around the yard with the camera to take pix for It's Only Natural, and discovered some mums from last year that were finally blooming. Aren't they gorgeous?



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DH sealed our deck on Saturday afternoon. It's still wet. Taking out Dakota and/or putting out and retrieving the bird feeders is an unbelievable pain. And ... I'm beginning to think it's NEVER going to dry.

**sigh**

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Stacked!

The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Yay! The wood is stacked.

:::snoopy dance:::

It was an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday -- 70 degrees and sunny. We're having a blessedly mild fall, for which I am truly grateful. I know winter will be here soon, but this lengthening of the nice weather will (hopefully) make the snow a little easier to take.

The trees outside are gorgeous -- DH hates pine trees, and so took all the ones in our backyard down when we first moved in. As a result, all we have is vibrant color. I meant to take some pictures yesterday, but completely forgot. Will do so today.

I also finally started setting up my office. I don't really have a desk -- just a particle board table thingie, but it works. The first thing I did was hang up the quilt Dru sent me some time ago. :-)

Once it's a little tidier in there, I'll take pix. DD's schoolroom is back where it used to be, instead of in the same room. I tried working with her, but she talks non-stop -- not necessarily to me, frequently to herself, but it's still chatter, lol.

And, because I wasn't busy enough, I decided to start a blog to talk about all the outdoors stuff I enjoy: gardening, bugs, weather, bird, etc. If you're so inclined, feel free to visit: It's Only Natural.

Nothing like a little pressure -- LASR doesn't have a story for this week. We have one for next week and the week after, etc. Just not THIS week. So, I need to write one... unless any of y'all have a 1000 word (or so, we're flexible within reason) romance lying around somewhere? Please? *G*

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You Are a Monkey

You are a very fascinating creature. People are interested in every little thing you do. You are smart, curious, and clever. You are naturally witty, and you have a great sense of humor. You can see things from many different angles, and you always have an interesting perspective on life. You are likely agile and playful. You stay physically fit simply by staying active.

What Animal Are You?

You know... I've been told that before, lol.

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Wood, Woodstoves, Waiting and Wants

Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach. ~George Sheehan

So... I had a nice stack o' wood in my driveway -- DD and I worked like dogs (not my dog, but...) and got one done. It was also a matter of avoiding all the yellow-jackets which, for some unknown reason, are behaving in a strange manner this year. Even my neighbor has commented on it. They are VERY active, and oddly friendly... even going as far as to land on you -- but NOT stinging! And they are everywhere. The wasps, too. I've lived her almost ten years now, and don't remember this happening EVER. They are particularly fascinated by the wood.

Anyway... back to our stack...

DH came home and was suitably impressed by all of our hard work and, jokingly grabbed a huge log and said, "Here, I'll help." and slammed it down against the end. And, yep you guessed it, the end toppled over and the pile fell.

***sigh***

Now, to answer some of your questions:

Melissa asked: ...how do you keep it burning all night long. Won't it get cold at night?

Melissa, we pack it full to the brim and then "bank it" but shutting down all the dampers until they are nearly closed. The fire will burn almost all night that way. DH goes to bed late, and I get up early so we almost never let the fire die at all through the entire winter. It gets a little cooler at night, but to be honest that's almost a relief -- there are days it gets to be in the mid-80s inside with the stove cranking!

Jen asked: What kind of stove do you have?

We have a Vermont Castings brand... I can't remember the model. It's a little bitty thing, though. When we got it, DH's dad said there was no way it would have the power to heat our house. BOY, was he ever wrong. Once it gets going, it heats the WHOLE house, including the upstairs.

Amy said: I...smelled someone's wood burning fire and nearly wept.

It's funny you mentioned that. I bumped into my across the street neighbor today and she said she was so excited to see the wood in our driveway, because she LOVES the smell of our stove. During the winter, she'll stand outside and just... sniff. LOL.

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I now have two things out on submission: "Return to Stiller Creek" with Samhain, and "Perilous Love" with Womans World.

I hate waiting.

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DD just finished reading the first book in a new series by Warrior's author, Erin Hunter. The series is called "Seekers" and the first book is "The Quest Begins". She LOVED the book (as she loves the Warriors series -- she's so wrapped up in that set of books, you'd think they were real. She even has a notebook full of herbal remedies that are mentioned through the stories).

Yesterday at the library she asked me to find the second book. I said, "It's not out yet."

She was quite disgruntled. "Don't they know I read fast?"

Now, DD knows about being an author, as she's watched me. She knows how hard I work at writing, and how long it takes. So, I brought that up. "An author can't write 60,000 words overnight. I'm sure she's doing the best she can."

But, in the famous words of Veruca Salt, she said, "I want it NOW."



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So, I'll be stacking wood this weekend. What plans do YOU have?

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