Tag Archives: travel

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ROWin’ with the Motion….ROW Update #13

Someday, I may get back to the long, rambling essays I often write for these updates.

Today, though, is not that someday, and here’s why:

  • I have a headache.
  • I have a living room filling up with miscellaneous camping supplies. The children and I are attending the Always Learning Live May Symposium in Massachusetts this weekend; our first camping trip of the season). First trips always seem to involve more chaos than those later in the season, as we transition…
  • I have photos to add and a story to write.
  • I have hometending, packing, and organizing awaiting me.
  • I am more focused, right now, on the actual goals, and our weekend plans, than on deep musings. It’s getting to our active season, and I don’t want to still my busy mind long enough to get all pithy.
  • I have lots of clarity dawning, but….it’s not ready, just yet.

So, for now, I am just going to run down my progress, and add some pictures….

First iris of the spring, and the promise of many more….

Round 2 Goals:

Reading:

  • Read at least as many books as the number of the month (4 in April; 5 in May; 6 in June) from my To Be Read piles.

  • The Shelters of Stone: p 737 of 896.
  • Tuesdays With Morrie: Completed.
  • I have read 4 of 5 books for May.
  • Read at least 3 articles a week from my To Be Read files on computer, and categorize those I choose to keep or share.
  • I have read Birth of a Homeschooler.
  • I have read 1 of 3 articles needed to attain this goal for the week.

Annalise staged a Snake Show on Wednesday evening…..

Sibs with Snakes!

Submitting:

  •  Submit at least 10 pieces of flash fiction or poetry this round.
  • I submitted my flash fantasy fiction story, “Sarjyn and the Kingdom of Man Above” to the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette.
  • Within several hours, I received back what appears to be a form letter, and which has me puzzled, as it was an attempt to sell my a writing workshop, and contained no acceptance, rejection, or any specific references to the piece I submitted….

Freshly mown front yard….

  • I am in the process of investigating a few other markets for flash fiction:
  1. Digital American
  2. Diagonal Proof
  3. Anobiumlit.com
  4. Fix it Broken
  5. Monkeybicycle
  • I have submitted 2 of 10 pieces for this goal.
  • I will continue to investigate the five publications above over the coming days.

Boyo my Heart!

  • Submit at least 5 essays or lists this round.
  • I have a rough draft of my guest post for Elizabeth Anne Mitchell‘s blog,  (a little long at 993 words, I think).
  • I will let this piece rest for a day or three, and revisit/revise before offering it to Elizabeth.
  • I have separated the very long (2500+ word) essay I wrote as my Cooperative Catalyst guest post into four distinct philosophical threads.
  • Next, I will refer back to the letter from the editor (which I have yet to answer -oops!), and check on suggested word lengths as well as the other places he suggested I explore on the blog.
  • I will be using this information to polish the thread I offer as my first guest blogpost there.
  • I hope to be ready to submit to Cooperative Catalyst by next week.
  • I I have revised my 773-word Anything Goes post to a tighter and within the word limit 572 words.
  • I am much happier with this version, but will let it sit for a bit before looking at it over again, then submitting.

One Corki-dog; three moods!

  • Continue submitting to hops, challenges, fests, etc.; at least 3 each month.
  • I am continuing with the Story a Day May Challenge.
  • Thus far, I have written a story each day, most of them loosely connected.
  • I have not yet written today’s story….first, a hot shower!
  • I have written each story just as it comes, and most in about a half-hour.

After the rain,…the rhododendrons!

Organizing:

  •  Edit all 2009 posts on  The Unfettered Life.  Consider layout and design changes.
  • I have edited the text for my post, Outside with Annalise.
  • In order to watermark the photos as a batch, I needed to download them to my Picasaalbums, then reset the syncing feature to include watermarks.
  • The photos are synced to my Picasa Web Albums, with watermarks, and I have edited and updated Outside with Annalise.
  • I have also updated the post Birthday Party Weekend – Part One.

Johnnies jumping up…such sweet tiny faces!

  • Take clips from first Penzu notebook.
  • I have taken all clips from the December 3 and 4th writings.
  • I have begun taking clips from Dec. 5 and 6th.
  • This leaves 9 posts left to clip for this ROWnd.
  • Input Chameleon’s Dish to Scrivener.
  • I have input original Chapter 9, into Scrivener.
  • I have found the next three chapters, and done a quick edit/reformatting of Chapter 10 (which will become Chapter 3), and Chapter 11 (which will be Chapter 4). It is now ready for inputting to Scrivener.
  • I have added Chapter 3 to my Scrivener Chameleon’s Dishbinder.
  • I have rough edited and reformatted Chapter 12; it is prepared for its future addition to my Scrivener binders.
  • Create story arc for Blood and Breath.
  • I have added Chapters Eight and Nine to the story arc.
  • As I suspected, the reconstructed version is drifting from the direction I know the last draft took. I’m a little sad about it, but accepting. It’s like a semi-rewrite, and I imagine the story will end up better for it.

Snake charmer…and flinger!

  • Clean up computer downloads, documents, photos, and other clutter – move it or lose it!
  • A few weeks ago, I placed all my writing-related files in a folder labeled Writing Bullpen.
  • This was a definite improvement over searching through all my document files for them.
  • However, there were dozens of files there, and they were not organized.
  • I have deleted redundant or unnecessary files, and organized the rest in subfolders.
  • My Writing Bullpen is now a well-organized home for all the writing projects I currently want close to hand.

Marketing:

The unsettled eastern sky at sunset, May 16, 2012….

Self-care:

  • Add JOY to every day!
  • Monday: Easy family day; allowed myself to express my feelings when I needed to.
  • Tuesday: Again, stated my needs and honored myself by doing so; time alone in a reasonably clean house.
  • Wednesday: Mowed the front lawn with new,self-propelled mower, easing calmly into packing for our weekend camping trip. Breathing.
  • Add movement to every day, too!
  • Monday: Puttery hometending; packing.
  • Tuesday: Hometending.
  • Wednesday: Hometending; mowed front yard; began gathering camping supplies.

Recent art by Annalise, who is making artistic leaps, just now…

  • Add more of my passions to each day, in as many ways as I can manage.
  • Monday: Family time; writerly stuff.
  • Tuesday: A few hours of sweet solitude!
  • Wednesday: Mowing; walking around the yard in the early morning; photographing nature and family life; attending a snake show.
  • Add all these for my beloved others, too!
  • Jeremiah: Snuggles, tickles, and spelling help; deep conversations; photo ops; lots of second chances; and saying yes to him using the brand-new mower.
  • Jim: Honesty; even when it was hard; appreciation; conversation.
  • Annalise: Seeing her as she really is; attended and photographed her snake show; time with me in my room; saying yes to her own tent for this weekend’s camping trip; snuggles and spelling help.

Both kids spent time experimenting with stencil spin art…..they got quite good!

So there are my accomplishments for the last three days. I may or may not do a Monday check-in (it won’t be Sunday, as we will be returning home then, and, after two days camping in the company of other unschoolers, I know from experience that we will all be blissfully exhausted.

I will not have regular (and perhaps no) internet access over the weekend, so I won’t be as visible as I generally am. I have structured my writing so that I can focus on things that can be done offline suring the weekend. Although this is a symposium, and there will be speakers I want to hear, activities I want to participate in, children to be with, and social gatherings to attend, I know that there will also be the freedom to read and write.

I’m planning to write my Story a Day (in a notebook or in LibreOffice); to finish The Shelters of Stone if I haven’t before then; to begin a book review or two (I have a growing stack of books waiting for their turns); and to work on the children’s quarterly reports, which are due on June 1. I may do some, all, or even none of those things.

May the rest of everyone’s week be joyful and productive!

Namaste!

Why not  visit the other ROWers?

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ROWin’ On…ROW80 Update #12

Here I am! Two days off to be kid-busy…Cameron stayed overnight on Friday, and yesterday we took him to the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology. Petted a rat snake, made a weather forecast – Zombie Blizzard! – played with wind turbines and mirrors and a gravity well. Explored tide pools…..then went to McDonald’s for play and fuel, then spent hours at Cam’s house visiting.

So, today, I am tired and restful in a messy house, filled with plans for the one ELance Proposal I REALLY want to write, and moving in that direction. It’s requiring four computers, used intermittently, to do the things I want to accomplish, freelancing goals-wise,at the moment. Jim is generously loaning me his little, basic, but totally not cluttered Toughbook, which I am using now. The tablet can be good for stashing notes and lists of priorities, and quick checks and updates. There is information I want from the old desktop, where I wrote before purchasing the laptop. I want to move those files, but haven’t found an efficient method of doing so yet. And the laptop that was formerly mine is just stuffed absolutely full of so much stuff, I may never again have it clear (unless I replace the whole hard drive and operating system!).

My plan is to purchase a newer, smaller laptop, and then, a few months later, a modern, flash-enabled tablet with full browsing capabilities. Then, perhaps, a smaller, more compact printer. The goal is to have an entire, fully functional home office that can be stored in a very small physical space. This way, I will be able to work from our travel trailer, or a coffeeshop, or anywhere else, and not be using a great deal of space that is soon to become very valuable and will certainly be shared.

But, until then, I’ve decided to move forward on my writing and freelancing plans. I’ve been waiting so long for all the conditions to be just so, and I no sooner solve one issue than I seem to discover another one (or more, sometimes!).

I think a good part of it is procrastination, or fear of having easily what I’ve dreamed about for so long. Lingering echoes from far back in childhood that say this is a waste of time, nothing but a frivolous pipe dream.

Now I am beginning to step up and realize that, no matter the value anyone else ascribes to it, it IS my dream, and I am cheating myself by not taking the time and making the investment to begin, well and truly and imperfectly. And that not only cheats me, but also those closest to me, who will be better served by a more fulfilled me, and also those who might benefit from my talent for the art of language.

So, no matter how I need to jury rig things, how much longer it takes to accomplish even a simple writing task at the moment, I AM beginning. Time to start, to get my feet wet, to make happen what I envision by getting a move on and doing as much as I can.

It may take time to get my portfolio of previous work ready for public viewing, It may take a lot of inventiveness to get things written and submitted in a format that is useful to others.

But lifelong dreams are worth the effort and exertions and growing pains of achieving, and, for every job I DO successfully complete, I will have a ready sample of CURRENT work for that portfolio.

There’s nothing wrong with exhibiting my past masterworks, so long as the quest to do so doesn’t become a means of stalling on creating new ones, of claiming my own personal right to achieve my dreams, or of sharing the gift of my words with others who may find them valuable in their own lives.

I was thinking about that early this morning, after watching Phenomenon. I have taken many leaps of faith in my life: loving Tim, moving across country, marrying a man I had known for less than 6 months, parenthood, travel across country, Elijah’s death, not sending the children to school, moving toward and into radical unschooling. Getting into an airplane, climbing cliffs, scuba diving. I seem to have good leap of faith instincts. And they are telling me now that this is what I am meant for, to distill life and experience, stir in perspective and observation, season with truth and humor and kindness, and release it into the world. Everything in life has led me to this place where I am going to fully and unabashedly live my freedom!



Round 2 Goals:


Reading:


    

  • Read at least as many books as the number of the month (4 in April ; 5 in May; 6 in June) from my bedroom To Be Read piles.
    • 

  • The Shelters of Stone: p 614 of 896  - officially beyond the halfway point.
    • 

  • The Natural Child:  Completed.
    • 

  • Tuesdays With Morrie: p 39 of  192.
    • 

  • I have completed 3 of 5 books for this month.
    • 




Writing:




    

  • Create flash fiction, short stories, dialogues, character sketches, alternate scenes, and poetry for  Chameleon’s Dish.  Wander cow trails, and learn these people and their lives more fully.
    • 

  • I am wandering a cow trail throughout my Story a Day May….I have two storylines, one directly involving Tisira, and another that seems to be leaning toward her world, although time may prove otherwise…
    • 

  • I have added stories on Thursday and Friday.
    • 



    

  • Pull material from 750 words posts not part of the Chameleon’s Dish first draft.
    • 

  • I have pulled five entire  entries.
    • 

  • This leaves just a few more  June  2011 posts to go through, before moving on to July 2011′s posts.
    • 



    

  • Create essays, stories, and other pieces based upon these writings.
    • 

  • I have a rough draft of a post using these two pieces. I am having a few formatting issues, so will continue the project on Friday.
    • 

  • I have pulled another more complete essays, which bracket this post.
    • 

  • The fourth essay, about the difficult places in our marriage, I have saved to share with Jim.  I may or may not make it public, in time –  but there is material there that may help to ease the tensions, when they crop up, so it is personally valuable.
    • 



    

  • Create story arc for  Blood and Breath. 
    • 

  • I have added Chapter Seven to the story arc.
    • 

  • I suspect that, like Chameleon’s Dish, I am looking at a total of about 25 chapters, with a prologue and epilogue, so I am about a fifth of the way through, at this point.
    • 



    

  •  Input Chameleon’s Dish into Scrivener; possibly begin rewrite.
    • 

  • I have moved Original Chapter 10, which will become Chapter 3, to a LibreOffice file in preparation to editing, formatting, and placing in Scrivener.
    • 



    

  • Finish father-in-law letter and send.
    • 

  • I edited some of the earlier writing, and adding a considerable amount of nex text.  I am feeling that I am getting a lot closer to the final shape, if not the final version, of this letter.
    • 

  • I am letting some things purge, and it feels healing –  like I am clearing out some long-hidden junk, and, in so doing, making more space and light for myself and the life I choose to live.
    • 

  • I have come to the place where it is less about addressing my father-in-law defensively, than it is a personal expression on the issues he raised.
    • 

  • This feels like an ideal place to write from-  my own vision, purpose, and strength.
    • 



 Networking:




    

  •  Explore She Writes; Twitter: StoryDam; Pinterest;and LinkedIn .  Use, develop, evaluate, adjust.
    • 

  • I spent about 20 minutes exploring  the Blooming Late group on She Writes.  
    • 

  • I returned for another brief visit or two.
    • 

  • I’ve decided to keep my explorations there to one group, for the moment, and get to learn the lay of the land…from there, I can expand into other areas as i gain comfort and proficiency.
    • 

  • I plan on checking back in the next several days, and more frequently, thereafter.
    • 



    

  • Continue joining hops, fests, challenges, and other community blogging efforts.
    • 

  • I am continuing my efforts on Story a Day May.  So far, 13 days, and 12 stories.
    • 

  • I have found what I believe is a point of cohesion between my two storylines, and will continue to play and challenge myself!
    • 



    

  • Comment on and share blogs regularly; share my blogs as widely as seems feasible, and in diverse ways.
    • 

  • I am doing well at reading, commenting on, and sharing blogs.
    • 

  • I have been sharing more of my posts through LinkedIn, but am waiting just a bit to stretch my visibility –  with the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette and Tiny Buddha posts up, I have a bit more than I am accustomed to, and want to absorb it a bit before I widen my view…
    • 



    

  • Do 3 guest posts and  host 3 guest bloggers this round.
    • 

  • I have my first guest post!  It’s still in draft form, awaiting minor editing, images, links, an introduction, and a bio.
    • 

  • If all the components come together before Thursday night (the kids and I are camping over the weekend, and internet may be hard to come by…), I will present you with a lovely post by Elizabeth Anne Mitchell on Saturday!
    • 

  • Although my Tiny Buddha post was submitted in March, it didn’t appear until May, so I am claiming this Rather Big Deal as a guest post.
    • 

  • This leaves 2 guest posts to complete for this ROWnd.
    • 



Photography:




    

  •  Organize all photos on hard drive/move to organized Picasa web albums or delete.
    • 

  • I have deleted some files already on my Picasa Web Albums.  Just a few more, and this goal will be attained.
    • 



    

  • Watermark all photos that appear on my blogs, and all those I post going forward; begin watermarking favorites not on blogs.
    • 

  • I am watermarking photos in batches; very easy to do with Picasa.
    • 

  • As for all the ones already on my blogs, I may change this goal slightly in the coming weeks.
    • 

  • I will be replacing all the photos on the posts I edit for this round, and will use watermarked versions going forward, but i may not find time or inclination to do all the posts on both blogs before the end of this round.
    • 

  • I should know by June 1 whether this goal needs revising.
    • 









 Learning:




    

  • Use Twitter and Tweetdeck at least one day a week.  Learn more.
    • 

  • I turned on HootSuite Sunday.
    • 

  • For WordPress, create a running list of questions; work on finding answers!
    • 

  • I have updated, expanded, and formatted my list into an outline format.  I have answered a few of the questions; applied one solution; and have two more ready to apply when the opportunity is right.
    • 



    

  • Begin learning about how to publish ebooks.
    • 

  • I have relocated this link, which I will continue reading over the coming weeks.
    • 



    

  • Learn what I can do with my domain name.
    • 

  • Apparently not much, beyond possibly adding a professional  email account to it.  I have found this link, which might be helpful in the process.
    • 



    

  • Begin research list/research for  Chameleon’s Dish second draft.
    • 

  • I have updated, expanded,  and put into outline form my first set of brainstormed questions.
    • 

  • I believe the new format will make research easier, as well as help me to move it to appropriate files in my Scrivener binder.
    • 











 


 Self-care:




    

  • Add JOY to every day!
    • 

  • Thursday:  Stayed home because I was feeling “off” –  a little sick and a lot growly.
    • 

  • Friday: Still feeling off, but a little better. Hung clothes outside to line dry.
    • 

  • Saturday: Wonderful day at Hoffman’s Playland with the kids for friend Marcus’s 6th birthday party.
    • 

  • Sunday: A distinctly unjoyful day.  I tried, taking it easy, relaxing, hanging clothes outside.  Ultimately, I failed.  The day pretty much sucked.
    • 



    

  • Add movement to every day, too!
    • 

  • Thursday: Hometending.   Lawnmower fail.  New mower is on the horizon.
    • 

  • Friday: Hometending.  Hung laundry out to dry.
    • 

  • Saturday: Minimal hometending.  Lots of walking and moving at local children’s amusement park.
    • 

  • Sunday: Hung laundry out to dry.  Moderate hometending.
    • 


  • 

    • 

  • Add self-decorating to every week!
    • 

  • I wore my pasta bead necklace on Saturday, and allowed the sun to begin turning me my summer color, a midrange coffee with a generous dollop of cream).  Someday, I would like to have my DNA analyzed, to see where this skin comes from, paired with blue-grey eyes…).
    • 



    

  • Add more of my passions to each day, in as many ways as I can manage.
    • 

  • Thursday: Writerly stuff.  Mellow home day with family.
    • 

  • Friday: Writerly stuff. Hung laundry outside.  Time with kids. Lovemaking.
    • 

  • Saturday: Writerly stuff.  Day out with the kids. Photographed kid projects.
    • 

  • Sunday: Writerly stuff.  Hung more laundry outside.
    • 








    

  • Add all these for my beloved others, too!
    • 

  • Annalise: I said yes  to: a dolphin pillow pet; a third giant stuffed snake; a 3D chalk kit; mint scented bubbles; walks, snuggles; and play.
    • 

  • Jeremiah:  Yes to amusement park freedom; arcade quarters;  spending money; air hockey; making lemonade and French toast; and snuggles.
    • 

  • Jim: Lovemaking.  A peaceful home to return to, most nights.  My not freaking out when he rode the motorcycle to work –  yes, I wanted to.
    • 



I was going to polish this off with a couple of sweet paragraphs about the last days, and the glow of motherhood…but I am not in that place right now, and I don’t believe in hypocrisy.


So I will just say that I have had many days far more wonderful today, and that this is a new moment, and things can get sweeter.


It’s all a part of living, even the days you long to have done, and hope do not repeat.


If tomorrow is sweeter, I will return, end this on a better note, and add the pictures.


May you sleep well –  and may tomorrow be better than today….







			


	

	


		
			

	

				

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Book Review- Time and the Art of Living

	


	
	

		

Time and the Art of Living by Robert Grudin


I almost didn’t read this book. At first, I was put off by what looked like a bevy of unrelated quotes….dry and pedantic and boring.  I tried to find a place to hook into the spirit of it, and couldn’t.


I am glad I gave it a second try.  It has opened me to a deeper, more fulfilling way of seeing time.


Each chapter was filled with snippets of thought (never more than a page and a half or so long; some only a couple of lines…..) organized around a central theme, all having to do with time –  in politics, in morality, and in other arenas.


A great deal of the book is spent in consideration of the highly mutable perception of time, and the manner in which many people place too huge an emphasis on the present, without due and relevant attention to past and future.


The book is one man’s lingering journey into the nature of time, how it affects him, how he chooses to use it; it is a treatise on the nature of time to man and to other beings, and how we are ruled by it or freed by it.


Robert Grudin


He quotes wise words, garnered from many centuries of time as humans reckon it, and offers some intriguing ideas – changing the way we measure time to reflect the metric system was my favorite – and perspectives I hadn’t considered.


He also said many things about the perceived nature of work and play, and the dichotomy that many people assume exists between the two.  He spends a good deal of time describing a sense of flow that has become much easier for me over the last few years, and which my children have never unlearned –  the delight of filling one’s life with productive endeavors one is passionate about –  the art of being busy, not to simply be busy and not accused of sloth, but to use one’s time –  one’s life - in ways that renew one from within, that make labor a pleasure.


Time, time, time....


He spends a considerable amount of time discussing a word he maintains is seldom used and even less often understood, in our modern American society –  renewal.  As he sees it, our frenetic speed doesn’t allow for times of rest and renewal, or for much of anything that isn’t scheduled.


Although I see little chance of many of his ideas – that metric time scale I mentioned above; erasing commutes  by creating living environs for workers on-site, and others that would require sweeping paradigm shifts across our culture – there are many concepts that can be individually enacted,  simply by choosing to see time and what it means in our own lives in a new, freer way.


"To pantomime prayers with the hands of a clock" - Paul Simon


This is sometimes as pedantic a book as I had feared (the author is a college professor, and sometimes that shows in a gently lecturing tone) but not nearly as often as I had originally suspected. It was a pleasant read, informative, and enriching.


Ratings: 1 to 5, 5 highest


Readability: 3; easy to read segments, making it easy to pause to consider.  Occasionally a bit dry for my taste.


Thought-provoking/Perception Shifting: 5; 

So many things to consider, ponder, attempt, and explore!


Credibility: 4; The author was very credible, and his belief in what he expresses is palpable throughout the book.




Overall Score: 4.  A very pleasant, intriguing,  inspiring, and informative.


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Kreativity, Rewarded!

	


	
	

		
Kreatively Lovely!


I received this award from the delightful and inspiring Shah Wharton several weeks ago, as  Jim’s recovery from his motorcycle accident  had moved home from the hospital, and while I was also in the final stages of achieving my ROW80 goals.

I wanted to acknowledge Shah, and to say a big  THANKS! for the award, and pass it along, and did not find the time, energy, and focus  all together to do so before now.


Now, Jim is more and more able to do things he could before his accident – driving, working out, some mellow work on his truck and around the house and yard, getiing up and down without a great deal of pain, and generally having the endurance to get through a fairly normal day.


The first round of ROW80 is over, and my goals are complete.  I’ve drafted my goals for the next round, and am now tending to things laid aside during that more intense time.


Including accepting this award.


Not the North Jetty in Florence, Oregon, but a random jetty.


Here are the rules that go with it, and notations on how I dealt with each….


1.) Link back to the person who gave it to you! (See Above)


2.) Share 10 random facts about yourself!








    

  • I once crossed North America by train, nearly coast to coast, with $50 to my name, to take a job in a state where I knew no one.
    • 

  • Once, while canoeing through mangrove swamp in the Everglades, Jim and I hit an alligator, thinking it was a submerged log, until I saw its eye.
    • 

  • Frightened and angry alligators who think you are too big too dine on have a fearsome hissing roar……
    • 

  • On a similar topic, I can tell you from experience that fighting with your spouse in a canoe is neither fun nor productive.
    • 







Hello, Everglades gator!




    

  • I have had a great horned owl swoop only feet above my head, on the way home from waiting tables at the Old Faithful Inn.  Her wings sounded like whispered drumbeats.
    • 

  • I have seen a bald eagle rise up from the Firehole River with a fish arched in its talons, the water pouring off in sparkling rainbows.  It met my eyes, piercingly and without fear, and I was foever changed.
    • 

  • I have pulled mussels live off a jetty on the Oregon coast, and eaten them.
    • 

  • I once stabbed myself under the kneecap with the spine of an agave (century plant), while on a Grand Canyon hike.  It bled fiercely, and soon soaked my sock, and it hurt intensely.
    • 







Nature's bounty.






    

  • On the same hike, Jim and I had a fight and got separated (fighting on a hike is maybe worse than in a canoe; you can walk away from each other in fury).
    • 

  • It took so long to find each other again and reunite, that we ran out of water.  A thunderstorm came, and we drank and licked water off rocks.
    • 













Agave, or century plant. Gnarly thorns, great beauty.






3.) Pass on the award onto 7 other people!









4.) Follow the person that gave you this award-CHECK!




I followed her quite a while ago, because she is inspiring, fun, and very, very creative!






Nature's Power and Loveliness






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Yellowstone Lunch

	


	
	

		
English: Morning Glory Pool, Upper Geyser Basi...
Image via Wikipedia - Morning Glory Pool


I wrote this essay during the summer season (my last, as it would turn out, because Jeremiah was born the following one), for the Employees’s Rec Co-op Writing Contest.  I believe the theme was something along the lines of Everyday Yellowstone;


This piece won my $25!


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I smile as I approach the table. “Hello. My name is Shannon, and I’ll be your server. How are you today?” The spiel is mostly automatic, but through long practice I manage to make my voice livelier than I feel.


They chuckle, and I start to enjoy myself, forgetting for a moment how sore my feet are.I tell them today’s special, then finish by asking, “ Where are you from?”


“Texas,” the man answers. We chat for a few moments more before I take their order and move to the computer to ring it in. Too often, this is the only Yellowstone I can find the time to experience.


The chirping of the computer replaces birdsong in my ears, and the hypnotic rhythms of the guests’ conversations fills in for the rushing of waterfalls. The grazing elk framed in the large windows remind me that I’m stuck in this dining room, earning my right to be here.


I go to the kitchen to fix their drinks.  Fill the glasses with clinking ice, add the freshly-brewed tea, slice two lemons along the peel to prop on the lips of the glasses, grab two long-handled iced tea spoons. I’ve done it thousands of times before. There’s no thought involved.


I place the glasses on my tray. Balancing the tray on my fingertips, I carry it back to my table. “Here we go. Now, let’s see if I can get this straight,” I joke.   ”Uh – an iced tea for the lady. . . and one for the gentleman. Your lunch should be ready in a few minutes.”


“Let me ask you something,” says the woman. “How did you come to be working here?”


“It was my husband’s childhood dream. We came for ten weeks three years ago, and we just keep coming back. This place has a very strong pull.”


They look out the window, where the elk graze placidly, ignoring the hundreds of amateur photographers all seeking the perfect shot, and the magpies zipping about in their striking black-and-white plumage. “We’ve only been here a day, and we’re already planning to come back next year. It’s magical here.”


Old Faithful Inn
Old Faithful Inn (Photo credit: Mike Miley)


 


I nod, understanding exactly what they are feeling.   “To the Indians, Yellowstone is sacred ground. The first pioneers called it, ‘the place where hell bubbled up’, and no one would believe their stories. But I worked my first two seasons at Old Faithful, and, if you’re walking alone through the steam, you can almost imagine how they must’ve felt. The world vanishes, and all that’s left is the sound of the geysers and the smell of sulfur. “


“We’re going to Old Faithful tomorrow,” the man tells me, and I can read the excitement in his eyes. It makes me feel again as I did the first time I witnessed a geyser’s eruption, with the deep, belching roar vibrating in my soul as the boiling water escaped from the earth that had imprisoned it.


Then I think of Old Faithful – the overcrowded boardwalks, the hype over a geyser that is neither the biggest nor the most beautiful the park has to offer. They probably won’t listen, but I feel I must try to make them aware of their options.


 


Firehole River on the trail to Lone Star Geyser
Firehole River on the trail to Lone Star Geyser (Photo credit: Steve Selwood)


 


“Old Faithful is nice, but very crowded. If you don’t mind hiking a few miles, you can go to Lone Star Geyser instead. It’s off the main road, and very quiet.”


As I suspected, they groan at the mention of a hike. “What else is there to do down there?” I can tell that they mean ‘what else is there to do that won’t take us too far from our car or our hotel?’.


Though disappointed for all they’ll miss, I give them the best information I can. “The bison are usually close by, this time of year. You’re very likely to see a few if you tour the boardwalk. Morning Glory Pool is just a short walk, and well worth it. My favorite geyser is in Black Sand Basin. It’s called Cliff. It’s little, but it goes off every ten or fifteen minutes, it’s right next to the parking lot, and, when the sun hits it right, it looks like falling diamonds.”


English: Cliff geyser and Firehole river at Bl...




“That sounds wonderful.”


“It is. Well, I need to go check on your lunch.”


Soon they’re eating quietly. I leave them alone, since it is hard to eat and talk at the same time. Instead, I head back into the kitchen, musing about my own Yellowstone experiences as I half-listen to the chattering of my coworkers.


I’ve seen a herd of perhaps a hundred bison, snow blanketing their humped shoulders as they breathed the icy air which frosted their beards; their horns glittered silver in the moonlight. I’ve seen a green blanket of baby lodgepole pines, lovingly guarded by the charred remains of their perished parents.


I’ve heard the pure lust in a bull elk’s September bugle, and felt the nearly soundless whoosh of a great horned owl’s wings as she soared two feet over my head.


Those same elk calves that graze calmly beside their mothers today were newborns only a month ago.   They looked like they were being controlled by a mad puppeteer who didn’t care where their spindly legs landed.


I have met the fearless yellow gaze of a bald eagle as he emerged from the center of the Firehole River. Droplets of water sprayed rainbows as he flew off with a fish in his talons, crying out his victory to his waiting mate.


These are the chance moments I long for and live for, the reason for the routine drudgery that must be a part of every life, even this one.


I go back to check on my table. They’re ready to talk some more. Like many tourists, they seem fascinated with the life I lead here.


“What’s your favorite thing about working here?” asks the man.


“Besides days off?” I’m rewarded by more laughter. “I love times like this, when I can talk to people. I love being a part of your vacation, maybe even being someone you’ll remember when you get home. I love how some people come back to work here year after year. It’s almost like having a second family.


“We’ve all left the ordinary world to live in this extraordinary one. I love getting away from everyone – in a place where, if I sit still, I can’t see or hear any sign of man, just nature everywhere. I love the way the wind blows here, and how fast the weather can change.


“But most of all, I love having Yellowstone National Park as my backyard.”


And, as they leave, I realize that I also love the way a simple interaction can spring me from the routine and make me once again fully aware of the amazing aspects of my own life.


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