KeelieGirl

Free Pittsburgh Steeler's Tickets!

2011-12-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

I wanna go see this game! Who wants to join me? Gotta love Troy and the Pittsburgh Steelers!

(umm, I should mention, I'm just TRYING to win these tickets; I don't actually have them (yet!) nor am I offering to actually take anyone in particular. just sayin'...)

Of course you can try to win them yourself - and take me with YOU! just copy and paste this URL (sorry, I'm too much of a technilliterate to figure out how to link this properly. Hope it still counts!)

http://troy43.com/2011/12/18/win-steelers-v-rams-tickets-signed-jersey/

My Herd and I had visitors today...

2011-06-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

...my friends Audrey and Chuck!

Good to see you guys (and my apologies for Pumpkin's pushiness.) I'm quite sure she didn't see you, but you know, she surely must have felt your presense! (Literally!!)

And thanks for the heads up on my blog's apparent disallowing of comments. (No wonder it feels so lonely here!) I think I've got it figured out, but keep me posted on the posts (if you can!) Maybe a little feedback will motivate me to write more here :)

Looking forward to doing some boating with you two, soon I hope!

And Thanks for the coffee!

My Allen Ginsberg Obsession (with List)

2011-05-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've been OD'ing on Allen Ginsberg lately. A totally fascinating person (more because of his lifestyle and social network possibly than his writing) - but still he is currently one of my favorite writers. I've discovered we actually have a lot in common, so I decided to compile a little list.

Merely for my own amusement (since you won't find "we both have a large audience" on this list) here it is:

...We both have mothers named Naomi.

... We both have a case of cacoethes where writing is concerned (his just happened to get him published. Oh, and um, he could write really good too. :)

...We're both into Buddhism, meditation, and Yoga. (He did a lot to promote it in this country. I bumble around with it. But I still say it counts!)

... We're both into guys.

...We both tend towards co-dependency (& neither were happy to discover this!)

...We're both bibliophiles.

...We both like to smoke, seek enlightenment, and have visions of sunflowers
(I wonder if any of those things might be related?)

...We both like to travel (ok he did a LOT of it; I've done some, less as I get older, & these days I'm mostly only traveling via surfing. But we still both LIKE it!)

....We both appreciate art (I think I draw better than he did, though! Sorry Allen! Trying
to be open and honest here, per your example! I still love your drawings tho- and they're still worth way more than mine!)

... His literary fame was (arguably) born in the 50's. I was born in the 50's (not arguably.)

... He had his pic taken naked with Gregory Corso, which was later published on a postcard. I have a postcard of him and Gregory Corso naked together. (It's super cute, too!)

...We both like lists (I didn't actually list that yet, so I say it counts!)

So that's my list so far (I'm only a little ways into my study of Ginsberg, and there's SO much material!) But one thing we don't have in common is, I'm still alive, for now anyhow, so I am going to get away from this computer and go for a run! I think Allen would appreciate that, too!

Spring Things

2011-04-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I was fortunate to have been able to witness a very professional shearing of camelids at my friends Audrey and Chuck's place. They have a llama, a couple alpacas and a mix of the two, and hired a most excellent shearer/engineer (what a combination!) to do the job. I won't be lucky enough to be able to bribe him to do my llama, as he is quite busy enough (as you might imagine!) But I got to see it done, which should be quite helpful in my own amateur attempts with Dallai. (Thanks guys!!!)

And I did gain enough confidence to try the electric shearers on him (I usually use scissors.) I have to do this with him standing, no stanchion, no one to hold him, so I'm trying to make it as unscarey as possible for him (and hence, ME!) I kept the session short, and only did some of the thin belly hairs, but I'm thrilled to say he hardly spit at all and only laid down on the job twice! I get the sense it will go a wee bit easier this year!

The other success I had recently was passing the praxis test for secondary English. (I mention it now, only because I brought it up in a recent post. I'm kind of anal like that.) Now if I can just motivate to send the info (and requisite hundred dollar) to the Dept of Ed, I would qualify to teach high school English! (Just in time for Gov. Corbett to ditch half the education budget!) I just have the best timing sensibilities! (Actually its probably good I never got a real teaching job; I might have been tempted to buy a house, and since I wouldn't have had 10 years experience, Id have probably lost the job anyway - and the house!) There's reasons, I think! Though I have to wonder what the reason is for having this compulsion to collect things I never use (or hardly ever.) High School Eng cert, elementary cert, life guard cert, small herd of large animals, obscure blog ... etc.

Speaking of obscure things I start and don't utilize, I'm about to launch a website; "http://alphabooksoup.weebly.com" I'm linking it to this, at least til I obliterate this one! (That link wont work right now, tho - haven't gone public yet.) I'll try to remember to put a valid link in a future post when I do, though!

Happy Easter and Festival of the Fertility Rites of Spring, everyone! (Ok, well, you explain all those bunnies and eggs then!) Ttfn!

Manatees for Peace

2011-01-21T17:15:00.001-08:00

Back from Florida and swimming with the manatees; what a great trip we had! If you have never experienced this, I highly recommend you give it a try if you have the opportunity to do so. What marvelous creatures they are (tho not so marvelous that they coughed up the secret to world peace!)

I must say though, if they were in charge of the world, peace would indubitably reign! These are just about the most peaceful, easy-going creatures I have ever had the honor to be near. They are monstrously huge (at least the adults are) - getting to be up to 13 feet long, and I think I read somewhere they can weigh up to 3000 pounds! Interestingly though, they aren't fat - they're mostly intestines and lungs. The lack of blubber - such as what whales have - is one of the reasons they migrate to the warm spring waters in the winter - they just can't deal with the cold. Me neithor, come to think of it (here in NW PA it was 9 degrees out earlier this evening) - but it's certainly not for a lack of blubber in my case!!!

Since neithor I nor my friend Erin had ever done this before - and since there are definite rules you need to follow to not get yourself in trouble with the fine folks at the wildlife protection agencies, we decided to go on a guided tour our first trip out. BirdsUnderwater were highly rated by some people I knew who'd actually been there, done that, so we went with them. And they really were wonderful, so I'm passing along the recommendation. The owners and staff were professional and even rather humorous at times, and it was evident (I thought) that they really cared about the welfare of these animals. For such a priceless experience, it was pretty expensive. $35.00 included a boat trip out and back and full snorkel gear. For another $15.00 you could have a full wet suit (definitely dont cheap out there- you WILL regret it!)

Of course, we ended up buying a DVD of us swimming with the manatees, a camera, several tee shirts and sweatshirts, a hat, some jewelry, a kids book...so, maybe it wasn't totally inexpensive, but what the heck, how often do you do something like that?! Besides, I needed some new clothes...

As for the actual swimming with the manatees - what a treat! I have heard that manatees are - if not the only, one of a very few wild animals that not only allows people to approach them, but actually chooses to interact with us. (The fact that they have no natural enemies - after all, how tasty can lungs and intestines be? - probably is a bit of a motivating factor there.) The babies approached us most frequently, snuggling right up to us, brushing their faces against ours, nibbling on our wetsuits, doing barrel rolls and asking for belly rubs.

Erin and I were the last ones back on the boat. But of course, we still didn't get enough. Next day, we returned, this time renting a kayak from Birds Underwater. We paddled back out onto King's Bay where we hung out with more manatees in the warm, clear waters of Three Sisters' Springs. I just don't see Life getting a whole lot better than that - unless, of course, the manatee succeeds in bringing us world peace!

Hay There

2010-12-21T17:05:00.001-08:00

Or, I should say, hay here, in the barn, since I've been playing Ellie Mae today and went on a hay run. Just 50 bales, but that is quite enough since it's just me unloading and hauling them upstairs into the loft once I leave the hay farm! Gosh, my arms are a bit sore, I must admit! But I'm glad I got it, because now I feel a wee bit better about leaving the herd behind for a while (in good care) while I go, with my dear friend Erin, SWIMMING with the MANATEES in FLORIDA!!!

I am SO excited about this! Never done it, always wanted to! I feel lucky and honored and privileged to do it (altho of course, pretty much anyone with $35 in their hand and a way to get there can do the same thing!) Still, I'm counting my blessings and, well, yeehah!

Sadly I have not been able to run due to this persistent achielle's tendon issue. Very frustrating as I am truly hoping to break all previous records at looking like an old fool during the much anticipated first ever for me triathlon coming up next summer. Never thought I'd do it (because of the running) now I don't know if I ever will (because of the running!) Dammit!

So what does a late bloomer do while sidelined from all these athletic activities? Why, she studies for her praxis exam to try to get a job teaching secondary English, of course! This is a last minute, geeze I only have a year before my cert runs out and I havent even taught in a real school, what'll I do now kind of thing. And since I only minored in English in undergrad school, and did about half a master's in it in grad school- and that was many moons ago - this will NOT be a walk in the park! Oh, and did I mention the test - which I only decided to do -and signed up for - a few days ago, is only a little over 3 weeks away?!

Needless to say, what with that and Christmas soon upon us, and my upcoming vacation with my Erin and the manatees almost here, I regret to say I probably won't have much time to be blogging in the upcoming month. Oh wait, I usually don't blog that much anyhow, I forgot about that!

Well, Happy Holidays-whatever you celebrate-to all of you out there! Peace on Earth...
And I promise to do my best to try to find out from the manatees how we might be able to accomplish that!

Still Running After All These Months

2010-10-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's true! I've surprised even myself! I did sustain a bit of an injury - undiagnosed but I'm sure I just farther strained my tendonitis-prone foot. I'm just now getting back into a regular running schedule after a month of tentative attempts.

The good news is, I upped my distance to SIX miles, without a break! SIX!!! ME! After that, it was (relatively!) easy to do 4, and 3 was pretty common - one or two was for the "easy" days! Who'd a thunk it? Not me!

The other good news is that - although I would be really pressing my luck to go for even 4 miles at the moment, I felt pretty good going 2 miles yesterday - albeit with a mile or so walk in between those two running miles!

Anyhow, I'm back on the horse, so to speak! Yeehaw!

OMG, no, KeelieGirl has a new hobby! Run Away!

2009-12-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

No, no; don't run away (if you are actually reading this!) That just happens to be my new hobby... well, not running away (tho I suppose that could actually be fairly true sometimes!) - just running.

I can't believe I am actually writing those words - and not making them up! But indeed, it is true.

Well, I suppose it would be more accurate if I said I were jogging...slowly jogging. But whatever, it's not like it's a contest. Maybe a challenge, for myself.

Anyhow, so here's how my interest in this basically went over the course of my now fairly lengthy lifetime; I have never been a big fan of running; for the most part, most any running I did was not exactly voluntary. In school, I had to do it for the President's Physical Fitness program (which the hell president thought that was such a great idea, anyhow?) I remember I did do a short stint of voluntary running, I think to make it easier to get through that enforced run in school, but that lasted for maybe a couple of half-assed runs around the block. Maybe.
For the most part, I simply would not be caught running - unless perhaps someone was chasing me (and I wasn't quite fast enough to get away!)

The thing is, I have fairly big boobs. Not really a runner's physique. (Maybe a bouncer's.) I could walk all damn day long, but running? No thanks. Not that I'm an athletic type by any means, but strength training, walking, bicycling, cross country skiing, swimming - that's the kind of activity I'm built for. (It might seem kind of freaky that my one huge exception is horse-back riding - but then, I'll defy just about anything to ride horses, even gravity!)

It's not even that I wouldn't have liked to have been a runner - but I just sort of resigned myself to running being my consolation prize if I ever had the ill-fortune to develop breast cancer and had to undergo a double mastectomy. But with healthful wishing and all that, I finally came to the conclusion (after finally resigning myself to the fact that I really in truly needed to incorporate more diligent aerobic activities into my exercise program) that what the hell, if I wanna give running a serious try, it's totally stupid to let my boobs hold me back. After all, they don't make that infamous gravity-buster (pardon the almost-pun) - the sports bra, for just the mosquito-bitten runners amongst us.

So a quick shopping trip later and I've got the basic gear to start running. And start I did, two days ago! I ran with a friend who had some cross-country experience, and with his encouragement (and a small amount of badgering) I managed to run 1.5 miles with more or less just one "walking break" at about the 3/4 mile mark. I even threw in a couple of speed bursts while I was at it. I admit, I wanted to quit about halfway through, but with my friend's encouragement - along with the "coaching" (i.e., badgering) we joked around, even sang some silly songs to distract ourselves - or at least my self - from the grueling task underfoot. But - much to my amazement - I actually enjoyed the hell out of it! It felt great!

I know it's early in my new obsession - and I'm not exactly known for my persistence in many things - but I am hopeful that this will stick. Today I went for my second run, this time with my dog. It was a bit less ambitious, a little over half a mile, (tho it included some small hills - and it was snowing and dark out - I must surely be breaking a lot of "running rules" here) but the point was, I didn't want to lose my momentum now that I had finally decided to do this. And I have an appointment to run with my friend again two days from now; a commitment I aim to run headlong into! Woohoo!

My Current Favorite Non-Fiction Book

2009-11-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

If you eat food, this book should be at the top of your reading list: The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. Recommended to me as a "life-changing" book, I thought yeah, right, a book about food, life-changing, mmHmmm... but he was right!

Pollan brilliantly illustrates four different meals he partakes of, following each through the entire food chain. From industrial food (what most of us in the US eat, most of the time), to industrial organic, then on to sustainable farms and finally winding up with the shortest (and probably least utilized, or perhaps least accessable) food chain of all, the hunter/gatherer meal, the author will leave you completely incapable of thinking about food the same way again!

Fireflies

2009-09-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

I love making new discoveries - tonight it was Owl City and his song "Fireflies." OMG what a magical, delightful, delicious song! Maybe everyone else in the world already knows about Adam Young; I suppose I've been sleeping. But if you don't know about him either, you should check him out on uTube. (I'd share a link but they'll just block it...)

Recovery

2009-07-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

Yeah!!! Glad to report, Keelie has made a full recovery!

Vomit and Vomitus

2009-07-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

I wonder if there are others out here who, like me, see an awful lot of similarities between dogs and kids... not necessarily good or bad, just similar.

OK, some good, some bad. Today, not so good. I left early this morning for an hour or so, without my purse - and (also) without my dog, Keelie. My trusted companion, my guardian, my watchdog!

I came back to find a trail of stuff down the hallway, like children leaving marks on a trail so they can find their way back. Except of course, this was the dog and she wasnt exactly thinking ahead (I didnt say there weren't differences!) So I follow her trail. Its' definitely looking like she'd gotten into the garbage . . . until I saw that was untouched and looked again. Trail mix candy bar wrapper - wait, I hadn't ate that yet! Evidence of a pack of my favorite gum. Hey, that stuff was in my purse!

Keelie is not in sight, she knows better... (actually I think she thinks if she's hiding somewhere that she can't see me, then I can't see her!)

But I'm certainly seeing evidence -and this isn't good at all; the dog has gotten into my nicorettes, which were in my purse from the night before, in case I was tempted to smoke while I was out and about. Not good! I see at least 4 or 5 empty crinkled up packages that they come sealed in. I could tell they were her work from the teethmarks on the plastic. And I wondered if it were possible that she might have swollowed some whole. Now I'm getting really worried...

I look online, and learned 5 0r 6 of the 2 mg. size shouldn't kill her, but they wont do her any good, and what if she chewed more?

So I see a recommendation on a doggie poison control site to give a dog 3% Hydrogen peroxide for nicotine poisoning - get it out of their stomache, quick as possible. I called my vet to confirm, and then got the goods. I then, well, forced her to drink that stuff and took her outside to let her stir things up a bit. The idea is to get the dog to puke, ralph, throw up, regurgitate, - whatever your word for that wonderful reversal of fortune (cookies.) If you do that in time, you can get most of the nicotine out and perhaps spare the dog a stomache pumping - or even save its' life.

It didnt take right away, so I gave her a second dose And about 5 minutes later, as I was giving her the last of it, things started working a bit more effectively. Rather quickly this time, I might add. I ran with her, poor thing gagging, for the door. But just as we got there, she couldn't wait any longer. And that's when I got to use another thing I learned on the poison control site. There is actually a different word for puke the noun than for vomit the verb: vomitus. And there was quite an ample supply. Lots and lots of vomitus. Just inside the door, and quite colorful with red gum and white gum (if i'd only had blue it would have been patriotic vomitus.)

OK, disgusting post, I know, but that is how it is sometimes, with dogs!

Water Skiing Whale

2009-07-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

The (almost) final result, tho I retain the right to re-do this rather quick "sketch-painting," along with adding an admission of a certain amount of TECHN-ILITERACY on my part, as I seem unable to crop this pic to fit correctly - but then, there you have it, such as it is!

The Angry Whale

2009-07-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was on a painting expedition with my friend Mick. I had been doing yet another whale painting (part of an ongoing series I call "A Whale A Day") and having trouble making that day's subject matter (a waterskiing whale) look believeable. (Gee, why would that be hard to believe?!)

I was working out this problem with some sketches when, for whatever out-of -the-blue reason, I started telling him how angry I continued to be with a person I had once considered a friend, and how it seemed like every time I thought about the way she had "wronged" me, I just kept getting madder and madder.

Eventually I started paying attention to the expressions I was giving my water-skiing whales - and realized the whale I was working on when I was venting to Mick about my anger concerning my former friend, had an absolute expression of total anger on his face! (You might note it is the only unhappy whale in the whole pod of sketches!) Isn't that a scream?!!! I have to say, we howled a good long while over my Angry Whale!

(And now, for your amusement, my cathartic whale drawings...)

BTW - the whale on the top of the page is the Angry Whale; the one on the bottom is the one that I based the painting on...

It's Been a Long, Long, Tii-eee-iimmme....

2009-05-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I cant believe how friggin long its been - no wonder no one ever drops by my blog!
5 months and counting!

I was originally going to title this particular post "No Shit Sherlock!" - in reference to my comment in my last post that I am not particularly good about keeping my resolution to post a bit more frequently than once or twice a year!

No matter; its just time for a little update - Jovi is now a bit over 6 months old and ridiculously cute! My granny name didn't end up being Exreme Granny or even Extreme Grammy after all - I'm going with an abbreviated form - "E.G." Not a Granny name in sight (tho it does still stand for Extreme Granny!) I imagine I'll get over this eventually, but for now - as much as I love and adore my grandaughter, I still have not reconciled myself with the idea that I am, indeed, a Grandma! Jeeze, aren't I just way too young for that? *Sigh* I feel that way, anyhow - at least til I look in the mirror! So, E.G. it is, for now anyway! (Jovi can call me Extreme, I suppose, if she wants - I'm really just trying to keep the Granny part from going public (which is why, of course, it feels safe to spout off about it here! I don't have to worry about anyone seeing it!)

OK, I'll try to update this a bit - I mentioned in my last post about getting the heck out of Dodge (caravan) but never actually told the story. I also said I would post a picture of the fire trucks in action, putting out my van, and of course I haven't done that - but I have a good excuse there. I sent my cell phone (which is all I had with me at the time to take pictures with, as unfortunately I left my camera inside the van when I made the mad dash to safety!) Anyhow, I sent my cell phone through the wash cycle not long after that , and sad to say, everything but the outer shell of that little razor phone got washed away as well :( So you'll just have to take my word for it, but yes, I was driving the van down the highway when I apparently had a little issue with a broken fuel line - and my nephew, who by sheer coincidence happened to be in his truck right behind me (not that he was following me to a repair shop or anything!!!) started blasting his horn and when I looked in the mirror I saw him flashing his lights in a rather frenzied sort of way. Whoa! Nephew is not the kind of person to joke around about that sort of thing, so I knew he was trying to tell me something - and then I saw the smoke pouring out from under the hood - and then (yes, it's true, where there's smoke there's...) FIRE! Sweet Jesus, what the hell! So I'm in the middle of a 4 lane highway and I can't just leave the damn thing there, so I try to pull off to the left where there's a parking lot, but damn, there's a semi coming the other way, and what the hell, why wont he get out of my way, doesnt he see I'm burning up and oh, YEAH!, he does see and now I see he's stopped and blinking his lights on and off, waiting for me to make my move, so I whip the van across the road in front of him, flames totally coming up out of the hood of the car, and skid through the gravel in the lot and I dont even think the stupid thing came to a full stop before I grabbed my purse (yes, duh, I did that!) and leaped out of that hellish trap before I turned into pink mist! Pschew! (Unfortunately I didn't think to grab my camera as well, which is why I had to take pics with the cell...)

Then my too-brave nephew goes flying into the resturaunt (in whose parking lot I'd just left my hot little van!) and back out again with a fire extinguisher and tries to put out the fire... and tries and tries and tries, and I'm screaming at him to get outta there, it aint worth it, and he finally gives up, thank God! And that's another lesson to be learned (besides don't try to put out a fire yourself due to all the danger involved) - you also shouldn't try to put out a vehicle fire with a restaurant's grease-fire style fire extinguisher, even if it is a big hulking commercial grade one. (Oh yah, and that'll be about fitty bucks getting that one refilled for the restaurant owner, I'm about to find out in a few days!) And so we (and about half of our small town by then) are just sorta standing there, milling around while we wait for the fire department to arrive. Finally they do, and after what seems like an awfully long time, they do put it out, so fortunately there was no big explosion, no pink mist, just me and my nephew and half the town, and - oh, crap, my sister had driven past just before everything started getting fired up, I'd better call and tell her I'm ok, not that she'd be worried because of course I had no reason to think she'd have walked past my car and noticed any kind of gas smell or anything, how could that be? So, I said to my nephew, I probably should call her anyhow, its a small town and all, and as I was attempting to do just that, I see her come up and I wave and say "hey, how ya doin' I was just trying to call you..." and then of course the firemen wanted to chit-chat a bit, what happened? - oh just the funniest thing, you know how these things go, I'm driving along, and suddenly, out of the blue the damn fuel line musta broke, and something musta sparked it, and damn! I'm glad no one got hurt, too damn bad I only have liability but then this van was on its last wheels you know, what are you gonna do? (Certainly not put full coverage on a beater like that, unfortunately, as it turns out!)

Anyhow, I get through that, and getting it towed out of there, and of course there was never an issue about responsibility for the fire trucks having to respond or anything because I certainly wouldn't be caught dead driving an unsafe vehicle with an issue like that, not that I had any reason to worry or anything!!!

These days I drive a real sweet little sedona red Subaru Forester, now thats a nice little car, doubt she'll be catching fire any time soon! ('Course, if she did ever have a problem like a fuel leak, I certainly wouldn't try to get thrifty and drive the damn thing to a repair shop or anything like that, not that I've ever had any experience with that sort of thing, I'm just sayin'! She's fully insured (including fire insurance, I'm pretty certain!) Named her Phoenix, just because ...

On Keeping Resolutions

2008-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

Apparently I suck at it! The whole year almost got by me without one single post after the last one claiming how much better I'd gotten at it! But that's ok, I'm forgiving myself for this; it's been one heck of a year for changes for me.

Probably the biggest change has been...Dustin and Cori (pictured previously in the wedding pictures on this very blog) have already started on their resolution to make me a grandma several times over! (Tho they have since revised their plans to include two children instead of the proffered 4!) I am now the proud grandma of a beautiful little 6 week old girl, Jovi Ann. She is sooooo sweeeeet!

As I was telling my new grandbaby in the hospitol on her very first day about my activities the previous day ("your grammy just hoisted - by hand - 4,ooo pounds of pellets onto a truck, then into a spare room, little one...") Cori coined a new granny nickname for me - Extreme Granny (or Extreme Grammy, as I prefer) - I like it! Been trying to live up to it ever since! (Actually, I seem to earn that name without trying sometimes - as soon as I get some pics, I'll scribble in the story about how I managed - just a few days before Jovi was born - to get the hell out of Dodge (my '96 Dodge Caravan, which caught fire WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT!) Ah, but there I go, spoiling the story!

OK, enough for now...

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Almost a week into the new year now, and some folks, were they aware of what my resolutions are, may think I've not been very good at keeping them. Not that I made a serious list of them - I like to try not to set myself up for failure. But one of the things I keep saying I'm gonna do is be more faithful in my blog entries. Since it's been over a month since I last posted, you could say I haven't done a very good job of it. You could, but I'm not gonna! I'm choosing to look at the bright side, build some positive momentum here, create my own excellent reality. And the fact is, with this posting, I'm currently blogging almost twice as frequently as I previously did. Dang - I'm good!

Hope your resolutions - and your year - are going well for you, too!

publish post or perish...

2007-12-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable that it has been almost 2 months since I've written anything here. Just way too lame. So I thought I'd post something, anything, really, just to try to get back into the habit (like I ever succeeded in forming one where this is concerned!)

Anyhow, like everyone else, things just seem to get crazy busy, but I know that's no good excuse - it's get somethin' writ or get off the post time!

Been doing some brainstorming lately, and have an urge to try a few things out - like maybe a little sketchbook idea thats been rustling about in my head lately. Really need to figure out a few technical, how-to-blog related issues so I can just post one blog and let it go off into its own pages. Unfortunately, I'm such a technilliterate, I don't even know what that's called, let alone how to do it! But I'll try to figure it out, and return (soon I hope!) with the fruits of my labor...

Spice

2007-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is my other Quarter Horse (the sighted one), Spice. The goofy looking white thing I'm holding is my bicycle helmet, which tries to pass as regular riding gear. I'm hoping Santa might remember me putting a real riding helmet on my wish list this holiday!

Spicey is a really awesome horse, great personality, big heart, and very well trained (which I take no credit for, since she came that way when a friend gave her to me last year.)

She pulled up lame last time out though - hugh bummer - and I guess only time will tell if that's the reason I received her gratus! There was no swelling, no heat, and she hadn't had this problem on previous excursions, so I am really, really REALLY hoping she just pulled something or stepped wrong or some other relatively minor thing that will prove to be just temporary. We'll see. Eithor way though, I love her, so I guess she's stuck with me!

Old Friends

2007-10-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is my friend since 9th grade, Erin. She moved back to Cleveland years ago, but we try to get together whenever we can - which isn't often enough for me! She came East recently and we were able to spend some time together. She is one of the most positive people I know, even though she's been through some rough times over the years. I know she's my friend, and you may think I'm prejudiced because of that, but I think she just sparkles!

So the thing she is holding in her hands is a rock I painted a couple years ago, one of several paperweights I created to keep the oversized guest book I made for my niece's outdoor wedding from blowing away. It was a garden theme, green and purple were the colors of choice, and they just so happened to be getting married underneath a grape arbor. I liked the Thomas Manne quote and the silly little rock so much I decided to keep one for myself. It just kinda of makes me smile when I look at it.

Here's the quote, if you're curious:

So life's year begins and closes;

days though shortening still can shine.

What though youth brings love and roses,

Age still leaves us friends and wine.

Erin and Paul (her husband) and I share a fondness for the purple stuff (and the red and the white and the blush...) so I often think of them when I look at that rock (it hangs out in my garden in the summer.)

So while Erin was here, she mentioned something about how much she likes that rock. (Oh yeah, here's a close-up pic...)

Anyhow, the rock now resides in Cleveland, and it still makes me happy, knowing my friends have it; perhaps they think of me whenever they walk past it!

Goat

2007-09-29T20:13:00.001-07:00

Now that I have my priorities in order (good moms really probably should mention their child's wedding before they rattle on about their new pet - I suppose! :) I figure it's a prime opportunity to let you in on a little event that happened here a few months ago (sometime early July, I believe...

This has some echoes of the "Pony Tracks" tale I posted late this spring (but with a twist to the ending.) This time I was alerted to an alien presence when an old man knocked on the door and asked if I had a goat that got loose.

"Goat?" I asked, thinking not at all about goats, but about whether or not the creature he was talking about might actually be my llama - in - residence, one who might , perhaps, have just jumped the fence. "I don't have a goat, but I have a llama..."

"No," he said, shaking his head back and forth (and no doubt a little annoyed); "this looked like a goat, maybe a baby goat.

"Oh...you're sure it wasn't a little llama? ... cause we have one of those,"I persisted in my pre-coffee fog.

"No, no, this is definitely a goat," he said.

Duh, I thought - I'm sure he must know the difference between a llama and a goat.

But mention of a goat on the lam, so to speak, did help boost the adrenalen, and I sprang into action. Sure enough, out on the road was a little goat, wandering about. Now I remembered Rick telling me he'd seen a goat a few days before, meandering around the road a few miles away. A lost goat! It needed my help(of course!) I mentioned the sighting to the old man.

We tried to herd the goat into the yard. It took a little doing, following the little critter around, trying not to scare it...how cute, how cute! I'm sure I must have kept saying that. And he was! But unfortunately I got so wrapped up in catching the goat, I never even noticed the man was leaving until after he got in his pick up and drove away. Drats! I didn't even catch his name. I soon focused back on the goat, however... Who did he belong to, and what do we do with this goat until we find the answer to that question?

So we asked all around the neighborhood, and no one seemed to know a thing about who it might belong to, so now... well, I suppose we have a new pet!

But that was oh so long ago (ok, say July), and we still have that little stray goat. We played around with some names for a while - Lily, Billy, William, no doubt a few others as well. Finally came up with a frivolous, goofy ass name, Sweet William Go-Tee - but really, mostly we just call him Gooooaat (pronounced deeply and streeeetched out, of course!)

So almost three months later - and I really do hope whoever lost their goat just simply didn't want to be bothered by another billy... Anyhow, he is very cute, as you'll be able to see as soon as I post a pic of him . . .

...and whoever he used to live with better not come looking now - we just love this little guy!

Here he is trimming the rose bush...

I'll take a shot at posting some more pics of goat soon (due to popular demand, of course!)

Dustin and Cori Get Married...

2007-09-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I've definitely slipped on my new and improved attempts at more consistent blog posting. Ah well, I'm back now...

...with my son married off, a new (old) job, and a new critter (a stray goat that wandered into the yard and just sorta stayed-more on that later.)

For now, let's see if I can find a nice picture of the newlyweds...
Ahh, there they are - don't they make a cute couple! This was one of the few you could see both of their faces and the lake behind them (Rick took these pics, and while we had front row seats, we were off to one side and couldn't get a great angle. Anyhow...)

It was a beautiful wedding, a sunset ceremony held outside right by Conneaut Lake, where they both grew up. The weather couldn't have been better, and I managed to survive having to sit beside my ex-husband for the entire ceremony. Dustin and Cori have been married for almost a month now (the Big Day was August 17) and married life seems to be suiting them well. Cheers to them! OK, lets see if I can get a few more pictures posted...

Obviously, one of them smooching; the other is their grand entrance at the reception...

...and here's a pic of moi, the proud mom, with my son Dustin. Dustin and Cori are telling me they're planning on making me a grandma 4 or 5 times over! I'll keep you posted... er, umm, at least I'll TRY!

High Voltage!

2007-05-24T14:54:00.002-07:00

My friend Mick and I went to a nearby gravel pit to catch the setting sun one beautiful (and chilly!) day last week. We took turns shooting pics of each other hamming it up - and both particularly enjoyed this sign (Danger...) Don't I look shocked?!

If you would like to check out more great photos from Mick, here's a link to his Flickr gallery: flickr photos

Pony Tracks

2007-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

So there I was this morning, about 7 am, getting some coffee going, and I looks outside and I sees what I think is one of my horses, Spice, staring at me through the kitchen window. I sez, "Spicey, what are you doing out there?" and the horse takes a few steps closer. Then I think, (it's still early remember, and I haven't actually drank my coffee yet) wait a minute, you're supposed to be in the barn still! Then I realize, it isn't Spice at all, (you gotta understand, I'm really slow before my morning coffee!) but some strange little pony that wondered into the yard! (Believe it or not, even owning horses and having them lodged at your own place doesn't take all the surprise out of seeing one of them staring at you through your window when you aren't expecting it!)

So I go trotting off into the bedroom and yelling to Rick, wake up, wake up, there's a pony in the yard (can we keep it, huh, huh, can we keep it?!) OK, I didn't really say that last part - even I don't think we need something else that eats and poops right now - unless it's another llama, of course! But after I said the first part, he gets up, goes to the window - and it's gone. Vanished. He says, yeah, right, there's a pony there, sure... I said, yes there is, or was, look for the pony tracks... So it did resurface soon after - Dahllai (my llama) had his eyes peeled on him, staring at him over the fence; he wasn't too hard to find. But before I could get my boots on and grab a halter and rope, I saw one of our neighbors, hot on it's heels. A short while later, as he walked past the window with his catch of the day, I asked him if that was the pony that had been reported missing a few days ago in the local paper. He said he didn't know for sure whose pony it was either - but no doubt he was thinking reward! Anyhow, so that was our little sorta almost an adventure this morning! I just love living in the country!

They ALL get the Gold...

2007-05-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

So the weather turned out to be great, and the Special Olympics were held as scheduled. If it were up to me, I'd have given gold medals to everyone involved! They were definitely all winners; participants, supporters, spectators. (Ok, maybe there was one participant's mom I could have awarded a black eye to for sheer idiocy, but thats a bl ITCH I'll maybe bl OG about later!) Other than that, what a great event!

OK, that one little incident bothers me so much, maybe I'll pitch my bl ITCH sooner than later... one participant, who also happens to be a teen client where I work, happens to have some sort of learning disability. Nothing severe, I believe, and you wouldn't know it unless you knew her fairly well. I believe she is in a learning support class. But, for some odd reason unknown to me, her mother MADE her not just attend the special olympics (which actually wouldn't be a bad thing in itself) - she made her participate, special olympics t-shirt and all! Now, I know the schools are trying to get students to be more tolerant of diversity in all its' aspects, which is all fine and dandy, but the reality is kids will still be cruel to each other - and there were plenty of her peers there volunteering for this event. And while I didn't see anyone being inappropriate (teasing anyone or whatnot) - what a great opportunity was created for that at some later date. What a dingleberry that mom was! Honey, can you spell "humiliation?"

OK, I'm off my soapbox. Like I said, overall, what a fantastic event. If you've never been, you should consider going. If nothing else, it will likely give you a renewed appreciation for your own blessings - something I know I benefit from now and then!

Special Olympics

2007-05-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our local school's Special Olympics Day, and the pregnant and parenting teens program (Thurston House) I work for is participating in this wonderful event once again. This is my second time to be lucky enough to be involved with this and I am definitely looking forward to running my booth there. Such fun, and such a good cause!

Here's hoping for good weather as the rain date is Thursday, and I'll be teaching a seminar then and won't be able to attend - please do a little "no rain dance" for me! (Hey, tomorrow evening it can rain though - we actually do need it here in NW PA!)

I'll let you know how our event went soon. Meanwhile, if there's a Special Olympics near you, I hope you'll show your support and attend! Definitely a feel-good kind of thing to do!

Splash!

2007-04-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my brother's chocolate lab in action, taken some years ago. My sense of timing isn't usually very good, but I think it worked out pretty well in this case. (Doggy's name is Brandy, btw.)

In Darkness

2007-04-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to be brave and bold and just throw a poem into the mix here (the one I mentioned in my last post.) I wrote this many years ago, probably rewrote it somewhere and subsequently lost it, but anyhow, here it is, in whatever state - for what it's worth...

"In Darkness"

I sit here
thinking up
silly lines,
try to conjure
up an image.

Ever walk
into your mind
and find a dark
and dreary cavern?

Step on in...
lightly tiptoe...
search diligently
for that candle
to enlighten;
tripping on
some discarded memory.

Raise a voice
inside your mind,
hear it echo
through the tunnels,
spilling into
empty caverns.

Brush the dust
from off the ledges,
sweep the cobwebs
out of corners.

Come in, come in!
It's been a while
since we just sat
and thought together.

Seems awkward
how we've been
like strangers,
you and I
should be as one
my tiny, little
disjointed friend,
my mind.

by Col
............................

Well, I never said I was Maya Angelo...

Stuck in the Muck and Mire

2007-04-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Was it Thoreau who said an unexamined life is not worth living? I thought it was him, but a quick peek at "Walden..." didn't show me any such quote I surely must have underlined when I first read it years ago. But Thoreau is a rough skim, and maybe it was in something else he wrote. (Or perhaps someone else altogether.) I'm tempted to reread him soon - I'll let you know if I'm wrong.

Anyhow, whoever said it, I always kinda liked that idea, thought it fit right in with my way of thinking. But the older I get, the more I think the opposite might also be true: an overly analyzed - overly examined, if you will - life, is almost impossible to live. Just ask Sylvia Plath...

Seems when it comes down to the marrow of my existance, I reach a paradox - I find it’s too mucky, too sticky and gooey to pass through easily on one of these introspective forays. Or, on my more trying - or tiring - days, the bones of my existance seem dried out and hollow - any attempt at an exploration then and I just fall right through. Hello, anybody home? Reminds me of a poem I once wrote, still trying to come to terms with. (Which, being human, I probably never will.) Which brings me to my point: look too long and hard, and you’ll get stuck in the marrow, never look at all and you’ll never get a chance to see what may or may not be in there anyhow...)

Maybe its just existential anxst, or maybe I just have too much time on my hands. Probably it comes down to something as simple as this: I’ve just never been good at creating a real center of balance in my life. (Ok, I’m going to resist - that's a blog for another day...)

Anyhow, without blowing off a lot of other things I should be doing right now instead of this - and risking getting stuck more in the marrow, this little whisper of a thought has suggested to me that I try using this need for balance as a way to motivate me back to the blog page. Using a relatively minimalist approach (for me) I think I'll try simply blurting out a thought or two for the day, keep it short (again, for me...) and then, well... carry on. And that was my thought for this day.

Heart of Stone

2007-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Heart of Stone

This little gem of a rock lay for, well, a stone’s age, in a friend's driveway, just waiting for the day someone would discover it in all its’ modest glory. I was talking to my friend outside her house, getting ready to take my leave after an outing we’d been on. She was on the cusp of a breakup with her boyfriend, and this was just one of many conversations we had on that subject.

I don’t even know how I managed to spot this little stone. I don’t consider myself to possess an "eagle eye" for these little details, and there was nothing particularly flashy about its’ coloring or unusual about its’ size that would make it stand out from the crowd of other stones hanging out there. But for whatever reason, I glanced down, and there it was, begging me to pick it up. A heart of stone! Made by God, or Nature or The One, whatever the force is one believes in.

As you see it here in this photo is exactly as I found it; I didn’t chisel or chip or grind away at it, no manipulation of any sort was done. I thought it was absolutely beautiful, and after showing it to my friend, I asked if she minded if I kept it (it was in her driveway, after all!) She didn’t mind, and so one little stone among many was rescued from obscurity, not to mention the crush of car tires.

There’s nothing particularly precious about the materials in this stone, in the manner of gemstones or such, but something about it seems to spark my imagination., making it quite precious in my own heart of hearts. That my friend and I were conversing on the subject of heartbreak at the time of its’ discovery seemed no mere coincidence. I took it home, and gave it a place of honor in my curio cabinet. Among the many curiosities it snuggles in amongst are a snakeskin, given to me by a child I worked with for several years, various unusually shaped pieces of driftwood, and cat whiskers (I've deemed finding those a sign of good luck - doesn’t count if you actually resort to pulling them off a cat, of course!) The treasures I find worthy of saving! Anyhow...

A heart of stone - I conjure up images of people whose hearts have gone cold and dead, incapable of compassion of any sort. I can't think of any I know personally who fit this description, though of course I know they've existed throughout history. So, I figured I'd do a little impromptu research and see what I could find out about what others have related concerning hearts of stone.

I’d thought this little idiom may have originated - or at least made an appearance - in the bible, so I looked there, finding a reference in Job 41:24. Now, I am no biblical scholar - and I admit, I didn’t reread the entire book of Job, so I could very well have taken this out of context. But it appears that Job was having a conversation with God, in which it seems that God is describing "The power of the leviathan:"

His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

I confess I was a bit disappointed. I never imagined a biblical reference to a heart of stone would refer to a whale. I’m no expert in whales, either, but I’ve read a fair amount about them, and been on a few whale-watching tours. It’s been my impression that female whales are usually pretty darn good moms, and that many, at least of most species, form tight bonds with others of their kind. I can’t recall hearing about any clashes with whale-watching boats in recent times, either, at least nothing originating on the part of the whales. Considering our long and not so pretty history with them, I think this shows quite a bit of warmth on their part! Of course, I don’t want to set off a blaze of controversy with my vast readership in which debates rage over whether the bible is a literal transcription of the word of God or simply a most excellent read - and I realize either way that the scribes in those days didn’t have access to the scientific info we do now (divine inspiration aside), but still, in MHO, this one doesn’t quite make it onto a list of notorious hearts of stone. The search continued...

I googled up heart of stone, and found an interesting article by Robert Manne, professor of politics at La Trobe University, who wrote of Joseph Stalin that he was a "man of steel, heart of stone." He writes that this evil tyrant "appear(ed) to have experienced ... no attachment to any human being." Not even his mother! Continuing on, Manne states that Stalin was responsible for the needless deaths of possibly "20 million human beings." Whoa! I knew Stalin was a very bad, bad man, but that’s ridiculous, to say the least! A heart of stone, indeed! That would be a hard act to follow, but I kept up the search. (To read more about what Manne had to say about Stalin, click here:) http://www.theage.com.au/

Hitler, of course must be considered in the same league as Stalin, brothers at lithoid-heart. My quick "surf-by" research on the net left me with the impression that he only actually killed two people - Eva Braun and himself, though of course, like Stalin, he was responsible for millions of murders, most of which were actually carried out by his followers. Saddam Hussein’s deeds putting him in this category only pointed out farther how futile trying to pin down exact numbers is, particularly for a mathematics - challenged person like myself. But whether or not these people had blood on their hands in the literal sense hardly seems to matter when contemplating the hardness of their hearts. These are certainly not the sort of people I’d care to socialize with!

Then there are the folks with hearts of stone cold and brutal enough to inspire the creation of legends; Vlad Tepes, "the Impaler" is purported to be the historical inspiration behind Count Dracula of Vampire fame. The exact truth behind the tales of his reign of terror may be much disputed, particularly by the Romanian people. But just to hear what his stone heart is said to have been capable of - not just impalement, but skinning and boiling alive, eye gouging, and amputations to name but a few of his favorites - is enough to rock my world.

Of course, history didn’t close the door on these cold villains. Contemporary monsters are all too common, as a look at just about any day’s news will prove - from the Jeffery Dahmers, John Wayne Gacies and Harold Shipmans of relatively recent times to Osama Bin Laden or who-knows-who, out on the streets right now, as I sit here contemplating these chilling tales of human cruelty, safe - I think - in my own home.

Perhaps, though, the most interesting of all the stories I’ve come across in my little inquiry into this matter of hearts of stone was one I found in an article collected by Marcine Quenzer (www.hotcakencyclopedia.com.) The story which caught my eye was a fictional one, in which Nahum Hersom writes about finding a stone heart back in his youth (a man after my own heart!) This heart of stone, unlike mine (which you can see from the picture is a somewhat romantic version, reminiscent more of some cartoon heart hewn of stone, than the real thing) looks almost like a petrified version of an actual heart. He writes of how, as a child, he showed it to his mother (a nurse,) who pointed out where the blood vessels would have been connected in life. Hersom even mentions that some folks who have held his stone heart in their hands claimed to have sensed an energy in it. (OK, I don’t get that feeling with mine, but I do think I can hear the ocean when I hold it up to my ear!)

Hersom wrote about meeting with Chief Whirling Thunder, who told a legend of a tribe of giants, the "Wong - a - Rouskah - Podarouuhuh - Poruh - Wah - Roughe - a - ga," AKA "those who eat people and have hearts of stone." These giants were a cruel and fierce sort, with not only stone hearts, but stomachs of ice as well. Supposedly, when they appeared among the Winnebagos, some of the tribe would disappear forever. In the legend, as Hersom writes of Chief Whirling Thunder’s telling, one day, long ago, a young male giant came into Winnebago country and became smitten with the sight of a lovely young Indian maiden, who was standing on the far side of a stream. When she saw that he was not going to try to harm her, she walked home, curious about why he did not seem to be the vicious sort that she had heard tell of. She saw him often after that, becoming less and less afraid of him, until she realized she had fallen in love herself. Alas, she knew she could not marry him (because of that stone heart, of course!) After she prayed to the Great Spirit, however, the giant received a "real life" heart, filled with "warmth, compassion and patience," and they were able, presumably, to live happily ever after. Ah, at last, a story that could warm any heart! (Well, except maybe Stalin’s, or...)

Personally, I’m glad my heart of stone doesn’t look realistic enough to have ever actually beat in the breast of one of these monsters, real or imagined, that I’ve come across in my research - or for that matter read about in the papers or seen on the news. Rather than the petrified heart of some manic, lost soul, I’d much prefer to think of mine as a bedraggled valentine, perhaps accidentally dropped by Fred on his way to Wilma’s house one Valentine’s eve long ago. Warms my own heart just thinking about it.

Faerie Frights

2007-01-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

"Nothing can be truer than fairy wisdom. It is as true as sunbeams." Douglas Jerrold

This is a tiny little watercolor with graphite I painted in '01, titled "Faerie Frights" Not sure how you'd categorize it - part surreal, part fantasy, part abstract I guess. There's a lot going on, especially considering its' size (about 3.5x7.5 inches.) I won't explain it though - you can form your own impressions. This one is available for purchase also - please scroll down to my previous post for contact info.

The Suncats Series

2007-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

This is a series I did a few years ago I call the Suncats series (1, 2 & 3.) Again, they were done in French dyes on silk. Suncats 1 & 2 were done as wall hangings and now live in other people's homes. But Suncats 3 still resides with me - and is available for purchase. It is matted and framed under glass (you can see the blue matt in the photo above.) If you are interested in more information on this piece, please contact me at keeliecdw@hotmail.com and I will be happy to answer any questions. (As before, please put something like "painting" or "pet portrait" in the subject line so I can rescue your email from the junk mail filter.) Or feel free to post a comment! I'd love to know if someone other than me has actually seen this blog!

Living Color

2007-01-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

O.K., I promised color, you got color... well, the silk painting of the whale tails is much lighter and brighter in real life, but still it's color! Done in French dyes on silk - lots of fun to do. The other is a watercolor abstract done with wax resist, titled "Superman III and the Return of Comet." Don't really end up liking a lot of the abstracts I do, guess I'm just sorta bound up in realism. But this one I liked. Ended up giving it as a Thank You to a doctor who removed my spleen and patched up my liver after a nasty little spill I had last year (fell off my horse and damn near died after an imcompetant ER Dr. sent me home with my arm in a sling and a prescription for percasets. That "doctor" never even checked for internal injuries, even though I was whining about my stomache hurting.
A week later I was being life flighted in a helicopter to a more competent hospitol and doctor (the above mentioned one who now owns this painting.) Still thinking about sueing the ER doc - he shouldn't be gatekeeping if he doesn't know a ruptured spleen from a hole in the ground! Especially when he almost permanently put me in one! (OK, done ranting for now. All in all, I'm thrilled to still be alive!)

Bla Bla Blog

2007-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

I've now been a blogger for several years (ok, not consistently, until recently anyhow) and I must admit, I haven't a clue how to get anyone to notice, let alone respond to me on here. I suppose I could post a pic of me in the buff - but then I said notice, not throw up on me (albeit virtually.) Then too, I could send out a link in my emails to friends and family, but they already know pretty much all this stuff about me (other than maybe my threat to post nekked pics. And I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to actually see that!) *Sigh* I want new blood! But I'm no vampire - so what do I do?

I'm thinking about how very middlin', muddlin average I feel, nothing special, just kinda ho-hum. (Not to insult the billions of other average joes and janes out there by comparison...just sulking a little, feeling a bit invisible and whining about it, since - you guessed it - no one will see me whine here anyhow!) And so thinking about average got me off on another track - you know, not the fast track, not the slow track - just the average track, of course...

So, if anyone else out there has ever felt that same, bla feeling of ordinary, and - perhaps for lack of something more interesting to do? - wants to kill a few more minutes of their non-descript, mundane lives - please feel free to go along with me on this deeper look into what I can only (and probably erroniously) call the Law of Averages...

OK, now I have to wonder - where were we and what were we doing when we passed over that mythical equater of average, when we hit the changes between greater and lesser, bigger and smaller, brighter and darker, younger and older? Where is the middle ground, the axis, the exact center? When have we hit our middlest middle age, our most common average?

No one ever knows the answer to that question exactly, as it pertains to themselves - age-wise at least, because, of course, they have to die before they can do the math.

Unless they can predict. Even then they could only estimate, hoping, (I suppose) to come close. That wouldn’t take into account horrible accidents and other unforeseeable events. A person bent on taking their best shot at this this might well be advised to wait to start until s/he is well into his or her old age. And sure as taxes, no one will ever be able to verify - again, in their own case - complete accuracy on this account!
Besides, who really gives a royal rat’s bottom when the exact middlin is always changing anyhow, unless you’re flying 100% psychic...

We might be better off musing on some other midline, one where you don’t have to die to get the answer. I’m referring to where we fit in with that so-called law of averages - but then, am I still trying to figure out the answer to the unanswerable? In truth, can there really be such a thing as an average person? Looking at this from a mathematical perspective, as a group, we pretty much seem to be divided right down the middle - we all fit in one way or the other, by the slimmest or farthest of margins, swinging one side or the other of the mean, in whatever it is that we’re measuring. And in so many ways - for most of us, all ways - each of us must be above or below average in every single thing we do or think or say, on all levels. After all, who ever gets it exactly right in the middle, with exactly every thing, every time? Or even a little bit of it exactly average, a little bit of the time? To be exactly average does not seem possible. On a world-wide, geographic level, most of us are so far from average we can’t see the equator. On a human scale, many of us can’t even see our own wasteline. How can any of us be, strictly speaking, average?

Yet, when you average everyone’s everything, it all comes out pretty even-steven, equi-distant; run of the mill. No One and No Thing is striding the middle exactly. But as a unit, we all hover pretty closely.
I have this strange feeling about what might happen if any one person were to ever come to find himself in that mythical exact center of the universe, or simply, on our own planet, the exact average of everyone else in all things at any one particular point in time. For however brief a period of time it might last, such an event, if it did happen, surely must create just enough pressure in the universe for that unfortunately average Joe or Jane to simply... implode. (Ironically enough, a decidedly non-average thing to do.)

Of course, that is just my own personal little theory, but lately I’ve come to believe that it just might be possible that this may be why, every once in a great while, we hear tell of someone spontaneously combusting.
Serves them right for flaunting the law of averages!

Pumpkin

2007-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is Pumpkin, my Quarter Horse. She's an absolutely beautiful horse who, well... just isn't such a good looker. (i.e., she's blind.) But she's very sweet, and a pretty good trail horse too, as long as you don't ask her to do something silly like race other horses, or jump things.

Think I'll look around and see if I can find some paintings I've done, get a little color back in here...meanwhile, if you'd like more info on how to get a portrait of your own pet, just click on the link to my email address, found in my last blog entry, below...

Keelie, CDW - Portrait

2007-01-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

This is a portrait in graphite I did recently of my dog Keelie. You know, the Cutest Dog in the World. Click here Keeliecdw@hotmail.com for more information on how you can get a portrait of your very own cutest dog (or cat or horse or llama or whatnot!) Please put "pet portrait" in the subject line.

Portrait of Dallai Llama

2007-01-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

I've decided it's about time to finally post some of my drawings. (Well, at least one. You know,
for now...)

This is the Dallai Llama (same critter as in the photo below), in graphite. I am available to do commissions of your pet, done from your
photo(s) - either a print or email image. I am currently offering these original works in either graphite or watercolor.
I hope to eventually post this service for sale on ebay, but for now if you are interested in prices, seeing more samples of my work, or ordering details, please email me at keeliecdw@hotmail.com. Please put "pet portraits" in the subject line so I can rescue your message from the junk mail filter!

Farther updates/edits as they appear!

Critter Pics

2006-12-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

Introducing the Dallai Llama. Check out that face! It's a little hard to see in the photo, but he has beautiful, big blue eyes
with eyelashes that are about 2 inches long.
He's just an incredible animal!

Pet Portraits in time for Christmas (or shortly thereafter!)

2006-12-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

If I were better at self promotion I would have put this little notice in here long before this. But I'm just not very good at that! I am, however, pretty good when it comes to wielding a pencil or paint brush, at least in MHO! If you are looking for a unique Christmas present for someone, there may still be time to commission a pet portrait. (Though at this late date, I must limit the medium to graphite drawings for delivery by Christmas.) For more information, please contact me by email at Keeliecdw@hotmail.com. Put "Pet Portraits" in the subject line. Hope to hear from you soon!

(Mostly) Non-Animal News

2006-12-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hmm... looks like nobody has come to visit. Maybe everyone is on Ebay...anyhow, they sure aren't here reading my lonely little blog. Feeling a bit like Ellie Mae lost in cyberspace. Oh well, it's not like I hang out here much either, being attentive to my fanbase (can you call 4 comments, mostly if not all spam, a fanbase?) Apparently I can, and no one will even notice!

So I do have interests other than critters (who by the way are doing fabulously, the horses love each other, and Dallai llama is being quite patient if not a bit bewildered about being locked up in the barn now that we're in the middle of deer season here in NW PA. He just looks too much like a shaggy little doe to chance him running around outside in this rural 'hood!) Anyhow, one of those other, not necessarily animal-centered interests is writing, so I thought I'd share a little bit of news from that part of my life.

I've loved writing - and have been practicing it - for many years now. I keep threatening to send something out, see If I have any sort of luck at all in getting it published. But for some reason, I seem to have this block. Not a writer's block kind of thing. I do lots of that, albeit in obscurity. More like sender's block - as in I've never really been able to bring myself to send something to a prospective publisher. Don't know why - fear of failure, fear of success - if it's the only thing I can do half right, maybe I just get too worried about all that rejection out there waiting for me. As if merely dreaming were more likely to make my dreams come true!

So I finally just said, screw it, I'm sending something out, ya never know... And so, along about late October, I went ahead and did just that-and I just got a response from the good folks I sent it to! Now, it was a rejection, but it was an actual hand-written letter (well, sticky note, but still... it was very polite, said unfortunately they just recently published something very similar to my piece, and wished me good luck!) OK, maybe not very exciting to you, but to me, it was great - a stop to all that procrastinating and avoiding I'd been doing, a breakthrough, a real start . . . and I took it as a good sign that they responded at all! Which, my loyal blog readers, is more than I can say for most of you!

But I promise you (whether you give a rat's ass or not!) I will persist - both here (when I remember about having this blog, which I hope to do more frequently) and in the publishing arena... Wish me luck (please! I'd love to hear from someone!)

A Really Long Time

2006-11-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

So I really have been away a long time - think I'll update a bit.
Didn't really expect to see any response, since I only posted a few things, eeons ago. Much to my surprise I had several coments. Of course, half of them were trying to sell me something, (porn and a college degree of my choice - some combo!) and another issued me an invitation to check out his (her?) blog, which I haven't managed yet. Maybe there's something for sale there too...

Anyhow, back to the only subject I've really mentioned here - critters. I'll try not to sicken any one with all my "pet-speak" - I realize that to many that's about as interesting sounding as a foray into the photo albums of somebody else's grandchildren. But anyhow.

So we just got a couple of new pets. One of our new additions is perhaps a tad unusual - but they seem to be growing in popularity. Anyway, we llove it (hint.) Such a fuzzy, cute critter, with huge blue eyes, two inch eyelashes, (bottom and top!) It hums, it hollers when it sees something suspicious, it hates the mud. But it is just totally adorable. We call him Dallai. Give up yet?

OK, I'll give - it's a llama. Such a sweet and gentle creature! I love him already and I've had him less than a week. Having a little containment problem at the moment - he keeps getting out of the pasture - but hope to have that solved shortly. Another string of wire going up today...

So this was a buy one (llama) get one (horse) free kind of deal. The horse is a little older, maybe 16 or 18, but a very sweet, well-mannered girl. Haven't ridden her yet but hope to today or tomorrow. It's just so damn rainy here today - everythings all sogged up. Drats.

Here's the funny thing. Our first horse, Pumpkin, is a quarter horse, quite orange, (chestnut) with a white blaze - beautiful mare, just not a real good looker, as I think I mentioned before. This new horse, also a quarter horse mare, also orange with a blaze, also named Pumpkin. Things are getting a bit confusing out here in the Patch!

But this horse is definitely a much better looker - as is Dallai. He's like a living periscope!

Well, we're still adjusting to everything and everyone... Today we plan to make the Big Introduction. The llama has been out with both horses, and of course, knew the new Pumpkin previously, so this is the intro for the two mares, together in the pasture for the first time. I'm a bit nervous, crossing my fingers that they've already settled any hierarchy issues in the barn! I'll keep you posted...

Lucky Me! I have the cutest dog in the world!

2005-02-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Really, I do! Her name (not mine, except maybe sometimes in Cyberspace) is Keelie, CDW - the letters in the title stand for Cutest Dog in the World, so that should be proof enough!

OK, so you think YOU have the Cutest Dog also? That's ok, I'm not saying it's exclusive. Your dog can be the cutest in the world, too. It's just that my dog lives with me, not yours, so to me, she IS the CDW. Isn't it nice that any worthy dog can earn this title, just by being who it is for whomever it's with?

I'll try to post some pics/sketches of Keelie (the dog, not me) -worth a thousand blogs...

Got pets?

2004-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

Just trying to find an opener here, but a lot of people like animals, even live with a few maybe. I happen to live with (in MHO) the Best Dog in the World - but take no offense if you think you do too! I also just so happen to draw and paint animals too, even sculpt them sometimes. This is my very first blog entry (I hope it "takes" this time!) and I don't have a web page set up yet (other than this) - but I will mention this again from time to time, as my adventure in blogging begins to bloom! Maybe I'll even figure out how to upload some pics! In the meantime - while I try to overcome my "technilliteracy" - if you happen to be at all interested in more info on having a commissioned original of one (or more!) of your pets, please email me! Keeliecdw@hotmail.com . I will be happy to send email with more details, prices (I'm pretty good, but not famous yet, so I am still affordable!) and some electronic samples of my work! I usually (but not exclusively)work in watercolor, pencil, and pen and ink.

If you could care less about that but just want to talk critters, I'd like that too! Besides my beautiful muttley, I have a "sight-challenged" Quarter horse (she's beautiful too, just not a good looker!) In spite of her handicap, she is wonderful on the trails, will do pretty much anything I ask her (although so far I haven't asked her to canter - still working up to that! And I'll never ask her to jump stuff, that would just be wrong!) We're building a good, trusting relationship - she trusts me to be her eyes and keep her out of trouble, and I trust her not to stumble and fall on me (I used to have a rather clutsy horse that actually did that - but that's a blog for another day!)

So - I hope to hear from somebody out there in cyberspace - until then, (or I log on again!) keep blogging!