1. Hooray, we finally got some rain. On the other hand, the grass looks like we never mowed it last week.
2. Trying to keep my email inbox tidy has proved a
monumental task. I keep things long past when I should, then go into a
frenzy of deleting - hoping I don't delete something I actually need. What's important changes from day to day.
3. The lilac bushes have finally started leafing
out. Now if only the trees would get with the program it would feel more
like spring. What signs do you look for to point to spring heading into
summer?
4. I'm glad the camera on my phone is better than
my previous phone, but I'm still not taking as many pictures as I did
last year. Perhaps a road trip is in order to break out of my rut?
5. So who has plans for the summer? Going anywhere interesting? What kind of fun stuff is in the works?
1. I've tried listening to the radio on my every day commute. Just
can't deal with the commercials, or the lack of choice in music. Old rock, old country, new country, religious or pop. The
oldies rock station plays the same playlist every day it seems. I do like
Pink Floyd, but not Another Brick In The Wall every couple of hours. Back to the iPod.
2. Time to mow the lawn before the grass is as high as a Corgi!
3.
Editing my Poem A Day poems. There's far more nature-oriented poems
than I am used to writing. (I'm not really a nature poem kind of gal.)
Trying to figure out my mindset when I wrote them. Longing for spring,
perhaps?
4. Had a song stuck in my head. Finally broke down
and listened to it, and discovered I had the lyrics all backwards. I
think I like my way better. Any songs earwormed you lately?
5. I've been loading some apps on my new phone. MLB at
Bat, a grocery store one, Google Sky Map, ISS Detector, Kindle. Anyone
have any suggestions for interesting phone apps?
Oonah over at Parallel Oonahversepassed
this blog meme on to me. I'm tossing it out there for anyone who wants
to respond on their blog - or in the comments here. If you want to see more
answers, Kathleen at One Minnesota Writer also played with the meme.
1. If you could be any type of animal, what would you be and why?
I would be a bird. Not only could I soar away from
any potential problems, but I could also change my perspective on things
with a flick of my wings. If I was really brave I'd be a bar-headed
goose and fly over the Himalayas. Or maybe an owl and cruise the world
at night. Or perhaps just a chickadee and hang upside down around
birdfeeders.
2. Is there anything you collect? If so, what?
Besides books? Baseball cards, yarn, fleece and knitting needles, kitchen appliances and Corgi paraphernalia.
3. What is the overall goal of your blog?
Life
on the Periphery is there to collect my thoughts, occasionally showcase
some artwork, and to provide a jumping off point for places unknown.
4. How do you feel in big crowds of people?
Usually I just feel short.
Depends
on the crowd and their intent, but I'd rather put up with crowds of a hundred or less, although I will deal with 40,000 people or so to
watch a baseball game.
5. Mobile phones (cell phones) - what's your opinion of them?
I
love my cell phone. It keeps me amused when I have to wait, and it's
useful for texting my kids - their preferred method of communication.
It's like having my computer with me wherever I go. It has an awesome
flashlight feature that helps me find the keyhole in my door at night.
It wakes me in the morning or I'd be late for work. I can attempt to
keep myself on track with the calendar feature. I can read books on it.
And when I tire of it all, I can just turn it off. What's not to like?
6. If you could decorate your home in any style, what would that be?
Of course I'd need a new house to implement Prairie Style...
7. Do you believe in extraterrestrials?
Sure.
It's pretty arrogant to assume we are the only lifeforms in the
universe. Besides, I'm a science fiction fan. I've long embraced the
possibility. Now the only question is War of the World aliens, or ET
aliens?
8. If you could meet any mythological creature, what would it be and why?
The
Moirai or Three Fates. (Clotho - spins the thread of life, Lachesis -
measures the thread of life, Atropos - cuts of the thread of life) In
Greek mythology the Moirai controlled the threads of life from birth to
death for everyone, gods included. They represented destiny, and who
wouldn't want a chance to talk with destiny?
Otherwise, Cerberus - as long as the three heads are Corgis.
9. Would you rather stay busy or have a lot of free time? Why?
Yes.
- At work I'd rather stay busy so time passes quicker, and at home I'd
rather have lots of free time so I can work on art and writing
projects.
10. If you would have a chance to travel to the moon, would you do it?
Of
course. I love space related stuff and reading books like "Failure Is
Not An Option", "Apollo 13", and "Riding Rockets". I remember being
allowed to stay up late to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. That
had to have some influence on my love of outer space.
Neil Armstrong quote - "I think we're going to the
moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges.
It's by the nature of his deep inner soul ... we're required to do these
things just as salmon swim upstream."
11. What music album are you still frequently listening to now that you also listened to years ago?
David Bromberg's "How Late'll Ya Play 'Til?" (1976) and "Reckless Abandon" (1977)
1. Hooray, we have warmer weather! How long it will last is a mystery,
though. All I know is it has melted the snow piles and made mud of the
yard. The Corgis are not super shiny any more.
2. I just realized I have stacks of old bills sitting around. Why oh
why can't I just shred them and move on? I'm not fully integrated into
the online bill thing yet. Paper copies are reminders to pay. Online
copies of things drop down my mail list awfully fast.
3. It's that time of year. The birds are singing,
the roads are clear, and I just want to get out of town and see
something different. What's your favorite short get away?
4. Trying to muster enthusiasm for upcoming summer movies. Not
finding much interest in the new Star Trek. Could be interested in Iron
Man 3. Maybe. So what's on your radar, movie-wise?
5. I'm muddling my way through poems for the Poem A Day
Challenge. I'm just not that excited about the prompts, so many of my poems
are off the cuff - not related to prompts. Maybe the prompts aren't
engaging enough. Maybe my ideas don't match any prompt this time around.
Maybe I just don't like being told what to do.
1. Well, we escaped the wrath of another spring storm. It dropped an
inch of snow instead of fifteen inches and moved on. Next on the agenda
is rain. And boy do we need it.
2. The Corgis went to the groomer and got all
spiffed up. They even smelled pretty for a few days. But now Merlin has
run the fence line and churned snow into mud, so his undercarriage isn't
as pristine as it was. I always love when their whites are show dog
white. No pictures with bandanas this time around, sorry.
3. Wrote the shortest short story I've written in
years, it only came to about 2000 words. Maybe all these years of poetry
writing is paying off. Short and more succinct.
4. I've been working my way through a bunch of books I have
on my Kindle. Mostly fantasy and scifi, with some historical thrown in.
In hardcover/paperback, I tend to mostly read non-fiction. So do you
have an e-reader? What types of things do you read on it?
5. Impatiently waiting for the promised new
restaurants in town to be built. I want some different choices when I go
out to eat. Worst case scenario, I drive 140 miles to the next big town
to get my 'different' fix. How far would you drive for a decent dinner?
1. I love the crazy spring weather - snowstorm with 10 inches one day,
50 degrees two days later, then snow again predicted two days after
that. We really need the moisture, but wouldn't a nice, steady rain
accomplish the same thing?
2. Food, glorious food. Not so much. I feel like we
are in a food rut at home. Cooking and eating the same things. What are some
of your favorite recipes for midweek cooking? Weekend cooking?
3. I got a new cell phone, and now I'm playing with apps to make
my life easier - or at least more interesting. What are some apps that
you can't live without?
4. Baseball season has
started and the Rockies are already sucking. It's not unexpected, but
at least they could pretend they want to climb out of the cellar this
year. Luckily cable offers other teams to watch - least I forget what
good baseball looks like.
5. I'm reading more books about the craft of writing, so I know
my brain is gearing up to write something. I don't usually do short
stories, but for some reason I find the idea of a scifi or fantasy short
story appealing right now. Of course, you realize, for me 'short' is
around 5000 words. Of course the Poem A Day thing makes me want to write longer, too. Maybe an epic poem is in order?
1. So I went ahead and decided to do the Poem A Day thing again this
April. I'm getting stuff on paper, whether it's good stuff or not
remains to be seen - it always looks different when editing. And for the record, I still hate fill in the blank prompts.
2. Waiting impatiently for spring to actually come -
buds on the lilac bushes, green grass and all that. Right now we are
still holding at dead and brown. Some rain would move things along
nicely.
3. The Corgis are thrilled to have light in the
evening so we can play bouncy ball when I get home from work. It makes
me smile to see how happy they are when I open the front door - "She's
home! Let's play!" Even Anubis D'Cat loiters around, getting underfoot
and rolling in the grass (dirt). What do your animals do that makes you smile?
4. Bought several books on printmaking, trying to
up the level of my craft. Do you find reading books on your interests
help, or are classes and such more practical?
5. I brought peanut butter and jelly to work for lunch today. Sometimes you just have to revert to your inner child...
1. You know you watch too many Food Network cooking shows when you hear
chef Ann Burrell counting down in your head (yelling) as you try to finish
making your dinner. "5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 Time's up!"
2. I wish Google would just leave things
alone. I don't want a new way to do my email. I was perfectly happy with
things the way they were. Change for change's sake makes me crazy.
3. The redwing blackbirds have returned! I heard the squeaky
screen door song the other day when I was outside, and saw their black
forms littering the bare trees. I always feel better when the redwings
return to Wyoming. Spring can't be far away.
4. Came home from work yesterday to find Anubis D'Cat on top of
the garage roof, staring down at me. By the time I got into the house,
he was inside, attempting to look innocent. Since he bolted when he saw
me pull in the drive, I think he knows I don't approve of his antics.
Mainly because he's not the most graceful cat...
5. So what do you have planned for Easter? Any big meals, egg hunts, and/or visiting?
1. Scanning the radio dial for music to listen to, I always stop on a Neil Diamond song. Always.
2. Nyquil - the nasty, obnoxiously flavored, throat
burning concoction you take so you can sleep without hacking up a lung medicine.
Makes cough syrup look tame in comparison. Or maybe it's just me. Tea
with honey just wasn't cutting it. Score one for the drug companies over
mother nature.
3. Work has given me another region of Wyoming to
cover. Since we're under travel restrictions I doubt I'll get to spend a
lot of time taking pictures on the road like I do for my Devils Tower
expeditions, but you never know.
4. Easter is sneaking up on me fast. What's your
favorite Easter candy? Not a fan of Peeps, too squishy. I do like white
chocolate bunnies with ears to bite off. Favorite Easter 'type'? Bunny,
duck or chick? Other? I like stuffed bunnies, but Max and Merlin prefer
ducks that quack when you squeeze (bite) them.
5. I'm ready to watch The Hobbit on bluray this
weekend. Now I can pause the film to get a good look at the knitwear the
dwarves are wearing. What, doesn't everyone zoom in on costuming
details in movies? Debating making dwarven fingerless mittens from some
New Zealand yarn I have left from my Lord of the Rings yarn buying - Stansborough grey wool from Stansborough Grey sheep...
Anubis - ready, willing, and able to ignore in your general direction.
1. Survived my long return airplane trip and middle seat by reading
books on my Kindle and outlining my next fantasy novel in my head while
staring at the blank tv screen on the back of the seat in front of me.
Too bad the guy in the aisle seat kept checking his Facebook until the
wheels left the runway. If we went down, it was all on him...
2. The Corgis were glad to see me return - who knew they could jump so
high vertically? I had my face washed repeatedly. The cats, however,
remained indifferent, as cats do.
3. Beautiful day out today for
playing fetch with the dogs. Warm, but not too warm. This being Wyoming,
there's a bit of a breeze - but no 30mph winds. Yet. We have a nice, new
can of bright green tennis balls to work through. Of course after a
couple rounds of slobber and dirt, they'll blend in nicely with the dead grass.
4. The Internet informs me Google Reader is going away because everyone
does everything through Facebook and Twitter now. Not hardly. I like
reading my blogs and news in one place, without clicking through unless I
want to. If I tried following everyone I follow blogwise on Facebook,
(assuming they are on there) my newsfeed would be a giant mess of
information. Or is that the plan? I hate technology change.
5. It was shocking to see that my relatives have changed over the past twenty years, because I haven't. Have I??
