ant farms

News/Updates/Links Allison wrote about Lloyd Landa's memorial service, for those interested. Waiting For Frodo is being updated pretty regularly, so I'm not longer going to mention each time. If you'd like to be informed about when a new strip is posted, you can sign up here. Thanks to all those who have been sending in suggestions! I've added your names to the credits list, and am gradually integrating your ideas into the storyline.

Our cottage visit is not quite as relaxing as last time, but it's still wonderful up here. Our 5-year-old niece Brittany came to visit over the weekend...it was her first time staying overnight just with Jeff and me. Jeff fixed up a cozy bed for her in the bay window nook of our sleeping cabin, and she slept there for two nights before her mom (Larkin, Jeff's sister) came to bring her back home.


Activities included swimming, saunas, feeding the chipmunks, drawing, making chocolate cake, crafts, hiking, motorboat rides, storytelling, songs (she wanted me to sing "The Hockey Monkey Song" over and over again), bonfires and toasted marshmallows. My favourite part of the weekend was one morning when Brittany snuggled between Jeff and me in bed, her hair still sleep-tousled, cuddling up to us in her pajamas. Mmmmmmm. I wanted to doze off again, but of course Brittany was too excited to want to go back to sleep. There were so many exciting things to do at the cottage, after all!


She had a bad cold, which she generously shared with me before departing with her mother on Monday. I slept most of Monday and Tuesday. How is it that kid colds are so effective on adults?


Jeff and I gave Brittany an ant farm for her birthday, much to her mother's horror, I'm sure. I love being an aunt. Anyway, they brought the ant farm up to the cottage (still in its original packaging) for us to put together. Jeff and I ran around catching ants. We caught them from different places until we remembered our 6-year-old niece Sara telling us that it was important to catch them all from the same colony, or they would end up fighting each other.


The ant farm actually seemed to turn out ok, at least for the first day. The next morning, however, most of the ants seemed to be hiding in the cheerfully-coloured little plastic houses in the "ant town". Jeff thought that the cheerfully-coloured little houses were actually full of ant corpses, but he did not share this theory with Brittany.


I think Larkin had actually planned to leave to leave the ant farm at the cottage, but Brittany insisted on bringing the whole thing home with them. We told Larkin to make sure the plastic tubes were on firmly so the ants wouldn't escape during the drive home.


I am thinking of getting ant farms for my other nieces and nephews.





Wood Day today! Our order of two cords of wood came in today, so we spent the morning unloading the wood and carrying it up to the piles up the hill. I jumped in the lake afterward to cool off and wash away the grime and bits of wood. The lake is still a bit chilly, but very refreshing. My arms and legs still felt wobbly/achy from the flu, so I didn't stay in too long.


Hey, I've decided to try to learn some Japanese before our trip to Japan in the fall! Yikes, it's been a while. Our current plan is to combine our 10th wedding anniversary trip to the Canadian west coast with a trip to Japan immediately after. I'm pretty excited about this, mainly because I've never been to Japan before. That 3-week combined trip will be a fitting end to our sabbatical, I think.


Getting online time is a bit tricky at the cottage when other people are around, so apologies if my e-mail is erratic. There's only one phone line for several cabins, and if anyone picks up the phone while I'm online, it kills my connection (and can badly mess up what I'm doing online, depending on what I'm working on).


Partly as a result of this, I'm start to devote more time to my own creative writing rather than online pursuits right now. No, this is not work!! I'm just playing around with some prep for my next novel. Ideas keep popping into my head these days re: my book, and I feel compelled to write them down. I've been playing around with Filemaker Pro, developing some simple databases for character sheets, background info, plot outlines.





Warm, muggy weather lately. The breeze from the lake helps keep things from getting too steamy, and we can always jump in the water. Lots of "no-see-ums" in the early evening, and they're still small enough to get through the screens. Not sure what their real name is...midges? Sandflies? I've had about two dozen bites since we arrived six days ago.


I'm the only one who wears insect repellent around here, and the bugs still prefer me over Jeff and his Dad. I think it must be their hairy legs (Jeff's and his dad's, not the bugs). I should take a razor to Jeff's legs one of these nights and see if it makes a difference, don't you think?


Today's Blatherpics:


- Jeff and Brittany at the cottage.


- Me helping unload wood.


- Yesterday morning.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll:

Did you ever own an ant farm?

hiatus

News/Updates/Links Waiting For Frodo updated. JOURNALS: Josh writes a letter to his younger self. Andrea writes about a typical morning. Kate commutes. Annie spins.

Short blather today since I have to finish packing.


It looks like I'll be offline most of the time we're out of town, so there may not be many Blatherings over the next few weeks. I may ask someone to continue to link up Waiting For Frodo strips while I'm away since I have a few already lined up to go (so do check that page from time to time), but we'll see.


Everyone seems to be okay with the new Blatherchat discussion forum, so I'll be making the full switch-over once I get back. If you haven't already, do give it a try. You can edit/delete your own messages, hotlink URLs and use text styles, and also customize your own profile so people can check out your Web site if they're curious. Or you can stay a relatively anonymous user, if that's what you'd prefer.


This Thursday will mark the one-year anniversary of when I sold Inkspot. Wow, can't believe it's been a YEAR already. I have mixed feelings...overall, feeling somewhat down because of that and the fact that I got a phonecall yesterday from the tax lawyer I recently hired. It turns out there may be tax problems resulting from the sale...problems which I had been repeatedly reassured would be taken care of at the time. Sigh. Reminder to self: never EVER sell a company/Web site again!


Anyway, all the more reason I'm glad we're going away for a little while. I'm taking a pile of good books, some chocolate, Andrea's Georgia peach tea.


And I promise to be in a better mood next time I Blather.


:-)


Today's Blatherpic:


- This photo was taken on a rainy day at the cottage last month.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll:

During the past year, has there been any occasion where you have been *completely* offline (no e-mail, no Web) for more than seven days in a row?

the man outside my window

News/Updates/Links (8:35 am EST) June Blatherchat Waiting For Frodo updated, and moved to www.waitingforfrodo.com. My Blatherings schedule for the next few weeks is going to be somewhat irregular since I will be out of town quite a bit, starting tomorrow.

There's a man outside my window right now.


I usually close the blinds when I know the window washers are working on our building, but today I decided to leave them open. My office is in a rare state where I can actually see out my window. Plus I've always felt a bit badly for window washers, having all the blinds and curtains rudely closed in their faces as they move around from one window to the next.


When the window washer guy drops down to my window, I wave at him. He waves back and says hello (I can hear him through the window).


Hey. He's kinda cute. :-)


Part of me (the part that isn't screaming in fear at the thought of being dangled two dozen floors above the sidewalk, that is) envies the window washer. He's all alone up there, with no one bugging him. Buoyed by fresh air and sunlight (and a secure harness, I hope), he has the world at his feet, with a great view of the city. He knows that most people are looking up at him and thinking, "Wow, I could never do that".


I've never been great with heights. I wouldn't say that I'm afraid of heights, but I also wouldn't say that I'm comfortable with them. I rarely went out on my balcony in Philadelphia, for example, which was on the top floor of the building. The guardrail always seemed a bit too short, and the ground an awful long way down.


Interesting sensation, that. Rationally, I KNOW that the balcony is secure, and that it would be virtually impossible to accidentally fall over the rail. The irrational part of my brain, however, is absolutely convinced that some unforeseen event is going to cause me to be sucked off the balcony and down to my death. A freak gust of wind, maybe, or a boogey-man lurking behind me, waiting to push me off.


Looks like the cute window washer guy outside is finished. With some regret, I watch him drop down to the window on the floor below.


Have a great weekend, everyone. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the memorial for Lloyd Landa this weekend, but Allison will be writing up a report which I'll post next week. From those of us who are unable to be there, our hearts go out to Karen this weekend. We'll be thinking of you.





Today's Blatherpics:


- The Man Outside My Window.


- Annie and Sara. Sara was rehearsing for her school play. She had memorized everyone's lines, not just her own, and was putting on a show for us. Annie was given a small part, and Sara prompted her on the lines.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll:

Have you ever lied at Customs about what you were taking across the border?

blackberry tea

News/Updates/Links (9:29 am EST) "Friendship entry clarification" and "New Blatherchat board news" posted below. Waiting For Frodo updated. A Village Voice article criticizes "Lord of the Rings" and its "ur-geeks", causing much heated response from LOTR fans. (Canoe) Chapters-Indigo deal approved. My Blatherings schedule for the next few weeks is going to be somewhat irregular since I will be out of town quite a bit.

New Blatherchat message board: I am going to be switching to a new Blatherchat message board format. The old Blatherchat has become active enough that I'm finding it more and more of a hassle to administer (since everything has to be done manually). This new Blatherchat environment will eliminate that hassle, plus offer more flexibility and options to users. I'm sure some will complain that it's not the same as the old Blatherchat, but until someone is willing to volunteer to help me maintain it, I'd rather stick with this new forum. :-) I'll leave both boards up for now so that people have a chance to experiment with the new message board. Please note that you DON'T have to register to post messages.


Clarification about what I said about friendship: I'd like to clarify something in yesterday's entry. I think I gave the impression that I prefer to have only a few very close friends, and forget about the others. Perhaps the confusion came from the fact that we all have different definitions of "close". I value all my friendships. The hard reality, however, is that no one person can spend equal time with all his/her friends without sacrificing the potential of a closer bond in some cases. Even if you spent all your waking hours with your friends, there would still be others you would be ignoring. Andy wrote:



"If I can modify the advice you're passing to young Debbie, I would say don't be too quick to dismiss the close acquaintances. Speaking from personal experience, you can never tell when your best pal is going to drop you like a hot potato, and you never know which of those acquaintances will turn out to be a true friend in a time of need." -Andy



My advice to my younger self was not to dump all your friends except for a chosen few. It was more to focus on individual friendships rather than group friendships. The latter will naturally follow from the former, I'd think. My advice was also came from my past experience of trying to be "friends with everybody". I've come to realize that this is impossible, and also a dangerous attitude in terms of one's own independence and self-esteem. Self-esteem should not be based on what everyone else thinks of you. Apologies if anyone else misinterpreted what I said.


For those who are interested in the "Letter to My Young Self" On Display project, you should read You Always Smile Too Widely, a collab entry by Jenny.


Looks like I won't be going to Contraption after all. Flight bookings at this point are going to cost too much, and I'd rather save my frequent flyer points so I can go to OVFF. Ah well. :-(


Jeff and I hung out with our nieces yesterday. While Jeff picked Sara up at school, my Dad (who was babysitting earlier in the day) and I took Annie to a nearby playground. She is fearless, that one, clambering over jungle gyms and begging Grandpa to push her higher, higher on the swings.





On the way home, we all buy popsicles and sit in the sunlight outside the convenience store to eat them. Annie chooses grape. When the popsicles are gone and we have wiped the sticky remnants off with equally sticky paper napkins, we walk the rest of the way back to the house. A walk that would have taken the average adult about five minutes takes us nearly half an hour, but my Dad and I don't mind. There are flowers to sniff, trees to climb, leaves to examine. Whenever we pass under a branch overhanging the sidewalk, Annie tries to jump up and try to touch it. A few moments later, she's squatting to examine an ant making its way across the sidwalk. An ordinary world is so much more exciting with a 4-year-old by your side. :-)


Jeff and Sara have already arrived by the time we get back home. Both Annie and Sara are fascinated by the bandages on my arms. I had a blood test earlier that day, and the nurses were having problems finding an acceptable vein...it took them four tries and three nurses. Not a particularly fun experience, but of course I downplay it for the girls, not wanting to freak them out.


ANNIE: "What happened to your arms?"


ME (with false cheeriness): "Oh, I had a little blood test."


SARA (leaning closer, fascinated): "Auntie Debbie, did you know there's BLOOD on your bandage?"


etc. etc.





After dinner, Jeff and my Dad go home. Ruth and Kaarel take Sara to her play (she is Helena in a class production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the abridged version). Only parents are allowed to attend. Annie sits on the couch, forlorn about being left behind, until I suggest a tea party. Annie's very keen on hosting parties. We have blackberry tea (very weak lukewarm blackberry tea, with sugar to sweeten), chocolate chip cookies made from paper, a cake with vanilla icing and red hearts I make from felt scraps. Annie even makes icecream by tearing up paper into small scraps and putting them into a bowl. It is quite the festive occasion. I read "Cinder Edna" to Annie and her stuffed companions at her polite request.


Afterwards, Annie takes me upstairs, where we lie on her parents' bed and just talk. In one of my Blatherings I had mentioned that Annie told me she was in love with a boy at school. Annie now confesses to me that she and Andrew are now married. In fact, Andrew has also married FOUR other girls in his class. (!)


Hmmm...I'm DEFINITELY going to have a little talk with young Andrew.


Annie and I talk about school, her friends, what she likes, what she doesn't like, life in general. From time to time, she leans over and pats my cheek gently, or lies across my stomach, or snuggles against me. She smells of blackberry tea and the outdoors, and I love her like crazy.





Today's Blatherpics:


- Me and Annie. Photo by my Dad.


- My Dad and Annie during our popsicle break.


- Tea party. Yes, I am wearing a paper crown on my head.


- Sara asked me to pose for a portrait. Note the dimples she drew in my cheeks, and the bandages on my arms. :-)

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll:

Are you a parent (or parent-to-be)?

letter to my younger self

News/Updates/Links (10:03 am EST) Waiting For Frodo comic updated. I'll be moving this to "waitingforfrodo.com" pretty soon. LOTR updated. In case you missed it, Bryan Fullerton added a Guest Blathering yesterday.

Today's entry was written for an On Display collaborative project. Assignment: if you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you say?


It was a more difficult assignment than I expected. On the one hand, you want your younger self to avoid making certain mistakes that you made, and to prepare her/him for future heartbreak. On the other hand, there are some things we can only learn through trial and error, and there is really nothing one can say that will make heartbreak easier (and may possibly add dread about future possibilities to the mix).


I also opted to stick with point form rather than wordier text, mainly because I know that my younger self would pay more attention to advice that way. :-)


After some thought, I finally ended up the following letter:

Dear Debbie, You will always be a writer. Don't let yourself be distracted from this. Stop worrying so much about what other people think. When you bury your first diary in the backyard, make sure you draw a map so you can dig it up later if you want it back. You will never be happy in a corporate environment. Big breasts are over-rated. All those agonizing hours of piano practising will be worth it, trust me. Take more chances. Don't give up hope. Being a geeky nerd will be "in" one day. Think more deeply about consequences. Choose your friends wisely. It's better to have a few good friendships than many acquaintances. Work on your friendships. Don't let yourself get stressed out about little things. Focus on the bigger picture. Confide only in those you trust. You look fine. Pay more attention in Geography class. Always be honest with yourself, even if it hurts. When things seem overwhelmingly bad, concentrate on getting through one day at a time. You -will- get through it, even though it may not seem like it. Don't be such a goody two-shoes. Sometimes it's ok to break the rules. Don't obsess on the past. Confrontation isn't always bad. Sometimes it's better than living with regret. You -will- eventually meet boys you like and who like you. Get to know Mom better. It's okay to be different. Consider all the above to be a list of suggestions, not a blueprint. Whatever choices you end up making, you'll eventually find your way here anyway. Good luck. :-) Debbie

Today's Blatherpics:


Nerdy me. You'd think the school photographer would have told me to straighten my glasses before snapping this shot.

Feel free to suggest a daily poll question.


Today's Poll:

Do you still own one of the comfort toys you had as a child?