Most days the Dark-Eyed Juncos are chased from the feeders
by the other birds (mostly House Finches) but today the juncos
are holding their own.
I had great fun watching this one hop and dance about the tree
(I know it’s crazy but it seemed as if s/he was clogging).
© Tracy Abell 2012
And now I’m headed back into the revision cave although I’d prefer hanging out at the feeder. . .
Most days the Dark-Eyed Juncos are chased from the feeders
by the other birds (mostly House Finches) but today the juncos
are holding their own.
I had great fun watching this one hop and dance about the tree
(I know it's crazy but it seemed as if s/he was clogging).
© Tracy Abell 2012
And now I'm headed back into the revision cave although I'd prefer hanging out at the feeder. . .
1) As mentioned before, I’ve had to circle back and work on opening chapters some more and have been mostly pleased with my progress.
2) Then yesterday I hit a bump and realized I needed to circle back yet again to tweak a scene so brainstormed characterization and plot issues to prepare myself for today’s work.
3) This afternoon I revised and revised, then printed out the pages and congratulated myself on a job well done.
4) Except when I began jotting notes about a tangential issue on my enormous whiteboard, I started doubting myself regarding the characterization and plot line I’d supposedly just wrestled to the ground.
5) So I went outside and shoveled very heavy snow while talking out loud about all this stuff and came up with this answer: there’s such a thing as over-thinking a story and it would be wise to relax and enjoy the ride.
image from morguefile.com
Wishing everyone a whirly-twirly, fun-filled weekend!
1) As mentioned before, I've had to circle back and work on opening chapters some more
and have been mostly pleased with my progress.
2) Then yesterday I hit a bump and realized I needed to circle back yet again to tweak a scene
so brainstormed characterization and plot issues to prepare myself for today's work.
3) This afternoon I revised and revised, then printed out the pages and congratulated myself on a job
well done.
4) Except when I began jotting notes about a tangential issue on my enormous whiteboard,
I started doubting myself regarding the characterization and plot line I'd supposedly just wrestled to the ground.
5) So I went outside and shoveled very heavy snow while talking out loud about all this
stuff and came up with this answer: there's such a thing as over-thinking a story
and it would be wise to relax and enjoy the ride.
image from morguefile.com
Wishing everyone a whirly-twirly, fun-filled weekend!
As many of you know,
I am partial to the word PREVAIL.
It is my rallying cry and motto,
my personal talisman.
So it was hard enough discovering PREVAIL
is also a brand of adult underwear.
But now this?!
I have to share my glorious PREVAIL
with these poster boys for All That Is Wrong With This Country?!
(Just to be clear, I’d be equally sickened if it was Obama
or any other enabler of the 1% on the cover).
Ah, well.
PREVAIL means To be or become effective; win out. To succeed. To triumph.
I know what I must do,
and if I begin to lose my way
there’s always a reminder.
As many of you know,
I am partial to the word PREVAIL.
It is my rallying cry and motto,
my personal talisman.
So it was hard enough discovering PREVAIL
is also a brand of adult underwear.
But now this?!
I have to share my glorious PREVAIL
with these poster boys for All That Is Wrong With This Country?!
(Just to be clear, I'd be equally sickened if it was Obama
or any other enabler of the 1% on the cover).
Ah, well.
PREVAIL means To be or become effective; win out. To succeed. To triumph.
I know what I must do,
and if I begin to lose my way
there's always a reminder.
It’s a gray, dreary day and I’m battling weepy-sack-of-Tracy feelings
but am hanging in there thanks to the activity outside my window:
It's a gray, dreary day and I'm battling weepy-sack-of-Tracy feelings
but am hanging in there thanks to the activity outside my window:
**all images © Tracy Abell 2012
Wishing everyone an activity-filled, not-at-all dreary weekend!
I am thankful in many Zebu-related ways, including . . .
Last Friday Zebu and team were on bus coming home from basketball game, everyone singing, when a freshman vomited all over and everyone moved as far away as possible, except Zebu who stayed and held a bag while the boy continued to get sick.
On Tuesday I received a call from the school trainer saying I needed
to take Zebu for x-rays because he’d hurt his elbow in practice but
after rushing to school and then to doctor’s, the x-rays showed no breaks!
Last night when I was in bed reading a book, Zebu came upstairs to ask if we could pick up his friend who’d been in a fight with his father and gotten kicked out, and so we drove around until we found him and then Zebu grabbed his heartbroken friend in a hug to let him know how much he is loved.
It’s been tough this past month but I am exceedingly grateful Zebu has
his friends and teachers. Being a teenager can be so very difficult
and I am thankful Zebu has support which allows him to navigate these years with kindness and dignity.
image from morguefile.com
I am thankful in many Zebu-related ways, including . . .
Last Friday Zebu and team were on bus coming home from basketball game,
everyone singing, when a freshman vomited all over and everyone moved as
far away as possible, except Zebu who stayed and held a bag while
the boy continued to get sick.
On Tuesday I received a call from the school trainer saying I needed
to take Zebu for x-rays because he'd hurt his elbow in practice but
after rushing to school and then to doctor's, the x-rays showed no breaks!
Last night when I was in bed reading a book, Zebu came upstairs to ask if we
could pick up his friend who'd been in a fight with his father and gotten kicked out,
and so we drove around until we found him and then Zebu grabbed his heartbroken friend
in a hug to let him know how much he is loved.
It's been tough this past month but I am exceedingly grateful Zebu has
his friends and teachers. Being a teenager can be so very difficult
and I am thankful Zebu has support which allows him to navigate these years
with kindness and dignity.
image from morguefile.com
My awesome new critique partner read the first seven chapters of my book
last week along with chapter summaries of the remainder.
He was the first person to read this new project.
Waiting for his response was flutter-inducing,
and when it came, it was like an AHA! explosion in my head
because he put into words stuff that’d been simmering in the dim regions of my consciousness.
So now I’m reworking the opening of my story – again.
Revising chapters just a week ago I thought were grand while
battling feelings I’m not making any progress
because
I
keep
circling
back
to
the
beginning.
But when I went to morguefile.com and put “circle” into the search,
this is what jumped out at me:
So, hey! It’s cool I’m back at the beginning! (okay, maybe “cool” is a stretch).
However, it IS completely truthful to say this circling back represents
an opportunity to create a stronger core.
Today I am weaving words I hope will sustain those that follow.
My awesome new critique partner read the first seven chapters of my book
last week along with chapter summaries of the remainder.
He was the first person to read this new project.
Waiting for his response was flutter-inducing,
and when it came, it was like an AHA! explosion in my head
because he put into words stuff that'd been simmering in the dim regions of my consciousness.
So now I'm reworking the opening of my story – again.
Revising chapters just a week ago I thought were grand while
battling feelings I'm not making any progress
because
I
keep
circling
back
to
the
beginning.
But when I went to morguefile.com and put "circle" into the search,
this is what jumped out at me:
So, hey! It's cool I'm back at the beginning! (okay, maybe "cool" is a stretch).
However, it IS completely truthful to say this circling back represents
an opportunity to create a stronger core.
Today I am weaving words I hope will sustain those that follow.
**Note: Copied and pasted from LiveJournal
1) I’ve had this LiveJournal account since 2006 and have made many wonderful friends in the community but am increasingly concerned about the great possibility of the entire platform imploding so
2) set up a WordPress site and blog in which I used the WP importer tool to import all my LiveJournal posts and comments (except the comments never came through and WP was supposed to fix that but hasn’t yet).
3) I tried not to get too stressed about the missing comments because I figured the WP techies would sort it out eventually, except they haven’t, and now there’s a problem on LJ’s end which makes it impossible to import my posts to my WP site.
4) Yesterday I decided to just copy and paste those six missing LJ posts into the WP blog but then realized they’d all be dated January 19, 2012 which would totally mess up my archives, so did nothing.
5) And now I find myself living in blogging limbo as I try to decide whether to continue posting here or there (where no one comments and if the import issue is ever resolved will result in duplicate posts), or maybe just shut-the-hell-up and take it as a sign from the universe.
Rant over.
Here are some fluffies:
image from morguefiles.com
1) I've had this LiveJournal account since 2006 and have made many
wonderful friends in the community but am increasingly concerned
about the great possibility of the entire platform imploding so
2) set up a WordPress site and blog in which I used the WP importer tool
to import all my LiveJournal posts and comments (except the comments
never came through and WP was supposed to fix that but hasn't yet).
3) I tried not to get too stressed about the missing comments because I figured
the WP techies would sort it out eventually, except they haven't, and now there's
a problem on LJ's end which makes it impossible to import my posts to my WP site.
4) Yesterday I decided to just copy and paste those six missing LJ posts into the WP blog but
then realized they'd all be dated January 19, 2012 which would totally mess up
my archives, so did nothing.
5) And now I find myself living in blogging limbo as I try to decide whether to continue
posting here or there (where no one comments and if the import issue is ever resolved will
result in duplicate posts), or maybe just shut-the-hell-up and take it as a sign from the universe.
Rant over.
Here are some fluffies:
image from morguefiles.com
I. Must. Stop. Looking. Out. The. Window.
© Tracy Abell 2012
Yes, there's blue sky and sunshine and oodles of birds and crazy squirrels . . .
But I have an opening chapter to rewrite. Again.
Whenever I glance outside and see an empty feeder and vacant plum bushes,
I scan the vicinity for hawks.
This is who came looking for breakfast this morning:
© Tracy Abell 2012
My best guess is Sharp-Shinned Hawk (because of the squared-off tail feathers)
as opposed to a Cooper's Hawk.
However, I'm not going to argue the point.
Do you see that beak?
AGNES by Tony Cochran
I've gotta admit I'm with Agnes on this one: Why do only humans shave?
The Eurasian Collared-Dove was introduced to the Bahamas back in the 1970s
and rapidly spread westward across the United States.
Wonder whether this guy would rather be here in snowy Colorado or
lounging on a warm, sandy beach.
© Tracy Abell 2012
Just finished vacuuming.
Again.
As soon as I put the vacuum away, the floor was already sprinkled with hair.
Why's that, Tracy?
I dunno.
Why don't you ask Zoey?
Anyone know how to attach a shop vac to a dog?
Over winter break, one of Zebu's classmates committed suicide.
I thought I'd cried myself out during the candlelight vigil
that followed three days later but discovered this past weekend at the
boy's service there is no limit to tears.
As I watched Zebu and friends consoling one another,
holding each other,
crying,
I thought I'd break in two.
And for the first time I absolutely, fully and completely,
understood how suicide transfers the pain of one onto many.
Years ago I was in a very sad place that didn't offer much light or hope,
and didn't think I could continue.
This weekend as I witnessed all that grief, I was so grateful
I'd made it through to the light and spared others my pain.
My heart aches for the boy who was unable to, in that moment,
find a glimpse of something to keep him going.
My heart aches for the family and friends left wondering why.
My heart aches for the many people struggling right now to find the light and hope.
And so the tears continue.
© Wildebeest 2012
Lots of friends are posting their goals for 2012
and I'd like to share one, too:
I hope to to see the beauty that's always there waiting for me to notice.
© Tracy Abell 2011
AGNES by Tony Cochran
Happy New Year, friends!
May 2012 be filled with nacho-bearing pals!
As mentioned (ahem) a time or two before,
I don't do well with the short, dark days of winter
and try all sorts of things to keep myself from
collapsing into a weeping sack of Tracy.
My current favorite weapon for deflecting the winter blues
is to do a 20-minute cardio workout on the treadmill
(walk, jog, stride, sprint, repeat x 4).
I know, I know…big deal, right?
Wrong.
I don't do the workout just any old time: I do the workout
so it coincides with the sun disappearing behind the foothills.
Why?
Because even though the sun is leaving me for the day,
I don't really mind because at that very moment my system is flooded with endorphins.
image from morguefile.com
Take that, Winter!
I cannot begin to tell you how very I am to be gaining daylight!
image from morguefile.com
Bring it, Sun!
We've already gotten at least a foot of snow and it keeps falling.
Zippy filled the feeder and put out another suet cake this morning
and it's a feeding frenzy out there.
I was just making pumpkin pies and kept stopping to snap photos.
This guy's up on the wire overlooking the scene, and the various jays (blue, western scrub)
keep flying to adjacent wires where they appear to be taunting him.
The hawk doesn't seem to much care
and comes across as rather zen-like amidst all the hubbub.
Tracy Abell 