Someone asked me the other day why I write. (poetry, short stories, etc.) I was at a loss for a moment, thinking. I wasn't sure I had a clear answer. I have too many reasons, so how do I decide which one is the most important, the one that keeps me at it?
The joy of flowing words? Just for fun? To share with others? Because of aspirations to be published?

I ended up just saying it was for fun, but now I think its a combination. I started to write because of the joy of flowing words, about five years ago. I don't often tell people that I write, so few people have read any of it. Finally, I do want to be published someday, but every time I think about it I imagine it published under another name.

"The farm family, by and large, is gone from our culture. Barren industry and large monopolizing agribusiness has taken the place of small yet fertile farms. This has had adverse effects on many areas of life, yet there is hope for a resurgence of the agrarian lifestyle. Many people are discovering anew the joys of daily interaction with farm animals and of working with the earth. More people have decided to put working with the land back into their lives. A return to a natural farming paradigm, integrating animals and food production, which is most effective on small farms, and a return to the land would benefit our culture in many ways. More people would live and work on family farms, and so more people would enjoy and love the land. It would benefit rural economies and family farms, and it would be a step in fulfilling our God-given responsibilities to the creatures around us. “Man was appointed by God to have dominion over the beasts, and everything a man does to an animal is either a lawful exercise, or a sacrilegious abuse, of an authority by divine right.” (Lewis, 138)"

(The last paragraph of my term paper.)

Tonight we went out for Thai food with Mr. and Mrs. M. and Zak and Jake. Lots of fun. Mrs. M. was kind enough to read over my paper and give me some feedback. I'm pretty happy with the paper except I wish I could've thought of a snazzier title than 'The Benefits of the Farm Family'. My dad suggested 'The Boons of the Barn'. lol.

Only 11 hours till I get on the bus to see Kit! I won't have time to blog, so I'll probably be back Monday.

Today so far has been class and little tasks. I cleaned the van because Mrs. G., Mrs. Gray, Frank, and Ben are carpooling with my mother two hours to the Mystery Dinner Kit's throwing with Ant and Meg. Of course, it needed cleaned anyway, but that was the motivating factor.
Last night mom rode with me as I drove to crochet class. This was a huge step for me because previously she was sure her nerves couldn't take it. Yet, the only reason she became at all emotional was when she said I was growing up. And while she gave me tips, (which I appreciated immensely), she was really calm. It was good.
I need to go work on my term paper.

Last night we went to an open house at the C's for Miss Jenn. She is visiting during spring break, since she's a teacher. It was lovely to see her and she looked and sounded like she was doing really well.

Mrs. Gray and Mrs. G. gave me book titles for my research, and I found one of the books at another library branch. So now we're going to head over there and get it. Hopefully I'll be able to incorporate the information and the paper will flow well. And oh yes, get my rhetoric reading done for tomorrow.
When we get back maybe I'll go make myself a cup of tea and work on that paper.
(only 3 days till I take the bus to see Kit! :-)

I just got my drivers license!!! In case you can't tell, I'm excited.
I'd ramble, but time constraints (yuk) make me be concise.
Chris and April (cousins) came over last night and visited. The boys were already asleep so we had a calm visit.
I'm still working on the farm family term paper. Right now I'm scrambling around last minute trying to find sources on why its better for the animals to be raised on a small family farm rather than a huge meat factory. I know reasons, but the teacher wants a 'well-researched' paper, which means sources cited.
Only 4 days till I take a bus to see Kit! :-) Lots to do, and lots to look forward to.

Well, I return. Let me sum up all that I had no time to blog. My Oma's party was wonderful, the food was great, everyone had fun visiting, and we had a group picture of the 30 of us. All aunts, uncles and cousins present and accounted for. We got together yesterday, twice, at the park, once for lunch and once for dinner. Lots of fun. Today all the relatives are gone home except for the ones who live here and one cousin and his girlfriend. So we'll probably still get together with relatives.

When I got home from the party, I looked on my wall and realized that I had actually done it! The canvas was gone. I kind of missed it, but I was glad it was gone because after a certain point I don't think my labors were actually improving it. So now I need a new project. I took pictures of a historic house and rose garden that I think will be good to paint from after I have them developed.

I have a paper hanging over my head so that is all for now.

The second book written and the third chronologically, you're the story of a Narnia hundreds of years after the last visit, populated by mythological creatures struggling to overthrow a king determined to wipe them out. Susan's Horn brings help when it's most needed ...


Find out which Chronicles of Narnia book you are.

surprised myself. i figured The Voyage of the Dawn Treader or The Horse and His Boy.

Ever have a day when you ate nothing but sugar and did practically nothing but spend time with a great pal? My day. Chocolate orange and decorating a hat. I've been invited to a "Mystery Dinner" which will include dancing. Since its set in the old west circa 1840 we had fun decorating my hat and trying on the pinafore. Normally I avoid frills like the plague, but this hat is incredibly befrilled and beribboned. Eyelet lace around the rim and crown, three colors of blue ribbon (braided) for the under chin ties and to go along the top of the eyelet lace around the crown. Whew.

I painted today. I worked on the tea cup that I added to my still life vase with yellow tulips. The paint was acting up so it looks like I applied it with a popsicle stick. Kindof reminds one, if you feel generous and like to praise, of Van Gogh's heavy paint. I'm still trying to loosen up and come to grips with the fact that painting is not always a 2 dimensional art form.

Me: ACK! Its sticking out! Oh NO!
Mom: Well, are you going to wipe it off and start over?
Me: No....I guess it looks good. Its just me.

My Oma's 70th birthday party is tomorrow night. [That, in case you care to know (and even if you didn't), is when the painting needs to be done, dry, framed and wrapped.] Anyway, family are descending, which is fun.

Someone found my blog by typing in 'one egg cake joy of cooking'. Hmm. Interesting.

You know that modern civilization has come to a destroyed country when gun control arrives. Thanks to Little Geneva.

I dissected a rat today. (NOTE: those with weak stomachs are advised to skip this paragraph)
Its fur was yellow. It had a long, snake like tail. Its eyes were tightly closed and its ears clamped to its head. Its nails looked manicured and were sharp. Rocky, a classmate, actually opened the skull and showed us all the brain. The most spectacular thing I found was the small intestine, which was 18 inches long.

We are just about to go to teach Scottish country/ballroom dances to 6-12 yr. old girls. Always fun. They love it so much.

Driving instructor update: My mother called and asked the office if we could have another instructor, and explained the problem. The lady said no, we couldn't, but she'd tell him. So I hope he isn't upset at me. Maybe he won't know which student complained. However, even if he flunks me, I think I have enough experience to brush up on my traffic laws and take the test. Anyway, I think I'll know today, I have a lesson this evening.

I started driving lessons. Had my second one today. The bad news is that he wears a fishing hat and hasn't showered, from the smell, for weeks. He honestly smells like cat urine. I'm debating with myself whether to force myself to endure three more hours and get my license or somehow get another instructor. Maybe the company would comply. But I think after this I've lost faith with them and want a refund. Its pay by lesson, but if I stopped now I'd have wasted $100. Hmm... Not good, so I may just endure it. Would you switch?

Dad is at men's forum. They're discussing the just war theory tonight. The boys are tired out-- we went to Mrs. Klaus's house and they played with her boys and Mrs. Kinney brought her three kids over too. They took turns jumping on the trampoline, joyfully ate popsicles, and built with blocks. Now they are asleep, no doubt recharging so as to have more bouncing-off-the-walls energy.

I've been listening to four cds lately. U2's 1980-1990, U2's All that You Can't Leave Behind, Nora Jones' Come Away With Me, and Fine China's You Make Me Hate Music. I have my favorite songs, of course- Bloody Sunday, The Sweetest Thing, Beautiful Day, Grace, New York, Seven Years, Painter Song, and Rock Can't Last Forever. I put them all in the living room cd player yesterday while I baked mom's cake. She and dad went out to a brewery for lunch. I made a one egg cake from my Joy of Cooking that I'd never tried before, but looked simple. It turned out well.

Tomorrow I have my first driving lesson. Dad and I have accumulated about twelve of the required hours, the lessons will provide six. I practiced switching lanes on the freeway last time we went. Easy so far-- traffic was light.

I've just started Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's First Circle. I regret that I have abandoned August 1914 for now. I do hope I'll have mustered up the will power to finish it someday, but First Circle was tempting me away till I couldn't slog through the muddy Russian ditches with constantly changing soldiers. As I told my mother, when you read an abridged (but still heavy book) edition of War and Peace without finishing another book, that book is officially on pause.

I finished the toucan painting. Now I need to figure out what to do with the one for my Oma's 70th birthday. Its a green vase with yellow flowers, i think tulips, but they still need work, so who knows, on a red and periwinkle background. The red is a tablecloth. But because of how far up on the canvas, the plain red needs something in the foreground. I'm thinking a tulip lying on the table, like a lady left her flowers for a moment to answer the door, or a sprig of babysbreath. I do know I'm going to need to do a few trial runs. I'm kind of over my head anyway with the shadowing and the depth of the flowers, although I do have a plan. lol, though, who knows if it will work? I do have till the night of April 15, though, so if it works a few late nights should finish it off, except for finishing touches. Dad's agreed to make a frame for it. I'm thrilled because he usually uses a honey colored pine, which he used for two bookshelves and for my table, and I think the coloring will look great with the bright, clean colors of the paint.

My rhetoric essay is turning out to be harder than I thought it would be. Its due tomorrow at midnight, but I think it'll be ok.

Mom went out to lunch with Mrs. M. today. Her birthday's Saturday, so it was nice she could go do that. I painted while she was gone. I painted a snow scene a few years ago, and she says she won't take it down till I paint her something else. LOL ... I find the snow looking silly in the middle of summer, so I'm planning on finishing a painting of a toucan by Saturday. hmm.... without her knowing?
I'll tell her its for a project on Friday. That'll work. :-) I hope it keeps going well. I'm working with the help of a book, but still... I've never painted a bird before...

Which reminds me... I have homework for tomorrow. I was in a group project and we will present it to the class tomorrow. I was elected leader of our group of three, so I'll be doing the talking. I just hope I can think of interesting things to tell them.

important announcement
I've decided to stop blogging......April Fool! :-)
The morning is going well. I don't know why, but I'm almost always motivated on Tuesdays. I'm going quickly and things are all doing nicely.
I've got my homework almost done for tomorrow, which is good, and the assignments for Friday are also falling into place.

I'm happy because I get to go babysit tonight. Not always is babysitting such a treat, but it is for these people. Three children, two boys and a girl, and another on the way. Besides the facts that their children are well behaved and good natured and cute, there is something better about babysitting children when they're kids your younger siblings play with, a family your family worships with, a family to whom you're more that 'just' the babysitter. Its a sense of community, I guess.