Monday, September 23, 2013

Where does the time go (For real this time)

Yes, yes, I know.  It's totally fall now - but when I first wrote this a week or so ago, the weather hadn't decided.

Here's the thing:  I have the clinic mostly written up.  I've jotted down all my notes, and I've got the next post about 90% done (missing the photos), and am already working on post #3.

BUT:  As you will find out in one of the later posts, while we were there our tent was flooded during a summer storm.  My little Macbook Air tried to hang on, but it died a valiant death about three weeks ago.... and ALL of my post material is on it.

Oh, don't get me wrong:  All the material is still on safe and sound on the computer, and it still boots up and runs nicely.  I just can't use the mouse pad.  Or the keyboard.  But, you know, aside from not being able to use the mouse pad or keyboard, everything's working great. Sure, the 11 inch screen has a giant crack in it, but that's been there for months, so that doesn't count.

Anyways.

I'm going to give it one last go later on this week - trying to get my post off of it... and if that fails, I'm going to have to sit down and rewrite everything from scratch. The reason I've been so quiet lately is that I've been in the middle of a huge sulk about it.  I hate rewriting things - I really do. 

So here's the post that was supposed to go live a week ago, and then hiccuped for some strange reason:

********

Muggy, hot days melt into crisp, breezy nights.  Is it late summer?  Early fall?  The weather can't seem to decide.  All around me the trees melt into autumn, green leaves slowly bleeding into red and gold.

Some trees don't even bother going through the motions.  Hidden, here and there, are bare, spidery branches reaching up to the sky, their lonely trunk surrounded by greenish, fallen leaves. 

Summer is nearly over.

I've always wanted to live somewhere where there's four seasons... and now I do.  It's incredible - almost soul soothing.  There's something peaceful in the gentle drift of one season to the next, but what I didn't anticipate was the urgency I would feel.   

The rain is coming.  The rain is coming.  The rain is coming.

There's nothing wrong with the rain, and life continues on just the same despite grey soggy weather, but frolicking with two children is just easier beneath the stare of a bright yellow sun. 

The rain is coming

The city feels like an animal before a storm - soaking up summer days and sunshine into its soul like a bear preparing for winter.  I find myself caught up in the urgency, running with the herd in a desperate effort to spend every dry moment outside before the grey envelopes once again.

I love the rain.  I'm not a big fan of the constant mud, but I am looking forward to the wind and rain.

Still.

This is the second summer in a row I've essentially abandoned this blog during the summer - I don't know about you, but I think I see a pattern.

So.  What have I been up to in the month (plus) I've been quiet?

Writing.  I've been writing, writing, writing, WRITING.

And then writing some more.

At some point this summer, I realized that I needed to start making some money in the conceivable future.

I could either take on a full time job, working from home.... which would net us about $500-$600 a month after babysitting fees.

Or I could write.

So, I started writing.  And then writing.  And then I wrote some more.

Honestly, for as quiet as this blog has been you wouldn't think I've been so busy, but I have been.  In fact, I've spent so many hours sitting on the couch, writing, that I've worn a Becky-butt depression in the cushion.

And if that doesn't make you feel sexy, I don't know what will.

I realized the other day that if I'm going to take this whole "career as an author" thing seriously, I ought to have a serious place to write.

So, in between The Bean never being home (it was accountant busy season back when I wrote that - he's home on vacation now), taking care of the boys, the horse, the dog, the chickens, the cats, and everything else....

I decided to renovate an upstairs room into a writing/office/computer room.

I threw the extra bed into the boys' toy room:



And then proceeded to spend a depressing amount of time choosing the perfect color paint.  I wanted something yellow - calm, bright, and clean.

I spent close to an hour gathering paint samples from several stores.

I then spent another hour choosing my favorites.

Then I went to Walmart and realized a can of paint was only $10 there, so I spent 45 minutes in the aisle, trying to select the best one. 

Mind you, that was 45 minutes with a DragonMonkey and a Squid in the cart.... I think the three of us were ready to eat each other by the time I finally made my selection.

I brought it home, opened it up, marveled at how perfect it was.....

And then put it on the wall.

I wanted yellow.

What I chose, instead, was YELLLOW!  OMG!  HI!  I'M YELLOW PAINT!



I tried to reconcile myself to it, but it wasn't happening.

So the next morning, as the Bean was leaving for another 14 hour day at work, I begged him to stop by and pick me out a paint.

I know girls are supposed to be better at this sort of stuff, but, honestly, I suck at it.  Besides, The Bean has an uncanny, almost supernatural ability at picking out paint colors.

He spent less than 10 minutes at Walmart (and that included walking into the store and walking out), called me up, told me the color I wanted, and then headed out to work.

If I wasn't so grateful I would have been annoyed. 

I spent all day painting, and by the next day I had myself an actual office. 


(Because it's a panorama photo the color looks weird - it's less yellow than it is on the right, and more yellow than it is on the left.  Sorry, but I'm too lazy to retake the photo.)

So now I have a writing office - like a gosh darned real writer.  It makes me feel a little smug.

Here's the skinny on the other stuff that's been going on in my life:

As far as Caspian is concerned - well, he's as awesome and beautiful as ever.  He's putting on weight and is getting very responsive under saddle. 





 (I'm trying to get my bareback seat back... it's not as easy as when I was 16.)



 (He's less than thrilled about walking in mud... but he's definitely getting over it, fast.)







The boys are huge - can you believe Squid's two and a half, and that DragonMonkey will be FIVE in less than a month?


(It just occurred to me I talked about my horse before my kids.  Whoops.)



Artemis turned one at the end of August- I plan on giving her her own post once I finish playing catch up.  She's such an awesome dog.




Anyways, I know this is abrupt, but if I try to give this a fancy, pretty ending I'll never get this off... and then I'll never finish typing up the clinic, and then all of you guys will hunt me down with pitchforks.

Besides, the Bean's on vacation right now, so we're busy doing important stuff... like going down to the river, and stomping in mud puddles, and enjoying the local bowling alley.









 Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to clean the chicken coop.... because my life is awesome like that nowadays (five chickens, wonderful dog, loving husband, healthy kids, gorgeous horse, house in Oregon, burgeoning writing career.... don't worry, though.  I'm still chubby, so you don't have to hate me too much.)







11 Comments:

Blogger Snipe said...

It's not just you, Becky. I have long since (gladly) relinquished the role of selecting paint. My husband and brother-in-law are awesome at picking colors. They effortlessly choose soothing neutrals and tasteful accents. I just sit back and enjoy the results.

Have you tried plugging in an external mouse and keyboard? That could at least make it a bit easier to get your information.

September 23, 2013 at 3:21 PM  
Blogger CT said...

I could never hate you! (well, maybe a teeny weeny bit).
You're excused for the delay in clinic posts. For now.

September 23, 2013 at 10:46 PM  
Blogger CT said...

Also, if you want to be a career author, aren't you going to have to re-write stuff, a lot? A lot a lot?

September 23, 2013 at 10:47 PM  
Blogger lytha said...

i never even knew what 4 seasons were, how could i. now the novelty has worn off. summers incapacitate me with the heat/humidity. fall is just perfect, except there is that threat - 3 straight months of snow are coming. where you literally have to shovel your way out of your house the majority of those 3 months. spring is like a miracle, i still can't believe it, every year, because we'd given up all hope after so much snow. but spring holds that horrible threat of days too hot for me to function unless i'm in my car with the AC on.

they say this will be a bad winter, but honestly, how could it be worse?

i miss 9 months of rain SO MUCH. rain doesn't take total control over your life like humidity and snow do.

the horsey chiropractor was over last night and said, "so, how are you adjusting to life in germany?" and i gave my most common reply, "it could be worse. it could be flat here."

September 24, 2013 at 12:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're not chubby, I saw pictures. With chickens, an awesome dog, an awesome new horse, a husband who can choose paint colors in 10 minutes and two adorable boys, what do you need us for?

Enjoy your fresh eggs, horse, dog and family, just ignore the gnashing of virtual teeth. We don't bite hard.

September 24, 2013 at 5:26 AM  
Blogger AareneX said...

Told you so.

I look at my blog history and it's very predictable: during the summer, a post every week-to-ten day with a lot of pictures and not much text. During the 9-10 month rainy season, 2 or 3 posts each week and a LOT more text. Why do you think Nanowrimo is so successful in November?!


Now getcher butt back to The Chair and write some stuff, yeah?

September 24, 2013 at 8:38 AM  
Blogger neversummer said...

Have you tried taking it to a computer guy? My brilliant computer guy husband is always extracting info from broken computers. Glad to FINALLY hear from you again.

September 24, 2013 at 8:44 AM  
Blogger mugwump said...

Fine Becky. Start blogging again. Great. Now...I guess I need to start again too.
So many reasons to hate.

September 24, 2013 at 1:40 PM  
Blogger Bookmaster said...

Have you found out where the locals take their miniature crazies when the weather keeps them from running off steam in the great outdoors? I would imagine the Oregoners have pretty much perfected the indoor rec facility.

September 24, 2013 at 4:34 PM  
Blogger Heidi the Hick said...

I used to blog five days a week and then I moved to the country to live my awesome dream life and now I blog... a lot less. Also my dream life includes sharing a house with the parents and teenagers at the same time and a husband who's gone all week so not quite so dreamy BUT HEY being so busy with animals and kids and actual writing that there's no blogging time is a good problem to have. Let us know how that writing office works out. I had to give that up in this house, but in my own house I always ended up in a different room with my computer... couldn't stay in one place. Blame it on my ADD, baby.

September 26, 2013 at 9:38 AM  
Blogger EvenSong said...

New commenter, but friends on the interwebs with a lot of your friends.
Another thing you could try for the computer is to bury it in rice-- supposed to draw all the moisture out... Never tried it myself, but even if it doesn't work, you can always eat the rice later (take out the laptop before you cook the rice).

September 28, 2013 at 7:30 PM  

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