Dangerous job

A bunch of people in England ransacked a pediatrician's home and then attacked the good doctor. The mob had mistaken "pediatrician" for "pedophile" (hey, they both deal with kids, don't they?)... Makes you happy to have chosen your profession?

For Granted

Barely awake this morning, I put some drops in Paul's eye. Now that is not a wise thing to do as, surprisingly, I am not very coordinated when I wake up. No harm done to do the eye but I caution you - DO NOT try this at home. It requires immense concentration not to drop the little bottle or touch the eye in any way...
That being done, I decided I was awake (hey, no major catastrophe) and headed for the computer. Again, I never realized what fine motor skills are required to operate a mouse. At least I was awake enough to realize how uncertain my movements were. That is certainly the difference. Whereas I would merely fall asleep at my desk, this time I was on the ascending arc (!) trying to wake up and do difficult tasks (such as clicking the big button on the Hunger site and navigating to the other tabs all the while trying to remember which ones I had clicked already - I might have skipped one this morning).
Yet the difference remains - half-awake when waking up is scary because you are aware that you are half asleep; half-awake when falling asleep is scarier because though you are aware that you are half awake, you don't really care. So kids, only put things in eyes when fully awake (unless they are in someone else's eyes)...

Barefoot hiking

Update in italics
Do the words "barefoot hiking" strike terror in your heart? Do you get visions of sore feet, first aid kits, poisonous snakes? Chill out! We're talking about walking barefoot. It's been done for ages. Wearing shoes all the time has really softened our brains when we come to think of barefoot hiking as an extreme sport.
I have grown reluctant to part with my shoes as soon as I step outside, fearing for my feet who appear in the world without protection. What a sad state of affairs. Try googling "barefoot hiking" and browse sites devoted to the "new" sport... You will find interesting things. My brother sent me the Wikipedia link which contains the following gem: "In the Far East, some areas have officially established reflexology paths; the idea being that those who walk on them in bare feet, stimulating the foot reflexology points, will get the same benefits as a reflexology massage."
One of the benefits is that barefoot walking is softer on the ground. It reminds me of something I read about the delicate soil of Australia that was abused by non-native hoofed animals. We abuse the earth by walking on it with shoes.
What is my point? Hmmm... Try walking barefoot outside (try it as though you mean it) and let me know how people react to you and how you feel about this radical experiment.

Mosquito buzz

Update: I heard the buzz this morning - the mosquitone is in the news. It wasn't as annoying as I feared it would be (maybe I can only hear the pleasant part). So listening to all that rock'n roll didn't have an adverse effect after all...


Read this in the news. A company invented "an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected." Of course, this was quickly inverted and became a ringtone (the mosquitone) that can be downloaded to your cellphone. Teenagers can then get keep their cellphone turned on because all the students, but, presumably, no teachers, can hear it.
This is based on the fact that as we age, we experience hearing loss in the higher tones of the spectrum.

(quote from June 12 New York Times)

Of Mice and Men

We decided to barbecue some steaks for the first time this summer. We armed ourselves with a pail, rags, soap and water, got the barbecue out from the shed and... saw a mouse poke its head from the grill. I don't know who was more surprised... Paul took out the gril slowly and saw that the mouse had made a huge nest out of the pink insulation of the wall we opened up this Spring when we thought we were going to set up the sugar shack in there. We needed to make a hole in the wall for the vent so the steam would get out.
The nest looked very comfortable - large and soft and warm - something like a pink cloud. It took up about a quarter of the bottom of the grill. The vent holes were dutifully plugged.
There was just one thing to do: we put the barbecue back in the shed and headed for the oven. Good thing too, cause it's raining.
Now to make sure she does not adopt the barbie as her own...

Stress

I have been living in a reduced stres environment since the beginning of the year and while it has been great for my health, I seem to have a hard time coping with stress related to the job search. The stress seems to find its way to my brain and digestive system. They tend to shut down : )
All systems now back to normal but I need to find a better way to cope with stress. I liked my solution best: live in a stress-reduced environment!

I kept at it for the 100 words, didn't miss a beat. I am having a grand old time and have no clue where the story is leading me. Lots of fun.

Holy Water

I am freshness when you wake up
Tiny droplets that reflect the morning sun
I extract and condense a plant's spirit
Drink me and you will feel the strength, the sorrow, the uniqueness
Of the flower, of the grass

I am crispness under your steps
In the wintertime
White and pure and fleeting
I bear the power of the Sun
And express myself through Water

In the name of the Water, of the Sun
I am Dew

First Book

I just read a sentence saying: "You always remember your first book." So I started wondering about my first book and I don't know which it is. I remember a number of books from my childhood but my first one?
My mom read to my brothers and I as she tucked us in. She would start with me, the youngest. Each of us was allowed to decide the book she would read. I would lie in my bed, my mother would read and my brothers would sit by her, listening. She would kiss me goodnight, I would promptly get out of bed and go to the next room where my older brother would get tucked in and read his favourite story. My mom would kiss him goodnight, he would hop out of bed and we would go to my oldest brother's side where the same scenario would repeat itself. And then the young ones would scamper off to bed, our heads filled with bedtime stories and we would dream the night away...

100 word update

It's only been 3 days, but boy am I enjoying this. I am not using the site as it is intended perhaps. I recall reading that you should jot down everyday occurences - I thought that was what blogs were about! Anyway, even if I am doing it backwards, it works for me.
I have been thinking about writing a kid's book (ok, a series) and even started but it never got anywhere. This works for me. I find that the book is writing itself. It is not at all what I had envisioned. I often write a little bit more and pare it down. I keep a sentence to start me off the next day. Loads of fun - I feel I am writing at last. I think the practice here with you guys really helped so again - thank you for tuning in!

Spider webs

The land is covered in spider webs today. Where did they all come from? I suppose they were there all along, invisible. This morning, the dew revealed them as they dotted the grounds. Pretty site.
There is talk of rain over the week-end so we will probably hold off on getting the goats from our neighbour. We need help with the hard-to-reach places where we fear to go with the tractor (the hill is too steep and it might overturn, pinning the driver underneath).
I am tired of mosquitoes. They invade the house when the dogs come in and buzz around my ears. It's mostly the buzzing that grates me - the sting is just a minor irritant.
'Tis colder today - I am back to wearing sweatpants around the house : ) I just get chilly easily... Well, gotta go - the 100 words site thing is going well. I don't want to jinx it by talking about it...

Thank you

I am hereby releasing myself from the 100 words constraint. Thanks for participating in my little experiment by reading faithfully and encouraging me with your comments. I will now take the lonely leap and start staunchingly recording 100 words a day on the "real" site, without your cheering. Of course, I will keep you posted on my progress. I plan to write a kids book, 100 words at a time. I want lots of illustrations.
My fingers are slowing down as I am getting closer to the magic 100. Will I ever again be able to break the barrier? 100