Daytripping - Raccoon Creek State Park, Pennsylvania

Before I tell you about my trip, I want to insert some gratitude for my wee little gas sipper:


I get about 34mpg just zipping back and forth to town, but on the highway it easily gets 40mpg. I've always thought tiny 4-cylinder engines were smart, but now that gas prices are so high more people understand why I like it so much.
Alright, I'm done talking about gas prices. For now. But, yes, I plan to revisit the subject...


Raccoon Creek State Park is located in Pennsylvania just to the east of the northernmost tip of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. And, being as close as it is to West Virginia, it is beautiful.



So what did it take to get me to go? To get me to leave West Virginia, even for such a short time? To take me away from my writing, my coffee house construction, my kids, my daily chaos routine?



Part of it was the lure of a walk in the woods, but there's no need to go anywhere for that. I am very blessed with plenty of woods and plenty of walking space right here at home. Plenty of that West Virginia beauty, too.



Really, the reason I went? Friends. Good old friends.
They drove down from Ohio and Raccoon Creek State Park is just about exactly the halfway point (now that we know this, we should get together more often).
And it was worth the trip.

Walking up a hill, Nancy spotted this:


And from the back side of the tree it looked like this:

I wonder how many years it's been there?








It was just enough further north that jack-in-the-pulpit still sat in his pulpit:




All those beautiful pictures of green and now I have to throw this one in:


I've never seen a giant M&M vending machine.
Maybe I'm just not paying attention.

Thanks, Lisa and Nancy, for being my friends and loving a walk in the woods as much as I do.

One more reason...

...I love West Virginia:

This tractor was stopped at the stoplight at 4-Corners in Grafton - the intersection of U.S. Routes 119 and 50.

Insects, Sunshine, & Baldness

• It's apparent that I'll have to specify 'fiction' when I post it. 'Roach Motel' was mistaken by at least several people as a real report on how my day was going. Most were able to figure it out before they got too far, but one was a new reader. I hope I didn't scare her away.
• I am thankful that roaches are not on my daily to-do list. Neither is vacuuming, although it probably should be. However, I am certain that there are other people out there, like the young woman in the flash, who are not so fortunate.
• You'll notice that I edited the 'Roach Motel' post title to include 'Flash Fiction.' I figured it couldn't hurt.
• Speaking of insects: they're back. It was warm enough to sit outside yesterday evening and the insects thought it was warm enough, too. I will gladly take a few gnats and mosquitoes to go along with this gorgeous weather.
• For the second time in a week I took advantage of the warm temperatures and gentle sunshine to take a walk in a place that I don't normally go. And for the second time in a week I did not bring my camera. Be assured that I saw many beautiful things: a hillside draped in the soft comfort of Virginia Bluebells, Spring Beauties, Violets, a bumblebee, two deer grazing quietly just up the hill from where I walked, and, unfortunately, plenty of Garlic Mustard -both 1st and 2nd year plants- and Japanese Knotweed already much higher than any Pokeweed I've yet to see this year.
• My comfrey is up in the garden. It's the first robust sign I've seen from out there so far this year - myself included.
• Yes. I have been very lazy and late with the spring gardening.
• The strawberries survived. We will have fresh strawberries come June.
• Maisie is bald. Yep. You read that right. My big hairy dog got shaved down to nubblies. I will take pictures. (Ha! No more shedding this spring!)

What month is it?

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it was getting there. I still felt horrible yesterday and PC made me go with him to eat sushi. I didn't want to, but I'm glad I did because after I ate a ping-pong ball sized blob of wasabi and a small mountain of ginger (not to mention the tuna and salmon I ate it with) I did feel better. Not good, but better, which is way more than I've been able to say for two weeks (Two weeks! Yikes!).
I actually went to the gym this morning. I certainly wasn't setting any personal records and I felt like a total weakling, but the important thing is I went and I broke a sweat on purpose (as opposed to all the sweat I've been losing from the flu ague). And right now, post-gym and pre-shower, I think I can see my way clear to being well again! Yay!
I like to think I don't take my health for granted, but being sick for two weeks really puts a different spin on things. My health is constantly on my gratitude list. It's something I think about and something I work for with both exercise and healthy eating; my health is very important to me. But even being consciously grateful, having the (killer) flu for two weeks really had me freaked out. I am very grateful it's just about over and I will continue to remind myself of just how blessed I am to have good health.
Now I have to go rearrange my calendar - which means I have to move the to-do list from the first week of March to this week. Nothing like being 2-3 weeks behind.

Amazon Novel Contest

I did not make the next cut.

I wanted to let you guys know, but more importantly, I want to thank all of you who showed your support. Writing is lonely and your support really means a lot to me.
THANK YOU for the great show of encouragement! I needed that :).

I don't feel too bad about not advancing. There were quite a few really good excerpts that did not advance, so I feel as if I'm in good company. Just making it into the semi-finals really felt good. It was the first time that I've put a large project out for public review. Mostly, especially at first, it was scary, but also, it made me realize that my writing IS interesting. Odd perhaps, sometimes, but interesting and worthwhile.
Getting an outside opinion was exactly what I needed. So, I'm still writing and plan to continue, though not exclusively as I have several other worthwhile and interesting things going on, too.

So, what about Vultures?
I'm putting it back on the shelf.
Yes, really. I'm working on another book project, though I anticipate it taking two-three years to complete. At that time, I'll probably take another look.
In the meantime, I'm still writing some magazine articles, blogs, of course, and a couple of short stories.


Tonight PC and I are kayaking.
Really.
Only it's not all that adventurous: it's in the YMCA pool.
Hey, I've gotta start somewhere, right?

Oh, yes...Today's Gratitude...

Today's Gratitude:

I am thankful for my giant hairy friend.


Even if she is a whiner. :)

Universal Law of Attraction

I love Christmas. I haven't always, but once I took my focus off of what I'm 'supposed' to do (or be or get or give) and put it on being grateful, things just seemed to fall into place.
I AM Grateful.
I AM blessed. :)

I am reading The Secret. I've read other books about the Universal Law of Attraction. To some extent I've practiced it. That's where the gratitude came from - focus on the positive and positive is what you'll attract. It doesn't seem all that far-fetched, really. Think about the office (or workplace or school or wherever) complainer. That person has something new (and all the old stuff, too) to complain about every day.
Every. Day.
No matter what, that person is whining and bitching and moaning. Does it do them any good? Hell, no. Wallowing just adds to their misery (and everyone else's, too).

So, what if you looked at it the other way? Find positive things to focus your energy towards. I CAN do that; it's simple if I just quit bitching long enough to take a look at my many blessings. When I focus on the GOOD, I feel better. It doesn't matter if I get rewarded for that or not (though attracting more of the good would be a great perk), it makes me feel better Right Now (and instant gratification is a good thing, no matter how mature I think I am).

For 2008, I intend to focus on my many blessings.


Today's Gratitude:

I am thankful for my husband and his level-headedness and constant love.

Thanksgiving & Gratitude

I am not going to make the 50,000 word count for NaNoWriMo.
More about that later....

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. We are visiting PC's family for the holiday. While I'm glad to visit, every minute that I am here I am thankful that we do not live here any longer. We can all go back home in a couple of days.

Gratitude List:
I am thankful for our house and our breathing room.
I am thankful for our children (even if they are loud and unruly).
I am thankful for my husband.
I am thankful for my dog (yes, I am one of those people).
I am thankful for myself and I am thankful that I am finally able to appreciate my own perseverance (hard-headedness) and strength.
I am thankful for my health and the health of my husband and our children and our extended family.
I am thankful that I have so many things to be thankful for.
I am blessed.

I think I will do the gratitude list more often to remind myself just how blessed I am.