Monthly Archives: May 2018

And you say…so what?

I came across this 2014 commencement speech in the last year. Here’s a short clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzLzbd-zT4

And also the longer one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgzLzbd-zT4

1. Make your bed

2. Find people to paddle with you

3. Measure the size of heart, not flippers

4. Get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward

5. Don’t be afraid of the circuses

6. Sometimes you have to slide down obstacles head first

7. Don’t back down from the sharks

8. You must be your very best in the darkest moments

9. Start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud. Hope for everyone

10. Don’t ever, ever ring the bell

It’s my annual stress over the Saluki National time, which can on occasion be a circus. In the last four years I’ve added the stress by managing the event. At times I have wild delusions of how I can avoid going. It’s not the actual travel, it’s sourcing and acquiring for the event, ensuring the ‘lukis staying home are well cared for, packing up clothing for me, food for me, food for the dogs going with me, food for the dogs staying home. And getting the house in good enough order my house sitter isn’t appalled. Sometimes I almost get to the point of just not going.

Don’t ever EVER ring the bell.

I needed that today. Thank you Admiral for reminding me. I’ll be jumping into the sharks, paddling with my friends, singing up a storm and being our very best. I’m not much for making my bed but my dishes are washed and put away. I can see my counters! If nothing else I will have a clean kitchen. And some of the floors And…this is amazing.

And even more, THANK YOU and all those who made it through SEAL training for not ringing the bell, for working together, and for your service.

Leaving this behind for a few days

Foundation can mean so many things. We’re told we need a good foundation garment so our clothes fit well. Foundation is critical for a safe house. Training Agility is so much easier when you spend the time to teach Foundation skills. And if we want to write a readable book it really helps to have the Foundation of grammar, sentence structure, and some semblance of plot.

Not that you can’t succeed in Agility or Writing without a great foundation. I kind of

Fire Dragon, a little confused

‘back doored’ my way into Agility with an intelligent dog and basic training skills. He ended up my first pancake, my learning dog…until my handling skills (or lack thereof!) confused him so much he shut down. I moved on to his littermates and with each one I improved enough…with a LOT of help…that I can now communicate with Biddy while we are both running. Okay, she’s running, I’m huffing and puffing.

That first dog was Fire Dragon, and we’ve gone back to the beginning with a ‘Foundations’ class. He’s never been on board with tug toys or other games but getting in depth advice on the obstacles he loved but that worried him? Seriously priceless. So what if this is the work we should have be doing at the beginning, as long as it gets done?

So I pulled out my very first book. Wowee it’s long, or it was back then. Something like 425 pages (100,000 plus words.) Over the years I’ve cut and cut and cut until it was down to about 80,000 much better words. Now that it’s going to be the fourth book in the Stormhaven trilogy, I pulled it out again.

WHO wrote this? POV changes every paragraph, all the characters are beautiful and flawlessly kind except when my two main characters snipe at each other for no reason…when they’re not thinking lustful thoughts. Naturally they’ll be in bed in the third chapter. Inner dialogue out the wazoo. Sigh.

Well I can save the character’s names, which helps since the male is a part of the first three books. I can save the basic plot. The craft Foundation is there but I am certainly going to have to go back and apply the skills I’ve gained since then.

As far as Foundation garments? That’s a subject for another time.