Catherine Lime

This workshop was hosted by Dave Butler.

I enjoy making hemp chokers and bracelets so I was looking foward to learning some really fancy knots to embellish these. I know one very simple Celtic knot already.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into the room and there was no rope, twine, or yarn, but instead papers, pencils, and straightedges. This was a class on DRAWING knots. I like learning new things so I stuck around.

It was fun. By following Dave's step by step instructions I was able to draw a decent Celtic design. There are rules to follow but I can't find my notes at the moment. I'm sure there are notes on the internet however. It included things like remembering to cross over then under.

Dave told us how he had gotten frustrated following the rules however because every knot he drew had already been drawn somewhere by somebody else. So he started breaking a few of the rules to come up with more elaborate designs. One technique he especially liked was forking one of the "ropes" into two or three.

The panel for this workshop was Cymbric Earlysmyth, Stevena House-Labadie,Spring schoenhuth, and David-Glenn Anderson

This workshop was attended by several authors, educators, a student, and a publisher. I was the only homeschooler there. The first part consisted of people whining about the school system. When I finally got my chance to say "Hey, I have to the freedom to teach what I want....what do you suggest?" I was able to get a long list of recommendations. I'll list some of them here.

Endersgame (see hatrack.com)
short story anthologies
The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin (gives a mini ballistics lesson)
The Past Through Tomorrow by Heinlein
Science Fiction Hall of FAme
Tales from the Wonderzone (might be a website I'm not sure)
Ted Butler
Pandora's Box
Magic Treehouse series
the original Robinhood
Bullfinches Mythology
The Tempest by Shakespeare (considered by some to be the first science fiction story)
Reader's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy (out of print 1980)
anything by Octavia Butler - a multicultural author
From Heinlein to Here by James Gunn
Danny Dunn
Teacher Created Materials

I was also advised to check out the website aboutsf.org
There was talk of a five story bookstore in downtown Portland called Powell's.
Both the Washington State Parks Department and Seattleastro.org have programs which they are actively trying to get adopted by schools.
Another idea was to have the students develop a culture and invent aliens scientifically.

I attended Norwescon - a science fiction/fantasy convention the end of March. I took notes at all the workshops I attended so I think I'll rewrite them here. I have a lot more to say about the con (It was really fun!) and I'd love to include photos but for now I'm trying to organize my notes.

The official, final election results are in!!!!! Denis Law won the mayor's race.


Yes, we all knew Denis had won on November 6....but I still feel an enormous sense of security now that it has been officially announced and recorded.

I wonder if Mayor Keolker has conceded now?

I found myself wondering this several times today. Where do you get your story? How do you know it's not some movie or book you read a long time ago? How do you make the writing interesting ..not just statement of fact? Maybe I have that last question because my education was so science based and most of my writing was observational.

I think it's cool that my friends doing Nanowrimo get a little "done" icon when they reach their thousand words for the day. I'm wondering what kind of instruction and encouragement they get from the website or organization.

My brother wrote a novel but hasn't let anyone read it. My cousin wrote a novel and it was nominated for awards in Japan. The former mayor Jesse Tanner (who was a good friend of Randy's)'s daughter wrote a novel and was offered a large sum of money for the movie rights.

Is it as much fun to write a good novel as it is to read one? And was it like to write one that's mediocre?

Oh so much to do but I promised myself I would write. Starting Thursday two (at least two anyway) of my friends are participating in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). They are planning on writing over a thousand words per day. I don't have the desire to write a novel but I do enjoy writing small amounts. So I'm using their event to keep writing in my awareness and make a point to do a bit at a time.

I'm excited to see what the boys are going to do for Halloween. Last year they built a display in the garage and blasted Phantom of the Opera, Primus, and Luigi's Mansion music all over the neighborhood. Now I have to think about what I'm going to where to answer the door in. I'm not sure I want to be as dressy as a mermaid.

I wanted to mix a drink on Thursday night. I looked up recipes that use whiskey and came upon Breakfast with the Leprechauns. 2 0z Bailey's Irish Creme, 1 and 1/2 oz whiskey, 1/2 oz cherry brandy ( I used blackberry) and coffee (I used decaf). I made one for Randy and he liked it. I asked if Brandon wanted one. He said "I'll have breakfast with the leprechauns" and he pulled a small leprechaun out of his pocket! It was a melting bead leprechaun that he had made earlier in the day as a craft project with the school kids.

Almost everyone has heard of Lassie - the super smart collie who saved little Timmy from the well. Since our dog Max resembles a miniature Lassie I ordered the first 6 episodes of the Lassie tv series from Netflix. I think I've had them for over a month but last night I finally decided to just sit down and watch the first fifteen minutes to show remember what Lassie was like and hopefully to show it to Susie. I (we) ended up watching three episodes! Danny, Randy, Kenny, and even Andy came into the room and were amused by it. The first episodes were filmed in 1954. Just looking at the sets and automobiles was interesting. Jeff (the boy who came before Timmy) has an ice box instead of a refrigerator and his telephone is the kind that you have to crank and talk into the part on the wall. The stories were rather corny and the effects were super simple. When Lassie got carried out of the house by the bad guy she was obviously docile yet the sound effects were of a dog growling and biting.

Our favorite episode was when Jeff went hunting for rabbits with his bow and arrow. We were just waiting for him to fall into a well, step in quick sand, or be attacked by an alligator. We did NOT expect him to round the bush and run into a lion! It was pretty good. Of course no one would believe that little Jeffy had seen a real lion so they left him and his friend home alone all day and well into the night. (Jeff is 11)

I think I just might watch a few more episodes and then try to find the series that had Cory the forest ranger in them.

Fun Day yesterday.

First of all the weather was wonderful! Sunny, a few clouds, 68 degrees. The cherry blossoms are blooming and the grass is greening up.

I drove up to Little Bit Riding Academy where I volunteer to help with hippotherapy. I don't have a story cd right now so I listened to Andy's Set Your Voice Free and did a little singing practice on the way.

At the barn I helped one of the instructors as she was covering the riding barrel with carpeting. They use the barrel for kids to practice vaulting on. It sounds like a lot of fun. I would love to be able to mount a running horse and do tricks on horseback. It's amazing how the disabled kids can often do more than I can.

My co-volunteer arrived and when the instructor brought Bjorn into the barn we changed his equipment from riding gear to hippotherapy pad and driving reins. We got him out to the arena just as our cute little rider arrived. Bjorn is a wonderfully calm and well trained Norwegian Fjord gelding. The rider was very happy to see him and eagerly climbed onto his back with a little help fromthe therapist. The therapist walks on one side and a volunteer sidewalker on the other. The riding instructor drives the horse from behind using long reins. A second volunteer opens gates, stands in front of the horses head whenever he is stopped, and helps with supplies for the therapy session.

As we were taking our walk along the pipeline trail and through the woods I thought to myself that it would be really good for me to take Zeus out soon. I didn't regret being at Little Bit because I know that if I had stayed home I would be finding a zillion other things to do and this way I could get some motivation. I also mused that hippotherapy would be a good thing for all of us. Feeling the motion of a horse walking stimulates neurons in the brain and anyone who has tried riding can tell you that your own legs get a bit of a workout too.

I stopped at a natural foods store on my way home. I was searching for wheat free food for Andy since he's suspecting that it could be a wheat allergy that is causing his fatigue. I also picked up a jar of mole sauce for a recipe I got from a friend. I was wondering just how spicy this sauce was so I asked a clerk if she knew. I was delightfully surprised when the clerk said I could open it, taste it, and take the jar home free as a sample.

I was tired after my drive home but instead of lying down for a nap I asked if Andy wanted to go horseback riding. He was interested so I fixed Susie some lunch then headed out back to tack up Zeus. Andy came out to help and at the last minute Danny decided to come along. The boys had a nice ride along some streets - mostly walking with a little trotting.

When I got home from the ride Susie was all packed up to go to her friend's house for an overnight. Randy had gotten home from work so we drove her there together. I was so nervous leaving her all night. This is the first night she has spent away from me since she was diagnosed with diabetes.

Randy and went out to dinner at Kent Station afterwards. We found an restaurant called Zephyr's that looked good. As I was eating my smoked chicken Caeser salad I noticed that the napkin said there were two Zephyr's - this one and another in Livermore California!

We did a little shopping afterwards which was fun, stopped at home to check on the boys, then went on over to our friends' house where we watched Brokeback Mountain. Yes, the scenery was beautiful and I even enjoyed the slow parts thanks to a really delicious lime hot toddy. We talked afterwards and I did grieve a bit for my uncle who died last fall. I'm mostly still in the stage where I don't believe he's dead yet.

I was very tired when I got home but the guys on mythbusters were exploring how to get out of a submerged automobile. At one time, this was major fear for me where I hated driving over bridges. It turns out though that you can either open the door right as the car hits the water or you can use a small hammer or poking device that is made for exactly the purpose of breaking the window if you are stuck. Much to my surprise,hand crank windows work no better than electric when a car is under water. Now I've got an idea of what to give out as Christmas presents. Remember that year that the whole family got fire extinguishers?

So let's see here's a small update.

I got my eyebrows waxed this morning. I just had them neatened up a bit. I have to have someone else do it because I have no idea where they're supposed to go. : )

My hair is lighter brown now and fairly blond on top. I can't tell whether it came out as streaks or a layer but it's a fun change. Still, I really enjoy being dark brown with blond or red streaks so eventually I'll go back to that.

I love our yard. I wish Dolly would stop trying to get out though. We fixed a big whole last week but evidently she's found or made another.

So what am I going to be for Halloween? Randy has real pirate clothes that he's hardly had a chance to wear so he wants to be a pirate. He looks great in it too so that really is a good choice for him. I have most of a pirate costume so I'll probably go with that.,...but I still need a shirt. I was hoping to do the doctor/nurse thing but I'll probably wait till next year for that.

Danny wants a clown costume. He has the hair and the face but the kid suits are too small and the adult suits too large. Does that mean I have to sew that one?

Susie is an Egyptian princess.

I don't know what Andy and Kenny are dressing as.

Yay, book club is starting. Our first read is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Okay back to housework and homeschooling now.

Current Mood: calm

Randy is an incredibly brilliant engineer. He decided to put a new cable ride in our back yard. This time he wanted it to be longer. the engineering came into play when figuring out how to attach the cable around the maple tree. He used a combination of turnbuckles, chain, and sewer pipe. It was quite a trick making the cable tight enough to attach the turnbuckle. He used a winch and other chains and ropes. It looked impossible to me but he did it.

Randy did sustain a burn injury on his arm. He was putting the cable through a notch in a smaller maple and the ladder slipped. He grabbed the tree trunk and slid down like on a fireman's pole. His arm got a nasty scrape which we later realized was also a friction burn.

The ride is really fun. You get going really fast and it gives you a nice swing at the end.

I love reading. The only trouble is that when I'm reading sometimes I feel like I should be doing. There is always so much that should be done around here and I still haven't figured out how to feel like I've accomplished enough.

I've just started Promises to Peter. This could be the best parenting book ever written. we'll see. I also started reading Inventing Memory - a sci-fi fantasy book written by my mother's cousin Anne Harris. That makes her my cousin right? I am intrigued by it. Several times yesterday I was hoping I would have to wait somewhere so that I would get a chance to read that book.

I am so grateful for Andy's job. He works at the port checking in passengers on the Holland-America cruises to Alaska. He seems to enjoy it and always gets himself up (early for him) and makes his own lunch.

I'm grateful for Randy's Boeing job too. His supervisors sure like him. It's nice that lately he's been able to take so much time off. He is getting pretty successful at selling ebay items so that's been sort of like a third job. I'm not sure what to say about the city job because there is so much to it. I can say that is serves as a hobby and a job. He is so valuable as City Council President. Some people recognize his worth.

Susie is maturing too. Last night I wrote a list of things we needed to do today and later she took a pen and added "clean room' to the list. She's also been cooking a lot lately.

Danny and Kenny seem to find plenty to do to keep themselves happy. It's funny because they don't appear to be doing much. But they never complain about being bored. I teased them that I have hypoactive children whereas most parents complain about hyperactive children. They were a great help last week when I took them over to Jen's to get fence boards. They happily helped me tear down a cedar board fence and remove the nails. Their conversation was pretty entertaining too. I'd love to get them more involved in projects like that.

Katie works at Holiday Inn and Brandon works at Fry's. Both companies are blessed to have them as workers. Katie is always so cheerful.

I also really enjoy hearing the kids play music. Andy, Kenny, and Jake practice in the garage just on the other side of our bedroom wall. The sound comes through at just the right volume.

Yesterday for Kenny's birthday a bunch of us drove up to Edmonds to play Whirlyball. What a blast! You drive bumper type cars around while trying to scoop up a whiffle ball to throw it at a target.

First entry.

This beats doing laundry!