by jphilo | Jan 6, 2014 | Daily Life
Contrary to what a literal interpretation of the above title implies, the no-longer-afraid-of-heights-and-horses genie did not work any magic at our house over the holidays. Neither the man of steel or the woman of aluminum will be riding horses in the near future. Or until hell freezes over. Which could be today with a predicted high of -7.
But I digress.
The back in the saddle reference is purely metaphorical–as is the hell freezing over phrase–so maybe the previous paragraph wasn’t a digression, though this one is in danger of becoming one.
Back to the topic at hand.
After an autumn filled with writing-related travel and pitching in to help rellies move, along with two December weekends devoted to Christmas travel and house guests at our house this past weekend, the hubbub is officially over.
I am back in the saddle again.
Back in the saddle that is preparing DifferentDream.com blog posts on Mondays, visiting Mom on Tuesdays, delving into writing and speaking projects Wednesdays through Fridays, and working around the house on the weekends. Back in the saddle without interruption for all of January and February.
A very boring saddle.
And a totally welcome one. Because it offers the long stretches of time needed to disappear into the story land of the mystery novel waiting to be completed. A story land replete with real horses and real saddles, which are fun to image riding because there’s no danger of falling off and getting hurt.
Now that’s my kind of adventure.
Which is why I’m glad to be back in the saddle again. A metaphorical place were I plan to stay for most of January and February. Yippie yi yo kayah!
by jphilo | Oct 21, 2013 | Out and About
What can happen in one short week?
- A country bumpkin can drive through Chicago both ways without mishap and with correct change for the toll booth.
- A bargain shopper can buy steal-of-a-deal new snow boots at an outlet store.
- Old friends can spend a day together and pick up the conversation right where it ended almost 30 years ago.
- Co-authors can hammer out the direction of a new book…and laugh a lot in the process.
- One writer can enjoy lunch several days running with publishing house personnel, an agent, and special needs ministry colleagues.
- An Iowan can navigate Grand Rapids, Michigan all week long and not get lost once.
- The same Iowan can flawlessly execute a Michigan left turn. (Cue applause)
- A writers’ conference can result in complete strangers becoming fast friends over coffee and hand outs.
- The trees along Lake Michigan’s eastern shore can be beautiful enough to bring a person to tears.
- Arriving home after a wonderful week reminds weary travelers of a truth that bears repeating, though clicking one’s heels is optional…
…There truly is no place like home!
by jphilo | Sep 13, 2013 | Out and About
In just a few hours, I’ll be on my way to the McFarthest spot where Hiram and I lived for seven years. We moved there in 1978, two shiny new college graduates with our first grown up jobs. Seven years later, we returned to Iowa so our three-year-old son could be closer to doctors and a children’s hospital.
When we left Harding County, a tiny bit of my heart stayed behind, though I didn’t know it way back then. But with the passing of years and decades, it calls to me disguised as longings for the immense sky and the cool night air, for elbow room and old friends. In answer, I pull out my mystery novel manuscript and let my imagination take me there.
But this week I’m making the long drive west and north to do background research.
I want to smell the air, see the small towns, and hear gravel ping against the fender.
Feel my stomach lurch as the car rounds the curve at the crest of the Jump-Off.
Remember what it was like to live without cell phone service and wireless wi-fi.
Visit the school where I once taught, where a former student teaches now.
Hug old friends.
Share old memories.
All in an effort to pour this far away, precious place and the kind of people who live there into a fiction story. So readers who don’t live there and don’t know what they’re missing can fall in love with my McFarthest spot. So the remote and vast land that captured my heart 28 years ago captures their hearts, too.
Are you there yet?
by jphilo | Aug 27, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. Dorothy: I don’t want to go on this trip, Jolene.
9. Dorothy: That’s a dirty bean field.
8. Dorothy: Look Jolene, another barn quilt.
7. Dorothy: That corn field doesn’t look very good. Too dry, don’t you think?
6. Dorothy: My, my the river’s low.
5. Dorothy: Can you believe all the windmills? On both sides or the road. There’s another batch.
4. Dorothy: Oh, I’m so tired I can hardly stay awake.
3. Jolene: Mom, why don’t you lean recline your seat and take a nap. There’s a pillow in the back seat.
2. Dorothy: Don’t tell me what to do, Jolene. I’m enjoying seeing the countryside.
1. Jolene: Sigh.
Photo Source
by jphilo | Jul 23, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
I arrived home from Alaska (the flowers above are considered a noxious weed in Kodiak) and Idaho almost a week ago. However, my life feels stuck in a hamster wheel of non-accomplishment. To make returning from vacation easier, perhaps someone could invent the items in this week’s top ten list.
10. A jet lag eliminator.
9. Automatic weed puller.
8. Automatic plant waterer.
7. Automatic flower dead header. Hmmm….a theme is emerging.
6. Email/mail scout to eliminate spam and junk mail. The deluxe version could include an authentic sounding response feature, too.
5. Refrigerator restocker.
4. Suitcase with washer/dryer combo to launder clothes on return trip.
3. A put-everything-back-where-it-belongs robot that could, say, take the hanging plants off the patio and back onto their hooks.
2. A vacation photo sorter with a sensor that beeps when your photos bore others. This refers to other people’s photos only, since mine are never boring or too numerous.
1. A painless healthy diet restorer.
What invention would make life easier for you after a vacation? Leave a comment.
