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Thursday, 30 August 2012

Bolt Action SS - WIP 2

Just a quick update on the Waffen SS figures.  Camo patterns are almost all done, only the dots on the Pea Dot scheme need added, and I've started the detailing and equipment.

Mostly happy with how the camo looks so far.  The Oak Leaf looks the best to me, with a good bright green.  The Plane Tree looks really good up close, but from further away, the brown looks kind of washed out, I may go over the brown in a darker shade, but maybe not. The Pea Dot pattern still doesn't look right, the tan/light brown colour and the green both look off to me.  I'll see how it looks after the dots are added, but don't think it will make a huge difference.  So far this has been a decent learning experience, as I've mixed quite a few colours myself and tried a couple different tricks.

Next job is getting the equipment painted.  I really like mixing up the colours used on late war Germans; the idea being that with their supply problems, these guys will have picked up equipment whereever they could get it, so different helmets, breadbags, gaiters etc.  My new bases arrived so I can get to work on the next batch of figures, more riflemen and the squad LMG.  I'd like to get these finished at the weekend, but recent history suggests it'll be a bit before they're ready to go!

Monday, 27 August 2012

Doing my bit for the economy.

Or: man, I've spent waaay too much money this weekend.  And it's not like I'm twenty anymore and can drops loads of cash drinking for two days; it was waaay too much money on nerd stuff.

Firstly, I'm a sucker for a discount offer.  Maelstrom have an 18% discount offer on, so I went ahead and pre-ordered X-Wing from Fantasy Flight Games.  FFG put the rules up on their website last week and after a quick read through, there seems to be a bit of depth to the game.  Lots of customisable options usually mean decent replay value and, besides, it's Star Wars...  No release date yet, but there was a big event at a convention in America last week, so hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Seeing as there was a sale on, I made sure to pick up a few hobby bits and pieces; some paints, some hobby barbed wire and a pack of bases.  All of which I would have ordered anyway.

Secondly, I caved in and preordered the new Warhammer 40K box set.  I know I said I was done with 40K, but to be honest I enjoy the background and fiction too much to resist!  Then there's the fact that I have bought every boxed game they released since about 1993, I can't break a habit that long lasting can I?

Then there's eBay.  Over the last few weeks we've sold a few bits and pieces, so I had a bit of cash sitting around in PayPal.  And as everyone knows, PayPal money isn't real money until you take it out!  So I picked up a decent hall of Flames of War figures for my Fallschirmjager army, including a couple 88s, and, although I don't strictly need them straight away, the saving on the RRP still makes them a bit of a bargain.

I've also realised that you can buy books on eBay.  Now obviously I knew that already, but looking through pages of books wasn't something I'd done before.  So, bored on a Sunday night, I'm now waiting for half a dozen military history books to arrive, all for 99p each (with the small matter of postage.)

I haven't even mentioned the bunch of miniatures I ordered last week, but I'm blaming the two Posties Rejects, Fran and Ray for that particular purchase.  It also deserves a post of it's own.  So, what are the chances of making it through September without buying anything?

Sunday, 26 August 2012

Bolt Action SS - WIP 1

Some WIP pics of the first seven Waffen SS figures.  Two NCO's with MP40s, two with StG44 assault rifles and three with good old Kar98 rifles.  I need a larger base for the LMG team, so I'm waiting for them to arrive; the rest are based on 2p coins.  I've managed to stick to the "do something every day" ethos this week and am relatively happy with the progress I've made.  There are another dozen or so figures prepared and based, but I'm only working on a few at a time.

The first job was to paint all the skin on the seven figures (I hate painting faces, I'm terrible at it,) before starting on the camo patterns.  I'm just winging it at the moment, using Google to get an idea of the patterns and an Osprey book for the colours.  The first two figures, in Oak Leaf Spring camo, taught me that I can't add shade very well, so now I'm working from a much darker basecoat and highlighting up before adding the camo pattern.  Hopefully it will turn out ok.

They are by Warlord Games and I have to say that they are really excellent sculpts.  Some very dynamic poses along side some great expressions on some of the figures.  Of course, as metal miniatures, they take an absolute age to prepare, too many mould lines and flash, but definitely worth the effort.

Going forward, I plan to finish all the camo patterns before moving onto the equipment.  Still undecided whether or not to use metallic paints or to try my pseudo-nmm technique.  I think they would look better the second way, but for convenience they might get the old Boltgun Metal, wash, highlight treatment.

Sunday, 19 August 2012

A day out and some Bolt Action... errr... action

As the big orange warm thing was in the sky again today (two days on the spin,) the Mrs and I decided to trek out to the beach.  The picture below is proof positive that you're never too old to go paddling, but not piddling, in the sea!

Without sounding too much like an old man, it was nice to see that families with toddlers still go to the beach, build sandcastles and run into the sea etc.

On the gaming front, I decided to go ahead and pre-order Bolt Action from Warlord Games. Having read the couple articles Rick Priestly has written and a couple reviews from play testers, the game has a lot of promise.  I like the pinning mechanic and the leadership tests needed to activate units, although I'm less sold on the random activation sequence.

The release is about a month away, so it seems perfectly possible to paint up a small platoon for some early gaming.  So I've started work on a first squad of SS Germans, with a view to having these finished next weekend.  Another squad, a command platoon and three or four support options should finish the platoon off nicely.  But we'll see how I get on, best laid plans and all that.

Friday, 17 August 2012

The Rejects 20 Questions

In a move that is bound to spread across the internet like a plague, two of the Posties Rejects have put up one of those "interview yourself" lists. 20 questions, some about gaming, some not.  Considering the rain is tipping it down and that I'm stuck inside waiting for some prospective buyers to come look at the house, I've not really anything else better to do!  Make sure you read the answers Ray and Fran gave.

1. Favourite Wargaming period and why?

Punic Wars, first period that got me interested in history, not to mention wargaming!

2. Next period, money no object?
When I was younger, we played a massive campaign for a sci-fi planetary assault.  Invasion space battles with Battlefleet Gothic, Massive land/air battles with Epic 40K and smaller skirmished with regular 40K.  If money was no object, I'd go for something on that scale; Africa WW2, Japanese invasion of Korea, Moderns maybe, but something BIG.

3. Favourite 5 films?

In no particular order
Empire Strikes Back
Terminator 2
Big Trouble In Little China
The Jungle Book
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

4. Favourite 5 TV series?

In no particular order:
Battlestar Galactica (newer series)
Star Trek TNG
A-Team Blackadder
Simpsons (Seasons 3-7, before and after are all crap)

5. Favourite book and author?
EEEAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!! Not a chance I can narrow it down to one.  Gun to the head I'd have to go for The Count of Monte Cristo as the favorite book.  No idea of favourite author.

6. Greatest General? Can’t count yourself!!

Scipio.  Or, to give him the respect he deserves Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus.

7. Favourite Wargames rules?

No idea, probably Warmaster, considering all the variations it has spawned.

8. Favourite Sport and team?

9. If you had a only use once time machine, when and where would you go?

Serious answer:  Go back to about 1988 and give myself a list of things to do differently!
Non-serious answer:  Eleventh or Twelfth century BC, ancient Greece, see Helen of Troy and have a shot.

10.  Last meal on Death Row?

Chili nachos with the works, all washed down with a couple bottles of Peroni!

11. Fantasy relationship and why?
A completely juvenile answer: Sophie Howard.  Not only would she be dynamite in the sack, but she'd give you a great big hug afterwards!

12. If your life were a movie, who would play you?

Edward Norton.

13. Favourite Comic Superhero?

The Punisher.  Frank Castle is the man (except when he got beaten up by Daredevil. Git)

14. Favourite Military quote?

Not one for remembering quotes, so I'll go for the timeless "Veni, Vidi, Vici."

15. Historical destination to visit?

Rome, nuff said.

16. Biggest Wargaming regret?

Sold a heap of stuff a few years back when I wasn't gaming much.  Instantly regretted it.

17. Favourite Fantasy job?

Ooohh, any kind of professional sportsman.  Lower league footballer, county cricketer, domestique cyclist, anything like that.

18. Favourite Song Top 5?

In no particular order:
Fire Woman - The Cult
The Rain Song - Zep
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Live It Up - Mental As Anything

19. Favourite Wargaming Moment?

Few years ago, few mates round at the house for the weekend, lots of games, pizza, crisps, good tv, banter, tunes, beers.  Perfect nerd weekend.

20. The miserable Git question, what upsets you?

Big government, small minds, straightforward things being complicated, people who don't do their jobs, media speak, Liverpool fans, celarrrrbrities, waste, broadcast news, the idea that everyone's opinion is somehow equally valid, vegetarian versions of proper food (veggie sausages? Get stuffed.)

Monday, 13 August 2012

A Monday Chore

I'm afraid I haven't managed to pick up a paint brush in the last couple weeks.  I could come out with a list of excuses; new job, friends visiting, some work needing done on the house, but the real reason is the picture above.

Now what has happened here is that I've broken one of the golden painting rules; make sure it's easy for you to start.  I try and do some painting/modelling every day and when I can't be bothered painting, I say to myself "I'll just do some base colours" or "I'll just finish one figure."  Usually what happens is that I'll end up doing a lot more than that.

If I have to move piles of stuff before I even sit down, I'm not even going to pick up the brush!

So after three (yes, three) hours of tidying the desk and the shelves above, it's looking pretty organised.  God knows how long it will stay that way!  Another benefit of the big clean was that I've found a bag of miniatures that I had forgotten I bought.  Result!

Sunday, 12 August 2012

London 2012 Adieu

One of my rare non-gaming posts today as, with the end of the marathon, my interest in the 2012 Olympics pretty much comes to an end.

Despite fighting against the erratic BBC coverage over the last couple weeks, I managed to keep up with the sports I watch year round (athletics, cycling, football and tenis,) the sports you watch because they are on (the swimming, canoeing and the rowing) and the freak sports you get hooked on every four years (handball, weightlifting and gymnastics!)

Scenes from the games will surely be replayed again and again over the coming years and I think that London can be justly proud of hosting a great games.  The array of great victories (and occasional great defeat) make this easily an equal to the earlier games I've seen (I vaguely remember Seoul, but clearly recall Barcelona.)

I could happily spend hours writing about the highlights from my point of view, but this isn't a sports blog, so I'll just put some pictures up from my favorite events.

Right now, I hope the country is bracing itself for a bit of an Olympic backlash.  Certainly, most criticism of London's hosting of the games has been all but ignored since the opening ceremony, but I strongly suspect that it will return to prominence over the coming weeks and months.

Fundamentally, most criticism was aimed at either the cost and at the location of the games, and I agree with much of what has been said.  In terms of funding, the London Olympics has been very
successful in that, with only a couple alterations, it has stuck close to budget.  However, if you look at some of the funding sources (namely, charities, lottery and sponsorship,) how much funding has been diverted from other beneficiaries.  Funding from corporate sources comes with implicit tax benefits, would you rather Lloyds had paid more in general taxation than they gave to the Olympics?

Secondly, something the Lord Coe and others seem blindingly oblivious to, is that these are the London Olympics, not the Great British or English or United Kingdom(ish) Olympics. Although I have some faith the legacy of the Olympics will be felt across the whole country, there will be diminishing returns the further from the Southeast you are.  The vast, vast amount of benefit the games generate will be felt in London.  Throwing the football around the north and having the sailing on the south coast does nothing to mitigate this.  Saying that individuals will "get out of the games as much as they are willing to put in" struck me as a rather elitist and arrogant statement by Coe (does he know how much a week in London costs?)  I'd have liked to have had a bit more honesty from all parties, broadcasters included, on this.  So far, all announced post 2012 events are taking place in London.

For all that, I'm by no means down on the Olympics.  I made a concerted effort, once the games started, to enjoy them and watch as much as I could without grumbling.  I certainly see no contradiction in being generally positive about the games, but having some fundamental problems with their organisation and presentation.

Still, an hour after watching Stephen Kiprotich's fantastic marathon effort, the proper football season starts (I know I'm Scottish and our season started a couple weeks ago, but shut up) and  that's a different kind of enjoyment.  I've got plans for a couple trips to Stamford Bridge this season - with the Olympics finished, maybe I'll even be able to afford it too!

Friday, 10 August 2012

Another eBay bargain - Dark Heresy Flavoured

Another eBay bargain arrived today: The Radicals Handbook from the Dark Heresy RPG range.  I've been gradually building up my Dark Heresy and Rogue Trader collection, mainly because I'm a completionist and a big 40K background geek.

Although we're spending most of our RPG time on Black Crusade, I love the depth to the DH range.  The Radical's Handbook looks like a great mix for gamers, lots of ideas for GMs and plenty of new options for players, although I'd have liked to have a campaign included too.

I should also  mention the great quality of artwork on show, most of it I haven't seen elsewhere before.

The 40K roleplay range of books aren't cheap though, hence why I pick most of them off eBay.  You'd be surprised how cheap you can get them for in the right circumstances, usually in excellent condition.  I still pick up the new releases for full price though. . .

Monday, 6 August 2012

Cheerio Venexia, Hello Sgt Major Miniatures

Venexia have put up concrete evidence that they've closed up and, more significantly, that they've sold their range to US company Sgt Major Miniatures.

Production looks likely to resume by the end of the year (they say August, but pinch of salt and all that,) but it's too soon to hear about any distribution channels.  SGMM's range of 20mm figs are available in the UK from Elheim Miniatures, so hopefully they, or distributor Vexillia will pick the range up.

My Italian Wars project ground to a complete halt when I couldn't finish the units I'd started.  I'm looking forward to getting them back on the painting table.

Friday, 3 August 2012

Drum Castle and Some Loot

Glorious weather today, compared with the rain we've had all week, so the Mrs took the day off and we had a trek out to Drum Castle.  It's about twelve miles from our house and we can follow the old railway path all the way there (got the bus back of course.)

Drum Castle is one of those hodgepodge Scottish castles, an ancient 13th century tower with bits having been bolted on over the years.  Plenty of character though, and like most Scottish landmarks has a Jacobite connection (someone hid there for a couple years before the pardon - if you believe that kind of thing)  Although it's pretty small by European standards, I absolutely love going there, even on days like today when there were dozens of kids running about!

Sadly, the café was really busy, so there was no beer there for me after the epic hike to get there!

Also, rounding out the day nicely, a nerd package was waiting for me when we got home, White Dwarf, No Quarter, some Greeks and a Lord of the Rings Card pack.  These, and a couple cold ones rounded out a great Friday off!

Wednesday, 1 August 2012

Adios Amigo

Happy sad news today.  Gaz, one of my regular gaming buddies, and his Mrs (with whom he batting well above his average) have hopped it to work in New Zealand for a year.  Given the weather lately, can't say I blame them!

So I wish them all the best for the next year.  I was going to insert a random stereotypical Kiwi joke here, but I decided to take the moral high ground and put out an alert to all baggage crew in London:  There's a really expensive set of Magic: the Gathering cards travelling in his luggage.  Just saying...

Good luck mate.


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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Balsamic Vinegar and Blackberry Chicken

     This is the "So good your boyfriend will do the dishes," chicken recipe I have come up with. I am still working on the "Proposal," chicken recipe which I have heard rumored exists but only married women know how to perfect it and are definitely leaving something out of their shared recipes. Anyway, I will share mine and not leave anything out. I have served this chicken with mash potatoes, and pumpkin gratin or sautéed spinach and mushrooms, it goes well with just about everything.
Balsamic Vinegar and Blackberry Chicken Recipe

       Ingredients list                                                                                makes 4 servings

4 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp sage
3 cloves of minced garlic.
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup blackberries ( I used frozen)
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing or 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

     Putting it all together

  1. Heat some olive oil over medium low heat and place your chicken breast in the skillet. Salt, pepper  and add garlic and sage and half of the chicken broth. Flip the breast when you can see its cooked about half way through.
  2. When you flip the chicken add the rest of the broth, blackberries, honey and vinegar. The idea is to simmer the chicken into juicy, sweet submission. Yummy.
  3. After your chicken is done, serve the the yummy glaze over the top of your purple chicken.

     Lately we have been enjoying sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Just slice up about 4 or 5 baby bella mushrooms and saute in a tablespoon of butter, then add 10oz. of fresh baby spinach and salt and pepper lightly. I also grate about an ounce of asiago cheese on it at the last moment.
      So like I said, not a proposal but definitely get your dishes washed.

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Yoga Nidra Session for Auroville Tamilnadu Workshop on the Siddhi Day of Sri Aurobindo

 Tamil heritage Center  and Arul Vazhi Education Centre jointly conduct workshops for participants from the towns in Tamil Nadu . The objective is to give them an experience of Auroville, which includes meditation at Matri Mandir and sessions on Integral Yoga and the teachings of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.  The events are organized about once a quarter.
I am fortunate that Shri Varadarajan gives me an opportunity to share at these workshops, even though I don’t speak Tamil.  In this session, I conducted Yoga Nidra session and Shri Rajagopalan translated into Tamil.  What is inspiring to me is that many families as a whole participate in it and it is wonderful that the parents are giving this kind of exposure to their children. Nowadays, it is rare to see children brought up with roots in the cultural heritage and spiritual heritage of India – the country with one of the richest history and heritage.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of these wonderful events on a very significant occasion.

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• Sourcing Solutions
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  • Type: Handle
  • Material: Metal
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  • Model Number: ZQ-T921
  • Name: Travel Luggage Trolley
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Leather Bag Trolley Handle Telescopic Travel Luggage Trolley

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Tube part: Iron out,aluminium in(also can do aluminum or iron)

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Load  weight30kgs-35kgs
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Monday, March 22, 2010

Never. Been. So. Tired.

And wow! People sure were noticing the belly today!

We had an ultrasound on March 16. It was just a normal bi-weekly one, so Ross didn't take off of work (we are in ultra-vacation-days-savings mode for when the baby comes) but my mom and sister were there!! The little guy or girl was moving around like crazy!! The picture wasn't very good but the bean looked like a real head and body and it just kept squirming! It was exciting :)

We have our big "end of 1st trimester" one on April 14! It is supposed to last a long time and the dr will analyze the brain and spine to check for all neural tube defects...or something like that. I can't believe that it will be that in depth!! Hopefully we can actually see its arms and legs this time. And I'm super excited for Ross to see it move....can't wait!

1 comment:

Leslie said...

oh Kac that is exciting.. it was that one.. the tech told us she would almost guarrantee was a boy... so your getting close.. with both kids I found out there genders at 12-14 weeks..crazy but true... just saying.. :)


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Random Musings
B7 The Ends: Tingash - Chapter 14
3rd-Dec-2009 06:40 am

Category: Drama, Angst
Rating: Gen
2nd Story of From the Ends to the Beginning

Introduction: Wolves of Tingash.

Note: This chapter was very hard to get right. I had to rewrite most of it several times but I'm still not that sure about it. Feedback would be appreciated. I might make some adjustments depending on how it comes across.

Note 2: Adjustment made for wolf behavior. Marked in blue.

Previous Chapter

Chapter Fourteen

Next Chapter

Wolf was stunned. This was his mate. He remembered her beautiful amber eyes.

Torn snippets of pictures floated to the surface of his mind.

The beautiful she-wolf with the eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. The unique, gentle curve of her lips, opened in laughter. Racing the storms together, the wind whipping their faces. Lost in each other's eyes, hers wide and beautiful as a golden moon. Nuzzling her soft, thick fur as she nipped playfully at him.

They were not complete memories, only broken pictures, as if someone had cruelly yanked them out and jumbled them up carelessly.

With each picture of the past, the longing at his centre grew like a previously dry lake that was suddenly overflowing.

How could he have lost his mate for so long and not remembered? Guilt and grief joined the happiness of having found her again.

Avon waited and listened, his curiosity piqued. He heard the mental voice of the female wolf as it spoke to Argus's Wolf. His own psi abilities were extremely limited. That left one possibility.

Wolf stood up and approached his mate, the yearning in his loins and the joy of finding her made his heart burst. His mouth opened in a wolfish grin.

The female wolf stood her ground against the two-legs. She growled in warning and her sharp fangs were on full display. The danger was clear but Wolf was blind to everything except his mate and how beautiful she was when she was angry. He reached out to touch her.

Fangs grazed his forearm in warning, not enough to break the skin but enough to make him yank his hand back.

Wolf yelped in shock, holding his arm protectively across his chest. He looked at her with wounded eyes. "Rrrr?"

"Wolf! Out of the way!" Jenna aimed her gun at the she-wolf.

"Grrr!" Wolf grabbed Jenna's gun with a warning snarl. "Mate." He threw the weapon crashing against a tree.

* Do not try that again, * warned the she-wolf into Wolf's mind.

"Mate?" asked Jenna, not understanding, eyeing the battered weapon at the base of the tree, partially covered by wet clinging leaves.

The pain from the warning nip was barely noticeable, but there was a greater one inside as he came to the crushing realization his mate did not know him in this human body.

* Wolf? * The Argus-Alpha's voice was weak inside its mind. * I remember now. * There was great pain in his voice. * They did this to us. * The human groaned. * It's so cold. *

More memories surfaced. Feelings. A name.

Wolf reached hesitant fingers towards his mate. His voice was hopeful, gentle, and afraid. "Bright-Eyes?"

The she-wolf paced around him warily, * How do you know my name? *

"Interesting," said Avon, who could give clinics on understatements.

With everyone preoccupied, Jenna edged surreptitiously towards her gun. She was feeling very naked without it. A snarl from the she-wolf stopped her and she backed away, palms open. "You mean they know each other?"

“I suspect this is where Argus received his wolf personality.”

Only when Jenna sat down next to Avon did Bright-Eyes stop snarling at her. "They used a real wolf?"

"It appears so."

"So what happened to the real one?"

“I imagine that is what the wolves are trying to find out.”

Wolf said to the she-wolf, "Your name is Bright-Eyes. You are my mate."

The she-wolf shook her head violently from side-to-side. * You are not. The two-legs took my mate. You are a two-legs. *

As an experiment, Avon gathered his mind, as he did when he spoke to Cally.

* He has the personality of a wolf inside his head. *

The golden-eyed creature looked directly at Avon. Her voice in his mind was full of surprise. You speak like a wolf.

* I speak like a human. Which I am occasionally. *

The female wolf shook her head and sneezed. * Two-legs do not speak with their minds. *

Avon tilted his head in amusement. Two-legs?

* Humans use two legs to grip the ground. She sniffed critically. Not an efficient posture for the storms. *

* Ah. A logical wolf. * After all the illogical people he had to endure, finding a logical wolf seemed like an irony of gigantic proportions.

* One would not want to be an illogical wolf. *

* Of course not. Avon smiled. Nor an illogical human. *

* Why would one wish to be illogical?* she cocked her head, her ears flicking.

* Insanity perhaps? *

Wolf eyed them both suspiciously, he recognized the look on Avon's face. It was the expression he had when he spoke to his Cally-mate with his mind.

Jenna was becoming frustrated at the 'loud' lack of verbal dialogue. "Alright what's going on? she huffed, "Are you talking to Cally?"

"No," said Avon. "I'm speaking to the wolf."

"You can't be, I don't hear anything."

"Not our Wolf."

"Avon, if you don't make sense soon, I'm going to think you are insane."

"That would be an improvement."

* Why do you allow your pack to speak to you like this? * the she-wolf asked as she directed a snarl towards Jenna.

Jenna tensed, gauging the distance to the gun and wondering if she could risk it.

Avon asked, * Can you speak so Jenna can hear you? *

* Of course *, said the she-wolf who directed her next words to Jenna as well. * Your pack female is not well trained. *

Avon suppressed a laugh.

Jenna's eyes opened wide. "It's…speaking to me."

"I asked her to," said Avon.

Jenna's eyes narrowed, "Wait a minute. What did she just say about me?"

"She's a wolf." Avon's mind turned to the problems at hand. Despite everything falling apart, he was enjoying this. It was a mystery to solve and he was not hampered by the loss of his sight.

"I can see that! I'm not blind."

The she-wolf eyed Jenna with disapproval. The female needs to be bitten.

Avon gave a half-choked laugh that caused Jenna to glare at them both.

"No one is biting me!"

With the impassive mask back in place, Avon said flatly, "I wouldn't dream of it. Cally would never understand."

The she-wolf huffed, * This female is rudely mannered. *

Jenna fumed. To be criticized for her manners by a four-legged animal was too much after everything that happened.

"She has," Avon tilted his head in Jenna's direction, a smile playing on his lips, "issues."

Only a conscience, and the fact the pack would probably tear her apart, stopped Jenna from diving for her pistol and shooting the two smug Alphas where it really hurt. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Probably." He turned to the she-wolf. "You've identified Jenna is not the Alpha female?"

* Of course. * The she-wolf licked her paw delicately and rubbed her muzzle with it.

Jenna's increasing outrage turned her face red. "I'll have you know I was born an Alpha!"

* You are Alpha. I can smell your mate on you. It is not this female. *

Avon inclined his head in appreciation. "You truly are a logical wolf."

* And you are a puzzling human. *

"I have been many things."

During this exchange, Wolf's warm brown eyes drank in his mate's beauty even though she glared at him occasionally, annoyed by his rapt attention. His fractured memories included that glare; it filled his body with warmth and excitement.

Avon said, "Wolf, do you remember being with these wolves?"

"One does." His voice was soft and full of affection. The ache for this mate was fierce and touched to the core of his being.

* That is not possible, * said Bright-Eyes, sneezing again. * My mate is a wolf. *

Wolf’s head pounded as he tried to understand. “I...remember...being ...a real wolf.” The pain of saying it was too great. His head bowed and he put a hand to his head. When he lifted his head again, it was with Argus’s anguished yes. “Avon.” He staggered and Jenna reached for him. The ordeal of the last few hours, trapped in a nightmare that had been his life, robbed him of all strength and he sat down heavily. He put his head in his hands. “They...made me into an animal.”

Avon’s voice became quiet. “They conditioned you. Imprinted the wolf onto your mind.”

“Y-yes.” His voice was a half-sob as he recalled the darkness. “I...remember...some of it.”

“This must have been after they took you from the Academy.”

Argus’s fists clenched in anger and his voice was tight. “I...,” It was hard to focus his eyes. “I tried...to fight them, Avon. But...”

Avon’s voice was hard with shared anger. “They were too strong.”

Argus’s eyes squeezed tight, trying to hold back tears. He remembered being a wolf. A creature wracked with pain who struck out to kill its tormenters. “They connected us somehow. I could feel everything it was feeling.” The metallic taste of blood in his mouth as the wolf bit down. Argus shook his head, shaking off the memory as the joy of killing an enemy crept in like a thief. “The wolf’s name...was Brave-Heart.”

Argus Wolf
3rd-Dec-2009 03:14 pm (UTC)
I really enjoyed this chapter. I love the banter about Jenna and Avon enjoying solving the mystery and their dicussion of logic :-) I like how the flashback bits are alluded to but not proper flashbacks which would make the chapter too segmented, I think. It also reflects Argus slowly regaining consciousness.

Ouch. Is that the same arm that keeps getting shot? Poor Wolf/Argus. I half expected Wolf to say 'you're wonderful' to Bright-Eyes. XD

Just generally, I've noticed you're really good at similes. The one about the lake suits wolves too.

Also talking of storms, what happened to the storms on Tingash? Since the wolves are out I'm guessing where they landed is storm-free at the moment.

So if Brave-Heart was Argus' wolf then the previous bits where the mutoids were taking Brave-Heart away took place a long time ago. Is this right? Bright-Eyes must be quite an old wolf and her pups grown up.
3rd-Dec-2009 03:28 pm (UTC)
Also on similes - I read The Name is Avon. You do like similes. They're hilarious.
3rd-Dec-2009 03:55 pm (UTC)
I had a ball making those ones up ;)
3rd-Dec-2009 03:54 pm (UTC)
I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It still reads a bit choppy because of the switches in POV and the multiple things that are happening at once. I might work on that a bit.

Yes, unfortunately, its the same arm.

Similes are fun ;)

Yes, at the moment there is a let up in the storms where they are.

As for the memories and mutoids taking Brave-Heart, that will be revealed soon.
3rd-Dec-2009 04:05 pm (UTC)
I told him to look after that arm! Oh well, maybe it draws fire away from the rest of him where getting hurt could be a lot more fatal. It reminds me of that guy who kept getting hit by lightening...

Mab: ...You are such an idiot *rolls eyes*
Em: Huh
Mab: Tingash. Storms. Lightening.
Em: *facepalms*
3rd-Dec-2009 04:06 pm (UTC)
I see Mab is in *fine* form ;)
3rd-Dec-2009 04:14 pm (UTC)
The problem is no matter how fast I think she always thinks faster than me.

Mab: Maybe I should invite the wolves to the New Year's Eve party...do wolves like lemon meringue pie?
3rd-Dec-2009 04:16 pm (UTC)
They said they would be honoured. They have never tried lemon meringue pie but would enjoy some bones to gnaw on.
3rd-Dec-2009 04:25 pm (UTC)
Em: Are you ordering bones online?
Mab: Of course not
Em: *suspicious*
3rd-Dec-2009 05:01 pm (UTC)
Better keep an eye on Mab...
3rd-Dec-2009 05:26 pm (UTC)
I had this vision of her ordering bones from the elephant graveyard in The Lion King for the wolves.

Mab: I'm not ordering anything from those crazy hyenas. Even if they sell interesting pinatas. So here's the list: 4 lemon meringue pies, 6 bottles of A&S, 2 boxes of bones, a tin of those chocolate things, something-squiggle? Vila, I cannot read your handwriting. I think that was some kind of blue alcoholic drink...Steak flavoured what for Wolf? Wait, that was Corinne's addition. Oh, strawberries! Party decorations, a dartboard with Servalan's face, something for the lonely socks, lots and lots of fireworks...
3rd-Dec-2009 05:29 pm (UTC)
Mab, I hope those fireworks are ship-safe...
3rd-Dec-2009 05:35 pm (UTC)
Mab: Oh they are. Tamara Bagelhead uses them on her airship. They're not actually real fireworks but illusionary ones. I'm sure Avon could design something similar. And it's sort of difficult to set fireworks off in space anyway.
3rd-Dec-2009 09:46 pm (UTC)
Wolf has been in Argus' head for a long time, but the pack are looking for Brave Heart now. So they must have taken him for conditioning people like Argus several times. But didn't have to take him at a time when the pack would notice his disappearance? And Brave Heart has been conditioned to forget just as much as Argus?

But why have they only just become interested in wolf telepathy?
3rd-Dec-2009 09:49 pm (UTC)
Some very good questions there =)
3rd-Dec-2009 10:03 pm (UTC)
And you're going to make me wait for the answers. :~)
3rd-Dec-2009 10:08 pm (UTC)
Hmm, now let me see what I can reveal without spoiling the plot... Maybe some hints?

1) Take special note of what Argus says at the end of this chapter.
2) These are not regular Earth wolves. They have a lifespan at least equivalent to humans.
3) Remember how the Federation scientists were able to verify this was the right wolf.
4) Is there enough information to establish what the Federation scientists want with Brave-Heart?

Edited at 2009-12-03 10:13 pm (UTC)
3rd-Dec-2009 11:00 pm (UTC)
You're being quite generous with your hints for once.
3rd-Dec-2009 11:04 pm (UTC)
Some of them ;)
4th-Dec-2009 01:31 am (UTC)
So Braveheart being Argus' wolf hints at something decidedly sinister in capturing him now. After all they have the records and sso if they have braveheart can they somehow access Argus through Braveheart?

Love the dialogue between Avon and Bright Eyes.

So now all they have to do is enlist the wolves help. Well if it is to rescue her mate, Argus and Wolf would jump at the chance.

Do the wolves know how to get into the base?

When are we going to find out what happened to the others?

Er hadn't Avon better give Cally a "call" to let her know he is all right?
4th-Dec-2009 02:13 am (UTC)
Er hadn't Avon better give Cally a "call" to let her know he is all right?
Yes, Avon needs to learn to 'call home' more often ;)
4th-Dec-2009 01:32 am (UTC) - PS Re Wolf Behaviour
Argus is more likely to get a warning nip than a paw. Wolves and dogs bite, cats scratch.
4th-Dec-2009 01:50 am (UTC) - Re: PS Re Wolf Behaviour
Ahh, ok, I'll change that. Thanks
4th-Dec-2009 01:59 am (UTC) - Re: PS Re Wolf Behaviour
Ok, fixed now.
4th-Dec-2009 05:09 pm (UTC)
Hurrah - love it when Jenna is put in her place!

Enjoyed this chapter very much. :~)

Just one or two things:

'I speak like a human. Of which I am occasionally'
I don't see where you are getting 'of' from. 'Which' is all you need.

I was wondering also whether the broken and torn pictures, presumably photographs by implication, was rather a human metaphor for a Wolf to be thinking in. Unfortunately I can't think of any better way to express it off hand. It needs some pondering...
4th-Dec-2009 05:15 pm (UTC)
'I speak like a human. Of which I am occasionally'
I don't see where you are getting 'of' from. 'Which' is all you need.

Fixed. Thanks.

I was wondering also whether the broken and torn pictures, presumably photographs by implication, was rather a human metaphor for a Wolf to be thinking in. Unfortunately I can't think of any better way to express it off hand. It needs some pondering...

They're fragments of memories. I suppose I could try to make it more 'wolfish' though I'm also trying to convey the idea that Wolf and Argus share some common memories/knowledge because they were 'joined' during the imprinting process and they have been unconsciously working together as one, though they're not aware of it.
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Google CEO Cuts Vacation Short To Deal With Crisis Over Diversity Memo

Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that he supports the right of workers to express themselves but that a senior engineer's memo had gone too far.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai cut his the vacation short and returned to the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters as criticism mounted over a senior engineer's controversial memo condemning Google's diversity initiatives. The engineer was subsequently fired.

The memo, which some inside Google jokingly called a "manifesto," was widely shared inside and outside the company.

James Damore wrote that "biological causes" are part of the reason women aren't represented equally in its tech departments and leadership. In addition, Damore said men have a "higher drive for status."

Damore also criticized the company for being an "ideological echo chamber" that made it hard to dissent from "Google's left bias" and "politically correct monoculture." He also faulted the company for offering mentoring and other opportunities to its employees based on gender or race.

Pichai released a memo of his own Monday night about the situation. Pichai said that he supported the right of workers to express themselves but that the memo had gone too far. The CEO wrote:

"The memo has clearly impacted our co-workers, some of whom are hurting and feel judged based on their gender. Our co-workers shouldn't have to worry that each time they open their mouths to speak in a meeting, they have to prove that they are not like the memo states, being 'agreeable' rather than 'assertive,' showing a 'lower stress tolerance,' or being 'neurotic.' "

Pichai said portions of Damore's memo violate "our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace." Pichai has scheduled an all-staff meeting to discuss the situation.

In an email to The New York Times, Damore said he is likely to pursue legal action. "I have a legal right to express my concerns about the terms and conditions of my working environment and to bring up potentially illegal behavior, which is what my document does," Damore said.

Meanwhile, social media continues to churn with tweets and posts on both sides of the issue. Conservative sites like The Federalist saw the firing as proof of Damore's point that Google does not tolerate diversity of opinion.

However, former Google employee Kelly Ellis, who told NPR on Monday that she thought Google should fire Damore, sent out tweets supporting the decision. Ellis says she left Google because she was sexually harassed.

Ellis said Google promotes employees and determines salaries based on peer evaluations. Therefore, she says, Damore's bias against women could harm female colleagues.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit

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Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Lavinia Stamps - June Challenge

Hi Everyone and welcome to the Lavinia Stamps Challenge for June.

The Challenge is now LIVE on Facebook.  The theme  is Hidden Fairy.  Whether you hide your fairy behind a tree or somewhere much more ingenious, join in, just remember to use Lavinia Stamps.   Pop over  to their Facebook Page and join in.  You could win a Lavinia Stamps Voucher for £40!

I really enjoyed making this card, using the fantastic badgers (I think they might be giving the game away).  I have also used the wonderful Distress Oxides which are really great to use.  You can get all these from the Lavinia Store - here

Have a good month. Kx

1 comment:

Eileen said...

I love the Badgers and the Oxides Inks... Great job here Karen
E xx


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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Something New For Summer From Your Karen Mom of Three's Craft Blog Team!

Today we have some fun summer news to share, this summer Jenny, Madelon, Jessica, Brandy and I have some very fun activities, crafts, books, news and ideas to share with you. We thought we might mix things up a bit and share some fun summer suggestions daily here on our blog and we are hoping you will join us, participate and share. We have Bitmoji'ed ourselves just for fun and a bit of summer whimsy, so here is some of what you can expect....

Mondays we will have our Mommy Monday Moment with Jenny!

Tuesdays Karen (Me) will be Hitting The Books, sharing some wonderful reads with you and keeping you updated on all the doll themed books and series.

Wednesdays we will get our Craft on with Brandy!

Thursday's will be our Adorable Dolly Finds Etsy Spotlight Day...

Fridays will be Madelon's Fabulous Finds days! More of what we love from Madelon, no sew doll clothing, fun everyday items you can use in doll play, dollar store and big box deals and steals and so much more.

Saturdays we have Saturday Sewing Suggestions by Jessica T, sharing tips, tricks and pattern deals for all who love to sew for their dolls!

Sunday's we will have yarn crafts. patterns, suggestions we hope you will love.

So please join us starting tomorrow for a summer filled with fun!
We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at

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Cosmic-ray exposure ages of chondrules.

Roth, A. S. G., Metzler, K., Baumgartner, L. P. and Leya, I.

Meteoritics & Planetary Science. doi: 10.1111/maps.12658
Article first published online: 9 MAY 2016

“If chondrules were exposed to cosmic rays prior to meteorite compaction, they should retain an excess of cosmogenic noble gases. Beyersdorf-Kuis et al. (2015) showed that such excesses can be detected provided that the chemical composition of each individual chondrule is precisely known. However, their study was limited to a few samples as they had to be irradiated in a nuclear reactor for instrumental neutron activation analysis. We developed a novel analytical protocol that combines the measurements of He and Ne isotopic concentrations with a fast method to correct for differences in chemical composition using micro X-ray computed tomography. Our main idea is to combine noble gas, nuclear track, and petrography data for numerous chondrules to understand the precompaction exposure history of the chondrite parent bodies. Here, we report our results for a total of 77 chondrules and four matrix samples from NWA 8276 (L3.00), NWA 8007 (L3.2), and Bjurböle (L/LL4). All chondrules from the same meteorite have within uncertainty identical 21Ne exposure ages, and all chondrules from Bjurböle have within uncertainty identical 3He exposure ages. However, most chondrules from NWA 8276 and a few from NWA 8007 show small but resolvable differences in 3He exposure age that we attribute to matrix contamination and/or gas loss. The finding that none of the chondrules has noble gas excesses is consistent with the uniform track density found for each meteorite. We conclude that the studied chondrules did not experience a precompaction exposure longer than a few Ma assuming present-day flux of galactic cosmic rays. A majority of chondrules from L and LL chondrites thus rapidly accreted and/or was efficiently shielded from cosmic rays in the solar nebula.”


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Release of Karuta 1.2

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The Karuta project, under the umbrella of the Apereo Foundation, is pleased to announce the release of version 1.2 of the Karuta Open Source Portfolio. Karuta offers a simple and flexible way for portfolio designers to customize portfolio workflows for learning, assessment, reporting, and showcasing. This third release of Karuta includes numerous user interface enhancements, as well as new functionalities that significantly expand the portfolio processes supported by Karuta.

User Interface

  • The upgrade to Bootstrap 3 makes the use of Karuta on mobile devices faster, more efficient, and more mobile friendly.
  • Collapsible portfolio pages allow for better and more efficient use of space.

  • Users can be given permission to duplicate portfolio sections containing personal data for revision and resubmission.
  • Admin users have a reset button to “unsubmit” portfolio sections submitted for evaluation.
  • A new “submission status” feature alerts students and instructors on the status of items submitted for evaluation.
  • Designers and/or users can determine who receives email notifications regarding feedback or evaluation of portfolios.
  • Text editors auto-save every two minutes to avoid loss of entries for reflection or documentation of evidence.

Portfolio Design

  • Designers can select radio buttons or dropdown menus for display of choice boxes.
  • Smileys can be used as rubric choices.
  • Calendar entries allow selection of only the year or only the month and year.
  • A special display supports the evaluation of proficiency in Europass languages.
  • Customized instructions for specific sections can be made multilingual.

Presentation Portfolios

  • Public URLs allow sharing of portfolio sections or entire portfolios.
  • Users can be given permission to move items up or down within a portfolio section.
  • Free positioning enhancements for presentation portfolios have been improved for use on mobile devices.

  • Report scripts include tests for specific values of variables for more powerful data filtering.
  • Designers can set colors in report tables.

Karuta Benefits

Simple. Teaching and learning (T&L) designers can quickly build portfolio workflows by creating pages, adding different resources (text, document, comments, rubrics, oEmbed resources, email, etc.) and assigning their use to various roles (student, evaluator, etc.).

Flexible. Karuta has no a priori structure. The T&L designer has full control and can build sophisticated portfolio workflows with a minimum of training. No code development is required.

Iterative. Karuta is built for quick review and revision. Design a portfolio, test it in faculty meetings, make changes, run a small pilot.

Powerful. Karuta has advanced features for creating rubrics, user menus, summary pages, forms, help, and peer evaluation.

Mobile device ready Karuta is responsive design-ready and can be displayed on computers, tablets or smartphones.

Multilingual. Karuta can support many languages and has already been set up for English, French, and Japanese. Language customization can be accomplished quickly. A special version of Karuta supports portfolios with multilingual interface commands and forms, images, or documents made available in a chosen language.

Technology. jQuery javascript front end, Twitter Bootstrap, MySQL, ORACLE, REST API.

Try Karuta:

Participate as a student, classroom teacher, or supervisor in different types of portfolios. Or design your own portfolio process.

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We would like to acknowledge the financial support of our current partners: Kyoto University, IUT-2 Grenoble, and HEC Montréal, and the work of individuals who are responsible for this second release:

Olivier Gerbé, Nobry Ouk, and Isabelle Roy – HEC Montréal
Janice Smith – Three Canoes LLC
Thi Lan Anh – ePortfolium
Eric Giraudin and Marc Vassoille – Institut universitaire de technologie IUT-2 Grenoble.

What’s Next?

We are currently working on Karuta version 2.0, which will include a completely new, aesthetically designed, and flexible user interface. The new UI will allow for easy customization of Karuta with institutional, programmatic, or individual portfolio banners, colors, and welcome pages. Portfolio organization and vocabulary will be simplified and more accessible. Karuta 2.0 can be set up with the inclusion of the social network ELGG. New templates and improved designer documentation will also be made available for quick starts in using Karuta.

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Daniel Charles

Dan Charles is NPR's food and agriculture correspondent.

Primarily responsible for covering farming and the food industry, Charles focuses on the stories of culture, business, and the science behind what arrives on your dinner plate.

This is his second time working for NPR; from 1993 to 1999, Charles was a technology correspondent at NPR. He returned in 2011.

During his time away from NPR, Charles was an independent writer and radio producer and occasionally filled in at NPR on the Science and National desks, and at Weekend Edition. Over the course of his career Charles has reported on software engineers in India, fertilizer use in China, dengue fever in Peru, alternative medicine in Germany, and efforts to turn around a troubled school in Washington, DC.

In 2009-2010, he taught journalism in Ukraine through the Fulbright program. He has been guest researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and a Knight Science Journalism fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From 1990 to 1993, Charles was a U.S. correspondent for New Scientist, a major British science magazine.

The author of two books, Charles wrote Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, The Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare (Ecco, 2005) and Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money, and the Future of Food (Perseus, 2001) about the making of genetically engineered crops.

Charles graduated magna cum laude from American University with a degree in economics and international affairs. After graduation Charles spent a year studying in Bonn, which was then part of West Germany, through the German Academic Exchange Service.

If you go by their declarations and promises, meat producers are drastically cutting back on the use of antibiotics to treat their poultry, pigs and cattle. Over the past year, one big food company after another has announced plans to stop using these drugs.

But if you go by the government's data on drugs sold to livestock producers, it's a different story.

Is it those holiday parties filled with people eating together? We're not sure, but we keep hearing about new clusters of people getting poisoned by their meals.

The latest outbreak sickened at least 120 people in Boston, most of them students at Boston College.

This included eight members of the college's basketball team. The team is scheduled to play Providence this evening, and as of this morning, it's unclear whether the game will happen.

In America, our food options are remarkably unaffected by the changing seasons. We just keep eating salad greens and tomatoes without regard to the onset of winter.

In most of the country, there's little chance that the greens we eat in the late fall and winter are locally grown.

But if there were greenhouses nearby, they could be. And in a small but growing number of places, local greenhouses are there.

Take Lower Makefield Township, Pa., right across the Delaware River from Trenton, N.J.

Chances are, you've picked up some chatter about the new global talks on climate change. If you can't quite see how it matters to you, personally, you might want to take a peek inside your pantry. Or your candy jar. Because it might just affect your access to everything from cheese to chocolate.

"It's very clear now that a changing climate will have a profound effect on agriculture," says Molly Brown, a geographer at the University of Maryland.

Take one simple example, she says: Vermont.

Ever been caught telling different stories to different people? It's awkward.

Dow AgroSciences, which sells seeds and pesticides to farmers, made
contradictory claims to different parts of the U.S. government about its latest herbicide. The Environmental Protection Agency just found out, and now wants to cancel Dow's legal right to sell the product.

There's an oil painting on one wall in the cluttered room that serves as central headquarters of Burch Farms, a large vegetable grower in Faison, N.C. The painting shows an African-American couple, the woman in a long, plain dress, the man in a homespun shirt. They're digging sweet potatoes with their bare hands and an old-fashioned hoe.

A kind of salmon that's been genetically modified so that it grows faster may be on the way to a supermarket near you. The Food and Drug Administration approved the fish on Thursday — a decision that environmental and food-safety groups are vowing to fight.

Five years ago, Congress promised an overhaul of the nation's food safety system, passing the Food Safety Modernization Act.

It took much longer than expected, but the Food and Drug Administration has now released the centerpiece — or at least, the most contested — part of that overhaul. These are rules that cover farmers who grow fresh produce, as well as food importers.

Glyphosate, widely known by its trade name, Roundup, probably gets more attention than any other herbicide. It's one of world's most-used weedkillers, and it is also closely linked to the growth of genetically modified crops.

Monsanto invented Roundup, and also invented crops that grow well when it's used on them. Farmers find that combination almost irresistible.

There are only two diseases that humans have wiped from the face of the earth. One is smallpox. The other one, you may not have heard of.

It's a cattle disease called rinderpest. Even the name sounds scary. It's German for "cattle plague." It was once one of the most fearsome diseases on the planet.

When you're a nationwide food company, it can be tough to live up to your own lofty marketing slogans.

Chipotle claims to serve only "food with integrity." But some of that food, it appears, may have infected a couple of dozen customers in Oregon and Washington state with E. coli bacteria over the past week or so.

The parade of fast-food companies promising to sell meat from animals that never received antibiotics just got significantly longer. Subway, the ubiquitous sandwich chain, is following the lead of Chipotle, Panera, Chick-fil-A and McDonalds, with its promise Tuesday that its meat suppliers gradually will go antibiotic-free.

More and more schools are trying to serve meals with food that was grown nearby. The U.S. Department of Agriculture just released some statistics documenting the trend.

Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Big food companies are buying up small ones. Honest Tea is now part of Coca-Cola. The French company Danone controls Stonyfield yogurt. Hormel owns Applegate natural and organic meats.

If you've never tasted a pawpaw, now is the moment.

For just a few weeks every year in September and October, this native, mango-like fruit falls from trees, everywhere from Virginia to Kansas and many points westward. (We discovered them several years back along the banks of the Potomac River when we ran into some kayakers who were snacking on them.)

The Environmental Protection Agency has released a final version of updated rules intended to keep farmworkers from being poisoned by pesticides. The previous "worker protection standard" for farms has been in effect since 1992.

Halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, there's an underground vault filled with seeds. It's sometimes called the "doomsday vault."

For the past seven years, scientists have been putting seeds into this vault, filling it with samples of the crops that people rely on for food.

Now, for the first time, they're about to bring some seeds back out.

Every time a cow or steer in this country is sold for beef, the seller pays a dollar into a special fund.

"We collect about $80 million" each year, says Polly Ruhland, CEO of the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. "Half of that stays at our state chapters."

All of it, though, pays for research, promotion and marketing of American beef. It funds scientific studies on beef's nutritional quality, promotes beef exports and pays for advertising, like the familiar slogan "Beef, it's what's for dinner."

The campaign to force America's farmers to change the way they handle their animals celebrated a victory this week.

McDonald's USA announced that in the near future, it will no longer buy eggs from chickens that live in cages.

Those cages are still the industry standard, and 90 percent of America's eggs come from chickens that live in them.

In the annals of ill-conceived public relations campaigns, the egg industry's war on Just Mayo deserves at least a mention.

Just Mayo is a product that looks like mayonnaise, tastes like mayonnaise and yet contains no eggs. The company behind it, Hampton Creek, has been getting lots of attention.

Josh Tetrick, the company's founder, has big ambitions. "If we're successful, there are a lot of [food] industries out there that are going to have to adjust," says Tetrick.

While prolonged drought has strained California agriculture, most of the state's farms, it seems, aren't just surviving it: They are prospering.

The environment, though, that's another story. We'll get to that.

There's a new candidate in the century-old quest for perfect, guiltless sweetness.

I encountered it at the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, a combination of Super Bowl, Mecca, and Disneyland for the folks who put the processing in processed food.

Judging by some of the most pessimistic reports from California these days, the place is doomed. You can read all about the folly of trying to build cities in a desert.

Just this week, economists at the University of California, Davis, estimated that water shortages will cost the state's economy $2.7 billion this year. Many farmers are limiting the economic damage by ransacking the environment instead, draining underground aquifers.

In the coming months, a few shoppers will encounter a new and unfamiliar phrase when looking at packages of pork: "Produced without the use of ractopamine."

It's the brainchild of David Maren, founder of Tendergrass Farms, which sells pork products from pigs raised the "all-natural" way, on pasture.

Maren first heard about ractopamine years ago, when he was just getting into this business. Maren was talking with his cousin, who raises pigs the conventional way, in big hog houses.


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Sunday, 1 November 2015

The cap de Creuse: wind, rock formations and fish dinners.

Captured on film, just before seeing off a terrifying white poodle, Runty dog pauses a moment to adjust his antlers (ears) - a small monarch of his own personal glen.

He was photographed on the windswept headland of 'le cap de Creuse,' on the Costa Brava; probably not dissimilar to the highlands of Scotland, but with added sun and little precipitation.

The rest of the pack (husband, son and the two big dogs) were doing the 'randonnee' - hike, from Port Lligat, near Cadaquès and and were no doubt looking forward to something large to eat in the bizarre and wonderful restaurant situated on the very point of this otherwise uninhabited landmass. I was also looking forward to food, although hadn't earned it quite so much - just a stagger around the cliffs, gawping at the extraordinary rock features of the area, and the few brave swimmers in the coves below.

 The rocks of The Cap, wind hollowed, or formed while cooling? the latter I imagine; viewed from a small distance they appear to consist of hundreds of wailing phantom mouths - most eerie, especially with the wind howling through the low scrub bushes.

Reunited at the restaurant, we chose to share a large fish (a choice of the day's catch presented to us on a platter) and a couple of bowls of spaghetti. The fish was excellent, and I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture - here is the empty tray.

The place was getting busy. Most people chatted, sipped drinks and waited for their orders to arrive, apart from a couple behind us who excelled in tutting and moaning rather than looking out over the now-silver sea or wondering how this place was actually constructed, and what it's original purpose was.

I failed to take a picture of the actual building this time, but here's a
good one I found on the net (exterior has now been repainted)

photo by Almy

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Pushing Up...

We've been working on tummy time with Cole. He's getting so much stronger. I sort of felt bad placing him on his tummy because he just sat there face down with little to no motion. We worked on his strength by pushing up on my chest. He'd lift his head to follow my voice. It must have helped because in the last two weeks he's gotten much stronger and a lot better at pushing up on his hands. He prefers to rest on his whale when he's on his tummy, but doesn't object to laying flat on the floor too. It really helps with his gas too!

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Mentors

As a little girl I've was always drawn to people a few or more years older than I was.  I felt then as I do now that those who walked life's path ahead of me had something important to share with me.  Now that I've reached the middle years (over 50) I am starting to see things from the other side.
MENTORING isn't just something nice that you do, it's something that you are called to do. It's in all of us.  It doesn't matter if you're 6 or 96 we all have it.  I can't imagine where I would be today if those that walked on the creative path before me did not show me what I needed to see at the moment I needed to see it.  I spent hours watching my grandmother sew, hours watching my grandfather paint and build model ships.  Weeks watching Mrs. Krout plant and tend her garden.  Canning with Lynn M. and quilting with Louise.  Many nights  I was lucky enough to go to ceramic class with my mother and Aunt Gail.  And that was just when I was little.  As an adult I have had so many mentors.  Mr. Link, an art teacher that was so disappointed I did not pursue a degree in advertising.  Mareen Nieman, the wonderful woman who brought me out of my shell during my theater years.  Hershal Pollard, he taught me not to be afraid of the paint brush, just paint what I see. Oh and then there is Randy Brodnax, a wonderful potter and truley a mentor to many. The list goes on and on.  As I grow and become more mature, may I be worthy of the honored role on those lives that I touch. And, may I use the gifts that those who have mentored me and pass them on.  I find it a very important role in life to share with others what I have learned in the past.  I hope that through these posts I can do just that. Please if any of you have a special mentor you would like to share with us.  Drop me an email so we can share the spirit.

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Monday, 22 November 2010

CT Call - Get Your Apps In!

So the day is finally here. I need some talented, confident digital and hybrid scrapbookers to join my personnal Creative Team. You'd have free access to all my kits as they are released, in return for posting and gallerising your gorgeous pages made with my stuff! Sounds good, doesn't it ;)

Details: (If the image doesn't show up on your browser)

Requirements: Layout Team

1 layout per kit you download
Post in store galleries + 2 others
Promote pages on blog/facebook/forums when you can
Keep up to date in our private forum

Requirements: Promo Team

Promote sales and new products at least 3 times per week, using facebook, blog, twitter and enabling forums.
Access to kits, no layouts required but appreciated.
Keep up to date in our private forum.

To Apply:
Send me your name & forum usernames.
Which team you want to be on.
Tell me a bit about you.
Provide links to your gallery, blog.

Send to: by November 30

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To contact me about manuscript editing, talking to your group about writing or self-publishing, my email address is

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Starting That First Page

One of the most difficult things for any writer to do is begin that first page. Where do I start? How do I catch the readers imagination? How do I get readers to keep reading?  There are a few things that I have found work well, whether you're writing novels, short stories, magazine articles, etc., what you need to do is get people's attention.

I tell students in the classes I teach to figure out what their story is about - to understand the theme of their story - then try to put some of that in their first two or three sentences. At the same time, create a picture in the reader's mind. Let them be drawn into the story by a mysterious picture that they cannot get out of their heads. I love to use as an example the opening scene in the movie "Mama Mia". For those of you who have not seen the movie (and I highly recommend it), the movie begins at night. A young girl is alone in a small motor boat. She is singing "I have a dream...", and is heading for a small box on the shore in front of her. As she approaches the box you see it is a mailbox. She then puts in three envelopes addressed to three different men. Okay. What the heck is going on here? Why is she making this trip in secret at night? What is her dream? Who are these three men? It's a compelling opening to a wonderful story. As we learn later, these three men dated her mother at different times 20 years previously, and one of them could be her father. She is inviting them to her wedding to see if she can find out which one is her father. Try to do something similar when beginning your writing. Paint a picture for the reader. Then gradually let details out so little by little the reader begins to see the story and wants to know more.

I think the most important thing to take away here is to paint a picture. Let it be a bit mysterious, and then gradually inform the reader of bits and pieces of your mystery.

Let's begin!!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Poetry In Motion

When I first began writing poems I found myself questioning whether or not what I was writing was any good. But that did not stop me. I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. Now, six books of poems later (I still find that incredible), I've come to a very important conclusion. My poems, like my stories and other writing, may not be of the Nobel Prize ilk, but they are mine. And if I had held off writing or publishing my work because I didn't think them worthy of someone else's praise, I never would have found the peace and satisfaction I have now. There are so many different types of poetry that grace our book stores and libraries that I find it impossible to put poetry into one standard category. Just like literature differs from writer to writer - Shakespeare to Hemingway, etc. - so does poetry differ from poet to poet - Yeats to T.S. Elliot. My belief has always been be yourself, do your own thing. There is always room for critique, for constructive criticism, and we should always leave ourselves open to suggestion from other writers. They have helped me see my writing in a different light - a second or third set of eyes, so to speak. But trying to write like someone else is fruitless. You, as a writer/poet, must find what it is that makes your writing unique. What makes your writing your own? It comes from your own soul, no one else's.

Here's a sample from my latest book of poetry "Just Yesterday, Poems From Another Life", published by GJ Publishing of Loudon, Tennessee:

Same As Always

Flowers nod their summer heads,
same as always.

Breeze filters thru drowsy maple leaves,
as it will.

Sun heats my face.
Rain coats my skin,
the same
the same…

Yet –

Somewhere in the shadows
I hear
the lightness of
a young girl’s
impulsive laughter,
nights expecting the right
to tomorrow,
days without lingering doubts
or the heavy dread that
I haven’t done enough…

everything’s the same
everything’s changed.

©2014 Kathleen E. Fearing - All Rights Reserved

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Decisions - At My Age

All I can say is "Yikes!" Even though I'm in my late 60's, I'm still making decisions as to what I want to do with my writing - style and length, stuff like that. You would think that by this stage of my life I would have made that decision. But, no. The problem is - always has been - that I want to do everything. The realization is that I cannot do well all that I want to do. Explanation: recently, I have been thinking about changing some of my stories into plays. I have written one play - one that I do like. But the reality of playwriting is that (to me anyway) it is very labor intensive. Writing does not flow. It is stop and go, stop and go. So many questions have to be answered as you write. For instance, where are the characters now? What are they doing? Standing, sitting, dancing, posturing, yelling...  All of that is written down so the actor knows what the writer intended. I get tired just thinking about it. But I do love the drama, the raw emotion of a stage play. It is basic. It is immediate. It is being played out right in front of you by real people, not just characters on a page. So, this afternoon as I sat on my porch, I asked myself, "Self, what is it that you really enjoy doing?" The answer came to me clearly and without hesitation. Yes, I do enjoy the drama of a play, but, no, I don't want to write them. What I really enjoy is writing poetry and stories in verse for young people. The problem is, when tomorrow comes I may change my mind. But, hey, life is short, and I say, if you want to try something, do it now because there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Do it! You might just find your bliss.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Writing Connections to Family

I've just finished and published my latest book "Finding Hope, A Reason For Tomorrow" (, which I dedicated to my late cousin Janeen, who was the inspiration for the story of a young woman who died of cancer. And in planning to do a talk about writing about families at this Fall's Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, it occurred to me that I should have a picture of my cousin to go along with the talk; a picture people could see and make a connection to. The person in my head as I was writing was real ... someone I had talked with and laughed with ... someone who was really a combination of both writer and character. So I reached out to my cousin's family to see if they had pictures of her that I might use. And in doing so, I've made a new connection to a part of my family that I have not seen in many years. The feelings that connection stirred up were both sad and happy and filled with memories of my childhood and young adulthood. Those same feelings overwhelmed me as I was writing another book about my family, "Voyage of Dreams, An Irish Memory" (, about my maternal grandmother's emigration from Ireland to Boston in 1904. These family connections are strong and resilient no matter how much time has passed, nor how great the distance between us. And writing about them help us as writers (and hopefully readers, too) rework that connection to make it stronger.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Talking With Young People

Recently, I spent some time in the local middle school tutoring eighth graders on writing and taking evidence from text. I found the students eager to learn, eager to find answers, and very eager to please. They wanted to know. I saw a brightness - a sparkle in their eyes whenever I told them they were doing it correctly. We discussed different ways of looking at evidence and how to find themes and concepts in what they were reading - all this in preparation for a test they were to take in February.

Talking with adolescents one-on-one greatly reinforced to me how vulnerable and uncertain they are, their need for reinforcement from adults, and their need to succeed. Kids in their early teens, just at the brink of life, are searching for answers to lots of things. Seeing them, hearing their questions, also reinforced to me why I write for this age level. I look back at the books I read as a teen and remember the messages in those books. They helped me overcome fears, realize that I was okay, and that no one is perfect - least of all adults. I only hope that my books and the messages I send are helpful to readers.

I believe it is essential for writers to examine the messages they are sending to readers with their books. We want our young people to become strong, self-assured adults. Are we helping?

Thursday, January 2, 2014

A wonderful New Year is in the works. I can feel it in the air. Can you? Sometimes, though, it's good to look back and maybe change a few things that need changing. Recently, I re-wrote (to a small degree - made some good changes) my book "Champ". Now re-titled "Champ, A Race To Find The Truth", the newly re-formatted book is, I think, more attractive to young readers, and will bring them to read this good story about family and forgiveness.  The new book can be seen at
Be the best you can be in the New Year and always.


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A seventies child

by Katie on October 31, 2011

I got braces last week.

In case you’ve ever wondered how much fun adult braces are, they’re about as fun as they sound.

Especially when you have a husband who gives you a hard time about them all. The. Time.

But none of that is the point.

On Day Two of my adventure with braces, Brandon was ready for bed, but I was, in his words, “taking my sweet time” in the bathroom. I let him know all I needed to do was floss, then I would join him.

“Floss?” he asked. “You have braces now. You can’t floss.”

“What are you talking about? Yes I can. It’s even more important now.”

“Katie,” he started, sounding rather patronizing, “How exactly do you plan to get the floss through your teeth?”

“Brandon,” I retaliated, “Do you not remember floss starters from when you had braces? I had them before. They gave me some yesterday.”

“Floss starters? Seriously? What in the world is that?”

So I showed him my floss starters and explained how they work.

“Did you really not have these when you had braces before?” I asked.

“Katie, I had braces in, like, the seventies.”

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

“Kayaking With Icebergs In Newfoundland"

A road less travelled.

You know what guys? I know what some are saying about “risk” and “risky” it grows old sometimes. When I think of the whitewater first descents done by the boys in that genre I sometimes shake my head and say, “wow, they must be crazy.” Then I think quickly, man I bet that was a rush though. Can you imagine anyone wanting to walk across Niagara falls on a tight-rope. Ever see those skydivers with wings on Youtube ? Can you imagine anyone skiing in wicked powder, off the main course in the backcountry, avalanche country, by themselves. Silly boys/gals!  I’m going south on Monday but I have absolutely no urge to dive with sharks with no cage. Now if there was a cage?????? Can you imagine anyone letting their  kid yacht around the world solo? Can you even picture someone wanting to cross the Atlantic ocean in a row boat? So I guess you kind-of-know what I’m getting at. You can have all the skill and knowledge in the world, and I really believe that is significant for a successful outcome, but let’s face it. If that shark wants to rip your friggin’ face off and you are not in a cage, well I hope you know a good surgeon.

If you think you can out run an avalanche once you trigger it, I got a spare pair of poles you can borrow. Not to be snye with euphemisms  but what works for some does not necessarily work for others. Risk calculated or not is risk more sensibly to me is whether you accept it or not. If you do, enjoy, if not, forget about whatever you were thinking of.

Tony giving a wider perspective and relative size indication of the bergs.

Man we have a rocky coast. ; 0

Tony said...

Good post Stan and well put. Exactly my thoughts on the subject. I see why you were up at the crack o' dawn to get the soft light in the last shot.

Tony :-)

Stan Mac Kenzie said...

Yes Tony, just another one of those things we have to weigh as paddlers.

running4him said...

Wow, awesome pictures and point well made!! I am not at all super into kayaking like you, but I do it when I get the chance, summers mostly. Keep up the good work!! You are invited to check out or follow my blog anytime!! Have a great day!!!

Dee Stagg said...

These pictures are amazing. Do you sell them? My mom is from Harbour Mille and loves the pics from there from 2009. Great job!

Stan Mac Kenzie said...

Yes ii do.'you can check out This is my photo site. You can contact me.

Stan Mac Kenzie said...

That should read Thanks for your interest and look forward to hearing from you.


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Friday, 5 October 2012

Sheep born with upside down head - VIDEO

A sheep has reportedly been born with an upside down head.
Video footage of the animal has been posted on YouTube showing the apparent quirk.
The sheep, named Terry, is said to be leading a perfectly normal life on a farm somewhere in Britain.
A friend of the farmer who owns the land that Terry has been grazing on filmed the footage.
The friend, who goes by the name of Mr Macca, has already racked up nearly 50,000 views with the video.
Macca writes: "He lives happily and has been checked by a vet to ensure he is in no pain.
"He can eat, sleep and do everything other sheeps (sic) can."

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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Thursday October 8

Well last night i wrote out a long post then someone clicked delete and lost the whole post LOL

Lets see...whats been going on...hmmm...well my eating has been crap :( really really bad indeeed! Today is the first time where i havent filled my gob with crappy food. This whole eating plan thing has confused the crap out of me part of me thinks go back to ww and the other part thinks stop being a quitter and stick to the gyms plan. I think tho what I am going to do is actually keep tuesdays appointment with my dietician...and tell her i dont wanna weigh again before November 1. I am gonna really up the exercise and jsut eat as i have been. I think this week ive prolly gained like 3 kilos or so. And then come November 1 see what the scales say (with the aim being to be under 131 kilos). Whilst the scales are important i dont think i wanna weigh every week on them...i wanna weigh once a month even if only for a few months on the same day i get measured. And stop letting the scales do my head in.

Went to the gym at the NEW premises last nite...all i can say is WOW i am in love with the new treadmills. They have colour screens which show u all the stats and u can watch tv on the lil screens...they also have lil fans on them which will be great for summer and they move so smoothly it seemed rather easy on them last nite. But the place is so nice and spacious I really love it. So last nite i did weights and i have very tired upper arms today :( tonite im planning to do 45 minutes on the treadmill followed by a boxing session. So getting back into it properly.

Saturday nite I am off out to dinner at the hackney hotel with friends i went to school with...already sussed out the menu...gonna have bruschetta and a beef salad yum yum and ONLY diet i was a lil bad last weekend with the champagne lol

Felicity deleted me from Facebook suspect leigh musta said something to her that i keep her loss...for the best i think...that said...i think for the best is no contact with either...i think they are both to drama filled.

Nothing else going on that I can think off except YAY its friday tomorrow !

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Friday, February 15, 2013

Welcoming The Year of The Snake

Even if any of us felt squeamish or shivery down the spine just talking about snakes, this activity got us all excited. You got to be 'coz welcoming in the Year of the Snake is no small matter. And we did it a month ahead of the auspicious day.

First, at the regular activity session, there was the introduction by Sunshine lady, Janneke to the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac calendar. There are a few variations of how the year was named but that story told went down well. So, if any of the residents or the Sunshine ladies had had vague notion of the order the animals trot in year after year, it will be remembered. At least while the story is still fresh in their memory.

In the midst of the session, prodded by the teasing of one of the ladies, that  there's still some'culture' left in me, I rattled off in Hokkien : 'it choo ( one, rat), ji gu ( two, ox), sar hor (three tiger)... till the last animal, which, of course is the pig. Aha, a mini  'score'  won!

After some simple instructions  on the snake (pre-cut) from a paper plate, the residents decorated the snakes to their fancy. Some painted the 'poisonous ' colours that warn of the danger lurking should one encounter a live reptile.

Soon the coils of the snakes changed to springy creatures as they were hung from the centre of the multipurpose hall. The light breeze set them in motion as they swirled their slithery bodies suspending in the air. That unique  decor will be the centre piece for our planned Chinese New Year party for the residents on the 10th day of the New Year.

Janneke also recited a simple rhyme about the snake and we gustily sang it  to the tune of 'If you're happy and you know it'.

By then, some habits of the snakes were learned and hopefully any phobias were dispelled. One thing to remember : they do no harm unless threatened.

Back to ushering in the Year of the Water Snake. May you enjoy good health and and from it enjoy wealth ; for health and wealth  are entwined as snakes come! Wishing all my Chinese friends,'Gong Xi Fa Cai!'

A snuggy snake .
Sssuchh a lively activity.

Adding colours for a bright year ahead

Coils of good luck for the New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

  1. Good luck GongXiFaCai Huat the last pixz with all the red lanterns

  2. Love the splash of red in your last photo.

    May the year of the snake bring you lots of joy and blessings, Keats!

  3. What a great activity for the residents, Keats! Well done to the Sunshine Ladies. I hope to assist with some of your activities soon. I had wanted to make origami heart cards with the residents :P

  4. Gong Xi Fa Cai! All the best in the year of the Snake!

  5. I love the last picture with the decorations. It must be so joyful to walk through them. And what a good thing to do with the residents.

  6. The last picture is truly amazing

  7. Interesting pictures... especially the one of the 'snake plate'...

  8. thanks for interesting post... i really enjoy to visit this site :)
    please, visit my web:
    mengobati penyakit asam urat

Great to have you popping in!


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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

G & G Keeler Came to Visit

A few weekends ago Matt's parents came to visit and to see Eliza for the first time (in person)! It was so much fun having them here, I just wish Matt didn't have to work so much! We didn't do anything amazing but on Saturday Linda and I went to my cousin's cheerleading competition while Matt & Al went to look at cars and eat at Arby's. On Saturday night we went to our Ward Harvest Part, where we won 1st place in the chili cook off. And on Sunday we went to my parents house for some tri-tip and the World Series.

Here are a few pics:
Ellie wanted to be lovey dovey with Grandma but she wasn't having it! Ellie sure enjoyed Grandpa though... thanks for Pinky! Grandma was so excited to hold Eliza while she was here, too bad Eliza slept almost the entire time :)
Here is Eliza after the Harvest Party... doesn't she look so ADORABLE!?!?!
Grandma holding Eliza while she is sleeping.
This is at my parents house after dinner and watching the game. Eliza is sleeping AGAIN!
I made my delicious brownie bites and dyed them orange to look a little like pumpkins. The chocolate topping was courtesy of Matt :)

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Lois said...

Looks like everyone had fun getting to know each other. Glad you had a great time!!

Willingham"s said...

MATT you look just like your mother! eliza is getting so big, she is a cutie!

goldmania said...

Fun pics. Congrats on getting you're new car! How exciting. I love the pic of Matt's mom glaring at the dog and the smiling at the baby. ha ha classic.


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Thursday, October 25

The Victory Run

I'm feeling very emotional about going to Tulsa to run this weekend. I feel so blessed to be back to run, something I had lost the ability to do before we left two years ago. Although I ran some it had taken on a different tone...colored by anxiety and worry. To be going back to Tulsa to run a race feels like an incredible gift...the gift is NOT that I CAN run but rather, the fact that my running gives overwhelming testament to God's faithfulness and goodness toward me. Does that make sense??? I just know that my heart feels full of praise and thanksgiving. "...but in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" They call it the Tulsa Run but I'm calling it the Conquers run!

Sunday, October 21

Boston Avenue Methodist Church, Tulsa
Running has gone well with a total of  31 miles on the books this week. I'm hoping to finish this month out close to last months mileage which was around 143 total miles. I am looking forward to the Tulsa Run this weekend and seeing some running buddies and dear friends. This run will be a bit sentimental since the course goes through some of my old running trails. And as any runner knows those trails become familiar friends... The weather should be perfect and my running outfit has been tried and tested! The only thing I'm not prepared for are the hills which I have done zero, zip, nada, (or as they would say in Yiddish), bupkis, training for. This is a new course which I have not run. They changed the course a couple of years ago after finishing the BOK Center and added Boston Ave. at the end of the course which they tout as a "breathtaking finish." Well breathtaking it will be with a huge climb that starts around 7.25 and doesn't end until you are on the steps of the church crying for Jesus! Yep this should be fun, especially since I have no other plan other than to take it easy gut it out. Expect a race report soon after!

I have a friend who is doing the MCM in DC this weekend. I'd love to hear about your race plans for this weekend?

I love it when a really great song gets stuck in my head. This week it was this song (see video below). The song was in my head so much so, it became like prayer...I know so many people including myself that need the Saviors healing touch...weekly, daily, sometimes every moment. I know life can be tough in so many ways...rising above our circumstances can seem impossible at times. I hope you'll listen to the video and the words will also become a prayer from your heart and cause you to worship at the Well which never runs dry.

Saturday, October 13

Just a quick update...the last of the company left on Wednesday and although it was a nice visit I'm glad to be done spinning around this revolving door for a while! My husband returned back from his missions trip to Mexico on Friday safe and sound and its good to have him home. My running continues to turn a corner and I give thanks to God for His strength daily and for the continued healing to my knee and foot. Today I ran a local 5k race for the Wounded Warrior Project. The course was a bit technical in that it had 11 turns, yes 11 in a 3 mile race! Also it was rolling at times so I had difficulty keeping a steady pace. It was not a PR but I am happy considering. It WAS though my first ever AG win and I took 1st!!! Technically it was 3 age groups (40-59)! The gal who took 2nd was on my heels the entire race. I thought she might be in the lower range of our AG. She moved over next to me right before the gun went off and stayed behind me the entire way except for the end when her husband showed up on the course and began to encourage her to pass me! I wasn't sure who had already crossed the finish so I knew if I let her get in front of me it could be the difference between a 3rd or 4th place finish. I took off like a bat out-a-hell and I don't think she (or her husband) was expecting the kick I gave at the end. I have always had a good end kick but I surprised even myself-snort! When I saw her move next to me with the finish line a good .25 away I thought about Steve Prefontaine's philosophy and knew that the difference between the two of us would come down to who was willing to suffer more. IT WAS THE LONGEST SPRINT OF MY LIFE!!! hahaha!!! I gave everything I had today and ran with all my heart. All honor goes to my Lord who enabled me to run this race to His glory and for His praise.
I look forward to slowing down in a couple of weeks for the Tulsa Run but this was a boost and a great way to start out my fall season of racing!

This last sprint was a 6:16 pace!!! hence the face of suffering

with the race director and 2nd place finisher
I LOVE the shape of the trophy :)