Jolly Roger

As I sit here in my studio, AKA The Wookie Cave, I can see a flag pole sporting a very tattered Jolly Roger.  (The tatters give it a really authentic look me thinks.)  And beyond it a lake, which looks grey and dismal and brrrrrr.  Today is a brrrr kind of day.  In fact so chilly that it keeps threatening to snow.  Snow--for those of you who may not experience the phenomena--is white, shitty, cold stuff to be tolerated by us poor Canukians for long stretches of time.  The leaves are all but gone from the ash and maples, but for some odd reason the beeches never seem to want to give them up, so they remain like little sienna coloured corpses rattling their hellos all winter. 

Four sad, little guineas are wandering around trying to scrape something out of the frozen ground. Of course they aren't really sad, that is just me projecting my human emotions onto the little bastards.  They in fact are wandering around, pecking at the ground, making a lot of racket, and generally are being assholes to each other.  Occasionally they thump against the walls of the cave, a habit they picked up over the summer, and pop their heads up trying to look into the windows.  (Probably more like trying to see themselves in the reflection.  Guineas are infatuated by themselves in mirrors.) 

Ka-rumba...we have company...I must leave you dear reader.  For fox's lakes. 

Bummed

I'm having some serious issues today. 

Writing is something I enjoy.  I love getting an idea and then putting it down on paper, and then making tweaks and changes until it makes sense.  But I realized today that I have some serious issues in terms of over writing, grammar, commas, and the fact that things are so competitive out in the world of publishing that there is a very good chance that no one will want to even consider my book because I suck so bad. And my serious issues with commas and the fact I can no longer remember how to properly write a sentence.  And I keep over thinking commas.  And the fact that I keep starting all my sentences with and.  Now I'm starting and finishing them with and.  It's sad really...or is it, its.  I don't know because I suck. 

So I guess I suck.  Which sucks.  A big sucky, suck.  Suck rhymes with another word that starts with an F and I want to use it a lot.  But I won't because I suck so much.  And it would be really great if I could have a great, big, giant rum and pepsi this second.  But I can't because I'm doing this thing to try and fix a tummy problem that I have going on right now.  Of course I started my remedy less than a month ago and I'd like to go two months on my self imposed regime...which puts me not having a drink over the holidays, and if I remember correctly last xmas I also had something going on where I wasn't having a drink.  So how is a person supposed to develop a drinking problem when she keeps not drinking?  Aren't the best writers supposedly drug addicts and alcoholics?  And just watch, the minute I tell myself that I can now have a drink I'll be all, "meh, I don't feel like having one."  Maybe that's why I suck.  Perhaps I should start self flagellation...yay-no...that sounds a lot less fun than having a rum and pepsi. 

Plus, when I got home today I noticed that one of the birds were missing and went looking for it after lunch.  We found her/him/it had been someone's breakfast.  But whatever killed it didn't eat too much.  Just gnawed on the breast a bit.  Very sad.  The worst thing is that guineas are not birds that like to be confined, if you try they just beat the ever living shit out of each other.  Plus the fact that the whole point is to make sure that they eat as many ticks as possible so you have to let them roam free and wide.  The shitty thing is if it keeps up like this we won't have any left by next spring.  We may not even have any left by the end of the month.  I only wanted to get another six to raise so I had 12 come the summer...  Grr...it all sucks.

Okay, I'll quit saying suck now...just one more time.  SUCK!

Morning

So around 5:50 am I was out packing in paint cans from the small garage in my pajamas.  Just before that I put a fire on so that when I got into the house it would be nice and toasty.  It was.  Actually a little too toasty because my pajamas happen to be shorts so when I got in it felt hot.  Then as the sun came up...hahaha...I meant when it started to get lighter out I also opened the coop so the birds could go free.  They weren't in a real hurry.  I believe the look I got was, "close the door its fucking cold out there."  But it wasn't, it was only around -2.  Then it started snowing.

The good news is that it's now a little after 8am and it definitely is no longer snowing, it is now in the wetter side of precipitation.  Which is good because I have to drive to Mahone Bay this morning to go to my writing class and I still don't have any winter tires.  I have rims...but they are in need of some rubber.  I sold the winter tires for my old car, because of course they wouldn't fit, so I now have $200 to put toward some new ones.  That'll pay for...one...right?

Sunny McJingles is out in the back forty waiting for an unsuspecting Bambi to cross his path.  He told me a couple of days ago that the whole hunting thing has lost its appeal for him and he was done for the season.  But there he sits...or wanders around...armed to the teeth and ready.  Ah men...can't live with them, can't understand what the fuck goes on in their heads.  

I have a few things I have to print off in order to get ready for class.  Later gators...

Words...

There be words on the page...or more accurately...there be text on my file.  So that's a good thing right?  Not that there are a lot of words, something in the vicinity of seven thousand in two chapters.  But I'm okay with that.  And get this...I have another chapter started and there are already five hundred of the little buggers sitting there.  Of course none of that means that the words are good ones, or even usable ones, or make sense, or want to be read by others...that may have to come later. 

I started out with something like 750 pages, cut it down to 500-ish pages, and then cut it down further to 386 pages.  Now I am in the editing stages and am through the first 169 pages.  Did I mention that writing is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more fun than editing?  Cause if I didn't....writing is way more fun than editing. 

Last night just before bed time we got a skiff of snow.  It's taking a long time to melt because our +15 began to drop and by the time I got up for my first pee it was sitting at -2.  At least it's back up to the +6 mark...but windier than hell.  Oh well...such is the sucktastic weather that is winter.  It can always be worse. 

In the mean time the birds are hanging out pretty close to the coop and only wander farther away when the decide to chase Low Man and forget that the weather sucks.  At least I haven't been listening to ba-Kaw, ba-Kaw, ba-Kaw...all day long. 

There Be Puddles

Seeing as it was nice enough to finally stop pouring down in buckets I went for my walk today.  Holy Aquaman but there be some puddles (and when I say puddles I mean lakes) on the road.  At one point I actually had to back track and get a few longish pieces of wood so I could make myself an above water pathway.  Did you know that wet wood is slippery.  At least I didn't end up on my ass inside the puddle/lake/sea/miniature ocean. 

Now the wind is howling up a storm.  I am hoping that means it is howling a storm away and tomorrow it will be sunny.  Haha...I am so funny.  I suspect tomorrow will bring more wetness.  Sigh.  But at least I cannot complain about the temperature, I will take +15 any day. 

Today has been a seriously procrastinating day for writing.  Which is not good.  But I received a gift card for my birthday so I purchased John Cleese's autobiography with it,  getting up at 5:50am was worth sitting and enjoying a few chapters.  So, anyway...

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Yup, another day of rain today.  And she is coming down quite some wetness.  Luckily when I got up, and the day broke, I was motivated enough to go out and clean out the coop.  It was getting pretty rank from having birds in it longer than usual.  But I managed to clean it all out and put in fresh wood chips.  While this was going on they were out wandering around and pecking at things.  I have no idea what those things may be as I can't imagine any insects still kicking around.  Perhaps they eat grass?  Anyway after I was finished and back in the house and doing house things a serious battle royale commenced outside.  It turned out to be Guinea Fowl vs. Mallard Ducks vs. Canada Geese.  If the outcome is based on sheer volume, then the guineas win hands down.  If it was decided on lack of giving a big flying fart, then the ducks win.  The male didn't turn around to look at the hens even though they were less than two feet away, and the female just floated around serenely with her head tucked down for a nap. 

By the time I got my camera (iPad) the geese had gone and the ducks were slowly paddling away.  It would have been a great picture.  The Jets vs the Sharks vs...the Hens?  Ah...such is life in the land of the East where the tea is warm and the shoes are worn. 

Then finally the skies opened up and it is coming down in torrents...and I don't mean the good kind where you get to watch a movie afterward. 

Yech

Yesterday was a shitty day (weather wise) the first snow fall of the year (nothing spectacular) and rainy as well.  It was dark, overcast, gloomy...in fact it was a dark and stormy night.  LOL Which of course made me want to do nada.  And I managed to do that in spades.  Well I did go to my writers group and do some critiquing, so I guess I did do something.  I also got all my laundry done, well the washing machine and dryer did, but I had to manhandle it in and out, and then put it all away.  I also managed to eat--a LOT.  Now I just can't seem to get motivated.  The temps have dropped to -1.  So brrrrrrr.  The birds don't want to come out of the coop.  I don't blame them.  After all they are originally from Africa.  (Well these guys aren't, they're from Blockhouse, but the species...)  We plugged in the light and now the concrete mass it is buried in should be getting warm.  I don't know if that is a good thing or not.  I wonder if it's better to allow them to acclimate until it gets really cold. 

Yes as a matter of fact I am procrastinating...why do you ask?  Okay--time to do some writing.