Las Trampas Fern

Las Trampas Fern, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A backlit fern in the hills of Las Trampas Regional Park. The sun was just setting through the California bay trees and it was illuminating this fern.
Anyone gone hiking lately?

USCG Cutter "Alder"

On my way home today I glanced out over the lake and saw a boat coming through the Susie Islands.... I pulled over and grabbed my camera and attached the telephoto lens. When I looked through the camera and zoomed in on the boat, I could see that it was the United States Coast Guard cutter "Alder", coming from the direction of Thunder Bay. I snapped a few images then went home. Upon some quick research on the internet, I learned that the Alder had gone up to Thunder Bay to break ice for some ships that were still active up there. The Samuel Risley, a Canadian ice breaker that normally handles ice duty in the Thunder Bay harbor, was already busy in Sault St. Marie. How nice of the Alder crew to head up from Duluth and help out in Thunder Bay! When I saw the boat passing through the Susie Islands it was on its way back to Duluth to break ice for the last couple of ships of the season.

Annie Dillard

Excuse the crazy placement of this photo on the page.  The only thing I could manage to do was rotate it so you wouldn't have to stand on your head to see it!  I'm a slow learner.
Anyway, my bookgroup is reading The Maytrees by Annie Dillard for October.  I've tried three different times to begin this book.  I'll get a few pages into it, get mad, and throw it down.  "This book is stupid!" I said, the last time I tried reading it. 
I know there are lots of Dillard fans out there.  I've tried to be one too.  I read about half of Pilgrim's Creek and started An American Childhood.  But I admit defeat.  She's not for me.  
For one thing, her non-fiction is excruciatingly detailed; too much information about things I don't consider very important.  And her fiction!   She breaks all the rules of writing.   Not that I'm adverse to rule breaking; I'm a rebel myself in that way.  But I want spoken words to have quotation marks around the actual phrases.  I want a book to flow smoothly along and not jar me sideways every other sentence.  I don't want to have to keep re-reading a sentence until it makes sense. Sometimes it does; often it doesn't.  I get mad when I can't follow the story for having to re-read so much.
So there.  I'm not going to read Annie Dillard, and I'm not ashamed to say so.

How good is Yangshuo?

Back to the known...

I know computers about as well as Russian Braille. Bike issues on the other left hand...





When cartridge bearings get nice and gritty (as they all do with use in the dirt). Just like ball and cup style, you can prolong their life with a bit of cleaning and fresh grease.

I don't carry a bottom bracket tool and after searching a few shops with no luck... I went rogue. Street side. You can leave the cups in the frame and tap out the cartridge carefully from the inside.

Pick the seals off both sides and behold the nasty traffic yer bearings have been commuting in.

Scrub 'em out with gasoline in an old ford hub cap with yer favorite toothbrush

Mash in some fresh grease and replace the driving blinders

The important part- yes, as always, it involves a hammer. I found this ancient crown race that is the exact outer diameter of the cartridge. Its best to reseat the press-fit pushing on the outer race of the bearing. Tap that whirly duder back in...

and go have a coffee!

Thoughts on Creativity

Beginning in January, I started the Creative Every Day Challenge.  Since then, I've been creative about six out of seven days; except for this week.
Why is this week different?  Because I've been helping out lots more with the three grandchildren.  I have a few thoughts that might help some of you younger mothers to get a long term perspective on mothering and childrearing.
Sometimes doesn't it feel like your children are sucking the life out of you?  Crudely put but true.  They take all you have to give and then need and want more.  They are our greatest creative projects.  Let me say that again...our children are the greatest and best creations we'll ever make.  
Not that we are totally responsible for their outcome.  God, environment, siblings, relatives, strangers, etc. all come together to make our children what they are.  But the mother, by far, has the biggest influence on her children.  In my case, it was especially true because I had them with me all the time by homeschooling, and their father was traveling a lot with his job. 
The thing I like about making something like a dress, pillow, framed photograph, knitted hat, etc. is that after it's made I can look at it for a long time.  The clothes I made for my children are now being worn by my grandchildren.  I get a good feeling every time I see them.
With children, you sometimes don't see the fruits of your labor for twenty or more years; sometimes never.  That's so discouraging to me, and that's why rearing children is an act of faith.  Faith that God will take your feeble efforts and make out of that child a better person than you are. Faith that God is making them into the person He wants them to be.
Parenting isn't about instant gratification.  There are times though, by the grace of God, that you get glimmerings of the person you're helping them to become.  Your heart fills with hope and love and you have an 'ah ha!' moment.  Everything looks rosier, and then they scream at their brother, push them down...you fill in the blank, and your hopes are dashed. 
Mothers should spend a great portion of their time in prayer.  I believe that if I had prayed more when mine were small, I would have had more self-control and less anger.
You also have to become somewhat emotionally detached--in a good way.  I remember being surprised and shocked when my children did something wrong.  Was I expecting them to be perfect or something?  I must have.  It was a personal affront to me.  I knew they were sinners, but I didn't act like it, or I wouldn't have been so surprised.  
So I had to emotionally back away from them and myself and try and view them like any other children and then rationally deal with the situation.  I'm still having to do that with my adult children when they don't do what I think they should.  I turn them over to God and pray that He'll enlighten them and help them see things as they really are.
My main point, which I haven't even gotten to yet, is that when you're busy helping to create a new person, you don't have enough time or energy to do much else.  And that's as it should be.  This is your season for that.  They'll be plenty of time to be creative in other ways later.  And if you find time to do both, then praise God for his blessings!  But don't neglect your little ones to pursue your own selfish pleasures.  Your time with them is short compared to the time you'll have without them.

THERE'S A WALLABY BOUNCING ROUND THE GRAVEYARD...

The wallaby is bouncing around in the graveyard, opposite the pub! Dawn (landlady of the Railway Tavern) has just rung me for the phone number of the watermill. It is blowing a gale here, the rain has started and it is pitch black out there. Silly boy should have picked his time a bit better than that.





Today was special asI managed to get my wellies on for the first time in two and a half weeks. Very fortunate really because the weather forecast is pretty wet and horrible for the next few days.





I walked Toby and the cats round the wood - Pip refused to come out as she had already been round with George. It is looking beautiful at the moment - especially when I compare it to how dreadful it was when we first took it over. All that hard work is really paying off.





The cats loved it, they were especially playful and crazy because the wind was blowing hard, the leaves make a crisp, crunchy sound which they seem to like -and they are young and energetic cats anyway.

They ran up trees, down trees, chased Toby, chased one another, stalked the hens, and had a great time. It was a tonic to watch them.

the owl box doesn't seem to have any residents of any kind that I can spot.

Perhaps we will have more luck next year.

I took a quick tour of the garden





There are still some lovely flowers to be found.





Tomorrow we have to take the Aged Aunt to Grimsby to do a few things, then we'll take her for a bite to eat before taking her home - this means that I may not get time to do a post Jonny -, but if I do have the time (and more importantly, the energy) then I am hoping to do it about the truly exciting subject of the drainage system.





I know, I can hardly wait! Just joking. Your Pa wants me to show you the work he has been doing and he has taken photos as he has gone along so that you will know what is what and where it is located.





Lots of love,





Mum

xxx