Parchment Paths

This past week I've picked up an old habbit,  keeping a journal. I don't mean what you're reading now, but a pen and paper, personal account of my day.  I did this fairly faithfully as a preteen and then feel out of the habbit. However, after watching the movie version of Jane Austen's Emma, it occured to me that journal can be quite useful, there's a scene where Emma is writing about a problem she's having. I realized that aside from keeping me in pratice with writing, it could help me unravel the day, sort out problems, remember good times, and could also help improve my prayer life.  So far, I'm three days strong with journal, so hopefully I can keep it up! 

Most people who know me, know that I adore old, abandoned places, houses, churches, theme parks,  zoos, and the like. I have Pinterest board dedicated to the subject as well as follow two channels of urban explorers on You Tube .  Because of this, I've noticed more and more all of the derelict places near where I live, including a mobile home in my neighborhood.  I had already gone once, the door was actually blowing wide open in the breeze, but hadn't gone more than a few steps due to the broken glass, the rotting floor and the fact that I was wearing flip-flops at the time. So, I waited until the rainy weather dried up, donned some sneakers, grabbed my camera and returned. Sadly, this time the doors were all locked. Several new homes have been moved into the area, and I suspect the doors were locked to prevent possible vandalism. Though, disappointed, I snapped several pictures of the outside.  It's been left alone for at least ten years and yet some parts, l...

  This was a very good ending to the trilogy, though at times the varying point of views were a bit tedious, particularly when there would be a lot going on with Merral's group and then the next chapter would focus on Ethan on Earth for instance. That being said, it was fascinating to see things from the Dominion's side. The ending was perfect, though I don't want to spoil it, but it was a good ending that gave a happy sense of closure. The characterization was greatly improved as well, as it's a bit sketchy in the first book, though I must say I still never completely loved the main characters, though I greatly enjoyed, Loyd, Luke, and Azeras. I recommend anyone struggling to get through the first book to stick it out; it get's better.

I just thought I'd pop in and say hello. I'd like to write up two book reviews once I get my thoughts together, but till then I still wanted to update the blog. I had a rather nice day off work despite the dismal weather. Yesterday I was in  shorts and flip flops and today I had to find a sweater.  So, I pursued mostly indoor activities, watching TV, dusting, and of course reading. I settled in with a nice cup of tea and an Agatha Christie book, perfect!

I babysit my niece and nephew quite a bit and I try to come up with fun and creative things to do with them.  They love the show Jake and the Neverland Pirates and absolutely loved the pirate weekend at the Renaissance Faire. After watching this video on You Tube, I got an idea, a pirate treasure hunt! So, after finding the loot around the house, yes, they love pirates so much, they already had fake gold doubloons and my niece has plenty of dress up jewelry.  So, I loaded up the treasure chest and the kids and drove them to the lake.  I then hid the treasure, making sure to mark the buried goods with sticks and stones. I laid out some of the things to save time, they were starting to peek, and then set them loose. It was so much fun! After they found everything, they hid the treasures and had me find them. We just might do it again some time.

I've been trying not to sleep on as late as I usually in order to get more done and today especially I was very glad I did.  My father and I did some work in the yard planting trees and bushes he had ordered from the Arbor Day Foundation.  Reading the handy guide to our baby trees! There they are!       Dad :) After planting, we took a walk to a local church that was hosting a rummage sale.  Aside from the nice walk, I found two book and movie for just 74 cents!  Now, that's what I call a good day!

I took my niece and nephew for a little adventure the other day.  The plan was just a walk a round the lake and a visit to the playground, but it devolved into a trek into the woods to follow the creek to the lake.  We got mud on our shoes and pants; we got stuck on branches, and, in my case, we lost shoes in the mud and got wet socks, but it was very fun. We say geese and ducks and my niece found all sort of wild flowers to pick. Sometimes, you need to veer of the path and get a little dirty.