a blerg of words for you

Hello, ye few who may (just) remember my existence. I have some words for you. Explanation-like words. But a small amount - not enough to be called a post. So we'll just stick with blerg.
 (Because it's a funny, weird little word, that's why.)
You have not seen hide nor hair of me for a month for these reasons:
 + No internet here at the house. We're just closing in on a solution.
 + Adventures in Charleston, S.C. mid month -- a series of posts to elaborate (eventually).
 + Ugly Issues at my end. (The only cures to feelings I find, is copious amounts of chocolate, riding, and war biography reading sprees. And tea. Tea always&forever a fixer on grey days.)
 And a new as-of-today excuse: NaNoWriMo. Oh, yes, I'm going to try again. This time it's a haphazard journey through Peru involving the lost city of Paittiti, Incan gold, a Scottish journalist of Middle Eastern decent (her idea.), a devil-may-care American in search of adventure, and really big spiders.

I am being purposely vague on all these things because, in my deranged and fantastical mind, I believe that I will have the time and will power (not to mention words) to give each of these topics the post & pictures they deserve. If you'd like, though, you can browse my Pinboard for my NaNo novel. It's a bit chaotic, I warn you because I thought we (Walker, Sim, and myself) were starting out going after some lost Crusaders' treasure or something across seas and deserts and things, but they convinced me that that was the second book and I had to write the first in order to tell of how they met and other such rubbish, crushing my dreams of camels and warlords and Templar tombs.
 I moaned about this to Mum. She told me that I was the one writing the story and should do as I please.
 I laughed. Hysterically.

Hello again

I have returned! Did you miss me? {You don't have to answer that...} It's been nearly a month since you've heard from yours truly and there have been some happenings. Nothing earth shattering... unfortunately. But a few things that are perhaps worthy of note.

+ The blog has undergone a few changes
As you may have noticed I have done a bit of changing-up here and there all over my blog. I thought it was time for a new color theme, and I was rather tired of the colder blue and greens I was using since Spring. Especially now that Fall is over, I wanted much warmer, cozier colors. Also, I updated the About page, if you'd like to buzz over.

+ We had our first snow.(And our second, third, fourth...)
It's actually piling up now - I reckon about eight to ten inches on the ground now, and 10*f. Enough to keep me indoors for the most part, near the stove where we are already preparing for Thanksgiving.  Mum and I are in the middle of jelly-making, but now is the part where you have to wait for the jars to seal, so I can write without feeling guilty. I feel completely spoiled at the moment having nothing to do but type and sip tea.

+ I found a new drawing niche
I have been struggling with my drawings. I really only know how to draw realistically and am very hesitant to try any style otherwise. Mostly because they look childish or poorly imagined to me {I'm thinking like graphic novel type stuff} because they all look as though they could have been drawn by the same 'artist'. At the same time I feel very constricted with real life, as I want something I can just jot down when I have the idea and not labor over the details, etc. At last I have what I've been looking for! Somewhere between sketchy and realism.

 Simple and to the point. Freedom of expression. I am one happy peach. I just need a lot more practice.

+ I turned 17
Pretty self-explanatory. I had a very nice, quiet birthday with the family... well, most of them. {:(} Anyway, the day was filled with chocolate cake and presents and reminiscing. And since it was my day I got to watch as many movies and read as much as I wanted while everyone else went about their usual day. Just call me Regina.

Regina [ORIGIN Latin, literally, 'queen']

+ Speaking of reading...
I should be doing a lot of that today. We are quite snowed in; couldn't even get out to go to church. I've zoomed through so many books over my little break, I really should update my sidebar 'bookshelf'. A lot of them were underwhelming, so I guess I won't put those up. But I did read the best WWII memoir in history {that's my opinion, at least}: With The Old Breed by E. B. Sledge. Sledge was a front line Marine in the Pacific war {Peleliu and Okinawa} and secretly took battlefield notes in the margins of his New Testament. A staggering firsthand account of war, I was riveted from the introduction. However, it is not for the young or faint of heart. Peleliu and Okinawa were two of the most bloody battles to be fought in the Pacific, and the conditions were beyond horrendous. This book is a hard one to recommend to anyone I don't know well because of that, but my stars it gave me true insight. It is now beyond easy for me to pick out authors who know nothing of war or battle {C. Paolini springs to mind as I read Inheritance}, and ensures that I will not make the same mistakes when the time comes in my own novels.

That pretty much wraps up what's happened to me for the last month. Though I left out the million-and-one music practices and performances and gigs. November/December is the busiest time of year for we who play stringed instruments publicly. My brother and I have pretty much made a pact that next year we're not going to do any performances and instead sit back and enjoy the Christmas season.

 Ha.

I have to say it's great writing and editing photos for posts again. My break was refreshing, but I'm glad to be back.

Dia,

-Gwyn

I promised you cuteness...

But it's late in coming. And I only have two good photos right now, but it's of one of my awesome lil 'fro chickies and then some kind of white Auracuana {sp?} :)

My orange lookin hands and a sleepy fuzzball

Our server is having a lot of trouble lately - as in, not working - so I've been enjoying a loooooooong break from the computer. Also, my eldest sis is back for a month on her summer break and we've been donin' stuff. And I have a wedding to play for next week. Hoping the bride gives me the music soon. Haha. And I think I have a music gig Mother's Day.
 So yeah, I'm not exactly lounging around but I'm finding time to ride my Roanie, watch a movie with the family, write a sentence here and there for TLOS, make a coin necklace {maybe coming soon - no promises though, considering my record}, make bday and Mother's day gifts, plan the garden, snap some photos at the park, run from wasps, chase the dogs away from a new 'treasure' - a dead cow. OmyWORD did it smell!! Uuugh!!
 I also found a new book series that I like: The Monster Blood Tattoo by.... {insert two initials} Cornish. I wasn't too sure about it because of the title {sounds rather dark and primitive}, but I was mildly surprised, and enjoyed the writer's style. While this probably won't become one of  my favorite series, I do think they're worth a look. They're pretty fast reads too - I got the first one Saturday and I've only got a chapter left. I didn't even read it every day.
 If your looking for a slightly steampunk-ish book with a lot of world detail {the author created a very vivid world through his illustrations, the glossary, and notes}, try The Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling{book one} and see what you think.

Right. Now I've got loads to do and people telling me so. So, til next time, when ever that will be.

-Gwyn

Oh, dear...

alternately titled 'Here we go again'

You have again caught me between ultra-busyness and the dreadful doldrums of energetic boredom. You deserve an update, so I'll do my best to give you the short version:

 This week the weather has been nice {read: above freezing + drizzlings of rain} except for the wind which has been awful even in the local standard, so naturally it is the time Da decides my brother and I should put up new pasture fence for summer grazing ground. Thankfully we already have a skeleton to work with: most of the posts are still there {except for the gate post I ran over one foggy October morn}, but we haven't used that pasture in so long that a lot of the wire needs replacing. A note to animal owners everywhere: Never use electric wire to fence your animals. It's fickle and usually only keeps your extremely stupid animals in. I hate the stuff.
  A couple years ago we switched the stockpens to Electrobraid and that works sooo much better. We were even planning to fence the rest of the pastures in with it this year, but the grass is growing to fast and we wouldn't have time to dig all the post holes. So wire for another summer. Wheee.

 But speaking of growing grass... Grass is growing! Green grass! Aaah, I'm so excited! At last! I've been digging ing my garden beds and finding daffodil shoots and tulips and iris poking up. Nothings blooming yet, but we just got an inch of snow two weeks ago plus this is the Great Plains: Springs doesn't come fully till the last two weeks of May or so, then summer hits about the middle of June.
 Still, loving the sunshine in the mornings.

Ack! I have so many things to build this month! Our chickies are coming possibly the 23rd {Saint George's Day - who knew?} so I need to get on building another mobile house for when they're bigger. There's the kitchen garden boxes I still have to bang together, and... hmm I'm forgetting one. Anyhow, rest assured I have to hammer something else as well.
 Oh! And Mum and I have been planning some home improvements, too. So far we're still in the tearing out pictures from Southern Living and Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes & Gardens stage. But we've also gone through closets and unearthed a few lovely antiques! Frames, hats, jewelery, etc. Cool stuff; I'll have to take photos for you.

Music this month is... has... There's a lot of it. Too much of it. Last night was only the beginning with my piano recital and a fine arts fair. Over the next week I've got six violin practices with various groups and, finely on the 17th, the actual concert. Bugger.
In my 'spare time', whatever that is, I drew this ---

Not the best photo, but I seem to have misplaced the full version on my desktop somewhere... But you like? My photographer friend took the amazing photo of her little sister and I knew I just had to draw it :)
 I need to get back to drawing horses again - it's been at least a month since my last one. Sad. When I was little I drew a picture of one every night before going to sleep. I wonder where all those stacks went...
 Okay, now you're really going to hate me for saying this but -- Istartedanewstory. Don't spear me! I know, another one that puts TLOS on the back burner. again. But I couldn't help it! Honest. It all started  late last Sunday when I was on Polyvore {see my sidebar} and I came across this picture of a girl with the biggest saddest brownest eyes you've ever seen.... Well, she had a story she needed to tell. I'm sad to say it's not a happy one, not at first. But it may become a mystery. That idea really intrigues me - I've only done Fantasy so far. But I love mysteries! So we'll just have to see where this goes, right?

Here she is...

the artist's daughter by The Celtic Cowgirl featuring butterfly tops

Winding things up, you may have noticed but I've added a FAQ page and a few other things including my Polyvore sets to my sidebar for you to browse. I'm not on Polyvore hardly at all because 1) It takes up a lot of time just to make one set and 2) I'm not that interested in clothes. But it is a great place to find inspiration, but I think you've gathered that already. But don't expect updates on Poly all that often ;)

Well, I really hate to leave you but the fence is calling. Really hate to leave. really.

-Gwyn