Just Be There Blog

Hodge Podge of past activities Part 1

** North American Mountain Lion

If I were to choose an animal I most identify with, what would the animal most likely be? Throughout my life, I have loved many animals and have a variety of favorites. (Wolves, Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Cheetahs, Tigers, Panthers, Leopards, Polar Bears, Dolphins, Elk, and the little Field Mouse.) Overall, however, I believe the big cats have impressed me the most. I wouldn't say that I am like any of the cats I admire, but others who know me well may say differently. I am a bit reclusive and very independent. I am also quite protective of my "territory." All the wild cats from all the continents and biomes of Earth have found their images on my walls over the years. If I were to choose a single cat as the one I like the most, I would have to say the North American Mountain Lion fits this description. As it happens, the Cougar has also influenced my spirit walk and in times of decision and or turmoil, the cougar has entered my dreams as a messenger and teacher. The spirit of the N.A. Mountain Lion has visited my dreams often in the last few years, after each visitation, I've seen the world and my situation in life differently. I would consider the N.A. Mountain Lion as my totem animal.


...Barlen, 14th Erntenir, 1524

Tonight, this person, Malyn Armina Drud of the Clan Drud, writing from Dhoesone capital, famous city, Sonnelind.
This person begin record tell events experienced so far away from motherland.

If record found and this spirit having crossed veil of death, please have accounting sent to this person's family in small village Sandorev, in country Rzhlev. Deliver to Clan Drud in Sandorev village. This is record of Drud daughter's journey.

This person rides as mercenary guard for Caspar and Son's Trader train leaving village Sandorev, going to Port City Rzhlev, in motherland. On Taelen 24th of Anarire of Anuirean Calendar, Caspar and Son's kept this person as mercenary guard, and made room aboard ship Eisgrafin or Ice Maiden in common speech, bound for Dhoesone. This person say farewells to cousins, Bohan and Yasha. Cousins return home with sad face.

Caspar, patron and Feroz, younger son, ask if this person accompany them. They say much value this person's talents for guard. Many stories about foreign lands they travel incense this person's curiosity. Feroz say, Dhoesone are many half-elves and woman half-elf rules as Queen. I only half-elf in village of childhood so want much to see others so afflicted. So, this person agree, go as merc-guard for traders. Soon this person liking two Brecht traders. Traders laugh much more than this person used to and this person taking much unpracticed patience to realize verbal banter not insult requiring blood price...

excerpt 245 words taken from "Malyn Kept a journal--Raw resource to Verloren wip"  of my book "freewrites: prompts, scenes, or teasers" 


** I will attempt to cover the one thing I find incomprehensible and horrifying.

The constant killing of others simply because they don't believe the same way. Religious massacres, political assassinations, children and school ground shootings all top the list of senseless violence that saddens and frightens me. This type of violence has occurred since man has existed and sadly will probably exist until mankind becomes extinct. The human is a violent animal especially in large groups. I am a passive person, yet I've experienced moments in my own life where violence reigned over my behaviors. The urge to do violence upon others for whatever reason is what I am not thankful for.


** I have picked two evergreen trees and two deciduous trees "found on the list." However, I am going to take a chance and list one evergreen not on the list just because it is an important tree ecologically for Northwestern North America.

First of the listed trees include, Black Walnut and the Black Locust. I've grown up with both. I have fond and frustrated childhood memories of both these trees. The Black Walnut is a very hard nut to open but the treasure inside is worth the time and effort. Black Walnut cookies, cake and fudge are what I miss around the holidays now that I've grown and no longer have access to a Black Walnut tree. The Black Locust is a very pretty tree but obnoxiously painful with its large thorns on the branches. I've torn many articles of clothing and have bloodied arms, legs, head, and torso climbing said tree as a child. I hated raking, gathering, and burning the fallen branches in the fall or after big winds. The thorns were big and sharp! The next two trees on the list are Blue Spruce and Ponderosa Pine. The Big Blue, as my cousins and I called the best climbing tree in the neighborhood, grew in my cousin's front yard. I spent many hours in that Blue Spruce when I was nine years old. Fond memories there. The Ponderosa Pine is one of the first trees I learned by name, except I didn't call it a Ponderosa. It was a Bull Pine according to my paternal grandma. Then to confuse matters, my maternal grandma called it a Yellow Pine. So I learned two of the trees common names and called it either a Bull or a Yellow depending on who I was in the woods with at the time. Then in high school biology, my teacher called the tree a Pinus ponderosa, or the Ponderosa Pine. A tree with three names, all the same tree, just depending who is in the woods with me is the name I call it. The Ponderosa Pine is found everywhere in the Western U.S.A. The last tree choice, and one I was surprised not to see on the list, is the Lodgepole Pine. This tree has significant ecological importance ranging from Alaska, through Canada and into the Pacific Northwest and extended into the Rocky Mountains in the United States. You see this tree can't reproduce unless there is a forest fire to open up the cones for the heat matured seeds to pop out. Squirrels can't open these cones and allow the seeds to germinate, not to say that squirrels don't spread the seeds. The seeds need the heat of a fire to mature them so they can germinate. Another, significant boon for local ecology, has to do with all the organisms that depend on this tree to survive. The organism most known these days is the pine beetle. These trees grow tall and slender compared to other pines and furs in the woods. This made them useful for the indigenous people to build their lodges--thus the name Lodgepole Pine.



** Heart of Bronze by Matthew Woodring Stover

I love stories of ancient cultures, or pre-cultures, as well as magic and living Gods. This Symposium Topic spurred me to look through my library and ponder which book would I recommend as the best one I've ever read, as of this moment. Matthew Stover's Heart of Bronze is actually two novels placed in a single hard bound jacket; an anthology of two stories. Although, there are two stories here, I cannot read one without reading the other. I think of them actually as part one and part two of one fictional biographical history. The first story (part one) is titled Iron Dawn. Barra the Pict, a strong female character, is introduced and when the story ended, I was very appreciative that (part two) Jerico Moon was there to feed my hunger for more. The setting of the first story takes place five years after the fall of Troy. So ancient times is the back drop for a red-headed Pict mercenary who has found herself in Phonecia. She is partnered with an Athenian fighter (Leucas) and an Egyptian alchemist (Kheperu). There is adventure, blood thirsty battles, intrigue and magic; everything that promises (and delivers) a fast paced story. I have personally read this short anthology twice and I will no doubt be reading it again.


** Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963)

There were several movies that came to mind for this topic. At first my thoughts went to those movies which scared me the most the first time I saw them. A couple wouldn't be classified as suspense or horror, but as I reread the criteria...choose my favorite...then I found myself narrowing down the list and Alfred Hitchcock made the list several times with, Marney, The Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and my eventual first choice as listed above. Rod Taylor and Tipi Hedren battle maniac birds bent on killing the citizens of Bodega Bay, California. I first saw this film on Saturday nite television when I was in grade school. Then on the late late show when I was in high school. The second time I watched this movie I discovered parts I'd missed when I was younger. The movie decidedly was more scary when I saw it the second time. I presently own the remastered DVD and have just finished watching it, again. My verdict is...Yes, this classic still scares me in a good horror suspense kind of way, even when I know what is going to happen and how it ends. As always, I get a kick out of the old woman biologist...What a horrid stereo-type *Laugh* I think the scariest part of the movie is that there really isn't any explanation why the birds have taken on a murderous bent. Sure the scientific explanation is offered, but it is weak at best. Mr. Hitchcock designed the movie so the individual in the audience could imagine their own reasons for the killing spree. The cliff hanging ending also leaves the audience questioning the actions of the birds. Is it a local problem or more wide spread? What has triggered the attacks--the two caged love birds or something more universal? The first attack is against Melanie Daniels by a seagull and subsequent attacks appear to center around this woman who brought the caged Love Birds to Bodega Bay...I recommend viewing this classic with some popcorn and family members for an all around good time.



** Star name: RAH GALILEO

My chosen star name is a combination derived from two of my personal childhood and adulthood heroes who inspired my driving interest in the study of science and math.

First and most obvious: Galileo Galilei b.1564, d.1642 was an engineer, a physicist, and a believer in independent thought. Amongst many achievements, Galileo used new technologies of his day to observe the universe around him. He was one of the first to measure time in a scientific experiment with the new thing hitting the labs, the clock. With this new precision instrument now at his disposal, Galileo explained the motion of falling bodies by carefully timing balls rolling down an inclined plane. He explained constant acceleration due to gravity. (Sir Isaac Newton expanded upon Galileo's observations and created calculus.) Galileo was the first to suggest that a swinging pendulum could be used to keep time.

With the advent of the telescope, Galileo discovered the Jovian moons (Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, and Io) as well as the phases of Venus. Although, Galileo may not have invented the telescope, he was definitely one of the first to use this instrument for astronomical observations.

In 1593, Galileo did invent an instrument for measuring the expansion of gases and liquids he called the "thermoscope." And later developed the thermometer to quantitatively measure temperatures. What did people do to figure out how hot or cold it was before Galileo's time? Or did they even bother?

For all his achievements, Galileo Galilei fell into disfavor with the Catholic church. For his insistence that the Sun and not the Earth was the center of the solar system (Copernican Heliocentric Theory) which the Church declared heretical thought, Galileo was denounced by the Church and placed under house arrest until his death.

Today, his heliocentric views are accepted as true and a basic fact. Thank-you and a big hooRAH! To Galileo's courage in his search for scientific truth.

This brings me to the second part of my star's name. Namely the last three letters, all in capitals, of my named cheer. RAH, of course, stands for Robert Anson Heinlein, b.1907, d.1988. Known as the Dean of Science Fiction and one of a trio of SF Writers (Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov being the other two) who made the genre respectable as a literary model. R.A.Heinlein was also controversial regarding the social themes he addressed in his space aged stories. He was expressly against the restriction of individual liberty and railed against the excessively repressive influence of organized religion upon cultures and governments. Robert Heinlein was all for nonconformist thought, individual liberty, and self-reliance.





On 5/23/14 at 6:58pm, DyrHearte writes wrote:

my submission from "Woodland Encounter"  242 words towards the ending of the story

I like the rhythm when I read it.

...I loosened the cord around the small leather pouch at my belt. She nodded in agreement and her smile broadened. Even in this compromising position my breath escaped me. She could stop the world from turning with that same grin; surely, she stopped my heart. She wasn't an absolute beauty to look upon; yet, I could not take my gaze from her deep violet eyes. She wasn't all human; and maybe, that was what ensnared me. I didn't smile nor was I able to relax within her raptured spell binding. I felt the sharp pushing of the tip of her dagger as my gaze was forced skyward.

Above in the huge old tree, I noticed a scarlet song bird who curiously looked down and laughed at this scene. I felt the heat in my face as I realized there was a witness to my distress. Then a sound tug at my belt and the weight of twenty coins disappeared from my hip.

The point of the knife at my throat was gone; but, the phantom bite upon my flesh still persisted. It was the faint rustle of the bush to my left that made me realize she no longer stood before me. I lowered my gaze and looked around; there was nothing but bush and tree to see. She was wondrous to behold and very talented with her snare. I think twenty gold was worth the price of my experience here...





On 5/10/14 at 5:56am, DyrHearte writes wrote:


Although this song didn't exist when I was born, The song that could well be the theme at my birth as well as a theme from beginning to the end of my starring life role would be The Dance by Garth Brooks--I've experienced so many losses, yet if I'd not loved and been loved by those now gone from me--If I'd not danced the waltz, the reel, and the jig of life--I would be a lesser, more shallow person than I am today.


I have given this a lot of thought. I even slept on it. The following is what I deem as my worst pet peeve.

I am a very 'territorial' person when it comes to 'my space'. I know everyone has their personal space awareness that is innate to the human being and which is enforced through our specific enculturation as we grow. But I have this problem with establishing 'my work' space; or 'my relaxing' space and then guarding it with extra-sensory skill. I notice my annoyance erupts more at my work place, so I will relate examples in relation to: "I really hate it when someone comes through my work station and plays at searching for something or otherwise hovers in my general area when they really have no buisiness being there."

By 'extra-sensory' skill I mean: I can be concentrating on what is rolling passed me on the conveyor belt and have the urge to stop and look around to find someone looking through the barrels from which I'm taking product to inspect and sort. (I work at an ammunition manufacturing plant, so I look at a lot of bullets in a 10 hour night.) Mind you these barrels are behind me and about 3-4 feet away from me--yet I know when someone is there. It is extremely uncanny. If it is the "tumbler" filling the barrel with more product, I'm not bothered and I go back to sorting. However--on night shift (which I'm no longer on, having spent this whole week adjusting to days) my floor super would just up and leave whatever she was doing and wander around "My Work Area". Obviously, she hovers which I simply abhor. It would irritate her that she no sooner arrived and I'm looking at her with the question, "Can I help you with something?" She never once entered my work area when I wasn't immediately aware of her presence. I developed this "Boss Alert Radar" when I was in the U.S.Air force and I've never lost it. But it is more than "Boss Alert" because I know when someone (anyone) is behind me, when there isn't really any reason for someone to be behind me. She thought she was being cute one night when we first started working together and came needlessly into my area--stealthily and from three different approaches--more than half a dozen times. Everytime, I stopped the belt, turned to face her, and inquired if she needed something. At the end of the night she asked me what I had against her. I told her I didn't trust people who sneak around...I was irritated with her beyond my normal cautious politeness. She asked a direct question and I gave her my blunt answer.

So, there is my pet peeve. I get very irritated when someone hovers when I'm trying to work...


> Take care and may your road lead to only good places.

Deb

> I'm the writer I am today, only because of all the help I've received from other writers yesterday.