What I Don't Share

I've just spent many hours this weekend reading through the blogs people mentioned as a result of my previous post (Pimp your blog.) I  tried to comment on each one (a few wouldn't accept my comments, so I had to give up.) On many blogs, I clicked through to other blogs, and found myself in yet another layer of amazing places.

This experience has left me in awe of people's lives, and how much you share of your family, passions, homes, animals, lives, and thoughts. It's been an eye-opener as to the range of topics and openness one can experience on a blog.

In this blog I share stories about our farm, which sometimes feels like too narrow a focus. As a result, there are many things that I don't share.


...I don't share how insecure I am as a writer, and how publishing 8 books in 6 years has wrecked havoc with my waistline. (It turns out a piece of soft bread slathered with butter is not a cure for insecurity.) I don't like that I'm insecure, but it doesn't go away, no matter how many books I've published. And, strangely enough, these extra 30 pounds aren't going away either.


...I don't share how hard it can be to maintain a long-term relationship. Every relationship has rough times, but these last few years there were moments when I thought the train was going to derail. To continue the metaphor, we thankfully are once again back on track.


...I don't share how hard it is for me to express my emotions, such as my deep gratitude to those people who read my books, who like them, and who take the time to tell me. (This helps a bit with the insecurity mentioned above.) Or how thankful I am that my life is filled with kind people, that I'm healthy, fairly sane, and am able to do what I love every day.


...I don't share that it's hard for me to hug strangers even though I'd like to. Perhaps I should consider that when someone has read your memoir and knows a great deal about you, they really aren't strangers. So should we ever meet, please don't hesitate to give me a hug... It'll be good for me.

Pimp Your Blogs (Farm or otherwise)!

I've decided it would be a good idea to step back and let my blog readers share their blogs and websites. List your blog in a comment. If you don't have a blog, share your favorite blog---doesn't have to be farm related. It could be fiber or life or writing or whatever.

I'll go first. I have this blog (obviously), but I also have a blog that I've started up again called The Inkslinger. It's about writing and books and publishing...and I'm sure it will also be about not publishing, something every writer deals with. www.theinkslingerwrites.blogspot.com


Okay, don't be shy!

Life is back to normal...

...but 'normal' has changed.


The Farmer has fully recovered from her neck surgery. She's getting physical therapy to tone up her neck, chest, back muscles, which went all weak during her recovery.


For over a month now, she's been back doing chores. But here's where 'normal' has changed. Every winter for the past 4-5 years, I've let Melissa do the chores every day. I stay inside, toasty warm by the wood stove. The winters, though, have been unbearably long.


This winter, after doing chores 55 days in a row (why can't I let that number go?) I realized that I sort of like it. I decided I didn't want to stop. So I do chores every third day, regardless of wind chill. And I've been snowshoeing every day until this blasted mid-winter warm-up, which has melted most of the snow and crusted what's left. I actually got a little weepy the other day because I couldn't snowshoe. (Perhaps I'd better up my hormone dosage! Crying because the snow is melting? That's crazy.)


The very odd thing is that this winter is flying by. I don't feel the same "OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO SCREAM IF SPRING DOESN"T COME RIGHT NOW" malaise that everyone else in MN feels mid-February.


I cannot tell you how bizarre this is for me. Is it doing chores? Is it snowshoeing?


Don't know. But obviously getting out into winter instead of cowering by the woodstove has altered my perspective. The farm's a bigger part of my life now. Winter's not something to just be endured, but also to be enjoyed.


And the good news? 


Snow's coming tomorrow!

The Inkslinger Rides Again.

After a year of rest, my writing/book/life blog, The Inkslinger, is back. (What does this mean? I'm beginning to recover from a wicked two years.) While I'll try to avoid cross-posting between this blog and the Inkslinger, I wanted to let everyone know. Here's the first post, in its entirety:

It's time for a new author photo. I really dislike this whole process because I'm not that comfortable in front of a camera. Because the photo is for my memoir, Sheepish, which is obviously about sheep, I thought it would be fun to get a few sheep into the photo.


It was a brisk late October afternoon when photographers Karen and Pattie tramped out to the pasture with me. The plan was to sprinkle some corn on the ground, thus attracting the sheep. The sheep would happily munch in the background, and I'd try to look relaxed as Karen snapped shot after shot.


I sprinkled the corn. I plopped down onto the ground.


But before I could even really get myself situated, one of the sheep---a tame one---wandered up. Hey, whatcha doing?


Before I could explain, she caught sight of the camera. Oooh, a photo of me? Lucky for you, all my sides are my best sides.


She then sent intense, sultry looks toward the camera. She tossed back a few locks of fleece. She turned to the left, then the right. She allowed me to snuggle up next to her, but only because it would make her look good. This sheep has clearly had some runway training.


Karen started snapping photos. The ewe and I chatted, but she only had eyes for that camera. I scratched her neck, kissed her nose, and whispered complimentary things in her ears. She loved it all, and stood in one place for an amazingly long time. Karen got a gazillion photos. Finally the ewe decided she was done sharing the limelight with me, so she wandered away, but tossed a 'follow me, let's ditch the farmer' look over her shoulder. Karen followed, and once I was out of the frame, the ewe stood still again for another gazillion photos.


We're always on the look-out for ways to make more money on the farm. I wonder if there's any money in getting this ewe her own facebook page, website, and circulating her 8x10 glossies to the modeling agencies.


Here's the final photo that will be on the back cover of Sheepish:

What the Fashionable Farmer is Wearing...

If it's 15 degrees or lower, one must start with wool camisole.

Then leggings, leg warmers, and hand-knit wool socks.

Two cotton shirts...

Oversized insulated Carhartt overalls, battered Carhartt coat, ugly red hat with ear flaps, and a red scarf, in a sad attempt to accessorize....

Earth boots---warm, comfortable, like wearing winter slippers...

Choppers---leather, with wool lining...

And when you put all of this together, here's the farmer, ready to go to work:

Just don't knock her over, 'cause she'll never be able to get back on her feet without help.