Buckle up, folks. I'm on a roll.
Yesterday Pam helped me trim pieces of firewood that I'd originally cut too long. She loaded them one after another into the cradle I made and I used the chainsaw to cut off the extra length. We worked together efficiently, got a lot done in under an hour, and had fun in the process. That's my favorite part of our life on Baker Rd. - spending time together, working as a team on whatever needs doing (or doesn't need doing but seems like it would be fun).
Contrast that with some of the really annoying people who take up space on this planet and there are days I think I should never leave home. Chief among that group is the egotist, most of whom are males. But enough women fall into this category to satisfy Title IX requirements.
These people know everything and are more than willing to share what they know with you, regardless of setting or topic. Years ago Pam and I played a game when in the presence of one of these individuals. We'd bring up a series of topics to see if we could land on a subject he couldn't expound upon, and then compare notes on the way home. We never succeeded. Ever.
In a group setting these people do not have an inside voice. They're loud. That's part of their M.O. - making sure everyone hears their insight, or story, or judgment on ______.
Yes, I realize this behavior stems from deep emotional inadequacies, and if I'm in a good mood I remind myself they're victims of their own psyche. But usually they just bug me...or worse.
I'm a Christian. And a retired pastor with 43 years practicing the self discipline required to deal with truly annoying people. Those together mean I try to keep my mouth shut and cope.
Coping mechanisms include going to my happy place, putting in my ear buds and turning the volume up (the local coffee shop), or just going quiet.
Pam says sometimes my silence is too loud, that my lack of participation in the group conversation is too obvious. Maybe, but I know who doesn't notice! And I fear what might come out of my mouth would be far more damaging than my silence.
I spent almost all morning at the aforementioned coffee shop working on the manuscript, came home for lunch and a brief break, and then went down to Fred (where it was pretty chilly!) and worked for another couple of hours.
I *think* I have the draft done. This last stage involved some pretty significant reworking of the structure with the text changes necessary to accomplish that. As a result I'm not sure this isn't a jumbled mess. So I'm printing out a hard copy I can look at as a whole instead of one screen at a time.
If it passes muster it will go out to my THREE READERS. Yes, I've now heard back from each of them and they've agreed to review it for content. I've asked for a 30-day turnaround, after which I'll incorporate their recommendations as seems appropriate. Then it will go to the two who have graciously agreed to check it for grammar, syntax, punctuation, and the like.
At this point the project has me exhausted. I'm glad to be so close to sending it off because it says I'm nearing the end, but also because it will give me a break from writing. In the interim I've got to do a lot of research about how to get it from my MacBook into print. I read a WikiHow article this morning about self-publishing and was surprised at the options. I've got lots of decisions to make.
Uff-dah.
Because I spent all day on the book I didn't go for a run and I feel guilty about that. The forecast calls for a dry afternoon tomorrow so I'll make up for it while Pam's in town grocery shopping. She normally does that on Thursday mornings but Marta's coming over then to deliver Dolly and Fabio. That will be fun.
I should have pics tomorrow night.
2 comments:
Are Dolly and Fabio baby goats? And did you guys name them or did someone else?
Yes, they're weanlings from Marta's herd. We're buying Dolly who will be our third breeding doe. We're "fostering" Fabio until 12/1 because it's easier for Marta to wean them if they're away from mama, and her pasture situation now makes it difficult for her to separate them at her place.
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