Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Peace Out or Actually In - Part 1

A blog I subscribe to throws out challenges every once in awhile. They come up with a seasonal or creative topic to write about and we are invited to post our thoughts on their blog and then they pick a handful to highlight the following week.

I guess the benefit is that if I write something really terrific and people subjectively love it, I might get more readers or receive some sort of kudo. (Probably not the chocolate covered kind.)

So this concept got me thinking. I know you love it when I do that. Why do I blog?

If I decided to be brutally honest I'd tell you that I don't really know.

At all.

I did when I started. When I started blogging I was a wannabe writer with book ideas dancing in my head and some hope that if I worked really hard and put in loads of spit and polish and elbow grease and old-fashioned nitty gritty I'd eventually be published in hardcover. And when I was published I'd have an awesome platform from which to promote my book. After all, I'd have blogged about fascinating things and given out teasers and whetted appetites with witty, juicy and deep comments that left readers begging for more.

That's one of the reasons I began to do book reviews, too. To make my name recognizable in the tiny Christian publishing industry. My secondary reason was because all the authors I admired mentioned that a writer reads and learns from what she/he reads. And how better to learn than to sort information into some sort of logical format that spells out what makes a story good, believable and moving and what makes a character come to life? So there you go, writing a review does that.

That idealistic chick described in the preceding paragraphs has grown up a bit. I've attended writer's conferences, poured over articles, how-to books and had my stuff shredded and rewritten by the best critiquers around. I've entered far more contests than I'd like to admit. And I've stared at blank computer screens hoping for inspiration and the words with which to describe it.

To be continued.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Words of Wisdom

I have nothing profound, amusing, droll, random or clever to post. So, therefore, I will leave you with this quote.



Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller

Scribbles and Scrambles - Leash Lessons ~ Entanglements

A few weeks ago I shared a spiritual and/or common sense life lesson I learned while walking Lily and Lola.

Guess what, there's more.

As you can see by the enclosed picture, Lily and Lola don't just have problems with distractions and wandering. They also have issues with entanglements.

Most of the time they are simultaneously doing their own things which is why my arms have grown longer over their lifetime.

Lola is obsessed with birds and bugs but will ignore most of them however she occasionally encounters a magical flying/hopping object that requires her immediate and enthusiastic attention which ends up looking like a sudden leap to the right. Lily favors the left where her nose is to the pavement and she is living life vicariously through other dogs, humans, wildlife and litterers.

But when they get together in double single-minded focus they are capable of moving me, and I mean literally. Just try to pull 140 pounds of unbridled yet focused enthusiasm aware from a truly odoriferous object on the path or carelessly tossed waffles or biscuits. (Yes, we've encountered both.)

So that brings me to my thoughts about entangling myself with others. I do it entirely too much. Especially when drama whispers in a loud offstage one-liner. If I had a dollar for every time my emotions whirled out of control over someone else's issues or problems I'd be a rich woman. Oh, I can ignore some drama...most of it actually. But every once in awhile a situation so needy of my time crops up and I stop, turn, tangle myself in it and leap right. Or I spend sometimes too much time with my senses focused on others' stuff that I miss the whole point of a walk on a perfect sunshiney day and get caught up in garbage that wasn't my mess to clean up.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ So Random You Might Not Even Want to Go There.

In keeping with the non-traditional random dictionary game EER has inspired at the Dregs I introduce the word...

drum roll (This is a low-budget site, kids, you expected the real deal?)

Pictact - noun/adjective - origin old norse. definition a) Viking tool resembling the modern pick axe. The difference in modern and predecessor tools was the two tusk-like appendages on either side of the axe head that were used to carve decorative "tattoos" on the side of the long boats and to easily disembowel those who got in their way during raids. b) enthusiastic slang used to encourage Viking boat hewers during the annual boat building/village destruction/ looting seminars know as the Pic and Kicks.

Okay. Lame? Blame it on the totally deteriorated condition of my gray matter.

If the definition is not enough to entertain you. Let me share a few random and bizarre sights around Iowa this week.

#1 Horrific sight. A semi turning left in one of two parallel left turning lanes. This is not in itself a concern. The fact that the driver was on his cell phone during the turn is though. SERIOUSLY. Put the stupid phone down. Could any conversation be THAT important?
#2 Strangest sight. In the bathroom stall next to me a bare foot. Completely bare. The other foot was fully clothed. In the public restroom. In November. ?
#3 Most annoying drama. All of it. Me no like drama.
#4 Most annoying behavior in someone close to me. Mine. This Martha Stewart thing is out of control. After making/baking ten items for 16 women for a 24 hour retreat I wonder why I am compelled to tweak, change and remake a recipe until it is all mine. And this is while I'm reading self-help and spiritual maturity books for review ("Oh, was I supposed to actually absorb the truth in that chapter?"). On the bright side of the little Martha ordeal is that everything tastes fabulous. Really. And the recipes that have been stretched, tweaked and rewritten are usable. I think I can leave those particular ones alone now. YAY.

That's all. If I don't stop now I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard and either accidentally type something offensive with my bobbing and weaving face or I'm going to drool on the keyboard and electrocute myself.

Happy weekend. I'm going to enjoy it and relax if it kills me. And it might.

Serials and Scenarios ~ The Rest of Health

Seven Skills to Achieve the Life You Desire

New wellness book explores the rest of health

Dallas/ Ft. Worth, TX—Mike staggers into the emergency room, presenting what he believes are the classic signs of a heart attack. Soon his condition stabilizes, and the E. R. doctor sweeps into the room to assess Mike’s problem. Mike is not having a heart attack, but the symptoms that brought him to the hospital have been caused by something…

Mike is the main character in The Rest of Health, a new work of creative non-fiction by authors David and Sonya Cameron. As readers follow Mike’s story, it soon becomes clear that there is more to his E.R. visit than meets the eye. The Rest of Health brings readers along as Mike confronts both the areas of conflict and the neglected facets of his life. Along the way, he discovers that true health is not something that can be achieved by simply producing the right numbers (i.e., blood pressure, weight, cholesterol). Mike’s journey to total health and wellness incorporates seven steps:

1. Looking to learn

2. Transforming your thinking

3. Establishing healthy boundaries

4. Caring for your body

5. Raising your emotional I.Q.

6. Cultivating your spiritual life

7. Fine-tuning relationships

The Camerons have been working in the healthcare/mental health field for over a decade, and both have chosen career paths that involve a cross-section of the general public. David has served as a family practice physician in a community health clinic for 10 years. Sonya has over 12 years of experience in community mental health and private practice doing marriage and family counseling.

“In both of our practices, we constantly see people who view health too narrowly. Many people think of health as dropping pounds, lowering blood pressure, etc. These are all good, healthy things, but when the underlying motive is simply to look better physically, that is evidence that a patient doesn’t really understand the meaning of ‘health.’ After working with so many patients, we have seen that before a patient can make lasting changes in any area of life—and this includes physical health—they must take a step back and look at the bigger picture of their life.”


My Review:

Part story, part self-help, part therapy, The Rest of Health, is a complete prescription for rethinking your life.

Written by a married couple, a medical doctor and a licensed therapist, the book is a compilation of their experience, wisdom and faith.

The fictional account of a marriage made up of individuals with issues that collide teaches coping techniques and stress killing better choices. The integrated recipe or prescription would be enough to help the average struggler to get beyond some of the pitfalls that make for an unfulfilled life. Though those with serious issues probably won't find enough help within the pages to fix major life trauma this book can offer the answers to questions that unhappy folks may not even know to ask.

The fiction gets a bit preachy at times, and the point of view is omniscient, so as fiction goes the story is not compelling escapism. But the idea to put dry facts within a story to get points and examples across to an audience is a great idea. This book would be a great small group study.

Scribble and Scrambles ~Fresh Sight from Fresh Air

Our friends at Fresh Air shared another avenue of meeting needs.

Click on the picture and read about it.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Science and Martha Collide

We've spent the last few days enjoying sunshine and warmth. And when we aren't doing that we are chopping, slicing and dicing. (Okay, the picture implies that the dogs are involved in this as well. They are, but since they lack opposable thumbs they mostly stand and drool waiting for the next tidbit to fall.)

I'm doing my Martha Stewart thing again. Not the cleaning the closets (which need that in the worst way) but the food Martha.

I'm trying recipes like crazy and I can't leave them alone and just try them. I have to tweak them. I'm compelled to tweak them.

And I stunk at science. Which means we are eating some seriously interesting specimens of failed natural laws. But, then one will work and I then have to look at my scribbled chicken scratchy notes and decipher what I did right.

My current madness will end soon as I have a deadline. However, the closet/cupboard compulsion looms. After all, we are entering the holiday season and we will have guests.