Favorite Characters

Who is your favorite character? Why? I think one of my favorite characters is Treebeard from the Lord of the Rings. He comes into the story at a time when frankly we could use a little cheerfulness and wisdom. Treebeard has plenty of this to offer. I have always wished that Tolkien would have written a book or a short story for the Ents. They seem to have so much to offer Middle Earth!

Perhaps I will have to write my own fan fiction for them one day. What makes a person (or creature) your favorite character? Is it their looks? Their personality? Their actions and deeds? An awful lot goes into a good character. Treebeard has a unique opening in the book that grabs your attention and makes you so curious you are practically thirsty to learn more about him.

Not all favorites have a quirky opening though. Sometimes it is the mundane that makes them special. Lucy Pevensie, in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, is very, very ordinary yet she has become one of the most well loved characters in the series.

Perhaps your character is the tall dark and handsome type or perilously beautiful. Is their description so detailed that you feel like you can see them with your waking eyes? Do you feel like you could see them walking down the street and you could recognize them? If so, your author has done a fabulous job!

We can’t forget the characters we love for their personality. One could easily find themselves conversing with Reepicheep or Tom Sawyer with his vivacious love for life. Personality is what wraps up a wonderful character and makes or breaks their memorability. We can relate to them with their humor or sadness. This is where we get to see they are real.

So take some time and enjoy your favorites!   

Some Good in This World

The world gets more evil every day. It seems to spin faster and faster to destruction with every story and news cycle. Despair and hopelessness fill lives as money disappears, homes are nearly impossible to buy, and livelihoods are threatened. Fear runs as an unseen undercurrent in the background of people’s minds as the horror of the Spirit of the Age ramps up his attack on God’s greatest creation.

The Bible explicitly says, “as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the last days,”. Do I know for sure we are in the end times? No! But I do know that each day brings us that much closer to the return of Christ. What we see around us are a sign of that. We have seen the removal of God in countries all around the world and now in our own. Something will always rule…so is it any surprise that when God is removed from that position the old gods (demons) should replace him?

We are seeing a rise in wickedness that we would not have believed possible just a few generations before. The rulers and principalities know their time is short and they are taking full advantage. They HATE us because we are made in the image of the one who is going to judge them. God creates good things, and they can only make counterfeit.

How do we not fall into the pit of despair that the Prince of Darkness has set out for us? By remembering God’s promises. He didn’t promise that life on earth would be easy, instead he promises Heaven and to be with us no matter what. “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Jesus said. So memorize the promises! Praise the God who is your creator. Look at a sunrise, listen to the joy of the birds singing, marvel at the change of seasons, see His grand design in friends smile.

Ask God to walk with you, for his angels to lift your heart. Count your blessings. Even King David in his deepest hurt turned to God and praised him. God promised to leave a remnant of Christians even when the persecution is severe. We need to cling to that. To never forget that to be with Him is the greatest joy we can look forward to.

As Sam Gamgee put it, “There is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for,”. ***

***Quote from the Lord of the Rings the Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien movie adaptation

Iowa State Fair

State Fair!! Here in Iowa the State Fair is a BIG DEAL. Maybe your state doesn’t have anything like this, but here in Iowa it’s a “thing” as people say. The Fair has been around for one hundred and thirty years! It also has had a movie made about it…can your state fair claim that distinction?

                We are very proud of our Fair. People come from all over the world to experience it. During political campaign years the politicians flock to Iowa. It’s the place to be seen. I’m pretty sure I have seen more famous people at the State Fair then anywhere else. People watching is one of my favorite parts of the Fair. You see all shapes and sizes, outfits and lack thereof! Tattoos, hats, bandanas, jewelry and the list goes on. If you can imagine it you will see it at the Fair.

                No Fair would be complete without food. The Iowa State Fair is famous for having all sorts of food on a stick. From the classic corndog to a lobster tail on a stick we have it all! I highly recommend the corndogs and pork chop on a stick. Another fan favorite is the turkey legs. Now these don’t come on a stick but they are AMAZING. Ever heard of a hot beef sundae? While there is no ice cream involved, if you love delicious mashed potatoes and roast beef than this is the dish for you. You can’t forget your classic funnel cake. Really anything you can fry can be found at the Fair. If you prefer something straight from your grandma’s kitchen go for Barksdale’s famous chocolate chip cookies!

                I hope you are properly hungry now! With all the walking at the Fair you are going to work up an appetite. There is so much to see. No Fair would be complete without livestock. 4-H and FFA bring youth from all over the state to the Fair to show off their animals. Want to see a giant bull? Every year the Fair has a competition for the biggest animals. Bull, pig, and ram! The bulls almost always weigh in well over 2,000lbs and are handsome as can be. Boars (hogs) are just as impressive usually close to 1,000lbs or over. Now that’s a big pig! The rams are also incredible often 400-500lbs.

                Not every animal is a giant though, you can milk a perfectly normal sized dairy cow or see piglets being born in the Animal Learning Center. There are goats, horses, and lots of other critters. Chickens, geese, ducks, if you can show it, you will find it at the Fair!

                Then there are all the exhibits and rides. The State Fair has historical sites to visit, art, vendors selling all kinds of products, and of course scary rides to fill your adrenaline needs. Ye Olde Mill is the perfect spot for couples to take a romantic ride while the slingshot will leave adrenaline junkies screaming. 

                For the concert lovers, there are free bands running almost all day and the Grandstand themselves have a stellar lineup every year. The Fair Board works hard to bring in amazing acts and they do not disappoint. The Iowa State Fair has hosted famous names from country to rappers with headline names that will not disappoint.

                If you love a day out with good food, entertainment, a chance to stretch your legs, and much more then check out the Iowa State Fair! For my family and I it is a yearly staple that we look forward to. Join the many others who have made the trip and see why the Iowa State Fair is the best in the country!

Ziiing! And Other Silly Words

The English language is full of wacky words and phrases. I mean who thought it would be fun to figure out how to spell some of them? Let’s start with animal sounds.

                Zzzzzzz…. buzzzzzz… buzz… which one do you think is correct for the sound the fluffy little bee makes? How about ‘oink’? We all know this is supposed to be the sound a pig makes but who decided on that spelling? I hope you are starting to get the giggles over this because the sounds just get funnier. They say a horse whickers/nickers (isn’t there a wicker basket?) when it’s happy to see someone. Why is the spelling different and who on earth decided to call it a whicker? I have a couple of horses and the word and the sound are nothing alike.

                Then there is onomatopoeia. Just spelling the word make me laugh! Definition: words that imitates or creates a sound. Zing! Pop! Boom! Whew! Zap! Ding! Got a favorite? How about ring-a-ling or jingle jingle? You can hear the bells can’t you. Even more annoying is the telephone brrriinng, brrriinggg!!! Or your pesky alarm jangling you out of your dreams.

                How about the ones that are simply fun? Kerfuffle makes me smile and lollygag is just fabulous. Then there is the classic cotton headed ninnymuggins from a favorite elf. Another excellent word is collywobbles which means to have stomach pain or queasiness. To keep on the vein of weird words starting with ‘c’ how about cattywampus? Or canoodle?

                A personal favorite of mine to use is bamboozled. Frankly I see this happen quite often with my riding students. Smart horses can easily bamboozle their riders especially if the rider is distracted! Need a word to describe over elegant fanciness? Try frippery! Or what about the opposite? Ragamuffin is a person dressed in ragged clothes.

                You can’t forget doohickey and thingamabob when trying to describe oddball items that don’t seem to have a name. To top it off you have to add floccinaucinihilipilification which means the estimation of something worthless and happens to be one of the longest words in English.

                Whew! Well now that you have had a chance to read a lot of gobbledygook I hope you have learned a few fun new words and maybe had a laugh or two. If you have some more to add, let me know!

Plastic Ponies

No horse? No problem! What do you do when you’re a horse crazy kid without a horse? Or even worse, an adult whose horse is currently in recovery and not rideable? Dive into plastic ponies of course!

            Over the last year one of my horses was plagued with serious health issues that made him unrideable. Not wanting to burden my older gelding with too many extra saddle hours I was left stumped. What could I do with my now free barn time? I puttered around for a bit before remembering back to my 4-H years before I owned a horse and one word stuck out in my head BREYER.

            When I was a kid, I LOVED Breyer model horses and gained quite a collection of them. I even showed them at the model show in 4-H. I still have quite a few sitting on shelves, collecting dust.

            Those dusty horses have turned into a renewed hobby for me. For those of you shaking your head at the thought of an adult playing with toy horses think again! There are tons of different model hobbies out there from trains and tractors to planes and more! Model enthusiasts come in all shapes and sizes not to mention age. I have had a ton of fun getting back into showing my models. There are many brands of model horses, Breyer, Peter Stone, Hartlands, Copperfox and the list continues. Breyer and Stones are the most common and popular, however.

            After a bit of fumbling around I have managed to learn a lot and have fun doing it. I have now jumped fully into model horse shows. There are photo shows and live in person shows both stemming from how realistic/close the models are to real horse breeds. Does that model actually look like a Quarter Horse, or perhaps it fits better with some other breed. You want to have great breed documentation and a model that is clean without scuffs or scratches.

            It’s a bit like detective work to find the right breed match for your models but you learn a lot in the process. I love all things horses so I find it quite enjoyable to discover cool facts about different and rare horses around the world. Then there’s learning about color genetics! How do you possibly get a horse that looks like it’s blue? Why with white ticking in black hair which is called roaning to get a blue roan. The names are great too! Ever heard of a dunalino? That would be a palomino horse with dun markings. The deeper you go the crazier and more amazing colors you get.

            Then there are the people. Model hobbyists are a fun bunch! Like any group you have a few nasties but for the most part model collectors are friendly and love horses just as much as I do. Anytime you have a chance to make new friends I recommend going for it!

            Am I crazy for playing with plastic ponies? Maybe, but at the end of the day I’m learning about the animals I love and having fun so I think I’m going to enjoy hanging out with the crazies!

Teaching Outdoor Skills

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a friend’s son out hunting and help him harvest his first deer and process it. I get requests from people all the time asking about hunting, fishing and horseback riding. However, very few of these requests are truly serious. I may need to open up a class though for the ones who are!

Things like hunting and fishing are becoming a bit of a lost art. Our society doesn’t have time to go outside and learn the skills necessary to become proficient let alone skilled. We have turned into a people of instant gratification. Noise and constant motion are our companions. Outdoor activities are often the opposite of this, they feel unnatural and confusing at first. Even I have moments where I feel squirmy and bored when sitting out in the woods.

Does this mean that we should just forget about the world around us? Absolutely not! I hear people talking about how stressed and anxious they are all the time. It makes me wonder the last time they disconnected and went outside? Personally, I can’t remember a single time I was out in the woods or out horseback riding when I was stressed and worried.

This is a huge reason why I was thrilled to have my husband and I teach someone about hunting and gun safety. Luke and I got to spend a fun afternoon teaching gun safety and basic shooting skills. It was so enjoyable to watch a youth pick up the skills necessary to become proficient. Not only that but answering questions! Luke and I got to have our brains picked and were able to pass on valuable knowledge to a new hunter.

Then came the actual trip out to the woods! Sharing a tree stand with someone who has never had the experience of waiting for deer to come through was great. Listening to the different woodland sounds from the screeching of raccoons fighting to the flocks of black birds flying through, there were teachable moments at every turn. Watching the deer and deciding which one was appropriate to take and if we had a clean shot were also great learning moments.

To top it off, once you harvest an animal there is a process that goes along with it! Cleaning the animal and dragging it to where it can be hung for processing takes time. I loved the fact that we were able to walk this young hunter through every part of using the animal he had harvested. Quartering it out and then cutting up the meat and bagging/wrapping the meat for the freezer is just as important as making a great shot.

All of this came together as a perfect first experience and introduction to hunting. This was a hands-on experience from start to finish. I can’t think of anything better than having the opportunity to teach someone the building blocks of lifelong skills and creating good memories! Part of me wishes that I could spend all my time teaching others and giving them the same opportunities. However, I believe that it is best to mentor a few students well rather than too many and spread yourself thin. I want to encourage anyone else who has unique outdoor experiences to share that expertise with those around them! The payoff is great memories and lots of smiles!

Fishing

There is nothing more relaxing than an early morning on the water. My brain might complain loudly at 5am when the alarm goes off and I’m half asleep for the first few minutes as I wander around trying to get myself ready, but it’s worth it! As my body wakes up and I see the sun peeking over the horizon something sparks inside of me. The birds sing and the wind rustles through the trees creating a wonderful wake up symphony.

            Grabbing a bite to eat while watching the outdoors magically turn from night to day still enthralls me. A new dawn never gets old. When you walk outside into it, you can feel everything waking. Even the animals seem to have a happier attitude in the morning. My horses certainly love a breezy summer morning. They whicker at me as I go out to feed them. Animal care is always first even when going out on an adventure.

            Long pants and boots are a must when fishing. Whether you’re in the boat or on the shore they make a big difference for protection! Some of you might scoff at this but, time and time again I have been very happy I threw on my knee highs instead of going in tennis shoes. Preparation is important! Writing is very much the same way…prepare your characters for what they will go through. It makes them much more believable if they actually geared up for that long journey versus just starting off.

            Having the right tools for fishing is the same as giving your characters good tools. Having a variety of poles and lures can take you from a slow day of no biting to catching the monster fish! Fish have different tastes, smells, and even sight makes a difference. You want to cater to what the fish want in order to successfully catch them. The same can be said for your characters. What would they want? If they are out in the cold make sure they have proper clothing and something warm to sleep in at night. Otherwise, realistically they would die…which would make for a very short story!

            Feeling the tug of a fish biting your lure is a thrill. You have succeeded in finding what the fish want. The fight and splash of a big bass gets my adrenaline running similar to a good storyline. Why do you think we call it being “hooked” when we read something, and we just can’t put it down? The author has caught you and is reeling you in exactly as a fisherman does. An expert angler and an expert writer have more in common than you think!

            So remember the next time you go out fishing you can learn a lot from the experience AND you might even catch a good storyline in addition to some great fish.

Taste in Your Story

We all have favorite food’s right? Favorite sweets, favorite snacks, favorite entrees….it’s a big list if we really sit and think about it. Smell and taste are so important to us even if we don’t realize it. If this is important for us, they should be important to our characters too! There are dozens of cozy mysteries out there about food. Who wouldn’t want to read a book with a cover emblazoned with a giant cinnamon roll?

            I’ve already written about smells and how they affect our memory. They take us right back to that special moment with family or the first date you went on. Taste goes right along with that! First, let’s take a look at some of the foods that have strong flavors and evoke some different feelings.

Bread is a common food that comes in many different flavors. Bread is a part of life that has been a staple in our diet since the beginning of time. Fresh bread out of the oven not only smells incredible, but it tastes fantastic. Whether its gooey cinnamon rolls or a regular loaf you can taste the yeast and other ingredients. Each type of bread has its own consistency, whether flaky or porous. Almost all bread can be enjoyed with a dab of butter and perhaps a bit of jam. The sweet yeasty bread pairs well with the mildly salty and fatty butter. The texture of the smooth, creamy butter also goes well with the flaky or possibly grainy texture of the bread. Anyone hungry yet?

Let’s try something different now, BACON. I know there are many bacon lovers out there like me. It’s a delicious food! Bacon has so many great aspects for a writer. When you cook bacon it sizzles, pops, is greasy and makes a mess. You can almost write an entire chapter just about your character cooking bacon! To top it all, bacon smells AMAZING! It’s a scent that permeates the house or the air if you’re cooking outdoors. Bacon has a unique taste. It can be either very crispy or softer and melt in your mouth. The fat is what makes the flavor so great. Thick bacon is the best in case your wondering, more texture, more flavor! This is a great detail for you authors.

Now that everyone is starving, I want you to add this to your story! Put food in your stories. It makes your characters relatable. Add all of your favorite foods, but make sure they are realistic for the time period and genre you are writing for. As much as we might love something like smoothies, they didn’t have them in the middle ages, but a good cup of wine could be used instead!

Hope this was helpful for you writers out there. Details are so important! Keep using your brain to add little things that you notice around you.

Wisdom from Bush Boy

My brother has a ghillie suit (fake leaf camouflage) that he borrows from my dad. It is his favorite thing to wear when he goes turkey hunting. The ghillie suit isn’t even a fully body jacket. Originally it was part of a turkey vest, meant to unroll over you when you sat down. Because of this, the suit covers your front, but flaps open in the back like one of those awful hospital gowns.

            The suit is long with a hood and arms that cover your body extremely well…until you turn around and see the backside. The material is very lightweight, meant to be rolled up and stored in your pack. It’s great for warm hunting or wet conditions as it doesn’t get hot or soak up much water.

            My brother has been proudly wearing the ghillie suit out in the field for a number of years now. He fearlessly dons his suit and strides across the field, edges flapping wildly around him. The ghillie suit does not have strings or ties of any kind on it. This makes securing the suit a challenge. It also makes the suit look completely ridiculous. Super camo and covered in the front…nothing but human in the back. If the suit was white the wearer would look like a half-dressed ghost.

            Often times we tie up the edges of the ghillie suit in the back as best as we can for my brother, but it doesn’t like to stay tied. It won’t be long until it’s back to flying around like a backwards cape in the wind. Personally, I wouldn’t be caught dead in anything so ridiculous. My brother on the other hand has decided to rock it. This last spring, he even wrapped it around himself like some sort of bizarre toga, posing for pictures.

            He has earned the name bush boy for obvious reasons. Now as much as we make fun of him for his fashion faux pas he is probably the best hidden of all the hunters when it comes time to actually hunt. When he is nestled up against a tree or other shrubbery he blends in with astonishing ease. It takes his sharp unnatural outline that looks terribly human and turns it into a natural part of the forest. I can’t tell you how many times he has had critters of all sorts walk past him without a second glance. Quite amazing!

            So what is the lesson to be learned here? Is the ghillie suit fashionable? Does it make the wearer look rugged and strong? No! But it is functional and IT WORKS. The ghillie suit is proof that functional is more important than looks. This is something that we should take to heart. The path to success is rarely pretty. Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to do things outside of the box. We might tease my brother, but none of us can deny that the ghillie suit is effective. Bush

Being Tired

            These days, you hear a lot of people complain about how tired they are. Tired from work, tired from stress, tired from not enough sleep, the list goes on. Everyone wants to feel refreshed, but overdoing it seems to be the name of the game. Being tired slows us down and makes life harder. Tiredness is therefore a bad thing, right?

            I just came back from a weeklong out-of-state hunting trip. Three-thirty in the morning was our normal wake-up. A few days of this and you start to really understand what tired means. Add anywhere from two to fifteen miles of walking up and down mountains, and you will really start to feel weary!

            The thing is, even though my body is exhausted, there is a special kind of joy to working hard and waking early. At night, you sleep like the dead because you’re desperate for rest, and you wake more refreshed because of it. You might drag about for a bit before you’re really awake, but once you get going you have a special kind of energy that you can only get from deep slumber.

            As I recover from my vacation, am I tired? Absolutely! However, in many ways, I feel ten times better than I did before I left. Not only did I have the peace of an awesome trip, but I can count on great sleep to help me recover. I am going to make a strange argument here… I think being tired is good for you now and then. We seem to be going about our tiredness all wrong, though.

            We let stress, overwork, anxiety, and a multitude of other problems be the things that make us tired. Likewise, we fail to take time for the fun things that should tire us out. Long walks, beaches, swimming, hiking, hunting, paddling, whatever it is that you love doing outdoors! Fresh air and some hard work mixed with fun will give you a healthy tired. The kind where you sleep well and feel better because of it.

            So, what kind of tired are you? Are you burned out and done with everything, or are you joyfully exhausted from having too much fun? Make time for joyful exhaustion and see what it can do for you!