Celebrate the Small Things: Breathe, Breathe!

We went biking on the Riverfront Trail for the first time in Richland the other day. Threw the bikes in the back of the pickup and off we went. The air was so fresh and exhilarating. Breathe, breathe. I just kept filling my lungs. So healing to the mind and body.

I was reminded of beautiful Couer D'Alene, Idaho riding along that gorgeous lake, which I have missed since moving here in 2014. Only this time we road along the Columbia River, also beautiful in its meandering way. We passed signs posting the visitations of Lewis and Clark who had explored the area in 1806 (?) and more signs about the Hidatsa and Shoshone Indians, and our famous claim to fame, Sacajawea. Should have had my camera. Darn!

Criminy, I've been missing this time of year more than ever. I don't know about you but winter lasted longer than usual. I'll be working on my a-z posts this weekend. More than half way through and I'm learning a lot about ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. It's amazing we even have records that far back. Even more amazing they are available online. The good side of computers. The bad side is sitting in front of this computer too long!

Have a nice weekend everyone!



To join "Celebrate the Small Things:  visit Lexa Cain's blog
Co-hosts are: L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

Spring: What's Not to Celebrate?

First day of spring. Hurray, hurray! What's not to celebrate?

Sunflower sprouts basking in the warm light.

Vince and I had our first cup of coffee on the patio today, and I know that some of you are still dealing with snow! But the day WILL come when the sun shines again, so hang in there!


My sunflowers are now sprouting in their pots under grow lights. Last year's experiment was good and bad. Some seeds took forever to sprout, while others like my tomato seeds grew two inches and stayed dormant for a month. They DID finally grow in the garden, but how frustrating to watch. I wondered....was it the seeds, the grow lights?


This year I DROPPED THE GROW LIGHTS LOWER and...guess what?

The seeds starting sprouting twice as fast. ~Sigh~ There is always something new to learn.....and here I am taking a Master Gardener course.

GARDENING IS SO MUCH LIKE LIFE.

WE LEARN THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR.

Alas, I did not place in the Pitch Madness contest, but I can celebrate that I entered my first contest and practiced pitching my novel. The examples of the 60 novels that did place are a GREAT LEARNING TOOL. You can read the authors' pitches and first 250 words at the website. I urge you to take a look.


Biking the local trails is right around the corner.....actually NOW. I found a map of our area in the newspaper this morning that shows some of the wonderful trails we can bike in Pullman and Moscow alone. The trails extend to other communities as well.

Map of region in local paper.

If you ever visit the Palouse region, BRING YOUR BIKE. There is plenty to see in our two communities alone.

Note the Cougar and Vandal mascots in the middle of the map. FOOTBALL IS HUGE HERE (although personally not my favorite sport), but with two universities back to back, you can just imagine the crowds that come to see the games. Lots of energy and great for local businesses! Not bad for two communities with a combined population of less than 60,000.

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!







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Celebrate the Small Things: Summer Biking

Today I am celebrating summer biking. Vince and I have biked for most of our married life together. When the children came we strapped them into baby seats on the back (no bike helmets in those days!) and went exploring. Nothing competitive, mind you. We would bike through the neighborhoods, explore the university campus, or pick a destination across town (ice cream comes to mind) - simple, small outings.

I wish I had a photo to share. I did not realize how much those times meant to me until this post. For some reason, my children do not bike with their kids today. They are too busy with jobs and life I guess, and some areas of the country (theirs perhaps) are not bike friendly.

One of the best kept secrets of living on the border of the Northern Idaho Panhandle is the vast trail system available to bikers. Most of the bike trails are old railroad beds that have been paved over. One trail, the Trail of the Hiawatha, requires busing to the top, but the views are so worth the effort. We have biked this graveled trail (all downhill) more than once. Other trails are planned trails that connect our area's small towns, like the Chipman Trail between Moscow and Pullman. All with few exceptions are family friendly (and most cost nothing to use).

Vince and I recently camped and biked out of Harrison, Idaho, a trail head for the popular Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, a seventy-two mile path that follows the old Union Pacific route from Mullan, ID on the Montana border to Plummer (ID) on the Washington border.

Ready to go!!

We passed through St. Maries, Idaho en route. Saw this giant Paul 
Bunyan standing in front of a school. Every child raised in the 
Northwest (my generation at least) grew up with the story of
Paul Bunyan chopping his way through the forest and settling 
the Northwest.

At the trail head, Harrison, Idaho. Trail of the Coeur d 'Alenes.

Vince on trail traveling north. "Are you coming?" 
(We biked 20 miles in one day!)
 

Marshland scenery is lovely. Ducks and lily pads everywhere.

 

A fawn that flirted with us along the trail. We also saw moose and blue heron, but camera wasn't quick enough. There are eagles in the area too.

View from campsite. Lake Coeur d'Alene

Time to rest, time to eat. We love our cabin on wheels.

Back on trail next day along the lake, going south.

That's me on the trail. We wanted to stay longer, but had to get back home.
We biked 8 miles, a total of 28 miles in two days!

  Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Lake Entiat: Sailing and More

Well, we did it. Vince and I took "Duet" out of storage after nearly four years of neglect and sailed for two days in a row. I must admit though we had a comical Laurel and Hardy start, rigging the boat and trying to remember which line went where. Vince was beginning to question the work-to-fun ratio. What had once been a thirty-minute process to rig this fifteen-foot wonder (a Montgomery 15) quickly turned into a two-hour fiasco, with a lot of head-scratching and staring at instructions. But our efforts did eventually pay off. 

Duet was a beautiful sight when the sails were finally hoisted. She was the only sailboat on Lake Entiat last weekend. Sailing is all about the moment, not the destination. One glides along at the mercy of the wind on a zig-zag course. In a world spinning faster the older I get, I find this pace relaxing at times, but the work getting the boat ready was hard in the hot sun. (Note to V&S: do not rig in 90-plus heat!!)

Vince at the tiller, his favorite position.

At the tiller or on the bow. Either spot, I like both!

Lake Entiat is a large reservoir located near Rock Island Dam, one of Washington's many hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

Near Orondo, Washington next to the Wenatchee Mountain range, Lake Entiat is a nice recreational destination for campers and boaters. It is about four hours away for us. Vince and I camped three nights on its shore at Daroga State Park along with my brother and wife's family.

Site 24. Where we camped.

Lots of food and good company!

 

 Delicious campground beef stew with home grown vegetables, made by my sister-in-law. I was surprised to learn that this is the same Coleman stove my parents used when I was a girl. My brother had discovered it recently in storage. Still works great!

Besides sailing, I also tried water skiing behind my brother's boat, but alas . . . after a hiatus of probably thirty years, my legs just were not strong enough. ~Sigh~ I so much wanted to be up on those skis. I still remember skiing under the Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Washington behind my father's boat as a teen. The water was quite choppy that day in Puget Sound under the Narrows and there had been whale sightings nearby. I held fast to the rope and avoided jumping over the wake, as was my usual form, on the lookout for anything black and unusually large.

 (Brrr . . . Don't worry, I can do this! I think I can, I think I can . . .)
 

 My brother remembers a similar experience skiing over a swarm of yellow jelly fish when he was younger, also worried he would fall. By the way, he bounced right up on those skis when it was his turn. Way to go, Bob!!

Vince and I brought bicycles, too, and enjoyed the bike trails that run through the park and beyond alongside the lake. Five hours of sailing and and an hour or two of biking gave us a good workout, and yes, I was a bit sore when I came home. Not bad for a couple getting ready to retire in a year or so, huh?

Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Weekly Recap: Back to Work

Recapping:
I have taken off the past few weeks, for vacation, family, illness, and just plain orneriness. Interpretation: I needed a break!! I have been resting when I feel like it, reading when the urge hits, and gardening when it isn't too darn hot (mostly too hot), but enough groveling. Back to work for me, and this week I have been working on the book again--four hours a day. Yay! Goal: finish Chapter 21 this week and 22-24 over the next three weeks. I'm in "got to get it done" mode. 

Bugged:
Why is it I can go to the hospital for an expensive test (e.g. an ultrasound) and never hear back officially from my doctor, confirming it is good or bad. Why do I have to bird dog my doctors? Everything is on computers these days, but if I have an illness or need a prescription, I am asked if I have had a certain medication before. Isn't it in your records? I ask. Well, yes, somewhere . . . Hmm . . . out of pocket I will likely pay $165 for this visit, I am thinking, and you can't tell me? I have started a home record-keeping method to monitor all this, but isn't that their job? Just my opinion of course.

Doubly bugged:
Schools in the U.S. are actually considering removing recess from elementary schools, to make room for more teaching! And those kids will be alert enough to learn more? I think not! When is the health and physical fitness of our children going to be important again? I played from morning to dusk, often outside, when I was a kid. I even climbed trees. Yes, dangerous, you might say, but what an experience I had. I climbed monkey bars too and was so strong I could arm wrestle boys in my teens. I lived on my bike during the summer, swam in the bay, and sat and rolled on the grass and sand where all those crawly things live. We have become too regimented and I feel sorry for our children today. Just my opinion of course.  

Impressed:
I am impressed this week with my city's law enforcement. Pullman, WA where I live has a population of only 31,000, but we have been plagued with suspected arson for several years. Most recently was the burning down of four apartment complexes being constructed. The university here has had a huge increase in students so housing has been in short supply. The estimated loss in its current state of construction was $13 million! Well . . . finally, someone has been arrested, and it is now a federal case, as the crimes committed have likely extended beyond our borders. The man heard voices that told him to 'do bad things' we are told. Scary. 


Inspired:
I have been reading Anne Morrow Lindbergh's North to the Orient (1935). It was her first venture into writing and written after the kidnapping and murder of her and Charles's son. I can only imagine how heart wrenching the aftermath of his death must have been. The only therapy that I can imagine working for me would have been to write my heart out, which is exactly what she has done in North to the Orient. It documents a trip that she and Charles took to China over the north pole, but there is so much more. I will do a review eventually. Here are some of Anne's inspiring words that speak to me as a writer:

"Yesterday's fairy tale is today's fact. The magician is only one step ahead of his audience. I must write down my story before it is too late."

Your thoughts?


 

Hey, That Just Isn't Right

Sometimes life kicks you in the shins and you want to stand up and raise a fist, yelling, "Hey, that just isn't right!" We stumble through and when it's all over, we are stronger and more resilient, or at least that is the hope. But sometimes the result is more permanent. A life is changed forever, or worse, a life is lost in its prime. It always seems to happen to the nicest people--the neighbor at the end of the block--the one with the barrel full of daffodils every spring, a teacher you remember loving so much, a kid that struggled in school and finally made it in the world . . . Tragedy strikes and they are snatched from our world here on earth forever. And when we finally catch our breaths, all we can say is, "Why?"

Sometimes it happens to someone or people we have never met before, but we relate to them on a human level. We grieve as a nation, as a community, and alone. This morning I read in the newspaper about a British couple I would never meet. They were living the life of their dreams, bicycling around the world and chronicling their journey in a blog called Two on Four Wheels. 

On Monday, they were struck and killed by a pickup truck in Thailand. The driver survived. Peter Root and Mary Thompson, both 34, lost their lives doing what they loved most, exploring the world on bicycles, a journey that had begun in 2011 (from Guernsey, in the Channel Islands). They had traveled through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and China, and had plans to visit New Zealand next.

"They were camping wild, as they called it," said Jerry Root, father of Peter Root. "What helps me is to think of how happy they were with each other. They were leading the life they wanted to. It was the happiest, the most fruitful of lives." (Associated Press, 02-19-13)

I truly hope it was, and although they died tragically on a remote road in Thailand, I am almost certain they were in love with that beautiful country. It is sad we will never hear their impressions. Their last blog post had a photo of Cambodia, taken over a week ago. I include a photo from my own files of Thailand in 1995, in their memory.

 (Thailand - author's trip in 1995)

Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl 

Focus - Stay the Course

Josiah, Asher and Elisha with Grandma Sharon

I am back from California after spending 2-1/2 weeks with two adorable grandsons, so Mom and Dad could adjust to the birth of son  number three. Looking back when I first took on 'nanny' duty taking care of my daughter's two children for 3 weeks in July (while Mom finished her Master's degree) and my son's boys in Calif. in August for 3 weeks (while Mom was in China), I realized that I had committed over 8 weeks of my time this year to young children. The need was there and I would not change it for the world, but it was more than challenging trying to meet a book goal this fall (i.e., November), added to the fact I also came down with a case of pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough.

Huh?--you might say. A year ago I would have told you this is a childhood disease, but so many parents are opting not to vaccinate their kids these days (Washington and Idaho being two of the worst offenders; I live on the WA/ID border), adults are suddenly vulnerable to this serious respiratory disease. Doctors now recommend that adults get the Dtap vaccine, because--guess what? More and more adults are coming down with it, especially those who work with children.

Well, I have no idea how I came down with it (fortunately, my grandchildren didn't succumb). It is a serious disease and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It took weeks to recover, and then on top of it--after feeling better and suddenly getting my energy back, I went bicycling and fell, whereupon I broke an already sore and stretched rib (due to coughing) and added to my recovery (more than 6 weeks!). On top of this, a beloved nephew died suddenly at age 30.

The potential setback in my writing was all there, lining up in perfect order, standing there at the finish line yelling and threatening to stop me in my tracks, but guess what? It didn't happen. My faithful writing coach got me through, encouraging whatever time I could eke out in writing as well as exercise. So, here I am with a completed manuscript (80,000 words) in hand, and except for line edits (2 more weeks to go), it's almost ready for review by the writers' group I belong to. I am now researching agents and publishers. I am so excited, and once again have proven that life events do not have to deter you from your writing (or any goal for that matter).

Focus, it is all about FOCUS. Moreover, I also have greatly enriched my life experience, which continues to be an excellent resource for future character and plot development. I can still hear the pitter-patter of little feet and those precious giggles and untold tears. Will their voices show up in a new book? Who's to say at this point--I don't know. But use what you have been handed, I say, and stay the course, whatever sail you have set. Your writing will soar to new heights--at least that is what appears to be happening to me.

Copyright 2011 © Sharon Himsl