Tennessee Treehouse

So… I have, again, been neglecting my blog. Anyway, since I have not been posting at all recently, I haven’t posted that I’m in Tennessee! Have been since the 3rd. It’s myself, my mom and brothers. We’re out here staying with some friends, helping them out with their daughter because she broke her arm (really bad) and can’t go back to school. In the first few days we were here we all went to see the waterfalls nearby. Ozone Falls, and most of the ones in Fall Creek Falls Park. At Ozone Falls there aren’t any railings, just a flat stone cliff right at the top of the falls. My mother was acting crazy and standing right next to the edge to take pictures. Our hosts were kind of freaking out over that… I was too, when she got too close.

We also went to see The Minister’s Treehouse in Crossville. That was the coolest thing ever! It was built by a Minister out of scrap wood, is about six stories tall, has a little church in the middle of it with Jesus written in one of the fields bellow, and a wicker chair-swing hung from the top story. The whole thing is like a multi-level maze, one room going into another, stairs scattered all over the place, and narrow balconies along the entire thing. There’s a sort of spiral staircase on one side so you can get to the top more easily.

Here’s a pictures I found. My mom took plenty so I might post those later. Doesn’t it look just awesome!? It doesn’t look like a treehouse in the normal sense, but it is built around several trees for support. You just can’t see them. My mom, Robbie and I all made it to the top of that tower there. (Not that porch thing, the window. lol.) Charlie only went as far as the church until he went back down, I’m not sure where the Dunkles went but they stayed around the church area.

The swing was really fun too. Seeing how it’s hung from so high, it swung out really far. I didn’t want to get off.

That’s only the highlights of our trip, but I think I’m done with this post. We’ll be going home next Thursday, and after that will be the Celtic Thunder Concert on Saturday (!) and NaNoWriMo in just a few more weeks! God bless you all!

~Birdwhisperer

A Random Tag

So here’s another tag from Tippie, but this time I was actually tagged! Hurrah! I’m also a bit delayed in posting by… eh, 2 days. Huh, it seemed like longer.

But no matter! Here it is, Thirty Random Things (about me, so it isn’t entirely random):

1. I talk to myself a lot.
2. I like the icing much better than the cake.
3. Speaking of that, I’d rather have brownies than cake.
4. My favorite color used to be purple for as long as I remember, but now it isn’t. I still like purple but I now realize that I like green or blue better. There! I said it!
5. Occasionally I will think something completely random, usually part of a ‘conversation’ between hypothetical ‘characters’ and I have no idea where it came from or what in the world it means.
6. My favorite animal (besides birds of course) are wolves.
7. I seem to be incapable of writing a book without 37 main characters. Well… maybe 5. At least.
8. I like commas, ellipses, and parentheses way too much. But I’m not as bad with the ellipses as my mom.
9. My favorite book is currently Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte.
10. I rather like Star Trek. Voyager is my favorite of the series.
11. Whenever I’m watching a show or movie and there is a female character with really short hair I will almost inevitably not like her. And then blame her hair for it.
12. I plan on growing my hair out to classic length or longer.
13. I like to eat ice cubes, which isn’t good for braces but whatever.^_^ I don’t like the rock solid ones though.
14. Some of my favorite movies are kid’s animated movies. (Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Swan Princess, ect.) and the rest of my favorites are musicals.
15. Besides family and friends, most blogs I read are about Fiction Writing, Fiction Review, Baby Names, Cooking Blogs, and this one blog about Paper Dolls. Most of them are in the ‘Blogroll’ section of the side bar. –>
16. Eponine is my favorite character in the musical production of Les Miserables. When she died I cried…
17. I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was… 11 or something. I was coerced into it, and told it wouldn’t hurt. It did, but I love my earrings now.
18. My favorite place on earth is Chincoteague Island, but I haven’t been back for a few years because of family complications.
19. My dreams are usually very strange, but they actually make sense internally. Like, when I wake up I can lie there and turn it into a story that makes relative sense. Some of them I have used for story ideas.
20. The oldest of my younger brothers, Charlie, pretty much hates all the music I like. Especially the Celtic stuff. So whenever I’m playing it he gets very annoyed and starts complaining/making sarcastic remarks about it. I don’t annoy him on purpose but it’s rather amusing. And it’s the best thing to use if I want to intentionally annoy him.
21. My favorite season is Fall, my favorite month is November.
22. I wish I could fly, but not artificially like on a plane, but with wings or Peter-Pan style.
23. I regularly stay up way too late.
24. When I’m writing a scene where there is supposed a feel of fear or anxiety I will listen to a playlist of songs that I hate. Those particular songs grate on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. They’re pretty effective.
25. I like stuff like lists, schedules, and coding, but am a very disorganized person.
26. I swear I have short term and long term memory loss.
27. My favorite breed of dog is the Great Pyrenees.
28. I am afraid of spiders, other creepy-crawly bugs, natural-catastrophes if I think about them too much, and stuff I don’t know much about.
29. My favorite hymn is Be Still My Soul.
30. Not sure about my favorite Bible verse. There many I have to choose from, and I’m sure I haven’t heard them all yet.

Okay, so now I’ve finally written all that down! And now I tag…

Donata, at A Penny for Your Thoughts.

And My Brother.

Not that anyone every does it when I tag them. Except maybe my brother… anyway, Donata, I know your busy so it’s alright if you don’t get to it right away. All you other (hypothetical) people reading are welcome to do this to! Since it’s random you can make the answers whatever you want, maybe even create a theme for it.

Fictional Tag

I found this tag at my friend Tippie’s blog, and of course, it’s now on here…

Who is your favorite male fictional character, and whence comes he?
Either Heathcliff or Hareton from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Heathcliff because he’s so… fascinating. Yeah, he’s awful and all that, but he’s an interesting character. Hareton is pretty similar to Heathcliff, except he doesn’t ruin anyone’s life and his romance is successful. So I guess I like Hareton better.

Who is your favorite female fictional character, and whence comes she?
Eponine from the musical Les Miserables. Yeah, that doesn’t count… Aravis from The Horse and His Boy. (Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis) She was cool. Or maybe Menolly from Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. She was cool too.

Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite work of theirs?
Emily Brontë. She sort of died before she could write anything besides Wuthering Heights and a book of poetry with her sisters, which is sad since Wuthering Heights was so amazing. I loved it.

If you are writing a book, answer this question: Who is your favorite character in the book/series you are writing?
I like the characters from books I haven’t started yet better. I think Seth, from a series I will hold off on writing until I can do it justice, might be my favorite. I don’t know much about him, but he seems like he’s going to be interesting. But anyway, I don’t pick favorites, I love them all the same except for the ones I hate. But I even love those in their own unique way.

If you are not writing a book answer this question: Who is you favorite character in a book you know someone else is writing?
(I’m answering anyway) Ryan from Emily’s story. He’s so kind and supportive. (Out of all my friends that are writing stories Emily’s is the only one I’ve actually read, but that doesn’t make Ryan any less awesome. )

And I tag…

My brother at The Developing Brain…

And anyone who reads this! Mwahaha!

A New Post!

I guess it’s time for an actual update and not a post about something completely random. Let’s see… my Dad’s birthday was on the 30th, he’s now 41. We went to the Air and Space museum for his birthday. Apparently the space shuttle they have there is just a replica (or something similar. They actually used it for tests, but it never went into space.) rather than the real thing like I had been told by my family. <shifty eyes> There was a lot of neat stuff in there, especially in the space travel area. Not all of the exhibits were about real space travel though. They had a model for the mother ship in the movie ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and lots of little toy ray-guns. There was a replica of Orville and Wilbur’s first plane, and one of their original engines. I don’t get very excited about plans though, so the most interesting was the observation tower, the motion simulator, and the IMAX theater. We didn’t do those last two.

There are only 90 more days until Nanowrimo! Yup, I’m already counting. And, I already have my story idea. I accidentally forgot myself (and Nanowrimo) and wrote the prologue when I first got the idea. The rules are to start a brand new novel on November 1st, but they created a whole forum for Nano Rebels (people who don’t go by the rules. Obviously.) so that’s almost like giving permission. I’ll only count the words I write during November, and I’m considering not validating (officially winning) at the end, to be fair – if I reach the 50,00 that is! Then again, if you’re being honest about it, are you still a rebel?

My Mom and I are planning to go to a Celtic Thunder concert in October! I really like them, and so does my mom. I think there’s going to be two other women and possibly a friend of mine coming along, though I haven’t heard back from her yet. She’s the one who got be started on Celtic Thunder in the first place. I’m pretty excited!

It’s rather late now. I’m not tired though, I slept in far too late this morning. But either way, I think that’ll be all for now. God bless!

Psalm 19

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:13-14

Top 5 Female Singers

I suppose this is more like ‘My Favorite Singers’, but as far as I am concerned they are the best. Ever! It got hard to narrow down to just 5 though. I kept wanting to extend it to six or seven in order to include Chloe Agnew, Mary Dillon, or Cait Agus Sean, or Lisa Kelly. But here they are, my top 5 favorite female singers:

#5 – Ruthie Henshall (singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’)

I love her voice, but more especially how much emotion she puts into this song!

#4 – Emmy Rossum (singing ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’)

Her voice is just stunning. And of course all the music from the Phantom of the Opera is awesome!

#3 – Enya (singing ‘Exile’)

Enya, of course. I wasn’t sure which song to pick for her, as she has so many really great ones. This was the best video I found of ‘Exile’.

#2 – Hayley Westenra (singing ‘Wuthering Heights’)

Are you noticing a pattern? All of these ladies have high voices. (And three out of five sing mostly Celtic-style songs. ) Anyway, Hayley has such an incredible voice, it was hard to choose which song to post for her as well.

#1 – Loreena McKennitt (singing ‘The Old Ways’)

I first heard Loreena McKennit by accident, and when I did I’m sure I was pressed up against the back of my chair, mesmerized. She has the most beautiful, powerful voice I’ve ever heard. Amazing. That first song was ‘Courtyard Lullaby’ but this one is my favorite of hers so far.

Well, that was really fun! Maybe I’ll do a male-singers version. lol. Who is your favorite singer? Which of these did you like the best? I hope you liked the videos!

TTFN,

Birdwhisperer

Fire Dusk

I’m not exactly sure what this is, but it is stinkin’ awesome:

Their website,  ‘Fire Dusk’,  is in French but you don’t need English to appreciate the images.

The Animations are especially cool.

My brothers don’t seem as excited about this as I am. Maybe I’m just a Pyro at heart.

And by the way, it’s my parent’s anniversary today! They’ve been married for sixteen years now. Happy Anniversary!

Will You Weep – A Short Story

Well, here’s a short story I wrote a few weeks ago. I’m not sure what I think about it… Any kind of criticism, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

‘Will You Weep’

by Colleen Porter

“Will you weep for me?”

It had seemed a simple enough question at the time, as though Gedric hadn’t meant anything by it. At first I thought he was joking. I looked up at him, about to laugh, when I saw that he was serious. Much too serious. It made me uncomfortable; he would be back, they would all be back. This was just a small skirmish, not a full-fledged battle. The odds were even, and our men would be attacking using darkness and surprise as their advantage. No one would die. And besides, even if he were going to die, why would he care whether or not I wept for him? More likely he’d be making this little speech to Clarine, or Lirette, or one of the other village girls. Certainly not to me.

“Sure,” I said uneasily, trying to sound like I wasn’t paying attention. “But you’re not going to-”

“Mirelle, please. Will you weep?”

My breath stuck in my throat. He must know something they weren’t telling the rest of the villagers. His eyes, his dark, deep eyes, searched mine. He really meant it. As horrible as it seems to me now, I didn’t really care that maybe this was more serious than we’d thought, maybe he’d die. Maybe they’d all die. What had so captured my thoughts was what he meant by that simple question. It was more than if I was afraid for him. He wanted to know if… if I loved him. How had I missed this?

“Yes,” I said, finally able to breath again. He looked relieved and I felt guilty. Would I really be able to weep for him? I didn’t think I had any tears left by now. Maybe I did, but I didn’t want to find out.

A trumpet sounded from the gate. The men were preparing to leave.

“I have to go,” Gedric said.

“I know,” I answered. He turned away from me, retrieving his sword, shield, and helmet from the parapet, then strode quickly back along the wall toward the front gate. I turned to face the sunset, leaning against the outer parapet. The rough stone was warm against my skin, heated after hours of sun beating down upon it. In a few minutes I could see them riding away from the village, their banners bleached of color by comparison to the glorious red blotch on the horizon. The farther away they got, the less I cared what happened to him. I had lied to him. He had probably lied to me as well, about their not surviving this little raid. Probably just a tactic warriors used to woo young women. I didn’t care about any of them. Yet I didn’t leave the wall that night. The sentries left me alone, and I knew no one back home would miss me. It got cold, what warmth that was left in the stone wall quickly ebbing away. It was dark also, for there was no moon that night, and clouds blocked most of the starts. Still, I never moved. I didn’t care about him. It felt like eternity had collected itself into that night like dew on a blade of grass, so that the hours were stretched to the breaking point. But when the sun began to rise behind me it felt like it had only just set a few moments ago. The village began to come to life below, and the sun warmed my frozen back. A few more hours passed. I began to wonder where they were. Just curious. The sun was overhead now, burning and brilliant. The sky was clear.

They were back. A cry went up in the village. The sentries raised the flags. I could see the small cloud of dust their horses’ hooves were stirring up. No banners. Before I knew it I was flying out the gate, beyond the familiar safety of the wall. I cut through the tall grass so as to take a more direct route to them. I came up to them and stopped, finally able to turn my focus away from my feet.

They looked horrible. And there were so few that had returned! Most of the horses bore the seriously wounded, who were slumped in the saddles in awkward positions. My heart continued to beat as fast as when I was hurtling through the grass.

“Gedric?” I asked the company commander. He gestured with his head which was wrapped in bloodied bandages. I turned around, searching the faces of the men who were plodding along past me on their huge, weary horses. I saw Camden, one of Gedric’s close friends, and Gedric’s horse being led along beside him. I looked up at him pleadingly. He stopped the horses in the middle of the road.

“He fought well. Survived the battle but…” he said quietly, staring blankly at the limp frame covered in a cloak, slumped across the back of Gedric’s horse. “He was badly hurt.”

I clenched my teeth to keep from gasping. Camden sighed sadly, looking away from me. He spurred his horse on again, muttering softly, “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

I was standing in the middle of the road as the rest of the returning warriors rode slowly by. I stumbled to the side of the road, falling into the tall grass. It hid me from the rest of the world, the thin blades prickling my face.

I hadn’t lied to him after all. I wept.

Time In A Bottle – Muppets

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you.

If I could make days last forever,
If words could make wishes come true
I’d save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you.

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them.
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with.

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you.

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them.
I’ve looked around enough to know
That you’re the one I want to go
Through time with.

Eyes, Themes, and Summer…

Today we all went to the doctors, as my brothers and I had eye appointments. I’m near sighted, so I can’t see things that are far away very well, and have to wear glasses. Apparently the last time I was there one eye was one ‘tick’ lower than the other, and now they’re equal. The guy who was checking my eyes  said that when I’m old I’ll be glad I’m nearsighted. Hmm…

Anyway, they put the drops in my eyes that make them dilate so now I have to wear the funky sunglasses and can’t see anything too close to my face. But enough about eyes!

WordPress has a new theme up, SpringLoaded. So I changed my theme to that, since I do love green and the other green one gets old after several months. It doesn’t feel much like Spring here, being in the 90s. Summer is practically here. Bah humbug.

Well, the computer screen is starting to swirl with bright splotches, so I think I’ll get off. May your air-conditioner always work. God bless.

~Birdwhisperer