The 13 Thursday Construction
1. While working a long weekend helping my son Josh raise a roof over his kiln site, my husband nearly forgot the foot injury he got at a recent martial arts event. The first morning back at home, he started thinking about it again and it started to hurt. “Why is it that when things slow down our thoughts like water tend to flow to the lowest level?” I asked.
2. Also heard on the same first morning home after camping along the creek on Josh’s two acre property: “I have to go uncamp the packer now.”
3. After four days at Josh’s place, when we first got home I was feeling out of whack, or should I use my construction education and say, “out of plumb.”
4. I have to rethink the question I recently heard myself ask someone: “What’s the matter?” Technically, I’m not sure how the term came about but it’s a question that seems to expect the worst. ‘What’s new?’ ‘What gives?’ or ‘What’s happening?’ are all improvements, but in the spirit of keeping it positive (not to mention hip) I think I’ll go with ‘What’s up?’
5. You’ve heard of an omnivore, or a vegetarian? My son is an “opportunatarian.” That’s when “you take an opportunity that comes your way and make it meal plan,” says Josh.
6. In the rural outskirts of Asheville, where Josh lives, his closest neighbor is a snake handling Holiness Pentecostal church congregation. I don’t know if they still handle snakes, but from what I cold hear, their Saturday night church services are pretty rousing.
7. The best part of the arugula, cilantro, kale, and basil that I harvested from the garden for my camp cooking was not how good it tasted when we ate it but that by the time we got home it had all grown back and was ready to be picked again.
8. Besides runs to Ingles supermarket for water, chips, oranges, and sandwich fixings for the workers, I made a few runs to the library to get on the internet. “I’m going to the library. Do you need anything?” I shouted out to Josh who was up in the roof rafters on our last afternoon there. “Yes,” he shouted back. Check and see if the Red Sox won last night.” When I got back he took one look at me and asked, “What’s the matter?” The Yankees had won.
9. My younger son Dylan is a construction worker by trade, along with plumbing and electrical wiring. When he was four, I asked him what he was going to learn to do when he grew up. His answer was: Learn to ride a bike; Learn to ride a motorcycle; Maybe I could jump from the clouds on a parachute; I’ll learn how to swing from vines; And open an orange by myself; I’m going to learn how to work on cars with a screw; And open sodas by myself and put one in my lunchbox and go to work.
10. My father used to call me the Duchess because I didn’t like hard work … So why me? I ask the muse …My calluses are ink stained … I labor over words … put them together like a mathematical equation … dream them like Einstein dreamt theories … I write like I’ve got a problem to solve …and if I don’t I feel hypoglycemic … ~ Colleen, from the Zen of Winter Poetry.
11. Although my natural inclination for writing may have come from my father’s Irish heritage, I suspect that my mother’s heritage had an influence on me too. Her lineage is largely one of self-sufficient Lutheran carpenters of German descent, and carpentry and writing have a lot in common. Once you learn the basic skills of construction, whether you’re writing an article or building a home, the rest is about problem solving and working in changes as seamlessly as possible. A good eye for detail also helps. ~ From my Silver and Gold Website bio.
12. Since the summer trees in my yard have filled in, it seems that my favorite birds are having a hard time finding my birdfeeder. About the same time I noticed this I also went out of town and visits to my blog went down. I wonder if it’s related.
13. My Crone Crowning is revisited HERE and THIS is my favorite hood ornament in action.
Thursday headquarters is here. My other 13’s are here. View more 13 Thursday’s here.
June 7th, 2007 9:53 am
“opportunatarian.”
I love that term. 🙂
Happy TT!
June 7th, 2007 9:56 am
Hey…nice TT..great picture into your life!
P.S. Let’s go Red Sox!
P.S.(2)…my TT is up…and mightly lonely…come visit her!
June 7th, 2007 11:10 am
Great list! The herb garden sounds fabulous. And LOL at opportunitarian. Sounds a lot like my husband 🙂
June 7th, 2007 11:22 am
Your man cracks me up! He sounds like a fun guy.
Happy TT and thanks for stopping by. I love the quote about thoughts like water slow down. Ain’t that the truth??
June 7th, 2007 11:24 am
I love gardening. There’s just nothing like home-grown produce.
And I thought I was the only one who said things like “uncamp the packer.” Nice to know I’m not alone! 🙂
June 7th, 2007 11:25 am
The images that you paint of your family are so vivid and clear. Sounds like a busy, fruitful week with Josh. My favourite part of the post was your poem: my father calls me the duchess . . .
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Thursday, XINE
June 7th, 2007 11:33 am
Mmmm arugula. I miss it. At our old house, it grew like weeds, but we haven’t planted any at the new place yet.
June 7th, 2007 11:49 am
Intriguing list. Blog traffic may be waning because of warmer weather. Which does indeed have something to do with birds.
June 7th, 2007 12:40 pm
I get the feeling that being and opportunarian and having a snake handler as a neighbor could make for some interesting meals.
June 7th, 2007 1:20 pm
#2; I do that all the time!
June 7th, 2007 1:40 pm
Hee hee, what a great list! And I’ve often thought, too, about how much writing a novel can resemble building a structure. I love “opportunarian” — sounds a lot like my eating style, too!
Happy TT, and thanks for visiting my blog!
June 7th, 2007 1:57 pm
#9 is SOOO like my son. But he is only 15 months. But he is already into anything that has to do with “manly” things. He loves engines, he loves wheelbarrows, screwdrivers, cars, you name it. I can hear him making the same comments when he gets old enough to talk. That was VERY sweet
June 7th, 2007 3:09 pm
Opportunatarian has got to be the best creative word I have heard in a very long time! Smart son you have there!
Happy TTing!
June 7th, 2007 4:31 pm
#6. I believe this branch is called Pentecostal Holiness and was originally formed in NC. Growing up in Pentecostal churches showed me that religion can be an interactive practice as I observed people “speak in tongues” and flail around when “possessed” by the Holy Spirit, but I never saw a snake handler. If interested, you should try and find a small, remotely rural Pentecostal church to see the greatest displays of this non-standard behavior. It’s a sociology study in its own right.
June 7th, 2007 5:03 pm
Now I’m thinking about “matter” and origins. About the phrase “what matters most” or “does it matter?” All using that word in a way I hadn’t thought about before. I can’t seem to wrap my brain around it. Maybe “What’s the matter” came from asking what matters most, like, what’s on your mind. Maybe it’s mind over matter. Maybe that’s too obvious?
Enjoyed your list!
I played too.
~S
June 7th, 2007 5:11 pm
Matter: It’s the same train of thought that I got sent on. I’m thinking of matter as physical reality and inserting that in each phrase to try and understand it.
Snake handling: I don’t think they handle snakes anymore at the church but it wasn’t long ago that they did. This one is in a rural section of NC. There’s a link on the words “snake handling” in the post hat goes to a write-up on the history.
Little boys: My son’s both carried hammers around from the time they could hold one like other toddlers might carry a teddy bear.
June 7th, 2007 5:18 pm
Ooh — I’m sorry about your husband’s foot injury! I hurt mine in martial arts, too. Big bummer! I hope he heals fast!
Happy TT!
June 7th, 2007 7:05 pm
I bet they are still handling the snakes!
I like your son’s food choice term.
I am seeing lower numbers too. I think it is just summertime. Kids out of school. Everyone wants to be outdoors. I am so far behind visiting my buddies….I told Martin I am staying in tomorrow night while he travels to Galax and catching up!
June 7th, 2007 9:32 pm
Awww… #9 is so cute. And #2 LOL!
Thanks for visiting my TT. 🙂
June 7th, 2007 9:34 pm
Hey Col.
Your the subject of my #1 in this weeks 13. (Yes I finally did one again).
Luv ya
June 7th, 2007 10:09 pm
Eventually it is all about putting things together and watching them take shape, be it words, bricks . . .
They take shape and ‘grow’ in our satisfaction at having given them ‘life’ and I suppose therein lies salvation for the human mind.
June 7th, 2007 10:41 pm
That’s a busy week for you. I went below and looked at the pictures of the construction. It didn’t look like you were being a duchess!
June 7th, 2007 11:07 pm
I think your Irish/German combo brought out the best in you…strong stock! Maybe not in the traditional physical hard work sense, but of spirit and determination.
June 8th, 2007 8:25 am
Sounds like the apples don’t fall far from the trees. 🙂 Your kids sound pretty smart to me.
June 8th, 2007 9:33 am
A camper on the creek! Sounds wonderful. The pictures of the project at Josh’s are amazing.
June 8th, 2007 10:29 am
opportunatarian, there’s a word for it, excellent.
Your #3 and #9 are sweet and made me smile.