Well, we had some excitement last night … an earthquake! A 3.0 on the Richter Scale which, sure, makes it small by world standards, but BIG by New Jersey standards. Especially since the epicenter was only about a mile away, right here, in my very own hometown. The house shook. The noise was huge. Chappy woke up barking from a sound sleep.

It happened at about 10:35, and it took almost an hour before it was officially declared an earthquake. Thank heaven for Twitter, where I found other people wondering the same thing I was. “Was that an earthquake? Or an explosion?”

I even made a couple new Twitter friends, including Hilary who also writes and blogs about power-selling on eBay. Who knew? Maybe we can get together for coffee or something one of these days.

Anyway, so it turns out that I didn’t get anything accomplished last night except for some knitting. No writing–which makes me very naughty indeed.

On the other hand, I’m working on my sweater again. I’ve got my afghan done through the first chart and am giving it a short break while I get some inches on my sweater.

Oh–and how great was it that Chuck was back last night! I admit that I did NOT wear my 3D glasses while watching the episode–they made knitting too difficult. But I did pull it up on Hulu before and, while sitting in front of the computer, I have to say, the 3D effect was very cool. It’s just a shame that the glasses make everything so darn DARK.

Have you noticed? I really love this show…

Tags: General, Weather by --Deb
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In honor of the fourth annual Bloggers’ (Silent) Poetry Reading (which I participated in in 2006, 2007, 2008), this year you get a Very Special Treat.

A poem that I wrote.

This is a rare, rare thing. I like poetry in small, tiny doses, but usually don’t feel compelled to write it myself. The only time I do is usually during times of emotion stress–times when prose just isn’t expressive enough. And of those few that I’ve written, there are really only two that I’m proud enough to let anyone see. One that I wrote after losing Katy, and this one, which I wrote on August 24, 2001. (You can probably figure out what I was waiting for, if you work at it.)

Anyway, here you go:

WAITING

By Deb Boyken

Anticipation tingles up my arms,
Dancing with light feet across my skin.

Anticipation plays up my spine,
Producing trills and thrills of a shudder arpeggio.

Anticipation shoots across my face, tiny stars
Burning my features into a taut mask of warmth.

Anticipation spurs my heartbeat,
Trying to hasten the minutes ticking slowly by.

Anticipation runs down my legs,
Racing muscles against tortoise time, crumpling my knees.

Anticipation races through my fingers,
Making them slip and stumble in their regular tasks.

Anticipation clenches my stomach,
Twisting fingers through my gut, pulling me forward.

Anticipation beats in my head,
Booming the rhythm: “not yet, not yet, not . . . ”

Anticipation stirs me, wakes me, numbs me, taunts me, frets me, mocks me.

My friend. My foe.

This morning’s constant companion.

An endless “soon” to live through, and then . . . !

Tags: General by --Deb
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Chicken noodle soup, anyone?

This is what I had for supper last night. A bowl of homemade soup, a piece of homemade bread (with a little butter), and a good book to read. Ahhhhh…

And, today? I made cinnamon rolls. I made up a batch of the Soft American White Bread recipe from the “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes” book, although I added some wheat germ and one cup of whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition.

Then this morning, I split it in two–enough for one loaf of bread and then, a little more than half, which I rolled out, spread with some melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and then rolled up and cut into 12 pieces. I put them in a baking pan, let them rise and then baked them and topped them with some frosting.

They’re good, too! Not too sweet, and substantial enough, but still satisfying for the sweet tooth. A winner!

It was just over 40 degrees and sunny today–it felt like spring! We took Chappy out for a longish walk … what we normally consider “medium” in length. Longer than the usual, lunchtime walks, but not as long as one at the park. But today? It was the longest walk Chappy’s had in weeks. (Me too, for that matter.) He’s been completely wiped out ever since.

Tags: Baking, General by --Deb
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Here’s my reading list from January:

1. Contact by Carl Sagan (430 p.) Sci-fi from a master scientist. What happens if you suddenly get a message from outer space telling you to build a big, big, machine that might do anything?

2. Sudden Wild Magic by Diana Wynne Jones (412 p.) A modern-era fantasy book–what if most of our world’s problems were caused by a similar, alternate universe who couldn’t come up with solutions of their own?

3. Pegasus in Flight by Anne McCaffrey (290 p.)
4. Pegasus in Space by Anne McCaffrey (373 p.) Ah … What if Talents like telepathy and teleporting were real? If they were, this looks at what our near future might be like. Love these books.

5. World Without End by Sean russell (606 p.)
6. Sea Without a Shore by Sean Russell (598 p.) I’ve raved and raved about these two books many times before. They are favorites and they get reread frequently. Love them. They’re fabulous.

7. Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey (446 p.)
8. Serpent’s Shadow by Mercedes Lackey (394 p.)
9. Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey (405 p.)
10. Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey (377 p.)
11. Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (433 p.)
12. Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey (372 p.) A series of retellings of classic fairy tales, but all taking place round-about 1910, in a similar universe that has real magic. In sequence, these were Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, The Ice Queen, Beauty and the Beast, and Puss in Boots.

13. French Girl Knits by Kristen Griffin Grimes (159 p.)
14. Knit One Below by Elise Duvekot (147 p.)
15. Crochet Bouquet by Suzann Thompson (131 p.)

(And, yes, I know … a light reading month for me!)

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by --Deb
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