In true Pacific Northwest fashion, the weather has indeed gone perverse. Yesterday was the record breaking day for the longest streak on record of no rain in the months of May and June. It's been uncomfortably hot and dry, actually, and the greenery looks more like summer. At least the weeds do...

Yesterday, a mere three-ish hours before the record-braking deadline... rain was recorded at Seatac airport, as well as many places on Puget Sound.

On a fangirl squee note: My roses are blooming! Sooooooooooooooooooooo pretty! Yes, obviously I do have an inner 5 year old girly girl who squeals over pretty flowers and horsies. Shut up.

Here's my favorite IM conversation in some time....
( The State of Shatterpath )
See? Told you so...

Stolen from [info]racethewind10
YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know 28 things about you. I don't care if we've never talked, never really clicked, or if we already know everything about each other. I really don't. You are obviously on my flist, so let me know with whom I'm friends!

Join in if you want to - silly answers always welcome :)




1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

Ready, set, GO!


1. Your Middle Name: Lynn. I hear it's a familial name. Some aunt of the parental or some nonsense.
2. Age: 38. And I'm the youngest in the house! Heh.
3. Single or Taken: Still taken.
4. Favorite Movie: Gah, I have NO idea. How about 'Cats Don't Dance'. Excellent flick and funny as hell.
5. Favorite Song or Album: Idina Menzel's 'Strongest Suit'
6. Favorite Band/Artist: Errrr. Enya.
7. Dirty or Clean: Bod was scrubbed this morning. The brain? You don't really have to ask do you?
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings: Ears. Tat is on the bucket list.
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ? No, unfortunately. The timing never worked out, eh Race?
10. What's your philosophy on life? Live and let live. Feed the birds. To know me is to love me; to understand me is a miracle
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty? Depends on how much I've had to drink.
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest? With my lousy memory, that answer can change circumstantially.
13. What is your favorite memory of us? You crack me up and I love that. Oh, and 'By the Blade' Brilliant stuff, that.
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Naps. Oh joyful, blessed naps.
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you: I'm really tall. Over 6 foot. And kids like me. Guess they know I'm safe.
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they? To see the Northern Lights, to win the lottery and travel and donate tons of cash to causes I really believe in.
17. Can we get together and make a cake? I can make a KILLER cake. I took lessons. I know how to play with fondant and gum paste and more exotic things.
18. Which country is your spiritual home? Hell, I'm here.
19. What is your big weakness? My weight.
20. Do you think I'm a good person? Absolutely. You care about creatures of two feet and four.
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school? Anything dealing with language or communication.
22. Describe your accent. Southern California. It scares me that some Washingtonians can actually pick it out. Or used to anyway.
23. If you could change anything about me, would you? Make your life easier, because suffering is never cool.
24. What do you wear to sleep? Nylon short and a t-shirt.
25. Trousers or skirts? Former. In girlie clothes I look like a very uncomfortable man in drag.
26. Cigarettes or alcohol? Quit the first, indulge the second randomly and in small quantities. Despite my stature I'm a cheap drunk.
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!) Fly over Mt St Helens to see if she wants to take us out.
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you? Hell yes!

Snagged from Geekgrrllurking. The things you make me do...

Rules:
- Bold all of the following TV shows which you've ever seen 3 or more episodes of in your lifetime.
- Italicize a show if you're positive you've seen every episode of it.


24
7th Heaven
ALF
Alias
American Gothic
America's Next Top Model
Angel
Arrested Development
Babylon 5
Batman: The Animated Series
Battlestar Galactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Baywatch
Beverly Hills 90210
Bewitched
Bonanza
Bones
Bosom Buddies
Boston Legal
Boy Meets World
Brothers And Sisters
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Californication
Chappelle's Show
Charlie's Angels
Charmed
Cheers
Chuck
Clarissa Explains it All
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Crossing Jordan
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
DaVinci's Inquest
Dawson's Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Dexter
Dharma & Greg
Different Strokes
Doctor Who
Dragnet
Due South
ER
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Facts of Life
Family Guy
Farscape
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Frasier
Friends
Fringe
Futurama
Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
Gilmore Girls
Gossip Girl
Grey's Anatomy
Grange Hill
Growing Pains
Gunsmoke
Happy Days
Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
Heroes
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Invader Zim
Invasion
Hell's Kitchen
JAG
Jackass
Joey
Kim Possible
Knight Rider
Knight Rider: 2008
Kung Fu
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
La Femme Nikita
LA Law
Laverne and Shirley
Law and Order: SVU
Leverage
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
MASH
MacGyver
Malcolm in the Middle
Married... With Children
McLeods Daughters
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Mission: Impossible
Mod Squad
Monk
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Life As A Dog
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
Mythbusters
NCIS could almost tag this one, but I think I'm missing just a few eps before Kate's death and this last season's finale. Darnit!
Ned Bigby's Declassified School Survival Guide
Nip/Tuck
Numb3rs
One Tree Hill
Oz
Perry Mason
Power Rangers
Press Gang
Prison Break
Private Practice
Privileged
Profiler
Project Runway
Psych
Pushing Daisies
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer as Folk (UK)
ReGenesis
Remington Steele Such a great show! And such a great example of perfect chemistry.
Rescue Me
Road Rules
ROME
Roseanne
Roswell
Sanctuary
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? If not all, then close damn enough!
Scrubs
Seaquest DSV
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
So Weird
South of Nowhere
South Park
Spongebob Squarepants
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
Starsky & Hutch
Superman
Supernatural
Surface
Survivor
Taxi
Teen Titans
That 70's Show
That's So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family
The Amazing Race
The Andy Griffith Show
The A-Team I could probably indent this one, but it's SO long ago...
The Avengers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Brady Bunch
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Dead Zone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Golden Girls
The Honeymooners
The Jeffersons
The Jetsons
The L Word
The Love Boat
The Magnificent Seven
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Office (US)
The Powerpuff Girls
The Pretender
The Real World
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Twilight Zone
The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
Three's Company
Twin Peaks
Twitch City
Unfabulous
Ugly Betty
Veronica Mars
Weeds
Whose Line is it Anyway? (US)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)
Will and Grace
Wings
Xena: Warrior Princess

Goodness... I really don't watch much TV, huh? Either that, or I need to add some stuff!

So, me and Amy are working on improving the house. It's as overwhelming as everyone says it is, but satisfying as well. Our tasks for the summer are to paint the house (FOURTEEN gallons of paint, people, seriously.) Redo the deck and expand it and turn the shitty sunroom into a awesome new addition. This doesn't include the yards (back in particular) which scare me even more than climbing onto rented scaffolding and painting 40 feet in the air. The original sunroom is a neat structure of all glass with weird angles like a greenhouse. But the glass grew crappy over the years and the bugs are everywhere. The big, honkin' jacuzzi housed within has long since seen better days is housed there and we are looking forward to the day we can yank it out and make it into a pond. None of this includes the stuff to do inside. Our home sweet home is showing her age and we're doing our damnest to give her new life.

On another note, poor Elphaba is sick. Since kittenhood, having come from a barn, she has been susceptible to upper respiratory yuck and it has struck again. Thankfully, it's not really slowing her down, the little imp, though she sounds like a miniature diesel engine. She also has a yucky ear that makes medicine time all the more stressful. Luckily, the Fabulous Elph is a trooper and an incredibly sweet and good-natured cat.

Oh, and I'm finally writing again! YAY!!!! Thank you, Stella Bonasera!

Later.

Sokn is my darling's older (and larger) furkid. Of the equine variety.


[18:25] shatterpath wa: eeeek!
[18:25] shatterskitten: thar
[18:26] shatterpath wa: i shall name her Glinda
[18:26] shatterskitten: LOL
[18:26] shatterskitten: she'll eat your face if you do that
[18:26] shatterskitten: she's like a very butchy straight slutty horse. cause she loves the men but she's like a flag football player
[18:27] shatterskitten: she's like the horse everyone would EXPECT to be gay but she's really just a tough elf.
[18:27] shatterpath wa: *cracks up*
[18:27] shatterpath wa: what a description....


Dear GODDESS, but she's funny!

*chuckles*
I have a couple muses that are tickled by this result and NO I did not deliberately skew the results. So there!

You Are a Cougar

You have more strength than most people, and with it, the ability to inflict a lot of harm. Your power gives you confidence, and you find leading others to be easy. You believe that you need to the best, and you are very driven to excel. Most people immediately admire you, but some people feel very envious of your abilities.

Obviously, my complaint about the weather was heard...

and overreacted to.

From snow and winter temperatures to soaring heat the likes of which we usually won't see until at LEAST June; this is the state of my home. These 40 degree temperature swings are hellish on the systems of one Big Dog and her pack, and frankly, it SUCKS. Due to quite a lot of very hard work in the gardens yesterday, I actually feel a bit shitty and will be doing my best to sleep it off some more.

*whine*

Some normalcy might be nice... Is that a better request TPTB?

To whomever stole Washington's spring...

Give.

It.

Back.

Seriously.

April Fools is over and we're tired of snow. And half our monthly rainfall in two days. My garden of seedlings are going to be plant-sicles.

Oh and the weather warning for record lows in the southwest interior of Puget Sound for record low temps? Guess where I live?

Gah.

Seriously?

Rules: Comment to this post and I'll give you a character. Answer the following questions using that character.

Laylat gave me Sara Sidle. At first, I had a spaz fit over IM to her, because the canon character became so cringingly awful. So, I'm writing about the version of her that I have written. This is primarily the LWM version, because I CAN.

1. Do you like this character? Completely and utterly. The effort of making her a truly complete character was a long, tough and completely rewarding task. There were and are so many facets outside of the idiotic cliche TPTB fell back on that she became irresistible.
2. What name/s do you call this character? Outside of her lovely given name, she chose the play name of Basker with a true sense of perverse humor. And 'Daddy' affectionately calls her Sunshine.
3. What image/color do you associate with character? Those deep, soulful brown eyes. Really, how can one resist? Oh, and the crooked smile. SO cute.
4. What image-song do you associate with character? Superman, from Five For Fighting. Why this one? It is solely from a brilliant fanvid about Sara that someone made ages ago. The vid has never left me and is the sole reason I have the song on ITunes!
5. What blood-type do you think this character is? Never needed to know...
6. Of all of the titles that this character appears in, what character do you like to put this character with? SASSY. Duh. Oh, and her pack of four in LWM.
7. What would you want to say to this character? I would want to give her a hug and a heartfelt thank you for the chances she took in LWM. The changes were a fascinating progression of events and relationships I've never tired of.
8. What do you want to do with this character? Aside from the usual dirty comments, there are many loose threads regarding this lovely woman that need tying off. Particularly the first time she fully submits to the Cougar's dominance...

From Lil. Alex and Olivia get 'volunteered' to take kids to the movies.

( Welcome to the movies.. )

From Caitrin- Kerry, seeing a patient

( Musings )

From Caitrin: Art, and puppies

( Puppies! )

From Geekgrrllurking. Sara shooting photos in the desert.

++ Sara ++

There is something dangerous and compelling about this place.

There always has been.

Before Dace's changes on my life, I once feared the desert, terrified of the endless, seeming lifelessness of the place. Over time, I have learned to appreciate the vast power that makes one feel small and helpless.

Stone and sand and brush make up the monochromatic palate, the shimmering cauldron of bleached earth, broken by the toothy thrust of moonscape embankments.

The description is not nearly as fanciful as one might think.

Snapping a few more shots of the tire tracks I'm supposed to be documenting, I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Sofia has perched herself on a great yellow boulder atop the nearby slope that is our crime scene.

There are police cars and a tow truck; noise echoes about this normally quiet part of the desert. There are scorch marks left by hot tires, a dead body baked odorific within the damaged vehicle below.

All of that has no effect on the breeze filtering through the loose blonde tresses of my lover or the serenity of her expression. Our pale skin marks us as people not of this place, but we have come to truly belong here.

It's a photo that I will hold close to my heart, even as the banal part of my heart wonders how I'm going to explain why her picture is on the official crime scene reels.

So far, this is my favorite, just because the mental image is so clear and SO funny!

From Geekgrrllurking- Dace making cookies.

++ Catherine ++

My burst of laughter is not feigned.

Really, how can I resist?

"Looks like you're wearing more than what went in the oven," I giggle uncontrollably and Dace's wry look deepens as she fondly glowers at her daughters.

"The chocolate milk idea to add to the cookies didn't go so well."

With flour and drippy chocolate sauce sprayed over her entire upper half, that statement is obvious. Katie and Sandy grin sheepishly where they dangle upside-down from Dace's curled arms, possibly even messier than their parent.

It's completely adorable and my heart swells with adoration for my unorthodox family. Before giving in to the sappiness, I whip out my phone and snap a quick picture for Lindsey and leave my book to go to my packmates. "No hands," I warn the girls, who giggle hysterically as I lean over to kiss each of them before turning my attention to their mother.

This kiss is long and involved, making my body heat at the familiar feel and taste of her, overlaid with the rich chocolate. "Gives me ideas," I chortle hotly, looking deeply into the yellowed eyes.

The answering purring growl speaks volumes.

This was supposed to be done back in June. But better late than never, eh?

Fragment: Mythweaver
Prompt: reunions and regrets
pairing: Dace and Nicole

( Mythweaver )

Lil's request for my March begging. Sam and Cassie shoot hoops and discuss Life lessons. Preferably ending with a hug or ice cream.

++ Cassie ++



"Come on, old lady," I can't help but tease, dribbling the basketball negligently and grinning. Hunched over, hands braced on her knees, Sam glares for a moment before straightening up.

"Sass all you want, junior, but you're still two points down."

We've been burning off some anxious energy for going on two hours now. With escrow closing on the house and Fawn off on vacation with Darya, Karen and their kids, my leaving for college an imminent event and my eighteenth birthday things are, at best, weird. We'll get the call today or tomorrow with the news of whether or not the loan will go through.

This forever home has turned out to not be forever at all. But I don't really mind, because the building doesn't matter. The things don't matter. The people will always be my home.

Dodging Sam's feint, I dance around, intent on the orange hoop bolted above the garage door. I couldn't say what perverse urge possessed me to challenge Sam to a basketball game on the driveway. There was the orange ball amidst all the junk stored in the garage, where I'd been searching for that cool trunk of Mom's to swipe for my stuff.

Much of my tension has bled away in the summer heat, in the sweat that soaks my shirt and the waistband of my shorts. Thoughts of my sweaty shoes and socks gross me out, so I avoid them. My leap at the basket is brought up short by a body slam that leaves me panting on the hot concrete. After eyeing me for a moment to gauge if I'm damaged, Sam smirks at me. "Ooops."

Chuckling, I scoot my butt into the thin slice of shade, resting against the big garage door. "Uncle already. You win."

Chortling, my other mom retrieves our water bottles and flops down gracefully beside me. "Strange times ahead, hmm? You all grown up and off to college."

The blue eyes aren't looking at me, rather staring off to some distant place towards the horizon. I can only think of being deep in that bunker, an alien bomb in my chest… and this woman coming back for me. In all these years as part of her family, I've never really found words.

As one long arm wraps around my shoulders and a breeze dances over us in preparation for evening, I realize something.

Sometimes, there need not be any words at all.

On this last Saturday, I was the first to be allowed to act as ambassador to the new cat, as the Striped Minion is an idiot and would screw it up. The Fat One is too scared and the Old One just doesn't care. The Evil One fears that Striped would harm Xena and his being such a bulky bonehead, she's probably right. Given time I think that Xena and I could be allies in this strange place.

Over the course of the week, I believe that my initial impression of myself and Xena is correct.

Excellent.

Now, in a change of routine, Daddy has insisted to be allowed to speak her mind.


Thank you Elphie. For a cat going through her bratty teenage phase, that is most kind. Oh, don't glare, you know I'm right! Hey guys, I think she's getting a last growth spurt too, as she's ravenous the last few days. As I've been insanely busy with the house, the lack of cuddles is lack of opportunity as much as attitude. The staring at random points of walls and ceiling gets a little nerve-wracking at times, though I'm sure my looking cracks her up. As for the new girl, if Stasia would quit being a whore to her, she hopefully will relax and find her place in our diverse household. Amy turned 40 yesterday and we had some fun. The big, childishly colored cake I made her got a laugh, as did our Disney-inspired gifts. I even spent a shocking 3ish hours in the casino and actually had FUN. I know! I was shocked too. The 80 bucks up helped, but the progression of fun dealers was better than the money.

It snowed AGAIN last night, resulting in a surprisingly though icy mess on the cars. Seriously, weather, it's March for fuck sake! I felt like I was going to wake half the neighborhood scraping that mess! Only time will tell if that mess is done with, eh?

Sorry there's no picture this week. I don't know how to code them for LJ and AJ's been busy with work headaches and stories due. I'll make up for it later!



We miss you M!
-Elphaba and Daddy

Hey all of you that actually read LWM! My desperate call is going out to you.

I'm asking for a handful of prompties to get the juices flowing again. It's been a long dry spell. Lately I've had the urge to write little snapshots of the character's ordinary lives. EG: Dace in a business meeting, bored out of her mind. Or Sam frustrated with her computer because it's acting up. Or Michael changing diapers. Whatever ideas jolt the muses, will get written!