For some reason a recent discussion on one of my writers’ loops focused on desks. Perhaps because with Christmas approaching, there were those who hoped for new desks, or new chairs.

I found the discussion interesting.

There was a woman who had been moved from her office because of a leak that ruined one wall. She went to the partially converted garage which would one day become their extra family room. However, it wasn’t finished and as cold weather approached she had to move indoors and set up shop in the living room.

Another worked out of a credenza in the living room with the big screen TV close by.

A third told how her first office was a former 10 foot  X 10 foot bedroom. She outgrew it and they built a room over the garage. That information puzzled me. How do you outgrow a room? Does your computer get bigger? I thought they were getting smaller? And how much money does she make writing that she could afford to build an addition? A lot more than me!!

Some posted pictures of their desk, workspaces and work areas. Wow. I couldn’t believe it. They were so neat. Totally unlike the condition of my office at the time. Have a look.

My room is 10 X 10. It serves as both writing area, farm business area and every other type of work area. This is Christmas present wrapping in progress.

This is my current background picture on the computer screen. A picture of Alaska as I work on my Alaska story. And a stack of research books and notes.

This is the timer I have to use, at times, to make myself work. I set it for 15 to 30 minutes and force myself to type until the timer goes off. Or the phone rings. Or someone comes to the door. (Whichever comes first!!)

So my question still is, who outgrows an office? (At least I have one and don’t have to try and work in the living room.) And who can afford a big addition? (I can GUARANTEE she didn’t pay for it with her writing money. And if she did I gotta ask, hasn’t she anything more fun to do with that money? Like travel? Buy more books? Whatever?)

PS. The mess is almost cleaned up as we celebrate the family Christmas get-together today.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it. Stretching is good for you. If we believe the exercise gurus it improves our flexibility. It improves muscle balance around a joint thus improving posture. It reduces the chance of injury. It increases the blood and nutrient supply to muscles and cartilage, thereby reducing muscle soreness after a workout. 

I’m sure it’s all true. It just requires a lot of effort. Of course, so does exercise which is why it often ends up on the bottom of the to-do list. (Way at the bottom.)

Making myself write something beyond my comfort level is a form of creative stretching. I expect it is good for me but not always high on my fun list.

I’ve been stretching a lot these past days. (Creatively, not physically.) I have the privilege of being asked to write an editor-driven continuity. For those of you who don’t know, that means the editors plan a series of books, in this case 6 contemporaries, and 3 historicals. They develop the basic story idea for each book then assign them. This series is about a fictional town in Alaska built during the Klondike gold rush. The book I have been assigned is about a native woman familiar with natural healing and a doctor interested only in science.

Like I say, it’s been a stretching experience. I’ve researched the Klondike gold rush (at least I was somewhat familiar with that.), the Tlingit Indians, the gateway cities of the gold rush, medicinal plants of Alaska, medical practices of the 1800s, and on and on.

I guess it’s good for me. Or is it? Look at this video of a man doing some stretches and decide for yourself.  (here’s the link in case the clip doesn’t work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS8GNWensHc&NR=1)

By the way, watch for the upcoming series Treasure Creek. The contemporaries come out later in 2010 and the historicals in early 2011.

Yes, we’ve had a lot of snow. It’s impossible to say how much because it’s blown into drifts. But here is a picture of the planters on the wheelchair ramp where snow is a mushroom cap. Doesn’t it look like a Hallmark card?

Mind you, I don’t like it quite so much when I get stuck in it as I have.

The drifts are deep. Here is a drift by our trees. I suppose it is close to six feet high.

Again, it’s pretty to look at.

I suppose it’s all in how you view snow as to whether or not you enjoy it. Shoveling a hundred yard driveway is different than looking out the window.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.  ~John Ruskin

There is no season such delight can bring
As summer, autumn, winter and the spring.
~William Browne

Snowflakes are kisses from heaven.  ~Author Unknown

Snowmen fall from heaven… unassembled.  ~Author Unknown

Or as one person says, When it snows you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.

I’ll add a third choice: stay indoors as much as possible and enjoy the view.

Here’s my view.

A winter storm blew in yesterday. And it’s still blowing. There’s something about a snow storm that makes me particularly grateful for a nice warm house. The roads have been terrible. Visibility is poor. Very poor. The main highway (QE2) has been closed off and on all day. This is what we saw when we opened our door this morning.

I was trying to think of the worst storm I remember but what stands out in my mind is the winter the roads were closed much of the time. We went to town on snowmobile for weeks. My husband and oldest son and daughter rode on the snowmobile. My younger son and I rode on a sleigh towed behind and by the time we arrived in town five miles I was plastered with snow.

There are some great pictures of snow storms on this site.

http://nsidc.org/snow/gallery/index.html

That’s a train they’re looking down on and wondering how to dig it out.

I always thought snow flakes, though no two alike, were somewhat similar. Not so according to this site which say, "If you look closely at falling snow, you can see a great many different crystal shapes.  There’s a lot more to see than you might think!" After glancing at the information, I decided there is more about snowflakes than I ever wanted to know.

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm

Remember folding and cutting paper to make snowflakes? Snowflakes are 6 sided so you have to folded a sheet of paper in half then thirds.

  In case you’ve forgotten how to do it, here are instructions:

http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html

And here are a few pictures taken in the 50s. Just to show that this kind of weather is nothing new.

I remember climbing the fence and jumping into this bank of snow. We wore only woollen clothes so you can imagine how wet we got.

So enjoy the snow. Build memories to share when you’re old enough to smack your gums and say to your grandchildren, "I remember the blizzard of ’09. Why we had a drift as high as my head right outside the door. It took us days to shovel out. "