Sherri Lynn's Thoughts

Home in Mo Again

2010-07-29T21:19:00.004-05:00

I don't think I am very good at blogging, but them again I don't have a lot to say. I've begun to read Les Miserables. I think it's time I read it. I have just finished the first book and have enjoyed it. Monseigneur Bienvenu is an interesting character. I like how Victor Hugo introduces so much through this character even though I am pretty sure he is not a prominent player in the rest of the story, which makes me like this book all that much more. I don't think an author could get away with spending so much time on such a character today. Of course, I don't find much great literature printed these days either. Well, I have 58 pages down out of 1463 in two days. Great Progress. Or something. I have a feeling I am going to regret picking this book, that months from now I will still be working on it. I spent six months reading a 992 page book once, of course that was a biography of Truman and after awhile I wanted to shoot someone, either him or me. Good thing he was already dead and I didn't have access to a gun! So I give this book nine months, but I need to be done with it in one 'cause that's when I go back to school!

So yes, another semester is over. Thank goodness I am done with Calculus II. I am a person of such extremes: I got all A/A- and then a D-. Nothing else in between. I am either a freakin' genius or a complete loss! Oh well, I'll make do.

I am actually starting to eant to go back to school, mostly because there is not a lot to do here except read, which I love, but I want to DO something, but I don't know what. I want to do something useful, fun, and invigorating. Maybe I'll work on some family history tomorrow. Then when I go to church no one can make me feel guilty. I liked that from back in the fall when I took a Family History class. I'd be that much closer to perfection!

Well, I'll put in a few pictures of this past semester.

A true Idaho Potato Field that belongs to a fellow Geology major and friend.

A friend on a Geology Field trip for our hydrology Class.

Umm, I was 'helping' two fellow majors with their project, but we ended up looking a the beauty around and discovered this, which we named "The Darwvin Helm of Hadhod."

Break

2010-04-16T19:13:00.006-05:00

The semester is over, thank goodness. I spent a few days down in Provo visiting friends and family. It was great. For unknown reasons I brought my camera which has been broken since August and on the way home for kicks I picked it up and turned it on. Low and Behold! It now works! Silly camera. So happy. Of course this revelation occurred after I had been to the very pretty Antelope Island so no pictures of anything beautiful. But just to test my camera I did take two pictures of my apartment where I have been living for the past semester and will continue to live for an indefinite period of time.

The Living Room

My Side of the Room

Almost

2010-03-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

Semester is almost over! I don't really believe it. Besides, it doesn't matter much since I am staying on for the Spring semester which starts one week after this one gets over with. Fun. I'll be taking Calc 2 at 7:45 in the morning. Joy of joys.

Back

2010-01-23T00:42:00.002-06:00

I's back in the burg, snowed all over me today. Learning Latin, Physics, Calculus, The Family: Proclamation to the World, and how to be fit for life can really take it out of a girl. I think I should be in bed, an hour ago.
Also, Johnny Flynn's music is awesome, I love "Tickle me Pink."

School in Brief

2009-10-10T20:49:00.004-05:00

Back at school. It's cold. Chemistry is harsh. Geology is kind. Finally got to go grocery shopping. FOOD! It's a good thing. So is sleeping, though I wouldn't know lately.
I can see the back end of the Temple from my window. Nice. There is also a street light right outside my window so I can see EVERYTHING in my room at night when it is supposed to be dark. Not Nice.
My family history class is fun. Can't wait to really get into it.
I should probably look into dating, I could use the free food.

Living at the homestead didn't pan out. Try again later.

Buried way too many cats this summer.

2009-05-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

I cut my hair. It is extremely short now and I love it. That long hair of mine was about to drive me insane. I'd put up a picture but those are all on the other computer which has decided to be very uncooperative by shutting its self off all of its own accord. So I'll have to post those another day. It is so nice to no longer have hair that makes me want to commit unspeakable crimes followed up by shaving my head.
We have a move in day (drum roll please): May 25. One week away. Unbelievable.

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy

2009-05-09T11:13:00.003-05:00

Oh dear, it's been a terribly long time since I last posted.

School is out and has been since April 9th and I nave been home since the 11th of that same month.

The most exciting thing that has happened (and which has not been given a full account of on the

other blog as very little could top the wind turbine going up) is that we purchased fishing rods last week and I have gone fishing now twice in our pond. And I have caught fish! Mostly smallish largemouth bass but one other fish which was either a crappie or a bluegill. I have also purchased myself a fillet knife (which I had to show ID in order to purchase which threw me for a loop, I've never had to show ID in order to purchase something). So I am all ready to gut my first fish, I just need to get out there and catch me some dinner I guess! I'm not much of a fan of

the "catch and release" style of fishing and don't want to do that too much any more. I want to gut and eat my fish. Yummy! I hope I have the stomach for it!

We are also beginning to pack. When I say 'we' I mean Mom as SD is away at her new job bringing us home the bacon and I am here on the Internet desperately trying to find a row boat online, which had been a passing desire but is now an all consuming passion as apparently there are no little decent rowboats for sell for less than $10,000. All anyone sells are kayaks and canoes. Or boats with motors. And who wants a motor I ask? Or a Kayak or canoe for that matter! Not I!

Anyway, I love my pond and love to fish my pond now too.

Shaking Hands

2009-01-27T22:44:00.002-06:00

Today I have shaken hands with my Bishop (received a calling, joy), a stake president (not mine, just sat next to him), a member of the Seventy (plus the President of my school), and an Apostle. Phew! I've never felt Mormon in my life!
Elder D. Todd Christofferson came to BYU-Idaho to give the weekly devotional and I got to meet him. Not only did I meet him, ate lunch with him and with President Clark, their wives, some other old guy, and several other students. It was so cool, and the food was so good, probably the best meal I'll have all semester. I had lots of asparagus, salmon, rice, TONS of veggies, a roll with butter that was molded like a flower on my plate, and a really good salad. I'm not sure which was better, the food or the company I was keeping. After lunch the students were invited to sit on the stand during the devotional, so after devotional was over, I got to shake Elder Christofferson's hand again (I shook it before lunch as well).
Well, I'm about to pass out, and it is not even 10:00 pm yet, boy!

Link

2008-12-23T14:42:00.002-06:00

Okay, now there is a link to the new blog in the links section, sorry about that.

I's Home!

2008-12-17T14:15:00.001-06:00

YAY! Still yet to the homestead, grrr. Cold and Snowy, so I might as well still be in Idyho. But I'm with the home folks so it is all GREAT!

1 Down, 4 to Go!

2008-12-12T17:52:00.003-06:00

The first roommate just left, but it's not too sad, as we will still be living together next semester.

Finals are all over with for me, I took my last one this morning in algebra. No big deal, as I am taking that same class again next semester. Oh the joys of failing!

Now only two and half days until I leave for home! I can hardly wait to get to see Mom and Sarah again, the puppies, and Khova Precious, and the house. Oh the house, with plastered north wall, dry wall, doorknobs, and frozen pond! Only thing missing, Erin. This will be our second Christmas without her.

Last Week

2008-12-11T09:59:00.002-06:00

Only one and a half finals left to take! And four more days until I go home!

New Blog

2008-12-07T23:22:00.002-06:00

Sarah has created a blog specific to the homestead and there are recent pictures there of the plaster and dry wall. There is a link to it in my links section.

First Semester Almost Done

2008-11-29T00:01:00.007-06:00

Two Weeks Two Days until I go home for the Christmas Break!!! I can't wait to see the house which now has the dry wall in, the kitchen window installed, doorknobs in place, and plaster on the north wall! And I'll get to see Khova, and Hektor, and Lucy....oh, and Mom and Sarah!! It will be grand! Ahh, to be at the new home-place for a few short weeks with the only insane people I can make any sense of!

The Temple which is just South of Campus, about a five minute walk up the "hill" (which is actually a shield volcano). I see it every day, and get excellent views of it when I go to the Ricks building (the math department, a.k.a Devil Building).

This is a very large chunk of Basalt, an igneous (or volcanic) rock which is used as decoration all over campus as it is very prevalent underneath us because of the volcanic history of the area. Can you tell that I am a Geology Major? Basalt is a black rock and the white that you see is where water evaporated and left behind a calcium deposit while still underground and it is called calcification. I think I have that right, don't quote me.

First Thanksgiving Away

2008-11-25T12:27:00.002-06:00

This is my first real holiday away from home (I don't consider Halloween a real holiday). I am the only roommate left in my dorm for the week which is nice, I can concentrate on my research paper I have to write and I have the whole place super clean and no one else can make it dirty, so it stay clean all week. Happy Day!! For Thanksgiving Dinner I will be going over to the home of a family I know here in town. Hmm, there's not a lot going on with me right now, just school.

Whoops!

2008-11-09T18:02:00.006-06:00

It's been awhile since I have been on here, guess I've been busy. Who knew was capable of such action! I bought a plant the other day. The Amaryllis is my favorite flower so I had to get it, plus I have been wanting a living plant in my dorm for awhile now.

I have also been having some fun with my roommates. This is my room-roommate who can fit inside my closet:

Pictures of the Grand Canyon

2008-10-18T18:50:00.002-05:00

Here are some sub-par pictures of the Grand Canyon I took while there last week end (October 11, 2008). It was amazing and so beautiful.

Grand Canyon Trip

2008-10-13T21:33:00.002-05:00

Got back from the Grand Canyon last night and I am so sore but it was so much fun. Pictures forthcoming. Best field trip EVER!!!

Blip

2008-10-02T23:42:00.004-05:00

My roommate is gone for Conference weekend (only at a Church school is Conference the next best thing after Spring break). She left a day early so I will the room all to myself for three days and two nights! My other four dorm mates are all still here so I won't be completely alone.
I finally got my home teachers Monday while at FHE (they are in my group which is so much fun). The amount of work can be a little overwhelming at times but I usually have it under control. The next two weeks will be rough as I am going to the Grand Canyon Thursday and will miss two days of classes. I am mostly nervous about missing my math class on Friday, for all the others I just have to read while conscious (that's the trick) and I'll be fine. I have got to go to bed, I have an early class tomorrow.

My Bedroom at BYU-Idaho

2008-09-22T19:25:00.003-05:00

My Bedroom:

My main area where I Broaden My Horizons.

My Desk

My Bed which is impossible to make as it is a bunk and has a guard rail.

My Closets and Drawers

My Bed Shelf

My Crab Sheets

My Bed lamp equipped with a "rope" for easy lowering.

My fan which makes life worth living.

View out my window, it was raining that morning. The building you see is the Smith building. I have no classes there, but sometimes cut through on my way to the Spori Quad area.

Still looking out my window. As you can see there are construction trailers that make up most of my view.

The Great Question

2008-09-16T19:57:00.002-05:00

Oh dear, I have a lot to do! I wonder what is harder: Building a house or going to College? I guess in four years I will know, that is if the house and college are done, so maybe never.

Sunday

2008-09-14T12:12:00.004-05:00

So my first week of classes has ended and so far so good. I have a lot of stuff to do every day which is quite the change from always having nothing to do. But I like it. I've also come to the conclusion that 'College' is just a fancy word for hungry. Though I am starting to be able to get my schedule down to where I can eat twice a day and then munch on Cheez-Its in between times. Emm, cheez-its! (And they aren't the gross kind Mom insists on getting - white cheddar- they are the very yummy classic cheddar!)

I really like the programme that BYU-I is starting up this year. I think this school is AWESOME and that I am going to be very happy here and learn TONS.

In my geology lab Thursday I identified rocks and it was a lot of fun. Just by scratching and looking at cleavage (not my own) and a few other things I can identify a rock! (Using a sheet of paper with a list of the rocks and their characteristics.)

Today is Sunday so I will be going to Church in a couple of hours. I love that it doesn't start until 1:30! I bought a sandwich and a salad yesterday (and some apple juice) for my lunch/dinner for today so I wont be going hungry (since every thing is closed on Sunday).

Upcoming Church and Math 110

2008-09-07T13:33:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of classes. In an hour I have church here for the first time, it is held in a theater. Maybe it's just me, but that seems kinda weird. I went around and found all my classes yesterday so hopefully I won't get too lost this coming week. I have a math assignment already it I am having a lot of problems with it already. Oh well. It has been awhile since I have done math. I can remember doing it and being able to do it, just not how I did it. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it. I just hope that I don't completely bomb in my maths.

BYU-Idaho

2008-09-05T18:40:00.002-05:00

I am now at BYU-Idaho. I moved in on Thursday. I am very tired, but there is still a lot left to do today. All but one of my roommates has moved in so far. Classes start on Monday, I am very excited. I think that is all I am going to say for now.

Big Beautiful Buster

2008-09-01T21:58:00.004-05:00

This morning Sarah and I found Buster dead. An animal attacked him sometime late last night or early this morning we think. This is most devastating as we were all very much attached to him. He was our first kitten here and we loved him and he us. He was perfect, so beautiful and brave. We all miss him.

Big Beautiful Buster

February 2008 - September 2008

Last Picture Taken of Buster

Being Beautiful

Looking Around

Being Playful

Being Catish

I always thought people who who got so upset over their pets were dumb, but I guess now I am one of them.

This Day in History

2008-08-27T15:44:00.004-05:00

Wednesday August 27th, 2008: We finished building the straw bale walls for our house. Hooray!!!
It only took SIX MONTHS! None of us know what to make of it. It doesn't feel real. But here are some pictures to prove that we did do it:

East Side

South Side

West Side

North Side

Me placing the last major bale!

Southwest Corner - Mom's Bedroom

West Wall - Mom's Bedroom

North Wall - Utility Room

North Wall - Bathroom

North Wall - Spare Room

West Wall - Closet(s)

Mom putting her arm through a wall! What power she has! (South Wall - Mom's Room)

Front Door - East Side

Come on in, we have walls!

Wire Wire Everywhere But Not A Drop Of Power!

2008-08-27T15:17:00.002-05:00

The Electrical work in our house:

Finished Walls!

2008-08-26T19:47:00.003-05:00

Finished Living Room Wall

Finished Master Bedroom Wall

Finished Exterior Living Room Wall

Finished Exterior Living Room Wall

Finished Spare Bedroom Wall

It's Electric

2008-08-21T16:34:00.003-05:00

Earlier this week we hired some guys from Church to do our electrical work. It is not finished yet and we still have to install the solar panels and wind turbine. Sarah and I finished stacking the bales in the spare room on Saturday. Sarah and Mom finished stacking the bales in the living room Wednesday. We just have to finish up the bathroom which will be simple, just some stuffing at the very top and then finish Mom's room. Goodness, the is an end a little bit in sight. I don't trust it. The house feels very different with so much walling and wires everywhere.

Look at them so CUTE!

2008-08-19T13:11:00.002-05:00

Lucy, she had to have stitches a week ago. Poor dear.

Khova is yawning in this picture. He is up on the scaffolding, he climbed the ladder to get up there! (Buster did it first.)

Hektor, he has something in his mouth.

Buster AKA the BBB (Big Beautiful Buster)!

Khova Precious and Buster on a chair.

I saw one of Khova's siblings the other day and he was much bigger than our Khova, our poor little growth stunted kitten.

17 Days!!!

2008-08-17T17:46:00.001-05:00

....and I have only ordered one textbook....but I have sheets, and towels, and cute new clothes!

Cows

2008-08-10T19:25:00.002-05:00

Some cows were loose in our road the other day!

College Is Coming Up Fast!

2008-08-07T19:24:00.002-05:00

Less than a month till I leave for Idaho!!

(You know, I don't what this schools

colors or spots teams names are, but then

I have never cared for things like that!)

House Update

2008-07-28T17:56:00.005-05:00

We recently borrowed some scaffolding form some people from Church. We can now put up tar paper and metal lathe with much more ease than when we did it solely by ladder. Still kinda scary, but better; higher. The West side is all done when it comes to tar paper and lathe, still needs a few bales and bamboo. Today Sarah and I started working on the south side, it is slow going, but what isn't with this house? The south side is a literal mud pit and so it is hard to work on the ground level, but fine up on the scaffolding. (Buster often joins us up on the scaffolding.)

Last week there was a lot of flooding and the field east of us (between us and the East fork of the Grand River) was covered in water, I missed it due to my cold, but Sarah took lots of pictures.

Except for the little bit of pond in this first picture, all the water you see is not supposed to be there, it is an alfalfa field. And those are our hay bales! Aren't they pretty!

The tomato worms came back, and this time they are HUGE! Yuck!

Buster jumped into the pond today while Sarah and I were swimming. It was amazing. He leaped off a cement block and went completely under. His little popped up a second later and he looked at us for a second and did a little paddling, then he got out of the pond as fast as he got in. He then cleaned himself until we got out. He is so amazing. Such a little adventurer. Hektor won't come in past his belly, but one day Sarah saw Lucy all the way in and doing a little dog paddling. She is so CUTE. Khova just tries to stay out of the dogs mouths. Poor little thing. He is supper stressed and starting to loose a little bit of his neck hair. But today when we got to the house he looked much better, like he finally took a bath.

When I got out of the car today to open the gate when we first got to the homestead there was a second new lock on our chain that we didn't put there. We think it must be from the guys who mowed our field, probably some miscommunication between the father and son who do it. So Sarah and I had to climb over the gate and walk all the way up there and back. It wasn't too bad. Just a little annoying.

Money, Money, Money!

2008-07-28T17:53:00.003-05:00

I got a grant! I have more money for school than I ever thought I would (BYU-Idahowise). Now I can afford to buy some warm underware and such. Happy Day!

Sick Day

2008-07-22T15:19:00.002-05:00

I am sick with a cold, boo who. I felt it coming on while at work Monday night and then the next morning during the paper route I still felt weird. By Tuesday night at work I was gone. I could hardly walk my legs were aching so bad. Luckily I was able to steal a few minutes to sit while waiting for more dishes to wash. My nose is all runny, I keep coughing, whenever I stand I start to feel noxious, and my back aches cause I guess that is where the cold has settled. (I think they say things like that in Jane Austen Books.) Hopefully I will fell better by Friday, when I have to go back to work. I have these three days off, thank goodness. Well that's it.

BYU-Idaho

2008-07-17T11:47:00.004-05:00

I finally got my financial aid statement on Tuesday and now I know I can afford to go, so I am. And I am very excited! I can't wait to get there. I am so glad that I can get started on my education. I really didn't want to postpone it for another year. I have been working on registering for classes which is hard because everything is full but I only need one more class, so I think all will work out.
I won't have any extra money because I have just enough to cover all the school costs (tuition, books, housing, meal plan, plane ticket out there...) but I am very glad to be able to go.

Garden Green (and Red)

2008-07-10T18:25:00.004-05:00

Tomatoes

Jalapeno

Bell Pepper

Cabbage (covered with rye flour to keep moths away).

Broccoli

Kale

Amaranth

Pups

2008-07-04T17:14:00.003-05:00

Our Puppies

Hektor and Lucy taking a mid afternoon nap.
Play Time
Hektor is part Blue Heeler and part terrier. He is all dog!
Lucy is part beagle part mystery. She is a sweetheart.
Hektor and Lucy are good friends. Hektor wants more than friendship though but Lucy is not interested in any of that nonsense.

High Rise Bales

2008-07-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

Some pictures of the exterior with many bales in place.

The Font/East Side
North Side, look at all those bales!
West Side, So many bales!
South Side, Bale Mania!
Close up of the east (living room) wall.

South Wall

West Wall

North Wall

The Ground on the South Side of the House

Sometimes Things Work

2008-07-02T12:11:00.001-05:00

Part of my MySpace blog...

July 1st, 2008

Yesterday an amazing thing happened. We were able to do something! And it only took one trip to town and a purchase of less than ten dollars! I didn't know such things happened. What it was was that there are these braces on some of the walls but they are no longer needed and are mostly in the way now. But our builder used some sort of star screw thing that was buried deep into the wood and we could not get it out. So we went to a hardware store nearby in Iowa and a worker guy there showed us what we needed (a little bit to put inside the battery powered screwdriver(or Sarah calls it, the "powerless" screwdriver). So we got back to the homestead and it fit inside our screwdriver, which was charged, and then it actually took out the screws, all of the ones we wanted to get out, with no trouble. Things like this don't usually happen our homestead. I was flabbergasted. Still can't believe it.
We have bales placed in every wall section that calls for bales at least three or four courses high, so now all we have left in that department is placing the high bales, wire mesh, and tar paper. Then on to other parts of the house.

Interior Views

2008-06-25T11:48:00.004-05:00

Mom's Bedroom and Window.
Spare Room
Kitchen with Regular Walls.

Window with Grill.
Hallway.
Spare Room.
Hallway & Front Door.
Bathroom.

Little Bits of Missouri

2008-06-14T21:02:00.003-05:00

Our road The Tree
East Fork of the Grand River, over full
Unplanted field
Some little stream we drive over on way to Homestead, over full
Our town sign
The other town sign
Fields and Buildings on the way to Town

Pictures of the Homestead

2008-06-14T20:35:00.005-05:00

A view of the pond looking west from the driveway. A red winged balckbird perched on the grasses blowing in the wind.
Mom and Sarah bringing me some straw bales to build up the utility room wall with.
Chard in our garden.
Me stuffing straw (chaff) into the little gaps in a section of wall in the spare room.

2008-06-14T20:15:00.002-05:00

(This is part of my MySpace blog that I added to)

June 14th, 2008

Oh dear, I didn't realize so much time had elapsed since I last updated this. Oops! Well we have quite the head way, which if you have been looking through my pictures you have seen. We have been building up walls. Today we finished a small section in the spare room and another small section in the utility room.

During the past few weeks we finished other sections in the spare room, bathroom (which is done!!!) and the closet. We still have quite a bit left to do though, of course. We have had quite the time trying to get metal lathe to put up around the outside to help keep our bales in place. Then there is the staple gun...I don't even know where to begin. Mostly because I was not present when it was first purchased. Mom and Sarah purchased two different ones to see which worked better and then we would return the other. Well one we discovered was an electrical one. We don't have electricity out there. So no good for us. The other one wouldn't staple, not a good thing in a staple gun. So we went to Maryville and returned them and got a new one. It worked for a little bit, then got jammed. So we went to St. Joe to try our luck there. We got one, but when we got home we couldn't get the staple chamber open. So no good. So mom ordered on online and we forgot to take it out to the property today, so we don't know much about it yet. We foolishly hope for the best. Working on the homestead has become great fun now that we have two kittens out there (did I mention yet that we got Buster a little companion whom we named Khova? Pictures forthcoming... SO CUTE!!!)

Today we also pulled little green worms with horns on their heads off of our tomato plants. It was fun and they Buster ate a few, we killed the rest. I love the homestead and can not wait till we can move out there. Life will be great. We will be able to have complete privacy, kittens to attend us, beauty around us, sun shining, trees to view, and our lives to live as we please. I am really not liking apartment life anymore. Give me the Homestead!!

A Spattering of Little Subjects Conveniently Placed in One Paragraph

2008-06-11T16:22:00.005-05:00

I feel that I should just say that I am a much happier person now. Hilo can't get me down anymore! Still don't know what the heck I am doing, but isn't that what being 19 is all about, no direction? Except that I am not completely directionless which is evident by my lack of social norms such as dressing like a slut, sleeping around, having an illegitimate child, drinking, smoking, reading trash, and watching smut...except for "Friends" of which I proudly own all ten seasons. Can you tell that I am too proud? I keep trying to work on that. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. (Separate note: I love to procrastinate not procrastinating.) Well, it is time to go waste my entire night playing the Sims 2. I can't be detained for too long from this most desirable recreation.

Truman and June 2

2008-06-03T20:29:00.006-05:00

On Friday May 23rd, 2008 at 10:05 PM I finished reading Truman by David McCullough. THANK GOODNESS! It took me around six months and a lot of effort. I read it because I have this lofty goal to read a biography on all of the Presidents of the US. I was going to read them in chronological order, but I guess I am not now, since I went from Jefferson to Truman. (I have read ones on Washington, John Adams (also by McCullough), and Jefferson.) I loved all three of those guys, especially Adams and developed a crush on his son and can't wait to read more on him. I do not care for Truman that much. There are a few things that I admired, but mostly not so much. Some things I didn't care for which he did were fighting in WW I because he he was old enough to stay home, a farmer, and his families provider. He left his sister to work the farm pretty much all by herself, also, he shouldn't of even been in the military because he had such terrible eyesight but talked all the doctors into signing his papers that let him go to war. He was a pusher of the social programs (a staunch New Dealer), he thought the UN was the best thing ever, talked about world peace but dropped the atomic bomb and decided to send troops to Korea, and I still can't figure out why that war was ever fought. I don't think people fight in the jungle during monsoon season with extreme heat and humidity over something so arbitrary as communism and the 38th parallel. I am sure something else was going on. But what do I know, I am only 19 and have only read one book that touches the subject and watched a few MASH episodes (which mostly seem to deal with teaching the women how to give birth, which I am sure they already knew how to do with out any help from any man). He was also a party man, it was always about the Democratic party. I always knew I didn't care for the party system and this book just pushed it more (in conjunction with this years election...if I never hear the names Obama, Clinton, and McCain again it will be too soon).

On another subject, June 2nd has come and gone and I will not be going to the University of Hawaii this fall. The only way I could get there this fall is if I somehow come into some money allowing my to live off campus, and I don't see that happening. So I don't know what will happen. I might go to BYU-Idaho, but I don't really have any money for that either. So we'll see. I am working on some ideas, but I really don't know yet what to do. I keep saying that I am happy and optimistic because I want to be. I am sure that God must have something in mind for me and it is probably great, I just wish He would share it with me. I guess I will just have to keep asking and trying to do what all I can think of to get the answer. I sure will be glad when my actual emotions catch up with what I keep saying to myself and others, because right now I just want to cry. But I want to cry with someone but they are all at work. So I don't even have that! But I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy. It is okay that I can't go. I am fine with not being able to go. I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy.....happy.....happy....happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy. Word has lost all meaning!

Good night.

SL

Global Warming, HA!

2008-05-27T20:50:00.002-05:00

It is May 27th and it is cold and windy and overcast today. It is practically June and I don't think it even reached 60 degrees today! I even had to wear a little jacket today when I went on break at work it was so chilly and windy. I think the ice caps are safe today. Brrr!

Origami

2008-05-24T20:01:00.004-05:00

Hmm, I'm going to have to do something about this because it dose not seem to be working...(June 11th, 2008).

*Please note that the top and bottom row are the same.

**Notice: I do not claim to be an origami artist, all of the origami shown here was done using models and directions from various books. One day when I have the money I want to work on my skill and become better. Right now I am just a beginner and I enjoy the art of paper folding immensely.

Low

2008-05-23T17:15:00.004-05:00

I've been in the mood to listen to Low a lot lately and today I have given in; it seems to match my mood. I've been really down lately because I am $3600 short for a college housing payment (University of Hawaii at Hilo) of $3600 that is due on June 2 which is TEN days away. I have tried everything I can think of and when I called the school today to discuss my options they told me all I could do was take out a loan. But I don't want to take out a loan!!! I DO NOT want to go into debt. I have already resigned to accept the loan that I was offered through my FAFSA and that just about killed me. I am so desperate. If I can't make this payment then I will have to postpone going to school because I am starting to think that I will not even have enough money to go to BYU-I either. I need a miracle. Bad. In the mean time I will just listen to Death of a Salesman by Low over and over. I think it's my favorite, followed by California.

The Illegal Kitten

2008-05-17T13:29:00.006-05:00

Before you read this you have to promise not to tell any one what you about to read. Especially no one who lives in my town. Okay, that being said I will now tell you about Buster.

Buster is our kitten. We got him for free near the end of April. Mom saw the flyer about town, but said nothing because we can not have pets in the apartment that we live in. Sarah saw the flyer and told me about and we decided to go ask the current owner if there were any left, there were (ten) and so we shot off to acquire one for our selves with very thought on anything other than our insatiable desire to have a pet.

We stood and looked in the big box swarming with kittens ranging from 6 to 8 weeks old. After much deliberation we decided on the second biggest kitten because he looked healthy, didn't seem to mind us, and for me, I liked the tan fur behind his ears.

It wasn't until after we drove off with him that we realized that we did not know the sex of our new family member. Oh well, nothing a little Internet research couldn't fix! So the the next day I looked up way to know and followed the directions of lifting the tail and looking to see if the "holes" were far apart. They are, so we are 99% sure he is a boy. Mother came up with the name Buster and we eventually flipped a coin to decided if his name was to Buster or Bandit. And Buster suits him perfectly.

Buster is wild. He likes to run around as if possessed and latch onto our feet and attack our hands with claws flailing about. Sarah helps to encourage this somewhat undesirable behavior. He likes to sleep on my chest between my face and book, which I artfully work around so as not to disturb him. (I would have him sleeping on me than biting or scratching me.) He also likes to lick my face. I am not sure how I feel about this. It tickles and is SO cute, but then again he likes himself and eats mice whole and I am always afraid that at any moment he is going to release his claws on my face.

He is meant to live at the homestead and he spent about two and a half days there this week but then we brought him back home for fear will go crazy with no one to interact with. We will however take him back some time soon. While we were working on the house the second time with Buster there (the first time he spent a good deal of the time on Mom's back beneath her jacket trying to keep out the wind) he caught at least four baby mice and it was most fascinating to watch how he would torture the poor things and then crush their bones and swallow them whole. What a kitten! We are very glad that he catches mice, one of the main reasons we got him.

Mom at first kept saying that "we can't have that" but by day two she was in love like the rest of us and as I said before even came up with the winning name!

So we love Buster and he loves us and it is just great having a little companion...except for when you are trying to eat or when his claws are in you.

The Pond, My Biggest Joy In Life

2008-05-10T22:16:00.005-05:00

From Top to Bottom:
The East "Wing" of the Pond (Above)
The Middle Section of the Pond
The South "Wing" of the Pond

Details

2008-05-10T22:08:00.005-05:00

From Top to Bottom:
Livingroom Wall Straw Bales which Mother, Sarah, and I have built up ourselves! (Above)
The Front Door
Close up of Bales on East Wall

Pictures of the Homestead

2008-05-10T21:39:00.006-05:00

From Top To Bottom:
Front (East wall) of House (Above)
South Wall
West Wall
North Wall
View of House and Pond from the "West Bank"

Dietary Worker

2008-05-08T20:19:00.004-05:00

So I finally got my first "real" job. This means that my paycheck now gets raided by the government. I work at the local nursing home (or convalescent center as it is really called). I work the dinner shift so I have most of the day to do with what I will and then a wee bit o' evening to fool around in before going to bed to rest up for the paper route, yippee!

My job is fairly simple. I start out by pouring juice (grape, apple, orange, cranberry, prune, and some random drink for one of the lady residents). I then put that in the fridge and proceed to gather milk. Eleven 2%, three whole, and two skim. I put that in the fridge. I then prepare a bowl of mandarin oranges for one lady and a bowl of cottage cheese for her husband...now two other male residents want CC so I do that too. I get the snack drinks out and when those come back I refill and clean the pitchers up and put that in the fridge. (As you can see, I spend a great deal of time with the fridge. We getting to know each other quite well.) Now there is nothing to do for an hour until I have to pour the ice water, ice tea, put out the juices, milks, and special oranges and cottage cheese. I also dish up the fruit or dessert and puree that for the four people who need it pureed. Then we serve up dinner (usually some pre-frozen/pre-made meat dish or soup and a side dish or sorts, all of which is from low quality food, it can't be good). Then once the dishes start coming in I wash them and run them through the dishwasher. The dishwasher uses all sorts of chemicals which are hard on my hands. As Sarah so lovingly said the other day, my right hand looks like "old lady's hands." I am now attempting to wear gloves. I hope it helps to relieve the allergic reaction. Of course, how could any one's skin not be affected, apparently there is a corrosive mixed in with the water!

Then I reset the trays for morning shift.

If you are still awake and reading this then you can plainly see that my job takes no special skills and is relatively easy. So why they wanted me to train for eight days I'll never know. Luckily I got it cut back to only six days. I have had this job now for about three weeks now. Probably the best thing about this job is that I have gotten my TB shot for free which I need to have in order to go to college, so that worked out great.

So really I am a dishwasher, but nowadays they always give such fancy names to "lowly" jobs.

Straw Bale House

2008-05-08T11:01:00.004-05:00

(This is my house blog from my Myspace page which I have been writing for some time now.)

I've decided to keep a record of the progress of our straw bale house. Over the Summer this is some of what we've done.
We (Sarah, Mom, and I) laid drain pipe in the foundation trench (sounds easy, but it was hot, labor intensive work that took a couple of days) then we shoveled gravel into the trench which is about three feet deep, 20 some inches wide and makes up the perimeter of the house. This was the most terrible thing ever (worse then building a cob wall in the heat). We did three sides, but by the time that was done it was time to go back to Albs to do some stuff so people from church helped out. Thank goodness!
Then the foundation was poured. Then what felt like an eternity passed and our carpenter finally got started on framing the floor. (This framing began middle of last week.)
Today Sarah and I began filling garbage bags with scrap sheep's wool. This is for insulation underneath part of the floor boards. It's fairly fun, but slow, like everything that happens with this house. We got four very large bags of wool for free from a local factory here that makes sheep's wool dusters and such. (So handy for us!) We fill the bags around half full and then try to squeeze out most if not all the air possible. Due to high wind (as usual, can't wait to start harvesting that with our wind mill) we filled the bags in our newly built carport. Once we had a goodly number of bags filled we would the few yards to to the house site and put the bags on top of the foundation between boards that will eventually support the floor. However, Sarah felt that we were doing something wrong so we came home to eat dinner and contact our carpenter for more details. We are yet to go back, and the sun should set soon, so we will probably have to go out there early in the morning tomorrow, hope I sleep well tonight!
Also today our windows were delivered! Sarah and helped the delivery guy unload them, some were around 300 lbs, but most of the boxes were light. Sarah and have also overseen the delivery of our batteries for our power system and parts of our wind-turbine (I like to call it our windmill, feels more Dutch).
I will be updating this regularly now for those of you who are interested. I'm doing this partly for myself and family so we have a good record; something I should have began a long time ago, but I've always been poor at keeping journal, so hopefully this will help. I will also put up pictures once we have some (never been a good one for the picture taking).

Sept. 27th
Much progress has been made on the house lately. All the window bucks have been put in place. The Kitchen wall (the North East corner) has been framed. This is the only part of the exterior wall that will not be built of straw bales. This was done to give more space to the kitchen. Friday we went to St. Joe and ordered our bathtub. Most exciting. So that should arrive soon and will be placed in the bathroom before the straw bales go up. We have taken some pictures of this point of progression, but it will be awhile before they get developed.

Oct. 1st
The Roof Trusses have been put into place! This was finished on Friday afternoon. Now we can see our roof as we crest the western hill and come out of the woods on our road. It is so exciting! On Saturday we had our straw bales delivered. An Amish man and his many sons picked them up and then delivered them to us. They did this with the help of their driver and his trailer, because they of course do not drive. Anyway we three watched them stack our bales in our carport. Sarah and I were afraid that there wouldn't be enough room for all 360 bales, but they all just fit inside. Thank goodness because if they had to sit outside they would be harder to keep dry and would then start to rot, and you can't build a sturdy house with rotten straw bales. So that is where we are as of now.

October 29th, 2007
Not a lot has happened this month due to rain and our construction guy working on his own place. But over the month some things did get done. Holes were dug all along side the house where the porch will end (our porch will be a wrap around). Those holes were then filled with concrete and posts set on them that attach to the roof for support.(The porch will have roof cover all around.) Inside, all the interior walls have been framed so now we have a good idea of the space inside. Also, our bathtub is now in the bathroom, which is quite spacious.
When we went to the property on Saturday I was pleasantly surprised with a drive-way! I hadn't realized we were getting it so soon, I knew we had the pipe to go in the ditch for drainage, but I didn't know we had ordered gravel and all that. It looks so nice, so final. I can't wait to plant trees and flowers on either side. We should be getting the tin roof put on in the next few weeks and then the windows and doors...I can't wait till all is done and we can move in, I don't like living on the square.
Side note, there were four ducks in our pond while we were there Saturday, I love it when water fowl comes to visit. I love it here!

November 10th
The roof is well underway! The wooden layer has been laid and is now covered with the black tar paper. By end of next week the tin/metal should be in place! So the house is making progress, however slowly.
Every time we go to the property lately there are ducks on our pond! Usually 3 or four.

November 15
We have gutters! Mother and I drove out to the property this morning. We were just going to drive by and not stop when I noticed something green along the edge of the roof. The sun was shinning brightly making it difficult to make it out so we drove up our driveway (!!) and got out and investigated. They had the green gutters on and some of the white steel that goes on the "ceiling" of the porch.
So, the roof is being put on! Who knew you would start a roof from the gutters and work from there? Once the roof is done we can stack straw bales (ahhh!) I can't wait!

December 9th 2007
Roof done, windows and doors in. Glad that part is over. Cold (15 degrees outside) and snowy, not a lot will happen now till spring. Happy I wont have to live through winter for the next few years, seeing as how I will most likely be going to school in Hawai'i!

Friday March 7th 2008
On Saturday March 1st Sarah and I went out to the homestead to do some work. It was a lovely day with temperatures up in to the low 60s! (Don't get your hopes up, by Sunday we had more snow, north winds and freezing temperatures.) Sarah and I spent several hours during the afternoon there moving bales and sweeping snow out of the house and exploring the frozen pond.
We already had some bales in the house (master-bedroom and kitchen). These were stacked in corners (not along the walls). So Sarah and I took the ones in Mom's bedroom and hauled them across the hall into the second or north/west bedroom. There we began to place bales in experimental ways and places to what best worked. We placed one row of bales in the north wall from the NW corner to the N window. A space about 6 feet long. We were only placing and seeing how things looked and worked, what we placed is not permanent, as we still need to notch/re-size many bales. Notching is cutting out a corner or cutting a gap in part of the bale so that fits nicely around a post/beam that goes from floor to ceiling. So we looked and discussed where we should notch and re-size the bales (cutting off and retying the whole bale, not just a small portion like in notching). Then we placed a second row to see how that would need to have notching and resizing done. (You lay straw bales like bricks, with on brick laying over where two bricks meet below it...you know Erin, like how we built with Legos.) Then I drew this and made a little diagram of how it looks for future reference while Sarah moved more bales into the bedroom. I really enjoyed drawing this diagram. Then Sarah and I did some calculations (which was the hardest work we did, neither of us being the very number savvy). Then we rigged up the bales until we had as many as we could get until we came to the rafter/ceiling/window buck boards.
Before we began laying the bales out though we swept out all the snow that had blown into the house and then we banged at the ice that had frozen to the floor until it broke into wee chunks that we could shovel out. Then we scattered the straw bits on the floor where it was still kinda wet to help soak up the moisture and dry out the floor in order to prevent warping. It was most satisfying.
On the south side of the house there is a lot of puddling around the post that are holding up the roof. We do not like this and it cant be good for the house. So later that night when I couldn't sleep I came up with a great plan to drain the water away from the house and to the pond. And now if the ground would only unfreeze long enough so that I could dig my trench and do that...I am very excited about it as it is my own little project to work with and experiment with.
After we were done with our work we went to check out the pond which has been frozen most of this winter. We walked on part of it earlier this winter and on Saturday it was still frozen but with a layer of slushiness on top. We braved it and walked out over some of the deepest parts of the pond. Such a thrill! I love that pond. Well, that's all for now.

Wednesday March 19, 2008
Today all three of us went out to homestead and worked on the living room walls. Over the past few weeks we have purchased a saw which we have been having some trouble starting, but that should get worked out soon. Last week we placed our first permanent bale in the Northwest bedroom. However, we have not gotten any further there as we ran into some problems. Instead we began concentrating on the the living room walls. Today we successfully retied many bales. I proved to be the best at this; I am faster and tie tighter, and get the string tied correctly almost always on my first try! We were there for several hours and it was just lovely. The pond is thawing out and the ice that still covers most of the pond is a brilliant blue color, especially when the sun hits it just right. Today we saw a muskrat swimming on the edge of the pond where there is no ice, our first muskrat of the year. That is all for today.

Thursday March 20th, 2008
Today Sarah and I went to the homestead. There we completed one section of the southern living room wall. Then we worked some on the north wall of the bathroom until a few road blocks popped up. Then we went onto build up the long southern wall in Mother's room. All this work leaves me very tired when I get home, I can barely keep my eyes open! The pond is quickly thawing (today's temperature reached 61 degrees). Almost the whole east end of the pond had thawed out by the time we left. It is so beautiful, co clear!

Thursday May 8th
Bad weather has put a hold on our house building for the month of April. But this past week we were able to get some work done. We built up the living room walls on Monday with Mom and then on Tuesday Sarah and I went out and did some work on the bathroom walls. Now all that is left is the area around the window in that room. We are having trouble with the south wall in Mom's bedroom. It keeps falling over in the wind. That's not quite what we want from our wall, so we are working on some different ideas to correct that. Our kitten that we got near the end of April has proven his worth by catching four (possibly five) baby mice that were living in the future kitchen in some piles of loose straw. Little devils. It was fascinating watching him catch and kill them. He ate them whole! I had no idea cats did that. It was really awesome. A little sad too because we could hear the baby mice squeaking while being tortured. But I don't want mice in my house, so they had to go.

Yahoo!'s Top Ten Searches

2008-05-07T19:12:00.003-05:00

At Yahoo.com there is this thing at the bottom of the page that lists the top ten searches for the day at Yahoo (though I never search at yahoo, always Google). Earlier today number three was Elisha Cuthbert. I have no idea who this is, but I just had to click on her name because of Anne of Green Gables and Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert. Boy was I disappointed, not that I expected anything great. All I saw was some female with a lot of chest showing. No need to see that, so I promptly left with out trying to find anything else out about her. Knowing that she is a slut is sufficient enough for me. Sorry Elisha. (I think I have the first name right though I hardly think it matters if I do.)

This My First Real Blog for Sherri Lynn's Thoughts

2008-05-07T18:41:00.008-05:00

Currently all I think about is money. Not so much because I am greedy or full of avarice but because I have none and really need some. I am around $8,000 short for the college education that I am desperately trying to obtain. I am attempting to go to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to major in geology and become a vulcanologist. (Side note, if any of you reading this care to donate to my cause, feel free, I'm not above taking hand outs!)

If I can't get out there than I will probably go to BYU-Idaho. Oh joy. I used to really want to go there, up until a year or so ago. And even then I still would have loved to go, but this week I feel like calling them up and saying a whole slew of things I know must be banned from speaking on that “holy” campus. Why? Because they close down every Tuesday and Thursday for an hour for devotional. Of course this is the time that is most convenient for me to call them. Also I can never find my I-number and only today was given a concrete place in which to find it, a little web page just for me like I have with Hilo. Why was I not made aware of this place months ago!? Another thing, they won't have my financial aid award decided until June! I need to know now!!! (I need to have $3,000+ for my housing costs in Hilo by the beginning of June and I don't know how I am going to get this money and I would like to have some concrete money info from BYU-Idaho before then, oh well I guess.) Also, I kept trying to call the financial aid office today and kept getting a busy signal! What kind of place is this? Don't they have multiple lines and a hold system or something? Okay, I'll stop ranting about that now, but if you are reading this BYU-Idaho, shape up! Pretty much the best thing going for BYU-Idaho right now is the price and their meal plan which makes much more sense to me than Hilo's plans. Oh well, I could stand to lose a bit of weight.

I desperately want to go to school in Hawaii. I have my wee heart set on it. I want to be so close to one of the worlds most active volcano, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory, they have a great sounding geology department, are close to all that space telescope stuff, and it is in such a beautiful place. However, I would like to state for the record that I did not decide to go to a Hawaii school solely or in any capacity because of the location. It is really just a bonus, a GREAT bonus.

If you have any helpful ideas about how to get some money for college, all ideas are welcome except for FAFSA, Fastweb, or student loans. (I have already done FAFSA, have a loan offer from that, and I am working on scholarships.) If you know of a scholarship opportunity though, do tell all! I am also working three jobs: delivering the daily newspaper with the family, babysitting, and working at the nursing home. I have time for another job so I might...Who knows!

So I continue to think about money, about going to college, and about other all related fields. Wish me luck, but if you want to be even more helpful, pray for me. Thank you.

Dinner

2008-05-07T18:25:00.001-05:00

I made myself such a lovely dinner and I just have to share it. I made a beautiful salad with romaine lettuce with sliced strawberries and a little onion mixed in. I then added just the right amount (for me...a little less then a table spoon) of a strawberry chardonnay dressing (don't worry, not alcohol, still following the WoW). I then sprinkled it with some shredded Swiss cheese. Oh, it was just lovely. But lets not stop there. I also had a hard boiled egg lightly sprinkled with salt and green olives stuffed with pimento on the side. To drink I had a "long glass of charged water*" from the filtered tap. It was just so beautiful and delicious.

*Quote from the film "White Christmas"

Friday, March 28th, 2008

(I originally wrote this for my Facebook page)

My Man

2008-05-07T18:06:00.002-05:00

Downtown

2008-05-07T17:21:00.002-05:00

Waterloo

2008-05-07T16:47:00.003-05:00

The M.T.A.

2008-05-07T16:21:00.004-05:00

New Mexico Memories

2008-05-07T16:12:00.002-05:00