Hurtling forward to the inevitable

The bulletin board at this moment. . 

  In the picture above, the top section is chapter 3, the literature review.  The three column sections headed by green cards are the three Findings chapters, organized by the headings so I can check for flow.   I have an outline on paper, too.   This way I can check for relationships between the emerging themes and what I found in the literature review, which will enable me to see the "new" information my research may be able to add.  I know, even though every doc student wants to add something to the body of literature, the goal is to "finish" the dissertation.   But I really do think I may be on to some cool stuff. So humor me.  :)  Lack of sleep and too much chocolate is a dangerous combination.  :)
 

The Cards

 In these pictures, you can see my data cards.    These were created from the interviews. I took coded quotes, transcribed them to color-coded cards, jotted code/theme connections on them, and identifying numbers for the interview and page (3-9, for example, would take me to Surie's interview, page 9).  These cards were then sorted several times.  Once I was satisfied with the groupings, each pile was banded with an identification card on top explaining the grouping, such as "Making it Work" or "Why are Parents more involved here?" These groupings were then organized into four main categories: Parents' Perceptions on Schooling (theirs and their children's); Choice, Parent Involvement, and Lessons for School Improvement.    These four categories then became the chapters seen organized in the first picture up above: Ch. 4 Who Chooses and Why?; Ch. 5 Parental Involvement; Ch. 6 Outcomes of Choice: Improving Public Schools. 

Another view of  The Cards

Phew. Then those cards were typed into sections, based on their banded groupings.  As I typed, I found mis-categorized cards--cards that, upon closer examination, did not fit in the grouping I originally thought.  So I had an ever rotating pile of cards which were placed in new categories as I found the right fit.  I would jot notes on the card, like "try Ch. 6, Nature vs Nurture sect.".  When I started typing that section, I'd remember that card and go look for it...    In the end, I had a small banded group of cards with the label "Didn't use".  Every other card found a home!  Yeah, I guess I felt pretty responsible for making sure every participant' words were honored and utilized.  

Now that I am working on the conclusions section, and have a healthy draft of about 140 pages (that includes the appendices, so don't start panicking!) after untold hours of revision, I'm feeling pretty positive about my process. It took a LOT of time.  But the writing part has gone like lightening because of it.  Living and breathing the data for a condensed period of time has worked.  What a luxury it has been!

It's now Nov. 21.    I am close to having a fairly final draft composed.    My final is due to my committee the 29th, and I defend Dec. 10th.  I feel like I'm on fast forward, hurtling towards a jello wall covered in velcro, and I'm in a velcro suit. 

So, I'm on a role. Coffee, M&M's, and hanging out in Starbuck's.  Why Starbucks?   Not sure why, but I can concentrate much better sitting in coffee shops.  And the Ramone's down the street has terrible customer service and an unpleasant vibe. Truly, I'd rather support local businesses. But the people at Starbucks are really genuine and nice. So here I am.  I also get into the mood of my dissertation easier here, because a majority of the interviews for this study were done in coffee shops, and probably 50% of them were Starbucks! 

At any rate, I'm trucking along, and grateful for the rain so I'm not feeling guilty for neglecting my horses.   Their shelter is great, they use it all the time and are dry when I see them.  Really cool that the shelter has worked out so nicely. I miss my girls, though. They would be really nice to have around right now.

Until later...

Checking out until Nov. 19th

I am checking out of the Internet world until my dissertation is done.  I leave you with a couple pictures of my note cards, sorted.  Also, my horses and I had a visitor today.  A lovely young lady who I had the pleasure of teaching in elementary school, many moons ago.   Ber and Gio think she is pretty special, as you can see from the pictures.  :)  Me, too!  Thanks for the visit, Cassie! 

I will post again when my final draft is sent to my committee on Nov. 19th.

All the little piles....

Piles sorted into four main themes!

Berhwood gives Cassie a horse hug.

Giovanna, starving as usual, reaches for the single strand of hay while Cassie cracks up.

Pranksters and Progress

I have a begonia plant in my container garden.  It once had three colors of begonias, many years ago when it was given to me as a present upon leaving Freshwater school.  I think it was Freshwater, ten years ago?  There is only one begonia color left, a nice orangey-red.

About a week ago, I noticed a new flower on this begonia.  I thought, "Wow, look at how it is aging.  I never noticed how the color bled away from the flower, leaving just a ring of color on the outer edges."     Check it out:

I thought this was pretty cool.     But unfortunately, when I touched the flower, it fell off.   I was pretty bummed, but knowing how long begonia flowers last, I set it in the pot so I could show it to someone, if the chance came up. This picture is after the flower had been there for a week!

A few days later, my neighbor came buy. I stopped her, and asked her to come check out this cool flower on my begonia.  As I told her about my theory on how the color had changed, she started cracking up. Soon she confessed that SHE had placed the flower there, as a practical joke. I just laughed.  Very, very cool joke. And even cooler that I fell for it and created this whole rational story of how the flower could have come from my plant!  Yes, I am the poster child for "Gullible."  Hey, the other day, I believed my Idaho friend Joe's fable about the new Republican party that had a teddy bear for a mascot.

Changing the subject....Progress!!   I have finished my coding/note-taking from my 30 interview transcripts. This took a very long time--a pretty laborious task, but the final writing of my data findings/conclusions will be pretty smooth from here on out.   I have my four main categories of cards (the colors), and I have I don't know how many hundreds of cards.  

Each card has a quote or summary of a sentence from an interview.   In the upper right corner is a number. The first part refers to which interview it is.  The second part tells what page it is from. This way, I can find the original text in the interview transcript very easily, when needed.  So, 27-8 would be interview 27, page 8.

There's a LOT of data cards.  I can't get over how many cards.  There's a part of me that wants to throw them all up in the air and let them rain down into a pile.    Maybe when I'm done with the thing, I can do that.   :) 

At any rate, I am very, very thrilled to begin the final sorting process tomorrow.    (okay, it's after midnight right now, so technically it is tomorrow already. So I  will say "after sleeping").  I take each card, read it, and put it into a pile.  As I sort cards into like piles, I make labels for the piles with new cards, to help me put cards into the right piles.   I may sort the cards several times, until I am really happy with the groupings and the labels. Then I take the piles, and write. 

During this whole research process, which began in March with the very first interviews, through turning the audio tapes into typed transcripts, and then through the underlining, highlighting, and recording quotes onto cards, I have been creating codes, labels, and groupings in my mind and on paper. I've thought about sorting this data since the moment I began.   It is going to be quite cool to see how it all lays out!!   

Last week, I was fortunate to have a high school friend hang out for a few days while he worked on independent study stuff.  Was very nice to have the company!  He was camera shy, though.....

To end this post, here's a couple more beauties from my container garden. These really were attached to the plants!  I caught them during a brief break in the rain, when the sun came out to turn the nasturtium leaves a nearly translucent green.  :)

Vibrant green Nasturtium leaves with rain drops hanging on the edges like mercury beads.

Nasturtium flower

Pansies are the epitome of joy in flower form, I think.

Best Laid Plans, and Mother Nature

I left my house at 4:30 am this morning, to go to Boise.  Was giving a presentation Monday on the McNair research my adviser, Scott, and I did last year and the paper we wrote which will be published May 2011. 

However, instead of being in Boise as planned,  I am back at my house.  Made it to Medford. Flight left at 9:25 AM, I got there at 9:40 AM.  The plane did not wait for me.  :)  It's a 4 hour drive, 3 hours in really good weather with no traffic and no problems and an excellent driver.  So how did I rack up an extra hour and ten minutes?    The short answer is, horrible weather, car problems, and an average to below-average driver!

Long answer:

1. Huge Storm.
2. Cliffs along Smith River between Crescent City and Cave Junction were saturated with water after drying out all summer.
3. Cliffs spit rocks onto roadway. Sharp, hard rocks.
4. At 6:30 am, Caltrans rock sweepers have not gone by.
5. Cars coming towards me, and cars behind me, with their lights on, of course, because it is dark!
6. Can't see road real well.
7. Hit rock.  Car was fine.    Car that was on my tail, and passed me, is seen five miles down the road with a flat tire. 
8. Scenario repeats about 5 miles down the road, I hit another rock.  Dang!
9. Couple more miles down the road,  Jetta has a flat tire.  
10. Changed tire, in the rain, in the dark, with a tiny LED light on my key-chain.  (Note to self--get good chargeable flashlight for the car!!!). (Hey, at least I wasn't barefoot in the snow!  lol)
11. Thank goodness Stuart had the forsight to teach me how to change a tire back in Idaho, before we moved me back to California the end of May!. Even then, it took me a while.   Rain, cold hands, jack problems, etc.  
12. Lower the car onto the spare tire, and wouldn't you know it, the Spare tire was very low on air.
13. Find old repair air canister in trunk.    Gets enough air in tire to drive the 20 miles to Cave Junction and the gas station.
14. Soaked to the bone, freezing cold. Thank goodness for Jetta's heated seats!  
15. Made it to Grants Pass and then the airport near Medford, but the next flight was 6 am the next day, and was going to cost an extra $236.   
16. So, my adviser is reworking the powerpoint I put together, and doing the presentation tomorrow.    We are going to work on revisions to finalize the powerpoint, over the computer and phone tonight, instead of in person this evening in Boise as we had planned! 
17. Phew. Thank you, Scott!!!  I'm so glad the information we had to share will be shared.  I wish I was there.

On my way back from Medford, I passed two wrecks.  Was not a good driving day.  So I stopped at this beach and took some photos to wrest something beautiful and positive from the day!   Enjoy.

One lone gull, hanging in the air.

A gull that came in for its close up.

Suddenly the flock of beach-bound gulls took to the air.

Coast, looking north towards Crescent City.

Coast, looking south towards Dry Lagoon.

Trying to capture the surge. 

Getting closer but still not as magnificent as the real thing!

Looking straight out to sea. This rock is the one in the surge pics below.

Looking straight out to sea, these rocks are just south of the larger rock in the photo above.

Surge splash!

Surge Splash 2.

Surge splash 3.

30 days or Bust!

The Four Themes, I Think!

 Gotta get this dissertation done.    Going up to Idaho was a shot in the arm. So glad I went, though I had to drag myself up there. I was looking for a reason not to go, and when my truck was vandalized right before I left, it was very tempting to see that as a reason. A friend down here said my staying wasn't going to accomplish anything. So I went.  Thank you to my friends who looked in on Ber and Gio, by the way!  I was not comfortable leaving them, after the truck incident, for sure.

Flowers from my Neighbors

Boy was I glad.   Talking with my fellow doc students about our dissertations was great.  The energy and enthusiasm helped so much. Talking with my adviser/chair was HUGE.   I really started to see value in all this data I had collected.   Talking with my other committee members was a great help--I picked each of them for a reason, and they definitely got me going in the right direction.

One of the best things was presenting to one of my adviser's classes.   These were my fellow doc students.  Such a positive, to get to share some things I had learned while going through comps, and to share my research, and to be met with such positive enthusiasm.    I so, so missed being around that!   

The Research Board...

I also visited the charter school where I interned last year. Seeing my friends/colleagues there, and talking about school was lovely.   I was able to do math with my friends, Julie and Hailey and Austin, and talk shop with Lisa and Bekkie, among other people.  What fun.  

Finally, I had a small window of time to see some of my Idaho friends, including seeing Dora ride her beloved equine friend, Cowboy and hanging out with Dora's family of pets and people.  I consider them to be my family in Idaho!     Had dinner at the great Mexican place in Kuna with Kathy and Joe, too, though I missed checking in with their animal family.  While I was there, I had to drive by the Lake Hazel house, and that was hard.   All these feelings kept coming up, that I really don't want to look at.  Thinking about Arcy and Georgia, and our time in Idaho.  Thinking about the things I learned about myself and life while I was there.  Too much was compressed into such a short time, and I can't stop to think about it right now, but I will in good time. 

Patio Garden at 6 am.   Not sure why I like this picture, but I do.

The most frequent question I hear these days is "What are you doing after your dissertation?"  This is a very reasonable question.   My answer is, "I do not know."  All my life I have had a set agenda. I have known what I was doing, and I was not comfortable without having some goal that I was shooting for.  I no longer have a plan, and outside of completing my dissertation, my goal is to enjoy one day at a time, and see what unfolds.  This is an experiment.  If I allow the universe to wheel about without my directing it, what will happen?  lol. Yeah, and the universe laughs.

Oh, I have big requests that I put out there...  I want to have a home again, where my horses can be, and where I can invite a couple of dog souls to live, where I can garden and cook and have people come visit.  I want to have a job where I am using my abilities to positive ends.  I want to enjoy the natural world and my horses.   But I have no idea where that will be, or in what form it will be. That I leave open.  And I really am comfortable with that.  Pretty amazing.

So, 30 days or bust, to have the results/conclusion sections of my dissertation drafted, to begin the sharing/revision process with my adviser/chair.  November 11th.   If you see me, tell me I can do it.  :) If I really did what I say I did in Idaho for 18 months, I really can do this.   30 days or Bust!!

Lady and Basil, dog souls from my childhood.

Gimme Shelter!

Today's distraction...

Ber and Gio have a shelter!  The delivery/set-up guy called me last night to set up a delivery time, and tonight my happy horses were eating in their new digs.  How cool is that.
I did manage to get in a couple hours of coding while I was helping, but that's about it.

 It will be so nice to feed  my horses in a dry place when the rains come. 

And now, back to work!

Silver Linings

No pictures this post. I wanted to show you the beautiful colors of the grape juice I made from Idaho grapes (which are legal to take across the border to California. I did ask!).  I wanted to show you the glowing raisins I made from some of those grapes.    Wanted to share the nearly iridescent green of the nasturtium leaves outside my door    Next time.

Those of you who know me probably know that I try to be a positive person--try to look on the bright side, find the silver lining in the dark cloud, and make lemons out of lemon aide. I realize sometimes that can be annoying, especially if I try to find a positive side to something that you are experiencing!  Well, the last month provided me with a bounty of opportunities for making lemonade, for sure!    Here's a partial list....

First, I regained occupancy of the home I own here in Humboldt.  Huge dark cloud, in that the shop and wash room were used for grow rooms and the yard was sorely neglected and overgrown.  At first glance, it appeared that little damage had occurred.  What happened after the first glance has to be one of the biggest learning lessons of my life.   I had no idea that one needed to check every door handle, window lock, light switch, and power outlet to make sure they hadn't been damaged.   I didn't know enough to look in the cracks of the deck, check the walls behind the appliances, open the wood stove, or swab the walls in the house.  

The accumulated total of damages exceeds what I would be comfortable mentioning on this post.    Restoring the lawn and garden equipment to the way they should be (or purchasing new ones) was bad enough... Suffice it to say that two weeks of my time which ought to have gone to my dissertation were spent cleaning, washing, painting, weeding, hacking, digging, and fixing.    Silver Linings:  finding new tenants who brought in a wave of positive energy, reconnecting with the plants on my property, and reminding myself why I am enjoying living in my small rental home.

Next...  My truck was vandalized the day before I headed to Idaho.  Someone wanted the gas, evidently.  About $100 worth of gas, because I had recently filled up the truck's two tanks.  No, I wasn't headed out on a big trip, I just have programmed in me to fill up all the way when I fill up.   The truck has locking gas caps, and the thieves managed to jimmy off one of the caps, but the other one didn't come off, so they cut the hose and tube underneath the truck.  In the process of siphoning out the gas, they damaged the fuel gauges in both tanks.  

Currently, my truck is at the mechanics getting fixed.  I had it towed because I was concerned about gas fumes from the cut hose, though the rear tank seemed fine.    Thankfully, I have towing through my insurance, so that was covered.  Silver Lining:  I have tried very hard to find the silver lining in this one, but I'm coming up short. Anyone want to take a stab at this?  Best I can do is that it looks like it may be below my deductible, so I will be paying less than $500.  Someone has to have a way to see a bright side to this!

But wait, there is more... there is Jetta's Timing Belt.    My Jetta has been kicking along for 127,000 miles.   I turned over 100,000 on my trip up to Boise, Jan. 1, 2009.  How I put 27,000 miles on my car in 20 months, I am not sure, though each trip up and back from Boise is 1,400 miles...   Anyway, I drove Jetta up to Boise last Sunday, and had a scheduled oil change with the VW dealer up there.   After the oil change, the service clerk came up and asked if I had changed the timing belt on the Jetta yet.   Once we figured out that no, I had not, she recommended I do it as soon as possible, since it was supposed to be changed at 100,000 miles!   Lucky for me, they had room to get it done before I went back to California.  They loaned me a 2011 VW Jetta wagon for the two days they needed my Jetta. 

Net total, for oil change, timing belt, water pump, and serpentine belt: $975.   Yes, evidently the world thinks I am made of money at the moment.    Gak.  Sliver lining:  I was SO lucky the timing belt hadn't broken. The repair from that damage would have been at least $4,000.  Not sure if Jetta made any records or anything, for longest use of a timing belt.  When the mechanic took it off, he said it was definitely on its last legs--probably would have broken when I was in the middle of the Oregon High Desert, by Abert Rim.  Another silver lining is that Jetta runs even better, and is getting even better diesel mileage.   And the final silver lining?  My 2002 Jetta TDI kicks rocks all over the new Jetta gas wagon!  Sure appreciate that Jetta of mine.

Ready for another?  While working on my property, I was exposed to some serious toxic chemicals in paint, cleaning supplies, and pesticides, over the course of several days.  I was tired, wasn't thinking. What can I say? As a result, my brain was pretty fuzzy and  I got a bad burn on my hands from using some therapy mitts (I followed the directions for heating them, so thought they would be fine because it said so.  The burning sensation should have been a clue, but no!).   In the days after the burn, I exposed my hands to all kinds of chemicals in the cleaning/painting.  Ended up with red welts on my hands, cuts from blackberries, and more cuts from trimming my horses' feet.  Additionally, after a month of typing transcripts, painting my brother's house, and weeding at my friend's yard, my hands were in almost constant pain.  Over all, the hard physical labor from the past few months left me feeling pretty dang old for 43.  

Silver Lining:  It dawned on my that my exposure to toxins could be interfering with my body's natural healing capacities.  I looked seriously at how I was treating my body and decided to try a different tactic and do some healing from the inside as well as the outside. So in addition to slathering potions on my external wounds, I am taking some supplements and de-tox potions to heal from within.  Already I can tell the difference. If it is psycho-somatic, so be it!  I've fought the painful red skin on my hands for a month now with various salves and lotions, to no avail.  It's a relief to actually see them healing.  If you want the outside potion, I mixed 1/4 cup apple cider (with "mother"), 1/4 cup sesame oil, and 2 tsp tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and neem oil.  Just shake it up, slather it on a few times a day.  The inside potion is Colon cleanse, garlic capsules, a probiotic, liver support elixer, Emergen-C Immune support, and 2 Tbs of the same cider vinegar. morning and night.  Not sure why it is working, but it is.    Phew.

I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason.   Though sometimes it is hard to see the logic, if I wait long enough, or look close enough, eventually it comes clear.  And truly, though I am grateful for all the delightful positives in my life, it is often the negatives which moves me forward, pushes me beyond current limitations, and advances my horizon.   Seeing the good in the painful events allows us to grow, I think.  However, I believe I am "full" right now,  and would like some time to ponder these life lessons.   If that's possible at this time, that is. I realize it is not necessarily in my control.  

Next Post will be Reporting on Idaho Events!  I promise.

Time to Get Busy

I'm up in Idaho right now.  Been busy meeting with my committee professors and connecting with fellow grad school people.  I now have a time line for my dissertation:
Final draft of dissertation to my committee November 8.
Defense of dissertation November 30.
Back to the "real" world outside of academia January 1.

Whee!!  The opportunities to be distracted in the next two month will be few and far between, but I will do my best.   lol.

Headed into Fall

Bounty of Pear Goodies

It's officially fall here, I think. The cool, crisp mornings tell me so, regardless of when the fall equinox occurs. Been busy here keeping all the plates spinning.

Transcripts

First off, the big news is I have finished transcribing, editing, formatting, and printing the transcripts!  In all there are thirty, though three of them were with two parents, so the total number of individuals interviewed is Thirty-Three.  I had in my head that it was thirty-five for the longest time, but I was wrong.  Now the fun work of coding and organizing this mass of data begins.  Creating the coherent story these parents can tell is a pretty enjoyable task.   I am headed up to Boise next week to meet with professors and check in with my fellow doc students, while making time to visit my Idaho friends, too.  I am looking forward to it.  I've made a CD of the interview tapes, and will be listening to them again on the way up and back. 

Pear Marmalade--Emily's "summer in a jar"

As for my distractions... Pears are such a lovely distraction.   My pear tree at my home had a modest crop this year. The new tenants  were busy moving, so I harvested the pears and am in the process of making pear butter (two recipes), pear marmalade, and pear coffee cake. You can see all the goodies in the first picture on this blog page.   My favorite to make is the pear butter because it fills the house with the scent of pears and apples and cinnamon.  The pear butter itself I can just eat out of a jar, like applesauce!  The Pear Marmalade I love because marmalade is one of my favorite covering for bread, but the pear version is milder, more spreadable, and the interaction of the orange and pear is, to my tastebuds, divine!

Giovanna, just turned 6 in August!

Berhwood.  His coat looks like a seal's, I think.

The horses have settled into their winter coats.  This weekend I thought, "Gee, I need to worm the horses."  Then I went out and discovered that Giovanna had bot eggs all over her legs.  Berhwood had zero.  Go figure.  So I cleaned her off and wormed them.   The next day, she had about six eggs on each front leg, and Ber had four.   Yesterday, one or two eggs on each horse.  So I'm betting it was one bot fly, and it is now gone.  In other horse news, I am looking forward to the delivery of their horse shelter in October. It is coming from an Oregon manufacturer who makes them, delivers them, and sets them up.   This will make the coming rains of winter much more doable.  Two shelters, plus a 12'x12' breezeway that I can keep feed and things in.  Yes! Ber and Gio have somewhere to get out of the rain if/when they want, and I will not be soaked walking from the big barn to my horses' pasture two times a day!

Winterized Ber!

Winterized Gio!

Now that I'm in my 40's, I finally accepted that I needed progressive lenses on my glasses.   Picked them up yesterday, and they make a world of difference. Still getting used to the endless focusing changes, but I see way better and reading/computer work is much easier.   My eyes had been getting so tired with the transcript work, but this will really help.  My hands also are very worn out from all the typing. A little too late, I purchased a wireless keyboard and mouse for my laptop.  They will be quite helpful when I sit down to the writing of this dissertation, I think!  I hope!

View of Trinidad Head from the pasture.

Zoom in on Trinidad Head.

I leave you with a picture of my pasture cat. He showed up one day and insisted on being my cat. So I started feeding him. He has the potential to be a great cat, but I haven't named him yet. Once he has a name, I'm committed!  lol. 

Pasture Cat.

September 15th Already?

From

Georgia's Moon
 
Today marks the day when Arcy and I began the rest of our Idaho adventure on our own.  To celebrate Georgia's memory, I am sharing a few pictures from before we moved to Boise, and a story about Georgia's garden escapades that I wrote while teaching at Blue Heron.  I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Georgia's true nature.  :). 

Serene in the Middle of Chaos, That's Georgia!

Hmmm, what's that?

Two Days before Moving to Idaho. It's like they Knew it was going to be cold!

Georgia the Carrot Thief

By Emily Gibson

9-5-07

“It’s 6 am!  Time to get up!  Where is Emily?”  I stretched up, yawned, wagged my tail, and trotted into Emily’s room.  If she wasn’t up yet, I knew how to wake her: a quick snuffle in her face with a lovely wet kiss.  Worked every time.

            Snuffle, snuffle. Kiss, kiss.

            “Ew!  Georgia!  Oh, you smell awful.  Please get your wet face out of here!  Ew!”  Emily sat up in bed.  Yep, works like a charm!  I trotted off to wait by my food bowl.  Soon Arcy and I were both munching down our breakfasts. Did Arcy say thank you?  No.

           Licking my whiskers, I sat by the door, whining softly.  A minute later, Emily staggered by the door, opening it for us on her way to the kitchen.  Arcy and I dashed outside to check for cats.  But did Arcy say thank you?  No.

            Once we had surveyed the perimeter of the yard for cats, and chased a few wayward felines out of our garden, I looked around for something else to do.  Ah, more food!  All that running and barking made my tummy empty.  “Hey, Arcy, let’s get something to eat!”  She had her head in a hole and didn’t pay any attention.  Oh well, her loss.  I trotted through the garden.  Peas?  No, not ripe yet.  Potatoes?  No, they were just starting to grow.  Pears?  Too green.  Asparagus?  Nope, Emily put up chicken wire.  I wonder why?  How about carrots?  I hopped up into the carrot bed.  What?  There was a weird net-thing on the bed, covering the carrot fronds.  I had to really work in order to pull out a carrot, but I managed after a minute or two to dig one out.

            “Hey, Georgia, can I have one?” Arcy begged.  Great, she finally noticed the work I was doing, and now she wants some.

            “Please?  I’ve been chasing gophers, and I’m starving.”

            “Okay, sure. Here.”  I tossed the carrot I’d just excavated to Arcy.  Then I worked on another one for  myself.  But did Arcy say thank you?  No. 

            After digging and pawing and biting for another five minutes, I finally pulled another out.  Phew.  Now I was hot and puffy.  Holding my carrot like a prize, I trotted to the middle of the yard and settled down to gnaw.

            “Scree” I heard the screen door open.  Here comes Emily!  She must be heading out to the horses.  I’ll go with her when she catches up to me.  Meanwhile, I’ll keep eating…  Hmm, that’s funny, why is she frowning?  I wonder if she wants a carrot too?  I’ll go get her one.  I headed off to the carrot bed again.  Wait a minute, where’s Arcy? 

            I searched, and soon found her cowering  under the jasmine bush.  “What’s up, Arcy?”

            “Emily is mad about the carrots.  I have carrot breath.  She’ll make me go to my room.  I don’t want to go to my room.  It is hot in there.”  Arcy tucked herself further under the bush.  “Here she comes—go away!”  Arcy closed her eyes.

            I trotted back to Emily and sat down, giving her my best grin and eyebrow wiggle.  I wagged my tail, laughing, and waited. 

            Emily bent down to look at me more closely.  I wiggled happily, thinking I was getting a kiss.  Oh, boy, I loved kisses!

            “Georgia!  Look at your face!  Look at your paws! What have you been doing?  You look like a muddy rat.  Oh, no, you haven’t been in the carrot bed, again, have you?  Even after I put up the pest netting?  Shame on you.”

            I knew she was mad, but I still didn’t understand why, so I grinned happily and wagged my tail again.  Maybe she would forget about it if I was cute enough.

            “Georgia, you have little bits of orange stuff in your teeth.  You HAVE been in the carrot bed again!”  Emily stomped off to inspect the carrot bed.  “Oh, Georgia, what am I supposed to do with you?  Look at this mess!”  She pointed to the little, neat holes I had dug in the dirt, and the ends of carrot fronds spread around the bed.  Emily looked so sad, that I couldn’t help but feel bad.  My tail sagged, my ears drooped, and I looked down.  When I looked up to see if Emily was still mad, I wagged  my tail apologetically and promised not to eat any more carrots.  At least not today.  

Checking out Emily's Horse Quilt.  Looks like it will be big enough!