Final Blog Post for Thursday July 19, 2012

19 July 2012

This blog assignment has had its ups and downs for me. I was new to the world of blogging, I do not think that I had ever even read a blog. I was forced into it, but I now consider myself a blogger and have a creative outlet for my ranting. Because of this assignment, I have written when I was uninspired, tired, and just plain lazy. I have written when it was the last thing that I wanted to do, and had nothing to say. But, I wrote each day, and it really helped me to push past the writer's block and get the creative juices flowing. I found myself thinking throughout the day about what I would write about that night. The exciting experiences became a topic for the blog, and old memories became stories. The assignments that I did my pre-writing for in this blog brought to the surface a flood of different emotions that I did not realize before. I enjoyed the exercises, however, because they gave me a concrete topic to blog about. I will not lie and tell you that I am sad this assignment is ending, but I will continue to write in my blog, just not every day! The summer class load has been pretty heavy, I did not realize when I took 3 classes this summer that there would be so much to do. Now that most of the hard work is behind me I am excited to be 9 credit hours closer to graduation. I hope that I have learned enough new writing skills to carry me through to Comp II; I think the blog probably was the best preparedness tool that I had.

Lindsey Johnson

Blog Post for Wednesday July 18, 2012

18 July 2012

I realized today that the Summer Semester is nearly over. It has gone by so quickly, but it has gone more smoothly than I could have imagined. I was worried when I took three classes this summer, but I am sure glad that I did. I am 9 credit hours closer to graduation; and though I am not crazy about the idea of going back to work,I also do not want to be in school forever either. Aside from school, I do not feel like I have accomplished anything so far this summer. The heat has been unbelievably bad, and I have hibernated in the air conditioning more than I would like to admit! My kids have done the same, and they are driving me insane. I sit down to write an essay or complete my class work; they are right on top of me all of the time. With the heat being like it has been, taking such a high class load turned out to be a great idea. I am really glad that things worked out, especially taking two of the classes online. I am a bit sad to see some of them come to an end, I actually enjoyed a couple of my classes this summer and wish that I would have taken them in the longer semester so that I could have experienced the full class.

Post for July 17, 2012

17 July, 2012

Tonight I went to an amazing concert, James Taylor. I have wanted to see him my entire life, and I never had had the chance. Last February, for my birthday, I bought a ticket and then began to wait. It seemed like a lifetime away, but I was already excited. As time passed, I forgot all about having the ticket. I had even gone to concerts in the interim, and then I would think about how excited I would be to go the next one. Last week, my Mom called me and said, "did you remember that we have tickets to James Taylor on Tuesday?" I said that I had not remembered what day it was, but I was even more excited than I had been before. 

We got to the stadium, and found our seats; they were AMAZING! First row of the risers behind the floor. Armed with my camera and a telephoto lens I was ready to go! It was better than I could have imagined, a night of incredible music and fun. He sounded even better than he does on his records. He signed one of my albums, and out tickets! What a great night!!

Blog Post for July 16, 2012

16 July 2012

I am taking a Religions of the World class this semester. I originally took it because as a teacher I will encounter students with a variety of different faiths, and I wanted to know more about them. I have always viewed religious faith as a weakness for people who cannot accept that there is nothing after death. Now that I am almost finished with the class, I realize that the concept is universal. Almost every religion is based on the same concepts and morals, and they are nearly all trying to explain to fearful people that death is not the end. This concept brings me no comfort, though I can see the attraction and I have really enjoyed learning about the various faiths. The one religion that I have an immense amount of respect for that was unknown to me before this class is Confucianism. The phrase "Good people enjoy life." really struck me as a beautiful basis for religion. 

Post for Sunday July 2012

15 July 2012

My little dog has learned that she can retrieve food for herself off of the coffee table. Today my husband got himself a slice of pizza and went to the kitchen for a drink. When he returned, the plate was empty. He looked at the plate and then looked around on the floor, there was nothing. Then he noticed out of the corner of his eye a terrier's but sticking out from under the sofa with it's tail wagging a million miles an hour. I am guessing that you can figure out what happened to the pizza, it was gone. I lifted up the skirt on the sofa, and there were a lot of things that have been missing, just sitting there. Flip flops, stuffed toys, golf balls, an entire collection of objects; discovered. Mike was pretty mad about the pizza, but when I had seen the little talk wagging back and forth, I couldn't let him yell at her. I asked him if pizza had ever made him that happy...he said, "NO."

Post for Saturday July 14, 2012

14 July 2012

The heat of the summer makes me reminisce about the cool, crisp, breezes of Autumn. Nights sitting on the front porch watching the leaves flutter effortlessly to the ground to join their fallen companions.  The smell of burning brush fills the air from the camp fire down the street as the smoke whisks it's way through the evening air to elate the senses. The last of the lightening bugs flicker their messages in the dim light of dusk, dancing in elation while the warmth of autumn still remains. I am right there now, if I close my eyes, though the drone of the air conditioner echoes in my ear. Evenings of pure bliss, bar-b-ques, roasted marshmallows, a cold beer with friends, all sharing the common bond of celebrating Summer's departure. The grass begins to turn brown and crunch beneath your feet, but the first snow flakes have yet to fall. Winter's chill is months away, and we are left with a time of pure perfection, Mother Nature's greatest gift before the cold. 

post for Friday July 13

13 July 2012

When I bought my bus, and got it home, it was covered in so much dirt and grime that it looked like it had been drug out of the bottom of the lake. Mold grew over the outside and around the jams of the doors. Opening the doors did not improve the situation, trash and old camping equipment poured onto the ground and a musty smell emanated from the interior. The flooring was curled, and there were holes in the floor big enough to put your foot through. I have never loved something so much!
There was only one problem, I could not drive a standard. My dad agreed to teach me, but he has never been one to be patient or understanding so I did not expect much of a lesson. I sat in the driveway and waited for him patiently. He emerged from the shop with a lawn chair and a 6 pack. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I was pretty sure he was not going to teach me to drive it. He walked around the building and came back driving my bus, and parked it on the hill behind the house. He handed me the keys, set up his lawn chair, and opened a beer. Dad said, " When you can get it off that hill, you can drive it!" Two hours later I got it off the hill, and I have never looked back!

Post for Thursday July 12, 2012

12 July 2012

A question from the pre-writing exercise made me think about another experience in my life that re-affirmed my decision to write about my VW bus as my favorite place.

Do you know where the first members of your family to come to this town slept
the first night they got here?

I do know where my family slept when we first moved to Kimberling City form Manson, IA. We slept in the family BUS! Our bus, back then, was actually a camper converted school bus, but it couldn't have felt more like home. For awhile my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and myself all lived in the bus. I was 3, and my mom was pregnant with my younger brother. There was not a lot of room, and we did not have the money to stay in a campground. We parked in the lot behind Buttonwood Center because my dad knew the owner of the carpet store that was there. I think that this experience contributed greatly to my own ability to make a home anywhere I am out of what I have. This bus was my home, I had a bed and my family with me, I think that it takes little more than that to describe a place. I was worried when I began to write my current paper about a place and I chose my own bus, but until I saw this question on the writing exercises I had forgotten about living in that bus when I was a child. I think that the diverse experiences that I have been blessed with have left me with a slightly different opinion about the meanings of the things around us.

Post for Wednesday July 11th 2012

11 July 2012

I have read a lot of stories lately about teenagers choosing to end their own lives because of bullying, or embarrassment, or social problems. I ask myself, "Are kids these days really facing difficulties that I do not remember as a child?" I really do not think so. I do not know if the numbers of teens who choose to end it all are really increasing, or if it is just making the news in greater concentration. I,however, think that there is an element to this persecution that is being overlooked, PHONE COURAGE. What I mean by this is that you can and do say things on the phone, or text them, or e-mail them, that you would never say to a person's face. Though there are a few really mean kids out there, most kids would never say most of the hurtful things that are sent by social network options.
When I was a kid there were no social networks aside from the groups that you hung out with in front of your locker, we did not have our own phones (if you wanted to talk to your friend you had to ask their parents to talk to them first), and e-mail was in it's earliest of stages. If you wanted to say something hurtful to someone you ran the very real risk of getting punched in the face! Though some teens still gambled with the risk, you had to respect their courage.
I think that all this business about kids bullying other kids and the problems that have arisen is fatally connected to our addiction to technology. If our children are going to be connected on the social networks they need to be prepared for the hurtful events that can occur and develop a thicker skin about what people say.

Place prewriting..Tuesday July 10 2012

10 July 2012

In My Car

I always maintain that there are no bad days when you're driving your Volkswagen, this has always been true for me. From the first time I drove my bus it has been a place of refuge and happy memories. The classic "old car" smell is an experience all it's own, while the lack of suspension keeps you on your toes. A few months after I bought my bus, and about half way through the paint job my family decided to take a camping trip to Arkansas. What an adventure it would be to drive my new bus on the family camping trip, I thought to my self. So I gathered my guitar and a friend, some snacks and blankets, and headed for Arkansas. Little did I know that this trip would prove to be more of an adventure than I had bargained for. Just a drive across town can prove a harrowing brush with insanity in my old square rust-wagon, so to go 100 miles or more is sure to leave you with a story or two to tell. The place that I will write about in my "WHAT IS A PLACE" paper will be in my bus. If you are in my writing group, stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Pre-Writing Exercise July 9 2012

9 July 2012

Places to go..Pre-Writing Exercise

Grandma's House Manson IA

Dad's Farm

The Fair

The VW Show, Car Show

Wilson's Creek

Renaissance Festival

Swimming @ the Creek

The Zoo

George's 

The Movies

The Hospital

Camping

Post for July 8 2012

8 July 2012

I wish I had the energy of my dog. I wish I had her excitement, her playful nature, her loving spirit; we are not better than our pets, we have so much to learn. My life would not be complete if I didn't have her jumping up nipping at me when I come in the door. Who would be so happy to see me, if it were not for her? She licks my tears when I am sad, and sleeps on my lap when I am lonely. Dogs, cats, birds, whatever makes you happy; they make your life complete. As humans we tend to believe that we are better than all of the other beings with which we share the earth, how sad this is. Next time you are walking your dog and you bend over to pick up the mess, ask yourself who is in charge. Next time you are having a bad day and your dog is there to lick your face and make you smile, ask yourself who is more stable.

Post for July 7th 2012

7 July 2012

Today I played in the rain. It had not rained in so very long that the drops felt blissful as they fell. I was at an auction and it was incredibly hot, we stood in the yard and wiped sweat from our heads. Then, from the heavens it fell, and fell, and the heat of summer turned to cold shivers. I stood under the drops until I was soaked clear through my clothes and my fingers began to shrivel. We dashed through the puddles and huddled under the awning as the wind began to blow harder. It did not stop, the items for sale were blowing down the street and no one was willing to chase after them. Lamp shades and pillow cases scattered about while we laughed at how wet each other had gotten. I looked about for my husband, and I spotted him from the other side of the line of people, I waited for a lull in the storm and I ran for it. He was not there. I kept running for the car, thinking that he may have been there, but not there either. Meanwhile I noticed that my purse had filled with water and my checkbook was floating about; so I seized the opportunity to deposit the contents in the backseat. I found him on the front porch of the house, how could I have not noticed the porch before? We both took refuge here just as it began to hail!

Post for July 6th 2012

12 July 2012

Johnson's Farm ABC's

A is for Awake, so early each day
B is for barn where we keep all the hay
C is for cats, in the barn fast asleep
D is for dog, watching over the sheep
E is for eggs that we collect from the hens
F is for fence to keep the animals in
G is for goats who give milk for cheese
H is for honey we collect from the bees
I is for ice cream on a hot summer’s night
J is for jelly grandma makes it just right
K is for kettle we use to cook on the fire
L is for the ladder we use to climb higher
M is for mice, in the cupboards they creep.
N is for night when the farm goes to sleep
O is for the oxen out chewing his cud
P is for pigs who dig holes in the mud
Q is for quail hiding under the brush
R is for running  when you’re in a rush
S is for sheep who are covered in wool
T is for tractor, we use it to pull.
U is for underwear hanging out on the line
V is for  the vegetables that we share with the swine.
W is for wagon  hauling hay into town
X is the mark to dig a hole in the ground
Y is for yard work and cutting the grass
Zzzzzz…is the sound grandpa makes when he naps

It isn’t easy, this farm life of ours’
Working outside  doing so many chores
The work is hard and the hours are long
But you grow up right, and you grow up strong.
You can’t replace it with diamonds or gold
I hope to be farming ‘till I’m very…..very….very…old!
 

Post for July 5th 2012

5 July 2012

Sometimes I wake up disillusioned from the events of the night, confused as to which realm is reality. A mid-afternoon nap can take an amazing turn when an hour of sleep feels like so much more. For a moment I am confused, is it 6:00 am, or is it night..what day is it? A moment passes before I am able to shake the confusion and switch on the T.V. to know for certain the time of day. Since my husband began working nights, our sleep schedules often do not coincide so I often rest at awkward moments waiting his return home. In these restless moments I dream in unusual quantity, my nights were always dreamless in the past. Often when I awake I am angered or disturbed by the actions of the people that I encountered in the night. Were they real? No, of course not, but I find myself taking out my frustration on the people when I encounter them the following morning. It is amazing the web of confusion that is woven in our subconscious as we sleep, events strung together until only a sleep deprived mind can make sense of them. My sleep deprived mind, my subconscious playing tricks on me, the boogie man under my bed, all so real yet none of them are there when I awake.

Post for July 4 2012

4 July 2012

If I thought that nothing could have been more beautiful than the wild array of colors bursting overhead, I would be neglecting the most beautiful thing in the night sky. Though tonight it only provided the backdrop for the festivities, you could not ignore it's golden presence overhead. Rising up over the tree line in fiery elegance smiling down upon us as we celebrated our nation's independence.  I sat in awe of it's beauty for a moment, though I have admired it every night before. Sometimes we take for granted the things in our life that provide us steady support and unwavering faithfulness. For what would the night be without the moon? Darkness without a light to guide us, life without meaning in a world of uncertainty. Never loose the appreciation for the little things that make our life worth living, the one who is always waiting for you when you come home, your light in the darkness. What is you woke up one night and it wasn't there? 

Post for July 3 2012

3 July 2012

With tomorrow being the 4th of July, the guys at my house have begun to prepare for the festivities. The chemical mixing has begun as well as about a mile of fuse to tie together a string of fireworks. The home made fireworks never work out quite the way they expect them to, but year after year they try again. It is all about the explosion!! The bigger, the better!! The louder, the more exciting!! This is the 4th of July.

Being a kid, we were hillbillies in almost every sense of the word. We went to a friend's house who had dynamite, took shot guns, and made a hole the size of a pond every year. What a BLAST!! We ran around, played in the hose and did not have a care in the world. 

When I was single I never celebrated the holiday with fireworks, we would just go to a BBQ or watch the neighbors shoot them off. It just so happens that my husband likes the 4th better than Christmas, and even though I see it as a ridiculous waste of money, it is what he looks forward to all year.

So tomorrow, I am sure will be an orchestrated disaster. There will be explosions an inch above our heads, something will catch fire, and at least one festival ball will explode against the house. This is the 4th of July on the Johnson Farm!

Entry for Monday July 2

2 July 2012

Who we are today is nothing more than the sum of events that has so far made up our lives. Were it not for every trial and joy that we have experienced we may not be in the same place or with the same people who we are today. I am happy with who I have become, where my life has taken me, and the people who I have surrounded myself with; I cannot imagine it any other way. Though I may be equally as happy in other circumstances, I have no room for regret in the ones I have. Often called the butterfly effect, and related to much larger circumstances, I think that this equally applies to the small events that personally make up our lives. Life has not been perfect, and my childhood was by far not a fairy tale, but it has made me a stronger person, equipped to deal with anything thrown my way. When I consider everyone who goes through their lives wishing for a different life, all the while wasting the one they have, I feel quite blessed with my own contentment.

Entry for Sunday July 1

1 July 2012

My internet is down tonight, so I will post this blog tomorrow if it comes back up. It is so frustrating when you set out to complete a task and technology gets in the way. Technology is supposed to streamline our lives, make things easier, help us complete tasks with ease; however, often it is the opposite. I like to think of myself as an open minded person, but often when it comes to the changes in technology around me I am slow to adapt! I still do not text, I think that phones are for talking! I can see the convenience of texting, but it takes so much of the human interaction that I enjoy out of the equation! I did not notice the gap forming generationally until I came back to school. I think that the younger generation is loosing some of the ability to communicate face to face and hold down a meaningful verbal conversation. This does not apply to everyone, but a percentage of kids today can text 100 words a minute, but are petrified to talk to a stranger on the phone! I struggle with getting my computer to work, and my 11 year old son can fix it. This is the difference between someone who was given a computer in High School, and a kid who has never known the world without them! Though there are so many aspects of our technologically changing world that are amazing and helpful, we have grown to depend on them so much that often we could not function without them. What did we do before we could GOOGLE it?