Back on That Pony

This recent trip to SD last week took me out of the loop–blogging and otherwise–and I’m almost caught up now before another frantic period. I’ll be working some extra days after having been “unemployed” for a few weeks while the clinic census was down. I have several book-related events–one each week for the rest of the month, a workshop in Tennessee, the new notecards (status from printer not yet known), the Floyd Press piece to work on every other week (finished the next one this morning) and now the woodpile and the construction of the new garage and garden fence happening before the ground freezes, ending the concrete work. I’m not bored.

But I am in-between, unsettled, poorly focused, a bit dazed on the domestic, professional and creative fronts. I’ll find my stride again, do whatever it takes to make the day seem worth pushing forward, find or invent a point to the pushing, arrive and wonder where to go from there. Groundhog Day–the movie.

Meanwhile, an order yesterday from Lightning Source for 41 books–after a long dry spell. I’m guessing they are destined for Blue Ridge Parkway visitors centers. Mabry Mill just requested some more last week. The Mac Pro Fund is creeping up with glacial slowness (bad metaphor for our times, as most glaciers are shrinking, not growing!)

Hmmm. Looking here in my NoteTab Pro blog topic stockpile and find some things I’ve not linked to yet, so click away:

I met the nice young couple recently moved from the midwest to Floyd County. They have web design clients all over the place, and are impressed with the high-tech connnectedness they enjoy from their rural home and business at Birnam Designs.

I just discovered my writer-friend Jayn has a website for her exquisite pottery at her Blue Herron Pottery website. Way to go, Jayn–the most technology-shunning person I know, next to my very own wife.

And at the Taste of Floyd, having been introduced by email, I met another Floyd County blogger and photographer whose site is called Spatter.

I showed you a silhoutte of my Nomadic Photographer friend Jonathan Kingston who is making his living freelancing as a photography teacher at various places around the globe. I think maybe this was the week he expected to be in Maui.

This is an informative-at-a-glance summary of how and where our water goes.

And I’ve been enjoying the new and improved Pandora lately. In my “Harry Nilsson” channel I ran across some pieces by Biff Rose that I liked. I enjoy the artist info provided as well for folks like Biff, Randy Newman, and others whose music shares features with Harry’s.

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fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

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  1. Thanks for all the great links. Floyd must be a magnet for great writers and artists, welcome to June at Spatter! Enjoyed reading about Randy Newman, always love his movie themes and who can forget ‘short people’! I noticed the Amazon ad on your sidebar, a new John Grisham novel to check out – do you get $ for clicks there? And what is stumbleupon?

    Oh, and that is one gorgeous baby girl!

  2. I have no doubt whatsoever that you’ll find your stride again – and quickly! The water graphic was quite sobering. Thanks for sharing it. And many thanks too for the mention of my blog.