Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
The new ‘garden’ in the form of three letters cut into the turf of the side lawn. In dirt brown against the green grass, ‘U’, ‘n’ & ‘a’ spells, Una, of course
It’s Saturday when I type (the beginning of) this post. It may very well be Sunday when you read it. This is, of course, the Ten Things of Thankful bloghop. Originated by Lizzi Lewis, (still not admitting that CS is her great-uncle), now curated by Josie Two Shoes, it is a ‘place’ in the virtual world where people of (similar) mind and good intent gather each week for an exercise (in the cultivation) of gratitude, (both the attitude, outlook and emotion). If you’re new to the TToT, allow me of say, this is a serious effort for many, however, rarely is the word ‘serious’ intended as ponderous and humorless, which is so not the case. Sure there are rules, but they’re Secret! (lol the best kind!) The Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) has more blank pages than full, the ideal ratio. (BoSR/SBoR’s motto: “…in a jam? not sure if you can use an event or situation, stuck for items to make the Ten, not feeling overly grateful? There’s a Secret Rule for that! and if you can’t find it, make it up! just try to stick some op. cits., paragraphs and such, and if you can, whats really cool are [t]hose really odd [p]arentheticals.“)
Anyway.
1) the photo above is this year’s garden, pre-plants. Will be vegetables such as tomatoes and possibly celery, (clearly a great deal of thought has gone into what it is to be grown in this here garden here. but then, the fun was in the digging.)
2) the next photo is also yard related. we had a large tree fall in the woods this winter* Unfortunately it fell across one of the path/trails that Phyllis and Una like to walk. And so, chainsaw in hand, I’ve been cutting up limbs in order to clear the area and return the path to walkability.
a large, apparently (because we are told, not that we can see) double-trunked pine tree, lying in the grown in a woods of much smaller and thinner pine trees. most of the branches of the fallen tree have been cut and, towards the end the trunk is a pile of cut limbs, showing green of the pine needles against the mostly brown of the trunks and old needles carpeting the ground.
3) As should be clear by now, the dog and the human are kinda central to my world. Phyllis and Una always merit mention.
4) At the end of the afternoon of dragging tree limbs, sweating and such, I offer as Grat Item #4: “I’m grateful for not being confined to a hospital bed.” (Though kind of obvious, being the clark that I am, I’m better able to experience the emotion of gratitude when it’s couched in simple and somewhat un-sophisticated terms, i.e. I’ve been confined a hospital bed in my past. Physically working well past my comfort range and sweating and all is way, way better.)
5) the Gravity Challenge. It’s good to have something relatively uncomplicated to do every morning (except Sundays). And what it is I do to fulfill that need is post the readouts of all the Graviteers that (have) sent in their photos. It’s fun and encouraging (to each of us, in a very specific, but different way) and I’m inviting you to join us. Questions can be directed to any of the Graviteers: val, kristi, lisa, may, sarah or joy.
6) Working on Chapter 6 of ‘Home and Heart‘ (a Sister Margaret Ryan novel). Come join in the adventure. I say, ‘adventure’ in that my approach is ‘seat-of-the-pants’ writing, applied to a serial format. As a result, I don’t know where the story is going, until we get there. Which adds a certain, shared excitement among those of us following the story.
7) The Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers) if for no other reason than, if I know the other person’s predominant worldview, I have sense of how they are experiencing the current situation. By being aware of the perspective of the other person, my range of responses not only increases, it likely includes the one that will produce the reaction I am after.
8) You know whose TToT post are really kinda excellent? Pat’s over at ‘A season and a Time‘ I write often about how I admire those who can write a TToT thats organized and direct and all. Pat does that, but she adds something extra, a sense of narrative; you totally get the feeling of being there. this is cool, as she most often writes of adventures and occurrences in the week prior. Very much glimpse into a life, which, if there is one thing that this virtual world provides better than any other medium, it’s the privilege of being invited, for a brief time, to share the world as another person has experienced it. Plus, she’s on the opposite coast. I totally identify with the Pacific Northwest, myself being on the Atlantic Ocean.
9) (left open for the chance Sunday Odd and/or Profound.)
10) Secret Rule 1.3
* yes, it is my favorite joke that, by definition, I treat myself to, on the occasion when I’m within hearing distance when one of the tree falls to the ground. I always jump up and say, (to no one), “I heard that!”
About clarkscottroger
Frist.
Frist!
Your Ten Things of Thankful posts are just as much fun to read as your serial novels. I am anxious to see photos of the developing UNA garden. Novel idea. Love the “if a tree falls in the forest….” reference. Thank YOU for hosting that gravity challenge which has made a positive difference in this girl’s life of yo-yo dieting. See you at the SSS – unless you’re chicken.
lol
hey! just finished a semi-final read through of the most recent chapters (yeah, ‘s’) so watch ‘the Facebook’ of the latest from our Sister Margaret Ryan.
Will you come dig out a joulie patch for me….Im a Clark spending too much hospital time. … very very cool garden
damn… hospitals, no matter how beneficial and such, are a place one should spend to much time. All that remains is to stick the plants in the ground and the rest will be up to the local fauna.
(get the hell out of the fricken hospital, if for no other reason than they’re full of sick people!)
I’m out…just too much lately
np
day at a time, yo
You realize, of course, that what you plant in the respective letters is…significant. (Yeah, being particularly clarklike today, that’s what I’m thinkin’ lol)
It is a motivator for sure, to remind oneself of “how it could” be. You, having spent time in a hospital bed, can appreciate that. I have not and therefore often will think of various possible scenarios of what life might/could be and usually that’s all it takes to get my ass in gear.
I’m there for the H&H Adventure!
Thank goodness for 1.3!
thanks for the read-through assistance. will post tomorrow
You really did make an “Una Garden”… that is so cool, Clark! Tomatoes fresh from the garden are awesome! I really admire the work you’ve put in to till up the garden space, and even moreso to disassemble that huge pine tree that has fallen across the path. Obviously you are determined to do whatever is required. I confess I’d be looking for excuses to “supervise” someone else’s efforts. :-) I applaud you for finding a grateful item in being able to do physical labor rather than being confined to a hospital bed, which is definitely not fun. Being grateful for things such as this is so true to the TToT concept!
I love that your Gravity Challenge group continues to work on it faithfully, and that you continue to post the results each day. Sustaining interest in anything is not always easy, and this has been going for some time now, there is clearly strength in numbers… and in seeing them drop!
I had to smile at you writing Home and Heart “by the seat of your pants”, as that is definitely my writing style as well. In fact it’s fair to say that’s my lifestyle, which makes for one lousy chess player! :-)
I like your noting that your awareness provided by The Wakefield Doctrine increases your ranges of responses to a person and the possibility of eliciting the response you desire. That’s a definite plus when it comes to relationships and interactions!
I most definitely agree with you about Pat’s TToT posts, she’s often taking us along for a walk somewhere wonderful, or sharing sweet family reminiscences, and she’s super nice and caring too! In fact visiting every one of our TToT bunch is a real blessing to me, and a part of my weekends that I really look forward to, such a diverse group, yet united in our belief of the importance of gratitude. I am eternally grateful to Lizzi for starting this here TToT thing! <3
I'll be back in a couple days to see if you've come up with something odd or profound, or both, to add to this list, but it's really been a pleasure reading what you've shared! Thank you, Clark. Have a great week ahead!
It was fun. The fresh vegetable thing is pretty cool. (I’m thinking it would make sense to plant fewer plants, but at staggered intervals, given the discrepancy between our capacity for production and our capacity consumption. The Gravity Challenge is pretty cool. It’s a way simpler thing to maintain than something like this, the TToT. I just send messages and post photos. But we all get something from the effort.
Still have that space open. Nothing odd about the afternoon other than it getting down right chilly. Ah the weather of the future.
I’m working on reading those other chapters. End of the year. Crazy. And…found out about the grant. It’s not public knowledge, yet, but I can say it here (shh…not on the FB though, lol): we are not renewed. Job hunt commences mid-summer. But somehow, I’m not worried. :)
Una garden – awesome. I’m trying to picture you wielding a chainsaw, Clark…
Gravity challenge is definitely a thing of merit for me right now, too. I’m right on the mark for a recent milestone goalpoint and on track for a mid-year target. If that continues, I’ll hit a fabulous goal by end of year. We shall see…
Still hoping to get to your novel stories. Just buried in work and progress lately. Nose to the grindstone, as they say.
they (chainsaws) surely are the most perfect combination of deadly and too-much-fun, in the world of power tools. as powerful (and deadly) as a table saw or a (misleadingly named) skil saw but, portable and louder and, arguably far more dangerous! there is that special time, a minute after caution is washed away in the adrenaline spike of seeing the tree fall over in the intended direction and (less than a minute) before muscles start to vibrate from un-accustomed strain, that a chainsaw becomes nothing less than a all-powerful extension of yourself… I did say this might be a Y Chrome-thing, didn’t I? lol
I did not get to this here TToT on Saturday nor Sunday, as intended, but Friday and here we are…arriving at yet another one. Time flies.
Thanks for the photo descriptions. All your hard work paying off. Yes, and I hope you do manage to stay far far away from a hospital bed, for as long as possible. I’ve been there, not for a while now, but I don’t recommend it as the best spot to spend one’s time.
I love Pat’s narrative thankful posts too. Excellent observations.
Hope your girls can walk their path again soon.
The weeks are totally speeding up! You are totally welcome (I am a beneficiary of the photo descriptions, as it is forcing me to think very critically about what I would write… ayiieee I need to be 27 years old again, maybe then I would have the time to learn all that I am learning that I need to learn about his writing thing.)
We’ve never planted celery, but I think it is just because we don’t eat a lot of celery.
It looks like you will have plenty of firewood for next winter. That’s a good thing!
Your garden design is looking good! It will be fun to see it in its different vertical states of progress.
Being able to be physically able to work is WAY better than being confined to a hospital bed. You’ll get no argument on that from me.
Thank you for the shoutout re my TToT posts.
Will try and remember to document each stage.
you’re totally welcome