Good morning, Word Nerds! Last week’s WOW (Word of the Week) was cybrarian. Here’s what Merriam-Webster Online says is the definition for said WOW: a person whose job is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web. I guessed a “cyberspace librarian,” so can I count that as a “win”??? (Let’s be honest–I don’t get that many wins!)

This week’s WOW is haplology. Here are my guesses for haplology:

haplology: (ha-ˈplä-lə-jē) 1. the study of happiness 2. the study of unlucky people 3. the biology of haplos (whatever that is)

What’s your guess for haplology? Post a comment below to let me know how smart you are!

Wednesday’s Post: Becoming a log home cybrarian...

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As most of you know, I tolerate other canines and that’s about it. I tolerate them. I like being Queen of the Domicile around here. Yes, that’s an official title. What do you mean you don’t believe me? I’m sure my tiara is around here somewhere. The mom person probably has hidden it…like she does with all of my treats.

Like it or not, my home occasionally gets invaded by other canines who think they also reign supreme. Recently, though, I’ve begun going to this dog paradise place with big water bowls, lots of trees and lots of interesting poop.

What? You don’t find poop interesting? What is wrong with you? You can’t tell anything about anybody unless you smell their poop. Geez. And I thought you humans were smart.

Notice a few things different in the picture above? I sure hope so.

Number 1 Change: There are now double posts at the edge of the back deck on the lakeside of Solitude. They add a little more pizzazz to this simple cabin design, if you ask me and add on well to the Timber look trusses.

Number 2 Change: The porch railings are up! Our porch railings are square with a flat board on top. Most log cabins have rounded rails and tops and I just wasn’t wild about it. It was too “chunky”. I love resting my arms on the flat top boards! We lowered the railing as much as we could so that one can see as much lake as possible. We also put the rails as far apart as possible, while still protecting little ones! I would have lowered the rail even more, but again, safety dictates a minimum height for the little ones.

Howdy, Word Nerds! If you’re wondering where my posts have gone, it’s called a busy life on several fronts. So, sue me–I took a brief vacation from writing!

Last week’s WOW was caparison. Merriam-Webster Online says there are 2 definitions:

1. a :  an ornamental covering for a horse b :  decorative trappings and harness

2. rich clothing :  adornment

Quite clearly none of my horse owner friends read this blog! Of course, the fact that I rarely (if ever) reference horse stuff here has absolutely nothing to do with that.

This week’s WOW is cybrarian. Here are my guesses for cybrarian:

cybrarian: (sī-ˈbrer-ē-ən) 1. an employee of a circular library 2. a cyberspace librarian 3. Marion the Libarian’s and Harold Hill’s son, Cy.

What’s your guess for cybrarian? Post a comment below to let me know the REAL definition.

Wednesday’s Post: Logging Miles…

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Howdy, Word Nerds! Last week I chose to salute the 4th of July. So, we need to go back two weeks to Beltane. According to Merriam-Webster Online, Beltane is: the Celtic May Day festival. Remind me of that next May.

Today’s WOW (Word of the Week) really is caparison. No, I didn’t misspell it.

Here are my guesses for caparison:

caparison: (kə-ˈper-ə-sən) 1. a comparison of capes 2. a comparison of Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod 3. a comparison of capitals 4. being stuck on comparisons of words that begin with “ca”

What’s do you think caparison means? Your guess deserves “center stage”, so leave a guess below!

Wednesday’s Post: More Log Rhythms!

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They say talk is cheap.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Talk can move mountains.

Talk can inspire.

Talk can motivate.

Talk can calm.

Shed porches going on!

Howdy, Cabin lovers! As I type this the hubby is out at the Reserve and is ensuring that the builder has all he needs to continue finishing the exterior of the cabin. This week’s projects include putting on “shed porches” over the exterior porches on the cabin, installing electrical wiring, putting bracing on the load-bearing trusses and cleaning the exterior logs.

I didn’t think that there would be a lot of “aesthetic” decisions to be made at this stage in the game, but I’m wrong! For the shed porches I needed to tell the builder which way I wanted the under side of the roofing to be laid. There are even several ways to do the corners and I’ll be honest, I may regret what I decided! But, it’s probably not an “end of the world” decision.

In a few places we are having “upside down T” trusses made by a local welder since we selected more detailed trusses in the front and back of the cabin. Even the size of the brace holes is a decision as well as how many holes per brace and the placement of these holes. One also has to decide the finish color and the type of bolts or screws used to brace these trusses.

Happy 4th of July, everyone! Happy 240th Birthday, America!

We interrupt my normal Monday posts for a word we all say we know. However, I think that on this special day, it’s smart to remind ourselves what we’re celebrating.

Because our founding fathers (and mothers!) gave us freedom of speech, it’s easy to state how dissatisfied we are with our country currently. There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that we need to change some things about our country. In doing that we often begin to question whether or not our founding principles are still valid.

I suggest they are still as valid today as they were 240 years ago. We still need to guard against tyranny by another regime far, far away from our borders. We still need to keep our government in check when it gets excessive. We still need to allow people to worship whoever and however they like. We still need to promote the general welfare. Is that easily accomplished?

Of course not. It wasn’t 240 years ago, either. People died defending these rights. Friends. Family members. Children. People lost homes and farms and businesses. It was chaos.

But out of chaos came something truly unusual and beautiful. Respecting others and defending this grand experiment we call a democracy.

So, it bears repeating the Merriam-Webster’s Online definition of patriotism:

patriotism: (ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm) love for or devotion to one’s country

Despite the rancor of this year’s politics, patriotism is still in the top 10% of popularity for English words. Perhaps even more interesting are some of the synonyms and antonyms for patriotism:

Synonyms: constancy, faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness, passion

Antonyms: desertion, falseness, treachery

Let’s strive for a few of those synonyms this day and every day especially as we elect a new President this year. The world could use a little constancy, faith, loyalty, steadfastness, and passion.

Be safe!

Wednesday’s Post: More news from Solitude...

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I do a lot of panting at this time of year. Why do the humans make it so hot outside? (They control everything.) There never seems to be enough water in my bowl and I even make myself look really pathetic as I pant and hang out by the Mom person when it gets empty.

Thankfully, my humans have square stones on the kitchen floor. I don’t know how they find so many stones that are the same size and color perfectly, but my humans are pretty clever. The stones have magic powers in them.

No! It’s true.

How do I know this? Because whenever I pant after coming from outside, laying down on the square stones stops my panting almost instantly! I don’t know how they do this, but it happens.

I no longer waste any more time when coming inside. I go immediately to the magic stones and make sure as much of my body is touching those magic stones as I can. This usually means I have to be in the middle of the floor.

The mom person doesn’t seem overly fond of me using this section of the floor. She says she has to step over me when going from one part of the floor to another. But she would quit complaining if she’d put her body on the floor with me. This is awesome stuff here!

When I quit panting, the stones have another magical effect–they make me sleepy. I tend to wake up on these stones a lot.

There’s only one down side to these square stones. They aren’t quite as comfy as my bed or the humans’ beds. I may have to strike for better canine conditions in the future. These humans are supposed to cater to my every need. They just don’t know it yet. I prefer to keep them in the dark about my true intentions as often as possible. It makes for better bargaining positions.

You’ll have to excuse me now…I need to make my “Maizie on Strike” signs.

Monday’s Post: What’s Beltane?

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Lakeside of Solitude

Why is the center section roofing not also done? Because the hubby and I need to make some lighting decisions! Yes, lighting decisions.

The center cabin section contains two 8″ square beamed trusses, vaulted ceilings, and purlins. Thus, any ceiling-mounted lighting here is now an urgent decision. In some cases we need to make final decisions about exactly what lighting fixture(s) will occupy certain areas.