Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Two Sentence Tuesday -- Daring Things

The best thing about birthdays is they can be quite fluid. While the official big day for me is November I often collect my gift from by best friend a few months later as part of our late Christmas. I bring hers along and she stores it until her big day in April.
This year one of her gifts to me was The Pocket Daring Book for Girls. It's got great ideas in it as well as how to execute them safely.  A quick skim of it rendered some wonderful treasures. Regrettably, my friend has expressly forbade me from building my own back yard zip line.
Two non-contiguous lines from The Pocket Daring Book for Girls: Things to Do by Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz (Collins, 2008)
From the Essential Gear section about caring for your Swiss Army Knife: "Clean with hot, soapy water, and add a tiny drop of mechanical oil once every three blue moons."
From Miscellanea, about Taking Things Apart: Old televisions and fax machines, a cell phone that no longer works, or a computer that's ten years out of date and living its final years in the back shed: no discarded machine should go undismantled."
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My latest writing is no where near so daring or fun, but at least I have done something.
Here's a wee sample from Blood Love:
"But they found Kevis Loney’s body all pale and drained. That raised a few brows."
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Thanks so much for coming by. For more or to get in on the fun please see the Women of Mystery.

17 comments:

messymimi said...

Why no zip line? My kids do that in their friend's back yard all the time (we don't have a tree they could use). It's fun.

AS for dismantling, don't give my kids any ideas! As small children they would take apart everything to see how it would work, and if they couldn't get it open, a hammer would do.

Finding bodies is always an eerie thing, makes me want to find out what happened.

Laurita said...

"That raised a few brows." How wonderfully understated. :)

A backyard zipline sounds like fun. Hmmmm...

Leah J. Utas said...

Messymimi, she's just being cautious. Do your kids use a mattress for a stopper/landing pad?
I used to take things apart, too. I don't know why I stopped.
Glad my lines intrigued you.

Laurita, thank you. If you make a zip line I'd like to hear how it goes.

Laura K. Curtis said...

I was a big fan of taking things apart as a kid. I guess I was more of a daring girl than I knew!

Love your lines! I can just see the brows.

Dawn said...

Raised brows....good line. I think I would raise mine. And then run I would run!

Hmmm....the zip line sounds like a summer project. Would you like me to come out and help you build one? It would be such fun!

The dismantling thing? My boys are right on that.

How warm are YOU today? Is it not hard to stay warm lately?

Have a great Tuesday Leah.

Leah J. Utas said...

Laura, I'm sure you were daring. Thanks re: the lines.

Dawn, thanks. I'd take you up on the help if we had the trees for it. A private zip line sounds like a blast.
Dismantling is fun. Reassembling was always my downfall.
Warm isn't happening. It's -40C right now. I poked my nose out the door when it was a paltry -38 about an hour ago. Felt every degree of it. Hope you have a great day, too.

Kathleen A. Ryan said...

The Pocket Daring Book for Girls sounds like fun!

I guess a pale and drained body would raise a few brows ~ poor Kevin!

Keep up the good work, Leah!

Leah J. Utas said...

Kathleen, the book has some very fun activities, and I finally know how to short sheet a bed. Thanks for the kindness re: my lines.

Reb said...

Zip lines are a bit beyond my comfort level, but, I still love to take things apart ;) Pale and drained? I feel like that a lot, a wonder I don't raise more eyebrows :) Great lines.

Leah J. Utas said...

Thanks, Reb. I've been on zip lines in Costa Rica. Quite like them.

Clare2e said...

I love these books of DARING as a tonic for a world occasionally positioned as if it ought to be bubble-wrapped.

Leah J. Utas said...

So true, Clare. It's good to get out and do stuff.

Dawn said...

Zip line?????!!!!

A hasty Google reveals that you are referring to that classic kiwi favorite - the flying fox. No childhood is complete without one.

David Cranmer said...

Leah, Are you still managing 1000k a day?

Leah J. Utas said...

Dawn, I'd love to do that flying fox, but the sheer joy of it might do me in.

David, thanks for asking. I'm editing now so my work is nowhere close to that. When I start my next WIP I intend to keep to that goal.

the Bag Lady said...

A zip line?? Hmmm, wonder if I could find a sturdy enough set of trees here?
Great lines, cousin!

Leah J. Utas said...

Bag Lady, I'm sure you could. Thanks.