Nanowrimo - It is Done!

Oh my goodness... never let a week go by in the middle of November where you do no writing during the month of Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). For the last week, it's been 3800 words a day and today it was 3800 x 2!!! But... after much hard typing...

 It is done!!

This little bear is done!! I should mention that anyone who finishes the 50,000 words is a Winner!!

As for getting this novel into a readable format... well... that may take a bit of editing... typos aplenty and some definite plot diversions. Mama says we can do it... stay tuned!

On and on December 5, all the winners get some cool swag from the sponsors... can't wait to see what that is!

Blustery Winter Weather

Well, today was wet and windy. It might not look wet and windy... but it was!

It was the perfect time to try out my new rain coat! It works pretty good. I didn't bring the sou'wester because I didn't realize it was so windy!

It's nice to sit and listen to the waves.

Sometimes the weather doesn't know what it wants to do... blue sky on one side and rain squalls on the other.

My new coat is almost the same colour as the life guard chair.

Maybe I could be a lifeguard one day? Mama says I'd have to be able to swim beary well and not be afraid to jump into the water and save people. Hmmm... scrap that idea!

There is a cool bench here... can you see me?

The bench has neat little nooks and corners perfect for little bears to play hide and seek!

Now I just need to find some little bears with whom to play hide and seek!

It was beautiful out there... but now it's time for some hot chocolate!

A Walk!

Hooray!! I got out for a walk today... Now... you might think it is summertime by this picture...

Oh, look, an eagle with a salmon in his talons!

But look! That is ice on the puddle... It is winter... and definitely cooler...

Yep, that's it... it wasn't a beary exciting walk so I slept in Mama's backpack for a while...

Missing Bears Update

Uh-oh... all of a sudden it's been a week since I posted! And there's only 1 week left in November!! That means I have (gulp) 7 days to solve the Mystery of the Missing Bears (in 50,000 words or more). Uh-oh... and where is my sekretari??

Well, she got a new toy... a quick duplex scanner... She is on a decluttering kick at the moment (comes from moving too often)!

So the office is a mess of scanning, shredding...

And recycling... sigh...

That sure is a lot of paper in those garbage bags (going to recycling)...

 But Mama!!! We need to write!!!

And I can't do it with these darn keyboards. Mama!!!

The Mystery of the Missing Bears

Hullo Bears and not-a-Bears!

As you may know, I entered the NaNoWriMo 2013 thingie (National Novel Writing Month). The goal is to write a novel (50,000 words) in a month... Now, it can be a bit stressful...

www.nanotoons.net

I am doing OK (so far!). Anyhow... I was wondering if some of you bears and not-a-bears could help my main protagonist character with his quest.

That's him!! Isn't he cute?? Yes, it's me... Sandy Bear. Anyhow... I am writing a semi-autobiographical story about a little bear named Sandy (that's me!) who is on a quest to discover The Mystery of the Missing Bears. You see... although I have a whole bunch of stuffie friends around the world... there aren't any other stuffie friends in Canada. Beary Mysterious! Plus, other than Jerry & Ben, (and their cousin Jake, whom we haven't seen in a coons age) there aren't any other little bears like me out there having adventures. And definitely no little girl bears! Super Mysterious. Were they abducted by space aliens?? My protagonist (that's me!) is beary perplexed and is on the hunt to solve the mystery.

So... as any good detective, Detective Sandy (that's me) is interviewing witnesses (that's you!)... What are your theories on this great mystery. Where are all the bears? Why aren't there more bears out there having adventures... Detective Sandy wants to know... His notebook is at the ready (as he gives his pencil a quick lick and looks expectantly at the screen)...

Mail Call

I got an envelope in the mail from Jerry & Ben today! I wonder what it is...

A Happy Birthday card!! Thanks guys... "from both of us... the cute one and the smart one"... haha... Which is which? Is Jerry the cute one? Is Ben the smart one? Ohhh... I don't know that I want to make any comments on that!

Ah hah!! "(They're both me. He'll sign anything I put in front of him.)" Oh that's good!!

And look, there is the trademark little bear drawing of Jerry & Ben! Thanks again guys!

Sandy explores a new park

I don't understand it... I can go for weeks with nary an adventure and then all of a sudden... Boom!!! There are tonnes of adventures and way too many to post about. Sometimes it's hard being a little bear! The weather cleared up marginally and I got to go for a hike! This is a new park we haven't been to before. To be fair... I'm new here... so I haven't been to most parks in the area!

Look at that... blue sky!

Little bears love to scamper down the trail kicking dry leaves left and right!

Of course I had to model my new jacket... don't I look handsome? It's a perfect jacket for a crisp fall day... not too hot... not too cold.

Still some mushrooms hiding under some leaves.

Whoa... and some big, big maples leaves!

There's a bit of a marshy area where the birds like to hang out.

And a bird-watching platform. I have to say... I don't have the patience for bird-watching...

But we did see this funny looking duck thing way off in the distance. Bird-watching would be way more fun if the birds would swim closer!

The cat tails are almost all done...

There was this little quiet patch of water with tiny green plants and every once in a while a little fish would bump its nose up to the surface. But I couldn't get a picture of him... too quick!

I got a beary good sense of the ecosystem of these coastal forests... The undergrowth has lots of sword fern...

With Oregon Grape (I wonder if Little Fox has stuff like that down where he lives) and Salal... Both shrubs produce berries that make awesome jelly... which goes good with toast and hot chocolate!

There are even some piddly red huckleberry bushes...

This is a big old cedar tree... makes a great place for a little bear to play hide-and-seek! If a little bear had someone to play hide-and-seek with!

Isn't it pretty?? Most of the trees are Douglas Fir and Cedar...

Some more cute mushrooms...

The lake looks like it might be good for swimming in the summer... now it's too cold... brr!!!

Ahhh... this little bear need to soak up some sunshine! That was a good hike...

Belated Happy Birthday!

Uh yes... it was my birthday on Saturday and I completely forgot to post a blog about it! I was in such stunned shock that I could barely keep my balance. Mama says... I get to go to Malaysia with Mama's partner!! Oooohhhh!!! For two weeks!! I'm not sure what the trip is about but who cares... I get to add another trans-oceanic flight to my belt notches.

Now, in order to go I had to sign away my life and promise to be on my bestest behaviour... Me? When am I never on my bestest behaviour??? Hmmm... don't answer that! Anyhow, the trip is coming up in a few weeks so stay tuned!

And now back to our regular programming... Oh, how old am I? I am a whopping 2 years old!

Oh, and a NaNoWriMo update... I am a tad behind in my word count but... it is flowing nicely when I do get a chance to work on... The Mystery of The Missing Bears... ooohhh...

Sandy and the Temper-metal Axe

Hullo bears and not-a-bears! I have been a busy little bear the last few days. Back when we moved into this house, there were two broken axes in the shed. One was a pretty new axe and the other was old and rusted. Both had their handles still stuck in them. I decided to help Mama get the wood out! We started with the new axe... and it went pretty good it seems to me... see no wood!

But, it took a lot of effort! There was a drill and an improvised chisel out of a screw driver and another drill and a bolt to hit bits of wood out and a saw and a c-clamp...

And plastic! Yes!! The wood handle was topped up with plastic... that was fun drilling out. And no, Mama does not have a vice grip which would have made everything go much easier!

Look at all those bits of plastic and sawdust...

The second axe head was different. It was old and rusted and Mama smacked the snoosh out of the wood back in the summer and still couldn't get the wood to budge too much...

See? And somebody had but all sorts of nails in the other end to try to get the handle to stay on better so drilling wasn't really an option.

What to do?? Well, Gramma was here for a visit and said, burn the handle out!

Really, you can put axe heads in the fire??
Do I hear cries of "nooooooo!!!" from all you backwoods savvy bears?? Well, yes, Mama looked it up and it is not recommended as it can make the axe head lose its temper.

blink... blink... ha ha ha haha hah!!!!!

An axe head that loses its temper... ha hah hah ... (images of little bear rolling on the floor giggling like mad).

But it was an old axe head and so we thought we'd try it... there we go... axe head in the fire...

Now we just have to wait?? How long?? Good question... we waited about 15 minutes and then poked the wood bits out with the poker (that's why it's called a poker... hah hah!!) and then pulled it out...

Ooooohhhh... that's not photoshopped! Is that really glowing???

Oh Mama... I think that axe head got too hot and it may have lost its temper! I can see the headline now: "Hot Headed Axe Loses its Temper and goes on Rampage through West Coast city"...

Well, we won't know until it cools down... which takes a while...

Once it was nice and cold, we put it in a vinegar bath... and waited a few days...

Ooohhh.. that looks yucky!

Whoa! That vinegar took off a lot of the rust! And when you dry it off...

Look!!! You can see the temper line! That's the dark area near the blade of the axe... It looks just like how they look online...

Except not as nicely polished as others...
 
(Photo from another blog)


And this is the other side. So... if the axe has kept its temper (giggle) then it might be worth sharpening it up and making it a useful axe...

The head would need some work as it is all mushroomed out...

But the axe is made in West Germany so maybe its worth it? Whadde y'all l'il bears think???