tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40408052241558547222024-03-05T00:08:13.204-06:00From The Silent PlanetThe writings of a homeschooled author, cowgirl, poet and believerAbigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-55465788224611591862016-01-13T09:11:00.000-06:002016-01-13T23:00:22.965-06:00Relocation<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Alas my friends, eleventy-one years is far too short a time
to spend among such excellent, such admirable hobbits. For which reason, I have
decided to relocate to a short distance from here at </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://morehearttorun.blogspot.com/">A Hare on the Hillside</a>. I have been
neglecting the blogosphere in a cruel and inexcusable fashion, but I hope to
remedy this tragic sin shortly. Should you feel inclined, I would love it you paid me a visit at my new location!</span>Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-61333135403401947342014-09-02T21:24:00.000-05:002014-09-02T21:24:34.609-05:00First Flight-Gliding in the Land of Enchantment<div class="MsoNormal">
Well loyal readers, it has been quite a long time since I last
posted (for which I apologize), but I have been rather busy. I also apologize
for the fact that this is not going to be the second part in the Good Movie
series, but I think you will find this post far more interesting and enjoyable
than it would have been. </div>
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I write this post from the middle of nowhere in the Guadalupe
Mountains of New Mexico. I would tell you where we are, but it wouldn't mean
much to you. The nearest town is a long ways away and several thousand feet
below us. On to the main point of the post!<o:p></o:p></div>
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This morning we drove to an old abandoned airfield in Hobbs, NM
that used to be the training site for B-17 bombers during the Second World War.
At the time, it was the largest airfield in the USA and its runway still ranks
among the longest in the country. The glider was a Schweitzer 233 made by a
German American company in New York back in the 1960s. The particular glider we
flew was made in ’65. The hangar was built on the concrete surface used to
calibrate the compasses on the bombers during the war. It was very neat to be
flying on the airfield used during the war. </div>
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Anyway, first-off we did a formal check of the plane (There’s not
much to check on this type of glider so we basically made sure the wings were
attached) and then pulled the glider out of the hangar and out across what used
to be the ramp for the B-17s. Here is a picture of the airfield during 1943 and
you can actually see the bombers lined up on the ramp. (Despite the word, it is
not inclined at all, it is just the place where the bombers were pulled out and
inspected before flight.) You can also see the barracks that housed the cadets, technicians and trainers. </div>
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To make a long story short, we pulled the glider out to the end of
the runway behind a pick-up and took a few pictures while the pickup went down the runway about half a mile. I got strapped into the glider and we
did a check for full movement of the controls and radio signal. The pilot, my
step-grandfather, was in the back and I was in the front. </div>
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To take-off, the pickup would go to the end of the 1/2 mile wire, attach it to the hitch and then radio back, "Tow truck ready to take up slack." If we were strapped in and the canopy was secured, we would then reply, "Glider ready to take up slack." The tow crew would then say, "Taking up slack." Once the slack was out, we would radio, "Slack out. Pause." This told the tow crew to wait as we radioed Hobbs Regional Airfield and warned them that a glider was being launched. Then we would say "Let's go" to the tow crew and we'd be off. The pickup would begin to cruise along at around 15 mph picking up pace very quickly to about 55 mph, at which point the glider picks up off the
ground, takes a steep 45 degree angle into the air for about twenty seconds,
levels out and then releases the cable from the front of the plane so that it is free of the truck. The wire, which is about a half mile long and has a piece of chain on one end, is slowed down in it's descent by a parachute which the tow crew picks up. I don't have pictures of that, but here's take-off. </div>
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As you can see, the airfield is grown up but it still works for gliding. You can just barely distinguish the plane in the picture above, but it is the horizontal white strip in the center between all the clouds. It is nearly at 'top of the flight' which is when we release the cable. Normally, the glider would be towed up by a powered plane, but there was no such convenience that day. :)</div>
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For my first two flights, we just flew around the airfield in a circuit and then landed again just so I could get accustomed to the feeling. I flew for a majority of the time and that was fairly simple. There are three main controls: the stick you steer with, the rudder pedals, and the air brakes. The rudder pedals were handled by the pilot and the brakes aren't necessary until landing so I didn't use those. Most of the flying is done with the stick. My step-grandfather did the take-off and landing but I flew the rest. I banked over a bit too much one time and scared the pilot, but we straightened out again so other than that I did fine. :D</div>
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After those flights, my brother went up and we ate some lunch as we waited for the clouds to build. Clouds are an indication of a thermal wind current which is what the glider uses to climb since it has no engine. Without a thermal, flights are restricted to about ten minutes because they don't have enough air speed from the tow to stay in the air for very long. Flights can be up to around 7 hours however with a good thermal. They are hard to find and fairly hard to stay in but once you do, it is quite nice.</div>
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I went up a third time looking for a thermal but we had to come back down and try again. On this fourth time, we found one and began circling around inside the thermal until we were up to about 7,000 feet above the airfield. (10,700) feet above sea level. This took about twenty minutes because we had to battle the wind currents and find the right one to take us up. I flew several of these turns myself, which was a little bit scary but surprisingly simple. I started getting a little bit sick up towards 8,000 feet so we started down. In order to descend fast enough, my step-grandfather opened the air brakes, which forces us down against the wind current. Generally we would go down much slower. The fast descent increased the pressure I was half-deaf upon landing, but it went away after a little while. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Well this post is getting a bit long. I haven't had time to explain everything and I don't want to bore you, but I might be able to answer some questions you may have. I have been considering an aviation career for some time now so today was a great chance to get a bit of experience. I have a powered flight scheduled for later on this week so may make a post on how that goes as well. So long!</span></div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-62399642130797098372014-07-24T21:45:00.000-05:002014-07-28T14:55:28.615-05:00Guess what this is?You're right, it's another tag. This is the last one though, I promise. This one is from my friend Josh. <br />
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1. Do you play an instrument, and if so who was your biggest influence on the decision to play that instrument? <br />
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A. Yes, I play guitar. Acoustic and electric. I know a tiny bit of Steel too, and three Ukulele chords. :D I play some piano too. My biggest influence on playing guitar was probably my dad and my sister, because I grew up watching them play. I am pretty much self-taught though. <br />
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2. What is your favorite quote from a real person? <br />
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A. These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Thomas Paine (18th century activist and revolutionary.) <br />
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3. What is your favorite hobby?<br />
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A. Writing my book(s).<br />
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4. What is your number one goal in life?<br />
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A. When you talk about a number one goal for a Christian, everything gets thrown out for me except one thing, and that is to come to have an intimate relationship with God that is strong enough to stand through whatever trials life throws at me. I would like to get married and have children, but I do not know yet if that will happen (I'm only 16, so that's okay, right? No, I don't have anyone picked out.:D) and if it does, I believe it will be just part of the means that God uses to attain His ultimate end, plan, which is sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)<br />
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5. What is your favorite pass time?<br />
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Guitar. <br />
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6. If you had to, would you eat road kill?<br />
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A. Sure would. If I was absolutely starving then I wouldn't care or not if it was that fresh, but I think I would exercise some precaution. i.e. if it was entirely rotten and swarming with maggots, then I think I’d find something else. But other than that, yes, I would. <br />
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9. Do you dance? (meaning Swing, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, etc.) If you do which is your favorite and why?<br />
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A. Of course I dance. I'm not that great at it, but I do dance. It's really hard to choose a favorite dance, because it generally depends on who I'm dancing with. Certain dances I prefer to dance with certain people. If it was a total stranger though, then I probably wouldn't care that much. I'm just glad that I'm dancing! But if that's not satisfactory, then the Swing or Tango would be my favorite.<br />
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10. Do you prefer handmade gifts or gifts bought from a store?<br />
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A. Handmade, definitely. When people make something for me it has a lot more meaning to it because they actually invested time and energy into that gift for me and it proves that they care enough to take that time. Not that I don't like store-bought gifts, it's just that handmade gifts mean more to me. Especially if they're sharp or made out of paracord. :D<br />
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Well friends, please don't tag me again for at least two months! I didn't mind doing this one at all, in fact I wanted to, but I think I'm done for a little while! Pictures of SeaWorld in San Antonio coming up next!Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-75456981783656663032014-07-17T22:45:00.001-05:002014-07-17T22:45:25.351-05:00Favorite Quotes-Part 1Well hello readers all! Some of you may know that on my sidebar is a scrolling collection of some quotes I put together, but as the list is far from complete I have decided to post a few more of my favorite quotes I have been putting together lately in my Commonplace Book, a quote book basically. So here they are, along with their author and location.<br />
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These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. <br />
Thomas Paine (The American Crises Papers)<br />
<br />If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade,all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to thing of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’; aim at earth and you will get neither.<br />
-C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity<br />
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He that cometh to seek after knowledge, with a mind to scorn, shall be sure to find matter for his humor, but no matter for his instruction. Advancement of Learning, Book I(1605) -Francis Bacon<br />
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<br />“To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinion which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” -Thomas Jefferson<br />
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<br />All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in this world is for enough good men to do nothing. - (Edmund Burke) <br />
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<br />“I am much afraid that schools will prove to be great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.” <br />
-Martin Luther<br />
<br /> If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. - <br />
-C.S Lewis (Mere Christianity)<br />
<br />The desire of power in excess caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess caused man to fall; but in charity there is no excess; neither can angel or man come in danger by it. F. B<br />
<br />Laws are made to guard the rights of the people, not to feed the lawyers. The laws should be read by all, known to all. Put them into shape, inform them with philosophy, reduce them in bulk, give them into every man's hand. -Francis Bacon<br />
<br />Number itself importeth not much in armies, where the people are of weak courage; for (as Virgil says) it never troubles a wolf how many the sheep be. -Francis Bacon<br />
<br />It may not always happen that our soldiers are citizens, and the multitude a body of reasonable men; virtue, as I have already remarked, it not hereditary, neither is it perpetual. Should an independency be brought about by the first of those means, we have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the event of a few months. The Reflexion is awful—and in this point of view, how trifling, how ridiculous, do the little paltry cavellings, of a few weak or interested men appear, when weighed against the business of a world.<br /> -Thomas Paine (The American Crises Papers)<br />
<br />I said just now that the question of Faith in this sense arises after a man has tried his level best to practice the Christian virtues and found that he fails, and seen that even if he could he would only be giving back to God was already God’s own…Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your action, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you. -C.S Lewis (Mere Christianity) <br />
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The answer to that nonsense is that, if what you call your faith in Christ does not involve taking the slightest notice of what He says, then it is not Faith at all—not faith or trust in Him, but only intellectual acceptance of some theory about Him. <br />
-C.S Lewis (Mere Christianity)<br />
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I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, <br /> -- 2 Timothy 4:7 (The Bible)<br />
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Thank-you for reading! If you would like to share your favorite quote or quotes, please comment below!Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-10315697819242235382014-07-11T14:34:00.002-05:002014-07-11T14:34:42.451-05:00Sunshine Award Tag...Again.Well friends and arch enemies, I have been tagged again by my good friend <a href="http://idratherbeatthebeach.com/">Rachael.</a> I will keep my post brief however, and hopefully refrain from boring you with miscellaneous information about diverse and varied subjects concerning myself. <br />
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Here are the questions that were given me and my answers to them. <br />
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1. Favorite vacation?<br />
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A. Well, if you don't call camping trips vacations, then I would probably say the trip I took last year to Washington D.C. There was also a very memorable vacation in Turkey one year when I was about seven when we went to Fetiye, in southern Turkey that classifies as a real vacation. <br />
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2. Favorite ethnic food?<br />
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A. Vietnamese <br />
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3. What book are you currently reading?<br />
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A. Book or books? :) I am currently reading Moby Dick, (boring) Jane Eyre (okay) and He Is There and He is Not Silent by Francis Schaeffer (good) <br />
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4. Favorite movie or movie(s?)<br />
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A. LotR counts as one. Then there's the Bourne Trilogy, Son of God and We Were Soldiers. <br />
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5. What do you do in your spare time?<br />
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Play guitar, read books, listen to LOTS of music amongst various other classified activities. <br />
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6. What kind of music speaks to you personally?</div>
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A. It all depends on what mood I'm in, really. I will say that metal, reggae, rap and hard rock do NOT speak to me in the slightest. I like Josh Groban, Phil Wickham and soundtracks though. Occasionally a good classic rock song will speak to me as well though. </div>
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7. Have you ever acted in a movie?</div>
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A. If home movies count, then yes, I have acted in at least five or six. </div>
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8. How many different genres of music do you have on Spotify and/or Grooveshark?</div>
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A. I have 12 different genres on Spotify but I tend not to group my music in playlists by genre, so I have more playlists than that. I have 9 different genres on Grooveshark. </div>
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9. Do you have a job? If so, what is it or, if not, what would you like your job to be?</div>
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A. No, I do not. That is not to say that I do not <em>work</em> however. I would like to be a Search and Rescue pilot, but as that involves joining the Coast Guard and/or military forces, I would be okay with being a flight paramedic, or a pilot in some sort of helicopter service. (Ambulance, private, S&R, or other) </div>
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10. Favorite hiking experience?</div>
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A. Oh goodness, I've been on a lot. Probably the one that was supposed to be a 1.5 mile hike and turned out to be a six mile hike down in Oklahoma. That's not the reason I liked it though, I liked it because we ran all the down hill parts as fast as we could. (with various implements: knives, tomahawks etc.) in our hands) Then of course, we had to wait for the adults at the bottom of each hill, but it was a lot of fun. We raced the last half mile in a full our downhill run and THAT was a lot of fun! </div>
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11. Have you lived in any other states? If you have, where?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A. I have lived in other countries, but not other states.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
12. Plans for your future?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I do not have any definite plans for my future. At some point I would like to get my pilot's license, paramedics training and have a family, but I have found that leaving that sort of thing up to God is far better than worrying and obsessing over it while a teenager. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
13. Do you prefer strumming or picking on the guitar?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A. Picking, slapping and thumping. I'm a finger-style guitarist in training. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
14.Something your parents have done that you wished you could have been alive to do with them?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A. Can't think of anything, but I do wish I could have gone to Rome with them when they went eight years or so ago. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thank-you Rachael, for the tag. I hope my readers enjoyed it. I think I am going to refrain from tagging anyone else though, seeing as everybody has already been tagged at least once. If you would like to answer the questions above though, then feel free!</div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-36599543578400640722014-06-24T17:44:00.002-05:002014-06-24T17:44:42.707-05:00Sunshine Award <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, I was going to write the second part to my Good Movie
series here, but I was nominated for the Sunshine Award by <a href="http://isaacbenjamin.blogspot.com/">Isaac Benjamin</a> so here I am with this post instead. Thank-you
Isaac! After all, A Good Movie Part 2 can wait. :) </span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The questions I was given and my answers to the same are as
follows. </span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. If you could go anywhere, where would you travel?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Does this question limit me to one place??? That's not very
nice. :) Well, lately I have really been wanting to visit Normandy, France. I
would love to walk the beaches made so famous by the Allied troops during the
week of June 6th, 1944 and to see the numerous cemeteries honoring the fallen
Allied and German soldiers who fell there. Plus, it would be a great
opportunity to do some on-site research for my WWII book. There are many other
places I would like to visit too, like Scotland and Rome. </span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
2. If you could live in 1945 would you?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A. That all depends on where I'm living. <span>J</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Would you mind if there was less gravity on Earth?</span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I don't think I would mind. I've never experienced a planet
with less gravity though, so I could never be sure. I imagine that it would
take some getting used to. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
4. What is your favorite movie genre, (Kind of movie)?</span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
That is a tough question. I really like Lord of the Rings and Narnia, but I
watch very little fantasy other than that. I have seen many amazing and
meaningful war movies, but that’s not really my genre either. Action is a
pretty wide genre to state as a favorite, but that's probably the one that fits
my interest best.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
5. Who is your favorite author-director-artist?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think I'll probably go ahead and answer two of those. As
my readers are probably aware, Lord of the Rings is my favorite book(s) but I
can't say that J.R.R Tolkien is my favorite author. Based entirely on the
author, I think that Rafael Sabatini, and G.A Henty are probably my favorite.
There are good authors, but I don’t really have a particular one that I love
more than any other. C.S Lewis and Chesterton are really good too though. As
you can probably see, that question is a bit difficult. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My favorite director is Steven Spielberg. He has done some
movies I don’t like, but he has produced many good ones. I don’t really keep up
on directors that much so I don’t have wide knowledge in that area. I must say
that I like Peter Jackson too, for his admirable efforts with Tolkien’s books. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6. Favorite book series?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
That’s easy. Lord of the Rings. But I have also enjoyed the Anne of Green
Gables Series, The Tripods, Narnia and the Black Stallion series when I was
younger. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
7. If you could have had any other name, what would it be? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A. Well, not to avoid or be a stick-in-the-mud, but I really
like the name I have and I wouldn’t trade it for any other. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That’s all of them I think. The people I nominate are as
follows:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rachael at <a href="http://idratherbeatthebeach.com/">idratherbeatthebeach.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shack at <a href="http://pdsplatypus.blogspot.com/">pdsplatypus.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Arwen at noble-maiden.blogspot.com</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Josh at <a href="http://colinmcman.blogspot.com/">colinmcman.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ryan at <a href="http://thegreatadventure12.blogspot.com/">thegreatadventure12.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anna at <a href="http://annaattaway.com/">annaattaway.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">T-sword at <a href="http://epic-tsword.blogspot.com/">epic-tsword.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sarah at <a href="http://turkish-delight14.blogspot.com.tr/">turkish-delight14.blogspot.com.tr</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Daniel at <a href="http://behindmybigscreen.blogspot.com/">behindmybigscreen.blogspot.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My questions for my readers:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. If you could pick anywhere to live, where would it be?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. If you could meet any author, who would it be? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. What type of music do you like?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. Best line from the Princess Bride?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5. How much quoting do you do every day?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6. Do you play any instruments? If so, what? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7. What is your favorite season of the year?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">8. What is one of your biggest dreams in life? (i.e.
skydiving, be a pilot, win the Kentucky Derby, etc. <span>J</span>) </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">9. What is your absolute favorite thing to do?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10. If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">11. Have you ever wanted to just get lost somewhere for a
week or two? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12. Does a cat look like potential food to you? (I have a
sense of humor, ok?) </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">13<span>. If you could have had any other name, what would
it be? '</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>Okay, I know this is a common question to ask, but I'm going to ask it anyway. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>14. What is you favorite color? </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>15. What would be your dream career?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<![endif]-->Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-55075818305591877952014-05-12T20:46:00.003-05:002014-05-12T20:46:53.261-05:00A Good Movie <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Series: A Good Movie</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Part 1: On Box Office
Hits</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Throughout
the years since TV was first invented, the public has been submitted to a
variety of movies and theater presentations from silent films and musicals to
epics and thrillers. Over time, our special effects, computer software and HD
cameras have set the bar high in the technical department of the movie industry.
With the invention of airplanes and faster modes of travel, film studios are now able to fly their cast and equipment to any set they
choose, giving them the benefit of both equipment and location. Peter Jackson
filmed both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit epics in New Zealand, Spielberg
filmed The Raiders of the Lost Ark in France, England and Tunisia, and more
recently, Thor 2: The Dark World was filmed in England and Iceland. Unrestricted
and unlimited, the modern film industry has been able to produce some of the
world’s most advanced<span style="color: red;"> </span>films in its history,
creating movies with stunning special effects and stunts. However, is technological
advancement the prerequisite of a good movie? And is it the reason that a movie
is able to claim the title of a ‘classic’ as it grips the hearts and emotions
of its viewers?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This, then, is the question before us: What gives a movie the
necessary power to shock its viewers and send them out of the theater unable to
forget what they have just seen? There are different ways that movie producers
and directors attempt to make a movie memorable. Graphic movies, horror movies,
suspense thrillers and dramas are a few of the ways, but is that kind of
remembrance the one a good director or producer wants to leave with his audience?
There are some who think that, but while I agree that you will definitely make
the audience remember you, it is not just remembrance that you need to make a
box office hit, and it is not just being a box office hit that makes a movie
good. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to get on that chart of ‘top ten grossing movies’,
your movie has to not only make it to the theaters, it also has to be watched
by millions of people. In order to get that kind of audience, the movie doesn’t
just have to be good—it has to be advertised and in order to do that you have
to have connections, and not a little bit of money. There have been many good
movies produced over the years that would have made more money if more people
had known they existed. Not everyone in the world checks the theater every week
to find out if any new movies have come in, and not all good movies even make
it there. To be accepted to a theater, your movie has to be attractive and
prospective to the owners of the theater. They have to believe that it will
attract enough people to be worth their time, and if they don’t think it is
going to do that, then they will replace it with a different movie. Once the
movie makes it to the theaters, it will have to be advertised enough to get its
initial audience. Once it does, the snowball starts rolling. </div>
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Once a movie makes it to the theater, it will be subjected
to a variety of praise or criticism depending on the movie and popular culture
at the time of its introduction. If the initial response is positive, then
people will start talking about it and if enough people go to see it and share
it on Facebook and other similar social media sites, the larger media will very
likely pick up on it, and the snowball of fame will start growing. More people
will go to see it, more people will praise or criticize it, more people will
write reviews, and consequently, more people will hear about it and repeat that
process. Assuming that the popular reaction to the movie is positive throughout
all these stages of the process, it will become a box office hit. The purpose
of the next section of this article is to define ‘positive’ in the phrase
‘positive reaction’ and to show you what that means and how it changes. The
purpose of the third section of this article will be to show that being a box
office hit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> be an indication of a
good movie, but it is not the fundamental or necessary factor in determining
the quality of a movie. In the fourth section, we will discuss heroes and work
on identifying the qualities that transform a protagonist into a hero. I will
use the fifth section to wrap up my arguments and present them in an outlined
fashion. </div>
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<![endif]-->Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-13335498246747107302014-05-01T20:46:00.000-05:002014-07-17T22:49:29.437-05:00The Queen and the Soldier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwtw3gSsLLvnZQhanL55FMVUKFRaPNmi5qeCSJrshB30ZM-fpvGNoFVJXWzlTsOovuNPQvCgOPUoYZC-6lN8w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Hello everyone! I recorded this a while back but as I had an abundance of things to post on, I saved this one for a later point, which proves to be now. Hope you like it! I am taking song requests at the moment, so leave a comment if you are interested. Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-27793933236728829712014-04-16T13:25:00.001-05:002014-04-16T13:25:14.762-05:00Winter in Russia, 1812<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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In 1812, the proud French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
attempted to take Russia in a six-month long campaign that stretched throughout
at least four harsh winter months. Throughout the bitter campaign that
followed, Bonaparte lost approximately 380,000 men. Some estimate the
casualties as closer to 450,000. These deaths were not caused by bombs, machine
guns or missiles, nor even to bayonets and inaccurate single-shot muskets, but
exposure to sickness and freezing temperatures. More men were lost in the campaign
on Russia than either Britain or America put into the field during the entire
Revolutionary War <i>or</i> the War of 1812, better known as the French and
Indian War, which was going on at the same time. In the entire invasion of
Russia, Bonaparte only crossed blades with the Russian army a few times. The
tragic loss of life was due mainly to natural causes. This is the first part of a poem I wrote in memory of their campaign.</div>
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The Russian Winter of 1812</div>
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Open your mind and close your eyes,</div>
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And follow me if you can,</div>
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To a land where the snow never melts,</div>
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Where the lonely tragedy began. </div>
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Imagine the boots on a frozen plain,</div>
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The wind a howling whirl,</div>
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Their banners flying through the storm,</div>
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And through the gale unfurled.</div>
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The wind whips through their tattered ranks</div>
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And leaves its icy grasp</div>
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Upon the hearts and souls of each,</div>
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As through the plains they pass.</div>
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Long have they traveled upon the road,</div>
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And longer still have they to go, </div>
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Through wind and rain and hail and sleet,</div>
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On paths of freezing ice and snow. </div>
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Troubles mark their slow progression</div>
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And thousands will fall before the end,</div>
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For an icy rage in the hand of Winter</div>
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Is a fearsome foe to offend. </div>
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The cheerful rays of a summer sun</div>
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Have long since fled this land</div>
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There is no hope of victory,</div>
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But the troops go marching on. </div>
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The snow stretches across the fields</div>
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But melts with the coming rain</div>
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Churning the paths to a treacherous mire</div>
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To slow the retreating campaign. </div>
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Along the road lie the bodies of men</div>
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Half-covered with ice and snow</div>
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And horses lay prostrate and rigid,</div>
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Under the silent shadow. </div>
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The march is cruel and terrible</div>
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Men fall and fail to rise,</div>
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“Winter is with the Russians!”</div>
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That is their final cry. </div>
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Indeed, what other reason can there <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be</i>? </div>
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To explain this woeful tale,</div>
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For if Winter were with the Frenchman,</div>
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Then her sons would not have failed. </div>
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Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-72496568267825768242014-04-06T20:53:00.000-05:002014-04-12T22:21:44.938-05:00What a Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6OOeFo5S9D__DRcoFMORLNU8EqzCGEwQrxF6YGcgbboCdeiHDFabMKsYvAVSYAyZsxlgYCC7U6iFHwHyBxO-0_QuVmBe6_XInveEIF2cuu2KVX5tHFjzD7jikaMwiR7Kf7CO5RyFYfw/s1600/water.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6OOeFo5S9D__DRcoFMORLNU8EqzCGEwQrxF6YGcgbboCdeiHDFabMKsYvAVSYAyZsxlgYCC7U6iFHwHyBxO-0_QuVmBe6_XInveEIF2cuu2KVX5tHFjzD7jikaMwiR7Kf7CO5RyFYfw/s1600/water.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Oh what a day! Starting off with the luxury of sleeping in until 8:00 and ending with a good book and a cup of tea! Oh but there were other things in between, like driving along windy and rain covered roads through familiar towns to see people who are literally '<b>family</b>iar'. But the best was yet to come. =Standing outside under a small overhang playing everything you can think of on an electric guitar with two fun and invincible guitar players who couldn't care less that the rain is coming down in sheets around us! Less-than-melodic sounds emanate from the amplifiers but no one seems to notice or care about them or the rain. Neither did I. <br />
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I'd be willing to bet that none of you expected that bit about the guitars. I bet you expected me to talk about cups of tea and good books and romantic smells of rain and earth. There is that too. :) But if you know me, you know that standing in the rain playing a second-hand guitar has a bit of a Jukebox Hero feel to it, and that romanticism has never been my forte.<br />
<br />
But that was not the end of my day. I gingerly packed up my guitar with the careful attention and serious expression that one would use in handing a baby over to a friend on the other side of a cliff and then made my way home. (I actually got that expression today from someone when I picked up their guitar. :) It is a look of surprise, supressed fear, intense inward stress and more than a hint of if-you-dare-drop-that-I-am-going-to....to...do-something-terrible-to-you!' I give people that look every time they breathe on my guitar. Some people call it obsessive, I call it 'cautionary action caused by lack of replacement funds and imminent possibility of damage caused by user's potentiality for ineptitude and carelessness'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeo2PEoyMGPbiqZZngZaNgzOnW4504xGd-TaL3xsjb5SLGhNdZ2FGM-3cniU9ifWRezXB0QOprzWM6fJBag_vM_tVofXXFYH8OeRRRheIm-OgHZUmM9ZPCxx5Ttq26e1tu4kuU7oN5TE/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeo2PEoyMGPbiqZZngZaNgzOnW4504xGd-TaL3xsjb5SLGhNdZ2FGM-3cniU9ifWRezXB0QOprzWM6fJBag_vM_tVofXXFYH8OeRRRheIm-OgHZUmM9ZPCxx5Ttq26e1tu4kuU7oN5TE/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
But I told you there was a bit of the romantic as well. Sitting with candles, tea and cookies with 'Les Miserables' on my lap
and my eyes on the opposite wall going, why, why, why, am I reading this
book? Yes, yes, it is a classic, and a very good one, but Mr. Hugo
seems to have thought of a million ways of avoiding dialogue and things
that actually have a very important bearing on the immediate plot. If
you doubt me, consider that when one is one pg. 615, you are just now
only halfway through the book and the fact that the font size is 9. When I have finished it and watched the
movie I suppose I will not regret having read it so I will stumble forwards to its
completion. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxFKHjNpxpeTgEtcYkSc6OZVF2Uj1bdOPq_CO21OfX0r_QT9vE1Eth5G30kyBy9dpCIIxQ5EL6tljqXNGYNsOES3-10x6paRkxl4KmD4NojKU67U-QSG41oaE3JKfhntoqi2qNHvmCdk/s1600/IMG_1443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxFKHjNpxpeTgEtcYkSc6OZVF2Uj1bdOPq_CO21OfX0r_QT9vE1Eth5G30kyBy9dpCIIxQ5EL6tljqXNGYNsOES3-10x6paRkxl4KmD4NojKU67U-QSG41oaE3JKfhntoqi2qNHvmCdk/s1600/IMG_1443.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
What else? Well, then there is right now. Outside the fields are saturated with water, a cold northern wind is blowing and the pond has overflowed its banks. Our basketball hoop was split in two by ferocious winds, narrowly missing our car, and rivers of water are running through the pastures. But I am inside, writing this post, with every soundtrack from Braveheart and Sherlock to The Avengers and Spiderman playing in the background. 'Les Mis' is sitting beside me, judgmentally viewing my neglect of it and I am looking at it with the expression of one who knows his fate is approaching. Ah! well, "If we are marked to die, we are enough to do our country loss..." <br />
<br />
P.S. When I am done with Les Mis, I shall come back and write what I thought of it, and if my opinions now were made prematurely, I shall correct them and state my new opinion. <br />
<br />
P.P.S Here is a link to the great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM">St. Crispin's Day</a> speech where the above quotation is from. <br />
<br />Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com6Thulcandra56.490671199999987 -4.202645800000027547.764661199999985 -24.856942800000027 65.216681199999982 16.451651199999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-86270222302356706162014-03-06T13:24:00.001-06:002014-03-06T15:46:16.878-06:00'Son of God' and Beyond <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I have seen several movies about the life of Jesus,
including The Passion of the Christ, the Matthew Project and King of Kings
along with a few others, but I believe that ‘Son of God’ is my favorite. I left
the theater so encouraged and moved that I decided to write a post about it and
show you what I took away from it, or rather, what He gave me through it. The
movie had an unbelievable soundtrack, (composed by my favorite composer, Hans
Zimmer) and a powerful message that went far beyond John 3:16, all the way to
its fulfillment in the last lines of the Bible in Revelation. I have neither
the time nor the desire to discuss plot, storyline, actors, etc. the things
people usually discuss when writing a review and seem to think are the most
important. I wanted, rather, to tell you why I think it is the best Jesus movie
I have seen, to discuss its Biblical accuracy and how it affected the viewer, and
to show you how it impacted me and what it left me with. I hope that I will
have the space to fit all that in. </div>
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So then, why do I think it is the best Jesus movie I have
seen? Firstly, the exterior factors. The soundtrack had a lot to do with my
opinion of the movie. To me, soundtrack is one of the most crucial factors in
determining a persons overall response to a movie, especially <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> response to a movie. Putting the
right music in at that right moment is key to getting the emotions of the
viewer and making your movie well remembered. In a future post, I will go into
that in further detail. Soundtrack, acting, set, and filming are the most
important external factors, I suppose, but they are boring and while they
contributed each in their little share to my conclusion about the movie, they
were not crucial. I will move on to the more important factors.</div>
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I prefer to think of movies as stories, not movies and that
goes for ‘Son of God’ especially. I believe that people get caught up in
action, special effects, filming, and fan-girling. ‘Son of God’ is a perfect
example of how relatively unknown actors can produce a very good movie, but ah!
stop right there…It is not a movie. It is a story, the best story ever told. Do
not see it as a collection of random actors and filmstrips. It is the most
important story ever told. That must be clear. Now that it has been made clear,
we will move on. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFurriYMvd6M6zrseODTE06EBGKwmArhi6RTxcBeGhj3gfG7UfsToWhnsiqbn0pJYGrT8TyXh32UYoWs6_IhxTpTQUh117FxMZAfDyBLk30fLwYB0Dla2WGs8Tiwztd-ABufJcXjuw6iA/s1600/455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFurriYMvd6M6zrseODTE06EBGKwmArhi6RTxcBeGhj3gfG7UfsToWhnsiqbn0pJYGrT8TyXh32UYoWs6_IhxTpTQUh117FxMZAfDyBLk30fLwYB0Dla2WGs8Tiwztd-ABufJcXjuw6iA/s1600/455.jpg" /></a></div>
Historical accuracy is very important, and some people have
complained that the movie did not follow the Bible precisely. On the one hand,
I would agree, and say, no it did not, (like when Jesus went into the tomb to
raise Lazarus from the dead) but on the other hand, for the other things, I
would say, “What does it matter?” The things that were omitted, paraphrased or changed were not major changes and did not undermine in any way the context or message of the Scriptures. Honestly, we do not know the exact chronology
of the events written down in the Gospels and that is okay. What really matters is <i>what </i>Jesus said and <i>why</i>, not exactly where He said it. Even with the mistake of having Him go into the tomb to raise Lazarus instead of calling him out, I do not think that should affect too much the fact that He still held the power to <i>raise Lazarus from the dead!</i> As John himself said in closing
his book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“<span class="textjohn-21-25">And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in
detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that
would be written.” </span></i>If you’re a Christian and up enough on your Bible
trivia to know that something was left out or misplaced, but you also know that it did not take away from the message or twist Scripture, then that shouldn't matter that much. You know what’s being left out so you’re okay and the unbeliever
coming in is not going to be thrilled with a three and a half hour long movie
that details every miracle that Jesus performed or every word He said. I say
this with the utmost respect, with the premise that Christ does not need three
and a half hours to show the people His power.</div>
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<span class="textrev-21-6">I believe the directors realized that because
there were so many Jesus movies, and the life of Jesus was so well known even
among many secular circles in the modern world, it would be ‘just another
preachy Jesus movie’ to many people. In that light, I think they did a
fantastic job of producing a movie that broke some of the traditional
boundaries set down in previous movies. The parables and words that Christ performed and preached were present at the right moment and the right time, allowing you to grasp their full power in light of the context they were presented in. I think they definitely produced a new Jesus
figure, one whom I thought was far more accurate and like the Jesus of the
Bible, not unlike him.</span> That leads me back to the
first point and also to the third topic, for they’re rather similar, the latter
being the cause for the former. The things that stuck with me and made me give
it a 5 star rating, are as follows.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFyrcau5eYlrAFn-k86zJpkhXap673wJ1OVE8_Xay_GzyKYIugIpKPR_3nb-KYWR3eQztIZF0OAlGZct5oE9A2fRpMvznsUhCvrGxz9lwL_c-E8FpXe4UFg2mexkX0Kjrcw4crglEAQE/s1600/530e4745e42ac.preview-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFyrcau5eYlrAFn-k86zJpkhXap673wJ1OVE8_Xay_GzyKYIugIpKPR_3nb-KYWR3eQztIZF0OAlGZct5oE9A2fRpMvznsUhCvrGxz9lwL_c-E8FpXe4UFg2mexkX0Kjrcw4crglEAQE/s1600/530e4745e42ac.preview-300.jpg" /></a></div>
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Firstly, the power of Christ; not the power to perform
miracles, but the power in His entire figure, His confidence in the message He
had been sent to preach, His courage and joy amid His suffering. It is hard to
explain the things one feels when they see that divine power. I struggle to
control my disappointment and disgust with those who think that because Christ
was meek, He was weak. Perhaps my anger is misplaced, but I do not believe it
is unfounded. Christ is not weak. He is powerful and just because He took the
form of a man, does not mean He was weak. Does He not say that He could ask the
father and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">instantly </i>have the aid of
twelve <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">legions</i> of angels? A man, yes,
but not a weak one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rVW23WjRonUg7KjXFKajkRbOr6VEJc77ZFcBw7VJ8T6PC2F0gI6H_CA8PkOWwdLlhI7vBq4g8uPdixD4UmlZOPMyiZIYB-K1pw13UXMCWROKKxiL8sWB8w2cg8hQfGRmBbq0Q4DIjAA/s1600/rocketmeteorsky_pon_960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rVW23WjRonUg7KjXFKajkRbOr6VEJc77ZFcBw7VJ8T6PC2F0gI6H_CA8PkOWwdLlhI7vBq4g8uPdixD4UmlZOPMyiZIYB-K1pw13UXMCWROKKxiL8sWB8w2cg8hQfGRmBbq0Q4DIjAA/s1600/rocketmeteorsky_pon_960.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
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I cried as the first five minutes of the movie flashed
before my eyes, for it showed Christ’s power, and how He was there, with our
ancestors, on Day 1 and what He left behind so that He could save us. I cried
again as the last five minutes went by, for it showed that He will be there on
the last day too.<i> "</i><span class="textrev-21-6"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It is
done,” he says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end...</i>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Behold, I am coming quickly.” </i>This
was interesting and new for me, because although I had read this Scripture, I
had never watched a Jesus movie where it was emphasized so much like it was at
the end of this one. These movies tend to end everything at the Resurrection,
as if everything was going to be fine and happy after that, but they do not
mention His role in the end, and they leave you with that oft-quoted, but never
explained and less studied, sentence, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the Age.” It did not point ahead enough to what was coming like
Alpha and Omega does and in the context of the movie, that sentence was
powerful for me. </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCWiHxHf0X2eygOlBKBHbPcfa3cXAH7WABhGKkFJx6ZzT-TjziXnAJ8CMMs8PNLlckUzxOJom4cwBC4fuL1FVeXd4h8tn3kvtjq6lYv3dzuZETBoVYiRzuiEQbpNFa4tJwUcq8u9KzB0/s1600/598497_369023829910863_1265103683_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCWiHxHf0X2eygOlBKBHbPcfa3cXAH7WABhGKkFJx6ZzT-TjziXnAJ8CMMs8PNLlckUzxOJom4cwBC4fuL1FVeXd4h8tn3kvtjq6lYv3dzuZETBoVYiRzuiEQbpNFa4tJwUcq8u9KzB0/s1600/598497_369023829910863_1265103683_n.png" height="118" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="textrev-21-6">Another line that was put into ‘Son
of God’, </span><span class="textrev-21-4">was in the last scene, when Christ
appeared to John on the Island of Patmos. We do not know the exact details about this, but we do know that what Jesus said is straight from the book of Revelation. John was weeping and told Jesus that he had been waiting for Christ.
Christ answered him with the second part of this verse: (verse 4)</span><span class="textrev-21-6"> </span><span class="textrev-21-3"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Behold, the
tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be
His people, and God Himself will be among them,</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span class="textrev-21-4"><sup>4</sup>and He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">any</span> death; there will no longer be <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">any</span> mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed
away…Behold I am making all things new.”</span></i><span class="textrev-21-4"> I
cried when I heard it. I took off my hat and cried as the movie closed and the
credits rolled by to the song, Mary Did You Know?’ I had disliked that song
before I saw this movie, but that was because I had not understood it fully.
The version that played was incredible. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textrev-21-6">‘Son of God’ omitted the about the
end of the age, like it did a few other famous translations of specific
sentences Christ said that have become almost as famous as Christ Himself, as
if changing it would somehow lessen their relevance. It would be silly to think
that because John 3:16 says ‘For God loved the world so much’ instead of ‘For
God so loved the world’ that somehow decreases or lessens the power of the
verse. Paraphrasing did not take away from
the movie, it added to it. It gave the movie that bit of originality to set it
apart from the other movies and give you a new perspective, one that is the subject of my final point.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MHYS2OGDiph1xL8Tz6IIQXOGDn6gAgP0eIXv-7evoYFPVBh-nJpkKySZLZ2CMkaPvqYifR-wjgMmahAApIuPL1yOitwMoc54VPRUKcRXHWHWBV0BpC_kcIbNROCwPhW97u4xdTij8qw/s1600/son-of-god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MHYS2OGDiph1xL8Tz6IIQXOGDn6gAgP0eIXv-7evoYFPVBh-nJpkKySZLZ2CMkaPvqYifR-wjgMmahAApIuPL1yOitwMoc54VPRUKcRXHWHWBV0BpC_kcIbNROCwPhW97u4xdTij8qw/s1600/son-of-god.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textrev-21-6">As we contemplate the life of
Jesus, and how He was submissive and enduring of suffering and persecution, let
us not forget that He could have called out to His Father at any time and that
His Father </span>would have “at once put at My disposal more than twelve <u><b>legions</b></u>
<b>of</b> <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">angels</i></b>?” Perhaps you
are not aware, but twelve legions is approximately 60,000 soldiers. Can you
imagine what 60,000 heavenly angels could do to the entire Roman <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">army?</i> How much more could they do to the
feeble Temple guard? Remember this when you study the humility of Christ. Do not
forget Christ’s power as you study His love, for God is both the Lion and the
Lamb, the Judge and the Redeemer, the King and the Sacrifice. This post is far
too long as it is, and I apologize for that, but I wished to address every possible objection raised against the movie and to share some more besides. I will close with these words from our King, “<span class="woj"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is</span> with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done.</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span class="woj">I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end…</span>Blessed <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">i</span>s he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”</i><span class="textrev-21-6"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="small-caps"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">“Behold, He is coming with the clouds</span></i></span><span class="textrev-1-7"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, and every eye will
see Him.”</i></span><span class="textrev-21-6"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Therefore let him who
thinks he stands <b>take</b> <b>heed</b> that he does not fall.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Links to soundtrack and trailer: <br />
<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/6Cm10b0k4NuSwkwLv0Ub9g">Various Artists – Son Of God Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQXDkZ4mec">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQXDkZ4mec</a><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<![endif]-->Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-58256734064593995112014-03-02T15:42:00.001-06:002014-03-02T15:42:34.486-06:00Your Guardian Angel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrPrj_QONoXvCawmI226IvyexbwTLYiKb3rzPHjEzns2Y21mtoEwORWSk3cIYywypKPUxprSThWN0ctL1bCQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Just a simple acoustic cover video I did of a song called 'Your Guardian Angel.' Great song and great tune, hope you like it! Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-32278719705348793542014-01-27T19:22:00.000-06:002014-01-27T19:22:12.261-06:00Iron Will-Chapter 4<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next part of one of my books. I would appreciate any and all feedback so if you have a question or correction, please comment! Other chapters can be found in the category 'Stories' on my sidebar. Thanks! </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Jakin turned and
proceeded silently out of the camp to the summit of the sloping hills that lay before the army. He hoped that the night-watch set over the army
would retire by three o’clock so that the army’s preparation for battle would not be observed. Once upon the summit he ducked down just out of sight on the
other side and began to run back to his own camp. He arrived at Garfield’s tent
one minute late. He entered quickly and saluted. The captain looked up.
“Report.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “The rebels have made camp for the
night.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Good.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “It is fortunate we did not enter
the valley. They had prepared an ambush, but were disappointed
when we did not make any appearance. As far as I know their general assumes we
are making camp.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “How do you know that?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“He said so," replied Jakin.</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Garfield raised and eyebrow, but said nothing about it. “Excellent.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Not entirely.
They have set a watch on us. We will not be able to move till after dark.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “It will be hard to get your men
into position in time.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“We’ll get
there. On time.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The captain frowned doubtfully.
“You had better.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jakin did not
reply. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Do you still desire to go through
with your plan?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I do. But,” he
added quietly, “I will not be blamed if it fails. Also I request that this
operation originate from my strategy, but your command.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The captain eyed him suspiciously
for a moment. “Very well, take your men. If it fails, I will bear the blame.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> A light sprang into Jakin’s eye and
he said quickly, “Then draw up your troops; heavy cavalry in the middle, heavy
infantry on both sides and light infantry to surround the enemy by ascending
the ridges. Archery would be useful." </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The captain was amused by Jakin’s
fire and his harsh commands, commands which he expected to be obeyed instantaneously as
soon as the captain had given him the authority and taken the blame. Jakin
forbade the horn from being used but instead ordered the word to be spread
throughout the camp from mouth to mouth. The heavy infantry formed two wings on
either side of the cavalry and the light infantry filed past with their
commander, David Harrison, to receive their orders. Jakin surveyed David as he
approached. He was a tall commander, still very young. His black hair was
half-covered by his tri-corn hat lined with a silver edging to show he was a
commander. His clothes consisted of white trousers and a white shirt covered in
a blue vest. His face was stern in battle but he was known to be light-hearted
when not surrounded by the sounds of war. A mustache was beginning to darken
his upper lip but he was still practically a boy. Probably a relative of the
king, thought Jakin. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Indeed, he was not too far off. The
boy was the son of William Harrison, the king’s chancellor.</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garfield began
giving him his orders but then paused and turned to Jakin, “You command the
light infantry with David. David, you can get your orders from him.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Just then Lucas filed past with the
light infantry and Jakin thought for a moment before he ordered sharply, “There
is a soldier here by the name of Private Lucas. Send him to me at once.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> David’s face portrayed shock, but at
a glance from Garfield, his uncle, he left and called Lucas.</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lucas came up,
saluted and faced Jakin with a nervous look. “This man will co-command with us.
Bring him and Captain David a horse.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Horses were brought and the two
mounted, but Jakin remained on the ground speaking to Garfield. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “It’s almost
nightfall. I will lead the infantry around the ridge until they meet at the eastern
side. We’ll be in position by three o’clock. That gives you time to give the
soldiers a brief rest before the charge. You must be awake and in position by
three thirty, for I’ll give the signal at three forty-five. Heavy cavalry
charges, infantry follows and light cavalry patrols to make sure none escape.
If we have complications and do not light a fire by four o’clock, then you must
wait. Do not charge until you see two signal fires. The first means we’re in
position, the second the order to charge. No doubt the rebels will see the
first signal fire and try to escape by the front route. If they do then when
the second fire is lit you will go forward to charge them. Understood?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Yes sir.” said the captain with a
smile on his face.</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jakin held the
man’s bridle and said sternly, “Lives are at stake, Brigadier General Garfield.
If you do not carry out my orders correctly then you might very well be tried
for neglecting your responsibility. This is not some game that you and I are
playing, no careless shift of authority or responsibility. My plan is sound and
I trust it will work but only if you and your men obey to a turn all my
orders.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Jakin turned and walked to the front
of the heavy cavalry. He raised his voice and it rang out over the troops like
a roll of thunder, commanding their attention and respect. “Soldiers and
troops, Garfield has given me temporary authority over martial operations. The
attack you are about to undertake will be easy but the trail through the canyon
will not be one very well suitable for your horses. Therefore take care not to
proceed too quickly or to separate from each other till it becomes necessary.
No infantry can withstand your charge. You are invincible and victory is
assured if you carry out your duties with proper attention and dexterity. There
is no need to separate till their ranks are broken and they begin to run. At
which point you will dismount and cut them down or take them prisoner. When you
are in, the light cavalry will close up the entrance to the canyon. Any man
found despoiling the rebel troops will be shot immediately. Micah Parson!” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Parson stepped out of the light
infantry and took the sword Jakin threw him. “You will join the second company
of infantry.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Now, before we go any farther, we
must clarify that one group of infantry was no lighter armed than the other,
and neither were the cavalry groups. Jakin was speaking in a rather outdated
fashion and what was understood was that the first company of cavalry would
charge while the second remained behind to close the gap. After this
instruction, Jakin gave the order for the cavalry and the heavy infantry to set
up a temporary camp. This was carried out and Jakin retired some distance from
the camp. Lucas was shocked at the authority Jakin spoke with and followed him
to get the rest of the story. Jakin told it briefly and Lucas said teasingly,
“You were a minute late. What happened? And I thought you would never take a
commission.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Did I?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“No, but you
took the responsibility which comes with one and that is the thing which you
said you could never take.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Jakin nodded, “I did, but in this
operation the situation is a little different. I freed myself of all
responsibility. The idea originates with me but the operation was carried out
by Garfield’s orders. Although I lead the party, my orders to them come
straight from Garfield.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “What if something goes wrong and
you have to order them to take measures that may be fatal?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Nothing will go
wrong under my command,” said Jakin quietly. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> At this moment they were joined by
David who stood rather awkwardly off to one side playing with the tassel on the
shoulder of his officer’s uniform. In his mind he battled the longing to join
and the reluctance to shove himself into a conversation between the man who was
suddenly his captain and his friend.</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Lucas noticed his uncomfortable
appearance and called, “Captain David!”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">David turned and
came over, “Yes?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> His very words and bearing
communicated the greatest humility and Lucas felt great respect and amiability
towards him. “Do you want something?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> David cast a nervous glance at Jakin
and replied, “I wanted to ask the new captain when we were marching and what
his plans were.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Jakin looked up. “We march at ten.
Our campaign will last all night and part of the morning. You should get some
sleep.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lucas realized
that the young man desired to be with them and said, “Perhaps you’re not
tired.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Not at the moment," he said nervously. "What are your names, if I may ask?"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Windsor and Lucas," said Lucas.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," said David. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lucas inquired after the captain's family and reason for joining the army.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The captain became slightly embarrassed at this question and shrugged. "My father is Chancellor. I owe my rank to is influence."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Lucas returned the shrug. "It does not matter if the rank was given to you, it is what you do with it that matters. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Jakin nodded. "Power in itself is not what corrupts, although some people think otherwise. It is what one does with it. Too many examples of corruption have been set for the people." </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> David nodded and said quickly, “I
have seen that for many years and it made me reluctant to take the position I
have, but if nobody worthy comes to power then evil will always rule.” </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Precisely,” said Lucas, with a meaningful glance at Jakin. “Excellent
point.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">David was encouraged by Lucas’
approval. “As Captain Jakin said, the power has been corrupted into a desire to
rule which has destroyed much of our government. In my opinion, which I do not
assume to be right, I think that governments and kings should be servants to
the people. Isn’t that what their position should demand of them?”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Lucas smiled to himself as Jakin
immediately said, “Of course. They should consider their position an honor.
This has been destroyed by ‘right of blood succession’ and hereditary kingdoms
which entitle one to glory. One must work to attain glory and fame. Governing a
nation for me would be a burden not a joy.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “If it was governed correctly.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Right. I
assumed you knew what I meant.”</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> David had broken down Jakin’s first
wall: Silence. He had yet to break down Jakin’s numerous other walls though,
and some of them would never be completely broken down. It was given to Lucas
alone the ability to break down all Jakin’s walls. </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Lucas was overjoyed to find someone less gruff and stern than Jakin and the two were able to talk for hours on nearly every topic. Even Jakin was able to discuss certain things with them. It was only when they reached the topic of the military that Jakin
was thrust outside. His beliefs were too extreme for David and Lucas. Their
conversation had proceeded along its course until David happened to mention
along the side of another argument, that military exploits were glorious. This was unacceptable to Jakin and Lucas smiled inwardly as Jakin argued coolly, </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Any exploit which involves the
killing of thousands of men and boys and the widowing of countless women and
the orphaning of thousands of children cannot be glorious, Mr. Harrison. There
are very few military exploits which are done for righteous causes or merciful
justice and they have not visited these lands since this country was called
Glasgow. True honor has deserted our ranks."</span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> "Yet you are in them?' asked David. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“I was a draft.” replied Jakin sharply. </span></span></div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-17719590470221705312014-01-13T21:36:00.000-06:002014-01-13T21:36:34.912-06:00The Cave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxVLFmYuB3vI6NRKaI7C2RbwH-4fOcmh25Q-P0utjpDKIVkXTC2CUU0giEAbX_AIwq-CsflDw84zHMDhhzdlw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Hi everyone, I hope you have all had a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful beginning to your new year! I haven't done any guitar tutorials in awhile, but the other day I recorded myself playing the beginning of 'The Cave' by Mumford and Sons and decided to post it here. It's a rather interesting song to play, because it is in the Open D tuning, one I don't often play in but nonetheless easy to get to. If you like this song, I would be happy to make a how-to video for you to learn how to play it. More videos coming soon! Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-83321320647294192742014-01-05T17:39:00.002-06:002014-01-05T17:39:15.026-06:00LotR Traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Since I made a post of pictures about The Desolation of Smaug, I felt I should definitely make one about the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In my personal opinion, The Hobbit was great, but it does not hold a candle to LotR. Lord of the Rings was made with very little computer graphics and all of its battle scenes were actually filmed with hundreds of extras. That explains the credits, which are a mile long and take many beautiful songs to get through. Of course, Into the West performed by Annie Lennox is my favorite of those. I grew up hearing that song played long before I ever read the books or saw the movies and have loved it all the more for seeing them. The deeper meanings behind LotR are the real reasons for my preferring it. It reminds us of our journey, and our goal in life. Like Frodo, we bear a burden we must constantly fight off lest it master us. Like the others, we must fight evil wherever it is encountered and give of ourselves in the struggle to defeat it. "The world is changing, much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it."</div>
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Our family had realized the beauty of Lord of the Rings, and have made a tradition of watching it eveyr New Year's Eve, all of them. We generally start around 2:00 PM and finish around 2:30 AM. This year was my younger brother's first LotR marathon, my family's eighth, and my fourth. I enjoyed it as much as I have every time and went away feeling the importance of its meaning very strongly. Other people may shoot off fireworks and get together on New Year's Eve, but so long as I have a copy of Lord of the Rings and something to watch it on (be it phone, tablet, laptop or TV,) I will be watching it. Extended edition, preferably. :) Enjoy the pictures! No spoilers concerning plotline or storyline included, but if you're a LotR fan like me, then each one will hold meaning for you. </div>
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And of course, a bunch of Legolas pictures, my second favorite character, after Frodo. I think he looks just a bit better than he
did in The Hobbit. (It's a wonder what ten years can do to a fellow :) ) Until next time!Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-58604259654120788792013-12-29T12:38:00.000-06:002013-12-29T12:38:40.622-06:00A Hallelujah Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzXPmEtqfFdzKQt2wo2seXdaqdGrCRkvcs4xbAq3BSmjLSEDGOCLw24Mybf8tUePzGDxuufA5RUTjFFOZsb' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. I'm sure that I did. I recently played this song at our annual Christmas Party Talent Show and thought I would share it with you. This is a re-recording of it which I took later because I thought it was such a beautiful song. I don't recall who did the original, but the Christmas version was revised and sang by a band named Cloverton, from which I got the idea. I hope you enjoy!<br />
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<br />Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-61941555788988159222013-12-05T16:22:00.001-06:002013-12-05T16:22:35.556-06:00The Hobbit!I hope all of my readers are as excited about the Desolation of Smaug premier as I am! I will be there in full costume along with a bunch of my other crazy friends! To all of my other readers though, be at your theater 12:01 AM Friday morning! Comment if you plan to be there!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMe-ajmWCvpG4o2bcMR5NxDmEDHJu6dcm53lbOlW49Lt-C8QjQBzK6jlNDMZGgHU4_w5gJzH_ET0dwS6gzKo7bfD_pEO3H2ESgvGb8AgePdViWW0Ff-BQO2Ius8uia0Hs9xYh5OAh-uo/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMe-ajmWCvpG4o2bcMR5NxDmEDHJu6dcm53lbOlW49Lt-C8QjQBzK6jlNDMZGgHU4_w5gJzH_ET0dwS6gzKo7bfD_pEO3H2ESgvGb8AgePdViWW0Ff-BQO2Ius8uia0Hs9xYh5OAh-uo/s320/4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games? Games? Does it like to play?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDV8wWEeWhj1ILN9Gn8DeQ0KEq1ep1khKBWPbZjWc2ofCURxac7E6osh9ZWuVVGxpW8egt-c4CPOBllpn1B8NHvZYoe51qgLP_HZpjse5em6of6LYxAudTFPscneqwVYRu8XpkGCmiTg/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDV8wWEeWhj1ILN9Gn8DeQ0KEq1ep1khKBWPbZjWc2ofCURxac7E6osh9ZWuVVGxpW8egt-c4CPOBllpn1B8NHvZYoe51qgLP_HZpjse5em6of6LYxAudTFPscneqwVYRu8XpkGCmiTg/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait for me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9eFxIrvJ2xMmwsYFr1VerFQnUEdvHbcfm1zeYJBZILwsZEE452OJA688taTncaGs24hd77iw_i60EtMbyn3zLZOdVRJ4Hs482d3LooI1v537Ck0RCSnvg1g-yOfgDEYQborhxyG2ANM/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9eFxIrvJ2xMmwsYFr1VerFQnUEdvHbcfm1zeYJBZILwsZEE452OJA688taTncaGs24hd77iw_i60EtMbyn3zLZOdVRJ4Hs482d3LooI1v537Ck0RCSnvg1g-yOfgDEYQborhxyG2ANM/s320/18.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I will use this, if I have to."</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYFLhagcrq9b9HfaCGNeDkxeE1563Ziu62c88WuDvflbEK39XlPXxJu0j9NL7eC-kiC6kwgVGxRiz1qXHiQu50rCt9150UAQeTbNs_21X6v9D9V8uUeDt6a3URz8trR1OfY1DObajupo/s1600/12+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYFLhagcrq9b9HfaCGNeDkxeE1563Ziu62c88WuDvflbEK39XlPXxJu0j9NL7eC-kiC6kwgVGxRiz1qXHiQu50rCt9150UAQeTbNs_21X6v9D9V8uUeDt6a3URz8trR1OfY1DObajupo/s320/12+(2).jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh1FBuUVO7sRuw0p2UNFKDP884uRYk8ubsc92Ny8EVpItw7Dw_ZdGHog0bcsX6Fce2SHyDtR-mI3c7owEcnygPWMk4qN78F3UWW8L44Gu-Zt19Yw1kx0bQ72w089M6CDzw2p0rqpW7zI/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbh1FBuUVO7sRuw0p2UNFKDP884uRYk8ubsc92Ny8EVpItw7Dw_ZdGHog0bcsX6Fce2SHyDtR-mI3c7owEcnygPWMk4qN78F3UWW8L44Gu-Zt19Yw1kx0bQ72w089M6CDzw2p0rqpW7zI/s320/19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Fili and Kili, at your service."</td></tr>
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(Disclaimer: Pictures courtesy of arwen-undomiel.com and thehobbit.net. They are the property of New Line Cinema Inc. I do not own the pictures and am in no way affiliated with New Line Cinema Inc.)<br />
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Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-69566490457829609012013-10-29T17:00:00.005-05:002013-10-29T17:12:48.313-05:00Iron Will-Chapter 3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->I continue my postings of Iron Will to whoever may be interested. I hope to finish his book by December 31st, which will make it the first one I have actually taken to a satisfactory conclusion. I have written considerable amounts in four or five different stories so I will be excited if I finish it. This book would actually be the 5th in a series of six books. Three more of the books in this series have proceeded fairly decently, but the other two will need a bit of serious rewriting, having been started when I was nine and ten years old. I do very much love this series though, and hope to finish them sometime. The series all takes place in a world of my own imagining and the stories are meant to represent the weaponry and culture of different periods in history, all within the free boundaries of my own world which allows my own imagination to run whither it wishes. I hope someday to publish them when they reach the state of perfection I am aiming for. Time is a cruel foe when it comes to writing, and a high-school schedule along with the responsibilities of a farm don't help :D I would very much appreciate any input, questions or comments concerning the book. <br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chapter III-
By Draft</span></u><br />
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the morning
the soldiers were up early and on their way. The rebels’ location was about thirty
miles due west of there and they could reach it by nightfall if they marched at
a fast pace, provided the rebels didn’t run. Lucas had no doubts Jakin could
keep up, but he did wonder in what condition Jakin would be by nightfall. He
need not have worried although. The wound was a mere scratch to Jakin but his
bandage was soaked with blood by the time they made camp. The rebels had flown
of course, retreating southwards along the River Ryn. They received the news at
around noon, when Captain Richard Wilson reported to Garfield. Garfield
directed the course south west and quickened the pace. It was impossible to
even catch the rebel infantry; much less the light and elusive rebel cavalry. The
rebels had withdrawn to the town of Acacia which was twenty miles from the
place Garfield’s men had stopped for the night. Chasing them would be useless,
but nevertheless, the chase began again on the morrow, with different parties
branching off from the main body to try and surround the rebel troops. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At about noon the second day a scout
from Wilson’s company which had left as a scouting party came in and reported
to Garfield that the rebels were cut off in a valley at the foot of Cedar Hill.
?? The Captain halted the troops for a moment while he withdrew with his two
lieutenant captain into a grove of tries at the head of Garfield’s force. Jakin
and Lucas waited patiently outside under the blazing summer heat. After awhile,
Lucas said, “What’s taking them so long?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin plucked a piece of grass up
and began chewing on the end. “They are stuck. They have two options. They
don’t know whether to try and attack the rebels or to besiege them in the
valley and wait for reinforcements from Willow. If we attack without
surrounding them, they’ll slip through our fingers like sand. If we besiege
them and wait for reinforcements, they might make a surprise attack and flee in
the panic of midnight.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What’s the third?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Well I doubt
the third has occurred to them. They should surround the rebels completely with
light infantry and then charge them with their heavy cavalry. Then they’ll be
trapped.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas thought for a moment and then
said, “Yes, and then the heavy infantry could follow the cavalry in and the
baggage train could also provide a blockade manned by pike-men.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“My thoughts exactly, well, except
for the baggage train. I had thought of pike men but not of putting them behind
the baggage. It should still work although either way.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas clapped Jakin on the back.
“They should make you a captain. Then the war would be over in no time.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It’s not a war yet. We haven’t even
met on the field of battle yet. I would never take a commission anyway.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I couldn’t ever
take a commission. It’s against my principles.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How?” asked Lucas, quite puzzled. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“As a soldier
Lucas,” Jakin began explaining in a patient voice, “and much more so as a
draft, I am commanded to fight, kill and destroy on the battle-field. As an
officer I would hold responsibility for the lives of not only my own men, but
the enemy troops. No longer am I the ordered, but the one giving orders. I
would be accountable for every patrol or scout I sent out, for every skirmish
party, for every order to battle and for every decision I make. That
responsibility is too great an honor and too great a burden for me to bear. My
conscience is uneasy as it is.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas thought for a moment. He could
not understand this speech of Jakin’s, (for indeed it was a speech for Jakin
who excelled at one word answers or orders.) For four years he had seen Jakin
slaughter men on the battle-field with pike, sword, pistol and bayonet, yet
when this subject of being an officer arose, Jakin shrunk back into a defensive
shell and began talking of principles and morals the like of which Lucas had
never heard. So my friend does have some principle, he thought to himself.
Lucas had lived with Jakin during the past years with some difficulty for Jakin
had always exhibited the utmost zeal in war. Now Lucas was encouraged by this
sign of conscience and principle in Jakin’s speech. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“This is all very strange,” Lucas
said with a winkled brow. “Forgive me, but I never thought you really had much
of a conscience. I always knew you would prefer not being in the army, but I
never guessed that you had any qualms over killing men in battle.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You do me an injustice Lucas. You have
established a false opinion of me and cut me down. I had thought that you
understood me and my principles, but it appears you do
not or at least <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did </i>not until just
now.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas was a bit ashamed of his
previous words for he held Jakin in such a high position in not only his mind
but in his heart that he felt Jakin was right when he accused him of doing an
injustice to his character. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I did not realize the depth of your
character. But I guess it is hard when one is as reclusive and defensive as
you.” he felt a strong urge to say this. Jakin had been so reclusive in the past
years Lucas had known him that it had not been very possible to break Jakin’s
defensive outer shell. But he still said it with great respect, his eyes on the
ground and his voice quiet. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin nodded, “Of course. That is
how I survive. If I spoke my thoughts more often I would be killed for
treason.” He paused and added with a gentler and quieter tone, “I do not like
war, Lucas. I fight only because I was drafted and a strong watch is kept on me
at all times. I was I have felt their eyes, Lucas. I know they are watching me.
Many times I have considered escaping, but I am always watched. I would light out
for the hills at the first opportunity, they could never find me, but for some
reason they watch me. Not just Parson, but the captains, the lieutenants; different
people in the army from high position to low. Their eyes are on me Lucas. At
all times.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why would they watch you?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jakin was silent
for a moment and then said quietly, “Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you.” For
Jakin had developed a theory as to the reason why he was watched. An accurate
theory, but one that did not yet have all the evidence required to make it
complete. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What is that supposed to mean?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">But Jakin was
not able to reply for the captains came out of the grove and announced their intentions
to drive the rebels out of the valley and over the ridge to the town of Quince
where, if all went well and a messenger got through, reinforcements from Willow
would be waiting. Jakin shook his head and shouldered his pack muttering, “They
should have surrounded them.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas smiled at his grumbling
against the captain’s incompetence and followed Jakin. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The rest of the
day was spent in a rapid march circling back eastwards to drive the rebels
towards Willow. The forests and greenery of eastern Glasgow had slowly risen
into grassy, sloping hills crisscrossed into a maze of interweaving dirt roads
traveled by farmers and merchant bands on their way to the capitol. When the
army was seen approaching the merchants stepped grudgingly off the road. As in most
countries governed by tyranny, the army was not well liked, but it was feared
and that fear demanded respect. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When Garfield reached a merchant
band he signaled to Parson and others to inspect the merchant’s goods. In every
instance something was found ‘wrong’ with the merchandise and their goods which
would be profitable for the army were confiscated and the merchants fined.
Jakin set his teeth and Lucas realized that this was one of those occasions he
had spoken of where it was best for him that he did not talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When the army proceeded along its
way, the baggage horses bore an extra load and extra coins jingled in the
pockets of certain favored officers. Jakin was disgusted. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They continued on though, with the
sun beating down on them and dust signaling to anyone atop the hills that an
army of some size was traversing the plains. Jakin held the officers in all the
more contempt for this. They should have walked in the grass and proceeded in a
single column to hide their numbers. For a while they marched in silence, sweat
dripping down their backs and necks and drenching their clothes. After some
time Jakin felt a growing sense of uneasiness. He moved along the marching
lines at a fast walk which broke into a run towards the officers leading the battalion.
He ran to the front and held the bridle of Garfield’s horse. “Sir, we’re
walking into a trap.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garfield
was indignant at Jakin’s lack of respect and pulling back on the reins,
attempted to rear his horse. But Jakin held onto the reins and the horse would
not move. Garfield kicked it with his spurs but under Jakin’s firm hand the
horse only snorted and kicked up its back heels. Garfield was not unseated, but
he stopped kicking the horse. “What do you mean?” he asked sharply. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin saluted and replied, “The
small canyon we’re entering is lined with rebels sir.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Impossible. I
was assured they would run.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin gave a scornful smile. “They
didn’t. Their numbers are easily as large as ours and the canyon affords
adequate protection for taking on a force twice their number. As a captain you
should be very well aware of that.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The lieutenant captain raised his
pistol and struck Jakin on the head with it. Garfield reproved him harshly.
Blood ran down the side of Jakin’s head but he was indifferent.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“It would be best if you either
skirted the canyon or proceeded with great caution.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A smile
flickered at the corners of Garfield’s mouth. “What’s your name and rank?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Jakin, Private.” Jakin saluted and
clicked his heels. He knew how to behave in the presence of officers although
often his indignation prevented him. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How long have you been in the
army?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Four years.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Impressive.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I was a draft,”
said Jakin. “War was not my first choice.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But you are proud to serve your
country nonetheless.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Sir, time is
wasting,” said the lieutenant, saving Jakin from an uncomfortable position
wherein his principle would force him to say ‘no’ to the Captain’s last
statement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I agree with your lieutenant.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The captain gave
a shocked expression at their audacity to speak to him in such a way, but he
knew they were right. “What would you have us do, young Private Jakin? Since
you seem to know so much. ”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I would have surrounded the canyon
with the light infantry, thereby cutting off their escape over the ridge. Then
I would have formed up two wings of heavy infantry to follow in the heavy
cavalry in a charge into the valley. None of the enemy would escape. Or at
least very few if the attack was carried out properly. But it may be too late
now.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How can you be sure the rebels are
even there?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jakin realized
that he could never convince the captain the he had ‘felt’ their presence and
the minute signs he had seen along the way which confirmed his theory could not
be accepted by a man of logic. For the signs that will convince one who
believes do not always convince those who trust their reason over their heart.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You will have to send a scout to
ascertain that fact. But if the scout is seen the battle is lost. I will go if
you order me.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The captain although for a moment
and then asked, “Are you so sure you will not be seen?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jakin gave a
slight scoffing smile, “There is no guarantee of that, but most of the men in
my company will affirm that I am the most suited for the job.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“A little proud are we not?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No sir, I
simply state the truth. No man has spent more time in the mountains of Carrock
then I and no man has spent more time tracking animals and enemy troops through
the plains, mountains and valleys than the one who stands before you.” This was
not Jakin’s usual manner of speech but he knew that pride and confidence was the
language of the mighty. (Although in Jakin’s mind the ones who were mighty were
not the ones who held high positions. Mighty here refers to captains and the
like who considered themselves as mighty.)</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Very well, you may go. Do you
require a companion or a pistol?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jakin moved
aside the grey army cloak tucked into his belt and revealed the brace of
pistols. “As for a companion, I work better alone. I will be back in an hour.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although the captain knew that the
valley was wide and the ridges difficult to surmount and travel along, he felt
that that would not change the mind of the young man before him and he felt
that the man was perfectly indifferent to that difficulty. “Go then, and return
speedily.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin felt a thrill of excitement
and longing rush through his body as he reached the edge of the steep wall of
the canyon to the right of the entrance. This canyon wall went nearly straight
up for about fifteen feet and then sloped slightly to decrease the angle of the
climb as it ascended past straggly cedars and brush which struggled to maintain
the survival of its roots foundation, placed so precariously in the loose dirt
and gravel which made up the sloping sides. Jakin spat on his hands as he
reached the wall, and placing his hands in two crevices in the rock, pulled
himself up. His feet found a firm place to support his body and they came up
also. His hand sought another jut of rock which would aid him in his climb and
his feet walked vertically up the side as he pulled himself up by the strength
of his arms. The work was hot and sweaty for he wore his grey cloak to better
disguise his movements but as the time passed and the sweat poured down his
back and neck he was less and less sure if it was worth it. At last he
surmounted that first cliff and began crawling up the second one, grasping at
roots and outcroppings as he progressed up its side. Once he was close to the
top he crouched and moved along the outside of the ridge cautiously to avoid
being seen by anyone on watch in the valley below. It would have taken a keen
eye to spot him from the valley. His movements were jerky and stopped
altogether after a few seconds, just like a squirrel or a rabbit trying to
cross a field without attracting any attention from the dog lying half-asleep
on the porch. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It is important before we go any
further to explain how this valley was situated. On the provided map that was
given you at the beginning of the book you will see the town of Willow, approximately
50 miles south-west of Kenneth. To the east of the town is a valley surrounded
by sloping rocky hills, not of any considerable height, which sloped up and
down and spread out in a haphazard fashion. These are the slopes which the army
had passed to the north of the day before and were now retracing their steps,
but instead of skirting them, they were now proceeding through the heart of
them towards Willow. The valley or canyon so often referred to lay straight
between them and Willow and it lay right at the heart of three overlapping
mountains. Two ran nearly east-to-west and one ran north and south providing a
barricade between the rebels and Willow. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin traveled along the left hand,
east-to-west ridge, crouching at some places, sprinting in others and leaping
over steep and narrow cracks which provided a path for springs or creeks. The
valley was not more than a mile wide and a mile long so it was not long before
Jakin sighted the rebels. He pressed on however, urged by a wild thrill of
adventure which caused him to approach the rebels in a manner which was
unreasonably dangerous. The rebels appeared to making camp, and since Jakin
still had thirty minutes to get back he stayed on and watched, scooting closer
and closer to the officers’ tents. The guard around these was quite slack and
Jakin could have run up and touched the tent without being noticed. He almost
did just for the fun of it, but just as he was ready to spring for it, a man
who appeared to be the rebel commander came out of the tent with a tall young
girl by his side. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin was surprised to see her there
but even more surprised to see her with a gun slung on her shoulder. They
walked away from the tent and the camp and Jakin followed. It was a rash deed
at the very least but Jakin thought he could manage. The commander stopped
behind one of the other tents and Jakin got a good look at them both from the
cover of a group of horses standing tied beside each other. The horses reminded
him of the one he used to have when he was up north in Carrock Range. He had
left the horse in one of the mountain valleys and hoped to reunite himself with
it once the war was over. He turned his attentions to the commander and his
daughter though. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The commander was evidently her
father, for their talk was very affectionate and he was certainly old enough.
His hair was streaked with grey but his face showed a lightheartedness that
Jakin was not accustomed to. He wore nearly the same uniform the Glasgowian
commanders wore and the only real difference was the dark red badge he wore
around one shoulder which indicated he was a rebel. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His daughter wore a light green
dress with a dark red sash around the middle. Her hair was of a dark brown
color and hung about her shoulders in wavy folds. Their conversation was
interrupted by the arrival of a young commander who Jakin assumed was one of
the two captains, Nathaniel Greene, or Richard Lindsey. At that moment the
rebel general spoke, addressing the young man. “Captain Nathaniel, anything to
report?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Horatio’s army is camped outside
the canyon. His soldiers have not yet started making camp. By some strange
stroke of luck they were dissuaded out of entering the canyon. We have a watch
posted on them at this moment.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hmm,” said the general doubtfully.
“It’s too bad they didn’t enter the valley, but I guess it’s just as well.
Perhaps there is another fate prepared for them.” </span></div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-7619840539314383632013-10-11T10:20:00.002-05:002013-10-11T10:20:24.111-05:00New Hobbit Trailer!Here is the latest Desolation of Smaug trailer! I really like this one, but I am not too pleased with Legolas' friend...They better be careful! Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPVWy1tFXuc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-41428654532483582782013-09-18T15:16:00.000-05:002013-10-08T22:26:59.387-05:00Iron Will-Chapter 2<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is the next part to the story I'm working on right now. Sometime in the next two weeks I hope to get another guitar video up. It will be about the muting technique in the song, 'The Lord is My Strength'. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapter
II</span><br />
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jakin
stayed up all night. When the fires died down he did not build them back up.
His goal was not to keep spies and enemies away, but to draw them in. The night
was uneventful however, and when the camp began to stir in the morning he woke Lucas
and stole a few minutes sleep. When he awoke he saw a plate of biscuits and
gravy with a tin cup of strong black coffee beside it. He was somewhat
refreshed after the meal and began striking camp with the rest of the men. Lucas
joined him in a few minutes and he said, “Thank you for breakfast.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Thank-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you </i>for watching all night,” said a soldier who was helping taking
down a tent beside them. “It was supposed to be my watch.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He knew you’d fall asleep,” said Lucas
with a smile. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Lucas
was generally well liked among the soldiers. He was too kind and conscientious <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>to be liked. Of course, Parson
didn’t like him, but Parson was an exception. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Jakin didn’t fall asleep did he?”
asked the man humorously. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Of
course he did,” said another. “Lucas had to wake him up three or four times.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas didn’t see the need to
respond. All the soldiers knew that Jakin could go without sleep for days. Jakin
did not respond either, but rolled up the tent and moved on. Lucas followed him
and before long the camp was struck. The soldiers fell into line and Brigadier
General Garfield ordered the march. They proceeded eastwards down the pass back
into Glasgow. They had crossed the first range in double barrier presented by
the Carrock Range in a fruitless, but well-grounded search for the rebels,
thinking they may have retreated to ask for aid from the Dracians. Dracia was a
mysterious place. Few people went there and out of the people who did go few came
out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dracia was lined with outlaws and
mountain men who wished to escape the troubles of life or live secluded from
people. This also kept people from entering Dracia. Jakin had never been to
Dracia. It was his dream to go there someday, not only to brave the dangers of
criminals and mountain men but also to face the wild crags, spurs, canyons,
steep ascents and descents, wild animals and all the accompanying physical
trials such as cold, hunger, pain, fatigue and thirst. He loved adventure and although
he hated everything else about war, he was able to appreciate the trying
circumstances the army was placed in and he took joy in the trials which
tracking the rebels presented. He hated war. Ever since he had left the Duke of
Orland, he had hate war and tried to avoid it. He had even tried to run away
from Glasgow’s army before but he had failed and had been brought back by
Parson and a few others who had been sent to get him. It was then that he had
received the slash which ran from right to left in a diagonal on the other side
of his right eye beginning at his hair all the way to the tip of his ear. It
was an ugly scar, and it did much to override the handsomeness of his face, but
anybody who could imagine his face without it would see a very handsome young
man. (If he could learn to wash the dirt and blood off of his face and dress in
some decent clothes). </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The march was long and toilsome.
The soldiers, disappointed at finding the rebels had not withdrawn to Dracia,
but had retreated eastwards towards Xenith, were not in the best of moods. They
talked little and their entire bearing communicated utter fatigue and disgust.
Consequently, the march was not a very bright one, (especially since the sun
was beating down on them so hard), and when Garfield called the troop to a halt
once they were in the foothills, the soldiers set up camp grudgingly and not
without grumbling. Once the tents had been pitched and the camp set up, the
soldiers withdrew to different tents to gamble and play at cards, filling the tents
with smoke from their cigars and pipes. Although the sergeant called lights
out, Parson and his company stayed up till one or two with their gambling
games. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin took first
watch, as usual, and Lucas stayed up with him till Jakin, tired from the lack
of sleep the night before and the long march, turned in. Usually Jakin took the
second watch, the one from two to four, because it was the most dangerous of
the watches. During the time from lights out till two, the camp had not yet
been quite enough for wild animals or enemy troops to approach and therefore it
was a relatively easy watch. The night before he had stayed up because he was
meditating the charges of desertion and his plans of escape, but tonight he had
stayed up to watch Parson. Parson was not only ruthless, cruel, mean-spirited
and morally deficient, he was also mysterious, strange and unpredictable. He
often disappeared for several days and then reappeared somewhere along the
trail. The others didn’t usually notice his absence until long after he had
left or when he returned suddenly, but Jakin always knew when he left and when
he returned. His eyes observed everything and scarcely anything went by without
him noticing it. Parson’s disappearances were not very alarming although, for
the captains never addressed him about it or brought forward charges of
desertion. This inclined Jakin to think that Glasgow was sending him away on
private missions, which made him wonder if Parson was a member of the
Intelligence Corps. Parson did not seem physically good enough for the
Intelligence Corps. Jakin never took much of an interest in it although. His
plans were not to defeat Parson by degrading him and bringing charges against
him, but by destroying him physically. Jakin was not strong enough for that now.
Although Jakin did not think Parson physically strong enough to enter the
Intelligence Corps, Parson was still strong above average, and he was always
surrounded by his friends, which made beating him much harder. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin’s watch passed uneventfully
however, and when he handed the watch over to Ralph, Parson was asleep which
gave Jakin the necessary ease to fall asleep also, but it was the light sleep
of a hunter, not the deep, drunken sleep which Parson enjoyed. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the morning the camp was struck
and the army proceeded down into the gentle valleys and plains at the foot of
the Carrock Range. The army reached Kenneth before the afternoon had passed,
and took up lodging there until the necessary information could be received of
the enemy’s location. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This took some time. He questioned
Brigadier General Garfield when he returned from the army headquarters and Garfield
said that the General, Rupert Collings, had not yet discovered the rebels’
location. Scouts had been sent out two days before and the army hoped to
receive intelligence of the enemy’s whereabouts in two days. Jakin strongly
felt that he was viewed suspiciously when he entered the army headquarters. He
could not discover what it was about him which excited their attention. Perhaps
he was too inquisitive he shrugged, as he returned to the barracks. Lucas met
him in the room where he and Lucas, together with Ralph and six others, shared
a room in the northern wing of the army barracks. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m going to the tavern,”
declared Jakin as he sat down on his hard cot and laid his rifle in the rack
above it. He laid his grey cloak on the edge of his bed and went to the door. “You
coming?” he asked just before leaving.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas shook his head and Jakin
walked out. He went between the wide alley between the north and south barracks
till it joined the large road leading between the storehouses and armories and
the barracks where he turned off onto street running down the middle of the
town. Being a garrison town, Kenneth had several taverns, blacksmiths, saddlers
and tailors shops under contract to produce uniforms, shoes, saddles, gun
parts, swords, cloaks, helmets and other trappings for the army’s use. Since
the garrison had just returned home, many street corners were occupied by young
girls and soldiers and as Jakin passed them he noticed Parson standing with a
young girl about sixteen on one of the corners. Jakin shook his head in disappointment and breathed a quick prayer that the girl would gain some sense and avoid the likes of Parson. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> There was a large tavern on the main street down the town, and another on one of
the back streets which he preferred because it was quieter and was not
frequented by Parson, but tonight Parson was on a street corner with a girl he
had sweet-talked and wouldn’t dare show his face in there among the rest of the
soldiers. Jakin walked in and was immediately enshrouded in a cloud of grey
smoke from pipes and stoves in the back of the tavern. Jakin pulled his grey
cloak about him and took off his hood as he sat down on a chair in the back of
the room where he commanded a good view of everything in the tavern. After a
minute or two, the bartender’s boy came over and asked quickly, “Whiskey, ale
or…” he stopped as he recognized Jakin’s face. “Why, it’s you.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin nodded.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“You
don’t come here often,” the boy explained. Jakin had formed a relationship with
this young boy after saving him from Parson one late night at about two in the
morning. Parson and some others were being waited on by him when they got a bit
more drunk then usual and began throwing him about. Jakin had been sitting
unnoticed on the opposite side of the room, in the chair he sat now. He had
stood up and told Parson to stop and when Parson refused, he had kicked them
all out of the tavern. He had worn a hood then and not many people had been in
the tavern which contributed to the fact that he was not very well recognized
by anybody in the tavern. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The ale’s better at the Last
Star,” said Jakin.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
boy shrugged, “Perhaps. My uncle thinks his ale is best but I guess tavern
owners always do. What do you want?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Red wine.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
boy nodded and hurried off to get the order. When he returned Jakin took the
glass and said, “I would have got it myself, but the tavern is crowded
tonight.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes,” said the boy, “With the
soldiers’ return the place has filled back up.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jakin
took a sip of the wine and asked quietly after a moment, “Have you been getting
on alright?” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Fair enough. My uncle’s not a
very kind man but I earn a few pence a week and that keeps me happy.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Happy? Really?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
boy squirmed under Jakin’s gaze. “He only beats me once a week, honest.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin laid a hand on the boy’s
shoulder and said, “Keep your courage up, wait till times change.” He gave a
wry smile and added, “Find yourself a sweet-heart like Parson did. It seems the
thing to do these days.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The boy laughed, Jakin ruffled his
hair and sent him back to the counter with the price for his drink and eight pence
to keep for himself. The boy whispered a heartfelt thank-you and ran back to
serve a new group of men coming in. Jakin took another drink of his wine and
said without turning, “You can’t catch me unawares Lucas.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas sat down beside him and
handed him a pipe. Jakin took it and blew a ring out to mix amongst the smoke
which filled the tavern. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’ve tried for
four years to sneak up on you, Jakin. It never, ever works.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin bought Lucas a drink and
said, “I’ve tried for four years to understand why you follow me around. I
never have.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas smiled, “You always buy me
drinks.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jakin
gave him a friendly shove, “That’s not the reason.”<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas didn’t reply immediately so
Jakin changed the subject. “Parson’s got himself a sweet-heart.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Really?” said Lucas with an
unbelieving expression.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,
although I doubt he feels anything towards her.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You can’t be serious.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jakin
drained his glass, “Why do you think he’s absent tonight?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas looked around. Jakin was
right. Parson was nowhere to be seen. Jakin leaned back against the wall and
blew another ring of smoke through the hazy tavern. Just then the back-door
opened and a darkly clad figure seated himself a few chairs over from where
Jakin and Lucas sat. Jakin observed him for some time out of the corner of his
eye. The man was very fidgety and nervous. His hood was drawn about his face
and he never looked directly at anybody. Jakin looked at Lucas and raised an
eyebrow. He shrugged and Jakin stood up to go. Lucas followed him and they left
through the back door, jus tin time to see Parson come in the front. They
walked back to the barracks in silence until Lucas said, “I think that man was
a spy.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He would definitely fit a
description of one,” Jakin remarked.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Lucas
gave a smile, “You would know of course, you were one yourself.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, and I wouldn’t want to be
one again. I’m not very smooth at playing a part I’m not, nor am I good at
getting information out of people through sly conversation.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas laughed, “That <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">would </i>be hard for you. You can barely
even carry on a normal conversation.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin whirled around, “When I have
something good to say, I say it.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes,
and often very vehemently too; especially when you disagree with someone else.”
Lucas’ smiling, boyish face communicated perfect humor and under it the wish to
always lighten Jakin’s spirits. Jakin’s spirits were fairly high at the moment,
but his mind was troubled by the appearance of the strange man in the tavern.
However, the card games and drills soon filed those thoughts away into a
subconscious file reachable when necessary. After the card games and drills,
Jakin left the barracks and walked slowly down the darkening streets, still
full of people and noisy groups of soldiers. They grew silent after a while,
and Jakin proceeded down the dark and quiet streets, performing an unordered
patrol of the city. There were several occasions where he felt like he was
being followed and watched which made him increasingly uneasy. He kept his
right hand on the butt of his pistol and the other rested on the handle of his
bayonet. No one jumped on him in the dark alleys though, and he reached the
barracks in safety. He slipped quietly past the sleeping men to his own bunk where he chained his rifle to his feet and laid his pistols beside him on the bed along with the two cumbersome belts of ammunition he wore. From the top bunk he could just see out of the barred window into the dark sky where a crescent moon was rising. The wind was blowing whisps of cloud across it that reminded Jakin of the tides that were sweeping him along from battle to battle. For what? He asked himself and then gave himself over to sleep. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the morning there was still no
word from any of the scouts so the army enjoyed another day in relative quiet
and merriment. Jakin spent most of his time exercising and practicing his sword
skills and his aim with the brace of pistols he had bought himself in Carrock. Lucas came in and out, now
exercising, now shooting Jakin’s pistols whenever Jakin stopped to teach him
how to perfect his aim. Jakin had been handling a gun since he was six, and although
the guns in use were fairly clumsy and inaccurate, he had perfected his aim
with those he owned. He had learned to notice the way the
pistols shot in all types of conditions and he had learned where each one would
be shoot to the right or left or above or below his target, which had for a
long time been a man’s chest. But now he shot at the head and rarely missed.
This resulted in quick deaths and less suffering for those who were unfortunate
enough to meet him as his enemy on the field of battle. Of course, those who
happened to be his friends on the field of battle were treated with great
loyalty and care. Each of his soldiers would hear him quietly give a humble
word of instruction or a quick and sharp warning when danger was near. The
amount of soldiers in his division whose lives he had saved were well over a
hundred, but I suppose that was counterbalanced in the fact that he had killed
over a hundred rebels. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas shrunk from killing anyone
unless they were on the point of killing him. He had argued countless times
with Jakin on this point but Jakin was never convinced. “I am a soldier under
orders,” he would say. “The power to give life is not given to me, only the
power to take it.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They were out practicing one day
when Jakin said very softly, “Cover me.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">He
sprang from the place he had taken in front of the targets provided by the army
headquarters and sprinted towards the palisade surrounding the garrison. With a
bound he jumped up, grabbed the top of the wooden fence and vaulted onto the
other side. Lucas, meanwhile, had ran for the gate in the palisade where it was
easier to climb and stood perched there with a rifle aimed at the figure Jakin
was now chasing. The figure did not offer any fight however, but merely ran with
a speed which astonished Lucas, for Jakin gained on the figure only very
slowly. Lucas leapt from his perch and followed them, knowing that Jakin would
be safe for the time being, and knowing that they would both soon be out of
site from the top of the gate since they now veered off the main road and ran
for the back alleys of the town. Lucas tried in vain to catch up with them.
Their speed was incredible. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin was now intrigued and
interested with the figure he was chasing. It ran with great speed down the
streets and alleys making hairbreadth turns and climbing over walls with the
agility which Jakin himself could hardly match. The figure was a slim figure with
long legs and a dark cloak enshrouding most of his body. This much Jakin could
see from the distance he was away from it. Jakin’s heart was screaming for a
break as it pounded ferociously inside his chest before the figure slowed its
pace. It did not stop running, but turned for a quick moment and drew a pistol out from under its cloak. Jakin saw it too late to draw his own pistol. He had tried to avoid
shooting the figure, but as the bullet sank into his shoulder, he gritted his
teeth and wished he had. It took awhile for Lucas to reach the street they were
on and when he reached it his muscles were aching with pain. But when he saw
Jakin’s crumpled figure on the ground he broke into a desperate run at his top
speed. He skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees at Jakin’s side. The
figure had disappeared and Lucas shouted, “General Garfield!” at the top of his
lungs. He didn’t wish to move Jakin, for fear the bullet had fractured a rib or
broken a bone in his shoulder. It took a while for Garfield to get there. He
stooped over Jakin and whispered, “Dear God.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas looked up,
“Is he dead?” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
captain shrugged, “I don’t know. It looks like it.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And indeed, it did at least until
Jakin moved his hand and opened his eyes. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and
the Captain sent an orderly to fetch the camp surgeon. It seemed forever till
he came. Then the captain and Lucas helped Jakin onto a stretcher and they
carried him back to the camp. The surgeon disappeared inside a room with Jakin
and an assistant. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas stood for a long ten
minutes outside the door with the captain before the assistant opened the door
and beckoned to them to enter. Jakin sat up in the bed with a white sheet of
cloth wrapped under on arm and over the shoulder of the other arm. The surgeon
looked up as they entered and handed the captain a piece of paper with a few
notes written on it under three different points. Lucas waited patiently till
the officer finished reading the note and addressed him saying, “The bullet
went all the way through. It looks like it passed perfectly between two ribs
but it might have fractured the one on the back side.” Lucas gave a sigh of
relief.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garfield shook his head and Jakin
began to see a glimmer of hope in his being able to get out of the army and go
back to the wild. Just then a messenger entered the door, saluted respectfully
and handed the Captain a piece of paper folded four times, saying, ‘With all
respects from Captain Wilson, 5th Regiment.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He clicked his heels and shut the
door behind him. The captain opened the note hastily and the surgeon whispered,
“Wilson is the commander of the scout party sent to ascertain the rebels’
position.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The captain folded the paper back
up and placed it in his breast pocket. “Captain Wilson sends a positive
location for the rebels. This young man will have to join the 23<sup>rd</sup>
when it marches tomorrow.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The surgeon saluted and the
captain left. Jakin bit his lip and Lucas gave a slight sigh. “Well, goodbye to
any chances of you leaving the army.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“That is of no importance. I couldn’t really leave anyway,”
said Jakin quietly, but offered no explanation. </span><br />
<br />
</div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-12024192658673723952013-09-11T16:35:00.001-05:002013-09-11T16:35:53.844-05:00Guitar Tutorial-TuningYay! I have finally gotten around to putting this up! This will be my first guitar video and I hope to get more up soon! A quick note, the reason I am teaching it this way and not by a tuner, is because this way often makes your guitar sound better and a little bit more unified than with a tuner, since the strings are not only in tune by themselves, but they are also perfectly in tune with the other strings as well. Note: your top string must be in tune for this to work. Generally your top string slips out of tune far less frequently than the others so it shouldn't be a big problem, but if you think it is out of tune, you can go to a piano, a tuner or get-tuned.com to get it in tune. Once you have a sample E to listen to, tuning it is as easy as the others and the process is exactly the same. I hope this helps! If you have any questions, please comment!<br />
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<br />Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-76844211281409867912013-09-01T21:07:00.001-05:002014-02-02T16:24:19.153-06:00Camping in ArkansasOh my goodness, I am most terribly sorry for not getting any guitar tutorial videos up as promised, but I have been very busy hiking,<br />
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swimming,<br />
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kayaking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9Rm7a4BpcLKnMnOLsUSXi7y15la892dFZbrO_876PUOIjkUChzmsU5g3hGhkH0AFXZgD4KsSxEusJSN29MwcVJGB1hzonPIVW4L3A9K6Pgunht6NkwpacUAkgXWp0OFEr3tnysacUAc/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9Rm7a4BpcLKnMnOLsUSXi7y15la892dFZbrO_876PUOIjkUChzmsU5g3hGhkH0AFXZgD4KsSxEusJSN29MwcVJGB1hzonPIVW4L3A9K6Pgunht6NkwpacUAkgXWp0OFEr3tnysacUAc/s320/003.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
studying,<br />
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and hiking some more. <br />
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So I have been very busy, as you can see, and would like to say that I have not had any time to put videos together. I still don't, actually, so I decided to post this tonight instead and put my first video up tomorrow. I am also starting school again tomorrow so it will be a struggle to get it in, but I will do it! There are so many other things I want to put up here too that I can't wait! <br />
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Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-25410079685476899182013-08-26T17:35:00.001-05:002013-08-26T17:40:05.491-05:00Mont BlancI recently read the poem, Mont Blanc, by Percy Shelley and decided I
would post some portions of it here, along with a few pictures of the
mountain. Mt. Blanc is the 11th tallest mountain in topographic
prominence and is the highest mountain in the Alps and the European
Union at 15,782 ft. Located on the border of France and Italy, it is
called Mont Blanc by the French and Mt. Bianco by the Italians and its
ownership has been disputed since the Napoleonic Wars, when the Duchy of
Savoy, which it was located in at that time, was ceded to Napoleon. The
current situation sees administration of the mountain being shared
between the Italian town of Courmayeur and the French town of St Gervais
les Bains, according to Wikipedia, that is. Here are some pictures:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4lXzNpm_6r38pOrKZAffGFAhMa6mnUBRtcO6rObT3fvXjiNx6tyXS1S2Jw3quxAShI6DXd0p9aH_wnXZLgVAhAgJR2fq0GiB9d6DlQMdsmPCYpkheo6truzy2R9o_ENyz-rKZlcNZsc/s1600/images11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4lXzNpm_6r38pOrKZAffGFAhMa6mnUBRtcO6rObT3fvXjiNx6tyXS1S2Jw3quxAShI6DXd0p9aH_wnXZLgVAhAgJR2fq0GiB9d6DlQMdsmPCYpkheo6truzy2R9o_ENyz-rKZlcNZsc/s1600/images11.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5PiWF9YLALU9Wu6eue0kW8-qMi6iNPqtqkcKacNG1xT6dlFBbrmR8FN3HYH3oEHyE2izS2065Ios9NXw2sJyfx5OhrClflADWVt5FVlG1S2w0zkwpY75sFu3g8M2ZgdjiT7wJsMZivg/s1600/MontBlanc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5PiWF9YLALU9Wu6eue0kW8-qMi6iNPqtqkcKacNG1xT6dlFBbrmR8FN3HYH3oEHyE2izS2065Ios9NXw2sJyfx5OhrClflADWVt5FVlG1S2w0zkwpY75sFu3g8M2ZgdjiT7wJsMZivg/s320/MontBlanc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljUNJiOFPnPfGGQvaFLI45UsP2ierVKLuAuUKyaWRs6vKBgENijZykuxeuthta7IHdl9Da_rsz8_E8eXoNSRO9WAk2TZTO3u-9BC0JVt1SqGmY8dH3yErZ4GYZeATM3RBJpoofpl6BUg/s1600/images111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljUNJiOFPnPfGGQvaFLI45UsP2ierVKLuAuUKyaWRs6vKBgENijZykuxeuthta7IHdl9Da_rsz8_E8eXoNSRO9WAk2TZTO3u-9BC0JVt1SqGmY8dH3yErZ4GYZeATM3RBJpoofpl6BUg/s1600/images111.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUzrUE1wWKlCkcWp7PFYd3j0Z7cjJrjWhOJTT0O7AfFY4bXFNT9vh_oaS1K87NL6c6b3VB7TpsceAd97DKv1ZFk4NWzyvSz2OOP7RT8ci3UTCW_CrB3N7wfBRyeA2oGReVjGp5Bphf7s/s1600/images112.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivUzrUE1wWKlCkcWp7PFYd3j0Z7cjJrjWhOJTT0O7AfFY4bXFNT9vh_oaS1K87NL6c6b3VB7TpsceAd97DKv1ZFk4NWzyvSz2OOP7RT8ci3UTCW_CrB3N7wfBRyeA2oGReVjGp5Bphf7s/s320/images112.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ7w9GRzmHtS3aQ-pmKm6kbbuYfA49aH0TPLj_PPqAtN6zIxgWiBqWPCBQ3ZHvMUf5mMtgc0hUoZylvB2eyc_1F-MPa89pKkjzfaYx1DXZ-dvacJ70f3radOpfGRjyLBUirqK-jQRB_Y/s1600/index333.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQ7w9GRzmHtS3aQ-pmKm6kbbuYfA49aH0TPLj_PPqAtN6zIxgWiBqWPCBQ3ZHvMUf5mMtgc0hUoZylvB2eyc_1F-MPa89pKkjzfaYx1DXZ-dvacJ70f3radOpfGRjyLBUirqK-jQRB_Y/s320/index333.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg64BVXDmMzGY_Npm1yl81hUWtABxBzduND4wiM2sBvDPGml2Slx6gMQs4naoLCXVjF1MX_xVFaqoM4JY5U8XdG2HPRIkC8EzVFNqaLL-1zfO7HdPrqiNFF3Kn1D0vJvhlb7sVV19zSE/s1600/Mont_Blanc_depuis_Valmorel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg64BVXDmMzGY_Npm1yl81hUWtABxBzduND4wiM2sBvDPGml2Slx6gMQs4naoLCXVjF1MX_xVFaqoM4JY5U8XdG2HPRIkC8EzVFNqaLL-1zfO7HdPrqiNFF3Kn1D0vJvhlb7sVV19zSE/s320/Mont_Blanc_depuis_Valmorel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And here are a few selected portions Shelley's poem on it. (Shelley was an English poet during the 19th century.)<br />
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Mont Blanc yet gleams on high:--the power is there,<br />
The still and solemn power of many sights,<br />
And many sounds, and much of life and death.<br />
In the calm darkness of the moonless nights,<br />
In the lone glare of day, the snows descend<br />
Upon that Mountain; none beholds them there,<br />
Nor when the flakes burn in the sinking sun,<br />
Or the star-beams dart through them. Winds contend<br />
Silently there, and heap the snow with breath<br />
Rapid and strong, but silently! Its home<br />
The voiceless lightning in these solitudes<br />
Keeps innocently, and like vapour broods<br />
Over the snow. The secret Strength of things<br />
Which governs thought, and to the infinite dome<br />
Of Heaven is as a law, inhabits thee!<br />
And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea,<br />
If to the human mind's imaginings<br />
Silence and solitude were vacancy?<br />
<br />
Mont Blanc appears--still, snowy, and serene;<br />
Its subject mountains their unearthly forms<br />
Pile around it, ice and rock; broad vales between<br />
Of frozen floods, unfathomable deeps,<br />
Blue as the overhanging heaven, that spread<br />
And wind among the accumulated steeps;<br />
A desert peopled by the storms alone,<br />
Save when the eagle brings some hunter's bone,<br />
And the wolf tracks her there--how hideously<br />
Its shapes are heap'd around! rude, bare, and high,<br />
Ghastly, and scarr'd, and riven.--Is this the scene<br />
Where the old Earthquake-daemon taught her young<br />
Ruin? Were these their toys? or did a sea<br />
Of fire envelop once this silent snow?<br />
None can reply--all seems eternal now.<br />
The wilderness has a mysterious tongueWhich teaches awful doubt, or faith so mild,<br />
So solemn, so serene, that man may be,<br />
But for such faith, with Nature reconcil'd;<br />
Thou hast a voice, great Mountain, to repeal<br />
Large codes of fraud and woe; not understood<br />
By all, but which the wise, and great, and good<br />
Interpret, or make felt, or deeply feel.<br />
<br />
The everlasting universe of things<br />
Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves,<br />
Now dark--now glittering--now reflecting gloom--<br />
Now lending splendour, where from secret springs<br />
The source of human thought its tribute brings<br />
Of waters--with a sound but half its own,<br />
Such as a feeble brook will oft assume,<br />
In the wild woods, among the mountains lone,<br />
Where waterfalls around it leap for ever,<br />
Where woods and winds contend, and a vast river<br />
Over its rocks ceaselessly bursts and raves.<br />
Thus thou, Ravine of Arve--dark, deep Ravine--<br />
Thou many-colour'd, many-voiced vale,<br />
Over whose pines, and crags, and caverns sail<br />
Fast cloud-shadows and sunbeams: awful scene,<br />
Where Power in likeness of the Arve comes down<br />
From the ice-gulfs that gird his secret throne,<br />
Bursting through these dark mountains like the flame<br />
Of lightning through the tempest;--thou dost lie,<br />
Thy giant brood of pines around thee clinging,<br />
Children of elder time, in whose devotion<br />
The chainless winds still come and ever came<br />
To drink their odours, and their mighty swinging<br />
To hear--an old and solemn harmony;<br />
<br />
Thine earthly rainbows stretch'd across the sweep<br />
Of the aethereal waterfall, whose veil<br />
Robes some unsculptur'd image; the strange sleep<br />
Which when the voices of the desert fail<br />
Wraps all in its own deep eternity;<br />
Thy caverns echoing to the Arve's commotion,<br />
A loud, lone sound no other sound can tame;<br />
Thou art pervaded with that ceaseless motion,<br />
Thou art the path of that unresting sound--<br />
Dizzy Ravine! and when I gaze on thee<br />
I seem as in a trance sublime and strange<br />
To muse on my own separate fantasy,<br />
My own, my human mind, which passively<br />
Now renders and receives fast influencings,<br />
Holding an unremitting interchange<br />
With the clear universe of things around;<br />
One legion of wild thoughts, whose wandering wings<br />
Now float above thy darkness, and now rest<br />
Where that or thou art no unbidden guest,<br />
In the still cave of the witch Poesy,<br />
Seeking among the shadows that pass by<br />
Ghosts of all things that are, some shade of thee,<br />
Some phantom, some faint image; till the breast<br />
From which they fled recalls them, thou art there!<br />
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Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-88407531171353710252013-08-15T17:21:00.002-05:002013-08-15T17:23:53.606-05:00Iron Will-Chapter I<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapter
I- ‘I Would Die For You’</span><br />
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
the sun disappeared behind the mountains bordering Glasgow and Xenith, Jakin
turned to go. Back in the camp he attended to his various camp duties until darkness forced him to return to the light of the watch fires where he rejoined Lucas, the only man he felt he could trust his life with. Lucas looked up as Jakin slipped noiselessly up behind him and
sat down, his eyes never meeting Lucas', his attention only for the ferocity of the crackling flames which seemed to Lucas to be in accord with the tempestuous emotions which he knew were surging through his friend's heart, though his outward demeanor did not reveal the turbulence. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The day before, Jakin had been
accused of deserting after pursuing a spy away from the camp further down the
mountain. His sentence was pending and the weight of the knowledge of his
possible execution filled the tense air with silence. Lucas watched the
countenance on his friend’s face; those eyebrows forever knit in a stern and
frowning glare, his unsmiling, small mouth with pale lips, and those piercing,
blue eyes, observing anything and everything around them. Lucas had grown to
ignore those things about Jakin which tainted his character: his depression,
his gravity, his harsh words and cutting remarks. He focused more on the things
about Jakin which built his character: his loyalty, his conscientious behavior
towards the soldiers, his respect towards the commanders, his hunting,
tracking, wrestling and fighting skills, his courage, bravery and insensibility
to pain and his fierce defense of his principles and of the soldiers in the
army against Parson. Parson was a troublemaker in the army, delighting in
forcing all the soldiers he could lay his hands on to run his errands and amuse
him or he and a few other soldiers who joined him would leave him in the dust
of the road covered in bruises. Of course, he could never lay his hands on
Jakin. Jakin always slipped through his fingertips or left him with bruises on
the very field where he had done the same to others. Jakin would then get beat
by the Quartermaster but he didn’t care. His goal was to bring Parson down from
his lofty throne to the dirt but Parson always avoided him after Jakin beat him
on Sly Fox Hill. Lucas remembered that day very vividly. He had been on top of
the hill when Parson and a few others had come up and told him to clean their
boots. Lucas, new to the army, refused and turned to go. Parson then gave a
signal and his men grabbed Lucas and began pounding him with blows. All of a
sudden their blows had stopped and another rather new member, a young seventeen
year old, had whipped Parson and his men soundly and then left without so much
as a word to Lucas. Lucas
smiled at the remembrance. Jakin had been that seventeen year old and Lucas had
followed him around ever since. He didn’t follow Jakin for the sake of
protection although, but because Jakin inspired him so much. For awhile Jakin
wasn’t friendly towards Lucas and tried to avoid him, but in the end Lucas’
humility, deep appreciation and loyalty to Jakin forced Jakin to like him and
ever since then they had been the best of friends. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The captain’s voice was heard
nearby. “Who’ll take first watch?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Lucas
looked at Jakin and Jakin said, “I will.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas knew he would. He always
volunteered for watch. Rain or shine he always took the first watch and often
the second as well. Many thought Jakin was crazy to take the watch all the
time, but Lucas knew that Jakin took the watch because he had to think. What exactly
Jakin thought about, Lucas had not the faintest idea.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Due to the charges pronounced on
you yesterday,” said the captain, referring to the charge of desertion, “I
cannot allow you to keep watch unless one of you comrades is willing to take it with you.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I will.” said Lucas quietly. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Jakin
shot him a grateful look as the captain ordered everyone else to bed. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After everyone had gone to bed,
Jakin and Lucas sat down beside the fire. Jakin put a log on the fire and then
sat down, staring into the roaring fire while Lucas employed his great gift of
silence. For an hour or more he watched the fire die down into glowing embers. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At length Jakin said, “You’ve a
great gift for silence.”<br />
Lucas smiled, “You’ve a terrible habit of it. Maybe if you told someone your thoughts
they could help you figure things out. Most of the time I don’t know what
you’re thinking about.”<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But tonight you do,” said
Jakin. It was a statement without a hint of questioning.<br />
“Tonight I do,” said Lucas.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a pause Jakin asked,
“Do you think I was deserting?”<br />
“Of course not Jakin, but unfortunately it’s not what I think you were doing
but what Brigadier General Garfield thinks.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No,” said Jakin, lifting his eyes
from the ground. “What you think matters just as much as what Garfield thinks.
I would not have you think I was faithless.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucas looked straight at Jakin,
“Jakin, I would never think you were faithless. You are the most loyal person I
have ever known and ever will know for that matter. Garfield doesn’t know you;
he’s just doing his duty. He’s a fair man though and he’ll make sure you get a
fair trial.” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin kicked an ember back into
the fire. “Trial? It won’t get to that. This is the army, Lucas.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“And
deserting is a capital offense.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I would rather not have a trial.”
</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“If
you don’t get a trial then Parson will be very pleased. You’ll be killed
immediately.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Will I?” said Jakin, with a
mischievous look in his eye.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yes
you…” Lucas stopped. “You’re not thinking of escaping are you?” </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jakin did not answer.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don’t Jakin. You’ll be killed!”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And the world would be a rid of a
‘desperate criminal’,” said Jakin, with a humor that did not fit the time. “And
who said they’ll catch me? Can they catch a bird with their bare hands?”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You’re a bit too egotistical," Lucas said, "but
since that can’t be helped I might as well tell you that it’s not being caught
that I’m afraid of. In fact, if they tried to catch you alive they’d lose
several men.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Then what are you afraid of? for
I am afraid of nothing.” He said this with perfect solemnity and not a hint of
a smile. This was no deadpan humor, but the complete truth, although it was not
his habit to show it off before others.</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I know that,” said Lucas with a
tone which communicated the perfect trust he had in Jakin and the strength of
his loyalty to him. “But I am more easily frightened. Parson will be watching
you. He’ll shoot you at the first sign of escape and if I try to back you up
before the Captain I’ll get myself so bruised when he finds me afterward that I
won’t be able to talk. I’d do it for you of course, I’d do anything for you,
but it’s not my preferred choice of action.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will </i>help me though.” said Jakin; overriding and seemingly ignoring
everything Lucas had just said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Lucas nodded, “I would die for
you.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “I
know that. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Get some sleep.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“They won’t allow me to sleep
while you keep watch.”</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “They
won’t know.” Lucas shrugged and rolled over, knowing that Jakin wouldn’t allow him to stay up and that Jakin
would stay up, all night long if necessary. </span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> He
lay down beside the stump Jakin had been sitting on while Jakin made a round of
the entire camp. When he returned, Lucas was asleep. Some near forgotten code
of decency or compassion moved him to lay his blanket over Lucas as the night
grew colder and the dew fell. For a long time he stared into the fire, and then
looked at Lucas, curled up at his feet, his blonde, curly hair tossed back and
his pistol under Jakin’s wolf pelt blanket. He looked at him for quite awhile
while thoughts went through his mind of the loyalty Lucas bore him. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why? </i>He asked himself. There was nothing
about him to inspire such love and loyalty, at least, not that he could see. He
was a harsh man, disgusted with his country’s leaders’ actions, discontent with
the world, angry at her people’s morals and cold and without love because of
the trials she had presented to him. He felt he was no part of her. He himself
was drafted four years before. He had resisted of course, but he wasn’t able to
escape. He had been taken as a draft to Kenneth and then assigned to the
twenty-third battalion, the one he was in now. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> By the way, if you were wondering where the guitar tutorials are, they will be up in the next post. </span></span><br />
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</span></div>
Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4040805224155854722.post-72573318920757522232013-08-09T15:47:00.003-05:002013-08-09T15:47:42.732-05:00Guitar Tutorials Hello everyone,<br />
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I’ve decided to start posting a series of guitar tutorial
videos on my blog which I hope will be helpful to both beginners and people who
may have been playing for a little while but are still having a few problems
with their guitar. The videos will cover basics like tuning, strumming and
basic chords and will gradually progress on to some other things like
finger-picking, barre chords, scales and keys. I thought of posting these
videos a little while ago because I think that a firm foundation in these things is essential to becoming a good guitar player regardless of what style of music you are playing. For people who are just starting I hope that these lessons will give you a clear understanding of the basics so that your playing will start on a good foundation. </div>
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To the Self-Taught Heroes </div>
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As a self-taught guitarist, I congratulate you on your determination to learn an instrument 'whatever it takes' and I encourage you to keep practicing. It can be a big temptation to be slack in practicing, but practicing is more crucial then anything else! </div>
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To Those Taking Lessons </div>
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A popular guitar teaching method I have run across in my area is the 'up-down' strumming patterns and the tailored beginner chords. Depending on your teacher, you have probably been taught these too. These videos are especially designed to help you (if a beginner) be able to play in several different keys and to various beats and rhythms without your strumming pattern handy. </div>
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Conclusion: </div>
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So to sum it up, these videos are to help the beginner become a confident and skillful guitarist who actually knows WHY he plays a chord or a note in a certain way, not just how. I hope my videos help you to become that. </div>
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Abigail Gwynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09520909359620504988noreply@blogger.com0