Using What You Know

           New job. New building. New set of keys (seven of them--Yikes). I knew I needed a new lanyard (I like them longer than the store-bought ones usually are) so I headed to Pinterest, then to Michael's (craft store). The knotting pattern was not complicated, but when it came to finishing the knotted part, the directions I had didn't seem too reliable/permanent. 

         "Cut the ends off and burn the end of each cord." Certainly, burning the end off would have prevented the cord from unraveling, but what would keep the cord itself from becoming unknotted?

          Because I knew that paracord melts and becomes plastic-y when set on fire, I took the ends (and kept them an inch or so long) and burned the cord until I could melt it back onto the lanyard... and I only got one small blister on my finger and avoided setting the house on fire in the process, which is a huge success in my book. 

           Another thing I know: dogs, when stuck between uncertainty and a warm lap, usually succumb to the lap. This is a picture of one of my sister's dogs. She's a chihuahua mix, and I do not like chihuahuas. They're small and yappy and I tend to (accidentally) step on small dogs. When I first met her (an adult rescued dog) the feeling was mutual. She had prejudged me just like I'd been prejudiced about her. 

           

          However, this pup is part terrier-something, is built like a miniature horse, and runs like a greyhound. The next time we met, it was pure love.

         This is a picture of my daughter and her family at a local sculpture park. My daughter is cussedly independent (I don't know where she got that trait) and refuses to listen when I say things like, "We don't need your help with this yard/house project." She shows up anyway.

          

        Most years, when our dog rescue group has silent auctions, I bid on things that she and her family would enjoy. A free night at a funky hotel. A pair of baseball tickets. Restaurant gift certificates. So when she said this year, "Don't bid on anything for us," am I going to listen to her since she didn't listen to me?

       Definitely not.

           And my final utilization of what I know (for the moment) is this: it's important to keep your eye on what's important. (This picture is a huge sculpture at the same park as the previous photo.) 

         In mid-July, an editor at a conference asked for my manuscript. She gave me a time-frame when she would look at it. That time period is long gone. However, in my opinion, it's more important to give her time and not aggravate her than it is for me to email her and say "Haveyoureadmymanuscript?Haveyoureadityet?Whatdoyouthinkofit?Whatkindofastronomicalcheckareyougoingtosendmefortheprivilegeofpublishingit?

          Nope. I ain't gonna do it. Instead, I'm going to patiently (or semi-patiently) wait... for a little while longer. 

          What kind of knowledge/wisdom have you put to use lately?