Flock Watching

Smoke. Burning. Fire. I smelled it in my dreams. The scent swirled by and over my nasal passages. I sat up in bed and yelled, “Do you smell that?” 

The acrid taste of destruction coated the back of my tongue. It was 3:43 am.

“Get up. Get up. Something’s burning.” I whacked my husband, Sherwood the high-pitched snore monster, awake.

One gravelly snort later, and he fumbled to his feet. I was already cinched into my animal (unknown species) print bathrobe. “I smell burning,” I snapped.

And like a bird dog scenting prey, I flew through the house sniffing vents, smelling walls, and scratching behind my ear. Horrified, I inspected the light fixtures, recently installed by my son-in-law. Was it possible he’d done defective work, caused an electrical short, and now we were all going to have to live in the barn in our underwear? Of course, it was possible. I flew to the Christmas tree, unplugging Christmas cheer with a vengeance. 

I counted grandchildren piled in heaps throughout my house, visiting for Christmas. I worked out an evacuation plan as I ran sniffing wall sockets.

“Sherwood!” I cried. “Do you smell that?”

He had already found a ladder, climbed the ladder, and was sticking his head into the attic.

“It can’t be the heater.” I screeched. “I turned it on earlier in the day. To seventy-six degrees. If it was dust on the heater coils it would have burned off by now. Surely. Surely.” On my hands and knees, I inspected baseboards with my nose.

My grown, combat veteran son appeared, followed by my daughter-in-law.

“Get on that chair and sniff that vent,” I ordered. He did. “Feel the ceiling,” I commanded. He did. 

“Nothing’s hot,” he said, calmly.

“It’s in the walls,” I countered, tearing at my hair and sniffing at picture frames. 

And then one horrible, terrible, nasty, awful thought occurred to me. I raced to the utility room to confer with my husband. 

“You didn’t come behind me when I turned on the heater and lower the temperature? Right? And this is the first time it’s kicking on? So my assumption that this isn’t coil dust burning off but a raging inferno is based on crap information in my half crazed brain? RIGHT?” I directed my comments to my husband’s feet because he was still standing on the idiot ladder, his head still stuck up in the freezing attic. “You didn’t lower the temp,” I repeated. “Right?”

“No,” he replied.

I ran to the thermostat. The heater was on—set to seventy-two. The temperature inside the house? Seventy-one. I had set the temp at seventy-six. This was the first time the heater had kicked on. It was simple math.

“You lied,” I hissed.

Flames bubbled behind my eyeballs. I squashed my eyes to narrow slits. “I’m calling the fire department!”

“No. Don’t. It’s probably dust on the heater coils.”

“You stupid, stupid man,” I yelled. “You’re not a fireman. You! Don’t! Know!” I dragged that last bit out with flare, passion, and drama.

He climbed down the ladder. 

Needless to say, the ensuing conversation was neither productive nor Christ-like. Everyone went back to bed, but I stayed awake, bug-eyed and unsettled, until dawn. 

Someone has to keep watch over the flocks by night.

Linda (Sheep-Dog) Zern

How I Made a Study Guide/Reading Guide for My Book!

 For those that love to learn,

I rejoice in a book that makes me want to learn more, do more, and think more, and with that in mind, I put together this unit study guide as a companion to the first book in my Strandline Trilogy (Beyond the Strandline, Book I).

As a teacher, tutor, and homeschool parent/grandparent, I always appreciate hands-on activities and unit style study guides that cover a multitude of subjects (history, science, social studies, language, and more) because learning is forever and connected. 

Authors often do a great deal of research when they write their novels. A study guide can extend the reading experience for students, fans, and even book clubs. Sharing what you've learned or studied in researching and writing a novel is a delightful way to teach both the value of research and a love for discovery.  There's also the added benefit of teaching comprehension and understanding. Unit studies also address the needs of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. 

HOW IS A UNIT STUDY DIFFERENT? Rather than teach subjects in unconnected segments or subjects, a unit study seeks to show the connections between all of the disciplines. History can be a wonderful overview, when taught in a unit study framework shows the way humans develop and integrate knowledge. Individual subjects taught in sixty minute intervals are more for convenience in a traditional classroom setting, rather than a comprehensive program of integrated learning.      

HOW DO I START?   I went through a few of the study guides that I found helpful when I was a homeschooling parent. Also Google UNIT STUDY. There are a wealth of various guides and outlines out there.  Some focus more on discussion or book club settings. A lot of the study guides run very heavily to worksheets or pencil and paper activities. I've always preferred things that you can do or make (ie hands-on).

HOW DO I STRUCTURE MY STUDY GUIDE?  The sky's the limit, but I wanted a format with some structure. Each of the chapters include the following areas: 

    DISCOVER (Concept): Look for and discover ideas and facts that can deepen the story and the reading experience. (In this section I point out subjects or ideas for additional research.)

    DISCUSS (Observation and Discussion): This section is structured in a book club discussion format. (Once again, using the actual text, I chose a phrase or quote and suggest questions to stimulate discussion.)

    DEFINE (Vocabulary): Straight up definitions of words and phrases used in the chapter.

    DRAW/WRITE/SAY (Language, Art, Speech): Students learn to express themselves through written, visual, and oral projects. Example (Chapters 14-17) Research the history of keeping time and sundials and give an oral report.

    DO (Hands on projects to make and do): Anything that can be touched, created, or made is a fabulous way to cement concepts and learning.) Example (Chapters 14-17) Create a homemade sundial with a link. NOTE:  Internet web addresses are considered open source information and cannot be copyrighted. 

WHAT FORMAT SHOULD YOU CONSIDER FOR YOUR STUDY GUIDE? I have both an e-version of the guide and an 8 1/2" by 11" workbook sized version. I wanted something that could be opened flat, written in, and used as a workbook. But it's up to you and the focus you'd like for your study/reading guide.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON YOUR TOPICS? I was after something for a more academic use, but certainly those that write "prepper fiction" might want to focus more on the tips, tricks, and how to's of prepping and survival. And those that write more literary works might focus on the how to's of writing or creating a story.  Again, the sky be limitless. 

IN CONCLUSION:  Writers and authors are creative creatures, that can, from whole cloth, make characters that people love. And then we kill them. And then we solve the crime. We're awesome. 

Get creative.  Think outside the box. Be relentlessly helpful.

Sincerely,

Linda L. Zern  

Book of Zern - 2020

1. And there did commence a great plague in that selfsame year, that did spread forth throughout the land, first coming to Santa Clara county in the land westward, even California, arriving there from those strangers that did travel much, back and forth, from the mysterious land of China.

2. And it came to pass, that Sherwood, even the patriarch of our tribe, did find himself in the land of San Francisco in the beginning of that selfsame great year of the plague, even 2020, having traveled far to work and wander about the wilderness of the Oracle cafeteria werein he wore no mask or gloves or had knowledge of the afore mentioned danger.

3. Thus he did bring forth a wicked cough.

4. Which he carried back to our tribe. He did inquire of his physician about this most annoying of coughs, being told that he dideth have but a virus and to go home and live. 

 5. And thus he did live.

6. But then the plague did wax sore in our home, making me think that I had a most unusual cold that dideth linger for weeks upon weeks, and not knowing that I shouldest give up all hope, I did eat much of Cuban chicken soup brought forth by a loving ministering angel that dideth cause my recovery. And I did give thanks and live.

 7. And then the plague did continue sore throughout all the land and men’s hearts did fail them in all manner of ways.

8. Yet our tribe did continue to live; to mourn with those that mourn; and to pray for those whose hearts did faileth them; especially when the paper used much in the potty did disappear from all corners of the land.

 9. And Aric, even the eldest, did go forth, he and his family, from the land of many seasons to settle southward in the land of bridges and beaches, there to finish his twenty years serving both his country and kith and kin. He made much of his chances and sought to finish both his education and his career.

 10. In the year of the plague, the Stahles did continue in their way of homeschooling, working from home, and walking much through the land wherein they did dwell. And their eldest did practice much of driving and their youngest continue to toddle forth his diapers being full. And their mother did continue teaching the children of her people the joy of dancing in a barn.

11. But it was the Lorance family that did seek to prosper in the land westward, even Texas, having moved to a larger dwelling and acquired a dog that dideth ingest much of socks and Barbie doll clothing; seeking truth both by learning and by study.

12. And the youngest, even Adam of the tribe Zern, did find his habitation also in the central plains of the land known as the land of flowers, even Florida. He sought much education and his wife did edit much of my works, school her children in the art of living, and continue to improve both hearth and home.

13. And thus we see that living was not ended in the year of the plague but didest continue with the help of both the spirit of discernment and the spirit of faith, hope, and charity.

14. And so I make an end. Wishing many and every that they might find their way as pleasant as we do find our way.