As the snow comes falling from the sky today, heavy & wet and piling up an inch or two an hour, I am looking up information on the Portland Flower Show. Starts Thursday March 10th, in the old yacht services building on Fore St.
" Some years you need to see flowers and green grass more than others, ya know ? "
You may recall in the last blog that I was afraid that I would have to be layed off from my great job. I was feeling pretty down about it, as one might expect. It looks like that is not going to happen, but for some reason though, I cannot take that big sigh of relief. I have been under this stress for well over a month and I was hoping it would lift instantly. I think it shook me so much that I just want to get further down the road from it, just like I would a bad dream.
So, I am looking forward to going to the show for all of the above reasons..I need to add a little "spring" in my step, so to speak. I have been to the show many times as a vendor and only once as just a member of the public there to admire all the displays. I have not been for quite a few years now. I love the old building. There we are among some beautiful old sail boats, all put away for the winter, moving around underneath them like the rolling seas usually do in summer. That fact is not lost on me. I think they can smell the flowers too and know that pretty soon they will be back on the water, doing what they were meant to do. Can't ignore the wooden floors and just the general history of the building and Phinney Sprague walking around like he owns the place, making sure all goes well and runs smoothly. He is a great host. One year when I was there as a vendor, he found out it was my birthday and announced on the loud speaker that everyone in the place needed to stop by my booth and say Happy Birthday..and ya know, I think everyone did. ( oh, by the way, Phinney Sprague does own the place !!!)
I hope my gal pals can all make it too, because there is a lot of pleasure in sharing the experience with friends.The same friends that I go out to the beach with after work on summer nights to walk & talk and breathe salt air and collect sand dollars & other treasures, if I am lucky enough to find some. I will have to email all the details and I know I won't have to talk anyone into it. We are all ready for winter to end and for Spring to begin.
I just thought of something, just this minute. I may have just realized why I have stayed away from the show for so long. About twelve years or so ago, when I was working as a vendor at the Flower Show, I came home from the opening night gala and found that my ex-husband had packed up & moved out. Left a note in the sock draw.. after 25 years & raising four kids & all the richer/poorer stuff , a note in the sock draw. Can you believe it? It seems funny that I have no feeling about that now. No anger, no resentment, nothing. Well, I did suspect that this blog might become like therapy sometime , and today it certainly has !
I will be going to the Flower Show with a spring in my step and a light heart. Who's with me?
PS- I have just finished reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I had never read it as a kid. I was browsing through my Kindle free books and there it was ,so last weekend I began reading it, only took a few nights. I am sure you all know the story. Orphaned girl goes to stay with depressed rich uncle who has crippled son. She discovers a secret garden and it cures all of them.
It really was a lovely story and I for one am hoping the very public garden at the Flower show does the same for me !!
I also read Elizabeth Gilberts new one, Comimtted. I loved Eat , Pray , Love and expected nothing less for the new book. I wanted it to be a real sequel full of the love story of Liz and Felippe. It was more of a history of the institute of marriage and got quite boring in places. Now, I hear her ex-husband has written a book of his own about their mariage. That should be interesting !!
I have just started this morning (at 5 am), another free Kindle book Letters of a Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. I have only read a few chapters (or letters) by it is very good. True story about a widow who heads west to build a home. More on it /her later.
I also watched finally, the movie Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges, Colin Farrell , Maggie Gyllenhall and Robert Duvall. Well, I thought the movie was good, music fantastic and I am totally in love with Jeff Bridges. He can sing and so can't Farrell. I think they should do an album. I have loved Robert Duvall ever since Lonesome Dove ( I highly recommend the book & movie), and even though he has a small part, loved him in it. Gyllenhall was ok, I just didn't get the warm & fuzzies from her. I think she over-acted the part. It was a love story, plain & simple. Please movie producers..more of Mr Bridges.
'Til next time...peace.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Waiting to exhale.........
We all know that life has ups & downs. If you made a graph of your life most likely it would look like hills and valleys equally spread over your lifetime. Even those people that we perceive as "lucky"...their graphs would look like all the rest. My hills & valleys are very personal to me and yours to you. You could look at my "problems" and deem them frivolous compared to yours. It's all relative.
I bring this up because I may be on the verge of losing my job. Our company has run into some problems and may have to close. I am definitely in a valley. I have worked here for over ten years, everyone here has become my second family. The problems we are having are out of our control and at first it was frustrating and now it is just plain scary. I don't want to lose my job, my means of support. I have been on my own for over ten years now, after my divorce. I used to worry all the time whether I could meet my monthly bills and felt so much relief after my rent was paid at the end of the month, even if I only had two dollars to rub together at the end of that week. I had made it another month! That fear went away quite awhile ago as I got more comfortable in my job and decided that I was valuable to my company. I feel that I have been grateful enough for my job. We all complain , no matter how good our job is, right? I realize that there are alot of peole out of work and struggling and have had ample empathy for them. But now, it's personal, now it's my life about to be turned upside down.
So, I am in a valley. I haven't been in one for a while. Back in 1996 & 97, I lost my parents, one after the other. In 98, my marriage died. So I was in a scary place for a long while. Talk about abandonment issues !! But then , by taking one day at a time, one problem at a time, I began to climb the hill. And when I got halfway up , I turned around and looked down to see how far I had come. That inspired me to keep going and I haven't had to look back since. Until now.
I know I am lucky. My kids are all doing okay, in spite of having me for a mom. They are pretty good citizens of the world. Two are now married with children of their own, and they both married really great people. Apples of my eye, all of them. I have plenty of family & friends and they show me luv all the time. ( in their own sarcastic way , of course)
I have been giving myself pep talks, like the old days. I know that if I lanquish in pity, I won't find solutions. I have learned that life does just keep bumping along, that when one door closes , another door opens. I have this little plaque in my house that says" After a storm, the birds always sing". How true. I am a big believer in Karma and I think I have been a pretty good child of the universe. I am not even close to perfect but I have learned that I am good enough. Finally.
So, I guess I will know in a few days or maybe in just a few hours whether I can EXHALE or not. And I expect that if I hear bad news, that I will cry and feel pretty awful for a bit. But at some point I know, I will pick myself up, dust myself off and start up another hill. As a matter of fact, I think I better get out and buy a good pair of walking shoes this weekend. Peace.
PS: I have read a couple of books since we last talked. I read two by Jennifer Weiner. Good in Bed & Certain Girls. (The latter a sequel) I liked the first enough to read the second. Talk about hills & valleys in a life. Alittle bit of comedy, alittle bit of tragedy..throw in a movie star friendship and some personal success, and you have a good read.
I also read Eat, Pray Love..after I saw the movie. I did really like the movie. I know it didn't get great reviews but I thought it was really good. I liked it enough to read the book. I thought the movie did a good job portraying Liz Gilbert's life and what an interesting life Ms. Gilbert is living !! I will be reading her new book, Committed. I read a sample of it on my Kindle and I will definitely be downloading it soon. Stay tuned.
I bring this up because I may be on the verge of losing my job. Our company has run into some problems and may have to close. I am definitely in a valley. I have worked here for over ten years, everyone here has become my second family. The problems we are having are out of our control and at first it was frustrating and now it is just plain scary. I don't want to lose my job, my means of support. I have been on my own for over ten years now, after my divorce. I used to worry all the time whether I could meet my monthly bills and felt so much relief after my rent was paid at the end of the month, even if I only had two dollars to rub together at the end of that week. I had made it another month! That fear went away quite awhile ago as I got more comfortable in my job and decided that I was valuable to my company. I feel that I have been grateful enough for my job. We all complain , no matter how good our job is, right? I realize that there are alot of peole out of work and struggling and have had ample empathy for them. But now, it's personal, now it's my life about to be turned upside down.
So, I am in a valley. I haven't been in one for a while. Back in 1996 & 97, I lost my parents, one after the other. In 98, my marriage died. So I was in a scary place for a long while. Talk about abandonment issues !! But then , by taking one day at a time, one problem at a time, I began to climb the hill. And when I got halfway up , I turned around and looked down to see how far I had come. That inspired me to keep going and I haven't had to look back since. Until now.
I know I am lucky. My kids are all doing okay, in spite of having me for a mom. They are pretty good citizens of the world. Two are now married with children of their own, and they both married really great people. Apples of my eye, all of them. I have plenty of family & friends and they show me luv all the time. ( in their own sarcastic way , of course)
I have been giving myself pep talks, like the old days. I know that if I lanquish in pity, I won't find solutions. I have learned that life does just keep bumping along, that when one door closes , another door opens. I have this little plaque in my house that says" After a storm, the birds always sing". How true. I am a big believer in Karma and I think I have been a pretty good child of the universe. I am not even close to perfect but I have learned that I am good enough. Finally.
So, I guess I will know in a few days or maybe in just a few hours whether I can EXHALE or not. And I expect that if I hear bad news, that I will cry and feel pretty awful for a bit. But at some point I know, I will pick myself up, dust myself off and start up another hill. As a matter of fact, I think I better get out and buy a good pair of walking shoes this weekend. Peace.
PS: I have read a couple of books since we last talked. I read two by Jennifer Weiner. Good in Bed & Certain Girls. (The latter a sequel) I liked the first enough to read the second. Talk about hills & valleys in a life. Alittle bit of comedy, alittle bit of tragedy..throw in a movie star friendship and some personal success, and you have a good read.
I also read Eat, Pray Love..after I saw the movie. I did really like the movie. I know it didn't get great reviews but I thought it was really good. I liked it enough to read the book. I thought the movie did a good job portraying Liz Gilbert's life and what an interesting life Ms. Gilbert is living !! I will be reading her new book, Committed. I read a sample of it on my Kindle and I will definitely be downloading it soon. Stay tuned.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Music to My Ears.....
I am not musically gifted. Tried taking trumpet lessons when I was in second grade, but that was only because Eddie Santoro was taking lessons and he was so cute. That and my uncle T actually had a trumpet that I could use. The only thing I truly loved was the red velvet lining of the trumpet case. Growing up, one of my friends took piano lessons and I would go over to visit and she would try & teach me a song on her piano. I think there was a song called Hiawatha that she eventually did get me to learn. I would say that I discouraged her from ever becoming a music teacher.
I can't sing a note..well I can sing a note but only neighborhood dogs can hear it ! But boy, do I LOVE music. The first record I ever heard was at my friend Kathy's house. It was her brother Coffee's 45 of Jingle Bell Rock. They had one of those consoles with a TV (black & white) and a turntable that rolled out when you pressed a button. How modern ! We played it while her brother wasn't home, he would have killed us if he knew. I don't have alot of music memories until I was 11-12 when the Beatles invaded. Oh, I had a portable record player, and my mom would buy a record that she liked once in a while and we would play them. I have a very clear memory of playing Elvis' Wooden Heart and the Righteous Brothers' Ebb Tide. Then came Meet the Beatles. My friend Kathy & I played that album over & over until we wore it out. I dreamt of marrying Paul...I had a Beatle wig and boots. Loved those boots, fake alligator with a big heel and chain on the side. I jingled all the way to my sixth grade classes.
In my high school years, we had an eight track at home and on Sundays my dad would play Johnny Cash and show tunes. Fiddler on the Roof, Pirates of Penzeance, Carousel. I would spend some weekends at my cousins, and my aunt M would be playing Tex Ritter, There's Blood on the Saddle. (I can still sing a few of the lyrics) My aunt M was a soprano and she could SING. I learned to appreciate Jimmy Hendrix from my sister K, and BB King from the "hippies" in my senior year art class.
Over the years my music tastes have evolved and at this point in my life, I don't think there is a type of music that I haven't listened to and appreciated. Now, mind you, I don't love it all. I am a big fan of Funk, hip-hop and rap, but not gansta rap. I think Eminem is a talented guy, but don't care to listen to alot of his lyrics. Miles Davis, John Coltrane...I love smooth jazz, but be-bop not so much. I do still like a show tune, I can actually sing along with most of them . Carousel being one of my faves, Walk On is a big tear jerker. Classical, yes, love DeBussey's Arabesque #1. Still love to dance to Thriller, imitating some of Jackson's great moves. Can't Moon Walk though.
My kids grew up with albums , eight tracks & cassettes of the Moody Blues, George Clinton, Earth ,Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang. Also Barry Manilow, Carole King and Carly Simon. I am a big Michael Jackson Fan.. How great was the Thriller album? I have my son T on super 8 film singing Joel's Big Shot, complete with mike.And I am so glad to see that they like all kinds of music, too. Both girls like a little bit of country..didn't get that from me. My grandchildren are being brought up on Metallica, Funk, Hip Hop, Black Eyed Peas and Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, and Rich Charette's I Love Mud. (The kids concerts are priceless)
I can tell you , as I get older and actually slow down enough to really listen, I hear all kinds of other music. I love being on the beach and listening to the surf. I love sitting in my living room and listening to the birds chirping away at the feeder. I love being in the middle of a family outing and hearing all of the family talking at once. I love it when my grandchildren sleep over and I listen to their sleeping noises and their soft rhythmic breathing. I love putting a shell up to my ear and "hearing" the ocean. I love to hear the wind blow across the tall grass outside our offices.I love to visit my friend M and hear the water going over the dam by her house. I have developed a real appreciation for ALL things musical. All of these things are now music to my ears, and you can hear it too, if you just take time to really listen.
PS- I read The Shipping News last week. Hadn't read anything by Annie Proulx before and have seen this book around for quite a while and just never picked it up. It was one of the staff's picks at my local library, and I am glad I read it. I will be looking for another of Ms Proulx's books, for sure.
I also ordered from NetFlix, Pillars of the Earth, the Ken Follett book turned into mini series. I did not have high expectations that it would do the book justice. It was such a great story. I think the movie flowed along pretty well, but the acting was not very good. The book was so gripping..the actors were so bland. I did not even finish watching it. Instead I may re-read the book and it's companion, World Without End. They were both spectactular!!
Please stay "tuned".
I can't sing a note..well I can sing a note but only neighborhood dogs can hear it ! But boy, do I LOVE music. The first record I ever heard was at my friend Kathy's house. It was her brother Coffee's 45 of Jingle Bell Rock. They had one of those consoles with a TV (black & white) and a turntable that rolled out when you pressed a button. How modern ! We played it while her brother wasn't home, he would have killed us if he knew. I don't have alot of music memories until I was 11-12 when the Beatles invaded. Oh, I had a portable record player, and my mom would buy a record that she liked once in a while and we would play them. I have a very clear memory of playing Elvis' Wooden Heart and the Righteous Brothers' Ebb Tide. Then came Meet the Beatles. My friend Kathy & I played that album over & over until we wore it out. I dreamt of marrying Paul...I had a Beatle wig and boots. Loved those boots, fake alligator with a big heel and chain on the side. I jingled all the way to my sixth grade classes.
In my high school years, we had an eight track at home and on Sundays my dad would play Johnny Cash and show tunes. Fiddler on the Roof, Pirates of Penzeance, Carousel. I would spend some weekends at my cousins, and my aunt M would be playing Tex Ritter, There's Blood on the Saddle. (I can still sing a few of the lyrics) My aunt M was a soprano and she could SING. I learned to appreciate Jimmy Hendrix from my sister K, and BB King from the "hippies" in my senior year art class.
Over the years my music tastes have evolved and at this point in my life, I don't think there is a type of music that I haven't listened to and appreciated. Now, mind you, I don't love it all. I am a big fan of Funk, hip-hop and rap, but not gansta rap. I think Eminem is a talented guy, but don't care to listen to alot of his lyrics. Miles Davis, John Coltrane...I love smooth jazz, but be-bop not so much. I do still like a show tune, I can actually sing along with most of them . Carousel being one of my faves, Walk On is a big tear jerker. Classical, yes, love DeBussey's Arabesque #1. Still love to dance to Thriller, imitating some of Jackson's great moves. Can't Moon Walk though.
My kids grew up with albums , eight tracks & cassettes of the Moody Blues, George Clinton, Earth ,Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang. Also Barry Manilow, Carole King and Carly Simon. I am a big Michael Jackson Fan.. How great was the Thriller album? I have my son T on super 8 film singing Joel's Big Shot, complete with mike.And I am so glad to see that they like all kinds of music, too. Both girls like a little bit of country..didn't get that from me. My grandchildren are being brought up on Metallica, Funk, Hip Hop, Black Eyed Peas and Billy Joel, Taylor Swift, and Rich Charette's I Love Mud. (The kids concerts are priceless)
I can tell you , as I get older and actually slow down enough to really listen, I hear all kinds of other music. I love being on the beach and listening to the surf. I love sitting in my living room and listening to the birds chirping away at the feeder. I love being in the middle of a family outing and hearing all of the family talking at once. I love it when my grandchildren sleep over and I listen to their sleeping noises and their soft rhythmic breathing. I love putting a shell up to my ear and "hearing" the ocean. I love to hear the wind blow across the tall grass outside our offices.I love to visit my friend M and hear the water going over the dam by her house. I have developed a real appreciation for ALL things musical. All of these things are now music to my ears, and you can hear it too, if you just take time to really listen.
PS- I read The Shipping News last week. Hadn't read anything by Annie Proulx before and have seen this book around for quite a while and just never picked it up. It was one of the staff's picks at my local library, and I am glad I read it. I will be looking for another of Ms Proulx's books, for sure.
I also ordered from NetFlix, Pillars of the Earth, the Ken Follett book turned into mini series. I did not have high expectations that it would do the book justice. It was such a great story. I think the movie flowed along pretty well, but the acting was not very good. The book was so gripping..the actors were so bland. I did not even finish watching it. Instead I may re-read the book and it's companion, World Without End. They were both spectactular!!
Please stay "tuned".
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sleigh bells ring, can YOU hear them?
I suppose I should take down the Christmas decorations. (I do not like that word should) My decorations are so pretty, and I only put up a few things, I want to keep them up for a while longer. What's the harm? If I lived in a manse, I would have a room that was all Christmas all the time. I would sneak into that room and take it all in , at least once a week. It seems that I have never lost that magical feeling for Christmas, that childhood feeling. When the Polar Express movie came out, I finally understood why I felt that way. I want to always "hear" the jingle of sleigh bells.
We had magical Christmases when I was a kid. We always wrote letters to Santa and my dad would take them over to the stove and light them up because he said the smoke would go all the way up to the North Pole and Santa would know exactly what we wrote. My dad took on extra work so that my mom could put on a big layaway at ChildWorld, the local toy store. She always went way overboard, and the neighborhood kids would always want to come over after Christmas to see what we got. There was always such a pile of toys ! On Christmas day, after we opened a million presents at home (there were six of us kids, so it always looked like a million) we would pile into the wagon and ride up the street to my grandmother's house and again, there was a huge stack of gifts. We usually had dinner right there, the best dinner. We didn't need to hurry back home because we had so many new toys to play with right there.
We always got new dolls, all of the girls anyway. My brother got GI Joe's, which I guess is the same. The year I was 14, I asked for a baby doll & crib. Got them & loved them dearly. Always loved the baby dolls, had quite a large "family" of them. (Unfortunately later that year , we had a house fire and to this day I can remember seeing my dolls out on the lawn all melted. Terrible sight)
Lucky for me, I had two girls of my own, so I was able to buy dolls again for Christmas ! For the boys, Masters of the Universe & Star Wars figures. I tried to keep my own children's Christmas magical, because it was such a big part of my own life growing up. I did the best I could to get everything on their lists and then some. What a pile of gifts on Christmas Eve, under the tree, just waiting for the big rush down the stairs. And all four of them squealing, "Just what I wanted, just what I always wanted". I have granddaughters and grandsons now and once again, I can buy dolls & Star Wars figures. Of course that has never stopped me, I have plenty of dolls & toys to play with...right at my own house. I hope I "hear" the jingle of sleigh bells for the rest of my life.
So, I think I will leave up the decorations for alittle while longer. I want to feel "Christmasey" for a little while longer. I want to sit and remember the good stuff, just alittle while longer. I hope I "hear" the jingle of sleigh bells for the rest of my life.What's the harm?
PS- I read a Richard Russo novel last week. That Old Cape Magic. Could not put it down. The way people's lives twist & turn, Russo writes that so well. Please stay tuned......
We had magical Christmases when I was a kid. We always wrote letters to Santa and my dad would take them over to the stove and light them up because he said the smoke would go all the way up to the North Pole and Santa would know exactly what we wrote. My dad took on extra work so that my mom could put on a big layaway at ChildWorld, the local toy store. She always went way overboard, and the neighborhood kids would always want to come over after Christmas to see what we got. There was always such a pile of toys ! On Christmas day, after we opened a million presents at home (there were six of us kids, so it always looked like a million) we would pile into the wagon and ride up the street to my grandmother's house and again, there was a huge stack of gifts. We usually had dinner right there, the best dinner. We didn't need to hurry back home because we had so many new toys to play with right there.
We always got new dolls, all of the girls anyway. My brother got GI Joe's, which I guess is the same. The year I was 14, I asked for a baby doll & crib. Got them & loved them dearly. Always loved the baby dolls, had quite a large "family" of them. (Unfortunately later that year , we had a house fire and to this day I can remember seeing my dolls out on the lawn all melted. Terrible sight)
Lucky for me, I had two girls of my own, so I was able to buy dolls again for Christmas ! For the boys, Masters of the Universe & Star Wars figures. I tried to keep my own children's Christmas magical, because it was such a big part of my own life growing up. I did the best I could to get everything on their lists and then some. What a pile of gifts on Christmas Eve, under the tree, just waiting for the big rush down the stairs. And all four of them squealing, "Just what I wanted, just what I always wanted". I have granddaughters and grandsons now and once again, I can buy dolls & Star Wars figures. Of course that has never stopped me, I have plenty of dolls & toys to play with...right at my own house. I hope I "hear" the jingle of sleigh bells for the rest of my life.
So, I think I will leave up the decorations for alittle while longer. I want to feel "Christmasey" for a little while longer. I want to sit and remember the good stuff, just alittle while longer. I hope I "hear" the jingle of sleigh bells for the rest of my life.What's the harm?
PS- I read a Richard Russo novel last week. That Old Cape Magic. Could not put it down. The way people's lives twist & turn, Russo writes that so well. Please stay tuned......
Monday, January 10, 2011
Ovaltine & PJ'S.....
I am a reader. Let me re-state that...I AM A READER. I always have a book open and have ever since I learned how to read. I get so engrossed in books that I may stay in my pj's all weekend and read. A good book, a fresh baked loaf of bread, jam & Ovaltine. I make no apologies. (this is how I spent this past weekend, as a matter of fact) I have an eclectic bunch of favorite authors...John Irving, Richard Russo, Larry McMurtry, Gregory Maguire, Anita Shreve, Elin Hilderbrand, Ursula Hegi....too name a few..and anxiously await anything that my fave authors are releasing. I also enjoy the ever increasing flock of first time authors. One of them could become my next favorite.
I appreciate a good book, but I do finish reading most books even if they end up being not so great. There have been very few books that I will not finish reading. Some books I will read half-way or more and decide that it is such a labor to finish, that I skim the rest to see how it ends. I don't regret these types of books. I always think I absorb some good out of even a mediocre book. Some sliver of insight into peoples lives, a footnote in history, or an author's style.
I always read reviews of a book, so I can have a feel of where the author will take me before I buy. Books are expensive. I visit my neighborhood library every couple of weeks, but don't always find what I am looking for. I may have to go on a list and wait until it comes back in. Sometimes that list is long.
Which brings me to my new toy, the Kindle. ( a most excellent Christmas gift from all my kids) Almost any book I want, right there in my purse. A whole library at my fingertips any time of day or night. Books range from $0 to $20 or more. Now , yes, you could go to Borders with a coupon and get a deal on a book. But I have never walked out of Borders with a free book. So I think this new techno library/bookstore is awesome. For every book there are plenty of reviews. I enjoy reading the reviews, it is like being in a book club, so many insights on any given book. One of my favorite Kindle apps. Love my Kindle.
So the "moral "of today's blog is this: Please pick up a book or get yourself a Kindle. Better yet put it on your Wish List...even if you can only find the time for a chapter a day or even less. It stimulates your mind more than anything else I can think of. And do your kids a favor, read to them and have them read to you. In pj's with a warm cup of Ovaltine.
Oh.... PS....the book I read this weekend? Salt Dancers by Ursula Hegi. One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read..and I have read many, many books. This author can grab you and not let go until you finish the book. And then you are not quite finished because you have to sit and think about it for awhile after. The story of a broken childhood and the chance to mend it, 23 years later. I got trapped into these characters lives like I was living in the same house with them. I don't know how Hegi does it, how she can write about something with such authority, without having lived it. I guess that is what a great author does. Great book, great author.
Peace ..and please stay tuned.
I appreciate a good book, but I do finish reading most books even if they end up being not so great. There have been very few books that I will not finish reading. Some books I will read half-way or more and decide that it is such a labor to finish, that I skim the rest to see how it ends. I don't regret these types of books. I always think I absorb some good out of even a mediocre book. Some sliver of insight into peoples lives, a footnote in history, or an author's style.
I always read reviews of a book, so I can have a feel of where the author will take me before I buy. Books are expensive. I visit my neighborhood library every couple of weeks, but don't always find what I am looking for. I may have to go on a list and wait until it comes back in. Sometimes that list is long.
Which brings me to my new toy, the Kindle. ( a most excellent Christmas gift from all my kids) Almost any book I want, right there in my purse. A whole library at my fingertips any time of day or night. Books range from $0 to $20 or more. Now , yes, you could go to Borders with a coupon and get a deal on a book. But I have never walked out of Borders with a free book. So I think this new techno library/bookstore is awesome. For every book there are plenty of reviews. I enjoy reading the reviews, it is like being in a book club, so many insights on any given book. One of my favorite Kindle apps. Love my Kindle.
So the "moral "of today's blog is this: Please pick up a book or get yourself a Kindle. Better yet put it on your Wish List...even if you can only find the time for a chapter a day or even less. It stimulates your mind more than anything else I can think of. And do your kids a favor, read to them and have them read to you. In pj's with a warm cup of Ovaltine.
Oh.... PS....the book I read this weekend? Salt Dancers by Ursula Hegi. One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read..and I have read many, many books. This author can grab you and not let go until you finish the book. And then you are not quite finished because you have to sit and think about it for awhile after. The story of a broken childhood and the chance to mend it, 23 years later. I got trapped into these characters lives like I was living in the same house with them. I don't know how Hegi does it, how she can write about something with such authority, without having lived it. I guess that is what a great author does. Great book, great author.
Peace ..and please stay tuned.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Beginning Again
Every year I watch the ball drop in Times Square and get all teary eyed about people who I miss, things I have left unsaid, places I did not see, past regrets...auld aquaintances forgotten, as the song goes. At midnight, as I raise my glass to make a toast, I reflect on the past and give my sadness the repect that is due. But as I take that first sip of champagne, I also see the New Year's possibilities bubbling up to the top of the glass. The places I will see, the friends I will go to dinner with, the family get togethers. This is what makes New Year's Eve so special. Each year I am given another chance to enjoy life and the older I get , the more serious I get about doing just that.
Mark Twain said" Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
So , this is my resolution: I resolve to ENJOY LIFE and PURSUE HAPPINESS. I will look more forward than backward. I will "let go the bowlines" and see what happens. I will leave my safe harbor and let the wind take me places I have never been. Because we only have this one act, and I am the lead !!
Peace.
Mark Twain said" Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
So , this is my resolution: I resolve to ENJOY LIFE and PURSUE HAPPINESS. I will look more forward than backward. I will "let go the bowlines" and see what happens. I will leave my safe harbor and let the wind take me places I have never been. Because we only have this one act, and I am the lead !!
Peace.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Power of Popsicles
Over the holiday, I came down with the dreaded Noro-Virus, commonly known as the stomach bug. This strain is particularly mean & ugly and also highly contagious. Half the family is coming down with it and looks like half the community, too. By Sunday night after Christmas, I was down for the count. Luckily, I had decided when I was grocery shopping for the holidays, to throw some "just in case"items in the cart. Gatorade, that sugary, salty, revitalizing drink and Popsicles (the old fashioned mixed flavor bag). Gatorade is not my go to drink, not by a long shot. But it is what the doctors now tell you to drink when you get a stomach bug. When I was little it was coke syrup. When my kids were little it was de-carbonated coke ( if you add sugar & stir coke gently, you take the fizz out) then along came Pedialyte. So the re-hydrating drinks change with the times. But there is one constant, one perfect fix for the "bugs", Popsicles. (my personal fave is rootbeer, of which you get only 4 in the variety pak) When anyone gets sick, my immediate response is popsicles. Think about it. When you are sick, most times you have a fever or sore throat . Popsicles cool as they work their way down your throat. You don't even have to chew. You break off a piece, put it in your mouth and let it melt. It is cool, it tastes good, keeps your mouth & throat moist and it is adding much needed fluid to your body a little at a time, when just thinking of having to drink another mouthful of something sends you running for the bathroom !
(when I was little, a Popsicle with the big red circle on the package, was quite a treat. When the ice cream man came around, nine times out of ten, I picked a Popsicle...rootbeer)
So I had about 25 Popsicles and drank 3 -32 oz bottles of Gatorade over the last few days. It was breakfast, lunch & dinner for three full days. Now, I hope I don't have to see another bottle of Gatorade for awhile, but tonight while I watch TV, I will have a rootbeer Popsicle...just because.....
My 7 great kids all chipped in and gifted me with a Kindle for Christmas (what an awesome gift !) Needless to say, as I layed in bed for 3 plus days, I read a book. It was The Heights by Peter Hedges. It was the only book downloaded on there that I could figure out how to open! It ended up being a pretty good choice. The chapters were dialogue by character, so it was an easy read. ( in my condition, I was lucky if I could focus ) It was the story of two marriages, one pretty good, the other a farce. They were the haves and the have nots. Add in a Hollywood ex-flame , a roving eye and gossipy neighbors and you have got some good conversations going on ! About two thirds through the book, I thought I could have predicted the ending..but there was a twist. A pretty good read...I recommend it.
I WISH EVERYONE A GREAT BEGINNING TO THE NEW YEAR. LET'S DO SOME GOOD WORK IN 2011, PEEPS!
Please stay tuned.
(when I was little, a Popsicle with the big red circle on the package, was quite a treat. When the ice cream man came around, nine times out of ten, I picked a Popsicle...rootbeer)
So I had about 25 Popsicles and drank 3 -32 oz bottles of Gatorade over the last few days. It was breakfast, lunch & dinner for three full days. Now, I hope I don't have to see another bottle of Gatorade for awhile, but tonight while I watch TV, I will have a rootbeer Popsicle...just because.....
My 7 great kids all chipped in and gifted me with a Kindle for Christmas (what an awesome gift !) Needless to say, as I layed in bed for 3 plus days, I read a book. It was The Heights by Peter Hedges. It was the only book downloaded on there that I could figure out how to open! It ended up being a pretty good choice. The chapters were dialogue by character, so it was an easy read. ( in my condition, I was lucky if I could focus ) It was the story of two marriages, one pretty good, the other a farce. They were the haves and the have nots. Add in a Hollywood ex-flame , a roving eye and gossipy neighbors and you have got some good conversations going on ! About two thirds through the book, I thought I could have predicted the ending..but there was a twist. A pretty good read...I recommend it.
I WISH EVERYONE A GREAT BEGINNING TO THE NEW YEAR. LET'S DO SOME GOOD WORK IN 2011, PEEPS!
Please stay tuned.
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