A Short Guide to a Happy Life
By Anna Quindlen
Copyright 2000
50 pages
I ran across this little book while I was cleaning out a bookcase the other day.
Did I buy it? Was it a gift? Have I had it a long time? Had I read it? I could not answer those questions. I didn't remember the book, and I thought for a time to pitch it with the others that I was sending to the library for their book sale.
On a whim, I dug it out of the pile and set it aside.
I am glad I did.
This is a wonderful little book. I highly recommend it as a gift for a friend, as a little something for someone who is not feeling well, or perhaps for someone who has lost a loved one.
The book has wonderful black and white photos on every other page to illustrate the text. The pictures are of young friends, bicycles on the beach, winter, the moon, etc.
The text is brief. The author talks about her life as split into two times: before her mother passed away (the author was 19 when that happened), and after that milestone event.
She lives her life knowing we are mortal, and that the end is always just around the corner. She believes this makes a difference in the life experience, given when people tend to care about.
Get a life, she says. One that, every day, looks at the view.
Enjoy the simple things. The sunset, the flower, the snowfall. Learn to live, to appreciate the joys of the world.
It is excellent advice.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Thursday Thirteen
Today, I offer up 13 myths in politics that, in my opinion, are not helping things in the United States. I saw a similar list on Facebook recently and decided to create my own. Mine is a little different from the one that made the rounds.
1. "We have no responsibility for one another." This is the origin of the cry to end social programs - personal responsibility. This is the catcall that says, let the man die if he has no insurance. I do not live my life this way. We are all connected. No man is an island, writes John Donne. That has not changed just because it's the 21st century.
2. "Women are inferior." I know many thought this was a thing of the past, that women are citizens equal to men. I have always known this isn't so, as I have experienced gender discrimination on numerous levels. Given given the recent dialogue in the US, the unequal pay, and the obvious poverty of many single women, women still have a long way to come before there is any semblance of equality in this country.
3. "Tax cuts cure everything." They don't. Sometimes you have to raise taxes. Personally, I think signing pledges saying you will never raise taxes should automatically disqualify you from office. If you cannot examine every option with an open mind, you have no business representing me. I personally do not mind paying taxes. I drive on the roads and I use some of the services. I should pay for them. I consider paying taxes to be a honor and a priviledge. I am glad I make enough money to have to pay them, to be honest.
4. "Jobs come from the private sector." This is not true. The government can, does, and should create jobs. Franklin D. Roosevelt created millions of jobs and pulled the country out of the Great Depression. Obstructionism is the only reason this hasn't happened during the Great Recession. Some of the government programs that are now flagging because they have gone private include the U.S. Postal Service and the National Park Service. In my state, the state transportation system turned over snow and ice clearing to a private company. The result has been poor efforts and lots of problems moving goods and services in bad weather. Sometimes government does do a better job.
5. "People want to be poor." Excuse me? Where does this sort of thinking come from? I don't know anyone who wants to be poor. I do know a lot of people who work very hard - sometimes two or three jobs - just to get by. They didn't ask to be poor. And ending the minimum wage certainly isn't going to help them out. It will just move them from poor to completely impoverished.
6. "Getting rid of those trillions in debt will end the recession." I would like to see that paid off, really I would. But how does that end the recession? My own thoughts on ending the recession are these: spend government money on real jobs (the stimulus was a good idea, but the money went to the wrong places) and that will end the recession.
7. "Rich people should have tax cuts." Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. I guess the problem comes in defining "fair share." If you have more, you should pay more, and if you manage to find deductions, etc., so that you aren't, then something needs to change.
8. "If people don't have health insurance, it is because they don't want it." There are many people who would like to have health insurance who simply cannot afford it. I know several.
9. "Teachers are the reason the education system is not turning out good students." This is like saying the reason there is crime is because the police are bad policemen. What is with the blame, anyway? Why not just fix the problems? Are they so vast that no one can come up with a solution? Or is it that there are solutions, but no one wants to pay for them?
10. "Unions are bad." This has been so accepted that it's off the charts and not even in the public discussion, though it should be. Unions are not inherently bad. Much of the labor trouble today is not because of unions, but because of lack of unions. I am pro-union and I wish there were more of them.
11. "War is an option." It is no secret that I am anti-war. I do not believe war is ever an option; it shouldn't even be on the table. We are supposed to be civilized people. Isn't it time we act like it?
12. "The free market knows best." I do not believe this is true. Humans tend to follow the strong and leave the weak. In a world where everyone matters, the strong must care for the weak. In a free market (capitalism), this does not happen. That is why the government must step in and regulate.
13. "Discrimination does not exist in the United States." I don't know who actually believes this, but I read it in the letters to the editor occasionally. I see discrimination everywhere - against gender, age, race, class, and sexuality, to name a few. I have experienced it as a woman and I am experiencing it in different forms as an older person.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 232nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
1. "We have no responsibility for one another." This is the origin of the cry to end social programs - personal responsibility. This is the catcall that says, let the man die if he has no insurance. I do not live my life this way. We are all connected. No man is an island, writes John Donne. That has not changed just because it's the 21st century.
2. "Women are inferior." I know many thought this was a thing of the past, that women are citizens equal to men. I have always known this isn't so, as I have experienced gender discrimination on numerous levels. Given given the recent dialogue in the US, the unequal pay, and the obvious poverty of many single women, women still have a long way to come before there is any semblance of equality in this country.
3. "Tax cuts cure everything." They don't. Sometimes you have to raise taxes. Personally, I think signing pledges saying you will never raise taxes should automatically disqualify you from office. If you cannot examine every option with an open mind, you have no business representing me. I personally do not mind paying taxes. I drive on the roads and I use some of the services. I should pay for them. I consider paying taxes to be a honor and a priviledge. I am glad I make enough money to have to pay them, to be honest.
4. "Jobs come from the private sector." This is not true. The government can, does, and should create jobs. Franklin D. Roosevelt created millions of jobs and pulled the country out of the Great Depression. Obstructionism is the only reason this hasn't happened during the Great Recession. Some of the government programs that are now flagging because they have gone private include the U.S. Postal Service and the National Park Service. In my state, the state transportation system turned over snow and ice clearing to a private company. The result has been poor efforts and lots of problems moving goods and services in bad weather. Sometimes government does do a better job.
5. "People want to be poor." Excuse me? Where does this sort of thinking come from? I don't know anyone who wants to be poor. I do know a lot of people who work very hard - sometimes two or three jobs - just to get by. They didn't ask to be poor. And ending the minimum wage certainly isn't going to help them out. It will just move them from poor to completely impoverished.
6. "Getting rid of those trillions in debt will end the recession." I would like to see that paid off, really I would. But how does that end the recession? My own thoughts on ending the recession are these: spend government money on real jobs (the stimulus was a good idea, but the money went to the wrong places) and that will end the recession.
7. "Rich people should have tax cuts." Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. I guess the problem comes in defining "fair share." If you have more, you should pay more, and if you manage to find deductions, etc., so that you aren't, then something needs to change.
8. "If people don't have health insurance, it is because they don't want it." There are many people who would like to have health insurance who simply cannot afford it. I know several.
9. "Teachers are the reason the education system is not turning out good students." This is like saying the reason there is crime is because the police are bad policemen. What is with the blame, anyway? Why not just fix the problems? Are they so vast that no one can come up with a solution? Or is it that there are solutions, but no one wants to pay for them?
10. "Unions are bad." This has been so accepted that it's off the charts and not even in the public discussion, though it should be. Unions are not inherently bad. Much of the labor trouble today is not because of unions, but because of lack of unions. I am pro-union and I wish there were more of them.
11. "War is an option." It is no secret that I am anti-war. I do not believe war is ever an option; it shouldn't even be on the table. We are supposed to be civilized people. Isn't it time we act like it?
12. "The free market knows best." I do not believe this is true. Humans tend to follow the strong and leave the weak. In a world where everyone matters, the strong must care for the weak. In a free market (capitalism), this does not happen. That is why the government must step in and regulate.
13. "Discrimination does not exist in the United States." I don't know who actually believes this, but I read it in the letters to the editor occasionally. I see discrimination everywhere - against gender, age, race, class, and sexuality, to name a few. I have experienced it as a woman and I am experiencing it in different forms as an older person.
Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 232nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
March Snow
Yesterday morning, I woke to find snow on the ground. We measured around 2 inches at daybreak.
I took photos around 8:30 a.m. It was overcast and still spitting snow. This woodpecker was having a great time on the tree.
The light was kind of eerie.
I wondered if it would be a deep snow.
Nothing to do but wait! I could not tell the future in my crystal ball.
By mid-morning, the sun had crept out.
The light shimmered across the valley. I was delighted I could see my Blue Ridge Mountains.
By noon, the snow was mostly gone.
I took photos around 8:30 a.m. It was overcast and still spitting snow. This woodpecker was having a great time on the tree.
The light was kind of eerie.
I wondered if it would be a deep snow.
Nothing to do but wait! I could not tell the future in my crystal ball.
By mid-morning, the sun had crept out.
The light shimmered across the valley. I was delighted I could see my Blue Ridge Mountains.
By noon, the snow was mostly gone.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Books: What We Keep . . .
What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay
By Amanda Cockrell
Copyright 2011
257 pages
This book in December was named to the Boston Globe's list of best children's books! It also was named a best book of 2011 on this list. The book also receives some good reviews over at Goodreads.
These are honors well deserved. I loved this book.
Angie is a 15-year-old girl who lives in a Hollywoodish town in California. Her mother has recently left her stepfather, Ben, whom Angie loves as her father. The young woman has chosen to live with her stepfather in hopes her mother will return to him. She wants her parents to be together.
Even though Lily is Angie's close friend, Angie doesn't feel comfortable talking to her or anyone else about certain things. So she visits a statue of Saint Felix in the basement of the church. She pours her heart out to the statue. One day, the statue talks back.
Angie is startled but she accepts the fellow who used to be a statue. She can't decide if he is the statue come to life, or a homeless person, since the statue is missing. She continues to visit him, though she is not quite as vocal as she used to be. After all, it is one thing to talk to a statue that doesn't say anything in return; quite another to offer confidences to a living man.
She also makes a new friend, Jesse. Jesse, at age 19, has been to war. He has returned from Afghanistan, minus a leg, and is now back in school trying to finish his degree.
The young girl is determined to fix the many things she has found broken - her parents' marriage, Felix's odd state, and Jesse's moodiness. But all of these things are too much for a young girl to handle.
The book has many life lessons in it, and it has a definite point of view - anti-war, for one thing, that I loved. It also deals with relationships - abusive and otherwise - and trust issues.
The story is told in the first person, and I found the voice quite believable. The details of the town were vivid and the characterizations rang true. I enjoyed every word.
I will say I think the title is a bit of a mouthful, but it works in the end.
Young girls - maybe as young as 10 but perhaps a bit older - will find this to be a terrific story, one with a lesson about who you can and cannot save (and how to figure out the difference). I plan to buy a second copy and give it to my 10-year-old niece, but perhaps not until Christmas 2012, when she will be almost 11.
This is an easy read; I finished it in two nights and one sitting would have been satisfactory if I had had the time.
Full disclosure:
The author, Amanda Cockrell, is a professor at Hollins University. She is not just any professor; she's MY professor and I consider her to be a friend. She most recently was my thesis advisor. I have had classes with her off and on since 2002.
I purchased the book when Amanda held a book signing back in October. However, since we were working together on my thesis, I decided to hold off reading it until my project was finished. Once I completed that and the grade was on my transcript, I felt it would be fine to read the book and do a review of it. I like to avoid conflicts like that when I can.
Many thanks to Amanda for writing such a great book!
5 stars
By Amanda Cockrell
Copyright 2011
257 pages
This book in December was named to the Boston Globe's list of best children's books! It also was named a best book of 2011 on this list. The book also receives some good reviews over at Goodreads.
These are honors well deserved. I loved this book.
Angie is a 15-year-old girl who lives in a Hollywoodish town in California. Her mother has recently left her stepfather, Ben, whom Angie loves as her father. The young woman has chosen to live with her stepfather in hopes her mother will return to him. She wants her parents to be together.
Even though Lily is Angie's close friend, Angie doesn't feel comfortable talking to her or anyone else about certain things. So she visits a statue of Saint Felix in the basement of the church. She pours her heart out to the statue. One day, the statue talks back.
Angie is startled but she accepts the fellow who used to be a statue. She can't decide if he is the statue come to life, or a homeless person, since the statue is missing. She continues to visit him, though she is not quite as vocal as she used to be. After all, it is one thing to talk to a statue that doesn't say anything in return; quite another to offer confidences to a living man.
She also makes a new friend, Jesse. Jesse, at age 19, has been to war. He has returned from Afghanistan, minus a leg, and is now back in school trying to finish his degree.
The young girl is determined to fix the many things she has found broken - her parents' marriage, Felix's odd state, and Jesse's moodiness. But all of these things are too much for a young girl to handle.
The book has many life lessons in it, and it has a definite point of view - anti-war, for one thing, that I loved. It also deals with relationships - abusive and otherwise - and trust issues.
The story is told in the first person, and I found the voice quite believable. The details of the town were vivid and the characterizations rang true. I enjoyed every word.
I will say I think the title is a bit of a mouthful, but it works in the end.
Young girls - maybe as young as 10 but perhaps a bit older - will find this to be a terrific story, one with a lesson about who you can and cannot save (and how to figure out the difference). I plan to buy a second copy and give it to my 10-year-old niece, but perhaps not until Christmas 2012, when she will be almost 11.
This is an easy read; I finished it in two nights and one sitting would have been satisfactory if I had had the time.
Full disclosure:
The author, Amanda Cockrell, is a professor at Hollins University. She is not just any professor; she's MY professor and I consider her to be a friend. She most recently was my thesis advisor. I have had classes with her off and on since 2002.
I purchased the book when Amanda held a book signing back in October. However, since we were working together on my thesis, I decided to hold off reading it until my project was finished. Once I completed that and the grade was on my transcript, I felt it would be fine to read the book and do a review of it. I like to avoid conflicts like that when I can.
Many thanks to Amanda for writing such a great book!
5 stars
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Is It Spring?
“For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”
-- William Wordsworth
Friday, March 02, 2012
Visiting the Dead
On Sunday, fellow blogger and my friend, Di, over at Blue Ridge Gal, contacted me about a grave she wanted to find. She's connected with findagrave.com and is off in hot pursuit of chisled marble in the cemeteries these days. She hunts up stones for folks at their request and takes a photo for them.
Her destination this time led her to the Firebaugh Cemetery. A light bulb went off in her lovely head, and she thought, aha! My friend Anita probably knows where this is at.
And indeed I did.
The Firebaugh Cemetery is located in someone's front yard, on a road not far from our farm.
It is rather picturesque. I love the old tree even though it has uprooted a few stones.
The front stones here belong to my husband's great-great-grandparents.
This is the family patriarch. Legend has it that Philip Firebaugh came to Botetourt County around 1818. His saddlebags were filled with gold.
A line-up of the family.
This is the original family homeplace, Stonelea. It is quite old. I don't know when it got out of family hands; decades ago, I know. At one time all of this land was farmland.
Times change.
Her destination this time led her to the Firebaugh Cemetery. A light bulb went off in her lovely head, and she thought, aha! My friend Anita probably knows where this is at.
And indeed I did.
The Firebaugh Cemetery is located in someone's front yard, on a road not far from our farm.
It is rather picturesque. I love the old tree even though it has uprooted a few stones.
The front stones here belong to my husband's great-great-grandparents.
This is the family patriarch. Legend has it that Philip Firebaugh came to Botetourt County around 1818. His saddlebags were filled with gold.
A line-up of the family.
This is the original family homeplace, Stonelea. It is quite old. I don't know when it got out of family hands; decades ago, I know. At one time all of this land was farmland.
Times change.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Thursday Thirteen
1. It is an election year, so I anticipated a long time ago that gas prices would rise in 2012. The problem is not the price of barrels, but politics. Wall Street speculators are the real reason the prices at the pumps are so high. That's the one percent getting a little more of your hard-earned dollars. You can thank the previous political administration and the party of the right for this perversion; however, the lack of challenge to the issue puts the blame back on the current administration. So blame them all when you swipe your credit card. You will not be wrong, whomever you curse.
2. My dreams lately have been rather flagrant, highly memorable, and a little scary. Last night I woke up yelling that someone was after me, along with choking and not being able to breathe. I have dreamed of fellow bloggers (whom I have never met in person, even!) and of aliens, too. The medical establishment might say I'm too tired, or it's because I'm really not breathing well (which is possible with the asthma). Others might say I'm a little touched or psychic. But I have always had times of vivid dreams, even when I was a child. I sleepwalk sometimes, too, though not as much now as I once did.
3. Speaking of dreams, I have a dream of a harmonic convergence taking place this year, not the end of the world (Mayan calendar thing). Actually this harmonic convergence thing has already supposedly happened, in 1987, and this year is the culmination of that, or something. At any rate, I am looking for good changes to happen this year, not bad, although it certainly seems like the bad is routing and trying to score many points before it all changes over to good.
4. At any rate, I don't see any harm in everyone praying, however, they pray, for good things. And by that I don't mean a lottery win, I mean for goodness for everyone in the world. I hope people actually pray for that. I do.
5. A lot of people see nothing wrong with pollution, apparently, since they opposed to the EPA and regulations, but I do. I personally like clean air. So it really doesn't matter to me if regulations are put in place because of global warming or climate change, just so long as the air is clean. I actually care about having soot in my lungs, since they are rather delicate, and so I applaud anything that will allow me to breathe. Just a point - I have noticed that my asthma symptoms have increased along the same time frame as a nearby industry went along with lowered regulations from the EPA, allowing them to put more particles of stuff in the air. Coincidence?
6. On my desk I have Blogging for Dummies, MS Office 2007 for Dummies, and Building Web Sites for Dummies. On my book shelf I have the Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing, the Idiot's Guide to Journaling, and the Idiot's Guide to Genealogy. Am I seeing a trend here?
7. Clean water is another issue that will be the talk of the town in the 21st century. Or maybe the issue will be having enough water. Either way, the wet stuff matters and is important.
8. Maybe I am smarter than the average bear. Or maybe not. Sometimes I think I am too smart for my own good. I am definitely book smart but the ways of the world tend to elude me. My mother used to say I lacked common sense. Me and a lot of other people, I would say.
9. Also on my desk: Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 volumes), Roget's Desk Thesaurus, The American Heritage Dictionary, and The Basic Book of Synonyms and Antonyms.
10. Last week I spent a great deal of time redoing my office. I cleaned it up and tossed out many items. I bought a second desk and a new chair. It looks a lot better and productivity is up. Sometimes I guess you need a spiff-up.
11. Cell phone use has changed the way students relate to one another at college. In 2002, when I started working on my master's degree, students didn't have smart phones and texting wasn't such a big thing. During breaks, students stood around and talked. Some of us even became friends. In 2011, during breaks students went to a private corner and checked their messages, texted, or looked at Facebook. They did not chat with one another or become friends. I find it rather sad. (I don't have a smart phone, so I mostly went to the bathroom and returned to my desk and watched everyone else in their little solitary bubble, though I did manage to make conversation with one person during the fall semester. And several are now my Facebook friends. If that counts. I guess it sort of does. It's the new reality.)
12. This Thursday Thirteen has absolutely no rhyme or reason about it. I had no ideas for a topic today. Can you tell?
13. I finished my thesis. I received an A. A professor who reviewed it called it a "first rate and moving piece of work." I am pretty happy about that.
Thursday Thirteen is
played by lots of people; there is a list here.
I've been playing for a while and this is my 231st time to do a list of 13 on a
Thursday.
Featuring ... My Niece!
My niece is featured in this special report on beauty pageants!
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-special-assignment-from-little-girls-to-glamour-queens-20120228,0,3536350.story
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-special-assignment-from-little-girls-to-glamour-queens-20120228,0,3536350.story
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Books: On Writing
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
By Stephen King
Copyright 2000
Narrated by Stephen King
8 hours audio cassette
This book, part memoir and part how-to, details Stephen King's life. He goes into great detail about his childhood at the first part of the book, and talks about writing later on.
First, let me say that, while I have read a number of Stephen King's books (Carrie, Salem's Lot, Misery, and started Cujo but couldn't finish it), and watched several of his movies (The Shining, The Green Mile) I do not consider myself a fan. I liked horror up until my teenage years, and then I dispensed with it.
However, that doesn't mean I dislike the writing. Disliking content is entirely different matter. It just means I have a touchy tummy.
King reveals in the memoir part that he had a problem with drugs and alcohol. I was rather disappointed to learn this, though not surprised. That kind of thing seems to follow writers.
Another thing that struck me about the book was that he wrote it for men. I don't think he intended to do that; I think he thought he was writing just for writers, but ultimately, he was writing for males. Women simply can't shrug off the kid's soccer practice because they want to write.
Phyllis Whitney, in her book Guide to Fiction Writing, said all writer's need a wife. And if you're the wife, well, you have to do the laundry.
Nor did he offer any silver bullets for writing or writers. All of the advice I'd heard before.
He advocated ridding your work of adverbs, using simile and metaphor, and writing first drafts with the door closed, which means, without worrying about what anyone else on the planet thinks about the work you're putting out.
The main thing to do is write. He emphasized that. And then submit it after you find out where it fits.
This is a good book. I personally would have liked a little more on the writing and a little less on Stephen King, particularly his early years, but it is always interesting to hear how writer's work and how they came to do what they do.
I do wonder how he might update it to reflect the broader use of the internet, e-books, and other changes in the industry.
You can find a section of some quotes for the book here.
By Stephen King
Copyright 2000
Narrated by Stephen King
8 hours audio cassette
This book, part memoir and part how-to, details Stephen King's life. He goes into great detail about his childhood at the first part of the book, and talks about writing later on.
First, let me say that, while I have read a number of Stephen King's books (Carrie, Salem's Lot, Misery, and started Cujo but couldn't finish it), and watched several of his movies (The Shining, The Green Mile) I do not consider myself a fan. I liked horror up until my teenage years, and then I dispensed with it.
However, that doesn't mean I dislike the writing. Disliking content is entirely different matter. It just means I have a touchy tummy.
King reveals in the memoir part that he had a problem with drugs and alcohol. I was rather disappointed to learn this, though not surprised. That kind of thing seems to follow writers.
Another thing that struck me about the book was that he wrote it for men. I don't think he intended to do that; I think he thought he was writing just for writers, but ultimately, he was writing for males. Women simply can't shrug off the kid's soccer practice because they want to write.
Phyllis Whitney, in her book Guide to Fiction Writing, said all writer's need a wife. And if you're the wife, well, you have to do the laundry.
Nor did he offer any silver bullets for writing or writers. All of the advice I'd heard before.
He advocated ridding your work of adverbs, using simile and metaphor, and writing first drafts with the door closed, which means, without worrying about what anyone else on the planet thinks about the work you're putting out.
The main thing to do is write. He emphasized that. And then submit it after you find out where it fits.
This is a good book. I personally would have liked a little more on the writing and a little less on Stephen King, particularly his early years, but it is always interesting to hear how writer's work and how they came to do what they do.
I do wonder how he might update it to reflect the broader use of the internet, e-books, and other changes in the industry.
You can find a section of some quotes for the book here.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
It is Kindness, Not Hate, that Elevates
So last night the aliens came to me.
I knew they were there. I was with several other people, and we knew there was a problem. We began searching for signs and resolutions.
Someone was anxious, and I gave her a teddy bear.
The aliens came to me, looking not fierce and ominous, but friendly and angelic. Their bodies were faint, but there was a glow all about their faces. They had silver around their hair. I grew calm in their presence.
Because my acupuncturist used a pillow beneath my arm when she was gave me a treatment, and because I gave a girl a teddy bear, and because of thousands of other small kindnesses they had observed on this night, there was hope for mankind, the alien said.
It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.
They will be watching.
Yes, it was a dream.
But great things start with a vivid imagination.
So this morning I imagine a world of love, one where we are all kind to one another. One where we set aside our differences and embrace each other as friends.
It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.
Namaste. I bow to you, my friend.
I knew they were there. I was with several other people, and we knew there was a problem. We began searching for signs and resolutions.
Someone was anxious, and I gave her a teddy bear.
The aliens came to me, looking not fierce and ominous, but friendly and angelic. Their bodies were faint, but there was a glow all about their faces. They had silver around their hair. I grew calm in their presence.
Because my acupuncturist used a pillow beneath my arm when she was gave me a treatment, and because I gave a girl a teddy bear, and because of thousands of other small kindnesses they had observed on this night, there was hope for mankind, the alien said.
It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.
They will be watching.
Yes, it was a dream.
But great things start with a vivid imagination.
So this morning I imagine a world of love, one where we are all kind to one another. One where we set aside our differences and embrace each other as friends.
It is kindness, not hate, that elevates.
Namaste. I bow to you, my friend.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Captcha Codes
I see that many bloggers still have the crazy new captcha codes on their blogs.
Here is how I eliminated it:
Go to your list of posts/dashboard for your blog.
Find the little gear thing in the top right corner.
Click on it.
Go to "Old Blogger Interface" and click on it.
Wait a minute because it takes a second to revert.
Click on Settings for your blog.
Click on Comments
Click on Show Word Verficiation for Comments and click "NO"
Save
Click on "Try the new Blogger" up at the very top.
It will take you back to your old blog look and you shouldn't lose anything in the process.
Hope this helps.
Here is how I eliminated it:
Go to your list of posts/dashboard for your blog.
Find the little gear thing in the top right corner.
Click on it.
Go to "Old Blogger Interface" and click on it.
Wait a minute because it takes a second to revert.
Click on Settings for your blog.
Click on Comments
Click on Show Word Verficiation for Comments and click "NO"
Save
Click on "Try the new Blogger" up at the very top.
It will take you back to your old blog look and you shouldn't lose anything in the process.
Hope this helps.
A Tisket, a Tasket
Sometimes you become attached to things and don't even know it.
This happened to me this past week. I realized something I'd taken for granted meant a lot to me.
No, not my husband. I already know how much he means to me.
I'm talking about a clothes basket.
The handle broke. And you know how that is. Once they've split like that, when you pick them up, they pinch your hand.
You can see where I put a little red mark where the basket handle has broken.
The thing is, this is no ordinary clothes basket.
This is the best clothes basket EVER. I bought it in 1983 - yep, the year I married. It was one of my first purchases as new wife.
My clothes basket has been with me for 29 years.
This thing was made by Rubbermaid. I have had other clothes baskets throughout the decades - of course you need more than one - but this one has held up and withstood all kinds of tossing about.
It was quite small, too. And I, being short of stature (though wide of butt) found it to be the perfect size.
Of course, you cannot find anything like it anymore.
If anyone had told me I would be upset about a clothes basket, even a week ago, I would have laughed.
How ridiculous!
But I find I can't throw this old basket out. I put it out with the trash, really I did.
And then I fetched it back in the house.
I decided I would try to glue it back together.
I really don't think it will hold. But after all these years, I thought it deserved a second chance.
Silly, right? But what's a little glue among friends.
How about you? Anything in your house that you could easily replace, but would be unhappy to part with?
This happened to me this past week. I realized something I'd taken for granted meant a lot to me.
No, not my husband. I already know how much he means to me.
I'm talking about a clothes basket.
The handle broke. And you know how that is. Once they've split like that, when you pick them up, they pinch your hand.
You can see where I put a little red mark where the basket handle has broken.
The thing is, this is no ordinary clothes basket.
This is the best clothes basket EVER. I bought it in 1983 - yep, the year I married. It was one of my first purchases as new wife.
My clothes basket has been with me for 29 years.
This thing was made by Rubbermaid. I have had other clothes baskets throughout the decades - of course you need more than one - but this one has held up and withstood all kinds of tossing about.
It was quite small, too. And I, being short of stature (though wide of butt) found it to be the perfect size.
Of course, you cannot find anything like it anymore.
 |
| The replacement basket is taller and wider. |
How ridiculous!
But I find I can't throw this old basket out. I put it out with the trash, really I did.
And then I fetched it back in the house.
I decided I would try to glue it back together.
I really don't think it will hold. But after all these years, I thought it deserved a second chance.
Silly, right? But what's a little glue among friends.
How about you? Anything in your house that you could easily replace, but would be unhappy to part with?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Another Rainbow!
On Thursday morning, around 7:30 a.m., I spied another rainbow out the window.
These rainbows are very unusual - in the 25 years I've lived here, I've never seen this many - but I suspect they are what happens when you have the strange and untimely weather we've been experiencing.
These rainbows are very unusual - in the 25 years I've lived here, I've never seen this many - but I suspect they are what happens when you have the strange and untimely weather we've been experiencing.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Delegate Jennifer McClellan - You Go Girl!
This is 12 minutes long, but Virginia Delegate Jennifer McClellan explains in detail why government should stay out of women's health care. This is well worth watching.
I take all of this very personally. These dumbasses in Richmond and all over the nation are trying to criminalize health care that saved my life and the lives of countless other women. This is not about their pathetic little visions of women skipping off to the abortion clinic after a wild night of sex. This is about women who are married, who want children, who have miscarriages and infertility issues. This is about ectopic pregnancy, about birth defects, and a myriad other serious and heart-wrenching decisions that women have to make. Government has absolutely no damn business legislating what goes on between anyone, male or female, and their doctor.
Tell me, Republicans, how is not okay to require people to buy health insurance, which only affects the pocketbook, but it is okay to force women to DIE?
PASS THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT NOW!
I take all of this very personally. These dumbasses in Richmond and all over the nation are trying to criminalize health care that saved my life and the lives of countless other women. This is not about their pathetic little visions of women skipping off to the abortion clinic after a wild night of sex. This is about women who are married, who want children, who have miscarriages and infertility issues. This is about ectopic pregnancy, about birth defects, and a myriad other serious and heart-wrenching decisions that women have to make. Government has absolutely no damn business legislating what goes on between anyone, male or female, and their doctor.
Tell me, Republicans, how is not okay to require people to buy health insurance, which only affects the pocketbook, but it is okay to force women to DIE?
PASS THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT NOW!
Books: Fractured Facade
Fractured Facade
By Elena DeRosa
Copyright 2011
E-book
The author of this book is a personal friend. We met through our blogs and we are a member of the same organization, the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National League of American Pen Women. Full disclosure and all of that. However, she did not ask me to read or review her book and she does not know I am putting this review on my blog.
Her blog is Ms. Elenaeous Rants & Raves. Her author page is located here.
I bought the book when Elena put it up as an e-book back in October or November, but because I was in school and working on my thesis, I was not able to read it then. I did want to support her, though, with the purchase. It is, to date, the only author-published (I believe Elena uses the term "indie" published) book I have purchased on my Nook. Actually, it's the only book I have purchased on my Nook. I'm afraid I have not yet taken to the e-readers.
Fractured Facade is billed as a novel told as memoir. I think Elena has struggled to find the proper genre for the story, and after reading it, I wonder if she has considered the True Crime genre. I don't read those, but it seems like it might work there.
The story, told in the first person, gives us a heroine, Marie, whose father has passed away. The book then details Marie's journey to New York to find out what happened to her dad. Her father, who was widowed, was seeing a very strange woman, and Marie unfortunately inherits the girlfriend.
Alas, the world is full of gold diggers who will take advantage of people. The strange girlfriend is one of them, and dealing with her takes all of the fortitude that Marie can muster.
The book goes into detail about problems with the girlfriend, the police department, the medical examiner's office, and the court system. The story is an important one, for it points out the problems older folks run into, particularly when family members are not close by or checking up on them every single day. It begs the question - at what point do the children become the caretakers? Of course, that differs in every family, and it is a very hard thing to figure out when and how to do.
It also demonstrates out how important it is to have your affairs in order. We never know when it will be our time to go. The people you leave behind may have to deal with all sorts of trouble if things are not as they should be. Marie sheds many tears because she must work through governmental systems that care little for her pain. It is hard to do these things when you are grieving the loss of a loved one.
This book has many lessons in it. It is definitely a cautionary tale. The writing is quite emotional at times, so be prepared for a bumpy ride. However, it is very true to life - I suspect more truth than fiction here - and the author does a good job of carrying the story forward.
I am very proud of Elena for moving forward with her project. It takes guts to venture out into the world with your baby (i.e., the story). She has also undertaken some interesting and different marketing techniques here locally. I have been watching her activities with curiosity and admiration, and it has been quite an adventure for her.
I congratulate her on her accomplishment.
By Elena DeRosa
Copyright 2011
E-book
The author of this book is a personal friend. We met through our blogs and we are a member of the same organization, the Roanoke Valley chapter of the National League of American Pen Women. Full disclosure and all of that. However, she did not ask me to read or review her book and she does not know I am putting this review on my blog.
Her blog is Ms. Elenaeous Rants & Raves. Her author page is located here.
I bought the book when Elena put it up as an e-book back in October or November, but because I was in school and working on my thesis, I was not able to read it then. I did want to support her, though, with the purchase. It is, to date, the only author-published (I believe Elena uses the term "indie" published) book I have purchased on my Nook. Actually, it's the only book I have purchased on my Nook. I'm afraid I have not yet taken to the e-readers.
Fractured Facade is billed as a novel told as memoir. I think Elena has struggled to find the proper genre for the story, and after reading it, I wonder if she has considered the True Crime genre. I don't read those, but it seems like it might work there.
The story, told in the first person, gives us a heroine, Marie, whose father has passed away. The book then details Marie's journey to New York to find out what happened to her dad. Her father, who was widowed, was seeing a very strange woman, and Marie unfortunately inherits the girlfriend.
Alas, the world is full of gold diggers who will take advantage of people. The strange girlfriend is one of them, and dealing with her takes all of the fortitude that Marie can muster.
The book goes into detail about problems with the girlfriend, the police department, the medical examiner's office, and the court system. The story is an important one, for it points out the problems older folks run into, particularly when family members are not close by or checking up on them every single day. It begs the question - at what point do the children become the caretakers? Of course, that differs in every family, and it is a very hard thing to figure out when and how to do.
It also demonstrates out how important it is to have your affairs in order. We never know when it will be our time to go. The people you leave behind may have to deal with all sorts of trouble if things are not as they should be. Marie sheds many tears because she must work through governmental systems that care little for her pain. It is hard to do these things when you are grieving the loss of a loved one.
This book has many lessons in it. It is definitely a cautionary tale. The writing is quite emotional at times, so be prepared for a bumpy ride. However, it is very true to life - I suspect more truth than fiction here - and the author does a good job of carrying the story forward.
I am very proud of Elena for moving forward with her project. It takes guts to venture out into the world with your baby (i.e., the story). She has also undertaken some interesting and different marketing techniques here locally. I have been watching her activities with curiosity and admiration, and it has been quite an adventure for her.
I congratulate her on her accomplishment.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
More on the War on Women
Here are a couple of pieces about current legislation and the strange and disturbing conversations taking place in the media with regard to women:
http://confessions-of-a-thinking-woman.blogspot.com/2012/02/grievances-against-gop-from-former.html?showComment=1329749882826#c514318211943895953
The above link takes you to an excellent argument as to why current activities around the nature are just morally wrong, particularly as they pertain to women.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.html
This explains the issues in Virginia with regard to the requirement forcing ultrasound upon women who are seeking abortions.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20120219/OPINION01/202190314/Virginia-abortion-bills-denigrate-all-women
An op-ed about the Virginia issues of ultrasound and personhood.
http://confessions-of-a-thinking-woman.blogspot.com/2012/02/grievances-against-gop-from-former.html?showComment=1329749882826#c514318211943895953
The above link takes you to an excellent argument as to why current activities around the nature are just morally wrong, particularly as they pertain to women.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/02/virginia_ultrasound_law_women_who_want_an_abortion_will_be_forcibly_penetrated_for_no_medical_reason.html
This explains the issues in Virginia with regard to the requirement forcing ultrasound upon women who are seeking abortions.
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20120219/OPINION01/202190314/Virginia-abortion-bills-denigrate-all-women
An op-ed about the Virginia issues of ultrasound and personhood.
Monday, February 20, 2012
O What a Beautiful Morning!
The sun comes up and casts a faint pink hue upon the snow . . .
The mountains reflect the golden orb . . .
A day of promise and beauty . . .
New beginnings . . .
Loveliness . . .
Joy.
And then the first snow came
On a weekend when a volunteer pansy bloomed in my fence row . . .
And the daffodils were ready to bud out . . .
The snow began to fall . . .
Even the deer came out to see . .
Soon the ground was covered . . .
It snowed . . . and snowed . . .
Until everything was white.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Comments
Dear Gentle Readers,
As you may have noticed, suddenly you have to type in a captcha code to leave a comment.
Added: *I think I have fixed the issue but if not someone please tell me!*
I didn't do this. Google did. Bad Google. Bad.
I don't have security settings on my account but I can't figure out how to make the captcha code go away. I don't like and I don't want it. I hate the things myself.
I changed from embedded to pop out *and then to full page* but I don't think this fixed the issue.
If you know how to fix this, please endure the captcha code and leave a comment so I can try to get rid of these things.
Of course, if the captcha code has vanished, it'd be nice to know that, too.
Thank you!
Anita aka CountryDew
As you may have noticed, suddenly you have to type in a captcha code to leave a comment.
Added: *I think I have fixed the issue but if not someone please tell me!*
I didn't do this. Google did. Bad Google. Bad.
I don't have security settings on my account but I can't figure out how to make the captcha code go away. I don't like and I don't want it. I hate the things myself.
I changed from embedded to pop out *and then to full page* but I don't think this fixed the issue.
If you know how to fix this, please endure the captcha code and leave a comment so I can try to get rid of these things.
Of course, if the captcha code has vanished, it'd be nice to know that, too.
Thank you!
Anita aka CountryDew
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