THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Borrowed from another blog this morning...

The weary Mole also was glad to turn in without delay, and soon had his head on his pillow, in great joy and contentment. But ere he closed his eyes he let them wander round his old room, mellow in the glow of the firelight that played or rested on familiar and friendly things which had long been unconsciously a part of him, and now smilingly received him back, without rancour. He was now in just the frame of mind that the tactful Rat had quietly worked to bring about in him. He saw clearly how plain and simple - how narrow, even - it all was; but clearly, too, how much it all meant to him, and the special value of some such anchorage in one's existence. He did not at all want to abandon the new life and its splended spaces, to turn his back on sun and air and all they offered him and creep home and stay there; the upper world was all too strong, it called to him still, even down there, and he knew he must return to the larger stage. But it was good to think he had this to come back to, this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome. ~~~The Wind in the Willows, Dulce Domum~~~Home, Joyous Home

PIONEER WOMAN AND MARLBORO MAN

The Drummonds are two gracious people...  Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) started signing books at 6:00 P.M. at Davis-Kidd Bookstore in Memphis, and was still signing when we left after 9:00.  As we - Amy, Ruby and I - waited for Section A to begin waiting... we saw that Ree's husband whose real name is Ladd, was standing not far behind us in the bookstore. We, along with every other person who was waiting, sort of converged upon him and asked for his autograph in Ree's cookbook.  He obliged in the nicest, down-to-earth, blue shirt, jeans, cowboy hat and soft-spoken way.  Cameras were flashing everywhere and I looked around at all the young ladies going ga-ga and thought, well, you did the same thing with the Beatles...  Someone asked him where they stayed and he said the Marriott; the Peabody was booked.  I said, "Then you didn't get to see the ducks!" He smiled and said they did not get to see the ducks. I think all their children (4) were with them, but were with his mother elsewhere. 

When we realized it was going to be quite a wait, we decided we had time to go eat. Rafferty's was just as full as the bookstore was, but we didn't have to wait long and by the time we got back, the Line Section was M. We started queing up and suddenly we were there! Talking to Ree! Shaking her hand! She asked how far we'd driven and we told her about 60 miles.  She said they had driven in today. She was just as pleasant, sweet and took as much time as we wanted, as she had if we'd been the very first in line.  And just that quick, it was over.  She signed her new book Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, her cookbook, and Where Women Cook  for me, and Ruby's Black Heels.  And we had a great time.

 

It was a good girls' night out and Ruby and Amy hit it off great.  I worked with Ruby for many years, she, with the exception of one year at the Forrest City office, worked at the Moro branch, and we've been on other girls' nights out to eat with more of the WECC crew.  But this was just us three.  She has a daughter three years older than Amy; they - we all - just found lots to talk about.

All Systems...

The heart tests were fine; the medicine seems to be working very well. (Still some occasional skips and rapids, but nothing like before.) So now the next two systems to be checked out are the digestive and urinary.

I was fortunate to get an appointment with a urologist yesterday and had just called the day before. The same one Aunt Ginny had seen a couple of weeks ago. I've had UTIs this spring and the last one just won't seem to clear up, so I cried "Uncle!" They went right to work with tests and I'm on another round of antibiotic. I'll have a urodynamics bladder test in a little over a week and that will help Dr. Gubin determine what's causing all these infections. I'm hoping the most serious of any procedure would be that of a bladder tack, but that it's not that either.

Next week I'm in for a big treat with an endoscopy of my stomach/esophagus to see what's up with the cough - possible ulcerations? And since I'm "of the age" they'll also do the wonderful colonoscopy. I know I have put this off and one should not put that test off. It's very important to have done. So if you haven't, put on your BGPs and just do it.

I told Paul I didn't intend to retire to go to doctor's offices. But I've had great trips so far this spring and summer. These are just necessary tune-ups to keep going! He's a jewel to drop everything and take me yesterday. I had intended to go and spend the night with Amy, but at the last minute, it all got to be too much for me, so he drove.

While we were at the doctor's office, Aunt Ginny and Sandra, our sis-in-law, David's wife, came in. Aunt G was still having some problems. I'll check on her today. (She also has to have the dynamics test, next week.) Sandra and I both did double-takes and Paul said he thought that lady looked familiar (he was several feet away). Aunt G and Sandra had left Iuka around 9:00 and stopped at Coldwater Creek at Saddle Creek on the way. Paul and Sandra had a good visit while AG and I were having our check-ups.

Paul and I ate at Corky's BBQ after the appointment, and Amy was able to meet us, though she had already eaten.

Needless to say, I'm swamped with meds to take and had to make a spreadsheet to keep up with them! I'll be glad to go back to my old regular ones.

On the way home, my cousin Edwina called to thank me for pictures I'd sent her and told me to come stay in her extra bedroom with bath. We have a lot of gaps to fill, and she wants me to stay long enough to "scour the country." I told her when all these tests were done I might just take her up on that.

Just as we arrived back home, it poured rain and was so refreshing! I love the just-washed look of all the trees, flowers and shrubs, and the smell of rain. Bitty got a drink of rainwater from the bird bath this morning. My pretty daylilies are blooming around the back yard, too. Love the various colors.

Bitty in a playful mood.

Gail at the library called and said they had a book in for me: the latest Alexander McCall-Smith, The Double Comfort Safari Club (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel). There was also one of his books on Playaway, the little tape-book with earphones, so I got that one, too. It isn't in the Ladies' series - the title of it is The Unbearable Lightness of Scones. Movie Gallery had the HBO series of Ladies' and I rented the first one. They're going out of business so thought I'd check and see if they were still there - they're not, so I ordered the series from Amazon. Glad to know someone else is a fan.

Giving Away

Serious business, this giving away stuff. You know it's serious when with me, it's books. I took a stack to the library today for their resale table; magazines to the workshop and to the hospital auxiliary for the waiting rooms. I met Debbie M at the workshop who was cleaning out her youngest daughter's room - her car was packed to the tail lights. I told her I needed her to come to my house. "We're ruthless," she said. I told her that's what I needed... I'm surprised I don't have a Kindle, but haven't made that leap from actual paper to 1's and 0's. It would be so space-saving...

More work to do in the back bedroom, but already it feels better. There is one chest drawer empty! Actually empty. I don't know when we've had an empty drawer in this house.

~~~~~

Amy asked me to fax her resume' to a funeral home in Memphis; I had the resume' on my computer, thought I'd emailed it back to her address when she was here last. We worked on it and got it updated. Praying something good will come of it! Part-time work is great to have, but full-time would be even greater - benefits! Regular hours! Closer to home!

Talked to Sher and she'd found a little "organic" store she had passed many times in the last year. She finally stopped and saw they have cage-free fresh eggs, certified organic raw milk (sealed), other fresh vegetables, some frozen, some in season. Very exciting to her. I wouldn't mind having fresh eggs. I don't want to "subscribe" though - just on an as-needed basis. We really don't use many eggs, but the "real" eggs are so much better. I remember gathering them from nests when we lived in the country. I also have churned milk to make butter; and strained the raw milk for impurities (that was our pasteurization I suppose), but we never got sick. Forbid that the cow got into bitterweed, though. Terrible! Or a flavor of wild onion...

I stayed busy all day, especially from noon on - picked up some of Oscar's med (heart worm), and soapless shampoo, shamelessly spoiled and tender-skinned little puppy. I went to Walmart and got a print of Mama in her little "studio" she had in her front bedroom. I got a 5X7 and sent to Morgan with a note to especially look at the model, which is her.

Another picture of Mama when she was in the Azores visiting Sher, about 1996 or '97.

See Oscar Run! Run, Oscar, Run!

He feels sooo much better! We'll trying dosing every other day and see how that works. He's been so happy and frisky, although now he's sacked out in his kennel. He's either "on" or "off," much like my sister. Full speed or crash...

Okay, where's my Beggin' Strip?

Amy went to hear Rebecca Skloot speak about her book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks last night at Davis-Kidd. I had thought I'd go, but didn't. Amy sent a couple of pictures of her. She (Amy's) working at Northridge some today.

In the last picture, notice the book title in the lower left corner - The Mystery of Sausage. I can imagine! What's that old saying? "It has everything but the pig's squeal." But it's so good, especially the country sausage Mama Nick buys and we have for Christmas.

Library Fun

A beautiful day out and since the used bookstore was closed Monday, we went back! I guess we spent a couple of hours and sated our appetite for books, also money and room, but those have been depleted anyway...

Amy's drawn to the children's books for the illustrations and found a Bobbsey Twins book! The original old green covered edition. A dollar. I have several at home, but don't think I have this one. I've paid more for them, too. We also found some Five Little Peppers books, ones I enjoyed reading when I was a kid. They were just magical to me. There is rarely a time now when I read even a really good book that the magic of the very first discovery of a plot, a character or even a word captures me like when I began reading. I found a book called Riding High, a sketchbook of Barbara Sneyd, a young girl growing up in the British countryside at the turn of the century (1896-1903). Her sketches, watercolors and notes are wonderful. Reminds me of another similar book I have of a sketchbook of a fisherman.

We ate at Jason's Deli which was excellent. Amy and I split a chicken salad sandwich and she had a side salad, I had a fruit cup (with fresh pineapple - makes one not ever want canned again), and a piece of turtle cheesecake. I had a couple of bites of that and Amy ate the rest, not that I didn't like it! She was really into it! I had a small cone of the free soft serve. We were there mid-afternoon, so there wasn't a big crowd.

We napped long and when I woke up with my book on my chest, it was getting dusky. I hurried and walked Oscar, who was ready to do business and get back inside. Hopefully, warmer days ahead soon!

Another Long Weekend; New Beginnings: Challenges

I think we may see movies this weekend. Paul and I both have wanted to see "Blind Side" and I want to see "Up in the Air." Sher saw the latter last weekend and said it was good.

Blackberry Creek Home Arts took up a reading challenge today for 2010 which looks interesting. Susan has a link to the Book Chick City where it's located; I didn't put up the official link or accept the challenge (though the rules are soooo easy - like no rules, really), but I may shortly. The challenge is to read 12 thriller/suspense or any subgenre in 2010, if anyone is interested. This is so not a New Year's Resolution, but a challenge, which makes me think of being in a race - something I could win! A year's worth of fun reading and seeing what other people are reading as well. It also made me think of other challenges I could do: Read at least three classics; make Christmas linens (pillowcases) for next December; sign up for the new Bible study in January; read the Bible through (something Bren and I have talked about); walk more... Resolve almost makes me think of knuckle-dragging going to do something you know you're bound to fail at. A challenge is something that makes me think, Yes, I can!

However, it's late now and maybe on New Year's Day I will list the books, or order the Christmasy fabric, or somehow or other just S T A R T!

Praying everyone is blessed with good health, contentment, joy, peace and the knowledge that God loves you very much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

When Can I Read A Book?

I have a list of things to do in the next few days and doesn't everyone? I think the scanning caught up with me today about lunch time - no, not I caught up - IT caught me - my back between my shoulder blades feel as if it's been twisted into a red-hot knot. This, too, shall pass. A couple more Advil...

Lately I've been looking at all these recipes for baking - cakes, breads, cookies - as if I had all the time in the world until next Thursday to make all these picture-perfect goodies. One of my very favorites from childhood is Snickerdoodles, and there was a recipe in today's newspaper for them, but they are swirled, so I suppose that involves one of those pastry cone thingies, or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut out of it. Every year I think I will save all the December magazine issues for "ideas" for the next year, since the current year just doesn't have enough hours between now and next Thursday to do these neat things. Such as this simple but pretty gift wrapping over at Rosy Little Things. I even have scissors that will cut scallops like this, but I think I'm out of doilies and any "theme" colored paper. But by the time I think of all the magazines I've saved it's too late to look for them or too late to make the ideas or requires one more trip to Wal-Mart where I don't want to go again until 2010.

Speaking of books, does anyone have a Kindle? Do you like it? Now if I could just convert all my "real" books to digital and download them....

Gone With the Wind was on TV last night (I watched about 15 minutes of it). Poor Scarlet. But I know how she feels. "I'll think about all this tomorrow."

Such a Treat!

I have a basketful of books at Amazon.com and after a while I will check to see if the library has gotten them yet. Jackpot! I made a list Sunday and three of the ones I'd "bookmarked" were in. So after PT today (which went really well) Paul took me to the library. We used the automatic door on the north side, which is very nice. I went directly to what I wanted and Gail and Sherry (good to see them) put my books in a plastic bag that we'll recycle. Afterward I was pretty hot and tired and we went by Sonic for a milk shake! So good and cold! Books to explore! Doesn't take much to make me happy!

Not promising I'll read any or all of these, but always fun to bring them home and see if the first few pages grab my attention:

Beverly Lewis: The Shunning, The Confession

Pat Conroy: Beach Music

Nevada Barr: Borderline

Dorothea Benton Frank: Return to Sullivan's Island

Janice Y. K. Lee: The Piano Teacher

Were to begin?????

Dada Nick's Picture

I don't know where the "professional" photo is of Dada Nick - I looked and looked and then I quit because I'm old. When you get old(er) you'll understand. You'll compromise and tell yourself, Oh, well, I know it's here. I'll come across it someday. Very unlike even five years ago when I would have had the house turned upside down and shaken to find it. There is just too much to move and look through. When you get old... oh, I said that already.

So here is Dada Nick about 1984, as he almost always looked - wearing overalls. He was dressed up when he had on khakis. The wedding picture probably is the only picture of him in a suit that we have; no I take that back - in his Army uniform... He was very handsome. But he was handsome in overalls.

Speaking of Stuff

Speaking of "stuff..." Bren said she cleaned outher china cabinet and packed away the "pretties," the blue and white dishes and for-decoration pieces. In their place she put everyday things she uses and that are now easily reached. She and I are about as different as two people can be, yet our souls are knit together from high school days. She can't understand my "need" for books; but she has conceded that reading hardbacks "feels" better than paperbacks. I've tried (and will try) to use the library more. I do use it. But I haunt Amazon and Davis-Kidd, too. If you think I'm crazy about books then check out this site - Maw Books Blog, which I found on BookPage website. (Our great county library furnishes this magazine of book reviews and all things books every month). Well, I just can't help it. I've loved books all my life. Mama made sure we always had books. I remember Black Beauty, Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, and going to the libraries in just about every town we lived in. Remember Ferdinand the Bull? Library book. Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and Snip, Snap, Snur. (When Amy was little, I the library discarded Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and I bought it for her. Oh, and the five (or some versions - seven) Chinese Brothers, description from Wikipedia - (I couldn't fully recall the plot, so had to Google it):

The book is a retelling of a Chinese folk tale. At the beginning, a young man swallows the water in the sea so a boy can retrieve fish and treasures. When the man can no longer hold in the sea, he frantically signals to the boy, but the boy ignores him, and drowns when the man releases the water. The man is accused of murder and sentenced to death. However, his four brothers, who look exactly like him, each slip into his place and use their superhuman abilities to avoid execution. One has an iron neck; one can stretch his legs; one can survive fire; and the last can hold his breath forever. At the end of the story, a judge decides that the brother accused of murder must have been innocent, since he could not be executed, and the five brothers return home.

I did have better things to do on my day off than reminisce about old books, but none more fun. What I did manage to accomplish was - cleaning the fridge, cleaning the oven, ironing, cleaning the bookcases/catch-all tables on the carport, and packing two boxes of clothes to send to Sher, baking chocolate chip cookies and a pan of field peas. Tomorrow we're going to Amy's.