Archive for January, 2018



Blackbird HouseBlackbird House by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let’s suppose there was a plot of land that was the main character of a book. I would have done better had I known that simple fact. For some reason, the Kindle version did not download properly so I just listened to the Audible version.

I could have done without the first narrator. Oh, goodness what a bombastic voice! The rest of the narrators were great. In fact, it was fun that each chapter, which was each new inhabitant of the property got a new voice many of them were fantastic!

When I finally got my Kindle to download, I did much better as I could read along with the Audible. In fact, it synched perfectly.

Alice Hoffman has become one of my favorite authors. Remember she is the one who wrote Practical Magic. So I had to grab this when it was on special. This one read similarly to the Red Garden. She refers to witches and red shoes and other symbolism that would be fun to discuss in a book group.

I may have to read this again someday as I know there was a lot more there than I absorbed. One of my issues with the book was I wanted more of each resident. I always felt each story too short. Maybe I wanted a series?

View all my reviews


IT IS ABOUT TIME!!! I was getting ready to revolt! We have had very little snow this year while all our southern, usually warm states have gotten it all! All we got was rain and mud. Not fun mud but sandy mud which looks boring. But as of about 2 PM today it started snowing and hasn’t stopped. Wish I had a camera that did nighttime snow. It is so peaceful and beautiful. And dare I say it? warmer than other times. Kali and I have had a hard time staying in the house. We both come in and do that shake-it-off dance. By the way, that picture is from last year sometime but nothing changes around here, much so this looks about right. I’ll try to take some pictures tomorrow.

I hope everything is okay in Linda G. Hill’s world. Go check it out!

And check out Sandra, who gave us our prompt: “Revolt.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Sandra at her blog, “What Sandra Thinks” to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://whatsandrathinks.com/


Shake makes a blurry picture. Always shake paws, fewer flu germs.

Here is the inspiration from Linda G. Hill’s site:

Short on inspiration and energy: a comic from Facebook, originated from http://buttersafe.com/

*comic shows stick figure sitting, laying down, begging, and sitting up in a coffin. Caption: Dog tricks: not as impressive when done by humans

***

 


For some of us, a sky like this promotes deep contemplation. Others see it as a conspiracy. This is from last summer. I took a bunch of this crisscrossed sky at sunset. The prompt made me think of these. It is so peaceful here but never so much as just as the sun goes down. It could have been the busiest day but something like this slows down the thoughts and bring on thoughts of blessings.

I chose to go with this as the rest of my day has been busy trying to get ready for our new resident. Clearing a room means making a mess in the others. But I think it is coming together. Still… taking a look at the beauty outside helps me breathe through it all.

 

Thank you, Linda G. Hill for your constant inspiration, including Just Jot It January.

Cheryl brought us the prompt “Contemplation.” Check out Cheryl at her blog, “The Bag Lady”  https://rugby843.blog/


Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and PurposePromise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started listening to this book while still reading Fire and Fury. Vice President Biden’s voice was soothing after the paranoia of the other book. It was like my dad was reading to me. He is so calm and self-assured it shows even with all that was going on in his life during the period of his life that this book represents.

It isn’t as though we all weren’t there and saw what happened. But hearing it all from his point of view gave it all a bit of depth. I don’t want to repeat what was there so I will only tell you that I think everyone should read this. If you can it is better with VP Joe Biden’s voice.

Warning, bring your Kleenex.

Oh, the only part I didn’t like was the interview at the end. I don’t think it was needed as it was just a review of what was in the rest of the book. And I think VP Biden’s voice was too tired to continue.

View all my reviews


 

Image result for lady justice

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Justice!
Justice who!
Justice as I thought, you don’t remember me!

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
― Benjamin Franklin

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.”
― Ernesto Che Guevara

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
― Robert F. Kennedy

Martin Luther King Jr.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
I thought these said more than I could have on this rather brain-dead day.  (Been very busy trying to get the room ready for my son. Happy Martin Luther Kindd, Jr. Day— for justice!


Complete this sentence: I’m looking forward to….

Though the circumstances are rather sad (their father is very ill and they need to move him closer) I will get to see my offspring this week end as they move my oldest in to live with us. There goes my music/hobby room but I mostly work here in my bedroom. The piano will move into the living room. Even so I look forward to seeing everyone even for so short a time. Just praying the snow isn’t a problem. We’ve had weeks of fairly nice weather but the news is predicting winter weather in the next few days. After they are all safe and sound in their own homes the weather can do what it wants.

What is your favorite comfort snack food? 

With the stress of my ex being ill and worrying with my kids about their father and the next steps, I have been craving Pringles. Luckily there are none here so not able to binge. Yay! Me!

What was one of your first moneymaking jobs (other than babysitting or newspaper delivery)?

Well, that is the main thing I did as a teen and young adult. I have a lot of cousins so I was always babysitting. My first real job was as a cosmetologist. If it hadn’t been so painful for my back I would still be doing that as I loved the creativity of working with hair.

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

I shared yesterday the Heart to Heart answer to I can’t: “Show me the hard part.” These words not only can help a young child, but I think it meets the frustration in all of us.

Share Your World is the brain child of Cee’s Photography. Thanks!

 


Learn one phrase that will help you build problem solving skills in kids this school year. If your child says, “I can’t” or wants to give up, this is the best response.

Source: 5 Powerful Words That Will Build Problem Solving Skills for Kids


This is directly from Linda G. Hill’s blog:

Your prompt for January 14th, 2018, brought to you by a new-to-me blogger, Itinerary Planner, is “Ultimatum.” Use it any way you’d like in your post. And make sure you visit Itinerary Planner at her blog, “Travel Itineraries: Travel the World for Less” (sounds good to me!) to read her post and say hi! Here’s her link:  https://traveltinerary.com/

I think of myself as a rather peaceful person. But I have a serious rebel side. And to see that an ultimatum is announced. ‘You will do this, be this, or ___ will happen.’ You know often _____ is often a better result than complying. In fact, it has often been life-changing.

I spent all day trying to tell the story to back it up but I can’t without involving someone else and I don’t want to do that. Well, and I have had one shiny thing after another today. But I think I made my point.

Has anyone watched Pirates 5? That was one of my distractions today. Talk about ultimatums! Oh, and we started the series Disjointed. FUN! I needed the laughs that came from that.

Another distraction, my 44-year-old son is coming to live with us this next weekend. Now I have to clear out a room for him and figure out a lot of logistics. If you could climb into my head right now, you would see a knotted bunch of yarn trying to break out!


              

 

Saturday is a different animal in the Just Jot It January fun, Saturdays are always, Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Still, both prompts and rules can be found on Linda G. Hill’s website. Come join us with your own versions!

I went to the library today. It is not a thing in other areas I’ve lived in that I get two calls in a week, from the librarian just checking up on me. I had nothing checked out so there was no other reason. So on this second call, I knew I ought to go show my face. I love our little library and the librarian. It is the knowledge center of our tiny community. We have a lot of churches here, but no bars or other places of gathering. The library is it! So after a delightful chat with the few that were there and her majesty Julie, I decided to check out a few picture books and a book that looks like I could read it.

That is the book I reached for to pick the sixth, seventh, and eight word as the prompt suggests. I didn’t want to use the beginning of the book. I just opened where it fell and found on page 133 of Bittersweet by Susan Wittig Albert. The words were: “the sound of”. The next word is gunshots but I thought that would be cheating so I won’t follow that path.

Because the newest Pirates of the Caribbean is on Netflix we are watching our set of four DVDs before watching the new. We have the first three fairly well memorized so I often find I get napful.  So I drifted off to sleep to the sound of “Why is the rum gone?” and the marvelous music by composer Klaus Badelt and producer Hans Zimmer … That is the thing that pulls me in on these films. I love the stories and the actors but the music… It is my music of choice when writing. During NaNo when most things are distractions, especially music with words, I can go to Pandora and put on Pirates or Game of Thrones music and write for hours. It gives me energy and excitement.

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