Trying Another Story

Madame Skye, our own Opera Cat

Yesterday, I posted a video of myself reading my very favorite children's book. 
I decided to try another story today.  This one is called Opera Cat, written by Tess Weaver and illustrated by Andrea Wesson. 
The book is one I became very fond of once I realized I had an Opera Cat.  Though our Madame Skye couldn't sing, she enjoyed hearing me sing opera, and would appear, and make commentary or faces depending upon what and how I sang.  The song featured in this story is by Verdi, but Madame preferred Mozart.  In fact, she would only respond to a summons if it was the song "Deh Viene Non Tardar" from Marriage of Figaro.  And usually, only if I sang it.  I still miss her when I practice, because she was there for every one.  She'd come in and sit on a chair or table close to me, and offer her opinion. 
Our Opera Cat is very much missed.

I cannot imagine what she'd make of me singing the "Queen of the Night" aria.  If ever a temper tantrum were put into song, this is it.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you Opera Cat

Of New Beginnings and Old Issues

January first.  Now is the winter of our discontent begun.  The first week of keeping all our good resolutions to eat less junk food, exercise more, and just basically do a lot of things that are good for us, but decrease our sense of enjoyment, perhaps.  Unless we go about it the right way. 
My big problem is going to be the lack of chocolate.  I love chocolate, and having to cut back to the recommended ounce or two only a day is going to be rough. 
Cutting down on the number of calories consumed is going to be tough, as I tend to use food as a comfort.  Tough day?  Have some pie.  Bored? Chips and salsa!
Exercise, well, it feels good once you get finished.  Getting started is HARD.  Also, sticking with it.

I have found that if I remind myself of all the good things that come with behaving myself as regards my diet and exercise, it is lots easier to stick to my resolutions. 
When I exercise, I feel better overall, I have a better outlook on life, I have more energy.  (That is, when I am not calling myself twenty kinds of a fool for making all my muscles ache from activity they are not used to. That's why God made aspirin, though.)
I also look a whole lot better when I stick with the diet and exercise.  My skin is clearer and less wrinkly, also my color is healthy instead of pallid.  My hair shines whether or not I remember the conditioner. Also, I can fit into smaller, nicer fitting clothes. 
Biggest bonus:  I do NOT look like I am almost 55 years old.  (At least, I don't THINK I do, and I've had several people act surprised when they find out my age.  Maybe they thought I was older though, so you never know...)

On the flip side, the resolutions that mean the most are the ones that improve our character.  Like vowing to be less selfish and more concerned with the needs of others.  World needs a WHOLE lot more of that.  If even a few of us manage to do better on that, this year will be a LOT better than the last.
A  promise to oneself to learn at least one new thing every month, or to read more, things that keep your mind active and expand your horizons,those are resolutions that will pay even bigger dividends to society as a whole than improving health and/or appearance will.
I made myself a promise that I would try to finish more of the books I am reading. I have a bad habit of having four or five non-fiction books going at once, and at least two novels.  Right now, I am reading "I'm Your Man" a biography of Leonard Cohen.  I am also reading a book called "Geek Girls Unite by Leslie Simon. I have one of the "Ghost" series by Carolyn G. Hart going, and a couple of books about drinks and drink mixing that I am reading off and on.  Gotta finish all that stuff, and see what else I can get read off of the huge backlog of stuff on my Nook and on the Kindle app.

I already made a dent in one of my long-held resolutions.  I got all of the physical books in the house cataloged.  Now I need to finish verifying which ebooks I own have made it into the catalog.  In physical books alone, there are over 1,000 items in that catalog. 
One book I did finish last year, and in fact read at least 3 times, is Ron Perlman's autobiography, Easy Street: The Hard Way.   I read it over and over not just because I am a fan, but because there is quite a bit there to digest.  He tells his story in his own language, without pretense, and without holding back difficult truths.  There is much in that book to make you think about how things work, not just in Hollywood, but in life.  So grateful that I CAN count him as someone who is a friend, not a really close friend, but certainly not a stranger.  Glad for the friends I have made because of him, and very glad to know that my estimation of his character was accurate.  He is down to earth, loyal, kind, and loving.  A VERY class act.  Also a very talented actor, as shown by the many diverse roles he has performed and won accolades and awards for.

The process of deciding what to strive for in the year ahead is tempered and influenced by all that came in the year that has just passed.  Since I read Easy Street this last year, it has influenced my resolve to be more genuine, more true to myself, in my dealings with others.  I have usually been pretty much "what you see is what you get", I am not much of a poser.  I have decided though, that I need to pay more attention to making my behavior match what I claim to believe.  Never easy, but a worthwhile pursuit for a Christian.  It is what we are supposed to do, after all, to act on the things Jesus taught, to avoid the pitfalls He warned against.  Few of us meet with much success in this, but the fact that we are trying, really trying, will make the whole world a better place.  (In keeping with that goal, I will try very hard here not to rant about those who invoke religion in the service of their own prejudice and bad behavior... wouldn't want to fall victim to the pitfall of being judgmental...)

Another resolution is to strive to put more effort into translating my love of my library and my work there into positive actions to benefit this community and my library.  My goal for this year at work plays into that, by helping make our customers more aware of the services we offer.  It's a difficult goal for me, using technology I haven't used in quite that way before, making short videos to play on our lobby TV.  My boss is very excited about it, and is a lot of help, so maybe, just maybe I'll be successful.  (All I can do is my very best.)

There you have it, a brand new calendar to fill up, and some of the same old issues following me around, along with a few new ways to challenge myself.  Bet you are paddling a similar canoe.  All I can tell you is, THIS year, I intend to make my paddle out of a better quality of attitude, and a firmer bit of resolve.  These goals are worthy, and important to more than just me.  Bet yours are, too.
Happy New Year, and good luck and perseverance to us all!!

Wait! It's Not Supposed To Be Winter Yet!!

Early Winter
By C.K. Armistead
Nov 16, 2014

Freezing air that greets
My reluctantly waking feets
I pull them back under the sheets
While the alarm clock uselessly bleats.

Seeking warmth, I hit the shower
Hot water seems to take an hour
Before it gets to its full power
Helping sweeten my mood so sour.

Joints that normally don't pain me
Today rebel and seek to blame me
For the cold that seems to contain me
Making them all inflamed, you see.

Oh, the joy of my cozy nook
To curl up and read a book
A window to help me look
Upon the trees by cold winds shook.

  

Winter Signs on A Fall Afternoon
C.K. Armistead
Nov. 2014

Swirling, falling drifting
Lightly dusting and sifting,
Flakes flying on north winds
Coating shrubs and ground again.

Fluffing, chattering, then still
Sparrows huddled on my windowsill.
Waiting for a decrease in the wind
So they can go after the seeds again.

The singing kettle, the bubbling pot
On the stove, making a lot
Of good things to drink and eat
To take our minds off of snow and sleet.

To keep the cabin fever away,
Time on the elliptical to bob and sway
Also burning as much as I should
Of all that good and hearty food!

So, it isn't even Thanksgiving yet.  It is usually nowhere near this cold here this time of year.  Fall is usually the nicest time weather wise in Oklahoma.  I'm glad they switched from "Global Warming" to "Climate Change", because Climate Change is more descriptive of what happens as the earth has these temperature cycles.  It has happened before.  With or without man, our planet goes through changes.  Oh, we probably make it worse, but it isn't ALL on us.  The geological record upholds that fact.  The problem is, we ARE putting more chemicals, particles, etc into the air than would otherwise be there.  It DOES do nasty things to the planetary environment.  So, we do our little part to help curtail some of it.  Walk to the store instead of drive if I can, recycle everything I can. (But I have to drive to the recycling center.  That kind of rankles...)
My plans for today include making some more home made applesauce, and a batch of shortbread.  I also want to try to make some little meat pies with the egg roll wraps we have left.  (Not as fattening as pasties, but maybe ALMOST as good.  We'll see...)  The laundry is almost all done, including the towels.  I need to make out a grocery list and pay some bills.  Also praying for the weather to not leave us with a real mess on the roads in the morning.  (I'd like to do my shopping and get it all put away before I have to leave for Voice.)

Looks as though the roads will be iffy for quite a bit of tomorrow.  The schools are going to be closed.  (Oh, joy.)  May have to shop Tues before work.

Just feel so run down and tired and vaguely irritable during this weather.  Never fails to show up when I have other stuff to do! 

Here's the dessert I made tonight:

So, now that I've put my big, cozy sweater on, and had a bowl of this, I'm full and I'm SLEEPY!  Catch you later!

Some Thoughts on Many Things

You might not think so, but singing properly is a VERY physical activity.  It uses your entire body.  After a long lesson, or a good practice session, I feel as though I have had a pretty thorough workout.  A successful recital feels like winning a race or something.  Performing, and knowing I have done well, is a real rush. 
You have to train physically AND mentally to sing properly.  Posture is, of course, very important, for we all know how hard it is to breathe well if you are slouched over.  Breath support must come from deep in the belly, not just your chest.  Yoga breathing is the closest equivalent I can think of.  Singing well will develop a strong core, because your abs have a lot to do to help you keep posture, breath pressure, and therefore sound quality going correctly.

The mental part comes in when you have to remember how to make a certain note come out properly, and how a certain bit of melody goes.  I often find bits of arias wandering through my brain at random times, and lo, and behold, on lesson day, another bump in the road will be ironed out.  My subconscious, my voice coach says, has been chewing on it, and how it goes, and where it goes.

When a piece is particularly challenging, it can exhaust me to sing it through.  I feel sometimes as though I am bringing the sound up from my toes all the way to the top of my head.



So, this week, I've been on vacation from work.  It was our 30th wedding anniversary on Monday, and Matt took that day off, so we spent it together puttering around Bricktown.  Then we went to Norman for dinner, because we wanted to go to the Saltgrass Steakhouse.  It was a very nice anniversary.  I STILL cannot believe we've been married that long.

When I don't have an outside schedule imposed on me, I seem to drift a lot.  One day this week, I goofed around in my pajamas until after noon.  It felt wonderful.
I haven't done as much writing or reading as I wanted to do this week.  Just haven't felt like  it.  Can't settle.  Did several 1 hour sessions on the elliptical, and took quite a few walks.  I think the allergies and the changing seasons are making me uncomfortable and restless.
I also forgot to get my sister's birthday card in the mail.  So I ran out and got a late card today.  Gotta get that out in tomorrow's mail.  I'm just a sneezy, congested basket case.

Have been enjoying immensely Ron Perlman's memoir Easy Street (the hard way).  It is well-written, witty, and charming.  The audio version is a special treat, for not only do you get to hear Ron tell his stories in his own voice, you get to hear his very spot-on impressions of some of his friends and fellow actors.  He has not had an easy life, and his perseverance in the face of some pretty tough obstacles is inspiring.  I am trying to formulate a coherent review to publish in a separate post.  The problem is, I already admire the guy, love him like an extra brother, and this book just makes you love him even more.  He's so honest and forthright in it, painfully so sometimes, and his insights into the entertainment business and how it has changed should be of value to anyone pursuing a career in show business.

Today I got some of the Fall plantings done in the gardens.  Took out the spent marigolds, and added mums and pansies and violas.  Also a couple of dianthus out front to replace some that have died out.  The plants in now should be all right until the first hard freeze or heavy frost.    Should be in about a month, maybe less.

One thing Perlman mentions in his book is taking piano lessons for five years and never practicing.  Well, I did almost as bad.  Took for 10 years and ALMOST never practiced.  Learned to read music, and a good bit of theory, though.  I practiced my piano a bit this week.  VERY rusty, and the piano is due for tuning again, but I can still play, sort of.  (Arthritis hasn't helped the process any, even if it isn't painful, it has effectively shortened my accustomed reach by permanently bending the knuckles on my pinky fingers.) 

We were promised rain this week.  It never materialized.  I am disappointed.  I like sitting in my office and watching it rain while I read.  Sets the mood, helps me settle in and get cozy with what I'm doing.  Hope it doesn't decide to get stormy just in time for my trip to my Mom's.  No fun trying to get connections made when storms are about, and I can't drive home from Houston.  (Have to fly out of Houston again this time, not Dallas like last time.  Houston airport is confusing, but not as big as Dallas, I don't think.  I have a better chance of sprinting for my connecting flight and making it.)

Packing for that trip is another thing I don't look forward to.  Can't mail my stuff ahead like usual, will be taking a carry-on bag that I may have to gate check.  There are work clothes and work shoes at Mom's already.  I just have to take some regular clothes and PJs.  I hate to travel.  I am the classic example of George Carlin's bit about having to make a smaller version of  "your stuff" to take with you.  If you've never seen that bit, check YouTube.  I'm sure it's there.
In fact, Here's a link!

That's me all over.  Abject panic over being able to come up with a small enough version of "my stuff" in order to survive the trip. My Verizon tablet is a life saver in this regard.  I have a lot of books on my Nook and my Kindle apps that I can download to the tablet, and I can also download more on go if I need to.  The tablet connects to my wireless service, so I don't have to have Wi-Fi to use it.  Now I can travel with LOTS of books. I can also have access to my social media via the tablet or my phone.  (Can read on the phone too, but not as easily.)  I will also have an ebook version of Easy Street available to me.  It will be downloaded before I have to travel.  (I'm not an addict, I swear.  It's just that good, and so many familiar stories fleshed out and put in context is very helpful to a long-time fan.)

Hoping my singing voice does not desert me because of allergies or crud I might be exposed to on my trip.  I have several things I am working on, including a very amusing little aria that goes well with my Halloween costume.  I hope to sing it for my friends at a party, but we'll see.  The aria is in English, so people will at least be able to understand it. (Comedy should always be in the local language, my voice coach says...) 

Just so many things batting around in my brain right now, not being still long enough for me to deal with them effectively.  Life is often like this.  Just have to ride it out and see where I land.  It's usually a pretty good place. 

Now Is The Summer Of Our Discontent

Now is the summer of our discontent
We end each workday aching and spent
The loud gales of noisy childhood
Pierce our eardrums, chill our blood
The endless parade of picture books
That need sorting and critical looks
To ensure no damage has been done
Them on their journey's run.

But also a summer of renewed hope
As yes, we struggle to cope
Though to find ourselves needed,
Our help and services pleaded,
Helping young ones make a new start
Does much to soften the heart.
And seeing a child excited to read
Makes us all very glad indeed.


Summer is our busy time at the library.  We are THE place for kids to go for activities, books, fun, movies, and a place to cool off and relax for a bit. 
It is a good and glorious thing that our library is so important to our community, especially to our children. They have a safe place to come to, a place to learn on their own, meet their friends, or just fool around on the Internet for a little while.
We are also a resource for the entire community.  We have business services, and all sorts of computer classes for adults, book clubs, teen activities, many community groups have meetings in our meeting rooms, we're the happening place in town. 
It's true all year, but especially hectic in Summer.  The kids set goals and read books, or are read to by their parents, and so we have a lot more traffic both of people and of books in and out of the building.  Also, we have many special programs during the summer, and on program days (like today was), things can be pretty loud for a library.  I made six new library cards today in my two hour desk shift, and replaced several lost ones.  Summer is also the time for lots of that.  Many fines were paid, and since this is Fine Forgiveness week, some people actually got NO FINES on their very overdue items.  (It's all good, we get our stuff back, and they save some money.  )

This summer I am finding myself discontented because I have been having trouble losing any more weight, and indeed I have gained a few pounds.  I have about 14 pounds left to my goal.  I find it harder to stick to my diet because I want to eat more sugar to have more energy.  I also find it harder to work out as much as I should some days because it is so HOT outside.  Today went better, but last year, it seemed easier, seemed like the weight came off faster and easier, too.  Maybe it's just because I'm older.  Harder to get the old metabolism going fast enough.  Who knows?  Whatever the reason, it's bumming me out.  And I STILL haven't made it to the Farmer's Market yet this year.  Must try to go this Thursday during my "dinner" break.  It is, most conveniently, right next door to the library, in the Community Center parking lot.

Here's to Summer, a time that actually means more work for me, but a time that also allows us to spend more time in our gardens, relaxing and watching the birds and squirrels and rabbits that come by to visit our yard. 

Stumbling Around on a Saturday Night

Some random, rambling observations:
1) It is odd that you can be jealous of a friend's good fortune, and yet genuinely happy for them,too.  It DOES happen.  I am jealous that two of my friends got to chat in person with Ron Perlman in Austin last night, but I am very happy for them too!  He was very sweet to them, and it is nice to know that he does remember us. 

Here Mary delivers a smooch from Fiona (and the rest of us #Perlgirls, of course.)

And here he sends one back.

He really does care about us.  Astounding as it seems sometimes. 

2)  Laundry you are waiting for will never get dry, no matter what the autodry setting on your oh-so-smart dryer says. 

3) A properly made Tequila Sunrise will give you a buzz without you realizing it has done so.  They taste SO good, and they sneak right up on ya! 

4) You can instantly identify a movie as being made in the 1980s just by hearing the music, if it is a contemporary setting. 

5) Some silly, cheesy 1980s action/comedies are still fun to watch all these years later. 

6)  Music really does bring back memories.  Listening to a Greatest 80s Hits album today, and remembering college and my first year teaching, and dates Matt and I went on both before and after we got married...

7)  Cold, dreary weather makes me want to hole up in my office and read.  No serious reading, but light mysteries, fan fiction, anything light and fun.  Guess I'm trying to counter the gloom.
This weather, only wetter, is plaguing SXSW in Austin.  South By Soaking Wet is it's new nickname.

8)  Voice practice may go very well.  Then the snot will fall in. And you will sound like a bullfrog, even if you ARE a lyric soprano.

10) Husbands who cook and then do dishes are the sexiest men on the planet.  I mean it.  Wow. 

11) Wearing mostly black tomorrow.  First Sunday in Lent.  Guess black is appropriate. 

12)  I keep finding fellow Episcopalians in odd places.  Found another one on Twitter.  Robert Patrick.  Always fun to find another person who answers "And also with you." when someone in the Star Wars movie says "May the Force be with you." 

13) Watching my husband watch me, and sometimes I can almost hear him thinking "God, I love it when she stretches."  Nice to know I still get to him after all these MANY years! (We met in '83.)

14)  Just because some idiot decided we have to lose an hour tonight, it does not mean my internal clock will willingly reset.  Hence, I am sitting here at what will feel like 00:20 later on, but feels like 23:20 to me! 

Time to shut this down.  I do have to finish a few things and then get ready for bed.  Gotta sleep so I can look at least mostly human  tomorrow. 
Thanks for reading.  Sometimes feel like I'm talking to myself here, but the stats say the pages get hits.  One never knows. 

Voicing Some Views on Vocabulary

Words have long been my favorite playthings.  I learned to read very early, and so read just about everything I could find with print on it when I was a kid.  I even read dictionaries.  For fun.
 My entire career at school, from elementary through university, my vocabulary was always larger than those of my classmates.  I often had to consider before I spoke whether the word I had chosen to use would be well received in present company.  This is what happens when you are the youngest child by several years in a household of readers.  Since my parents and  siblings read news stories aloud to me (and each other) at the breakfast table, and I cannot remember a time I could not read, though they tell me I was 3 when they realized I could,  it would seem I was destined to have a large collection of words at my beck and call. 
My composition professor at university always told me that I wrote in much the same way that I speak:  very long and complex sentences.  He reminded me that colons and semi colons were my friends, and I should not be afraid to call upon them.
Here then, are a few of the words that interest me.  Only a very few.  (Winking smiley).

There are words I almost never use in daily conversation and writing, but I love them.  The sound of them, the associated meanings of them, the way they fit a particular situation.
Words like Pyrrhic Victory, which refers to a victory won at too great a cost.  (After a Greek king who won  battles against the Romans, but lost great numbers of men and equipment and animals in the process.)

Slew, which comes from the Gaelic sluah, which means "many", or "a multitude".  A whole slew o' things, is a lot of them.  It's pretty common in the regions where my ancestors settled in this country.  (In the 1780s and '90s in the hills of Kentucky,  North Carolina, and later Arkansas.)
Many in my Mom's family, who are from farther South and in the flatter lands, say "a whole mess" of things instead of slew.  One meaning of mess, according to the Oxford American Dictionary is "an untidy collection of things."  So I guess my Mom's family was more concerned with the quality of the things than the number of them.

Truncated is a word I like because it does indeed give the impression of something cut short, cut off, left unfinished, perhaps.  I always will remember a lady who wouldn't believe the "may be truncated" on a list of book titles she was given referred to the fact that the book titles were likely cut short due to the size of the field in the database.  She believed it meant SHE could be cut off at any time, either her account or her call, I'm not sure which.  I think a manager FINALLY convinced her of the truth.

I also like trudge.  "To walk laboriously."  Good old Oxford.  Use a five syllable word to define a one syllable word!  (Big smile here!)  Many are the days I have trudged through simply because I felt heavy and weary, whether of spirit or body, or both.

Twitter is a word I like.  It does indeed sound like some of the sounds birds make.  It is also, of course, the name of a social media platform that is very popular.  So, now it has even more positive connotations for me than it did before.  Bird watching was a big hobby of mine while we were in Germany.  We saw many different kinds of woodpeckers, blackbirds, starlings, birds of prey, magpies, beautiful songbirds like goldfinches, cedar waxwings, and of course, European House Sparrows.  They are ubiquitous.  (Another word I love.)  "Being everywhere at the same time" well, yes, sparrows seem to be.  Just look around.  You'll see.

Mellifluous is another word I adore.  It means "Sweet sounding".  It brings to mind a song well sung.  I love to sing, I love it even more when I know I am singing well.  When it is mellifluous.

There are words I like that are considered odd by some.  Woolgather.  I like that word, because I find myself woolgathering a lot.  It means, of course, to drift a bit mentally, be bemused. Oxford American Dictionary says "Being in a dreamy or absent-minded state."  Pretty much describes me most of the time!

Vestments is a word that sometimes makes me smile.  I have to wear choir vestments every Sunday.  (And every Wednesday evening in Advent.)  They actually fit, having been made to measure for me, but now they are lots roomier since I have lost weight.  This makes me smile. 

Just as there are words I love, there are expressions I love.  One that I learned that is Italian in origin is "Fai attenzion.  E un venditore di fumo."  (Pay attention, or watch out, he's a smoke salesman. )  He's a fake, a con man.
A good con man could seem a lot like he was selling smoke, couldn't he?  It's a very colorful and powerful image. 
Just found a book today about expressions like this from around the world.  Will have to report in once I have a chance to delve into it.  I also have a book called Wordbirds to delve into.  Talking about words coined to deal with our 21st Century lives.  (Reminds me a lot of Sniglets, but maybe more useful and less completely funny.)

The hour grows late, my energy is waning, and I must arise early tomorrow and be about my business in a timely manner, so I will bid you all a fond farewell at this point. 

The Weather, It Has Changed, or Hey, wasn't It Fall Just A Minute Ago?

This afternoon, on my way into the library from my car, the wind was blowing from the south, and it was humid.  Not hot, but not cold, either. 
This evening, when leaving the library to go back to my car, the wind was out of the north, and so dry and cold that it almost seemed to have teeth.  It grabbed my clothes and pulled on my bags, made it hard walk against.
Lucky for me, I knew the weather was supposed to change.  Everyone in Oklahoma is obsessed with the weather.  If you lived here, you'd understand.  Turning your back on Mother Nature is a very bad idea.  Paying attention to the weather forecast becomes just something you HAVE to do.  I had dressed in layers, and had one of my big, soft, comfy capes with the faux fur lined hood to wear tonight.  (Didn't have my gloves, though.  My hands were complaining until the car heated up enough to run the heater.) 
When I lived in Southern California, I never even knew there was such a thing as a weather alert radio.  Now, I am  nervous if I don't have the latest model with all the county-specific warning settings available.  When I lived in Los Angeles County, I never really had to own a heavy coat.  Now I have a long wool coat. a short wool coat, a short, hooded carcoat, several lightweight jackets, THREE capes, two of which have faux-fur lined hoods, three ruanas, which are like the capes but lighter weight, several scarves/shawls, a multitude of sweaters, and at least six bathrobes that could be considered VERY warm.  I love being able to wear these snuggly things.  I love sweaters, and the soft-textured capes and ruanas that I have.  I love my soft, colorful scarves that are big enough to be shawls.  I love all my soft, snuggly robes.  Growing up where winter was only cool,  not really cold, robbed me of the chance to enjoy and appreciate a warm, cozy house, with a nice reading corner, and cuddly sweaters and throws to wrap up in and read on a blustery day.  Germany was the first place I got to experience being able to actually wear warm clothes and to cuddle up with a good book and a hot cup of tea on a blustery, cold, nasty grey day.  It is SO satisfying to be able to do that. 
Here  in Moore, Oklahoma, I am blessed to have an "office" of my own at home, where I have a little reading corner that is cozy and comfy and has a nice lamp, comfy pillows,  and throws to snuggle up in right by the window, so I can watch the wind blow through the oak tree out front, and be grateful for my cozy nook with my books.  I also have scented candles that I burn sometimes to make it feel even cozier in here. 

While I appreciate the chance to hole up with a good read and my warm snugglies, I don't relish the idea of having to get out to go to work or anywhere else when the weather is acting up around here.  Snow, sleet and ice make nightmares out of the local roadways.  Though the city plows the main thoroughfares, getting in and out of our subdivision and the various parking lots around town can be extremely treacherous.  Even at the library, which parking lot the city plows.  Getting to and from work Saturday may be extremely interesting.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, Friday, I have battles with our mortgage bank that must be fought, as they have palmed us off onto another loan management company, but this time I have to make all the arrangements for the automatic payments, etc.  Cheap bastards.  They had BETTER make our property tax payment like they are supposed to, or I will complain to the VA, who guarantees our loan. They already have the money in the escrow account, after all.   (And I'll tell anybody who's willing to listen how crappy B of A is to their customers.)  I also get to make the December birthday cards for the library, and get my December calendar together, so I'll know if I have schedule conflicts or not.  Fun, fun, fun. 

So, now that the North Wind is howling as loud as any banshee ever did, and the cold air is riding that wind down from the Arctic, I will leave you in order to crawl into my nice, cozy bed, that has the electric mattress pad already heated up and toasty for me.  Now you know where yesterday's poetry was coming from.  I had been listening to the weather reports last evening. 

Updating Some Lists: Music and Books...

First, the new music added since the last Music List update: 

Covered by Katey Sagal.  Always amazed at how many talents this woman has.  Her voice is perfect for the material she chooses, and she DOES have a voice, she knows how to sing properly.  (Unlike many a pop princess these days...)
Here's a review from the SF Gate

Songs Of Anarchy: Music from Seasons 1-4
Always pretty good music on that show.  Wanted time to appreciate it better.

Songs of Anarchy:  Volume 2  Second verse, same as the first.

Wintersmith by Steeleye Span in cooperation with Terry Pratchett.  LOVE the Tiffany Aching books, absolutely adore the Nac Mac Feegle, and so this album was a natural for me.  It is fabulous.  Have liked Steeleye Span since my sister introduced me to them in the '70s.  Excellent, excellent music, and must for Pratchett fans! 

Books to be read.  Always a long list with me these days, I find interesting stuff to read faster than I can read it.  (The hazards of working in a library!)

Still Reading:  Mole People by Jennifer Toth  Interesting reading about actual people living in the tunnels under NYC.  An obvious choice for an old BATB fan like me.  Very enlightening.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen  Interesting to read the midlife observations of someone whose life has had a lot more "stuff" in it than mine has.  I have no children, no big career, just the job of supporting my husband's Air Force career, and now his second job, and doing my own bit to make the world better by working in a Public Library. 

To Be Read:

Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott
The Violinist's Thumb by Sam Kean
Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs
A Friendly Game of Murder by J. J. Murphy
Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton
Widow's Tears by Susan Wittig Albert
Redshirts by John Scalzi
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson
Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George
Ghost Gone Wild by Carolyn Hart
The Buzzard Table by Margaret Maron
It Happens In The Dark by Carl O'Connell
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
King's Mountain by Sharyn McCrumb
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb
I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
Low Side of the  Road: A Life of Tom Waits by Barney Hoskyns
True Grit by Charles Portis
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Wordbirds by Liesl Schillinger
Stitches by Anne Lamott

Recently Read:

Through The Evil Days by Julia Spencer Fleming

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

Kiss of Revenge by Debbie Viguie


Also planning to re-read The Name Of the Rose by Umberto Eco to participate in an experiment with a couple of my friends on Twitter to have a sort of small  'book discussion' group as we all three read the book.  It's not a small book. Hope we all have time! 

That's about all I've got this time.  Certainly seems enough to me! 

The "To Be Read" List

Reading is something I do a lot of.  I read a variety of things, non fiction, cozy mysteries, Science Fiction, Fantasy, comedy.  I have several books on the Nook that I have been trying to get around to finishing for a long time now. 
The only explanation I can give is that I haven't felt like concentrating that hard on anything lately.  I've read a lot of fan fiction online, and usually only short stories at that.  I am partway through a mystery from an author that I really like.  I usually fly right through the books, but this time I am going more slowly. 
In the "To Be Read" or "Currently Reading" lists right now:

To Be Read:
Redshirts by John Scalzi
Widow's Tears by Susan Wittig Albert
The Violinist's Thumb by Sam Kean
A Friendly Game of Murder by J.J.Murphy
Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott
Death of Yesterday by M.C. Beaton
Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs
The Blue Bells of Scotland by Laura Vosika
The Minstrel Boy by Laura Vosika
Shadow Show  - various - Stories In Celebration of Ray Bradbury
Guy Noir - The Straight Skinny by Garrison Keillor


The "I'm reading a little at a time " list:
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems

Currently Reading
(and trying to finish at least ONE.)

The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie
The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
The Mole People by Jennifer Toth
William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

The Sound of Broken Glass is another of Ms. Crombie's excellent Gemma James/ Duncan Kincade mysteries.  The plot so far is good and engaging.  I just have not been able to concentrate on one book at a time lately.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean is a wonderful and somewhat whimsical look at the history of the Periodic Table and the elements thereon.  The story behind the science is even more fascinating than the science.  Taking this one in small bits in order to digest it properly.  Been awhile since I have done serious reading.

The Mole People by Jennifer Toth.  I started this one because it is about REAL people living in tunnels in New York.  It is no fantasy, and these people have very difficult lives.  True, these are the stories of people in tunnels near the surface, not deep ones like the world Below is supposed to be in Beauty and the Beast.  It is interesting to read the stories of the homeless in this book.  It is also difficult.  Many of these people are addicts, or ill, or maybe just a bit insane.  As much as it interests me, I can still only take bits at a time right now. 

William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher is just plain silly fun.  It is the first Star Wars movie - A New Hope- told in the style of one of Shakespeare's plays.  It is very tongue in cheek, but true to the plot, and so far quite amusing.  Don't know if I would find this treatment of my beloved Star Trek to be as funny, but maybe, if it was the right episode and done the right way.  Star Trek has a lot more serious purpose to it than Star Wars ever did anyway. 
My mind has refused to settle much at all in the last year or so. I do a lot of reading, but I keep switching around what I read.  This is not typical of me at all.  I usually start a book, especially a work of fiction, and just keep reading until I finish it.  (And I sometimes can do that in  just a day or two, depending on the book.)   I have been working on The Mole People for about a year now.

I am hoping to discipline myself to get in the habit of reading at least a chapter a day of these four books until I get where I want to read a specific one first, and then just finish that one.
I have had no trouble reading Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mysteries when the new ones come out, because those books just grab me and pull me right in from the beginning.  Got Billionaire Blend on preorder so I can read it as soon as it comes out.

Just putting all this here, in writing, so I can hold myself accountable for doing the reading I really WANT to do.  My girlfriends say my lack of concentration is related to my time of life, and exacerbated by the recent tornadoes, but I think it's just a phase I go through every now and then.  After several years of intense reading of book after book, my mind demands a vacation.  Happened right after college.  I got a degree in Liberal Studies, which meant I took a lot of literature classes, and that my history classes all involved a lot of reading.  So did sociology and psychology.  After I finished that very intense five year degree with teaching credential, I was tired of reading very dense material for meaning and insights.  I stopped reading so much, and once again read fan fiction or other short stories for a long time before my brain was ready to read anything long or intense again.

I am hoping to write coherent reviews of the books I am reading as I finish them.  I will endeavor to put those reviews on this blog.

Back to The Sound Of Broken Glass
As Ever,
Katie

Some Thoughts on a Friday Night

"Friday Night in the Big Town!"  Gary England always says.  Yeah, well, Moore isn't really a big town.  It's a nice little suburb, and full of great people, has a fabulous theater, a Harley Davidson dealership, and a wonderful library.  (And lots of other shops and parks and restaurants, but you get the idea.) 
Oklahoma City is considered "the Big Town" around here.  To  a girl who grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles County, it's not so big, either.  A few Friday nights when I was in high school, (in the late 70's when things were pretty wild), my friends and I used to gas up Kathy's old Delta 88 and head to Hollywood for "Hollywood Boulevard Safari."  That's what we called cruising Hollywood Boulevard.  We had rules.  All doors must remain locked and all windows rolled up for the entire cruise.  There was to be no interacting with the nightlife, we were only there to observe.  And observe we did.  Drag queens so fabulous, the women looked less like women than they did, generally funky people out ambling around, the odd cop or two questioning people.  We never told our parents where we were going.  We'd all still be grounded if we had.  We lived in a nice middle class suburb in the San Gabriel Valley called Hacienda Heights.  Our school's band and football team won all kinds of state titles the four years my friends and I were attending.  At least four of us were in the Shakespeare Club at school, and all of us were Honor Roll students.  Going out to cruise Hollywood Blvd. was our only real vice.  None of us had boyfriends that year, so we had fun being "just us girls."

The kids around here think cruising 12th Street in Moore is a big deal.  I don't get it.  Nothing interesting to see here, certainly nowhere near the entertainment value of our forays into Hollywood.  Yet, for YEARS the kids in this state would come from all over to cruise 12th Street.  The cops have pretty much put an end to it, well, their presence and the much higher price of gas these days.  Neighbors have told us of being unable to leave the subdivision for the traffic on cruise nights, and the NOISE was something awful.  Thankfully, the cruising had been pretty well shut down before we moved here.
These days, my Friday night is seldom more than a chance to really relax and not worry too much about how late I happen to stay up writing.  I do have to watch the clock tonight, though.  I have to get up and get the weeding and mowing done before it gets too stinking hot tomorrow.  The yard looks disgraceful.

On another tangent; our quest to lose weight and be healthier is going pretty well.   Matt is back in size 36 slacks, and I am back in my size 10 jeans.  It is hard to log everything we eat and all the exercise we do, but worth it.  Both of our recent blood tests have come back with excellent results.  Matt has even been taken off one of the heart medications they put him on since he has done so well losing weight and keeping his blood pressure in control.  I am proud to say that I take no prescription medications at this time.  My numbers were all really good, and the doctor knows my high blood pressure readings in the clinic are white coat hypertension.  (I had a very bad experience in an emergency room as a young child, and hospitals and doctor's offices have freaked me out, at least on a subconscious level, ever since. )  I have to really concentrate on my breathing and relaxing myself to get a near normal reading in a clinical setting.  My numbers here at home have been going down as my weight goes down.
It makes me feel good to be able to wear clothes I haven't fit in for a long time.  I also need to start my workout with free weights again, as I need to strengthen my muscles and prevent bone loss.  I know I will never recapture my lost youth, but I think I look pretty good, and I'll settle for looking good for my age and being healthy.  Very excited that Matt is starting to look like the man I married again instead of a much too heavy man.


To start yet another topic, I am so far behind on the books I want to read that it isn't even remotely amusing.  I have several things on my Nook that I really do want to read, but I keep getting distracted.  Maybe now that the weather is settling down, and life around here is settling back to something like normal, I'll be able to concentrate on my reading again.  I have been  reading, but have had to backtrack and re-read a lot because my mind wanders off in the middle of things.  Not that the books are not interesting and engrossing, just that my ability to concentrate hasn't been too great lately.  Have also been distracted by trying to catch up with some movies and TV shows that I have not been able to watch.  Netflix is a wonderful thing, but boy, you can sure overdose on it if you aren't careful.  I try to save stationary chores like ironing for the times I want to watch say, Sons of Anarchy,  so I won't be so inclined to watch more than I can absorb in one sitting.  There is a lot going on in that show that is not immediately apparent.  Layers upon layers.  My husband doesn't like it, says it glorifies outlaws, but he hasn't really watched it, I don't think.  I do know there used to be a motorcycle club that hung out across the street from where he bought his house in San Bernardino.  They were pretty small-time, and mostly pretty amusing, but I didn't hang out with them too much, only with Saundra, who ran the Star Trek fan club we belonged to.  (Yes, a biker chick who liked Star Trek, they DO exist.)  In fact, I think it was Saundra who told Matt he really ought to ask me out.  His Mom was in the club, too, and SHE actually introduced us to each other.  (Yeah, my mother in law wrote sci-fi stories and sometimes called herself "Granny Space".  She was a good writer, had a wonderful sense of humor, and I really miss her.)

Anyway, that and the dread of the hot, humid hours I must spent dealing with weeds and grass tomorrow are what has been rattling around in my brain this evening.  Hope everybody has a great weekend.
As Ever,
Katie 

 Some more poems.  Written just this evening as I sat here.  I am off and on helping Matt wrap the ribs he is prepping for smoking, and listening to the Wicked Tinkers in honor of Craig Ferguson's birthday, and checking Twitter and Face Book.
Promised I would keep writing, Michael. 

Enough of my randomness, here they are:





Passing Time
 C.K. Armistead 5/16/2013

And another day
Has rounded to its end.
Another week is gone,
Another month,
Another year.
And all as quietly
As a moment
Slipped away
When we weren't
Looking.
But I can't regret
A moment lost
Looking
Into your eyes
Seeing the love
And the wonder.
You teach me
How to look
How to see
What is there
To be found
In a fleeting
Moment.

Magic Things
C.K. Armistead 5/16/2013

Journeys to take
Adventures to have
Friends to make
Hurts to salve.

Thoughts to share
Rhymes to enjoy
Puzzles to dare
Strategies deploy.

Facts to learn
Feelings to understand
Passions to burn
Facts on hand.

All for yourself
Whenever you look
Upon the shelf
And take down
A Book.

Homeward
By C.K. Armistead 5/16/2013

Plaintive the cry
Moving the drum
As the piper calls
And the band moves us on.

Misty the hills
Cloaked in heather
And mystery
Drawing me.

Never have I seen
With my own eye
Scotland's hills
But yet they call.

Somewhere in me
There is a Scot
That longs once again
Those hills to see.

I only know this:
The pipes, they move
My heart with joy,
With pride.

The drums,
They move my feet.
To march on
To dance on

Homeward
To the land
I love
But have never seen.


It's In My Genes
By
C.K. Armistead
5/16/2013
So tired I can barely stand
But my feet just can't keep still
When they play the jigs and reels
I have to move!
 Like some magical drug
The sound of the pipes,
The beat of the drum
Make my heart leap!
 A typical American
Pretty much a "mutt"
But most of the mix
Is Celtic.
 Scots, Irish, Welsh
And some French.
An odd bit of English
And a German, maybe.
 But mostly Scots
And wild Irishmen
And some Welsh
For the singing.
Piper, play on
And I will follow.
And pay you well
With good whisky
And a smile.

These last two were inspired by The Wicked Tinkers and their fabulous playing.  It truly moves my soul.  (And my feet!)
 Hope you enjoyed them.

Exploring My Bookshelves

Your choice of books may say a lot about who you are.  Let's see what we find on the bookshelves in my office.

Top shelf, between doors.

On the top shelf, right inside the office door, you can see the first of my writing-related reference books.
Style manuals, Spanish and German phrase books, a grammar text, (autographed by the author, who was one of my professors at Cal Poly, by the way), and a thesaurus.

Second Shelf, between doors.

Third Shelf, between doors.

 On the second shelf, you find various sorts of dictionaries, a Portable Dorothy Parker, a book of quotations, and books about the writing process.


On the third shelf, there are more grammar books, books on writing, exercise books for writers,  and a couple of musical notation dictionaries. 

Fourth Self, Between Doors

Fifth Shelf, Between doors.

 On the fourth shelf, more dicitonaries, more exercises,  and more books on the writing process.

Bottom Shelf, Between doors.

Top Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Second Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Third Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Fourth Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

Bottom Shelf, Rattan bookcase.

The fifth shelf has my favorite book on poetry appreciation and writing,  Frances Mayes' The Discovery Of Poetry.   The bottom shelf also has books on the writing process. 


The rattan bookcase, next to the settee where I read most often, has many foreign language learning aids, including my Greek New Testaments and my copy of Chase and Phillips.  The second shelf is primarily poetry, and the third shelf has Shakespeare, Bullfinch, Bartlett's and some miscellaneous books on books and reading.

The fourth shelf holds some writing references, some literature guides, and some biographies and collections of letters.  The bottom shelf of this venerable bookcase holds an assortment of travel books, nonfiction books, and collections of quotations. 

Top Shelf, next to desk, front layer.

Top Shelf, next to desk, back layer.

The tall bookcase/cabinet next to my desk holds two double-stacked shelves of books.  The front layer of the top shelf had some dvds as well as my collection of Sorche NicLeodhas' Scottish story
 books.  All the Harry Potter books are here as well.

The back layer of that shelf holds my favorite translations of the Illiad and the Odyssey - the ones by Fagels.  Also, all the Bloom County books, some craft books, and Sew Easy To Kill, by Sarah J. Mason, who used my name for a character that does not actually appear in the story, and my nickname as the nickname for the student's of the school the story is set in.  Sarah and I were pen-friends for quite a while.  She also had Schipperke dogs, and we share a fondness for the breed in general. 

The second shelf on that cabinet, I did not separate for the photo.  The front layer has my collections of prayers, the Book of Common Prayer that I carried in our wedding.  (In it's protective blue box.  The book is white.)  The Anne Lamott books are here, as well as the Jan Karon Mitford books.  There is also a stack of various novels, some I have read, some not yet.  The majority of the back layer are herb books and gardening books. 

Second shelf, next to desk. 

 All those books on writing might lead one to believe that I actually write.  Well, I do sometimes.  I have been fascinated with the process of getting images and stories onto paper for years. I have spent a lot of time reading about how others get their ideas out, the advice they share with those who would also like to write. 
Folk stories, and tales based on them are a large part of my collection.  Sorche NicLeodhas wrote Scottish stories of the sort that are told and re-told over and over at Scottish family gatherings.  Some of these stories are very old, with versions going back for centuries, some are newer, being the inventions of more modern storytellers.  All are enchanting, filled with ghosts, and mysterious happenings.  
The language books come from the time I was a bilingual teacher, and from the need to learn German when we were PCS'ed to Rhein-Main.  I also have a French dictionary because I sometimes have to sing in French.  Italian seems to come fairly easily, so I don't have an Italian dictionary in my collection.  The Greek books are from the Elementary Ancient Greek class I took in college as a favor to the professor.  He needed enough bodies in the class to keep the section open, and I needed an upper division language elective.  He got it accepted by the Dean for me.  The Latin books are just for fun, and because we sing so many anthems in Latin at church.    If my closet were not such an awful disaster right now, I would post pictures of the books on the shelves in there.  There you find most of my children's literature, my music books (at least those not currently following me to and from lessons) and my books on dog training.  Also some text books from my grad school days on reading comprehension and computers in the schools.  There are a number of poetry collections on my rattan bookshelf (which followed Matthew home from the Philippines, by the way).  There is a collection of Burns and a copy of the Carmina Gadelica.  Both can be challenging to read.  I do have a complete works of Shakespeare, though I have not spent as much time with it as perhaps I ought.  One of my favorite books is the Letters of E.B.White.  They show his humor and his humanity and are a joy to read. 
Most of the series mysteries I read, I have on my Nook.  There are some copies of Dorothy L. Sayers and other series mysteries I like on the shelves in the living room and in my nightstand.  Both locations rather difficult to photograph. 
All in all, I guess these bookshelves tell us that I am an eclectic person.  Which is true.  Also eccentric, somewhat ego-centric, and at times erratic. 
As much as I enjoy my Nook, I find the presence of actual books necessary.  They make any room more comfortable to me.  As long as I am not responsible for checking them in and sorting them.  Then they can make me anxious. 
Look around you at the books and things you surround yourself with.  What do you think they say about you?








 

This, That, and The Other Thing

So.  It appears I DO have a cold.  I have been keeping away from the kitchen as Matt is making goodies to take to church tomorrow.  I have only been in there to have a soda handed to me.
It is surreal how my head feels right now.  There seems to be an ocean in there, and the tide goes in and out on a whim.  I hear it, and feel the pressure in my head.  Also, just as soon as I am convinced that the medicines I took have kicked in, the nose will start trying to drip, I will sneeze repeatedly, and the roof of my mouth AND the insides of my ears will itch.  (I guess it still could be allergies, but I really doubt it)  It sometimes feels like I am going back and forth between two dimensions...
Guess I won't be auditioning for any solos on Tuesday night.  If the ears don't clear, there is NO WAY I'm going to be able to sing.  Tallulah hasn't shown up, but her evil henchmen have.  (Congestion plays havoc with resonance and the musculature used in singing.  Also, ear congestion can get painful when you try to sing, and the sense of pitch is adversely affected.)
There is an online Beauty and the Beast "convention" going on right now.  It's called Winterfest Online, and it is a great deal of fun.  I have read stories, played games, chatted with other fans, looked at art work, watched fan made videos, there are even round robin stories you can add to if you want.  (I can't write fiction worth beans, so I'm not even going to try, but I want to read the finished stories!)
There are some extremely talented people in this fandom.  They are really nice, too.  More nurturing of newbies than most Star Trek fan groups are.
It's February already.  How the heck did THAT happen?  Did somebody mess with the TARDIS and speed this timeline up or something?  Or is it just that time escapes more quickly because I am older now?  I remember when I was a kid, it seemed like FOREVER between Christmas and my birthday.  Now, it zooms past in the blink of an eye.  (Ooh.  Said blink.  Don't blink, not if you're a Whovian and there are Angels nearby!) (I've had several antihistamines today.  Can you tell?)
Oh, yeah.  I think I have laundry going, too.  Guess I should go check on it...
OK, I'm back.  Dryer still needs a few minutes.
I have a couple of books going at the moment.  One is the latest of one of the series I follow, but I haven't been able to get into it much yet.  The other is Dave Barry's new book Insane City.  It is really funny.  It also has some sad parts.  Amazingly enough, there is more to it than a series of jokes.  I seem to remember that quality in his last novel.  It has been a LOONG time since I read that one.  And I read so much.  Between the fan fiction, the non-fiction and the series mysteries, I am surprised I can keep  anything straight in my brain anymore.  But Insane City is turning out to be strangely compelling.  Not riveting, not so that I can't stop reading and must continue no matter what, but I must go back and read some more, mull that over, perhaps laugh out loud a few times, read some more and wonder when it stopped being all about the gags.  Good job, Mr. Barry.  If I can follow your writing and enjoy it, and find myself thinking about it when I am on THIS much antihistamine, you have really done a good job.
The other books I am currently reading are Phillip DePoy's December's Thorn, which I am sure is a good book, just not one I have had the chance to spend a lot of time with yet.  I am also reading The Mole People about the homeless in New York's subway tunnels.  (Sound familiar to any BATB fans out there? Well, this is a serious look at a real tunnel society, or societies, and none of them as nurturing as the tunnel society WE love.)  The author is Jennifer Toth, and it was published in1993.  I am also reading, in bits and pieces, Anna Quindlen's Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.  There are also all of the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers on my Nook waiting for me to re- read them.  It;s been awhile.

So, that's about all for me today.  Nothing very organized, I'm afraid.  I blame the antihistamines and the germs having a party in my head.  Gotta go check on that dryer again.  Something more coherent in a day or two, I hope.

Avoidance Behavior

There are some things we put off just because we really don't want to do them.  They are hard, or inconvenient, or boring, or all three.  Housework, other common chores, writing.  Well, writing isn't usually boring, but it is hard, and can be unpleasant when one doesn't feel there is anything to say.  Or perhaps there is a lot to say, and the saying of it is very difficult.
I often try to avoid housework, because after almost 29 years of keeping house, I am rather weary of it at times.  At other times, the housework is a way to avoid something else. Sometimes the housework is a necessary literal as well as figurative clearing of the decks so that other work can commence.  Dealing with the distracting details, like the dust bunnies in the hall, or the feeling that you would probably pretend not to be home if anyone came to the door simply because the state of your floors was embarrassing 
So, this evening, rather than try to come up with a decent blog post, I cleaned house.  I feel better now, because the environment I find myself in is more comfortable, and doesn't distract me with feelings of unmet obligations in the "real" world. 
Several times in my life I have retreated into books or movies as a way to avoid thinking about things I'd rather not deal with, or to distract myself from the fact that I was in a stale and stagnant place.  The alternate realities found in books and movies give a respite from what is currently bothering me.  I am sure that this is a normal condition among human creatures.  Needing an escape, if only for awhile.  There are movies I have watched over and over,  just because something in the story spoke to me, or amused me.  There are books and stories I have read and re-read for the same reason. 
Writing is not an escape for me.  I find I cannot write fiction.  It doesn't matter that I have always had a vivid imagination, and have lovely daydreams, I find I cannot put them on the page.  Poetry works, but poetry is about feelings, about dealing with joys and sorrows and sometimes humdrums of life, not usually about fantasy and escape.  Oh, I suppose it could be, but mine usually isn't. 
Now, I guess I should amend my claim that I cannot write fiction at all.  I have written some little stories about ghosts.  Those have been rather well received by the friends who have read them, but I have not let them out for critical comment.  They are my children, and I don't feel like watching them die.  They are not the sort of stories that would be popular with children these days.  They are old-fashioned, based very loosely on stories I was told as a child by neighbors and family members. 

A few of my poems have been published, but I was not paid for them, they were printed in a small local newspaper when I was in high school.  One was written for the high school year book supplement my senior year.  I have all of my notebooks where I worked on my poems still.  I still have about three journals going that are specifically for poem building.  Very rarely does anything come of it.  The best ones have sprung themselves on me almost fully formed. 
I remember the very first one I ever wrote for my personal "keeper" notebook.

Of Thoughts and rhymes and mystic verses
Loves and hates and evil curses
Life abounds in wondrous power
Opening up like a complex flower.

I wrote that in 1975 or so.  Fairly typical teenage stuff, at least for me.
The last one that really presented itself to me almost complete came to me during an organ concert at church.  We were sitting down in the chancel, which is not usual, and I could see the stained glass window in the first dormer on the Epistle side of the church, and that is the one that our regular homeless person used to look up at and talk to before and after church.  Looking up at the angel, I wondered what Adam said to it, and what he heard in response.  "Adam's Angel" came to me then, almost complete.  I had to wait until I got out of the church to write it down, and I remember being afraid I would forget something important.  I don't think I did:


Adam's Angel
(A meditation during the organ recital, Nov. 17, 1998)
By Carolyn Kay Armistead

To the rest of us
She is nothing but colored glass
An adornment
But she speaks to Adam;
Or maybe only he will hear her.

Adam isn't always clean
In his Army coat of scruffy green
But he is always serene
As he goes on his way
Beaming.
Doing the Angel's bidding.

"He talks to himself."
One will say.
"He's insane."
Says another.
I don't care.
He talks to angels
And the church wouldn't feel right
Without Adam
Besides,
Isn't he our brother?

Adam, in the old coat,
Who talks to stained glass angels,
And sees a truth we don't.

 This one is in my notes on my Facebook page, and I shared it after I wrote it with a few people at church. 
All of this is to say that sometimes I have to make myself write, and sometimes the writing makes me write.  Sometimes the words just want out, and I can't stop them. 
Most of the time, though, it is a slog.  A lot of staring at the paper or the screen and wondering what ever made me think I had anything worthwhile to say to the world.    It still feels a little egotistical, writing all this and sharing it with the world on my blog, but I need to do it.  I need the discipline.  And, if something I manage to put out there actually strikes a chord with someone who happens upon this blog, and it helps them or makes them laugh, or cheers them, or gives encouragement, then it's worth it.  Even if it just lets them say, "So, I'm not the only one..." 

A Good Project for Someone, Not Me.

Since watching Julie and Julia, I have wondered if anyone ever tackled The Joy of Cooking in the same way Julie tackled Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It would be a pretty big task, to cook your way through that one. I have two editions of it, and I know there are likely a couple before and a couple between the two I have. It is a project I wouldn't have the patience for. These days my mind wanders off in search of new amusements more quickly than it used to. Some things get picked up again later, others not so much.
There is the knitting project I have been working on for more than two years now. It is a shawl, but I just can't seem to finish it. It goes on, and on, and on.
There is a cross-stitch project that is partway done, and I have taken it off the frame because it was getting dusty sitting there. There are nine or ten finished projects on the walls of the house. I CAN finish things, I just don't get there as easily the older I get.
So, cooking my way through an 849 page cookbook doesn't sound like something I could keep up with. Anybody else trying it? I'll have to Google search and find out. On the other hand, there is an entire section on cocktails. THAT might be interesting! (Most of the time the only alcohol I use for drinking is wine and the occasional dram of Scotch. The rest is for cooking with!)

If anyone reads this and has tried the challenge, let me know. I'd love to hear about it.
On other topics: I am currently reading My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor. It is fascinating to read her own observations of what happened, how people treated her, how she determined the best way to work her way back, and the insight she gained in the process. I am still less than halfway through the book. The other reading project I have undertaken is Secret Ingredients, a collection of writings on food from the New Yorker. Only barely started on that one.
As always, other obligations are calling me away from this blog. Hope to be a more consistent blogger in the future.

Evensong

The day is fading in the West
Our weary souls and bodies wait for rest
But to Your house, O Lord we come
To raise our voices in Evensong.
We sing Magnifcat, and Nunc Dimittis
And O Gracious Light
To ask that you, Lord, remain with us
Through the darkness of the night.

We did indeed go to Evensong this evening, and sang in the choir. We had guest musicians, a trumpet player and an organist, both professors at a local university. The music was lovely.
Afterwards, a few of us choristers had an impromptu birthday party for one of our own in the parking lot. A man walked up (we are in the middle of downtown after all,) and asked for phone call money to call his sister to get some gas 'cause he ran out. We looked at him and decided he probably wasn't going to use it for booze or drugs, so we gave him some of the cider we were drinking, some birthday cake, AND phone call change, plus a few bucks in case his sister couldn't bail him out with gas. Hey, it was a Church parking lot, after all, and we are His representatives, like it or not. This sort of thing happens a lot in Oklahoma. People help each other out. If the person looks too obviously in need of love that does not involve cash to support a destructive habit, we can hook them up with St. George's Guild, which will see to their material needs and help them get help for their bigger problems, too. Nearly all folks in Oklahoma will do that. Most go to church, and know where to refer people for help if they fear cash gifts would only make the situation worse instead of really helping. Of course, you kind of have to have a radar for dangerous people. You don't want to get involved in a situation that could endanger yourself or others. Most folks around Oklahoma, at least in my experience, have been pretty tame, and usually just like this guy, they ran up against an unlucky circumstance, like they ran out of gas or something.
In other happenings, the weather is cooling off again. A brisk wind is blowing out of the North, bringing cooler temperatures, and granting us a chance to open the windows and air the place out.
My brother was on TV last week. (Well, PBS Wired Science). I just found out when he emailed me tonight. I got to watch it online. Pretty cool. He still looks good. Haven't seen him in a long time. (That happens when your family is all over the country. I keep telling my family that I am centrally located here in Oklahoma, and they can always come by on their way someplace else. It has been way too long since I have seen them all.) This is the brother that I tell people is MY big brother and nobody else's. He is, after all. He was the baby for 12 years and then I came along. He's a pretty cool big brother. Even if we did fight a lot when I was little and he was home from college. He taught me how to identify tools, and read the numbers on sockets and wrenches. I could tell a crescent wrench from an adjustable from a "dog bone" from an early age. And I could be counted on to find the right size, because my sister taught me to read before I was 3. I could also identify many parts of an engine that other girls didn't know anything about because Walt let me "help" him when he worked on cars, and he patiently answered a lot of silly questions. (Pop did, too, but I remember pestering Walt the most.)
Well, that's about enough out of me tonight. Voice lesson tomorrow!