Saturday, November 2, 2013
Words, Words, Words about Perpetual Thanksgiving
"I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite--only a sense of existence." Henry David Thoreau
What do you think?
Thursday, October 31, 2013
The Case for Books
In September, I joined a new book club. In our first organizational discussion of the club, everyone agreed that it would be fun to read a wide variety of books, from classics to the silliest genre fiction, old books and new, popular and literary.
Our first two selections were contemporary popular novels, so for some reason my brain immediately jumped to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I tentatively suggested this Victorian classic for our November meeting, and everyone got excited. We'll see if they are still excited once they've read all 646 pages of it. Attention spans these days are not what they were in 1860 when Collins' brilliant novel was published. I was, in fact, shocked at how I had to rearrange my own thinking to get into the right frame of mind to savor its leisurely style.
I first read The Woman in White in graduate school and wrote a lengthy--and trendy--feminist paper examining how Collins portrayed women and power in what is essentially one of the first crime/mystery novels ever written and one of the finest novels of all time. I wrote the paper because I loved the story and the characters and because it is an excellent piece of prose.
But it is a Victorian novel, originally written and published as a serial in a literary magazine run by Wilkie's friend Charles Dickens. What, indeed, will a 21st century book club make of it? Will its leisurely prose and descriptive passages seem tedious to electronic-age eyes? Can we slow down enough to see how relevant and modern this novel really is? Will the women in our group enjoy the experience?
Oh, how I want them to enjoy it!
I searched B&N.com on my Nook for free copies of the classic. Reviews indicated that the free e-book versions were riddled with typos and errors, and it seemed silly to pay $5.95 for a decent e-book when I already spent $5.95 in 1993 for the paper copy on my shelves.
I retrieved my old Penguin Classic and noticed a couple of faded post-it notes peeking out the top. One post-it is stuck to the page following the book's end notes and so might have made flipping to them easier, but the other seemed randomly placed in the middle of the novel and served no knowable purpose. Both post-its are no longer yellow but burned brown from the acid in the paper.
As I thumbed the copy more, noticing notes and underlining in red, pink, and purple ballpoint ink, I uncovered a bookmark whose source is a mystery.
I cannot remember ever visiting the Ozark Folk Center in Arkansas. George cannot remember it either. We both remember driving through Little Rock once, long ago, but no other details come to either of our minds. How I acquired the bookmark and how it came to reside in my copy of The Woman in White will remain a mystery. I am using it now, in this re-reading, and will likely leave it here for whatever future the book will have.
All sorts of interesting ephemera turns up between the pages of old books. In The Woman in White, Laura cuts a lock of her hair and tucks it into a sketchbook. She asks her sister to send the book to the man Laura loves if Laura dies before him. When he finds the lock of hair, he will know she loved him.
I once found a single strand of my dog's fur in my hardcover copy of The Lord of the Rings. The dog, a Samoyed named Shemya, had died years before, and when I found the single, long white fur from her gloriously furry tail, I teared up, returned the fur to the book, and left it there.
The thrill of mysterious discoveries and the sentiment of mementos lovingly or accidentally placed between the pages of old books will become a thing of the past if paper volumes continue to be replaced by electronic books.
I enjoy my Nook tablet. It is convenient, easy to read in most lighting conditions, and allows me to play Sudoku and check Facebook at the swipe of a finger. It's also lightweight, fits in my purse easily, and holds more books and movies than any backpack I could carry. I can also download a new book at midnight from the comfort of my bed, which, I assure you, is pure bibliophilic hedonism.
But the Nook's not perfect. The battery dies. Reading in bright sunlight is difficult. In the rush to get books published electronically, quality has suffered. Many e-books are poorly proofread and edited, making the reading experience somewhat akin to grading freshman composition essays rather than escaping into a fine and carefully printed volume.
We pay a price for convenience, just as we pay a price for printed books. I only hope, in the long run, this brave new world of electronic books doesn't take away more than it gives us.
Only time will tell.
Our first two selections were contemporary popular novels, so for some reason my brain immediately jumped to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I tentatively suggested this Victorian classic for our November meeting, and everyone got excited. We'll see if they are still excited once they've read all 646 pages of it. Attention spans these days are not what they were in 1860 when Collins' brilliant novel was published. I was, in fact, shocked at how I had to rearrange my own thinking to get into the right frame of mind to savor its leisurely style.
I first read The Woman in White in graduate school and wrote a lengthy--and trendy--feminist paper examining how Collins portrayed women and power in what is essentially one of the first crime/mystery novels ever written and one of the finest novels of all time. I wrote the paper because I loved the story and the characters and because it is an excellent piece of prose.
But it is a Victorian novel, originally written and published as a serial in a literary magazine run by Wilkie's friend Charles Dickens. What, indeed, will a 21st century book club make of it? Will its leisurely prose and descriptive passages seem tedious to electronic-age eyes? Can we slow down enough to see how relevant and modern this novel really is? Will the women in our group enjoy the experience?
Oh, how I want them to enjoy it!
I searched B&N.com on my Nook for free copies of the classic. Reviews indicated that the free e-book versions were riddled with typos and errors, and it seemed silly to pay $5.95 for a decent e-book when I already spent $5.95 in 1993 for the paper copy on my shelves.
I retrieved my old Penguin Classic and noticed a couple of faded post-it notes peeking out the top. One post-it is stuck to the page following the book's end notes and so might have made flipping to them easier, but the other seemed randomly placed in the middle of the novel and served no knowable purpose. Both post-its are no longer yellow but burned brown from the acid in the paper.
As I thumbed the copy more, noticing notes and underlining in red, pink, and purple ballpoint ink, I uncovered a bookmark whose source is a mystery.
I cannot remember ever visiting the Ozark Folk Center in Arkansas. George cannot remember it either. We both remember driving through Little Rock once, long ago, but no other details come to either of our minds. How I acquired the bookmark and how it came to reside in my copy of The Woman in White will remain a mystery. I am using it now, in this re-reading, and will likely leave it here for whatever future the book will have.
All sorts of interesting ephemera turns up between the pages of old books. In The Woman in White, Laura cuts a lock of her hair and tucks it into a sketchbook. She asks her sister to send the book to the man Laura loves if Laura dies before him. When he finds the lock of hair, he will know she loved him.
I once found a single strand of my dog's fur in my hardcover copy of The Lord of the Rings. The dog, a Samoyed named Shemya, had died years before, and when I found the single, long white fur from her gloriously furry tail, I teared up, returned the fur to the book, and left it there.
The thrill of mysterious discoveries and the sentiment of mementos lovingly or accidentally placed between the pages of old books will become a thing of the past if paper volumes continue to be replaced by electronic books.
I enjoy my Nook tablet. It is convenient, easy to read in most lighting conditions, and allows me to play Sudoku and check Facebook at the swipe of a finger. It's also lightweight, fits in my purse easily, and holds more books and movies than any backpack I could carry. I can also download a new book at midnight from the comfort of my bed, which, I assure you, is pure bibliophilic hedonism.
But the Nook's not perfect. The battery dies. Reading in bright sunlight is difficult. In the rush to get books published electronically, quality has suffered. Many e-books are poorly proofread and edited, making the reading experience somewhat akin to grading freshman composition essays rather than escaping into a fine and carefully printed volume.
We pay a price for convenience, just as we pay a price for printed books. I only hope, in the long run, this brave new world of electronic books doesn't take away more than it gives us.
Only time will tell.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Gratitude Journal #201
Today, I am grateful for old books revisited.
Today, I am grateful for blue fall days of flaming trees and sweater-weather temperatures.
Today, I am grateful for my son's trip to DC and safe return.
Today, I am grateful for a clean bill of dental health. Yay!
Today, I am grateful for fish chowder. Thanks, George.
Today, I am grateful to the service people at the Mazda dealer who did not laugh at me when I showed up and said my diamond ring was lost in the gear shifter. I am also grateful for the man who finally got the diamond ring out of my car and back on my hand.
Today, I am grateful for this picture from Pinterest because it is true and made me laugh.
Today, I am grateful for this saying from Marianne Williamson because it is true and aimed straight at me.
What are you grateful for today? Please share!
Today, I am grateful for blue fall days of flaming trees and sweater-weather temperatures.
Today, I am grateful for my son's trip to DC and safe return.
Today, I am grateful for a clean bill of dental health. Yay!
Today, I am grateful for fish chowder. Thanks, George.
Today, I am grateful to the service people at the Mazda dealer who did not laugh at me when I showed up and said my diamond ring was lost in the gear shifter. I am also grateful for the man who finally got the diamond ring out of my car and back on my hand.
Today, I am grateful for this picture from Pinterest because it is true and made me laugh.
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| Source |
Today, I am grateful for this saying from Marianne Williamson because it is true and aimed straight at me.
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| Source |
What are you grateful for today? Please share!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Left Behind
Tuesday night, my firstborn climbed on a charter bus and rode through the night with his eighth-grade class to Washington, DC. It was his first trip without his family. Nick seems to be having a wonderful time although he got lost at the Holocaust Museum and I'm dying to hear the details of that.
Some of the best things happen to us when we're lost, you know.
I miss him. George and Jack miss him, too. George even commented last night, "I wish we'd bought him one of those little Cricket phones for the trip." "I thought that, too," I replied.
Part of missing him is rather selfish. I wish I were having the experience with him. I haven't been to the Holocaust Museum yet. I've never walked the Mall at night to see the monuments all lit up. I've been to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum (most recently with Nick) but not the American History Museum or National Cathedral. In fact, there are plenty of cool places in DC I've never set foot in. I'd love to do these things with him and George and Jack, and see everyone's faces as we share the experience.
I see a family vacation to DC in our future.
Being left behind is no fun. George once left me at home in Michigan while he took a B-52 to Key West. His jet broke, and he was stuck for two weeks sailing and swimming and getting a sunburn. Meanwhile, I shoveled two feet of snow while the water on my eyeballs and in my nasal passages froze and I muttered the lyrics to "Boat Drinks" behind my scarf in a very grumpy voice.
I've often joked that the Rapture will leave me behind because I don't believe in it. At least, I don't believe in it the way literalists say it will happen. The Book of Revelation gives me the heebie-geebies if taken literally, and I prefer to focus on the fact that God wins in the end, which is a very happy thought whether I get raptured or not.
But being left behind is definitely part of life. We leave others behind, and they leave us behind all the time, figuratively and literally. Some women have lots of babies because their babies grow into toddlers and leave them behind. Break-ups sometimes happen because one partner's love grows in a new direction and leaves the other behind. Children leave the nest, loved ones move to Liberia, and a flood of misunderstanding quickly sweeps one best friend miles away from the other.
Loved ones die, leaving us behind in the most complete way possible.
We feel the losses; in fact, we get lost in the losses. But when we are lost, we have an opportunity to find ourselves.
I hope that's what Nick is doing right now...finding himself. At least a little bit. Finding out who he is and what he wants to be and how he wants to be it. Because we--his mom, dad, and brother--can't give him that. He has to discover the options and choose for himself. All we can do is show him where he comes from, cheer him on, support him as he moves forward, and love him through it all so he doesn't feel so terribly alone.
Because the love...he will never leave that behind. It'll go with him every step of his life, every step away from us.
That's what family is for.
Some of the best things happen to us when we're lost, you know.
I miss him. George and Jack miss him, too. George even commented last night, "I wish we'd bought him one of those little Cricket phones for the trip." "I thought that, too," I replied.
Part of missing him is rather selfish. I wish I were having the experience with him. I haven't been to the Holocaust Museum yet. I've never walked the Mall at night to see the monuments all lit up. I've been to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum (most recently with Nick) but not the American History Museum or National Cathedral. In fact, there are plenty of cool places in DC I've never set foot in. I'd love to do these things with him and George and Jack, and see everyone's faces as we share the experience.
I see a family vacation to DC in our future.
Being left behind is no fun. George once left me at home in Michigan while he took a B-52 to Key West. His jet broke, and he was stuck for two weeks sailing and swimming and getting a sunburn. Meanwhile, I shoveled two feet of snow while the water on my eyeballs and in my nasal passages froze and I muttered the lyrics to "Boat Drinks" behind my scarf in a very grumpy voice.
I've often joked that the Rapture will leave me behind because I don't believe in it. At least, I don't believe in it the way literalists say it will happen. The Book of Revelation gives me the heebie-geebies if taken literally, and I prefer to focus on the fact that God wins in the end, which is a very happy thought whether I get raptured or not.
But being left behind is definitely part of life. We leave others behind, and they leave us behind all the time, figuratively and literally. Some women have lots of babies because their babies grow into toddlers and leave them behind. Break-ups sometimes happen because one partner's love grows in a new direction and leaves the other behind. Children leave the nest, loved ones move to Liberia, and a flood of misunderstanding quickly sweeps one best friend miles away from the other.
Loved ones die, leaving us behind in the most complete way possible.
We feel the losses; in fact, we get lost in the losses. But when we are lost, we have an opportunity to find ourselves.
I hope that's what Nick is doing right now...finding himself. At least a little bit. Finding out who he is and what he wants to be and how he wants to be it. Because we--his mom, dad, and brother--can't give him that. He has to discover the options and choose for himself. All we can do is show him where he comes from, cheer him on, support him as he moves forward, and love him through it all so he doesn't feel so terribly alone.
Because the love...he will never leave that behind. It'll go with him every step of his life, every step away from us.
That's what family is for.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Doing Something Nice for Wounded Military Personnel
Every year, a bogus email/FB post makes the rounds telling people to send Christmas cards addressed to "Any Wounded Soldier" to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Do NOT do this. Anything sent to "Any Wounded Soldier" or the like will NOT be delivered by the US Postal Service.
It will be destroyed.
Which is sad and wasteful.
But here's the good news: there is a wonderful and legitimate way you can show your support for our wounded troops during the holidays!
Just visit the American Red Cross website for details of its Holiday Mail for Heroes Program. The Red Cross partners with Pitney Bowes each year to collect, screen, and deliver Christmas cards to troops in medical facilities. This year's deadline for cards is December 6th.
Your donations--as long as they follow the guidelines on the website--WILL be delivered and WILL brighten the Christmas of men and women who've given so much to our country.
Cash donations are also a lovely idea. The American Red Cross does amazing work helping our troops and their families in many real and meaningful ways all year long.
Instead of going shopping on Black Friday, I'm going to sit down with my kids and make a few cards to show our gratitude for the sacrifices these men and women have made on our behalf.
I hope you'll consider participating in this lovely program, too!
Do NOT do this. Anything sent to "Any Wounded Soldier" or the like will NOT be delivered by the US Postal Service.
It will be destroyed.
Which is sad and wasteful.
But here's the good news: there is a wonderful and legitimate way you can show your support for our wounded troops during the holidays!
Just visit the American Red Cross website for details of its Holiday Mail for Heroes Program. The Red Cross partners with Pitney Bowes each year to collect, screen, and deliver Christmas cards to troops in medical facilities. This year's deadline for cards is December 6th.
Your donations--as long as they follow the guidelines on the website--WILL be delivered and WILL brighten the Christmas of men and women who've given so much to our country.
Cash donations are also a lovely idea. The American Red Cross does amazing work helping our troops and their families in many real and meaningful ways all year long.
Instead of going shopping on Black Friday, I'm going to sit down with my kids and make a few cards to show our gratitude for the sacrifices these men and women have made on our behalf.
I hope you'll consider participating in this lovely program, too!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Gratitude Journal #209
Today, I am grateful for plastic storage bins.
Today, I am grateful for my husband's cooking skills, which were exercised this weekend on rib-eye steaks; chicken with mint, cilantro, and jalapeno (sounds gross but is DEE-VINE!); and all-meat Texas chili.
Today, I am grateful for leftovers to last a week.
Today, I am grateful for our pastor, Dr. Suzanne Allen, who is amazing in how her sermons preach directly to my heart...each and every time. Makes me wish we Methodists were hand-raisers. I'd be doing the Touch-Down every Sunday for sure.
Today, I am grateful for allergy medicine.
What are you grateful for today?
Today, I am grateful for my husband's cooking skills, which were exercised this weekend on rib-eye steaks; chicken with mint, cilantro, and jalapeno (sounds gross but is DEE-VINE!); and all-meat Texas chili.
Today, I am grateful for leftovers to last a week.
Today, I am grateful for our pastor, Dr. Suzanne Allen, who is amazing in how her sermons preach directly to my heart...each and every time. Makes me wish we Methodists were hand-raisers. I'd be doing the Touch-Down every Sunday for sure.
Today, I am grateful for allergy medicine.
What are you grateful for today?
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Stuff I Don't Understand
1. Why so many new television comedy shows are so mean. What happened to The Cosby Show ethos? If the zeitgeist of the 2010's is sarcastic meanness, count me out.
2. The comments section of news websites, YouTube, and other mass public websites. Absolutely horrifying. A major science magazine website recently closed its comments completely because too many wackadoodles were posting. How did things devolve so badly? Or am I too optimistic about mankind? I've always thought the wackadoodles were the minority.
3. Why God invented fleas. Seriously? Are there not enough pests in life? We have to have fleas, too?
4. Why God invented (or caused a kind and portly housewife to invent) apple fritters. We don't deserve such deliciousness.
5. Why my favorite stamping magazine is moving to purely electronic publishing. I hate reading magazines on my Nook, my big laptop is not in my craft area, and this irritates me hugely. I don't care if it's better for the bottom line to eliminate print issues. Print is good.
6. Why there's a competitive cooking show on which children cook and pitch fits. As George said recently, "I think cooking shows have jumped the shark." Amen, honey.
7. Why I didn't start a book club years ago. My friend Tina started one, and it's beyond fun. What a marvelous group of women she pulled together from all sorts of places in her life. I totally love it and appreciate that she included me. I've met new people, read new books, and enjoyed the discussions so very much!
8. Why George feels it's never too early to have a plan for the day. Yes. It's way too early when I haven't had at least three cups of coffee. Duh.
9. Why dogs have such incredibly sensitive noses and yet enjoy the most disgusting smells. Things stink for a reason, Daisy.
10. Bullying. An adult I know admitted that she's being bullied online, especially on Facebook. She's a mature grown-up and baffled by it all, but it's got to hurt. Bullying isn't limited to playgrounds and teens. I just don't understand how grown-ups think it's at all acceptable.
11. How my baby got so big that he's going on a school trip to DC next week without me. When did that happen?
Now it's your turn. What don't you understand? What leaves you shaking your head in bafflement? Please do share!
2. The comments section of news websites, YouTube, and other mass public websites. Absolutely horrifying. A major science magazine website recently closed its comments completely because too many wackadoodles were posting. How did things devolve so badly? Or am I too optimistic about mankind? I've always thought the wackadoodles were the minority.
3. Why God invented fleas. Seriously? Are there not enough pests in life? We have to have fleas, too?
4. Why God invented (or caused a kind and portly housewife to invent) apple fritters. We don't deserve such deliciousness.
5. Why my favorite stamping magazine is moving to purely electronic publishing. I hate reading magazines on my Nook, my big laptop is not in my craft area, and this irritates me hugely. I don't care if it's better for the bottom line to eliminate print issues. Print is good.
6. Why there's a competitive cooking show on which children cook and pitch fits. As George said recently, "I think cooking shows have jumped the shark." Amen, honey.
7. Why I didn't start a book club years ago. My friend Tina started one, and it's beyond fun. What a marvelous group of women she pulled together from all sorts of places in her life. I totally love it and appreciate that she included me. I've met new people, read new books, and enjoyed the discussions so very much!
8. Why George feels it's never too early to have a plan for the day. Yes. It's way too early when I haven't had at least three cups of coffee. Duh.
9. Why dogs have such incredibly sensitive noses and yet enjoy the most disgusting smells. Things stink for a reason, Daisy.
10. Bullying. An adult I know admitted that she's being bullied online, especially on Facebook. She's a mature grown-up and baffled by it all, but it's got to hurt. Bullying isn't limited to playgrounds and teens. I just don't understand how grown-ups think it's at all acceptable.
11. How my baby got so big that he's going on a school trip to DC next week without me. When did that happen?
Now it's your turn. What don't you understand? What leaves you shaking your head in bafflement? Please do share!
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