A New Year~

Write it on your heart , that every day is the best day of the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s an interesting question for the first day of the year.  If you could spend the next year as someone or even someTHING radically different than what you are now, what would you choose?  I’ve often thought about this question , in the terms of health, meaning I would wish to be a completely well person, as THAT would be radically different.  😀  Now I know that being totally healthy is more a pipe dream than anything , so I would choose a different reality.  The funny thing is , I know a lot of people are really unhappy with the way their lives are, and would give anything to have them changed , rearranged , to just be a world away from who they are in their everyday existences. But , believe it or not, other than the state of my health, I am TRULY contented with who I am. I love being a mother. I enjoy immensely being married . I am happy to be a homemaker. Being my boys’ teacher makes me feel fulfilled. I read hundreds of books. I write poetry.  I draw and paint. I live 5 miles from the nearest town in a frame house. I have dogs who love me, and cats who tolerate me.  I have family who live within walking distance, family that I wouldn’t trade for anything.  How could I give that up for even one day? Why would I want to? Every day is indeed a new day, and I choose to make it the best I can . To make ME the best ME that I can.  After all, Taim Beannaithe

A Happy Tale ~

I’ m  celebrating an anniversary of sorts. Today I celebrate 3 years of blogging with WordPress. I’ve of course been blogging a lot longer , under various forums, even going back so far as YAHOO 360.  I’ve been writing my whole life, it seems in some way shape form or fashion, even if I had to pen my stories in my dear sister’s treasured coloring books. She used to get very angry with me for marking up her perfectly lined pages. I learned to read AND write when I was barely 4 years old , and since then I’ve not been able to keep my thoughts to myself! The library was my best friend growing up, and at last count, I’ve read almost 10,000 books so far at this point in my life.  So even though this is a article on the joys of writing and reading , it shall heretofore be short, for I am tired, and my hands and mind are weary.   So for tonight, I bid you adieu!  🙂

The RAT RACE~

I was never the kid picked first
or the one considered cool
I never had the popular clothes ,
I didn’t rule the school.
I was the kid in the corner ,
with the book shoved up her nose,

I lived caught somewhere in Narnia,
and sometimes in the Shire,
Bilbo was my neighbor,
Aslan my king , and Gandalf wizard higher.
Real people seemed to me the shades,
and books the living fire.

I know there were those
who thought that surely this was just a phase
Surely I’d grow out of this oddness!
And find a normal place!
I’m afraid they’re disappointed now,
for I’m of grown -up age.

I’m still not the kid picked first,
or the one considered cool,
I still don’t wear the popular clothes,
I don’t rule the school.
I live in my own little corner still,
with my book shoved up my nose.

I don’t really mind too much
I’ve found a whole new place.
there’s people just like me I found,
with books held to their face.
So don’t mind if you don’t fit in with the “norm”,
who needs THAT rat race?

Down the Rabbit Hole~

Have you ever been addicted to something , or worried that you were? I have a problem. I’m an addict. I need a 12 step program I think. But I don’t know if they have them for my sort of trouble. See, I’m a bibliophile. A book addict. I love them. The smell of them. The feel of them. The paper. The weight of the thick spines in my hands. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t able to read, my parents say , I was 3 or 4 years old, when I learned how to read and written material has always been like a comfort to me . Magazines, newspapers, and of course books. Paperback, fiction, non, science, history, fantasy, old, new, the thicker the better. Piles and piles of them. I read everywhere I go, heck, sit me at the breakfast table, and I HAVE to read the cereal box. Road signs, manuals, travel and real estate booklets. Words give me something I’ve never been able to find in any other medium. When I’ve been ill, my stack of books at the end of my bed or sofa has provided me with an escape from the horrible places lupus has taken me. My husband tells people when they come to visit, “Just move my wife’s library over and find you a place to sit.” So what do you think? Have I gone too far down the path of no return? Will my addiction to the written word lead to my down fall ? I can only say that if it does, it is down Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole, and I shall meet Alice and her friends there.

My Obsessions~

We all have obsessions. People will try to tell you that they don't . Oh, no, I don't have any naughty obsessions. They watch those hoarding shows , and think to themselves, "Well, I am NOT like that." , and somewhere in the secret corners of their minds they have something they are hoarding up. Maybe it's not butter container lids, or knick knacks from the dollar store. But we all have something. With me it's books. I love them. The smell. The feel. The paper. The covers. Stacks of them. Piles of them. On the sofa, under the bed. In the bathroom, in the kitchen. In the car, in my purses. I have them everywhere. I buy them at the thrift store, the big box store, garage sales, people give them to me, like old friends long lost , they come to me with their old scuffed shoes , and I welcome them home. I never have to feel alone when I am with them. I've met the most troubled, intelligent, quirky, dark, and fun people there. I've been next door, and to the other side of the farthest , farthest galaxy, just by turning the page. And really , what better obsession is there , than that?

The Lord of the READS~

I’ve come to a serious conclusion. I have an addiction. Isn’t that the first step to getting help? Admitting you have a problem? My mom bought me a tablet. And I’ve discovered Kindle. A lot of the books are free! Did you know that? FREE!?! I had said once that I thought I would never get an e-reader because it seemed like treachery towards my love of the written word on paper. The smell of the paper, the feel of it. But there were so many books on there to choose from! And they’re FREE!!! And the little gadget just downloads them so fast. You look, click, and BADA -BING. It’s right there in the palm of your hand. And it will hold so many ! I have 285 books on mine already. Do you have any idea what that’s like? Of course, it also gets games like Angry Birds , which my kids think is just the best thing ever. I’m ashamed to say though, I’m kind of stingy with it. I mean it’s got my books on it! I get the feeling I kind of look like Gollum when they ask if they can borrow it. “My Preciouuussssssss! Mine!! They stole it from meeeeee…….”
But in all seriousness, the tablet’s nice to have when you’re in the hospital, or the doctor’s office. It beats having to lug 3 or 4 hardback books around, although I will never be able to give up my love of a big thick book. A tablet can’t quite match the feel of that!

That Lovin’ Feeling~

It’s that time again. When the sun sets and romantic feelings start to hum on the back burner. The children are tucked all snug in their beds, and it’s only the hubby and I awake. Hmmmmmmm………what to do with this alone time, wink, wink….;) We crawl eagerly into bed as I reach to the bedside drawer to get my equipment………..
My Breathe Right nasal strips. Ha. Had you worried there for a minute didn’t I? You were thinking to yourself, “Lord , have mercy what is she going to post now?!?”
We’ve been married 15 years now, so our bedroom routine is quite a bit different now a days. I have breathing difficulties at night, so these extra strength nasal strips are my new best friends. Of course, hubs has worked all day, so he needs a BenGay rub, and a handful of aspirin. He needs socks and a heavy quilt to warm his poor cold feet. I need my body to be out from under the covers and a fan for a breeze( and for the white noise!) We lie in bed and enjoy companionable silence over our separate pursuits. He with SuDoKu and I with a hefty hardback book. No words necessary. If he gets tired, and wants to turn out the lights, he doesn’t mind if I sleep on the sofa so I can finish my book.
And sleepwear these days really is about comfort. I mean sure, those Victoria’s Secret models look great , don’t they? But, big hint, that stuff is NOT made for sleeping, am I right? For sleeping you need, (pardon me 😉 an old ratty tshirt and granny panties. Seriously.
I don’t mean to say that there aren’t intimate romantic moments. There are. It’s just that our lives don’t revolve around those anymore. I can truly say that I could be anywhere , anytime, with my other half, and enjoy myself. As cliche’ as it sounds he really is my best friend.
And if a man can love you with your nasal strip, holey tshirt, and your granny panties on, there just might be some hope for romance after all.

Spring Has Sprung ( And Things Are Looking Up)~

Well, I had an all in all great day today. I got to see some of my family I hadn’t seen in a couple of years, then had an excellent visit at the cardiologists, got in early, got a good report, and got out early, that’s the best kind of doctor visit for sure! Then hubs treated me to a Books A Million trip where I scored two fat paper backs, and one juicy-sized hardback. I am set in the reading department for the next couple of days , anyway, lol 🙂
That being said , the doc released me from my “house arrest” if I promise to behave by limiting my activity. So, I ‘m free, but on restriction. In other words, I have to be careful not to pile on too much activity just because I’m feeling a scoonce better. ( Or, back to the hospital I will probably go. Ugh.)
I do so hate following the rules. I suppose I should look at it like my hubby says, most people would kill to have an excuse to lay up, take pills and get waited on hand and foot, so I should enjoy it while I can. 🙂 Oh, but it chaps me. I am restless, and itchy to be doing something with my body and not just my mind. My mind is never idle, so I can say I’ve gotten loads of ideas for new poetry , and pictures to render, while I’ve been convalescing, (now isn’t that a fancy word for laid-up?) , so I suppose my time hasn’t been entirely wasted.
I am still getting tired much more easily than usual, and hope that part of it wanes as I build my strength back up. ‘Cause seriously spring has sprung all around me, and I can hear a million things in the outdoors calling my name! I suppose I should get used to repeating this mantra, “Must not overdo. Must not overdo.” I’ll be dadgummed if I spend a minute of this glorious weather inside the hospital!
Hope everyone is enjoying their lives right now, and that the sun is shining wherever you are!