Posted in Animals, Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Nature, Wildlife, tagged animals, bravery, friendship, rescue, The Fox and the Mouse on December 8, 2017| 6 Comments »
The internet is an incredible source of so many things, and some incredibly wonderful. This is one of those, and brings tears to my eyes each time I watch it. So simple, so beautifully and brilliantly done. Just 3 minutes you won’t regret. Go full screen.
Posted in Books, Good Reads, Life, Novels, Writing, tagged annual library book sale, books, Friends, friendship, Novels on May 4, 2013| 2 Comments »
Sometimes you just get lucky. And in this instance, it certainly was me. I was unable to go to the big annual library sale held by my county library in April, the one where over 100,000 books are on sale for dirt cheap. This has become a yearly tradition with a friend and her book-loving daughter, but circumstances prevented me from attending. So how is this lucky, you ask?
Because I had an unexpected benefactor who is also a regular book sale attendee, an avid reader and someone sympathetic to my situation, and … who hand-picked a bunch of books for me … my girlfriend’s husband. He was the one who somehow managed to divine that I would be a big Mercy Thompson fan – a book series I would never have picked up on my own. So without really knowing what I might like, he made a selection of books that included one by Ursula LeGuin, (an author I have enjoyed in the past), Alice Hoffman, one of my truly favorite authors, and others unfamiliar to me in the areas of fantasy, sci-fi, dark and edgy, and a couple for mindless entertainment. On the latter, he promised “no brain cells will be harmed.”
My girlfriend boxed them up and shipped them out, and here they are … most outside my usual realm of selection, but as he had personally read and recommended them, I’ m excited to try something new. The last 6-8 weeks have not had me reading very much … too many distractions and not much concentration, but the reader in me is back! And thanks to caring, book-loving friends, I’m one lucky reader to boot.
As you can see, Claude was quite bored by this whole discussion. His only interest in books is when I finally settle down in one place and have one in my hands. (So I guess that makes him lucky, too.)
Posted in Animals, Cats, Life, Photography, tagged cats, Friends, friendship, sunbathing on September 12, 2012| 4 Comments »
While an endless stream of work flows across my desk – for which I am grateful, albeit bone tired – I noticed not everyone was quite as frazzled as I. In fact, some occupants of this household were completely oblivious of anyone’s efforts to keep their food bowls filled, beds washed, litter cleaned, etc.
It was all I could do not to lie down and nap in that sunshine.
“If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort.” ~Terri Guillemets
Posted in Inspiration, Life, Reflections, tagged Friends, friendship, Winnie the Pooh on April 6, 2012| 4 Comments »
For my wonderful friends … those blessing my present and those who have blessed my past …
A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down. ~Arnold Glasow
A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. ~Donna Roberts
You can always tell a real friend: when you’ve made a fool of yourself he doesn’t feel you’ve done a permanent job. ~Laurence J. Peter
We are the captains of our own ships sailing the sea of life, but in times of a stormy weather, you will discover true friends when they don’t hesitate to be a lighthouse. ~Dodinsky
If you’re alone, I’ll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I’ll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I’ll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I’ll be your smile. But anytime you need a friend, I’ll just be me. ~Author Unknown
Friendship is Love with jewels on, but without either flowers or veil. ~Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827
Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand. ~Emily Kimbrough
And perhaps my favorite …
Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh!” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.” ~A.A. Milne
Posted in Inspiration, Life, Poetry, Reflections, tagged angels, death, dying, friendship, In Memory on February 5, 2012| 4 Comments »
In Memory of Kathy – 1/31/1942 – 2/2/2012
While you were dying,
my wings were open.
the empty breeze whistled through,
an exhalation of sorrow,
and I, half frozen,
watched the clouds, the rain, the moon
go by for days.
They took no notice of me
hovering in place.
I fed the cats and swept the stairs
Got the mail, ran laundry through
Got dishes washed, paid the bills
Answered e-mails, watched TV,
All while you were dying.
Though miles away
I held you close and we
laughed at life
in all its beauty and contrariness.
Why should now be different?
I watched your angels
light the way,
knowing
their wings would soon enfold you.
I held my breath
while you were gently dying.
And then …
A light within the light.
Unanticipated joy.
You, luminous.
And me,
Wings beating,
Soaring
in love,
remembering,
and remembering,
dear friend,
that you
were never dying.
Jeanne Balsam
February 3, 2012
Posted in Authors, Children's Books, Good Reads, Novels, Writing, tagged Alice Hoffman, friendship, healing, Indigo, Magic, Middle Grade Novel on April 29, 2009|
Although I’ve said this before, I like Alice Hoffman. I like what she writes about – essentially, magic – and how she writes about it.
Indigo, like Green Angel, is ultimately a story about healing. Written for middle grade readers, Indigo is also a story about friendship, devotion, and love of all kinds. As with Green Angel, my only complaint is that the story is over too soon. More like a novella or short story than a novel, (how it’s promoted), it’s 84 pages in paperback.
Back to the magic – one of the main characters, Martha Glimmer, is more an ordinary girl, but who was touched by a certain magic in her mother. Her mother has recently passed away, leaving Martha feeling unsure, adrift and missing the spark in her life that was her mom. The two other main characters, Trevor and Eli McGill, nicknamed Trout and Eel for fine webbing between their fingers and toes, long to see the ocean. All three, stuck in a dry, dusty town which has all but banished water due to destructive floods in the past, yearn for something beyond what they know.
Fiercely devoted friends in search of dreams, they set out on a journey. Magic is revealed in more ways than one as Martha, Trout and Eel discover their truths, reclaim their pasts and find richer futures. It’s a lot to accomplish in 84 pages, and I love how Alice Hoffman does it. For a fast but rewarding read, Indigo is a great way to go.
p.s. I feel like I’m cheating on Andrew Weil, the book I’m currently reading, but I hit the Hunterdon County Library’s big annual book sale this past Sunday, made out like a bandit, and couldn’t resist this fast read.
Still A Dreamer 