Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! Happy New You!

Labels: car accident, music to make you happy, new year, raised bed gardening, read more, reading challenge, Reptar

I highly recommend listening to the audio recording of The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally.  You may not get to see photos of the jigsaw puzzles they're proud of, but you do get to hear her make him giggle a lot.  They are adorable and real and hilarious.

Labels: all the feelings, book recommendations, books on tape, happy birthday, read more

I don't remember which band I saw Heatless Bastards open for, but I remember it was at 40 Watt and I remember the shock of hearing Erika Wennerstrom sing for the very fist time.  It was unusual, but passionate and fun.  I have recently discovered the joy in trying to sing along with her in the car.  Not in her voice, but with a stretch of your own.  Not in person, but with the endless CDs tiding me by until my phone issues resolve.

So Quiet is on a Valentine's mix of mine and I love listening to it in the morning and on weekends, when I yearn for peace and peace of mind. I have so much coming up in the fall.  All these things I wanted to do with my life for the past five years, but it does feel like forever.  Leadership. Networking.  Education. Ownership. Creativity.  Green, green fields and blue, blue skies and sweet golden honey.


Storms have been giving me migraines again so I've been biding my time with books.  I raised my reading challenge to 75 books, just hit 52 on Friday. I won't be truly happy until I can finish my backyard beekeeper book and mark it off my list.  I have been thinking about going back to Gabriel García Márquez's Love in the Time of Cholera to cross that off my list too.  With all this rain I feel like I could finally make it through, plus I want to watch the movie.


 Oh, my wrist is officially healed.  Physical therapy has helped a lot. I can now pick up my niece and twirl her.  I didn't think I could love her brother as much as I love that dear girl, but he is the sweetest heartbreaker.  He is smiles and light and love.

Labels: Gabriel García Márquez, Heartless Bastards, Love in the Time of Cholera, migraines, read more, reading, reading challenge

On my quest to read more, grow more, I have come across several articles on the next to read books coming out in 2018.  One that I am looking forward to is Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles.  I found out about it and marked MUST READ on January 5th, but realized later in the month that it wouldn't come out until March.

Well that has not stopped me from stalking my library system's website for news on this book.  And I am so glad it didn't.  Tonight I found the book listed as ON ORDER!!!!!!! So I placed a hold for it, expecting to see that I was the 17th-25th person reserving it and I would get a chance to read it by the summer.  But, ALAS, my position in the queue is NUMBER ONE!!!!! I am going to be the first library patron to read this book!  I've never been a first like this before.  I've looked up the book details on a few books to see how many check-outs it's had when it feels too new to be read even once (8 or 11 check-outs, but I don't think they even cracked the spine, who are these so called readers??!?).

It won't be easy reading this book, but it's premise is too common in our country.  I've struggled over  the shootings and killings of young black men in our country.  It seems like it shouldn't keep happening, that there should be a system in place to prevent it, and yet people are still dying.  Young people.  Old people. Innocent people.  This book stands out for many reasons and so does it's author.  Jay is only 22.  I am obviously jealous of this accomplishment, but also really excited to see someone so young excel in literature.  It's such an inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, I just finished Practical Magic.  I loved the movie and struggled therefore with the book since it went in a few different directions. Also I hate when books don't have real chapters, but have 100+ page "sections."  One thing I loved though were all the passages at the beginning of the sections.  Here is my favorite from the end:

Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder.  Keep rosemary by your garden gate.  Add pepper to your mashed potatoes.  Plant roses and lavender, for luck.  Fall in love whenever you can. (Hoffman 1995)

Labels: inspiration, Jay Coles, library books, new books, read more, reading list, Tyler Johnson Was Here