Happy Birthday, Easton!

 

Hope you have a great year!

A New Term and a Love of Reading

I love reading and, as a teacher, I've always wanted others to share in that passion. I think reading is just a habit that almost everybody in my life had. I can recall my Granny sharing paperback books or suggesting titles to my mother. She also encouraged me to read the books that Mama and her sisters read as young girls. Why, some of my most treasured items that were inherited from Granny are the Anne of Green Gables series of books. 

I remember Mama reading every chance she got - which was not that frequent, I'm sure, since we were farmers and she was busy raising us and sewing for the public as well. However, I know that she always had a book going and would talk about different authors and books. Daddy was also a reader. His literature of choice was mostly magazines and newspapers. He always wanted to be informed of what was going on in the world and he subscribed to many farming journals and magazines to keep up-to-date on modern farming practices. My Daddy always told me that education is something we carry with us and nobody can ever take it away from us. So, reading became a vital part of my education.

I learned a new term this past week from Marian Parsons, Miss Mustard Seed. She said, "bibliotheque iterierure means your 'inner library' in French. It's the 'invisible shelf  you carry inside, filled with every story that's ever shaped you.'" She loves, "that concept and the idea that we can continue to expand our inner library throughout our lives. Through reading, we can learn new skills, visit other parts of the world, put ourselves in someone else's shoes, travel through time, become a student of masters, and challenge our perspective."

 I love the combination of these two concepts - acquiring an education that I will always have and having an inner library.that I can always expand.

The thought that I have an invisible shelf where all the materials I've read are resting and ready for me to draw from whenever I need them is a good one. In fact, I used it just last week when my cousin asked me about Wuthering Heights. I could recall that it was written in the 1800s and that it was a love story between Heathcliff and Caroline or Catherine or some woman with a similar name to that. I could recall that it was shocking back at the time when it was published but that, when I read it in high school, I thought it was rather dry. I was able to make a recommendation for two or three authors whose work I enjoyed more. She wound up taking my advice about one of those authors and checked out an audiobook by the author that she is really enjoying. In fact, she called me back and told me she had selected a book and I was about half-way through it. We shared passages that we enjoyed and why we liked them. It was a great shared experience. When we touched base this week, I told her that I had finished that book and the sequel to it. She jokingly signed off of our phone conversation by telling me that she needed to go read!

Linley finishing up a book

I also went to the invisible shelf to recall the couple of Dogman books I'd perused and the few I Survived books I'd read. I could understand why my granddaughter enjoyed those selections. The graphic novels are humorous, engaging, adventurous, silly, and fun to read. They also have positive messages and promote kindness and persistence. The pictures help to tell the stories and make readers smile. The survival stories bring historical information to readers in  narrative format that is exciting and at the same time safe. They are told in the voice of a young person who is experiencing disaster or terrifying events. It is easy to understand why my granddaughter who lives life with her hair blowing in the wind and running as fast as she can and competing with the boys in her class enjoys such selections.

I frequently go to the invisible shelf and pull out a literary quote in conversations. It will make the Mister roll his eyes from time to time. Yet, it is truly a way to relate things to one another. Sometimes it is a way to relate the old with the new and sometimes it is a way to compare or contrast. It may seem to be a nerdy thing but we all do it and don't even realize it. 

Some of our most loved quotes come from literature. "Love is blind, break the ice, wild goose chase, and all that glitters is not gold," are all Shakespearean quotes. "Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between," comes from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. "It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then," is from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. "It always comes to just two choices. Get busy living, or get busy dying," is a well-loved Steven King line from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. And I'm sure I could go on and on listing more, but you get the idea.

I think I fell in love with reading because it opened new worlds and took me to places where I had never been. I know that I enjoyed several beach reads and then when my cousin, aunt, and I went to the east coast and visited the Lowcountry region, I really enjoyed visiting Sullivan's Island and getting the chance to see things I had read about. I felt the same way when we went to New York City and visited famous landmarks. I can remember standing in one of the buildings on Ellis Island and wondering what ancestors of mine had stood in that spot and how they might have felt entering a new country and starting a new life.

I guess that sort of encompassed that traveling through time concept of the invisible shelf. Like my granddaughters, Linley and Luci, I sometimes enjoy historical fiction where book characters tell the story of events and encounters with people from the past. Of course, as I have grown older, I also enjoy reading biographies, memoirs and diaries written by people who lived through those historical periods and getting a first-hand perspective. Some of my favorite reads have been books written by people who were employed by the government and worked in the White House. Upstairs at the White House by J.B. West is a good read where the author tells about his life as chief usher at the White House. It was eye-opening to read Five Presidents by Clint Hill, a Secret Service agent and that really made me dig into other selections written by the same author and some biographies about former presidents. It sort of made me feel as if I was getting a behind the scenes look at my country's history.

I also like the idea that I have invisible shelves in my library which contain how-tos where I learned to do things via reading. There are times when I know I've read the how-to but can't quite recall how to do it, though. I guess I sort of wish I had a digital spreadsheet that is easily searchable to help me recall that information!

Luci engrossed in a book.

I learned to read before I even started school and I have loved it ever since. I was that kid who read the road signs when we were going somewhere and read the cereal boxes and everything in between. I have always loved reading and can think of nothing that I would prefer to do than read a good book. So, if I have invisible shelves, I know they are crammed pretty full of titles and information and there is no way I can recall all that I've read. I only wish everybody had the same opportunities to read and love reading like I've had. 

Today I noticed...I like to have some doors closed and some doors opened.

I'm a bit on the claustrophobic spectrum. I don't usually like to be in a room with the door closed. I figured this out when the roads were covered in ice and my mother and I slid off the road into a ditch. I nearly tromped her to death trying to get out of the cab of the truck! 

I also don't like to sleep in a room where the door is closed. The concept was driven home to me when I was in the classroom and it was recommended that we close our doors. I noticed that I was generally more relaxed as a teacher when I could leave the door open. 

Then, when I moved into a position where my teaching was more like that of a consultant and I shared a classroom as an office, I tended to be more comfortable, productive, and in a better frame of mind if my desk faced the window.

Then, this week we have had extended days with temperatures below freezing. So, we did as recommended and left water dripping from the faucets and cabinet doors open to allow plenty of warm air to flow around the pipes. I frequently caught myself closing the cabinet doors as a habit. So, those doors seem to need to be closed for me to be more relaxed and comfortable.

Doors open for rooms I'm inhabiting. Doors closed for cabinets near me. That is the way I like it!

Just 3 Things | #15

I've been doing a lot of reading during the last few days. I've read blog posts, eBooks, hard copy books, cookbooks, online newspapers and magazines, social media posts, and all manner of things. When one is snowed in, reading is one of the very best things in the world to do in my opinion. Plus, I can get away from the television a little bit. Away from westerns playing end on end. Away from programs that I really, really dislike and didn't even like when they were fresh offerings each week. Away from horrible commercials about life insurance, AARP, and other old people needs. Away from the horrible newscasts that show senseless murders and political messes.

When I've talked to folks in phone conversations, we've talked about reading and books. I talked to a friend whose third grade son finished up a book and had to do a book report and we talked about how his teacher seems to be doing her best to kill her students' love of reading. Requiring them to all read a mystery. Requiring them to write a written book report. Requiring them to create a cereal box something-or-other related to their book. Requiring them to take an AR test about the book. Why wouldn't she just let them read and have a conversation about it or write a short review for their friends? Why can't she request that they keep a list of books they've read and ask them to read a different genre from the last book they read and let them choose the genre? I'm so glad I don't have a student in her class!

Another conversation was with my son regarding the books the granddaughter is reading. She's a second grader and has read about all of the Dogman books. He said, "It is so bad that we can hardly find one she hasn't already read." I just chuckled and told him I'm just glad she's reading. He said that she's also gotten on a kick for reading the I Survived... series. She's not your typical second grade girl, I guess.

Then, I had a cousin who listens to audiobooks and asked me to give her a summary or preview of Wuthering Heights. I did and guided her to something that is a more contemporary and interesting read in my opinion. See, that's what real readers do. We don't make cereal box projects or write reports. We summarize, preview, suggest, discuss, share our favorite parts, and recommend or critique. So, today I decided I'd start this post with what I've been reading. Cereal box project might come later. We shall see...

- What I've Been Reading -

I'm finishing up another Mary Kay Andrews book, Savannah Blues. It is that southern voice that makes me keep coming back to read something that is sort of light-hearted by Andrews. The names of the characters are such southern names and her descriptions of them are so spot-on that one can just see these folks standing right in front of us when we are reading. 

I chuckled the entire time I read the selection about the main character, Eloise (Weezie), meeting up with an old friend, Merijoy, in the grocery store:

Merijoy had a big bag of red bell peppers in her hand. She dropped them into a shopping cart loaded with children, and enveloped me in a bony, Dior-scented hug. 

"Sugar," she gushed. "How awful for you. I have been beside myself with worry. Are you all right?"

Before I could answer, she turned to her shopping cart full of kids. All of them had white-blond hair and huge brown eyes."

"Renee," she cooed. "Sweetheart. Don't give Rodney jalapeno peppers, darlin'. They'll burn his little mouth."

Renee looked to be preschool age, maybe five. Her long, tanned legs were jammed intot he compartment of the cart where I usually set my purse. Her face was smeared with what appeared to be either blood or the filling of the raspberry doughnut she was waving with one hand. 

The lower section of the cart housed a slightly younger, boy-type version of Renee, who looked to be about four. Rodney, I assumed, since he was holding a partially chewed jalapeno pepper in his hand and howling loud enough to wake the dead.

There were two more children in the cart, too, a pair of twin toddlers, a boy and girl, clad in look-alike yellow sunsuits. "Mommy we're hungry," they chirped.

In one smooth motion, Merijoy snatched the pepper out of the screaming child's hand and flung it to the ground. She reached down into the cart and twisted the top off a plastic jug of Hawaiian Punch and held it to the child's lips. He stopped screaming and gurgled it down. In the next second, she'd opened a box of animal crackers and handed them to all the children.

"All set?" she asked. The children, who strongly resembled a nestful of baby starlings, sucked contentedly on their cookies.

I mean, I sort of felt like I was standing right in the local grocery store witnessing the experience and smiling! Andrews just seems to write like a southern woman thinks and it is so relatable to us fellow southerners.

- What I've Been Loving -

One thing is for sure. When we are snowed in, we tend to eat well. There are fewer distractions and one or the other of us has plenty of time for cooking. With our last grocery delivery I had ordered some chicken thighs. I cooked those Sunday and stirred up some white bean chicken chili and chicken and dressing. I just opened canned beans and used a package of pre-mixed seasoning to add to the chicken and chicken broth. The seasoning was a wee bit spicy for us but I added a bit of sugar and some sour cream and I really liked it. 

I used this recipe for the chicken and dressing. Since it made a 9x13" casserole size, I divided that into two 8x8" dishes and froze half. I made cream-style corn and cooked some green beans and on Monday night we had one of those southern comfort food meals that the Mister really likes.

Tuesday night was Taco Tuesday. I had sort of gotten in the habit of running errands on Tuesday and picking up tacos or some sort of Mexican food for lunch or dinner. Since we were snowed in, I browned ground beef and added taco seasoning. I had noticed some beef and bean burritos while assembling the grocery order and added those to the list. So, we had a gourmet Taco Tuesday. I shredded lettuce. We added shredded cheese and sour cream and some queso blanco  to some taco shells and it was delicious. 

Wednesday I made some cheese potato soup and a tossed salad. I warmed and cubed up some left-over chicken tenders to add to the top of the salad. That was another comfort food meal. 

Thursday's menu plan was steak and biscuits and fries. I still miss that menu item that was taken off Cracker Barrel's menu years ago. A local restaurant in Nashville also served great steak and biscuits and fries when I was a young girl. So, it has been a favorite menu item for me for a long time. However, we are low on frozen biscuits and I didn't want to make some from scratch. So, the menu was modified and we had chili dogs and cheese tots. Easy and greasy. Mike thought this was the best meal for the week, I think. (See me rolling my eyes?)

The Mister has been frying sausage or bacon and eggs and cooking biscuits for breakfast. I have been eating yogurt to offset the side effects of taking the antibiotics last week and add some probiotics back into my system. I did bake some muffins and have eating a small muffin or two each morning with my fruit and yogurt. I had made cranberry orange muffins last week and baked chocolate chip muffins this week.

Since I am coughing less and feeling better, I have started back on my stretching and exercising routine. I'm not walking on the walk pad or riding the stationary bicycle, yet. If I keep cooking and eating like this, though, I will have to add that to my morning routine and may need to add an evening session as well just so I can continue to fit into even my soft pants!

- What I've Been Watching -

We accidentally clicked on a series on Amazon Prime and just stayed with it and it has really been one of those series that has us sitting on the edge of our seats. Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez. I would not classify it as family watching at all but it has been an interesting watch. Several times the Mister and I have looked at one another and said, "I didn't see that coming!"

The reviews are high and I can see that others mentioned the suspense and surprise at the plot lines. The description on Amazon Prime says, "In a steamy new drama, the iconic Jennifer Lopez stars as sexy New York detective (and single mother) Harlee Santos, who fell in with a tight-knit group of dirty cops, taking bribes and protection money that she uses to provide the best life for her honest and talented daughter." It also says, "Complex moral choices captivate viewers," and that is quite truthful. I must admit, there are times when I have turned my head away due to the graphic nature but it has been an interesting watch. We are amidst Season 2 at this point. The Mister asked me last night if I thought there were people out there who are that violent and crooked. I gave him the look and asked him if he had read any news headlines besides weather-related ones lately.

Well, that just about wraps up this wintery week. It has been a good one even though we have sort of been snowed in. (I didn't mind staying in but the Mister had to get out and putter around.) I also got a message from my daughter-in-law late yesterday afternoon that their power has been restored. So, after five days, all seems right with the world again. We hope the same is happening in your world. Get ready, though. If you live near us, we have been informed of a weather advisory for the next three days and the possibility of more precipitation midweek next week. 

We are ever grateful for those first responders, those who have been supporting the power line and clean-up crews, and those who have continued on through the slippery and cold weather. We are thankful for their hard work and dedication.

My Library

I've spent at least a part of these snowy, ice-encased days browsing through coffee table books about home decor. I guess I just enjoy looking at beautiful, cozy, well-curated spaces. As I flip through the pages, I tend to look around and think about how fortunate and blessed we are to have such a nice home and beautiful things. I sort of compare my own curated spaces to those in the look-books and think of ideas for swapping locations of decor or swapping out something that is set out for something that is closed away in a closet or cabinet temporarily. This week I perused James Farmer's books:

Arriving Home

Celebrating Home

A Place to Call Home

I did a little dreaming about what I would like to do with our outside spaces. We have a gate that came from our family farm and some wagon wheels that have been in Mike's family for years that I would like to use to create a more formal entrance or a southern statement at the entrance to our farm or yard. 

I also did a bit of comparing and felt a sense of satisfaction in my choices for upholstery for the pieces we recently had redone.

I still smile every time I walk through the den or go in there to plop down on the couch and prop my feet up on that ottoman. I've always loved a sofa with a bench cushion and camel back and the ottoman that I found years ago that we use as a coffee table and I just love the updates! I was looking for inspiration for updating the smalls that sit on the ottoman or mantel or tables. I was noticing what was in the look books and thinking of what I might shop around the house for to create a similar look.

I was also considering adding a couple more of Farmer's books to my current hardback library...

I have joined some sort of mailing list within Amazon and get regular notifications for discounted Kindle editions. I also got a couple of monthly selections with my Prime membership. So, I've added to my Kindle book stack or library.

• A Pirate Looks at Fifty  A Jimmy Buffet Memoir
• Snowed In! by Catherine Walsh's holiday story that is a funny holiday romance with fake dating.
• The Last Secret of Lily Adams  Sara Blaydes novel in which the death of a legendary actress reveals a wealth of Hollywood secrets.
• Savannah Breeze  Mary Kay Andrews's follow up story involving Eloise (Weezie) and her friend, Bebe Loudermilk
• The Jailhouse Lawyer James Patterson's novel about a young lawyer takes on the judge who is destroying her hometown—and ends up in jail herself.

I'm on the waiting list for a couple of eBooks to be loaned from my local library. So, I was glad to get the books mentioned above for a discount price to keep reading good stuff till those are available through my Libby app.

I always thought I'd be a hard copy reader sort of gal. However, it is so convenient to just open the Kindle app or Libby app on my phone and read - no matter where I am, I have access to a good read! Plus, when I'm lying in bed at night, the phone falling on my head or chest hurts a lot less than a big old book. So, I have adapted and lots of my pleasure reading is done on my phone.

I'm also still sorting and sifting through cookbooks and adding back to the shelves in the kitchen or donating. The most recent has been Best-Loved Slow Cooker Recipes. I don't remember if I picked this up at a school book fair, got it at the Scholastic Warehouse sale, or if it was a gift from my sister. At any rate, it seems like a keeper. There are good looking casserole dishes, some main dish recipes, a couple of cake recipes, and a Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake recipe that have already earned sticky notes and ingredients added to the next grocery order for me to try!

I know I've got a broad assortment of books in my library and that I will probably never read everything I've got under this roof. However, one never wants to be without a good book! Right?

What have you been reading or what have you added to your book stack or library lately? Do I need to add something to mine?

Today I noticed...The ice is melting layer by layer.

We commented yesterday about the thickness of the ice on the back porch and how the table went from being a solid, stacked sheet of ice to the grid pattern of the metal on top. Then, today we noticed that there was a layer of ice on top of that grid as well as a layer on the bottom. Plus, there is a fringe of icicles around the edge.

Partial Top Layer and Drooping Bottom Layer

The south end of the table cleared off yesterday but the ice that dropped off of it just landed in a pile underneath and it looked like we had dumped a bag of ice there. 

With the sun shining and higher temperatures today, there seems to be lots more dripping and I am seeing chunks fall off the power lines and trees. It does sort of sound like a shooting gallery when the chunks hit below.

When I looked up, I noticed that our gutter covering that keeps leaves out is also serving to keep the ice out and it is just sliding off and dripping. 

The sunshine makes it look like there are diamonds on the trees and atop the porch and all over the place. It is beautiful to look at - especially since we have suffered very little damage.

We have seen so many online posts of neighboring streets, roads, and yards where they have had damage and we've talked to several folks who lost power as well and our hearts go out to them. It was heartwarming to see where local coffee shops and restaurants took donations and provided meals, snacks, and drinks for the folks working to restore power and clear roads. When I saw those announcements, it made me want to do my part to be an unseen and unnoticed helper.

In times like these, I'm reminded of the Fred Rogers story about his mother offering reassurance and advice by telling him to Look For The Helpers.

2026 Snowmaggeddon Day #5

We are hanging in there and I am thankful to learn that many of our neighbors who were without power have now had it restored. We cannot imagine what it has been like for those power company employees. Navigating through the icy roads and walking and scotching on the ice to cut up the fallen and drooping icy trees; then, replacing broken power poles and lines. We are grateful for them and their dedication to serving others.

SOMEBODY had cabin fever a couple of days ago and just had to get out! One of the kiddos gave him a tall walking stick. So, he trekked out to the barn where he had parked the ATV buggy and truck. He motored round the ponderosa checking things out. Then, moved his truck and parked it at the basement entrance where it is close to the house with less iciness and threat for him to slip and fall.

The neighbor widow called and asked him if he would mind driving her down to the little township - about 5 miles - to work yesterday. She didn't have to be there till ten o'clock in the morning. So, he delivered her and picked her up at the end of her shortened day. 

In one of the check-in phone calls to my son who lives two hours west of us, we learned that he and his brother-in-law had trekked out to get refills of fuel for their generators. I told my daughter-in-law that I would love to have been a fly on the wall watching them. I'm sure it was about like watching two thirteen-year-old boys out on their own. They had tales to tell. One of the tales included picking up a woman and delivering her to a friend's house. 

He sent me some photos showing where they trekked and how the roads looked.

A View Through Son's Windshield

Another Windshield View

They drove under trees that were overhanging the road and saw lots of ice and snow damage.

I'm not so certain that driving under this tree was a wise move but sometimes it is better not to know what one's grown children do.

My daughter-in-law said that they are piling into one room with both children sleeping on pallets. They turned off the big generator and only ran a smaller one to keep that room warm. She said that during the night the kitchen and den area dropped about twenty degrees or more. They could see their breath! But, turning the big generator on brought the temperature back up really quickly.

One little family member got a tent for Christmas. So, she bedded down in her tent in the family bedroom and added about five coverlets to her space. She told me that she was so cozy in there that she had even sweated!

We are still lifting up grateful thoughts and hopeful thoughts for those who are still without power and are feeling stuck. We are also lifting up grateful thoughts for those folks who are out there working diligently to restore and repair damage caused by the storm. 

Stay warm and be careful out there!