Like A Tree

"It Is Not Growing Like A Tree"

It is not growing like a tree

In bulk, doth make Man better be;

Or standing long an oak, three hundred year.

To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:

A lily of a day

Is fairer far in May,

Although it fall and die that night;

It was the plant and flower of Light.

In small proportions we just beauties see;

And in short measurers life may perfect be-.

Ben Jonson

Poem of Autumn

"Fall, Leaves, Fall"

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow

Blossom where the rose whould grow;

I shall sing when night's decay

Ushers in a drearier day.

Emily Bronte

Current Reading

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This is the opening lines to the book Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. I am currently reading this book for the up-teenth time, reading the book Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict led me to read this favorite of mine again.

I am also reading Hood, by Stephen R. Lawhead, which I am thoroughly enjoying reading about the beginnings of Robin Hood.

Find A Penny Pick It Up....

The Penny, a novel by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford.

Young Jenny picks up a penny on a street corner and this then set's off a chain of events that will change her life. Hard to believe that by picking up a simple penny on the street would change her life, but it not only set's off a chain of events, but also gave her the hope of something better. Jenny and her older sister Jean, and their mother live in an abusive home. Their homelife is frightening, and the girls live with much shame. One of the events that happened to Jenny when she picked up the penny is she got a job at a jewelry store, the woman that hired her Ms. Shaw becomes Jenny's friend and confidante.
Sometimes we may never know that when we smile at someone, be friend someone, that we are lifting them up, giving them hope. I love that commercial about doing good deeds to others, helping people out, then passing it on.

Addicted to Jane Austen

Edouard Manet 1832-1883, The Railway 1872.

Confessions Of A Jane Austin Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

Courtney Stone a modern 21st century woman that's favorite book is Pride and Prejudice awakes one morning as Jane Mansfield and the year is 1813. Courtney, I mean Jane, has many things including her speech that she must curtail, no cussing for one thing, no slang speech, she must be respectful and submissive to her mother and to her father, and to men. She must adapt to the clothing, bathroom privileges or lack of, the customs, food, transportation and medical practices. Of course there is a love interest for her, should she trust him or should she not trust him. She strongly feels she must learn something before she will re-appear back in her own time period. It is fun to think about what we would do if we were suddenly to appear back in time. What time period would you choose?

A Sea Adventure

The Cutty-Sark clipper ship built 1869, now in dry dock in Greenwich, England. The ship was damaged by a fire in May of 2007. I took this picture in October of 2001.

The Legend Of The Firefish, book 1 of the Trophy Chase Trilogy, by George Bryan Polivka.

This is a book of sea adventures, fantasy, love story, swash- buckling heroes, dangerous sea creatures, and of course villains.
Packer Throme a son of a fisherman knows where the firefish are, he stows away on a ship of a known pirate. Packer is a young man full of visions of glory, love for his sweet Panna Seline, and a will to fulfill his destiny. Well, of course there are sword fights and dangerous sea creatures, and a woman villain named Talon that all try to stop him. At the end of the book not everything is cleaned up nicely because of course book 2 is now out in stores.

Through The Generations

Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1841-1919, On The Terrace 1881

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin.

In the beginning the book gave the details of a breakdown in the relationship between a middle age career woman named Kathleen and her daughter Jolie. I honestly thought the rest of the book was going to continue on with these 2 not communicating except by heavy sighs, arguing, and or ignoring each other. The book developed beautifully by telling the story of 4 generations of women, Kathleen's mother and her maternal grandmother were added to this story. Each generation of women are running from something, whether it's poor choices, avoiding conflicts, or victimization. The book touches on uncomfortable issues, real life in the raw issues; unplanned pregnancy, immigration, poverty, abuse, addictions. I have read several books by Lynn Austin every book I've read of her's has been excellent, memorable.

The Summer Is Over

A self portrait of Mary Stevenson Cassatt, 1844-1926, she is one of my favorite artists.

The summer is officially over, school has started. Even though the day time temperatures are still warm, there is a hint of autumn in the air, or is it the anticipation of autumn that we feel?
Before I moved I had a last meeting with a group of great ladies I have been in an Oprah book club group with for 2 1/2 years. Their were only 5 of us, but what an eclectic group we were, but we bonded greatly, our differences made us better, it also made for great book discussions. At the last meeting we discussed over IHOP pancakes and eggs, the book Middlesex. Middlesex written by Jeffrey Eugenides is a book about a hermaphrodite. What do most of us really know about this subject? Not much! Most of us in the book group agreed that this was not a book we would have normally read, but we were glad we did. The book is more than a story about this little girl growing up thinking she is a girl, when she is really more boy. It's more a story about becoming who you know you really are, being that person that you know you are in your mind and in your feelings and emotions, and having the determination to live it out in the everyday. I find it interesting that the parents were unawares that their "daughter" that had growing facial hair, a deep voice, and puberty that did not blossom into a young female, they did not realize what was going on. But I believe this is often true of parents, we do not see, because we do not want to see. The best discussion question that we debated was really from one of our members husbands that often joined us in our meetings; the question was does society determine masculine and feminine? We believe the answer is yes. We also believe society is harder on males to be masculine that it is females to be feminine. Women are praised for being assertive, aggresive, independent, which were once upon a time more male characteristics. But, men are still to be, well, masculine. Women are still looked upon to be the dominant care givers, but I've known some men, some fathers that were much better as care givers. I will miss my book club friends, thank you Yvonne, Ruth, Wayne, Elizabeth, and Kathy.

Tea Time

"In the dell in our garden, my dolls and I take tea, and days when I have raisins, the catbirds dine with me." Elisabeth Merrill

"Life itself is the proper binge." Julia Child