I'll Cheer You to the End

How are you doing friends? 

Here we are just beginning to wade into Autumn; I couldn't be happier. I love everything about this time of year. It makes my heart happy and feels me with so much hope. The crisp morning air is perfect for walks when time allows. It was such a morning when I caught my social distancing friends chattering away one cool sunny morning.

Are you still hanging in there?

 Do you feel like things are beginning to feel somewhat normal? 

I don't either. I've been in school three weeks, it has helped even though it has kicked my backside. Some days have been easier than others; and, it sure helps when younger teachers are saying they are whipped at the end of the day as well.

I know we will come to the end. Perhaps the end will not look quite like where we were before, but we will turn the corner when the time is right. I know, we are ready now, aren't we? It's hard, but let's hang in there. Let's give grace to not only our friends and family, but those we might not like so much. Be gentle with yourself. No one is breezing through this.

I am rooting for you, 

for me, 

for our country

 and the world. 

We can do this... I promise!

Have the very best week ever!

Hugs!

(shhh.... I'll be back with some book talk.)

Who Do I Blame... or Thank?

It is going to be a great weekend for reading!

After my whining about summer's refusal to leave, our days have become milder.  We can actually feel Autumn trying to push through.  To be honest we often go straight from summer to winter, and winter to summer; when the temps drop below 80 two days in a row, we don long sleeves and boots and celebrate our Autumn.

This morning it is overcast and a cool front will be passing through, possibly bringing in some much needed rain.  This my friends is 
the perfect formula for a reading weekend.  

I finished Before We Were Yours last night.  I may have a stack of unread books waiting to be opened and loved, but for some reason when I finish a book, I feel the need to replace it with something new, or new to me (I love previously loved books).    Being too late to run out to the bookstore I began searching for something to download.  This may be considered an addiction... 
 I will not commit.  

Perhaps it was finishing a book about the strong ties of family and what they bring to our lives long after they are gone, while looking for my weekend read I began thinking about who ignited my love of reading and lead me down this path of bibliophilia.  And, of course, the train I jumped on took me to my sweet mother.

I cannot remember waking up and not finding my mother sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a book.   While Daddy watched his favorite sports event or television show, mother sat next to him reading.  Sundays, after Church and dinner, we knew we could find Mother, weather permitting, sitting on the porch with her book and a glass of iced tea (hmmm, sound familiar?)  

Living in rural Louisiana we didn't have bookstores, instead she joined book clubs and visited the Library.   She was always willing to take me to the library, and yes, I had my own book club subscription before I could read.  I still remember the joy of getting  a box of books delivered to my front door each month.  She introduced me to some of my favorite characters... Nancy Drew, Francie Nolan, Scarlet O'hare and so many more.  Mother read almost everything I read, reviewed and edited my book reports and was quick to give her opinion on whether it was an appropriate read for someone my age.

I have almost lived half my life without my mother.  There aren't many days I don't think of her, miss her, especially when November, her birth month, draws near.   I wish we could still share and talk about books.  I know she would love to edit Living Life.

Did someone ignite your love of reading or was it a book that flipped the switch?

Share!

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"Life is not unlike cinema.  Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand.  No matter how much me may love the melody of a bygone day or imagine the song of a future one, we must dance with the music of today, or we will always be out of step, stumbling around in something that doesn't suit the moment"

Before We Were Yours begins, 1939,  on a shanty boat tied up on the edge of the Mississippi River, near Memphis, Tennessee.   Four children are left alone when their father is forced to take his wife to a nearby hospital.   With a storm coming the boat is boarded by strangers and the children are taken.  

Using the real life horrors of the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage as a backdrop we follow the Foss children through neglect, abuse and separation.    Secrets are uncovered and lives changed when, two generations later, May Crandall mistakes Avery Stafford, daughter and granddaughter of a South Carolina Senator, for her sister.    After seeing a photograph in May's room, Avery begins investigating her family's connection to the orphanage and to May.  What she uncovers could possibly give her father's political foes ammunition to unseat him in the next election.  We are reminded, no matter how or how long we are separated from family we are tied together by some invisible thread.

Before We Were Yours, is an well researched enjoyable easy read.  Because this fictional story is told using memories of actual survivors of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, and the reign of the  notorious Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis adoption firm, I was pulled in and continued to turn the page.   It is unbelievable this could have continued for 20 years. 

It is a good read!

Happy reading.... 

Wednesday Book Talk (a day late)

I'm feeling a bit guilty after my last post.  

After my pitiful lamenting over Autumn's reluctant entrance, we awoke Wednesday morning to perfect pumpkin patch weather.   The temp stayed in the 60's and the clouds held it there for most of the morning.   Tomorrow it will begin to get warmer, by Saturday it is expected to hit around 91.

hooray!

Sorry if my cheer sounds a little less than sincere.

No matter the temperature, it is always tolerable when there is a good book to be enjoyed.

"What I know now, my son:  Evil begets evil.  It grows.  It transmutes, so that sometimes you cannot see that the evil in the world began as the evil in your own home."

Tonight my book group will be discussing Yaa Gyasi's, debut novel, Homegoing.     This is generational story of the descendants of Maame, beginning with her two daughters coming of age in eighteenth century Ghana. Effia, a Fante, marries James Collins, a white man, Govenor of Cape Coast Castle.  Esi, daughter of an Asante leader, is captured, sold into slavery and awaits her destination in the dungeon of Cape Coast Castle.  Neither is aware of the other's existence.

The structure of Homegoing is a bit difficult to follow.  After a few chapters it is apparent each chapter tells the story of a different descendant, alternating between the two sister's family line.   The hand-held book has a table, making it easier in keeping up with the characters and who beget whom.   

Though this novel may be a little cumbersome to follow, the language and landscape make it well worth the time.   So often we finish a book and begin thinking about what we will read next.  Homegoing is a book to sit with and ponder the many layers peeled away while reading. 

There have been so many excellent books published the last few years.   I spent my summer frantically reading everything I could get my hands on, and I am still going.  (you can follow my reading frenzy on Instagram, livingbeeslife)   Yes, I read the "good, the bad and the ugly", and so much in-between.   I'll be sharing some of my favorites soon.   

Here are a couple of books I'm enjoying this week.

You know I want to know what you are reading, and what is on "to read" list.

Happy Reading!

Where Are You Autumn?

Autumn...  
(sigh)

I begin anticipating autumn sometime around midsummer.   Here in Arkansas, summers can be brutal, with temps staying at or above 100 degrees for a couple of weeks or more.  This past summer was mild.... bearable... dare I say, pleasant.   Autumn arrived, and mother nature decided to play a trick, enveloping us with heat and humidity.    I am ready for sweaters and boots , but this southern girl is still occasionally wearing linen.  I know, a well-raised southerner never wears linen after Labor Day... friends, I had to let that one go and walk away.  The meteorologists keep saying one more week... I'm beginning to think they are just messing with my emotions.

I know you have all decorated for Autumn, haven't you?  Though I usually can't wait to pick out my pumpkins,  switch out petunias for pansies and mums, I just can't think about it with temperatures in the high 80s.   I looked at pumpkins this weekend... I couldn't get excited.   This is my one lone little pumpkin.  Sad, isn't it?  I'll keep you posted on my Fall decorations.  Perhaps something will happen next weekend.

Playing in the Kitchen

One of my favorite things about Autumn is pulling out favorite recipes, and playing in the kitchen.   I usually begin with my pumpkin bread.  This weekend R. was craving pie, and I know apple is his favorite.   I turned down the air conditioner, starting peeling granny smiths  and turned out an apple pie.   It was pretty yummy.  The aroma of apples baking mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through 

the rooms...   divine.

Do you have a favorite autumn recipe?

What I'm Reading

These may have jumped into my hands recently.

Just sayin'...  I'm finding little bits of everything I love about this beautiful season between these pages.

You know this is my favorite time of the year, for so many reasons.  

I love the colors, the aromas, the renewed energy, and not least of all, the food.

What is your favorite thing about Fall?

Happy Autumn friends!

The Cold Air Cometh

How was your weekend?  

Are you busy preparing for Thanksgiving, or

are you already onto Christmas?

It was busy around here this weekend.  With temperatures threatening to fall below freezing, it was time for the big plant move-in.  We've had unseasonable warm (sometimes hot) weather, this autumn,  postponing the necessity to winterize the garden.  In other words, yes, I procrastinated. 

Saturday was spent cleaning out and storing garden pots,  rearranging and moving weather sensitive plants into the sunroom and garage.   Moving the Meyer Lemon is always a challenge, but well worth the effort.   We will enjoy these lemons through the holidays.  And, because of the warm autumn, I have tons of baby lemons.  (I'm always looking for the blessing.)  Keeping my fingers crossed I don't lose too many from the transition.   

Coming in wet  (I was the one with the hose cleaning the pots and saucers) and cold at the end of the day, soup was on the dinner menu.   

     

Using vegetables on hand,  from the freezer and grabbing a few things from the pantry it wasn't difficult to stir up my version of a Creole Vegetable Soup. Do you like making soups?  Soups are so easy to create; and they are good for the body and soul. 

Sunday afternoon was spent curled up with this month's book group selection, A Prayer for Owen Meany.  It is a reread for me.  I am enjoying it very much this second time around    Oops, with the sun streaming in, a little nap might have slipped in as well.  I do love Sunday afternoons!

Sending you a big Thank You for staying with me through my absences, and

wishing you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Time Passed

"Some things in life are out of your control.  You can make it a party or a tragedy."

Nora Roberts

I didn't mean to be away so long.
 One thing happened, then another.

Summer passed, I remember so little;
 now autumn is half gone.
One thing happened, then another.

A school year ended, and before I found time to breathe,
a fresh group of faces danced through my classroom door.
One thing happened, then another.

Time passed.

I've missed writing.
I've missed dreaming.
I've missed reading.
I've missed our conversations here.

I've been needed.
At times I feel I've lost control...
Then, I remember, lessons are learned, and
 blessings are found
 when we let go.

Time is precious, and doesn't stand still,
but when you are needed, wanted,
 it is not so hard to give it away without regret.

We will catch up!

October Favorites

Are you enjoying October's beauty?

October is one of my very favorite months.
Summer has long bid her farewell, and the rush
of the holidays has yet to arrive.

It has been busy here, and at times a little overwhelming.
I've not been too busy though to enjoy some Autumn favorites.

A seasonal passing of the baton.

The first changing leaves.

Bits of the season placed here and

there.

Aromas of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the house.

Picking apples off the tree,

and pumpkins from the vine.

Curling up with a new favorite author while taming a cold.

My plate is full today; words seem to be just beyond my reach.
Blessing are, however, in abundance,
and I am filled with gratitude.

Enjoy the beauty of Autumn!

Autumn Dreams

The calendar declares Autumn has arrived.

I close my eyes and

 long for morning's chill and scarlet leaves

I am left to dream,

with silent whispers,

                                             and promises

                                                                     of soon...

                                                                                              be patient....

                         I'm on my way.

And this is how it is in the south!

Happy Autumn!

Dreams of Autumn

"Fall is a Southerner's reward for surviving Summer"

Autumn...

colors

sounds

traditions

and flavors.

Oh, the joys of autumn.

Labor Day is history, and

I am anxiously awaiting the first day of autumn.

Are you?

Goodbye Autumn

When we arrived home last evening my backyard looked as if it were on fire.
The maples refusing to change color before I left town last week
had burst into flames while I was away.

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with our daughter and son.  They
were the perfect hosts, catering to our every whim.   And as
always just spending time with them is such fun.

Saturday we tagged along with them to look for a wreath for their front door.
While we were at the nursery they browsed through the trees and found
their Christmas tree.   For so many years they have accompanied us the day after
Thanksgiving in search of the perfect tree, it was such fun watching them discussing,
comparing and making that final selection.  Traditions change while staying the same.
I suppose that is the way it is meant to be.

While the guys set up the tree, Heather and I continue on our adventure
of supporting the small shops around the neighborhood,
before I got the call it was time for us to leave.

Time is always precious and passes much too quickly.

Even though the maples are only just now putting on their autumn show
it is time to start preparing for Christmas.  I am not one to have everything finished
before the first of December.  I have to move into Christmas slowly.
One might say I enjoy the journey
more than the actual arrival.

The Gift of Time

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful comments on my last post.

Thank you for reading and allowing me to share my memories.

This morning I left home prepared to work a long day.   

Once at school a friend surprised me by arriving prepared to work my extended day.  

After some good natured arguing I found myself with two hours no one knew were mine.  

At first I felt a bit guilty and disoriented,  but soon decided to selfishly

 put concerns and anxiety aside and enjoy my afternoon.   

  

I escaped to a big name bookstore where I could disappear among the stacks. 

After browsing shelves I treated myself to a magazine

 and a cup of tea to savor.  

I returned home, dressed Willie in his halter, 

pocketed a few treats,

and with camera in hand, headed out for a walk.

It was a beautiful day for 

 photographing the wonders

found in my neighborhood.

Willie and I returned home with spirits lifted

and ready for a long evening of election returns.  

 

I would love to hear how you would spend two hours free from obligation.

(I apologize if this appeared  unedited. 

 I inadvertently hit publish in place of preview)

Autumn Book Chatter

I've often heard it said, "if you don't like to read,  you haven't found the right book".  I would love to give someone credit for coming up with this thought, but in researching I have found more than a few taking credit.

Do you agree?
Is there a book for everyone?

On my way home from school this afternoon I heard the beginning of a 2011 interview with Sue Grafton about her then new release V is for Vengeance .  My thoughts ran to a friend who many years ago quietly confessed these "alphabet" crime novels were a guilty pleasure.  I am always agreeable to a "guilty pleasure", but have never picked up one of Ms. Gafton's crime novels.  This is not meant to be a judgement, just a statement.

Several years later I ran into the same person, told her about a book I had just read hoping to chat about it for a bit and maybe hear what she was reading.   She stopped what she was doing, looked at me and stated rather loudly she would never read that book.  Being an avid reader you could say my feelings were hurt.. a little.

With the interview continuing in the background and remembering the sting of what I thought to be a criticism,  I began thinking about how we choose the books we read; why we are drawn to certain books while others are just not exciting.

So often a friend will ask me for a book suggestion.   I always ask about their favorite books, and what they have read recently.  I can almost always match a friend with a book.   It is when I impose my own favorites without regard to their likes and dislikes I mess up terribly.

This year, 2012, by November 26th one hundred eight books will have been published.  This includes only what is categorized as literature, crime/mystery and short stories.  The authors I recognize are far fewer than those I know nothing of.

In 1912, forty-eight fiction books and nine non-fiction debuted.  You might recognize a few of the authors:  L. Frank Baum, Edgar Rice Burroroughs, Willa Cather, Sir Author Conon Doyle, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Beatrix Potter.

The year before Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published, 1812 sixteen books of fiction and six non-fiction were offered to those who enjoyed reading.  It was the year we were given volume one of Grimm's Fairy Tales, as well as Swiss Family Robinson.

One of my greatest pleasures is sharing the joy of a good book.   Are all of them great literature?   How many will become classics enjoyed by generations.  Will they be books critics have touted or they will be the ones who are declared soft without substance.  I am certainly not qualified to make a guess  I will be happy to tell you what I love, what I simply enjoy and what is just not my "cup of tea";  I will want to tell you why.  How fortunate we are to have so many books published each year from which to make our selection.  

My guilty pleasure?  Books!
My favorites are as eclectic as the rest of my life...

Autumn is the perfect time to sit outside among the falling leaves or curled up in your favorite chair with a good book.

Three books I recently finished:

An American Childhood.  An autobiography by Annie Dillard.  This book spoke to me...loved it!
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn.  A best-selling, critically acclaimed,  page turner.  Didn't love it.
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier.  A reread I found as enjoyable if not more so than when we first met.

I would love to hear about you guilty pleasure reads....






   

Cold and Rainy Changing to Sunshine

It has been the autumn weekend I've longed for,

giving me a taste of everything she has to offer.

She showed up cold and rainy Saturday morning
 making it perfect for finding a quiet spot 
to settle in with a cup of tea and an old
friend who has been patiently waiting to be revisited.

There were new arrivals eager for perusal,
promising dreams for perfect holidays.

She waved away the rain with Sunday
dawning crisp and sunny, 
giving me reason to putter around outside
planting  pansies and violas in a border garden.

I finally gave in and cut the last of the hydrangea.
It was time.

Preparing the gardens for their winter rest,  (oh, I
am hoping for a winter this year),
Roger helped me rearrange a shade garden

moving and adding perennials from 
the last of the summer pots.

There was plenty of clean up after this perfect weekend.



Yes, Autumn introduced herself this weekend.  I hope
she returns soon with plans for a longer stay.