My Reading Blog

A week ago, we were experiencing some beautiful weather - cooler temps, low humidity, a slight breeze.  The windows and doors were open, the breeze was blowing thru the house.  Max and I were sitting and reading.  And then.... I heard a clomp, clomp and then silence.  I went back to my book.  Again, I heard the noise.  I turned in my chair toward the front door and there staring at me with those big brown eyes was a deer.  She was munching away at the few flowers that had graced my petunia basket. I jumped up. Yelled.  Max barked.  We headed to the door.  She stood on the stairs, just looking at us and continuing to munch on those tasty morsels.  As we got to the door, she backed down the stairs and stood along side of another doe.  Both of them just staring at us, as if asking "what's going on, we just came to visit?"  Max barked one last time before they both turned slowly and headed out to the front yard to see w...

For those of you who live in cities, you will probably ask yourself "What's the big deal".  But for everyone (men, women, children) living in and around Mountain Home, this is a REALLY BIG DEAL! Our town is relatively good size - around 12,000+, but our shopping is very limited.  We have Wal-Mart and .... well that's about it except for a few Dollar stores (around 6 at last count).  We have had to travel 2-1/2 hours to get to a larger city that has the major stores. This past week, Hobby Lobby opened its doors in Mountain Home.  Hooray & Hallelujah!  For us crafters this is THE store.  Hobby Lobby purchased the old Wal-Mart building that had been sitting vacant for about ten years.  They remodeled, hired people, brought in their wares and opened.  It was a day of festivity.  People came from all around the area, some probably driving over two hours.  We were welcomed, we were presented with sales and lots of merchandise.  ...

After reading Michelle's slice from last week Michelle's SOL , my mind starting thinking and remembering when Michelle and her brother, Scott, were about the age of M and their visits to the ER and hospital.  Remembering those times of accidents and illnesses.  It's never easy having a sick child, not knowing for sure what to do, how to help, praying that all would be okay.  Feeling helpless, relying on others to take care of your child.  Michelle was the fortunate (cautious - probably from watching her brother) one and didn't required many hospital visits.  Her first visit to the ER was when she was two.  We had started our journey to visit family and only got about 10 miles from home when we had to redirect to the ER.  This was  before car seats were required.  She was trying to get settled in the back of the Suburban, lunged forward and hit her head on the side panel leaving her with a gash over her eye.  It was a Friday night a...

Goodreads summary:  "The Civil War has ended, but in Katie Calloway's Georgia home conflict still rages. To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love. With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cookstove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last...

Goodreads Summary:  " Hetty "Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid.We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism...

Hubby and I have been discussing it for a while, off and on for the past year.  The discussion of when is the right time to put our house on the market.  The discussion of should we sell or stay put for a while.  The discussion of which realtor should we talk to.  What do you think it's worth?  What do we need to do to make it a home that someone will want to buy? A life changing decision.  Lots of apprehension.  Lots of looking forward.  One step at a time. Last week we took the first step.  We called a realtor to give us a market evaluation.  He was in awe when he stepped in thru the front door.  We gave him the tour, answered his questions and waited for his "best guess".  He asked what price we were looking for and we told him.  He gave us a guess as to what his appraiser would give.  We were high (of course - don't we all think our home is worth more?).  We'll get the appraiser's number tomorrow. ...

We've been waiting and watching.  But they didn't appear.  We'd see a lot of does grazing across the yard, but no babies.   Usually by mid May we see some little ones with spots, but not this year.  Maybe it was because of the cold, long winter.  Maybe they delayed their mating season.  We don't know, but finally when we got back from vacation, there they were.  Not one, not two, but three little ones.  We're not sure if they're triplets or twins and a single.  Some times they appear all together and other times just two and occasionally only one grazes.  We love to watch their antics as they eat and play and romp across the yard.     These two little ones were munching outside of the garage.  I quietly went out and they posed for me.  I inched closer, but they got nervous and off they went to find Mama.