My Reading Blog

Every so often my hubby checks my ESP abilities.  His mind and my mind don't always follow in the same direction.  Take for instance this morning, we were stripping some paint and out of the blue he says, "Get a tuna can."  Now I'm standing by the pantry and think he talking about a can of tuna for lunch.  In his mind, he wants an empty tuna can from the recycle crate to put the stripper in.  ESP??? The other day he took some mints to put in his pocket, but gave me one.  I'm thinking he wants me to put it in my pocket so I don't have to ask him for it later.  In his mind, he wants me to open it because he's finished with his coffee.  ESP??? Now, I'm sure that I test his ESP abilities too, but "in my mind" he seems to be testing me more and more often.  We've been married almost 45 years and apparently after that many years, we should be able to read each others minds. I guess that our minds are going so many different directions ...

Our son and daughter-in-law were coming for a visit and I had a great idea.  I could ride back to Illinois with them and visit with Michelle & the girls for a week and then fly back to Branson.  Great idea until I checked the cost of flights from Midway to Branson and they were outrageous.  So I had pretty much given up the idea, until Hubby found a decent rate and non-stop flight, but..... It was on Buzz Airways.  Hmmmm I had never heard of them, but they had been flying from Branson, so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. So I made the arrangements, got my e-tickets and figured out how I could travel with only a carry-on bag. It was a delightful week with Michelle & M & P.  The girls kept me hopping the whole time, but each moment was special.  We read, played outside, went to the park, played games, played on Grandma's Kindle, and had a special outing to the Morton Arboretum.  The week quickly came to an end and they took me to Mi...

I have always enjoyed music - vocal and instrumental.  Prior to moving to Arkansas, I sang with a Sweet Adelines barbershop chorus - preforming and competing.  It is so amazing to hear the harmony that is created with four different parts.  Over the last five years, hubby and I have discovered some interesting a cappella groups.  It started when Michelle told us to check out the half time show at the Bears game.  The group was called "Straight No Chaser".  Even in a football stadium, their sound was fantastic.  They are a group of ten guys who started out at an Indiana University singing in a glee club.  After graduation, they went their separate ways and later came back together to make this wonderful music.  They have been performing throughout the U.S. and overseas.  Check out their website:  sncmusic.com or they have some YouTube videos. Shortly have we went to one of their shows, we found a competition on TV called "Sing Off"...

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...