Coming and Going

This day greeted us with a warm and sunny embrace, so we set off mid-morning for a ride on our bikes. We clocked 82k's! Wow! That's pretty amazing for these old geezers huh? We are a tad knackered right now, but it is a nice knackered. The weatherman said the winds would be 5-10 km/h but I think he lied. They felt more like 20km/h there and back. Don't know how that happens, but we were pedalling into the wind BOTH ways. Sheesh! Oh well, we had a blast and that is all that matters.

Now it is time to clean up the bikes, do some last minute tidying up in the garden, pack up the suitcases, and head off on our holiday.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find resources of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carlson

There is a beauty in each phase of life isn't there? We should enjoy what is, while it is and embrace the next stage with all its beauty when it gets here. I hope you take time to contemplate the beauty all around you no matter what stage of life you are in right now- the fresh dewey yellow or the delicate fluffy white.

Garden Party

Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil
Reginald Heber




Can't you almost hear the laughter in this picture? I was sure I heard chuckling when I was out working in the yard today! Such hilarity was going on between the Candytuft and the Forget-me-nots it was contagious and made me smile too, so I tried to capture the joy with my camera to share with you. Hope you feel it. My garden is having a party indeed. What fun!

The infinite has written his name on the heavens in shining stars
and on earth in tender flowers.
Jean Paul Richter

Come join the party, and keep your ears open for the laughter and your eyes open for the signature in the world all around you today.

Lilac Memories

We took our bikes out for a spin today and managed to clock 71k's. It was grand and glorious indeed. The sun was shining, the air warm,the winds gentle and we were given the gift of fragrant lilacs all along our country route.

Anvilcloud has posted some pictures of the route we took and other flowering trees we saw along the way. Go and have a peek here.

Drinking in the fragrance up close


Lilacs hold such sweet memories for me. My childhood home had a huge hedge of lilacs all along the border of the property and whenever I catch their scent now, I am taken right back to those wonderful May childhood days.

I cannot see or smell lilacs without thinking of my mother. She loved the flowers and told me many times how the church was full of fresh cut lilacs the day she was married - May 27th - and everybody at the wedding commented on the marvellous fragrance.

Memories are not glass treasures to be kept locked in a box.
They are bright ribbons to be hung in the wind.
Morgan Leah-Shamara

I took all of my bright ribbon memories out of their boxes as I pedalled along today and let them blow in the fragrant lilac wind. It was a totally awesome day!

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Dandelions-by-lake


Things are busy around here getting ready for our holiday next week, but we took time out to soak in some sunshine today and take a 60k ride out to the lake. What a windy, wonderful ride!

We enjoyed our coffee here by the lake, and just had to take this picture for Heather. Your dad was right, they really are pretty.

How many ravishing things whose innocent beauty astounds us owe their existence to greed, fear or vainglory or guilt?
W.H.Auden

Blog Anniversary

I awoke around 6am this morning to the sound of rain tapping on my windowpane. The room was dark and cold, so I tucked the covers up under my chin and snuggle down deeper into the warm bed while the soft music of the rain sent me back into dreamland. I didn't hear another thing until 9:30. Yikes!!! Half the day was gone. Those 50k bike rides last week must have taken a bit more out of me than I realized. They sure were fun though. It looks like we have three days of sunshine coming up this week, so we are all set to hit the trails again tomorrow. I should really zip along after that huge sleep last night shouldn't I?

It is now almost noon and it is still raining, so I am enjoying a lazy morning responding to email, catching up on reading blogs, and even taking some time to indulge in the total luxury of putting a few thoughts down on paper. I love how a rainy day brings creativity to me just like it brings moisture to the gardens. It primes the pump and causes the thoughts and feeling to flow again. I do love a rainy day.

I started my blog last May, so this is my first anniversary, and I am taking a moment this morning to look back at where I have been and also wonder where to go with my blog from here. Do I still want to pour time and effort into writing a blog? The real question is: do I have anything else to say? I am not sure. For everything there is a season and this seems to be the season of my life for blogging, but at times I wonder.

There comes a time to step away from the laptop and just soak in life for a while. When the sun is shining and life calls me outside I have to listen and enjoy all the beauty of that season while it is here. The long cold days and nights of winter will soon be here again and lots of writing will happen then. For most of the summer, my blog might be neglected. I have tried taking the laptop out onto the back deck to write outside, but I can't see the screen out there. Drat! I might have to resort to the old pen and paper while the sun shines.

I sure have learned a lot from you all this past year and have made some wonderful friends out there in blogland. I would miss "talking" to you each day if I stopped blogging completely, so this is just a summer holiday break. I haven't met any of you face to face, but feel like I know you and have come "heart to heart" with many of you.

I have a picture in my mind of Mel, Wash Lady, Gina, Jen (X2), Iona, Karla, Heather, Katt, Norma, Swampy, Loner, Cat, Dale (X2), Lynn, and JV. They feel like family and I check in with them all each day and wonder how things are going in their lives.

I care about "Princess Mole Whacker" and laugh and cry with her at times. I printed out her Sharks, Loss and Snowflakes blog and have given it to many people in pain. Thanks Mel.

I have learned so much from Wash Lady and appreciate her wise words of advice to me and others. She has been through a lot and we all benefit from her life lessons.

Gina over at Just Another Day wears her glass slippers quite well, and I enjoy reading about her antics with Mr Personality each day.

Katt over at Bamboo Shade always has delightful and inspirational quotes and pictures for me. I copy and paste all the quotes into a Word file so I can later enter them into my quote data base. Yes, I am still working on that project.

Heather's new bike brought me joy too, and her sister's story about their dad's dandelion bouquets will visit me each time I see a field of dandelions now.

Cat's Place is a fun spot to visit and I love her memories and tales of England, open toed sandals and letters to Tide. I am wondering why the blog isn't called Moggy's Place though. I do love moggies. Do you Cat?

Loner's new found love is a cause for celebration and her dad's amazing spirit during his battle with cancer is inspirational.

Dale at M&M in M brings tears to my eyes and touches this mother's heart when he talks about his struggles with Dan and Meagan. When we become parents a part of our heart does walk around in the body of another person and it just plain hurts sometimes. Thanks for sharing so openly Dale. We all walk the path with you and feel for you.

Dale over at Tales from the Wayside makes me laugh right out loud. His antics on the small air plane had me in gales of laughter. And his "Laughing at Cats" is a real hoot.

Iona over at Circles and Squares helped me decorate my guest bedroom and has encouraged me while working on my kitchen project. Her photos are a work of art, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them in a book some day. I would buy one in a minute.

Swamp Things posts amazing photos each day too, and they are absolutely breathtaking. Oh the beauty of a snake, lizard, tick, spider, frog, toad, and last but not least, the Rainbow Scarab. What a cutie he is! Swampy's photos bring beauty and wonder into my life each day.

Jen over at Daydreams talks about dealing with physical pain, but the blogs that really touched my heart were The Result and Faith Story.


Lynn sitting at his computer on State Street has challeneged me to think and research different books and authors. He pointed me to "A book of Luminous Things", which I love, and has encouraged me to write. Thanks Lynn.

My heart was torn in two when Karla lost little Ava, and I continue walk beside her in spirit as she copes with grief and loss right now. I feel like I know her, and she is part of my family, a sister of the heart. Hang on sister dear.

How close we have all become in this blog circle of ours. I wonder how much we are like the people we have pictured in our mind's eye. If we met, would it be the same as meeting the radio announcer we have pictured perfectly from a voice, only to be surprised beyond words when we really see them? Here in blogland we don't have an audio voice to go by, but we have the written voice which is far more revealing, indelible, and clearer. We see each other in each and every word clicked and clacked on the keyboard. Here's looking at you kid.

This laptop monitor is only about ¼" thick, but it is a window on the world, and I see far and wide through it. I must raise my eyes from it and look at the world close to me every now and then, so I have something of this life to reflect back through this window to all of you peering in at me. Fun huh?

I so enjoy looking out through the many windows in my life every morning to see what is going on in my garden, and over in Holland, down in Florida, across the miles in Alberta, along other roads to Georgia, California, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, and last but not least around the corner to assorted nooks and crannies in Ontario.

Goodness, I have rambled on quite a bit in this blog haven't I? So many people have touched my life in blogland during the past year and have become more than just passing acquaintances. On this one year anniversary I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your lives with me each day. I look forward to reading regularly this summer even if I don't write every day. Next week we are heading away for a month's holiday so my blogs will be few and far between for the next little while. I will check in with stories, updates and pictures when I can.

Talk to you all later. Happy Anniversary!

Puff, Pant, Gasp!!

Wow, lots of running with the old baton these days. I had a successful hand-off to Dale and he posted safely in spite of the scissors. Lynn also grasped the baton firmly and swiftly and made me laugh at the people he wanted to pass the baton on to. Gina made the connection and is still running. I will keep you posted on her progress.

Thanks one and all for joining in and having some fun.

I have now been tagged by Norma to accept another baton. I need a breather, but I will go check it out soon.

AC and I have been out on the bikes a lot this past week and have worked our distance up to 50k for each ride. It feels great, but with that and getting the kitchen back in order, I sure haven't had much time for anything else. Blogging time has been cut right down. When the sunshine and the great outdoors calls my name the laptop gathers dust.

I will be back when it rains. In the meantime have fun and enjoy the sunshine.

Talk to you all later.

The Baton

I have been tagged by Anvilcloud to take this baton and run with it. Tonight when we went out for our after dinner walk he was making fun of the way I used to run on the tennis court. So, maybe I will waltz with it awhile instead of trying to run with it!!

01. Total volume of music files on my computer?
Zero! Nope, not a single song. I use my laptop for writing and checking email and that is about it.

02. The last CD I bought was?
The last CD I bought was just a few days ago: Theresa Sokyrka's, These Old Charms. Hmmmmm, that sounds familiar doesn't it? Theresa has a delightful, slightly husky voice that is a pleasure to listen to. She was my number one choice for Canadian Idol last year even though she came in second.

03. Song playing right now.
Nothing right now. Theresa was playing in the family room this afternoon, while I unpacked boxes in the kitchen, and Sarah Brightman is in the CD player up here in my studio. If I have music on in the background while I am writing it is usually instrumental or something soft like Sarah Harmer or Enya. The CD's sitting on the top of that listening pile right now are – Vivaldi – The Four Seasons; Glenn Gould – At the Cinema; Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King and Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring.

04. Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order)

Pie Jesu – Sarah Brightman singing this song stops me in my tracks each time I hear it and brings tears to my eyes.

Into the West – Annie Lennox – If you have the extended version of Lord of the Rings you must watch the tribute to Duncan Cameron at the end of the last CD in the set. His story helped inspire this song.

Old Time Rock and Roll – Bob Seger – I can't say that I have listened to this song a lot lately, but it is one of my favorites. As soon as I hear the first few notes I just want to get up and move and sing along at the top of my lungs.

You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban – Butterfly chose this song for the father/daughter dance at her wedding last year, and it gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it now. Brings back all the memories of that wonderful day.

To Where you Are - Josh Groban – this song brings such comfort to a grieving heart. Our loved ones who have passed really are just a breath away.

05. Which 5 people are you passing this baton to, and why.

Gina, Heather, Lynn, Dale, and Iona ! These are just the names that popped into my head right now. Take it and have fun with it guys.

Honeymoons, other moons and decadence.

Weren't those old pictures we posted yesterday a hoot? What fun to look back at old photos of ourselves and see what young whippersnappers we were way back when, and relive all the wonderful memories of our wedding day. Thanks for all the warm wishes you posted on our blogs for us, they really added to the joy we shared on this anniversary.

Yesterday was a busy but relaxing day if that makes any sense at all. We left mid morning for our bike ride, and because it was a special day we allowed ourselves a stop at the chip truck down by the river for a plate of fries. We sat on a bench by the water and ate the hot, salty fries sprinkled with a light dash of vinegar. Oh, they were so good. We then pedalled another 15k out to the lake for a cup of coffee, and then home. It was a windy by sunny ride and we clocked 40k in all.

We meandered down memory lane as we pedalled along the bike paths and enjoyed a wonderful day of remembering all mixed in with the joy of being where we are in our lives right now. It was a great day. At one stop along the way I mentioned to AC how neat it was that we both chose a song to go with the pictures that we posted that morning. "Did you use a song too?" He said. "I didn't realize that. Can you sing it for me?" So there we were on a busy road, stopped at a traffic light and I was trying to sing the Shania Twain song to him. It was very funny.

We got home mid afternoon and our friends "St Paul and Minneapolis" dropped over with a bottle of cold bubbly and some warm wishes for us. We visited with them for awhile and then set off for our pizza dinner.

Now I know weddings are usually followed by Honeymoons, and ours was, 36 years ago, but I never expected a "moon" to be connected to this day again. It sure was yesterday though.

As we sat in the restaurant waiting for our pizza, four young girls came in and sat down across from us. Two were rail thin and two were a bit chunky. They all had on hip-hugger jeans which looked cute and tidy on the thin wispy girls, but the chunky girls were struggling to keep everything tucked in, if you get my drift.

They all sat down and two of them had their backs to us, right in my line of vision. I was shocked to look over and discover that the chunky girl's pants slipped right down her backside when she sat down and I was being mooned during the whole meal. It was very disconcerting. She didn't looked like a plumber, but her pants were sure plummeting! I mentioned this to AC and he glanced back and then turned to me and said. "I am just glad I am looking in the opposite direction and don't have to look at that for the whole meal."

I sat there wondering if I should mention something to her on our way out. If that were me, would I want to know? I think I would. It might be better coming from a total stranger, but it might really hurt her feelings too. AC didn't think I should say anything to her. I needed another woman's opinion and our waitress was a very friendly lady who looked to be in her late thirties so when she came to our table to see if we wanted anything else, I pointed out to her what I had been looking at during my whole meal and she was shocked. I asked her if she thought I should say something to the young girl. She thought it might be doing her a favour, but maybe ignorance is bliss too. I ended up not saying anything to her, but I still wonder if I should have. What would you have done?

We walked out of the restaurant and went across the road to a Dairy Queen for dessert. This was our anniversary after all and we were going to splurge on dessert too. I haven't been in a Dairy Queen for years, so I didn't really know what was on the menu anymore. We walked in and stood there looking at the different choices of rich gooey sundaes. The young kid behind the counter asked if he could help us, and I looked at him and said "We want something decadent." He had a blank look on his face and said "I don't know what that means." We explained to him that we wanted the richest, most gooey mess of a sundae he had on the menu and he still looked at us like we had just landed from Mars.

Maybe it was for the best that I didn't try to tell the young girl that her hip-hugger jeans weren't hugging nearly enough of her hips when she sat down. Sometimes the young and the old just don't speak the same language. It never hurts to err on the side of caution and always be kinder than we need to be. I just don't know if it was kinder to say something or not.

Anyway, we had a great day and now it is time to turn off the laptop and head out on the bike trails.

Hope you all have a great day.

Still the One

Thirty-six years and you're still the one AC. Love you!

House Hunting

As I sat in the family room this morning enjoying my first cup of coffee I noticed that the birds were busy checking out the real estate in our backyard. AC ran for his camera and caught these prospective buyers chatting on the front porch about the pros and cons of this house. I wonder what they were saying to each other. I think I heard one of them say "I like the garden. Do you like the kitchen?"

Check out AC's post for a picture of the pair checking out another house on the same street.

The antics of this feathered duo really brightened a rather dull rainy morning for me. I am so glad I took the time to sit quietly and look outside for a few minutes before I charged ahead into my day.

"Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers.
R. W. Emerson

Open your eyes wide as you walk through your meadow today and see all the "flowers" there.

Kitchen Update II

The sun is shining today, the grass needs cutting and the bike trails are calling out to us but first things first. I must update you on the kitchen progress, - right? This project is the monster that is eating most of my time and energy these days, but I think I am winning the battle with it. Still haven't found the sugar bowl though!

This week we got the range hood and sink light installed, the shelves put back in the cupboards, the plastic trim put on the edges of the shelves, the valance over the sink put up and all the quarter-round edging put up around the cupboards. Tonight the new doors go on and then I should be able to start putting stuff back in the upper cupboards. The bottom cupboards will stay empty until the counter-top is replaced – maybe next week – maybe not!!!!

I think the old brain has been addled by the paint fumes and plaster dust because I sure don't seem to have anything to write about these days. It seems almost impossible to put two words together to express a thought, so I won't attempt to bore you with drivel. Just update you for now, and write more later, when my brain clears and clicks into gear. Oh please let it click back into gear soon.

The best was to secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible today.
Charles Eliot

I hope you find something to smile about today and are as happy as is rightfully possible. Have a good day.

Queen for a Day!

I had so much fun today, and an extra sparkle was added to everything I did. Yes I positively glittered and shone all day, courtesy of Butterfly.

We have a running joke involving a tiara that started many years ago while watching the Oscars with Butterfly. To make a rather long story a bit shorter let me just say that we sat in Butterfly's little basement apartment with paper tiaras on our heads while we watched the show on TV. Even AC had a tiara!!!! What a hoot that was.

Butterfly got married last year and she picked a beautiful tiara for her headpiece. This tiara now comes out for every birthday dinner or other special occasion and is worn by the person of honour. I got to wear it at our Christmas dinner this year and I loved it. What fun.

Imagine my surprise and delight this morning when I opened my Mother's Day gift from Butterfly and found my very own tiara tucked inside a box for me. It was just too funny.

I put it on while I ate breakfast and I must admit it made me feel very regal and special. Amazing what a tiara can do for one's attitude!!! Every woman should have one. Really!

I wanted to wear it on my bike ride, but figured the helmet was safer, so I left it at home during our ride, but as soon as we got home and the helmet came off, the tiara went back on and I wore it while I washed the car!!!! What total fun I had with it all day.

Thanks Butterfly. I had a blast and felt like a Queen all day.

Good Day!

I thought this was going to be a busy weekend of work on the kitchen, but Mother's Day festivities and activities came first for the family man who is installing the cupboard doors, so all renovation tasks were put on hold for a couple of days.

The sun was shining this morning, and with the kitchen work on hold, and the yard work done, AC and I decided to take advantage of the weekend work break, and set off on our bikes. We packed a lunch, and a map of a new area to bike to, and headed out for an exciting adventure. We set a goal of 50k for our trip today and didn't know where the 25k turn around point would be. I adjusted the GPS to clock our time and distance and off we went.

We found a wonderful secluded picnic spot at kilometre 23 and stopped there for lunch. The road leading to it was called Windcliff, and amazingly enough, it lead to a rather windy cliff overlooking the lake. No problem though, the sun was shining warmly and we kept our coats zipped up tight so we were as warm as toast while we munched our main course of Swiss cheese and lettuce sandwiches, followed by crisp juicy red grapes for dessert. Yum!

AC at Windcliff


We thought we had found a gem of a picnic spot that nobody else knew about, but as we sat there eating our lunch, two or three car loads of people drove up the road and stopped to take in the view of the lake. None of them stayed long, and we were the only brave cyclists, but when I went to put my garbage in the trash can put there by the township, I noticed it was full of empty Tim Horton's coffee cups. What a hoot! Anyway, we were the only picnickers there today, so we enjoyed exclusive use of the picnic table.

After lunch we continued on down the road for another 2k's in order to hit the 25k mark, and then turned around. We were sure ready for a cup of coffee by the time we reached Tim's at kilometre 35 on our way home! Mmmmm that coffee tasted extra special delicious today. After our break at Tim's our legs were in a bit of an uproar when we first got back on the bikes, but after a few minutes they warmed up again and we were zipping along in no time. The wind seemed to pick up strength and gave us a mighty battle at some points along the trail home, but for the last few klicks we lucked out and actually had the wind at our backs, so it was coast and enjoy during that homeward stretch. Yahoo!

What a great day this has been. Not only did we have a break from the decorating, but enjoyed a sunny bike ride, time to write a little and now time to read. Yep, a great day.

Whatever busyness filled your days this week, I hope you had a chance to relax today and get out into the great outdoors to soak up some of the marvellous spring sunshine.

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
~Ursula K. LeGuin

Don't forget to enjoy yours!

Renovation update

Slowly but surely we are moving ahead with the kitchen. We are not breaking any speed records, that's for sure, but we are moving forward.

Painting done


As you can see here, the walls and trim are all painted, so that is one major task behind us. Hopefully this weekend we will get the new cupboard doors installed, sink light and range hood hooked up and all the new plugs and switches put in. Then we will move on to the big job for next week – installation of the new counter-top. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Writing time is pretty scarce these days, but AC and I did manage to squeeze in a bike ride or two this week and it felt so good to pedal some of the decorating stress away. We got out for a 40k ride on Wednesday and a 30k ride yesterday, and that made us pretty happy.

Yard work had to be done today, so the bikes and paint brushes gathered dust while we pruned roses, weeded gardens, washed the car, got all the summer furniture out, washed it down and set it up on the back deck. Whew! Busy way to end an even busier week. We both feel a bit knackered tonight, but it is a well deserved knackered!!!

I hope you all have a chance to walk in the sunshine this weekend and enjoy the fresh touch of spring in the air. I know I will. Talk to you all next week.

Oh yes, and to all you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day.

The Stick

I received this challenge from Gina a few weeks ago and accepted The Stick eagerly. Once my running shoes were tightened and my muscles stretched I took the stick and had fun running with it. I had to put it down for awhile when the redecorating started in my kitchen, and I must admit that I misplaced. Sorry. I found it in a rather dusty writing folder today so I now pass it on to you. If you want to take it and run with it, give these questions some thought and then answer them on your blog sometime in the near future. Ready! Set! Go!!!!!

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
What book do I want to be? What an interesting question. Not, which book do I want to burn, or save from burning, but which book do I want to be? Hmmm? I would want to be a poetry book. As Mary Oliver says, “…for poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.”

Seems like the world in the middle of Fahrenheit 451 is a pretty lost and scary place to be, so poetry would be needed more than anything.

“Poetry is not the assertion of truth, but the making of that truth more fully real to us.” T.S. Eliot

Yes, I would want to be a poetry book and make truth more fully real.


Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

I absolutely adored Robin Hood when I was a kid. I loved the idea of living in a secret place in the forest and making my house in a tree. My friend Sheila and I would play make-believe out in the back yard and we would dress up in long dresses and be Maid Marion and her Lady-in-waiting, helping Robin when he asked us to. What fun!

Now that I am a “few” years older I still like the idea of living in a tree in a secret place in the forest. I don’t want to be Maid Marion anymore though. I sure don’t want to be left waiting back at the castle to help Robin if need be. I want to be one of the Merry WoMen and live in the forest and ride out and help rob the rich to feed the poor.


Longest lasting crush?

I would have to say AC. After 36 years of marriage I still think he is the greatest and love him to pieces.


The last book you bought is:

I could spend the grocery money at the bookstore! I really could. Many years ago I worked at a little independent bookstore and on some paydays I would owe them money instead of the other way around. I wanted to buy almost every new book that came in. I love the smell of books, the feel of books, the sight of books, and oh the treasure that some of them hold within. So many books to read, so little time!

I now make myself use the Public Library and put new books on order there. I sometimes only get through one chapter and know that I must add this one to my personal collection, but others I am glad to return, happy in the knowledge that I didn’t waste my money on them. So any book that I actually buy now has to be a keeper and one that I will go back to again and again.

Now that I have set the stage, let me tell you the latest one to win the prize and get my money. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, (fiction). I very rarely buy fiction, but I so enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees also by Kidd, that I knew I would want to add her latest book to my select collection of fiction.

The book I bought just before The Mermaid Chair was The Dance of the Dissident Daughter also by Sue Monk Kidd (non-fiction). What a gem. I read my sister’s copy first and was itching to mark it up and knew I had to have my own copy. This book recounts Kidd’s journey from Christian tradition to the sacred feminine, and it has been the most thought provoking book for me let me tell you. I am now on my second sweep through it, and lots of underlining is going on. Yes, I mark the books I read. Do you?


The last book you finished:

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Great book. Kingsolver not only tells a good story, but she teaches you something about the world around you at the same time. This book gave me a whole new appreciation for predators, and convinced me of their important part in the great scheme of things. The world is amazingly complex and each little part of it is important and needed to keep the delicate balance in nature.


What are you currently reading?

I always have more that one book on the go at a time, and which one I pick up depends on time of day or how I am feeling.

One or two poetry books are always close at hand. Right now, Raymond Carver’s All of Us is on the coffee table by my chair in the family room, and Milosz’s, A book of Luminous Things, is on the little table beside me here in my studio.

I usually have a book of fiction on the go too, and right now it is
Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver - I just started this one, so don’t know if I will like it or not.

I also am working my way through Dance of the Dissident Daughter for a second time.

I just got Beauty The invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue from the library, and can’t wait to start it.

When my eyes are too tired to read, I listen to books on tape when I go to bed. I keep my local library very busy


Five books you would take to a deserted island:

I would definitely want books that I could read over and over again and poetry sure fits that bill. So, I would tuck a couple of anthologies into a water proof container and make sure they got to the island with me.

A book of Luminous Things: An international anthology of poetry by Czeslaw Milosz. Ah, such a treat to read over and over again.

The Best Poems of the English Language, from Chaucer through Frost by Harold Bloom. I just got this for my birthday and it could keep me going for a long time I am sure.

Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust. I have read so many snippets of Proust by have never found the time to get all the way through this entire work. I think a visit to a deserted island would give me the perfect opportunity to do this.

A Wilderness survival book. I might really need that kind of a book if I am on a deserted island, and nothing sparks the interest in a book like need!

Dictionary – Yes, for sure a dictionary would be on the list. It would have to be the biggest, most comprehensive one around too. Full of all the old, old, old words along with the most current additions to the language. Wow just think of the improvement I could make to my vocabulary and what a benefit that would be if I ever got off the island and back to civilization again. Yes, a dictionary could keep me going for the rest of my natural life and I would never get bored.

So, there you have it. I am not sure what it is that you have, but The Stick was fun to play with for a while. I tossed it in the air, dragged it along on a walk or two and took it with me out on the bike for a windy ride. Now I am ready to pass it along to you. Take it and have some fun.