Books and libraries......sweet words to my ears

I love books..........I can't remember when I didn't love them (oh man, here I am back with the "love" word........sorry).   I read anything and everything - hmmmm, well not EVERYTHING, but I read signs in store windows, ads, books, oh magazines, that is another whole blog day, cereal boxes, shoot I like to read.   Now I am trying to broaden my reading.....I like the typical women type books and mysteries........love those mysteries.  I joined a book club last year at the base library, much to my delight I was exposed to quite a few different genres........some I liked and some I felt like I was walking through wet cement to get to the end.........but I persevered and read each and every one of them.No, this isn't our living room, but my daughter and son-in-law (remember I live with them) have wonderful bookshelves and they are FULL to the brim.  To me when I enter a house that has books, well first I feel automatically comfortable and it changes the word house to home (most of the time.)

Today my youngest grandson and I went to the base library, as "we" had run out of books to read.  We have a little routine, when he comes home from school, he reads to me and then I read to him.  He is now at an age where we can get books that can be read over a period of days and sometimes the same type of book, if really, really interesting and he is needing more quiet time, can be read all at once (not that Dr. Seuss and Bernstein Bears aren't wonderful, but you have to remember, he is my fifth grandchild.....been there, done that).   Now I am not the hippest granny, no IPod, laptop, etc. etc..........so I have listened to books on recordings once.............in the car..........sigh...........driving home in WY and became so engrossed in the story, when I truly realized where I was (highway driving), it was at an exit waaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond the one to my home..........so no more listening in the car.   Anyways, the librarian was returning from her lunch and she had a set of earphones on and I asked her if she had been listening to book...........she had.........and little did I know it, but the library have them!!!!!!   So I came home with two different types, one is a set of cd's that I can listen too from my computer while I am crafting or working and the other is the little box type thing that you put your own ear phones in.............will let you know how I like them.

This is a picture of my very first library......Pepperell, MA.  It's still in use and I truly have memories of going there with my mother.  I was in total awe.......so many books.  My mother always said " If you have a public library, you will never be lonely.  Open up a book and you have an instant friend."   I have found some wonderful friends among many librarians also..........books, libraries......sweet words to my ears.

Hope you have chuckle today........if not, just a smile of grin.........

What every woman............

I know that I have shared this before..........but I truly like this and want to share it again..........

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

Enough money within her control to move out

and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

something perfect to wear if the employer,

or the date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a youth she's content to leave behind....



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to

retelling it in her old age....



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,

and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a feeling of control over her destiny...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself…



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job,

break up with a lover,

and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,

the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that her childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to live alone, even if she doesn't like it...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

whom she can trust, whom she can't,

and why she shouldn't take it personally...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...

be it to her best friend's kitchen table...

or a charming inn in the woods...

when her soul needs soothing...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day...

a month...and a year...


It's ok if you don't have any of these things, but a few of them would be nice to have tucked away somewhere..............
Hope you have a wonderful day, that you have at least one smile and better yet, a giggle..............love to giggle.

Fall colors on base...........

Last week, I was invited to go with a friend to take pictures on base.   The time period here is short to catch the colors...........one day they are full and showing themselves off , the next day it has turned cold and snapped the colors off.......in fact I am thinking I may take my camera out again today if I can.....still looking beautiful.   I thought I would share some of the photos with you.

This isn't one of the best.......let me see if I can find one with the "wow" factor in it.

Hmmmmm, still not quite there.....I put these titles on the pictures when I place them in the files and when I do this I am thinking to myself......."Oh yeah, I will know right away what this one is."   Sigh, doesn't seem to be working today........be right back and see if I can find the one I am wanting to share with you.

Oh look I found it............I took lots of artsy fartsy ones too..........but will share that another day..........

Hope at least one of the snapshots brings a smile to your day..........hey do you have fall colors in your neck of the woods?

Flowers..........

In North Pole, Alaska (ok, I love typing that ...........I live close to North Pole, Alaska) there is a river that runs though part of it.............or along side of it.......trust me, I know I don't have the correct wording on it's location.........any ways,  along one of the banks of that river in town, the most beautiful wild flowers appear.  I have to assume that they were planted there, as they change according quite a few times during the summer.  I love flowers (seems like I "love" a whole lot of things, huh?)

This summer, since it will be our last one here, I tried really hard to take pictures of the different flowers that bloomed.  Sadly I don't know the names of some of them.........they just make me happy, so I take pictures of them.

 

I believe these are lupine?  Yes - no?   This particular shade was the most amazing deep lavender, my friend from Texas was here at the time and neither she or I got what I consider a "true" shot the represented the color - you can see in the background the pretty light blue ones.

Sweet Williams?  I think so, they were just all over the bank.......here is a close up.

Then the poppies arrived...........oh I do love poppies.........they look so fragile and yet their color screams out "look at me. look at me!"

The day I took this picture, we had a very gentle breeze, something we have very little of in the inland area....wind..........these poppies just were waving so sweetly..............made me wish for a hammock, a good book and sadly some strong mosquito repellent.......mosquitoes are hardy up here!!

I hope that one of these pictures brought a smile to your heart............

MOOOOOOSE!!!!!

How close can you get to a mother moose?  Well trust me on this one, I wasn't this close.  It's this new wonderful camera in my life.  I saved and saved and then when I purchased it, I was hit immediately with the lens envy thing.......so I saved and saved some more and purchased a lens that brings things much closed.   Now right now, my biggest obstacle is learning to change them out quickly.   It never seems to fail, if  I have the "normal" lens in, I think I need the lens that zooms the object closer...........and of course vise versa.........I will get faster........well never FAST - but faster for me........smile.

I am totally thrilled how close the lens brought this little girl to me..........

The twins are eating again and again and again........and then of course they like to sleep too.........

I have always had a fasination for moose, ever since I can remember, and trust me, I can remember a long long time ago, much better than I can remember yesterday............really.  The first time I saw one, we were on our way to Yellowston National Park, we were pulling the camper and it was getting towards dusk..........we were in the Big Horn mountains and I looked over along side the road (well I guess that is where they would be, huh?) and there she was, a beautiful mother and her two little ones..........I was so happy, I was truly ready to turn around and go home.  That was my one and only hope for that vacation, to see a moose.   Everything after that was just extra (and there was a lot of extras too).

Hey I am sorry that I can't seem to get the hang of this new format.........I want the words to align to the left, but nope, the pictures are in the middle and so are the words..............give me time.......if I don't master it, I guess it won't be the worst thing to happen..........right?

Hey have you smiled today?  Giggled?  I sure hope so, a day without a smile or a giggle, well I just can't imagine it..............

Trying to come back.............

Hello,
I am going to try this again.........of course the big or operative word in that little group of words is...............TRY!!!!!  I have come to a rather larger realization while I have been away.........it takes me longer to do less.  Amen.  That is it............it truly takes me twice as long to do simple little daily chores.....now add trying something new to the equation...........well now we are in for some fun.   Not fun for me, of course, but fun for those around me......

I have a new camera.  I am in love.   OOOps,in love with my new camera..........it's probably more camera than I will ever be able to master..........but I love it.  It takes such wonderful photos...........and this wonderful state of Alaska offers such wonderful opportunities to use it.   Now add to all of this, I am really trying my hand at the artsy fartsy type of photos......want to see some?????  Sure you do.........you do, don't you?

                                                     
Hmmm, guess the last one isn't very "artsy fartsy", but it sure is pretty, huh?  This state is truly beautiful....and I am in hopes to share it with you.........occasionally at least.