Just Can't Do the Politics.. Yet..

Watching the 1000th episode of 'The Colbert Report' with S.  This show is one of my favorites.  But this is as close as i'll come to writing about politics tonight.  I planned to make this post about Romney/Santorum.  The Michigan Primary, and a couple of other things politics related.  I couldn't do it.  Just. couldn't.  As the months progress and bring us closer to the November election; however, i'll find it more difficult to avoid shouting my opinions to the Universe!  I'm a liberal after all.  And those two men drive me crazy.  But that's all i'll say about them at the moment.  It was a gray, rainy, cold day in these parts, and i want some light and beauty before i head to bed.  Mr. Colbert is making me have belly laughs as he always does.  He always tickles my funny bone, and i love him.  So.  Instead i'll talk a little about a book i bought this afternoon that i can't wait to dive into.  And i'll share a review with you here.  Then after i finish the novel; i'll write my own review.  :)  The book is called, 'Leela's Book', by Alice Albinia.  Maybe it's a book that would interest you?  It's about a woman, (Leela) who is a Sanskrit scholar living in New York City.  She moves back to Delhi, India after a couple of decades of self-imposed exile.  I find India, its customs, politics and architecture fascinating though i've never been there.  I know poverty is rampant, though i've heard it is a place of magnificent beauty.  Full of contradictions!  I think this will be an educational as well as an engrossing read, and i'm looking forward to getting lost in it!  I love books that take me away.  Especially this time of year.  On the cusp of spring, but not quite over the fence!  So here's a review for your perusal.  See if it strikes your interest as well...  :)

http://www.chorusandecho.com/articles/view/46090

I think you know that i also find beauty in classical music.  So i want to share just one short selection with you to close out the night.  Hope you like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvJ35-zZa-I

And to say goodnight this Tuesday the Twenty Eighth of February, Twenty Twelve, i want to share another pic of a scene i love.  Peace to you all...M.

A (Not) Joyful Ode to Food Poisoning...

This week, i had the worst case of food poisoning ever!  Came down with it Tuesday.  Still not sure what i ate that made me so profoundly sick, but i am ecstatic to be feeling good again!  I was just out doing mundane errands around 2 pm Tuesday, when i broke out in a cold sweat.  Got the shakes.  A wave of nausea like none i've experienced in memory.  Luckily i made it to my car, and made the twenty minute drive home and through the front door before my body exploded.  Seriously.  That's what it felt like.  Then came a little over twenty four hours of pure hell.  No sleep.  I couldn't leave the bathroom long enough.  (A loo does not make a comfy bed.)  Utter exhaustion.  Much water and gatorade later; i felt better!  And felt a wave of relief and gratefulness like none i've experienced in memory.  :)  I've heard that a bout of food poisoning can take down a marine.  I believe it.  I'm nowhere near that caliber of fitness and discipline.  I thought an alien was trying to hatch from my body a la... 'Alien'.  And S was by my side through it all.  Waiting on me hand and foot.  Sitting beside me.. (when i could move to the couch,) holding my hand while i heaved.  I mean really.  He didn't have to do that!  But i'm glad he did.  'Do you want to go to the doctor?  I think you should see a doctor.  Let me take you to the doctor.'  No honey.  Really.  It just has to pass on its own.  There's something in my body that it doesn't want.  It wants it OUT!  Anyway, i figured out that mind over matter only works sometimes.  Then there are times when your body says..  **** you!  What did you put IN me?!  I love to find joy every day, but there was no joy for me here.  Not one iota.  So now that i'm well and healthy, i'm beyond thankful.  I feel nothing but joy joy joy and happiness.  I'm determined to be good to my body and mind.  I'm well, knock on wood; and i want to stay that way.

So no more talk about being sick.  Springtime is closer than it was on Tuesday!  The daffodils in our yard are almost ready to open.  I have the energy for one of my long walks.  :)  It's the weekend.  S doesn't have to travel to Israel next week for work.  My Mum and Dad are healthy.  S has been keeping up with the housework, so i don't have any to do this weekend.  Let's see.  I could go on and on and on.  But i won't.  I will; however, share a piece of wonderful music that i love.  It's one of my favorites ever by Claude Debussy.  I may have posted it before here, and if have.. sorry about that.  But i adore it, and i'm so happy tonight that i can't resist sharing it (maybe?) one more time.  It's called 'Clair de Lune'.  Maybe you've heard it and like it?  I hope so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvFH_6DNRCY

And i want to share another lovely photo of my grandparents' farm.  I loved that place!  So very many wonderful memories there.  And those memories were extremely comforting when i was so sick, but they're beautiful to think of anytime.  The exquisite blue sky here makes me look forward to summertime.  It'll be here before we know it.  But spring first.  The season of love and rebirth!

 

Goodnight for this Friday, February Twenty Fourth, Twenty Twelve.  Be healthy!  When you have your health, you have it all!  LPH..  Love Peace and Health!

Thoughts on Free Will...

So.  Until about an hour ago, i'd planned to do a post on our day trip to the coast.  Then i changed my mind as i seem to be doing often of late.  The question is.. did i make the decision?  :)  We all like to think we have the will to think through many possibilities, and make choices ourselves regarding what action to take in a given situation.  I sat down with my laptop shortly after we arrived home from our journey.  To check e-mail.. write a couple 'messages', and do some reading.  Catch up on some of the day's news, though news is slower than usual due to the Presidents' Day Holiday.  I googled The Economist Magazine.  Came upon 'More Intelligent Life', one of my favorite reads.  In it is an article named 'Neurons v Free Will', by Anthony Gottlieb.  It's not about God or religion, although those things came up in my mind as i read. Questions about the extent of our free will have been debated for centuries.  This article is about studies of the human brain, and how much we actually choose for ourselves.  How much is chosen for us?  How much do modern brain scans truly tell us about how our minds work?  I'll post the article here for you to read if you're interested.  Quite fascinating really!  And not too long a piece.  I was enthralled.  I started wondering and questioning many things.  Right down to the smallest actions i take.  Like what time i get up in the morning.  What i have for lunch.  Split second decisions i make when i'm driving.  The books i decide to read.  Whether or not i like a certain type of music.  And like i said above,  did i decide to change the subject of this post?  Or did my neurons tell me to do so.  How much did i think?  Anyway, here's the link to the article if you'd like, or have a few minutes.  I'd love to read any comments you might have and your opinions of what Mr. Gottlieb has to say. .....  ..

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/neurons-v-free-will

And Anthony Gottlieb has written a book called 'The Dream of Reason'.. A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance.'  It's not related to the above article, and was published in 2001, but i'm going to read it.  Philosophy is fascinating to me.  I am a human FULL of questions about so many things.  And i love to know what other people think about just about every subject imaginable.  Of course i don't ask.  lol  Not that nosy!  The differences in our philosophies of life, our interests, and opinions,etc. are what make life in general so wonderful and extraordinary!  I love to learn learn learn!  I just have no interest in doing it in a classroom these days.  Too stifling.  Here's a review of 'The Dream of Reason'.  You might like to find a copy and give it a read.  Or not.  :)  I think this will be a looooong book that i might just save for a summertime day (or a few) on the patio with an iced tea (regular, not Long Island,) or a yummy Strawberry Daiquiri (avec the rum and whipped cream.)  :D

Here's the review..  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anthony-gottlieb/the-dream-of-reason/

I like to think i have control over much of my life.  And the choices i make every day of my life.  Like the fact that i get up early most mornings to walk several miles because it's good for my mind and body both!  Or the fact that i forgo a piece of delicious apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream because it's not so good for my figure.. or more importantly.. my good health.  I posted a couple of months ago about serendipity, and how i think there's a higher being, or at the very least, 'something' more powerful than myself steering me in certain directions.  Putting certain opportunities in my path.. or something..  I just don't know what.  Nature. The natural cycles of the universe.  Then there are the sciences.  Biology.  Physics.  Chemistry.  Fascinating all!  But a scientist i'm definitely not.  Well, i won't draw this out any longer.  Monday evening is coming on fast!  And it's still light out at 5:15 pm.  Now that makes me HAPPY!  lol  Did i decide to be happy??  Maybe.  Maybe it's the neurons.  Perhaps it was predetermined?

Goodnight all!  Have a beautiful evening.  Sending out peace on this Monday, February Twentieth, Twenty Twelve.. M..  for Many Questions..  Picture above taken at what was my Paternal Grandparents' farm (when they were living.)  Not sure who owns it now..  : )  Such a beautiful place.  Would love to walk that path through the meadow again someday...  :)

Three Books to Make Me Ponder..

I've been thinking a lot about war today.  One in particular.  The Great War, or World War I.  Now how did i get from having such a girly girl nail polish/lipstick filled day yesterday to thinking about something so not-uplifting?  Well, to tell the truth i've no idea.  I wonder what makes certain things pop into and out of my mind all the time, and i wish i had answers.  Alas.  So after lunch, i made another voyage to.. ahem.. my favorite bookstore, my Droid and Google in hand, to search out some excellent World War I fiction.  There's nothing wrong with non-fiction history books, per se.  It's just that i prefer well researched fiction with characters i can relate to as opposed to a bunch of facts and dates thrown at me in textbook form.  And if i'm going to read about one of the bloodiest wars ever; i want it to be...  Well, fun is certainly not the right word.  Engrossing maybe?  Mesmerizing?  I want to stay involved until i finish the books.  I don't want them to make me full of anxiety either.  I can see i may need to increase my meditation time.  :)  So on this afternoon book search/trek, i found six books, but i want to tell you about three of them.  I could talk about all, but i don't want to draw this out into Saturday evening!  One of these books i read about ten years ago and loved it.  I want to read it again.  The other two, i've yet to read, but i can talk a little about them even so.

The first one is called "A Very Long Engagement", by Sebastien Japrisot.  I read another book by him a week ago called "Women In Evidence".  Also fantastic.

This novel is part mystery.. a lot of history.. and a profoundly beautiful love story.  It takes place in 1917 France.  Five wounded soldiers are brought to Picardy by their own troops.  Left on the front to die.  It's punishment, but i won't reveal the reason here.  But, by official accounts, these men have been 'killed in the line of duty.'  The truth is kept quiet.  Two years later, Mathilde Donnay receives a letter from a dying soldier hinting that her fiance .. one of the five men left in 'No Man's Land', might still be alive.  She carries out a search for him, and while she travels through France, learns about the true horrors of war.  The book has quite a few scenes that are difficult to read, but they're beautiful in a raw way.  And often the second time i read a novel; i take things away from it that i missed the first time around.  That will likely happen this time too!  Find yourselves a copy, and sit in a quiet, peaceful spot and give it a read.  You won't be sorry.  The events take place during and after World War I, but much of the action in the book can be applied to our present time.  And history, even in fictional form, as you know, can teach us much.


The second book i want to talk a little about is "Burden of Desire", by Robert MacNeil.   If you watched the 'MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour' on PBS, you know that Mr. MacNeil is an intelligent, well spoken investigative journalist.  I've read some of his non-fiction, but never any of his novels.  This is his first novel, published in 1992.  The story begins on December 6, 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  The day a freighter containing high explosives blew up in the harbor.  The explosion levels the North End of Halifax, and while searching through the rubble, a clergyman finds a young woman's diary.  He becomes obsessed with finding her.  I've only read the first few pages, but am looking forward to the rest of the story.  I can tell it's well written and thoughtful.  But it has a different perspective than 'A Very Long Engagement' and is told from a male point of view.  Will be an excellent read i think!

The third book is called 'Regeneration', and it's the first novel in Pat Barker's World War I trilogy.  This will be the most difficult of the three to read, i think.  It's the story of decorated war hero Siegfried Sassoon and his time at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh.  In 1917 Sassoon publicly refused to continue serving in World War I because he thought.. and said.. it was a senseless slaughter.  So he was declared 'mentally unsound', and sent to Craiglockhart to 'recover.'  So to be sent back to battle to likely die.  This book contains no bloody battle scenes.  And it's not a love story.  It's an anti-war novel.  It's only 250 pages long, and i'm betting they're 250 difficult pages to swallow.  But i want to read it.  I need to read it.  Then i want to read the second and third books in the trilogy.. 'The Eye in the Door' and 'The Ghost Road.'  And i'm pretty certain that when i'm finished with these books, i'll wonder why so many humans in this day and age push for war.  I don't want to make this a political post.  But that's something i wonder about often already, and i haven't delved into these stories fully yet!  I know my grandparents wondered.  My paternal grandparents were born in 1903 and 1907 respectively and my maternal grandmother in 1911.  They shook their heads a lot about the Vietnam War.  The Korean War.  My grandfather lived through the first Gulf War.  We younger generations forget i think.  Or we never learned in the first place.  Why is that, i wonder?  Nooooo!  :)  this post is going exactly where i didn't want it to go.  Must stop now!  :)

Have a wonderful Saturday evening all!  Think fun and relaxation.  Party or put your feet up.  Whichever you prefer.  Bye now for this Saturday the Eighteenth of February, Twenty Twelve!  BTMYT for Books That Make You Think!  :D

Sky Love.. and a New Book! Or Two..

I love the sky!  Blue sky.  Gray sky.  Sky full of clouds.  The night sky with the bright (when the clouds don't cover it,) moon and stars.  I love its vastness.  The fact that most often it makes me feel small.  In a good, comforting way.  Makes me realize there are other worlds out there, and that this one is enormous; however, not all there is.  I live a couple thousand miles from my family and many of my friends, but i know that when we look up on a cold winter's night or a scorching summer's night; we see the same sky.  My grandfather taught me about the clouds and weather when i was a young girl.  I wish i'd paid closer attention.  I loved my walks with him and my grandmother around their farm.  Gramps was, in his young days, a Merchant Marine officer and traveled the world.  An expert navigator and 'cloud reader'.  When he married my grandmother, he retired from the Merchant Marine, and they became farmers.  They lived by the weather and natural cycles their whole lives.  When i was a girl, Gramps read to me from National Geographic.. or 'The Geographic' as he called it.  Fascinating!  When i got older and visited, he always asked,  'Have you read the new 'Geographic' yet, Mary Ellen?'  Usually, i hadn't.  I became interested in other kinds of reading when i 'grew up'.  Thought i was too mature for it, or something.  Silly i know.  S and i have subscribed to it for years, and i read each month's issue.  I wonder if my grandfather knows and feels a sense of satisfaction?  :)  Anyway, back to my love of sky and clouds.  I used to know the names of the various clouds and why they formed in a particular way.  That knowledge has been lost unfortunately.  I want it back!  Therefore..

I took myself to Powell's Books (again.)  As i've said before, it's one of the places i lovingly call Paradise, and i bought this little second hand gem for $5.  I need to brush up on the clouds and make my grandfather proud!  It's a tiny book, but fascinating from what i've looked at so far.  By the week's end, i'll be a cloud connoisseur!  I'll have to be careful i don't drive S crazy when we go for walks or drives.  That i don't constantly discuss what kind of clouds i see and what the weather will be like in an hour or so!  Though he likely wouldn't mind.

I love to take photos of the sky too.  Especially if i see something i like, as here.  It was rainy/sunny/sun beginning to set here.  I thought this was beautiful.  Clouds.. even 'rain clouds', are lovelier than just a plain steel gray sky.  Especially at sunrise or sunset.

I think this is beautiful too.  I'm not bragging about my picture taking skills.   All i did was point my Droid camera up at the sky and shoot!  Nature provides the beauty.  But i've no idea what these clouds are named.  I must know.  Must research!  :)  Anyway....

As i mentioned above, i made another trip to Powell's this afternoon.  I like to read three or four books at a time.  Today, while i was perusing the fiction shelves; i found this!

I've read a couple of books by French author and film director Marguerite Duras, but not this particular one.  'The Ravishing of Lol Stein'.  At the beginning, when she is nineteen, Lol Stein's fiance leaves her for an older woman.  Over time, she becomes obsessed with the incident, but she eventually marries and has a family.  In her 30s, Lol moves with her husband back to the town where the betrayal took place.  The book is about love, obsession, disappointment, and finally insanity.  I'm looking forward to reading it.  It was written by Ms. Duras in 1964, when i was one year old.  I adore books from the early to late 60s.  The New York Times said of it.. 'Brilliant... shoots vertical shafts down into the dark morass of human love.'  THIS is my kind of story!  SO looking forward to it.

Well.. i have some sumptuous reading to do!  Goodnight and peace for this Wednesday, the Fifteenth of February, Twenty Twelve.  And every once in awhile when you're spending time out in nature, take a minute to look up at and appreciate the spacious sky!  It's beautiful!  Night.  :)  M...

Book Lover's Heaven!

This afternoon, i spent three whole hours in Paradise.  No.  Not Tahiti or Jamaica, or some other lush, tropical island.  But Powell's Books in Portland, OR.  The biggest independent used and new bookstore in the world.  Really.  It's lush all right.  Not with palm trees or huge tropical birds and flowers.  With books!  A veritable treasure trove of books one can find nowhere else.  Many are not available in local libraries.  Often i enter the store i love with an idea of what i want to purchase.  Most of the time i find the specific book i'm searching for.  Also, most of the time; i leave with many more books than i planned on.  As was the case this afternoon.  I came home with not one.  Not two.  But seven books!  Seven, i've heard, is a lucky number.
When i walked into Powell's this afternoon, i had a specific question in mind.  And i asked it right away.  'I'm looking for fiction that is similar to the PBS show 'Downton Abbey?'  She has been asked that question a few dozen times at least, i'm sure.  And yes.  I'm a Downton Head.  I love that show more than i loved 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' back in the day.  She responded they had quite a few books like that, and pointed me toward their display.  I found a couple.  In case you're interested.. one is called, 'House at Riverton', by Kate Morton, and the other is called 'River of Darkness', by Rennie Airth.  Both look like excellent reads.  But as usual, i couldn't just leave Powell's.  I had to peruse every. aisle.  I found a few other jewels in my travels through the 'hallways'.  One in particular i can't wait to begin!  It's called 'Women in Evidence', by Sebastien Japrisot.

And yeah.  The cover is actually blurry.  :)  The picture anyway.  I took the pic before i had a Friday evening glass of Pinot Noir.. not after.  :D  So no tipsy-ness here.  A few years back, i read 'A Very Long Engagement' by the same author, and it was fabulous.  I love historical fiction!  This story takes place during World War II.  In many locations around the world.  It starts with a man dying on a deserted beach at sunset of a gunshot wound.  His story is told by the eight women who loved him.  This man has a different identity in each of the eight stories.  Will have to write a post about it when i'm finished.  I think it will be quite an absorbing read!

Have a wonderful weekend all!  And remember.. Spring is fast approaching.  Season of renewal and love that starts, at least according to my personal calendar, with the holiday of love.  Valentine's Day!  Will say goodnight for this Friday, February Tenth, Twenty Twelve.  M  :)

21! Twenty One! :)

Tomorrow..  February the Ninth, Twenty Twelve, my love S and myself will celebrate 21.. (twenty one!) years together!  Wow.  The years have absolutely flown by.  And we met on .. of all things.. a BLIND DATE!  I'd been on countless blind dates before February 9, 1991.  Thanks to many well- intentioned friends who evidently couldn't stand to see me 'alone'.  I'd had a few boyfriends over the years, but at that point, I was happy being single.  I know.  I know.  No one believed me then either.  I think i explained in a post i made here a couple of months ago a few details about how my man and i met.  How the circumstances were quite serendipitous.  I'll go through it quickly here in case it's not new to you.  I worked in a tiny office (cubicle) back then that was adjacent to my good friend Sue's office.  Sue lived in an apartment next door to S.  One early morning, Sue peeked over our shared cubicle wall, and said.. 'Hey Mary.  I know a guy...'  I immediately thought.  Geezzzz!  Here we go again!  Struggled not to let my eyes roll back to my forehead.  I'd sworn to myself, that for the sake of my own good mental health and well-being, that i'd NEVER go out on another blind date.  Ever.  She persuaded me.  I have to admit, i fell in 'love at first sight.'  S and i have been together ever since.  I fell in love with his brilliant mind first.  I mean before i fell in love with his eyes and body.  I know.  I know.  No one believed me then either.  I won't bore you with sappy details about how we were made for each other and all.  We really were made for each other, by the way.  At least that's what i believe.  I'm a romantic at heart.  Valentine's evening was our second date.  Hearts.  Flowers.  Love!  Happy sigh.  But the ninth has always been our special day.  'A Week after Groundhog Day'.. S calls it.  So i'll share a pic with you of one of the anniversary gifts i received from him early.  It's gorgeous.  :)

Beautiful isn't it?  Green Nevada turquoise.  I love it.  Turquoise is one of the first ancient protection amulets.  Brings peace into the home.  He doesn't know any of those things.  He's the hard scientist/mathematician in this household.  He just knew i'd like the ring.    He's always had excellent taste!

Well this is a shortie post.  Just wanted to check in.  We're hanging out together watching OPB.  Reading.  Quiet things.  Our nights were not so quiet and calm 21 years ago.  Not that we were insane, mind you.  But we didn't go to bed by 10:30-11:00.  We went 'out' a lot more.  Now the going out thing is mainly reserved for weekends.  But that's more than fine with us.  I'll see you all on Friday.  Goodnight for this February Eighth, Twenty Twelve.  M.. for Many Hearts & Flowers!  Yeah, sappy sappy sappy.  But i just couldn't help myself...

Magnificent Cheese & Scrumptious Chocolate!

Woohoo!  It's Double C day here on MML!  C number 1 for Cheese, and C number 2 for Chocolate.  Or the other way around if you prefer.  My two favorite C things in the world.  What a way to begin a week!  (Yes, i realize that Sunday is officially the first day of the seven day week, but i prefer to 'start' my week on Monday.  Especially after yesterday.  It was a lazy, super duper lazy Sunday in this house.  With the Super Bowl and all.  Too much great TV.  And as i mentioned in last night's post, 'Downton Abbey' was on.  I mean.. i absolutely could NOT miss that.  And believe me, i 'never' sit in front of the TV machine that much.  But wait, i guess i can't say never anymore, can i?  And tonight, another fabulous fav of mine is on.  'Antiques Roadshow'!  Also on PBS.  Seems to me i cannot live without my PBS(OPB).  There i go again.  Must get back to chocolate and cheese!

Last week, i tried a delicious kind of cheese that i think you all would love.  It's called Petit Basque.  Or sometimes, P'tit Basque.  It's a yummy, hard sheep's milk cheese made in France in the Pyrenees Mountains.  The mountains that form the beautiful border between France and its neighbor, Spain.  I've never seen that area but in photographs.  I hope to get there someday relatively soon.  But those i know who've been tell me it's breathtaking.  This is a modern French cheese.  Not a few hundred years old like many French cheeses i adore.  Its year is 1997.  So, VERY new in terms of cheese!  It's a beautiful, buttery yellow, and has a slightly oily feel.  And its scent is divine.  And i hope you won't shy away from it because it's a sheep's milk cheese.  You'll be missing out.  :)  I got S to sample a little, and he loves it.  He crinkled his nose a little, and said... SHEEP'S milk cheese?'  And i said, yes honey.  Try it.  You'll like it!  And voila!  He DOES like it.  And he can be rather little-boyish sometimes when it comes to trying new foods.  Meat and potatoes man that he is.  Petit Basque has a slightly nutty flavor.  Yummy!  I tried a little Sauvignon Blanc with a piece, and i was in Heaven!  The world of cheese is a beautiful place indeed..  Here's a pic.  Today i purchased just a small wedge.  After yesterday's over indulgence in food and sitting on my arse, i figured i'd take the pic and wrap the bugger back up for a later date.  And yep.  That's what i did.  But it was not easy.  It looked so... buttery and delicious.

Mmmmmmmm... Cheese!  I know last time, i, posted about a French cheese also.  And i was going to write about cheese from a different place this time.. but.  Today, this is my fav.  I promise you'll fall in love.  And you know, Valentine's Day is super close!  And i think, and am certain many would agree, that cheese is as yummy a V-Day gift as chocolate.  Really!

And well, speaking of divine chocolate, i sampled a 'new' kind over the weekend.  New to me anyway.  The wrapper is.. pink.  One of my favorite colors.  I know i shouldn't judge a 'book' by its cover.  But this particular time, my instincts were correct.  (as they so often are.)  :)  It's called Theo chocolate, and it's made in Seattle.  Their motto is.. "Theo Chocolate, because chocolate grows on trees."  It's Fair Trade and organic.  I was sold.

See?  Pretty.  And it's just as delicious as it is pretty on the outside.  Salted almond dark.  Wonderful flavor.  And creamy.  Yes!  Super melt-in-your-mouth so.

And there it is in all its chocolatey glory!  I wrapped it up and put it away, because as i said above, i WAY overindulged yesterday.  And i'll NOT undo all my hard work.  You know, getting up those early mornings and walking miles.  I love putting those miles on and taking pounds off, and it will not be for naught!  :D

Wow, i just looked up and it's dark out there!  But the days are slowly getting longer, and the lovely Vernal Equinox is right around the corner.  Have a beautiful rest of your Monday all!  And try to take the time to stop and smell some chocolate or cheese.  Or both if you have a mind.  Sending out peace & love this Monday, February Sixth, Twenty Twelve!  CC.. for.. well, you know..  :D

Mysteries, Mysterious Kitties and Blue Sky!

I spent most of this blue sky gorgeous Friday at the local library.  It's one of my favorite places in the Universe in any kind of weather.  A dark rainy winter's day.  A clear scorcher of a summer's day.  Because i love books all the time, and the library has delicious air conditioning.  And on a 90 degree August day; it feels magnificent!  Anyway, i'd love to spend a night at the library by myself with all those books, magazines, etc.  You know.. take a sleeping bag, overnight bag, toothbrush!  Fuzzy kitty slippers maybe.  How dreamy.  Find a comfy chair and read the night away.  Snooze a little between books.  I think murder mysteries would be my choices for this wish-come-true night.  Not psychological thrillers so much as Agatha Christie/ Ngaio Marsh whodunnits.  Perfect.  Not gory, but spooky and fun.  Kind of like ghost stories around a campfire, but stories just for me.  No other humans present.  Only shadows!  Muahahahaha!   I'm on a mystery kick lately!  I love literary fiction, but just am not in the mood for it this chilly February.  The thing with mysteries, is that the bad guy/woman always gets what's coming to him/her in the end.  I adore that.  It may not be realistic, but i'm a sucker for a happy ending now and then!  Just like in an excellent love story, there are obstacles to be overcome, but....  And in a good suspense novel, there is usually a good bit of investigating to be done.  A few wrong turns taken.  Before the culprit is apprehended.  And then the payoff is excellent.  Justice for all!  So, since i can't spend all night at the paradise that is my public library, i borrowed these today.  Great weekend and beyond reading!

Fabulous mysteries all!  I can't wait to get started!  Thing is.. which one to read first?  I'm thinking the P.D. James or Cara Black!  A Ngaio Marsh?  Hers are spectacular.  Much like Ms. Christie's, but Ms. Marsh was very much her own writer.  Sigh.  Decisions decisions.  But this kind of choice makes me smile inside.  Such great reading is one of life's greatest pleasures!  Perhaps i'll read some literary fiction next month...  :D

Another thing that made me supremely happy today was the beautiful blue sky!  What a day this Friday was.  Temperatures in the mid-fifties.  I took my layered winter jacket apart and started the day doing errands in just the fleece!  And ended up in a long sleeved shirt.  (And jeans of course.  I wasn't just clothed on top.)  Fabulous!  What a splendid feeling of freedom.  Not quite like shorts and bare feet.  But we're getting there all!  The time is coming.

See?!  Now how gorgeous is that?!  I think that's my favorite shade of blue right there.  How can one not be filled with happiness to see that sky?

And our kitties.  Well, they always make me happy.  Snickers has a way of 'hiding' on me.  It's adorable.  She finds these spots and watches me walk by.  And she's not up high.  She's down low, and can only see my feet.  She thinks if she can't see me; i can't see her.

Can you see her?  LOL!  And she loves boxes.  To be on top of them.  Inside them.  Beside them!  What is it about felines and boxes?  They're just so darn cute.  (The cats.  Not the boxes.)

Have a fabulous weekend all!  Goodnight this Friday the Third of February, Twenty Twelve.  M for Mysteries Aplenty!  Be back soon.