Sunday, May 27, 2012

Just so darn tired.....

Talk about discrimination!  When little kids are tired, they just drop where they are.....they don't care one bit what someone will think.  Of course when you're little....most responses are, "oh, isn't that cute".  Just try falling asleep somewhere out in public when you're all grown up!  You'll get tagged as being an addict of some sort at the least. Nobody will ever think of the word, "cute".  But, I'm getting away from my original thoughts here.

I have been so darn tired lately. I can't remember being this tired in a long time. I just had a checkup with blood work done and I seem to be ok.  Or as ok as an old broad like me can be anyway.  So I guess I will just have to blame it on the weather. It gets blamed for most everything else....so why not me being lethargic too?

I live in an area where temps go to extremes in a very short period of time. We who live here sort of take it as normal "for here".  It can be in the 90's one day and cold enough to turn on the heat the next day. This year seems to really be playing with our patience. We've lost quite a few flowers because it was so warm (hot) early and they popped up out of the ground, only to get smacked down a week later by frost.  If this plays hell on flowers and produce, think what it's doing to OUR systems!  So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  At least until I can find a better scapegoat.

I've been working more hours lately and not getting enough done at home, which makes me constantly feel guilty.....constantly telling myself I should've gotten this done or that done.  I used to take horrible guilt trips when I was younger but now I don't get on those trains anymore. I just take short rides of guilt, then talk myself out of it and grab a book to read......or check listings for any good movies coming up. I once spent a whole weekend in front of my TV watching a NCIS Marathon. Every time I started to feel guilty I smacked myself out of it. I love those shows!!!  Speaking of which....did anyone see the last one?  Looks like they're getting rid of Ducky....the last show left us with him laying on the beach, having had a heart attack, and no one around him to help......while back at home a bomb set off near headquarters where Abby and McGee were wayyyyy too close.  Talk about a cliffhanger!

Well, I just wanted to check in so those few loyal readers (bless your hearts) that I still have won't think I just decided to up and quit.  I once....well, probably more than once.....said that boring wasn't really so bad and actually was preferred to drama.....and I still maintain that position. It's been boring, but that also means peaceful.  Hmmmmm do you suppose that the absence of drama has made me sleepy?  Nah.

Check back.....I'll see what I can dig up for you; the summer is just starting.  In the meantime, keep smilin'.  It makes everyone wonder what you've been up to.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Books and more books

I am a book lover. I have hundreds of hardbound books and have read all but 30 or so.....some of them two or three times just because I'm in love with the characters.

I grew up in a rural environment and the closest library was about 8 miles away. I have delightful vivid memories of being dropped off at that library and spending hours there. The huge old Victorian style house that was used as the public library had a charisma that was a magnet for book lovers like me.

As soon as you entered, the fragrance that only thousands upon thousands of books could create would envelope you.  That and the underlying aroma of wax....perhaps Murphy's Oil Soap..... all contributed to the homey feel of the place. The wooden floors creaked softly as you browsed from one shelf to another. No elevators here.....you had to walk up stairs in this three story sanctuary of the written word and I believe each stair had its own unique creak as you ascended. There were over-stuffed chairs here and there where one could curl up with a book for a while. Everyone spoke in hushed tones as respect hung heavily in the air. My library card had a small metal plate with numbers on it and I felt so grown up having that in my possession.

That library was eventually torn down and replaced with a new modern, sleek building. I always found it cold and never stayed long as it was not inviting at all.

Hardbound books are expensive new and although nothing beats the fragrance of a new book, most of mine have been purchased used. I used to get them at book sales put on by the library and at garage sales. In later years I purchased the books used from online sellers.  I have cut way back on doing that as the postage to mail them has increased to the point where it doesn't make much sense to pay more to have it shipped than what you paid for the book itself.

That being said, I have to tell you that in years of buying used books, I have found some interesting things inside the books themselves. To name a few, I have found bookmarks, grocery lists, jokes, flyers advertising sales or shows, a picture of a toddler, a pressed flower, ticket stubs and the best find was three brand new one-dollar bills.

I recently bought 4 used books and one of them is coming from the United Kingdom, which is a first for me. The seller has stated that it will be the middle of June before I receive it. I'm hoping that maybe I will find something unique hidden between its pages. I found it rather interesting that the book was not available used in the U.S. in hardcover, only in paperback. I don't purchase paperbacks because after a few years they tend to fall apart. 

Have you ever found something interesting in a book?  I once found a letter in a library book and sent it back to its original owner. She wrote back and we became pen pals for a while.