Moody Monday: Weepy

Moody Monday: Weepy"Tear of the Green Giant"

My Sunday Lit.

I just finished up to the end "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver. I am saying that because I had not been able to do so the first time. I had been in need of a different kind of read at the time. Sometimes it is worth the wait to really appreciate a book. This book is hiding behind its fiction stories real and important facts about the environment, life as a farmer, new and traditional ways, views of farming,and rules of the wild. The book is looking at the different lives of people living in the Zebulon Mountains of Virginia. Three different situation separated by titles as "Predators", "Old Chestnut" and "Moth Love". Some of the characters most of them are related some how by their past, present and future lives. A fantastic structure for a book. One that reminds me of Wilkie Collins in his "Woman in White" novel. Also used by Kingsolver in her "Poisonwood Bible" and "Animal Dreams". I like the differences in the language of the narrators. My favorite is this old man who is not really in tune with his actions and sentiments but "gets it" at the end against his best judgement. The underlying teaching of science of botany, ecology, religions, respect of human ideas, all that is also masterfully done. I finish this book with being more knowledgeable and having a better educated opinion of many subjects and I am sad to have to let those characters live on their fictitious lives without me.

Happy Gobble Gobble Day

Those might still be running wild somewhere and that makes me thankful. It also makes me thankful that one is roasting in my oven right now and that I will eat it soon with Curt,my companion of 28 years, Paul my son (if he shows up on time), Emily my daughter and her boyfriend Travis (who cooked all morning), Lorraine who is such a dear friend, and Collin who is Lorraine's son and that lights up my life every time I am close to him. Of Course Gaia is on guard for anything that could potentially fall.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone. There is so much to be Thankful for, isn't it?

Ruby Tuesday

"Ruby Don"

Moody Monday: Shy

"Vaguely There"

Part of Moody Monday

Being Under a Spell, a Cold Spell!

Pixie dust doesn't do it for me as I have never seen any, but I like to be under a Cold Spell. When the temperature is 0F, you can start seeing the air freezing in mid air, add a little ray of sun to it and you have a Cold Spell. Just as tiny fireflies of the North those little crystal of fancy just for the true amazement of the moment start appearing in front of your eyes. Makes one want to dance among them.

Hello Sunshine!

The sun is hitting my face this morning like a shot of caffeine. It was hiding for hours behind the mountain and at once a spot shines on me. Like on queue I am animating all my senses into making a stretch of "welcome to you your majesty". My sun salutation is rewarded by a bit of warmth coming from the window. A bit of life. A bit of change. A bit of fun. A bit of light. A bit of time. A bit of wealth. A bit of luck. A bit of awe. Only few minutes and it will all be gone again behind other mountains, playing tricks on my hibernating brain. So for now and now not only I am taking in my vitamins and counting my blessings.

Ruby Tuesday

RUBY TUESDAY

"Rubynesque"

"Falling Ruby"

Moody Monday: Whimsical

MOODY MONDAY

"Whimsical"

"Dancing in the Street"

"Wintry Cupboard"

My notebooks and such!

A couple of my blog visitors asked me to show some of my journals, sketchbooks and such. So I have taken pictures of few... of them and will just make a little random showcase of the whole lot. Those are reflecting 15 years of Alaska. I don't have really specific ones for specific tasks... not surprise at all by that if you know me as I don't like to organize my life in predictable ways. Nonetheless of course I do have some watercolor "carnets" for painting and I even have one that I give myself challenges associated with books that I read about colors. I do have a good memory though on where things are, sure.

What I lack is memory for names so I write those down in my notebooks along with my doodles, quotes, sketches, movie stubs, books and authors, ideas for future quilts poems, thoughts and the lists and such go on and on... not to forget the journal entries of what is happening in my head, my heart, my life, my ideas, it all translate into this pile of personal memoirs.

I hope that you have fun watching those images.

Ruby Tuesday

Visit to the Local Library helps, or does it?

Well now that our Local Library is so conveniently located, I am going there every chance I get. Is that good? Well it is excellent to satisfy my hunger to read and collect everything that I can get in my two arms to carry out so... I have a lot of books started and that makes my evenings very very busy!

Because of those great book bloggers out there that are opening my eyes to new authors, poets, new books of already well known authors and etc. I only have to input from home directly online to the Anchorage Library website for my "plat du jour" and here I am with many "dishes" waiting for me on the "holding" shelf at the Chugiak/ Eagle River Branch with my name inserted ready to be eaten, no reheating necessary. So convenient! I was first very annoyed by our branch being closed on Sundays and Mondays, I am now happy about it: For two days I don't have the option for a quick visit to see what is new.

Anyway my last "loot" included Carl Sandburg's selected poems. That was a real treasure. Did not know him before and I love his poetry. Here is a short one to give you "l'eau a la bouche":

I Sang

I sang to you and the moon

But only the moon remembers.

I sang

O reckless free-hearted

free throated rhythms,

Even the moon remembers them

And is kind to me.

I also got Ana Castillo's "Watercolor Women Opaque Men". I fell in love with the cover by artist Rufino Tamayo. I had seen it at the Phoenix Art Museum once. It is a memoir in verse and gives me a little view of what it is to be a Mexican picking seasonal fare in the USA. How it was to grow up from imigrants without money to speak of but how love substained them. I am just at the beginning and it really is easy to pick up and leave because of the short sections devoted to one subject at a time.
Another memoir but this time this woman is an famous editor (unknown to me until few days ago) Diana Athill: "Somewhere towards the end". Love the title and love the way she confines the very personal moments in her life in such a casual, honest way. I am enjoying that one too very much. Margaret from Bookplease introduced me to her.

Then "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters was practically lifting its arms at me to be taken... It was short listed for The Booker Man Prize this year. That is going to be scary!!!

I am finishing "Nocturnes" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Short stories. Not my favorite not because of the author but because of the characters and the difficulties I had to look at the human behaviors in his stories. You wish never to know any of those people. They are so pathetic. No back bones and are as fickle as fickle can be even when they have talent they lack the self esteem and assurance that they need to succeed. Nevertheless I am reading it with interest and I am learning as I do. Can't help feeling pity and I don't like that feeling at all. I did a lot of head shaking. Maybe that is why I have had vertigo for two days now...ahahha.

I have started "Company of Liars" by Karen Maitland and I am time traveling to the dark Middle Ages it seems where a group of people are connecting, the Black Death is spreading in England. Different century same mistrust and same problems so far but also same hope of better days ahead. I do enjoy the rhythm of the language between those people. It is said to be a different version of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I have never read that so cannot comment on it but I am planning on doing so in the future to see the difference. Should be interesting.

Then I am still working on The Children's Book. In between all this I have read some comic novels and parts of the new Muriel Barbery's "Gourmet Rhapsody" that one is in the car. In a nut shell it is the story of "the" gourmet critique in Paris that is about to die and cannot remember one flavor, so recollects his life in order to remember what is missing. So far that what it looks like. Each short chapter gives a memoir of this man mixed with other people's memoirs of him.

I am instantly in need of food after reading some pages of that book.

I will have to bring my camera with me next time I go to the library so I can post some pictures of this inviting little place. They do have the best little wooden chairs that I fit in perfectly. I am very short as you all know. I like that, about the chair that is. Well I don't mind being short either except when I don't have a chair that fits me. I do like my comfort.

Happy Reading

Moody Monday: Playful

Playful Pauly, Perfect Pair

for a Moody Monday

Ruby Tuesday and the Morning after the Full Moon

Those are my pictures for Ruby Red Tuesday. Don't forget to go visit the other participants by using the link.

Yesterday was Full Moon. We have had temperatures around the low 20's so the air was crisp and clean. A bit challenging for me to capture any kind of image in the outdoors... but, this morning, I finally did.

So this is: "The Morning After the Full Moon"

Stay warm everyone. Find a few good book, keep the kettle on for the tea, stay close to the fresh baked breads (Thanks Jennifer!) and cookies (Thanks Paul!) and wait until Spring to come out of hibernation.