Quote for the Week

Be with someone that makes you happy.

Books of February (A Little Late)

The story of the daughter of an immigrant family growing up and finding herself in the early 20trh century.  Pretty good, but I don't think Anita Diamont has ever written anything to equal The Red Tent.

Yes, this book has been optioned for a major motion picture starring Matt Damon, but don't read it unless you want exhaustive explanations of how this lone astronaut survives by putting things together, building things, etc.  Don't read it if you want character development.  We never learn how this guy really feels about being left alone on Mars.  Don't read it if you want a lot of tension and excitement; you know the ending from page 1.  Are you guessing I didn't like it?  I felt obligated to finish it because it was a book club read.

Yes, Virgil's Aeneid.  I'm taking a continuing ed. course at Rice University.  The lecturer, Dr. Markos, is so engaging, I would take his course if he talks about anything, even dirt.  As it is, I love the Aeneid.  I read it in high school Latin and again several times as an adult (in English).  I also love taking courses at Rice on spring evenings.  It's a lovely setting.

If anyone has any suggestions for good books, leave them in the Comments section.

Happy reading!

Ten Things that Makr me Happy #10

I saved my children till last.  Born 2 1/2 years apart, they are totally different.  When she was small, Lori tried very hard to make her brother disappear.  No luck.  She hid his comfort toy in the bushes--we found it years later--and once she egged him on to lipstick my bedroom.  (They both got in deeep trouble.)

 

Now that they are middle-aged adults, they are very close.  They confide in each other, support each other, advise one another.  They offer me advice, too; sometimes unwanted, sometimes appreciated.  They still have very different attitudes and interests but they put those aside for each other.

 

I'm lucky that they both live in Houston, and if I have to move in with one of them if I sell my house too early to move to my new apartment, I'm glad they both like cats.

 

 

Other Things that Make Me Happy



Sunsets

Looking at the sky on a clear night

Walking on the beach (seriously!)

Eating coffee ice cream, my comfort food 

Curling up with a book (or a Kindle) on a rainy day

Watching sports on TV

Shopping

Museums

Restaurants

Listening to CD's of The Great Courses in my car

Exchanging our Chicken Crossing the Road picture every 6 months with my best    friend from high school (Yes, we're still crazy after all these years.) 

Ten Things that Make Me Happy #9

Friends

 

I'm fortunate to have so many friends--high school friends (elementary school, too) college friends, speech pathologist friends and others I've made through the years.  I'm not much of a party person, but I love getting together with small groups, going out to dinner and talking. 

 

 

If I had to pick a best friend, I'd choose my sister.  We're seven years apart so we weren't close when we were children.  We were always in different stages of our lives, but since we've been grown, we love to get together even if it's just on the phone.  We like to travel together and have an ongoing Scrabble tournament on our trips. (I always used to win, but either I'm losing it or she's getting better because now we're about even.)  $2.00 a game--we're not big gamblers.  Next fall we're going on a cruise on one of those big ships that have 27 restaurants and hundreds of passengers. I can't wait.  Meanwhile, I'm brushing up on my Scrabble skills.

 

 

I have a milestone birthday coming up in May and I'm asking all my friends to send me memories of me and them.  People always get together after funerals and share memories of the person who's gone, but I figure why wait?  I want to enjoy the memories while I can.

 

 

 

Treasure your friends because they are the greatest treasures you can have.