Archives for September 2009

I read. A LOT. My love of reading is something that I have treasured my whole life – from when I was a kid reading the old Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood (which my dad’s wife recommended because she loved them when she was a girl), to when I moved on to the Ramona series, to anything by Judy Blume, to the big vast world of books I read now.

My taste in books is not necessarily high-brow, nor would I call every book I read “thought provoking” – but I read these days mainly for enjoyment. I read because it’s an escape. I read because I relish the the words on the page and the time someone spent crafting just the perfect series of words to create a new world that exists only between those two covers (Unless, of course, some genius decides to ruin it by making it into a movie). I read because at the end of the day, there is no better way to relax and slow down the thoughts running through my brain to ensure I can fall asleep.

I. LOVE. TO. READ.

My love of reading is why I felt confident that I could make a lofty goal like, “Oh sure, I’ll read 250 books in 1,001 days.” Ouch. A lot of people have asked if I’m nuts and the short answer is, Maybe so – but I still believe this is an attainable goal. I’ve read 66 books so far (January through August) and am midway through number 67, so if I’m averaging about eight books a month, I don’t think it’s impossible.

I used to get twitchy if I ran out of books – which is probably what stemmed my whacky magazine addiction (I subscribe to MANY MANY MANY and I still pick some up on the newstand if the cover appeals to me). Right now, though, the likelihood of running out of books is pretty slim because I keep buying books to add to my pile – when I haven’t read the ones already waiting in line. I have about 14 books on deck right now, and several magazines as well. And yeah, “The Count of Monte Cristo” is on that pile. I think I may have to give up on that one and replace it with another “classic” for my 101 list.

Do you like reading? What are you reading now? Any good books on deck? Recommendations for me (because, yeah – my tower ISN’T QUITE TALL ENOUGH. I need more books).

Underneath my deck lives a bunch of dirt. There are shovels and holes from my daughters’ ditch-digging play (I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing, but I hope they find fossils for a millions year old allosaurus that we can sell to a museum for beaucoup bucks). There are weeds, there is grass, and there might even be s-n-a-k-e-s down there (I’ve never seen one, but it’s just the kind of place a yucky snake would live, and I’m certainly not wanting to trip over one).

But today, while walking outside with Pumpkin I saw a flash of color. I ducked beneath the deck (it wasn’t made for me to be walking underneath it, for sure), and found a sunflower.

We didn’t plant it.

We didn’t water it (thanks Mother Nature for all that rain, bee tee dubs).

There’s not even any exposure to sun under the deck.

And yet it grows.

And from this my mind can spin on forever.

It makes me think that you should always keep your eyes open because there’s beauty to be found in the least expected places. That even where once there was only dirt, sometimes flowers grow – that you can start with dirt and even unaided, with no deliberate help, amazing things can bloom.

Or sometimes a flower is just a flower. I don’t know. I’ve had no coffee today and I’ve been muddled up with a migraine.

But man, it’s pretty.

And now I will go back to ignoring it so it doesn’t die.