Friday, December 08, 2006

Odds and Ends

Today was a day of odds and ends, little errands none of which are worth blogging about. There was a marvelous sunset this evening but I didn't have my camera to record it. So I resolved that tomorrow at 4:00 I'll be out there camera in hand to see if there will be a repeat performance. I was trying to figure out why these cold days make for such great sunsets. My best guess is that it has something to do with how far south the sun is in the sky this time of the year. The winter solstice is in two weeks. This makes me glad I don't live in Finland or Alaska right now. I would miss the sun too much.
I bought a couple of books today. Buying books and reading them are more of an addiction than blogging. After all, I arrived at blogging only a few months ago. I started reading around age 5 and never looked back (or up from the books). When I was a kid I had a reputation for always having my nose in a book. I was the little kid who would bring home 10 books from the library and read them all in a weekend. At one point, I started going through the children's literature section at A and kept working forward. I didn't read every book on the shelf, only the ones that looked good to me.
The poetry meme got me thinking about books I read as a kid. I used to like reading biographies written for children. I liked reading about inventors and especially admired Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. I also read about Christopher Wren and George Washington Carver. I haven't turned out like any of these childhood heroes but I still read biographies. Now I tend to read the stories of dysfunctional people and their families. Is it that I relate or that I want to understand and/or heal them all?
Tonight's reads are Diane Ackerman (I'm only on page 16) and some poems of Mary Oliver. The book jacket calls Ms. Oliver "one of the most celebrated and best-selling poets in America." Never heard of her until I found her book in Border's. If I'm going to catch up on my poetry education, I have some work to do. I also have to crochet a few more rows in the square I'm making for an afghan. This kid I know is making an afghan as a charity project and asked for donations. I'm trying to finish it by Sunday but it is going a little slowly.

2 comments:

Debo Blue said...

Your blog reminded me of my childhod when I too was that little girl who had 4-5 books checked out of the library at one time and having to remember poetry.

Back then it was mysteries and foreign cultures. Nowadays it's business tomes. Your blog has inspired me to pick up a book on culture next time I'm in Barnes & Noble or the library.

p said...

I'm compelled to comment that this post feels the most fluid and natural of them all. Just seems like a stream of writing and its interesting to read about another persons' relationship with the written word. I like that you talk about books as much as you do. thanks!