Wisdom

 

A book is a thread that ties us together over hundreds of years & through millions of hands, & yet it can still be as relevant as the day it was published.

                        ... Z2Z

Me On A Monday - March 25th

Good Morning.  Today is the 25th of March so that means .... 9 months today is Christmas.  There I said it. 😂

So much going on, it's difficult whether we should talk about it or not.  So I will, talk about it.  Maybe even rant a little.

I was, like many, quite shocked at the news from Catherine, Princess of Wales.  Cancer is such an ugly disease.  I thought the video she created was very well done, very regal of her & a very difficult message to deliver.  I was impressed that the background at Windsor Castle was of daffodils, the universal floral representation of the cancer societies around the world. 

I felt that she was rather forced into making this very public announcement of an extremely private situation because of the recent online bullying & the breach of her private medical records.  SHAME.  

Shame on the news agencies both online & in paper for prompting the unspeakable frenzy around Catherine's where abouts, & about William's fidelity. Shame on news talk show hosts such as Piers Morgan, demanding Catherine release the original photo from the Mothering Sunday photo.  It was a photo, not a crime on humanity.  Shame on celebrities, nighttime talk show hosts, for mocking Catherine. Not feeling so funny now, are you?  Especially disgusted by the women of an American daytime talk tv show (disclaimer, I do not watch, but saw the segment on the news).

I am disappointed by many female stars' comments & social media posts, especially in light of the recent International Women's Day when so many of these click bait stars touted messages of support for our fellow women. Where was your support for Catherine?  Shame!  

But what makes me saddest, is that much of the general public, for all the touting of support, are the ones clicking on these conspiracies' posts, giving accreditation to the creators; for those watching, listening & buying trash news shows/magazines.  It certainly felt familiar to the times Diana, Princess of Wales had to endure.  I am so upset with a few of the regular British news shows I watched & listened to that "we" are now on a break. Not sure if & when I'll return to their shows. 

Please let's give Catherine, woman, wife, mother, the time, space & privacy she requires.  We don't know when & if we ourselves will one day require the same.

Wisdom

Think not of the fragility of life, but the power of books, when mere words can change our lives by simply being next to each other.

                ... Kamand Kajoun

Me On A Monday - March 18th

Good Morning all.  What a change in weather, one day we are breaking temperature high records for that March day & then it's cold, windy & snow flurries.  I cannot keep up. Thankfully being a life time Ontario resident, I know this time of year is all about dressing in layers as the temperatures & weather change multiply times in one day.

Currently Watching: we finished easily the one series wonder, Chasing Shadows.  We are so disappointed that there wasn't a second series. We have watched series one of Trial & Retribution.  We will give a look to series 2.

Currently Reading: started The Recipe Box.  I'm having trouble connecting to the main character in what seems like such a predictable plot. I will continue on with hopes of being engaged.  Just a few pages left to read for No Two People, and then I have a blank time of books waiting at the library.  I do have about 4-5 books on my "holds" list but either the books are newly published & the library is waiting to get their copies or in the case of two books, very popular & a long list of waiting.

Currently 100 Day Project: still doing a little bit of crafting each day, but plan on some chunks of time this week as I have some birthday cards to make & get in the mail.  I've kind of stalled on a few of the other PHDs, one that is easy - the labeling the year of past albums.  I'm still not sure if I like the stamped year label or the printed out on the computer label.  I want a unified look.  The Covid album is now sorted into a box that has all the photos, paper & embellishments that I am going to use.  I think there are 7 pages to finish. I was very glad at the time that I had made lots of notes about the what, the why & the feelings that go with some of the photos, so those pages should be easy to finish.  I now feel that it was a wise decision to abandon a whole bunch of photos & paper clippings that would just add bulk but no real weight to my Covid pandemic story.  

Currently Intrigued: I read an article from a decorating site that talks about HUSHING your home.  The thought is that you do one room at a time & other than heavy furniture pieces, you take everything out of the room, that is hushing the room - store everything elsewhere from the room & leave empty for 24 -48 hours. Then you return to the room, sit in the room & decide what you really want to put back. What you don't want back in the room, you get rid of.  Here' a link to an article about Home Hushing Trend

 I also listened to a podcast from a woman that is an experienced declutter-er. She said often where people get stuck or stalled or give up at is when there are too many decisions to make.  She gave the example that perhaps you have 25 items in a pile of decision; keep, give away. Her example was of that 25-item pile what were the things she really wanted to keep. For her there were 3 things she wanted to keep, so that reduced the decision making of not having to decide about each of the items. Once she picked the 3 items (3 decisions) the rest was no decision other than where to get rid of.   

Not sure either of these methods are for me, maybe, but I do find it interesting to think about things differently.

I'll leave you with a decluttering thought from one of the decluttering experts ... your home is not a storage unit. 

Wisdom

 If a book told you something at age fifteen, it will tell you again when you are age fifty, although you may understand it so differently, it may seem as though you are reading a whole new book.

                                ... Ursula K. Le Guin

Me On A Monday - March 11th

 Good Morning.  I hope that everyone had a good week & weekend & ready to start another week.  We moved our clocks forward this weekend by one hour; spring ahead. 

Currently Reading:  No Two People, by Erica Bauermeister. Not too far into it, but so far I am really enjoying the book, the characters & the plot line. The title is taken from the Writings of Madam Swetchine, "no two persons ever read the same book, or saw the same picture". From the jacket of the book "that was the beauty of books, wasn't it? They took you places you didn't know you needed to go..."  Couldn't agree more.

Currently Watching: series 13 of Vera. Sad that it is only 3 episodes. So only one to go. But glad that there will be a series 14.  We also watched Murder is Easy. No, not a favourite.  We found the acting very stifled & stiff.  

Currently Pleased:  I was so happy to see the photo shared on Mothering Sunday of our Princess of Wales, Catherine, with the children.  She looks well, maybe a little pale, but did my heart good to see her beautiful smiling self again.  

SOURCE: Internet (photo taken by Prince William)

Wisdom

 A Book Shop Is The Only Piece Of Evidence We Have, That People Are Still Thinking.

                            ... The Bookshelf

Me On A Monday - March 4th

 

Good Morning.  Weather wise a bit of a crazy time; temperatures fluctuating by 15 degrees within a 3-hour window on Wednesday; at 11am it was +11 degrees by 1pm it was -4. Snow, then rain & now the forecast for this week are temperatures set to break records with a warming trend.  It is, in my opinion, definite signs of climate change.  March, in this part of the world, came in like a lamb.  Forecast is March will leave like a lion.  

So other than some weather chit chat, I've got nothing.  I'll share a few things that made me chuckle out loud this past week. A few of these actually happened to me. 

1.  I hate it when healthy me goes shopping, because right now chubby me wants a snack.

2. Welcome to adulthood; you get mad when they rearrange your grocery store.

3. I hate it when I go into the kitchen for something to eat & all I find are ingredients.

4. Nothing says middle age more than sending a text after a night out, that says, "here's the soup recipe I was talking about".

5. Kuchisabishii:  When you are not hungry but eat because your mouth is lonely.

and finally ...

6. I'm thinking that if 2024 were a drink, it would be the colonoscopy prep drink.

Happy week to all.