Alive by Piers Paul Read

Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember in 1972 when this happened. I was in my second year at Murray and came home for the Christmas Holidays with the flu. That is what I remember most about December 1972.

These guys, the rugby team of Montevideo Uruguay, certainly remember something different. They had survived the crash of their Fairchild aircraft in the Andes Mountains, totally off course of where they were expected to be. And 16 of the original 45 survived the 70 days in approx 13,500 feet above sea level.

I could not put the book down and read it in two sittings. How did they survive? By eating the remains of those who died. It was unthinkable, but they had to do it.

Remarkable story. great read.

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

One word - Wow.

It is when I read a book like this one I wish I were in a book club and could discuss the plot, characters, motivation. But, I finished the book last night and read the interview with the author and the discussion questions I really wanted to have someone I could turn to and say something like .......

"In my minds eye I see Bunny like this!"

I read the second book this author wrote about five years ago, The Little Friend, and truly liked it. Weird as it was, disturbing actually is a better word. This book is disturbing also, in a "I can't look away from the wreck" sort of way.

I was intrigued with the characters. Like the narrator, I wanted to know them better and be a part of their group. It seemed exclusive and intriguing. And, he was granted his wish as were all the readers.

The leader was a tormented genius who found himself in the most diabolical and hated crime our society knows. Yet, we are taken along for the ride, as is the narrator Richard. Somewhere in the body of the 550 pages, Richard begins to think that Henry (diabolical leader) is setting him up to take the fall. Henry is like an expert chess player who invites you to play checkers. And you do, not realizing what you are up against, and are in fact playing a chess game.

There was so much meat in this story. I kept thinking that a child's brain (they were all in their early 20's...20 & 21, except Bunny who was 24, but had been held back due to learning disorders) are not developed enough to understand what they were actually doing. And that there were alternative solutions instead of murder. Premeditated murder of a long time friend (long time as in college years).

I thoroughly dislike the teacher who admitted the six into the exclusive club and viewed them as little pieces of himself.

As I said, I would read this book a second time in a book discussion setting.

Any takers?

Second Best Book I have read this year.

Be True To Your School - Bob Greene

It has been a long time since I have completed a book. I think I may have just burnt myself out reading so much the first half of the year. Then again, I think I was using it as an escape mechanism. I have finished one other book besides this one. I will have to find it document a review.

BTTYS was written in 1964, well for the first time. It was a diary kept by the famous Bob Greene, who has a column that was read in over 200 newspapers. I use the past tense due to the book being published in 1987, so Bob could have moved on to other things. I recognize him from the book cover.

Anyway, what fun to read about the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the Rolling Stones, his first drink, his year of non lettering in tennis, his pursuit of freshman (and younger) girls, his constant haircuts, his first copy boy job...well, it was just a magical book and anyone living in that time period should love this book.

It is the innocent time that most of us Baby Boomers experienced.

Summer in the Land of Skin

by Jody Gehrman

After several false starts on books that just did not seem that interesting...reading 70 pages here, 50 pages there, I finally picked up the least likely from the trip to the Highland Library SITLOS by Ms. Gehrman.

I was sitting at poolside in Ohio when Joe asks "whats it about". And I said something like this (I was about 70 pages into it) Its about this girl whose father committed suicide and she sits in windows with binoculars and watches people. She them makes up stories about them and sketches their suicides in notebooks and what happens to them on 'the other side'.

Oh.

She goes looking for her fathers business partner, they hand made guitars, who may shed some light on her father who passes when she was 11 and her mother avoids the subject.

I like most the characters and I enjoyed the unfolding of the story. You knew it was going to end well, that she was going to find the link to her Dad and in succeeding ,the link to what is missing in her. Her connection to people, so undeveloped, is kicked into high gear immediately and her life goes from watching people from the safety of her window to dressing in canary yellow go-go boots.

Not much literary value here. A good poolside read and maybe the lightness I needed.

The Night Journal

Elizabeth Crook

Found this book at the Highlands branch the day I got my hair cut. Began reading it Thursday after beginning three other books that did not/have not held my attention.

This book read very easily and I found myself absorbed into the story within a few pages and read all afternoon until I finished it.

I guess I like it very much. Normally I would just say, Loved it, but I want to hold off that accolade for books that totally impress me. This one was close.

Nothing wrong with the story. A set of journals from the turn of the century are published by the daughter and resisted by her grand-daughter until it is almost too late. But we devour them along with Meg and solve the mystery right along with her.

I particularly like Bassie, the daughter of the journal writer. I loved the scene where she enters rather storms into the newsroom of a newspaper and demands the photo of her mother from the reporter who is by all practical purposed, clueless. She slams her cane against his desk and he resists handing over the photo she goes through his desk and finds it herself with him trying to fight her off. Good scene.

And when she dies, I wish they had not killed her off but left her to solve the mystery, which was always in her memory anyway she just did not know it. I was moved by the eulogy given at the grave by the Park Ranger that loved her.

I hated the fact that it was so important to get her buried quickly. She was the benefactor of many and if she died on Sunday and put in the ground on Tuesday, her obit would not have even hit the papers giving no one a chance to attend the ceremony. Odd, but I guess the author did not want to add a bunch of sap to the death and dismiss Bassie, as needed at the time.

Because we are introduced to another Bassie, the young daughter of the journal writer.

All in all a good read, that I for one could not put down.

Chick lit (maybe), but good chick lit.

The Rebel

A Novel of the Civil War by Bernard Cornwell

The Starbuck Chronicles

This series of books written by a renown British author was recommended by my brother last month. I could not find the four books in the Main P.L. but managed to run across Copperhead at the Highland branch. then, lo and behold while waiting for a computer at the Jeff branch I found the first book...The Rebel.

There seems to be a pattern in Civil War books. Start out with something very gruesome and then on to the story. This one was a tar and feather feature that introduced us to a characters that will remain through out the next three.


First of all, I have to give my bro a copy of Howard Bahr's book...Year of Jubilo, which is to date one of my favorite Civil War books. why? It made me cry and the ending surprised me, I did not see it coming through thinking back I should have. And I loved the dialect ....ah, this is about Rebel not Jubilo.

Anyway, ....characters. Nate, ok but everything an officer could be described by "Co. Aytch" (which I have recently found at the library book store in Memphis) as cowering in the back ground as war raged around them. Yet, he did okay.

Will I read the rest of the series? Not certain, but I must finish Co. Aytch as I see many of the Civil War writers have and use him as a guide when describing life as a CSA participant.

Back to Rebel. The character of Faulconer was great as I wanted to slap his face when he managed to steal all the glory for saving the CSA when it was actually his troops who did so, against his orders. He was fighting mad when he learned of their part in the Manassas battle.

many characters are memorable and from peaking at Copperhead, I see they are still around, so I guess not killed in the book between the first and third.

That's all I have to say about that.

Read Jubilo and the three books written by Bahr before this series. And read Jacob's Ladder before this one. And most definitely read GWTW before this one. Read The Killer Angels.

The Woodsman's Daughter

I sneaked a peek at the reviews on Amazon before adding this book to my list of 2008 reads. First of all, I found this book on the shelves of "R's" at the downtown Main branch held up as a favorite of the staff...staff pick. Happily I grabbed it because I loved "Icy Sparks" and I know that GHR lives in my hometown (which is also made a minor role in the book as a small town that the wife of the son hails from).

In my defense, I have been reading The Book Club in between the two listed books. I did not finish TBC but returned it day before yesterday half read. Could not relate to the characters blah blah blah.

This book...is not Icy Sparks. Somewhere in the middle of it I thought of Scarlet O'Hara and sure enough, it was mentioned in the other reviews.

I found little sympathy for the main character as a young girl and could not identify her bitterness for her father, since his "sin" was revealed only after 50 or 60 (maybe 100) pages of the first part of the book. I even felt sorry for the old geezer and felt his reluctance to return to his home. Why even go home? Why not make yourself a more comfortable home elsewhere? Say, in Millerown? Anyway, I did not understand the hostility between the daughters and father, and the father punishing himself to return to them. Despite the "I love you's" and the love making she heard through the walls.

I just did not like them. All but the Mammy character. I hated that the girl who was so flip and disrespectful to her father could not own up to setting the barn on fire but allowing Mammy to take the rap and to be banished from the home.

BTW, all this takes place after the Civil War around the turn of the century.

A study in the lives of women, Delia as a turn of the century woman, her daughter as a flapper, her mother as a Civil War survivor and drug addict and Mammy as a free born black woman, slave none the less.

I read it at break neck speed unable to put it down because the story flowed easily. No big words to look up or flabbergast me (as love in the time of cholera). Good story none the less, unsympathetic characters who' motivation was sketchy at worst, left to the imagination at best. Some characters were but mere ghosts coming into the story as a minor character in a play enters from stage right and exits stage left. I did enjoy the brief introduction of the old Aunt (where the hell did she come from? The Miller side or her mothers side? Where did she get the money to live high on the hog, unencumbered by having to marry to survive. Her mothers people became poor after the war, her fathers people were dirt poor and he was a self made man. Made little sense to me) who had an affair or fling with a scoundrel from Charleston...Rhett Butler of course!

Predicable what was going to happen.

I read Icy Sparks hears ago and loved it. Knew the author had been inspired by the Berea Writing Program and Icy Sparks was a prodigy of that program. Icy Sparks was her masterpiece, and this book is just a writing exercise to keep her chops greased until she finds another character like Icy.

At Play In The Fields of the Lord

by Peter Matthiessen

Imagine my surprise as I groped through the aisle of the library, seemingly in the "M" section when I came upon several of Peters books in the fiction section. I thought he only wrote nonfiction. I picked this book of the three or so offerings and laid it on the stack I was accumulating for the weeks reading.

As I began to read I immediately became sucked in and totally immersed in the story, the setting, the characters. It began to occur to me, about midway through, that this book reminds me of the countless books as a child I eased out of the library under the watchful nose of my Mom and read under the cover of my room, at night while the family slept but I could not. I would be totally immersed in the story, spellbound by the world out there I knew nothing about, fretted over the emotions and needs of adults that I could only hope to someday to understand.

Obscure books that no one else read, but were life changing for me.

This was a good book, one I could not put down and turned the pages greedily. Mr. M's prose is astounding and tender. One line went like this...we found ourselves like butterflies pinned to the trays of our mortality....

The characters were each and every one, fascinating. Though the central character, Moon was someone that I wanted to overcome the hand life had dealt him and in the end perhaps he was the only one who had successfully been reborn, redeemed, saved.

Fascinating book, lot of topics to give thought to such as forcing our idea of a Higher Power that is better, more redeeming than the "savages" idea of a higher power. Who exactly are the savages here? The love between Wolfie and Moon, a manly love, one of desire and two halves making a whole.

A study of faith and loss. Everyone looses. Even Moon, who lost so much to end up in the god forsaken back waters of So America, somehow overcomes in the end. As does Andy, as does Martin, who ends his life work as a martyr killed by one of the converts.

I'm certain there is much more to this parable, this warning, this deep story layered with subtle preaching and astonishing revelations.

I will be searching out rather than stumbling upon more or Mr's books.

The day i ate whatever i wanted

by Elizabeth Berg

I thought she could have stolen this title from an entry I made in 2006 the day before I went on the cleansing diet - yuck - and ate Dairy Queen, donuts, etc. all day long. The first of many exquisite short stories begins with a similar tale.

I read another book by Eliz., the last book she wrote as it was recommended by my sister and it was very good. Yet, I liked this collection of stories much better. I think I could find some connection to most every character. And if not, then some sort of understanding.

I loved the husbands. I like the way EB characterized them as understanding and un-suffering balances in the lives of their wives. Not all the stories involved husbands, but when they were there they were very lovable.

I totally drank up the story of Michael who quits his advertising job and moves to Mass and builds himself a house. I loved her reaction when she went and visited him, with her husbands trust and approval making the first journey with her. She realizes that Michael is living the life that she wanted and had not known until that moment that it was the life she wanted. And she mourned the loss. Then M. has brain cancer and her last moments/memories with him.

The story about the only child, 10 years old who mean cousin hips her the fact that she is fat. Sad and I felt such sorrow for that child. Like her childhood was over at that moment.

I loved the story about the two old friends and one is dying of leukemia and the other invites her to come live with her. I shed a tear on that one.

I devoured the letter from an old neighbor that served as a birthday gift. It was the recipe to apple pie and was so wonderful that I could just cry.

EB makes writing appear effortless and as easy as breathing. I will definitely read more.

And it was nice to rid myself of the Civil War monkey on my back.

The Black Flower

A novel of the Civil War by Howard Bahr

This is the third of Mr. Bahr's books I have read beginning with the most recently written and ending with the first, the story of the Battle of Franklin. Another great story that left me crying. Another wonderful group of the most interesting characters from a fictitious city in MS called Cumberland.

He brings his characters to life not only with the dialogue, but also with the inner workings of the men. Virgil c. was only in the first 50 pages but we felt great pain when he left. And Jack, the same fate only we revisit with him in his last hour.

And Bushrod. My God, how I would love to meet these men. Thought they are from another era, another century, another life I would find many things we have in common and I would love to just listen to their stories, their meaning in what is not being said.

I feel these characters in my heart and I cry with feeling for them and their circumstances.

The Black Flower is a tragic story and told beautifully. The middle one, the Year of Jubilo is my favorite out of the the trilogy.

I can not wait for Mr. Bahr to complete another. As I am certain he has many more stories and many more people from Cumberland to introduce us to and make us care about them as much as he cares about them.

Gods and Generals

by Jeff Shaara

I use to write a brief description of the book I had read, rated it and then on to the next book. This year, I have just listed the titles on the side-bar and let it go. I have had the unusual pleasure of just being able to read as much as I want the last year since I am not working and just lay around doing nothing but reading and worrying about money etc.

What is the use of all this reading if I do not document what the book and story meant to me?

G&G was about 480 pages. As I started the book I looked to estimate how long it would take me to complete. I may not have read this book, but I started another that just did not do it for me and I have made the promise to myself not to read it just because I started it (I use to do that!)

I am not big on history and I like the way both Jeff and his father, Michael who wrote The Killer Angels, take on history with a new twist. They make it fiction. Not in a million years would I guess that I would have read either of these books. The latter won the Pulitzer in the 1970's it was so good, and it was, I read it in a day. But I deviate from G&G. Jeff is not his father and some of the people left me cold. Jeff definitely is more fascinated with the Confederate Army than the Federal Army. The Rebels are always outnumbered, under fed, have limited clothing yet fight like wildcats. It is a wonder we (as I live in the South and consider myself a Southerner) lost the war. Just think, the southern states could be a separate nation, uninvolved with the damn war in Iraq and maybe have an ample supply of gas provided by the great state of TX and the country of Mexico.

Once again, I deviate. I read this book to learn about several of the great battles that took place before Gettysburg. I did not know a lot of things, like Stonewall Jackson died as a result of "friendly fire".

Stonewall is my favorite character in the book. I find myself becoming irritated with the lack of concern .... concern it too harsh a word, the uninterested with the wounded and dead, the dying after all these battles.

I will not read another Shaara book, I will continue with my tear through all the Civil War books I can lay my hands on (I Have a pile of them at ready).

But, it was still good and I learned a lot. A whole lot about the sequence of the war and how very brave the Southerners were.

1. 1/365, 2. 4/365, 3. January 4, 4. 5/365, 5. 6/365, 6. 7/365, 7. 8/365, 8. 10/365, 9. 11/365, 10. 9/365, 11. 12/365, 12. 13/365, 13. 14/365, 14. 15/365, 15. 16/365, 16. 17/365

066/365

El Conquistador sent me to the local brewery for a local blend. He did not like it saying it was too heavy and stout like. Oh well. Trying something different with the shot and do not like it much. But, it's a tad different.

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The Sick Room

Finally I am undrugged and feeling half human. It amazes me that I spent two years in the fridge NE and was not sick once. Returning home I have caught three virus in the last nine months! (has it really been that long?). This one about did me in and I stayed confined to bed for two days.

It recalls to mind a time of childhood when I would languish in bed, ill or faking ill because I had not studied for a test at high school, and I would received chicken noodle soup with crackers, ginger ale, jello, Irish tea with milk and sugar. If a fever were involved, I would have a rubbing alcohol ice bowl next to the bed which would have a wash cloth that I would wring and then lay across my feverish brow. Oh Mommie, how I loved the attention.

And I would read.

Which is exactly what I did this time and I finished two books. As of late I have haunted the Best Seller rack at the downtown branch of the library. And I have to confess, they are like potato chips. Taste good, no subsidence.

This week end I have read the best book of the year (next to Memories of a Geisha), The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe. Wonderful story about a man who is beginning to show signs of dementia, though this is the early 1980's (I believe they only elude to the date once or twice) so Alzheimer's and the signs are not yet so prevalent and obvious to the masses. This guy is a mix between Larry David (Curb your enthusiasm) and every bodies Grandpa. Several lines made me laugh out loud at the end of the story as he replayed his drama over in his head (the second meeting with Carl) and his description of Carl (only in his head) when asked if they were going to be any royalty at the party, "Only Lord Reticent Taciturn (his wives mocking nick name for him) and Baron Carl the Bad." Oh my, how I wanted to share that clever amusing line with Joe, but how and why would he get it? So I savored it and continued on and finished the book.

The movie Once won at the Oscars! For best song from a movie. I was so happy and though, "Job well done". Even Joe commented that "Falling Slowly" was the best song of the lot.

053/365

"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" Percy Bysshe Shelley

Pan,the Greek God of many things but the most important SPRING!

This statue is a fountain that sits at the top of the Hill at the Scenic Loop at Cherokee Park. The trees behind him are encased with, lets hope, the last storm of the season. Instead of the dripping of melting icicles and the crack of falling ice, there should be birds...singing!

Ah, March is but a week away.

052/365

Taking pictures from the window of a slow moving car. Faint ice storm taking place. This is Breckingridge, some of the projects in the area housed behind this worthy sculpture.

051/365

Blood Moon Waltz

050/365

Hello Mama

049/365

Rose hung upside down from pots and pan thingee to dry. From my fathers casket, the rose stayed beautiful for over a week shedding only one petal. I thought I wouldnot press my luck for all the petals to fall before drying. My SIL hipped me to this method.

048/365

All over Louisville the sides of buildings, such as this one which belongs to my BIL, are adorned with huge pictures of Louisville's most famous son's and daughters. Such as Diane Sawyer, Muhammad Ali, Pee Wee Reece, Col. Sanders...you get the picture. Patrick was unveiled this week-end at the corner of Broadway and Barret.

I watched the show, Extreme Makeover, last night which featured Patrick's family and wasmoved to tears by the stregnth and love that guides this family. Not to mention the talent that Patrick has for music!! He truly is an inspiration to not only the disabled, but to us all that it is in inside each and every one of us to be the best we can be with the gifts God gives us.

(my spell check has not worked for a week...)

047/365

And they found the body laying here.

Joe in repose on the couch after a hard night at the "office".

046/365

Fooling around in the Art room trying to design a new Beatle card.

045/365

Valentine Day at Stevie Ray's. We sat at the bar, watched/listened to three bands. The first two were very easy....Once music, Joe commented. I wish the crashing angry chords of Once were evident in at least one of the tunes. They all sounded the same with the first singer. The second was a duo. Once had a trumpet. The last band wasa five piece ensemble that performed a wide variety. Prince's When Doves Cry to...well, I can't remember anymore. Had a good time and this picture is kind of blury because it was taken with the small Minolta. Good purse camera. Subtle.

044/365

Bella. my sisters dog. I watched the kids until my bro got home from work. My sis and bil went to utah to ski. The pic sucks. I had the camera and was actually stoked about taking pictures of us making cookies (which we did) but the lure of a good book (S. Paretsky's Bleeding Kansas) made the afternoon fade into oblivion and I quickly snapped Bella before she was wisked off to her "vaca".

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The Sun King. I think I am going to start collecting Sun Faces. I was going to find bird houses....but I think the Sun King is going to be more interesting. I may still throw in a few bird houses.

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Ah, it's snowing at night! I unearthed the D-50 book and tried (with small success) to get the F stop open and override the flash mount on a tripod...and ended up with a tilted picture! With the snow flakes looking very cool...but with those globes (ghosts).

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Life returns to normal

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Leaving Mom's yesterday.

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From the casket. I had to stop the casket from being moved from the shelter and on to the grave site, i asked Becky "Pls. we want roses!" So she went up and secured many for Mom me Peg Kit etc. etc. Bridget.

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After the visitation I came home and the thought of capturing a picture of the day has been the last thing on my mind all week, yet I try and endure. I snapped a shot of myself from above, which is how I feel, being looked down upon. I erased it by accideent Friday afternoon, so I have re-captured it this morning....sorry I have cheated, but it could not be helped.

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Collecting photographs for the visitation. Obit in today's papers. Began writing eulogy with bro's & sis'

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Louisville Airpoty - picking up my Brother

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No picture other than a blur, which is how the day was...My Dad passed during the early morning hours on Feb. 4th.

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Waiting for photo's to be developed at Walmart I drove around the Knobs. They once again, pissed me off b/c would not hand over copies of school picture taken 50 years ago.

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Incredible magic car in Kinko parking lot in Douglas Loop. He was so sweet to pose with car!

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Joe came back as retreived me. He brought my SD chips with him We went back to the baby's house and I got this bute of a picture. Dad is doing okay.

031/365

Forgot my SD chips yesterday> can you believe it? Then, my Mom calls and Dad has to go the Emergency room because of CHF. I did not want this to be my pic of the day, but my cell phone was all I had and as the minutes ticked away on Jan 31, this was all I got.

030/365

Pauls's Fruit Market in St. Matthew's

I heard of a product place on River Rd and for the life of me I could not find it. I even went into downtown, where River Rd has it's beginning, changing from the more familiar street into the long windy two laner that follows the Ohio before breaking off towards the Harrods Creek. Only found an impenetrable store that I circled many times before giving up, realizing it must be commercial only.

And then, thank God, Paul's' open year round.

I get so tired of that crummy produce at the super markets.

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How many pictures of Bridget do I have so far? And it is only four weeks into it!! This must be #3. We went shopping together, which means I pay for everything. She is like a wild woman running through the store throwing everything in the cart, kind of like those shows where the person has two minutes to throw as much as possible from the stove shelves into the cart. That is exactly how it is.

It was a big problem when we went to FL in '06. I must have bought 20 t-shirts.

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Shelbyville Flea Market

Oh baby. Did I ever hit the pay load. I purchased $55 dollars worth of beads and came home with 12 stands. African wood beads, turqoise, jade...unbelievable.

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Peanut butter Cookies. Being the worst Mom in the world, my daughter asked me for P-nut butter cookies for Christmas and I gave her money with an IOU in the card. What is today? According to the calendar, its the 26th!!

I am at home without the car and when I am without wheels I panic on what I am going to feature as a picture of the day! This one was easy...I'll make those cookie!

I hope some are left for her!

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I miss seeing these phone poles around UK. This one must have several years worth of flyers stapled to it! today I drove to Lex because I was feeling blue and just wanted to go 'home"...so I did! I listened to Saw Doc's on the way down and as always, HAY WRAP lifted my spirits.

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Drove to Churchill yesterday and passed it! I was looking ahead rather than to the side...so silly! The most famous location in Big Lou and I drove right past it!

Not a great picture, taken hastily. Not a good day all around yesterday.

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This is where I parked my butt all day. J. had the car and I would not drive the Mercedes (too big...too big!!) and in a snit I read two books (well, finished two books today) watched tv...fooled around with the jewelry. Left the couch to make chili, wash dishes, vacuum, bring in garbage pails, re-cycling bins. then back to couch to watch UofL game. Now watching The Nanny, a single father from G-town Ky...

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Switched the lens on my camera and got this God awful picture. Even photoshop couldn't fix it up! The other pictures were of the snow in the back yard...boring. The full moon?? Looks like a white blob in the corner of a dark screen. So, here are the valentine earrings that are going on the Etsy site, as soon as I get around to it...tomorrow is another day.

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Jump!! I'll Catch you!

I was hipped to this Art Center on Mellwood. So I decided to amble on over and check it out. Too bad nothing was open! Guess MLK B-day and all, and I discover a lot of retail artsy types won't be open on Monday to compensate for Saturday.

What was there were several workers, and one very good looking Spanish-type. Latino in tight black pants and open shirt.... We passed, he did not acknowledge me in any way. I got a good look at him out of the corner of my eye.

I wandered around and found a stair well that led to second story so I scrambled up there and found nothing, just this view looking down into the open common area. As I was looking through my small camera he suddenly walked out from under and seeing me looked over his shoulder to see what I was photographing...then he barked out some orders to someone I could not see, in that melodic Spanish that can make your heart skip a beat.

I wish I had my zoom lens and I might have just tried to catch him!

It made me self conscious to be up there, no one but constructions workers around (the place is very new and under construction. It's going to be fabulous when it does get up off the ground)....

....me and my camera.

Not my best attempt of the day, but the only one with a story.

20/365

Homer Simpson through the window. Sometimes the most incredible things happen. i was walking downtown looking for a good photo op. It was cold as hell reminding me of when I first came to FW and walked all over downtown taking pictures. It was so cold with the wind chill factor that I thought my cheeks froze. After two winters there I know how to dress for winter...yet, t he cheeks still freeze.

I once walked around Cleveland in March and my cheeks froze too!

I liked this picture out of all the Belle of Louisville, Main St., trees, blah blah blah...it came out so cool!

19/365

I found this web site Foliage through one of the blogs I read (and still read) from FW. These tiny hand soaps are darling and so cute! I can't wait to have an opportunity to give them away as a gift! I believe people will go nuts over them...like I have. They are moderately priced considering she makes them by hand and sculptures each hand. Each little hand.

They are too cute to use.

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Messy stove - In dire need of cleaning Paul Revere tea kettle - Lamb Fries

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Grandpa and the newest addition.

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January 16 - visiting in central KY. Almost forgot to take a pic until we were watching the deer in the fields above the house and I tried to get as close as possible.....not very close. Need a better lens the next time. All in all, eight deer were in the back yard looking for dinner. S. usually feeds them.