Advice today from Kat Kinsman on CNN: Learn what makes you happy in the kitchen, the bedroom and the library and make those things happen as frequently as possible. See her full article here: Lordy lordy, look who's 40
This was in relation to things to do when you are 40... Okay so I am a bit later than her getting going... But I am closing in on my "45 new things" for the year I am 45... I signed up for my 38th new thing this week, God help me, and it is a big one...
As a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, I am going to do the Polar Plunge at Joe's Crab Shack on Groundhog's day. Yes, that will be me going swimming outdoors in February. And funny, none of my friends seem anxious to join me- they are all willing to watch me, but nobody wants to jump in.... How bad can it be?
My friend Donna has agreed to come and take photos at the event, which looks like it will be a great party.
You can donate on my page:
Geri's page
And if you are just dying to freeze for a good cause, registration is still open...
So keep your eyes peeled for pictures on February 3 (or 4th, depending on how long I take to thaw out). Seven new things to go...
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thanksgiving 2012
Wednesday was the start of Thanksgiving for my family. Ann and Gail hosted 17 for dinner- 2 of their 3 children, with their children, my family and a family friend sat down for a wonderful meal. My contribution was Mayo and breadcrumbs, Liz brought 2 pies and we all ate turkey, ham and potatoes, with the odd vegetable.
Pies and other delicious desserts were next, and the out came Cranium.
What a game...
Now to say our lot is competitive is an understatement. Teams Chausmer/ Mancuso (Ellen, Big John and my John), Kelly/Kinnett (Me Liz and Ann), Dilhoff/Kinnett (Sarah Andy and Gail) and Chausmer Guys and Gals (Cheyanne, Nikaya, Shane and JC) all put forth valiant efforts, with even the younger kids getting in the act- who will forget Gail humming Joy to the World, or Caleb knowing "Rock-a bye baby". To say nothing of Andy portraying Tina Turner... Laughter rang through the house.
A good time was had by all.
Thursday afternoon was a smaller group of us at Ellen and John's house, more great food and a viewing of the comedian calling the Olympic sailing race:
Olympic Boat Race 2012
Laughter and joy...
Last night, Liz stood in line at Target starting at 8pm (Target opened at 9pm) and scored a great door-buster deal on a giant TV for our family (I will have to edit this after Christmas) but it was beyond her budget so I went down to Target and paid for it. I thanked our lovely cashier for working on Thanksgiving.
I was surprised there were no huge checkout lines on "Black Friday", and I was home in bed by 10pm. (I am working today) Clearly not typical.
My first "Black Friday" shopping experience...
Pies and other delicious desserts were next, and the out came Cranium.
What a game...
Now to say our lot is competitive is an understatement. Teams Chausmer/ Mancuso (Ellen, Big John and my John), Kelly/Kinnett (Me Liz and Ann), Dilhoff/Kinnett (Sarah Andy and Gail) and Chausmer Guys and Gals (Cheyanne, Nikaya, Shane and JC) all put forth valiant efforts, with even the younger kids getting in the act- who will forget Gail humming Joy to the World, or Caleb knowing "Rock-a bye baby". To say nothing of Andy portraying Tina Turner... Laughter rang through the house.
A good time was had by all.
Thursday afternoon was a smaller group of us at Ellen and John's house, more great food and a viewing of the comedian calling the Olympic sailing race:
Olympic Boat Race 2012
Laughter and joy...
Last night, Liz stood in line at Target starting at 8pm (Target opened at 9pm) and scored a great door-buster deal on a giant TV for our family (I will have to edit this after Christmas) but it was beyond her budget so I went down to Target and paid for it. I thanked our lovely cashier for working on Thanksgiving.
I was surprised there were no huge checkout lines on "Black Friday", and I was home in bed by 10pm. (I am working today) Clearly not typical.
My first "Black Friday" shopping experience...
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 21
"It’s what we read when we don’t have to that determines what we’ll be when we can’t help it." - Oscar Wilde
I love books- anyone who knows me knows this. Anyone who has been to my home, crammed with books in piles, knows this.
I have read HUNDREDS of books- some the dreaded assigned books for school (more than one of which I totally enjoyed) but most for pleasure, to expand my knowledge, and in the case of a rare few, to make me cry as I laugh out loud. Below is a list of some of these treasures...books I read as a child, read to my children, shared with my sister Ellen and cousin Margie (provided they were returned undamaged) and some I visit over and over...
1. "A" Is for Alibi Sue Grafton (I have read a number of her books- fairly sure I got through F and then checked in several times later in the alphabet)
2. 10th Anniversary James Patterson
3. 13 little blue envelopes Maureen Johnson (My daughter and I read this and both of us enjoyed them- can't wait to read the sequel!)
4. 1st to Die James Patterson
5. 2nd Chance James Patterson
6. 3rd Degree James Patterson
7. 4th of July James Patterson
8. 7th Heaven James Patterson
9. 8th Confession James Patterson
10. A Land Without Time John Sumser (A really good RPCV story about an Afganistan that no longer exists.)
11. A Man in Full Tom Wolfe (Horrific rape scene- the stuff of nightmares)
12. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
13. A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeleine L'Engle
14. A Time to Kill John Grisham
15. A Tree grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith (Early NYC and how the poor survived- beautiful story)
16. A Wind in the Door Madeleine L'Engle
17. A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle
18. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Judith Viorst
19. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum
20. Along Came a Spider James Patterson
21. And The Band Played On Randy Shilts (Still makes me mad)
22. Angela’s Ashes Frank McCourt (Not sure why the man had to bash his mom so and lets his father off scot free, but burning the wall a stick at a time- priceless)
23. Angels Marian Keyes
24. Anne Frank Remembered Miep Gies
25. Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl (Makes that terrible time real- hauntingly real)
26. Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery (I have read most of this series but I like this one best)
27. Antigone Sophocles (High School... clearly)
28. Anybody Out There? Marian Keyes
29. Are You There God, It’s me, Margaret Judy Blume (as close to a birds & bees talk as I ever got)
30. Bachelor Girl Roger Lea MacBride
31. Bargain for Frances Russell Hoban
32. Battleground WEB Griffin
33. Behind the Lines WEB Griffin
34. Being There Jerzy Kosinski
35. Black Ops WEB Griffin
36. Blood and Honor WEB Griffin
37. Blowback Brad Thor
38. Blubber Judy Blume
39. Brian’s Return Gary Paulsen
40. Brian’s Winter Gary Paulsen
41. Bridge of Courage Jennifer Harbury (Guatemala lit- post Peace Corps, it really broke my heart)
42. By Order of the President WEB Griffin (A great new series set in modern day)
43. By the Shores of Silver Lake Laura Ingalls Wilder
44. Call to Arms WEB Griffin
45. Cat and Mouse James Patterson (Scared me sleepless)
46. Cat in the Hat Dr. Suess
47. Charlotte’s Web E. B. White
48. Chronicles of Narnia series (7) C.S.Lewis (So so good as a series- wonderful tales)
49. Circle of Friends Maeve Binchy (Crappy)
50. City Girl Patricia Scanlan
51. City Lives Patricia Scanlan
52. Clear and Present Danger Tom Clancy
53. Close Combat WEB Griffin
54. Coming Plague Laurie Garrett (Wonderfully human examination of infectious desease and the race to understand it.)
55. Counterattack WEB Griffin
56. Covert Warriors WEB Griffin
57. Cricket in Time Square by George Selden
58. Death and Honor WEB Griffin
59. Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller (High School and again in college...Nothing else to choose from?)
60. Debt of Honor Tom Clancy
61. Deenie Judy Blume
62. Dewey Vicki Myron (A great story about a really cool cat)
63. Double Wedding Patricia Scanlan
64. Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert (She may have written this just so I would find it)
65. Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich
66. Evening Class Maeve Binchy
67. Exodus by Leon Uris (Israel's fight)
68. Explosive Eighteen Janet Evanovich
69. Farmer Boy Laura Ingalls Wilder
70. Fearless Fourteen Janet Evanovich
71. Final Justice WEB Griffin
72. Fine Things Danielle Steele
73. Finger Lickin' Fifteen Janet Evanovich
74. Finishing Touches Patricia Scanlan
75. Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah
76. Five Days in Paris Danielle Steele
77. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
78. Forever Judy Blume (yeah, 5th grade was a little early for this one...)
79. Foul Play Janet Evanovich
80. Four to Score Janet Evanovich
81. Francesca’s Party Patricia Scanlan
82. Franny and Zooey J.D. Salinger
83. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg (A favorite from childhood, though who can remember typewriters anymore?)
84. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
85. Go Ask Alice
86. Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell (Read it in Guatemala and found out how much was left out of the movie)
87. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
88. Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Suess
89. Guatemala: Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny Jean Marie Simon (Heartbreaking beauty)
90. Guatemalan Journey
91. Guests of the Ayatollah Mark Bowden
92. Hamlet William Shakespeare
93. Hard Eight Janet Evanovich
So I am a HUGE Harry Potter nerd so I have read these over and over and over again...
94. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling
95. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling
96. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K. Rowling
97. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J.K. Rowling
98. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling
99. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K. Rowling
100. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J.K. Rowling
101. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
102. Hatchet Gary Paulsen
103. High Five Janet Evanovich
104. Honor Bound WEB Griffin (Love these characters and visit them often)
105. Horton hears a who Dr. Suess
106. Hot Six Janet Evanovich
107. How The Grinch stole Christmas Dr. Suess (Christmas classic)
108. I, Rigoberta Menchu Rigoberta Menchú (A look at the war on the Mayans of Guatemala in the 80's)
109. Illusions Richard Bach
110. In Danger’s Path WEB Griffin
111. In the Land of the Big Red Apple Roger Lea MacBride
112. Island of the Blue Dolphin Scott O’Dell
113. Jack & Jill James Patterson
114. Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
115. Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes
116. Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
117. Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
118. Julius Caesar William Shakespeare
119. Kiss the Girls James Patterson
120. Last Chance Saloon Marian Keyes
121. Lean Mean Thirteen Janet Evanovich
122. Line of Fire WEB Griffin
123. Little Farm in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride
124. Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder
125. Little House on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride (The rest of Laura Ingalls Wilder's story)
126. Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder
127. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
128. Little Town in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride
129. Little Town on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder (I really loved this volume of the series)
130. Little Women Louise May Alcott (Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy- with Laurie, bring me joy)
131. London Bridges James Patterson
132. Love Story Erich Segal (Love means never having to say you're sorry...")
133. Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Marian Keyes (This author came over from Ireland with a visitor and went round and round. A new favorite author was discovered)
134. Macbeth William Shakespeare
135. Men in Blue WEB Griffin
136. Mirror, Mirror Patricia Scanlan (Prepare to laugh out loud)
137. Motor Mouth Janet Evanovich
138. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
139. New Dawn on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride
140. Nights of Rain and Stars Maeve Binchy
141. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
142. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
143. Oh the places you’ll go Dr. Suess
144. On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (For a college project)
145. On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder
146. On the Banks of the Bayou Roger Lea MacBride
147. On the Other Side of the Hill Roger Lea MacBride
148. Once in a Lifetime Danielle Steele
149. One for the Money Janet Evanovich (My son gets embarrassed when I laugh out loud reading this series- LOVE Stephanie Plum)
150. One Thousand White Women Jim Fergus (I was not prepared for how good this was)
151. Otherwise known as Sheila the Great Judy Blume (I love Sheila)
152. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (SO much better than the movie- laughing out loud while crying so hard snot ran down my face- WONDERFUL)
153. Palestine: Peace not Apartheid Jimmy Carter ( a hard look at an impossible situation)
154. Patriot Games Tom Clancy
155. Portraits in Courage JFK (For HS and SO good!)
156. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen (Where are the Mr. Darcy's of today?)
157. Promises, Promises Patricia Scanlan (Need to read it with it's sequel)
158. Quentins Maeve Binchy
159. Rachel's Holiday Marian Keyes (Sad, hard and well worth reading)
160. Rainbow Six Tom Clancy
161. Retreat, Hell! WEB Griffin
162. River of lost voices Mark Brazaitis (RPCV Guatemala stories)
163. Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
164. Roses Are Red James Patterson
165. Schindler’s List Thomas Keneally
166. Searching for Everardo Jennifer Harbury
167. Secret Honor WEB Griffin
168. Secrets Danielle Steele
169. Semper Fi WEB Griffin
170. Seven Up Janet Evanovich
171. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
172. She Said Yes Misty Bernall
173. Silver Wedding Maeve Binchy
174. Sizzling Sixteen Janet Evanovich
175. Smokin' Seventeen Janet Evanovich
176. Speak Laurie Halse Anderson
177. Special Operations (Badge of Honor) WEB Griffin
178. Special Ops (Brotherhood of War) WEB Griffin
179. Stuart Little E. B. White (Sr. Patricia Graham read a chapter a week to us in 1st Grade... WONDERFUL)
180. Sue Barton: Neighborhood Nurse Helen Dore Boylston (When we decided as children to become nurses, my cousin Kathleen and I read Sue Barton over and over)
181. Sue Barton: Rural Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
182. Sue Barton: Senior Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
183. Sue Barton: Staff Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
184. Sue Barton: Student Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
185. Sue Barton: Superintendent Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
186. Sue Barton: Visiting Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
187. Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing Judy Blume (Poor Turtle...)
188. Ten Big Ones Janet Evanovich
189. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy (Read it as a Junior in HS and was surprisingly engrossed in the story)
190. The 5th Horseman James Patterson
191. The 6th Target James Patterson
192. The 9th Judgment James Patterson
193. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
194. The Adventures of Ulysses Bernard Evslin (All you could want to know about Greek/Roman gods)
195. The Assassin WEB Griffin
196. The Aviators WEB Griffin (The first book from this author that I ever read- I picked it up in the Barnes and Noble Annex in Manhattan and fell in love. )
197. The Berets WEB Griffin
198. The Big Bad Wolf James Patterson
199. The Bridge Across Forever Richard Bach (This book brought me back after a broken college romance)
200. The Brightest Star in the Sky Marian Keyes
201. The Captains WEB Griffin
202. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards Lilian Jackson Braun (I have read a bunch of these, but to pick out all of them is impossible)
203. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
204. The Christmas Box Richard Paul Evans
205. The Colonels WEB Griffin
206. The Commitments Roddy Doyle
207. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
208. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
209. The Double Agents WEB Griffin
210. The Fighting Agents WEB Griffin
211. The First Commandment Brad Thor
212. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder
213. The Generals WEB Griffin (Not my favorite- the only one I don't own, cause I won't ever read it again.)
214. The Glory Herman Wouk (The nation of Israel)
215. The Grand Finale Janet Evanovich
216. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
217. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (6) Douglas Adams (I have read all six books in the trilogy)
218. The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien
219. The Honor of Spies WEB Griffin
220. The Hope Herman Wouk (The dream of Israel)
221. The Hostage WEB Griffin
222. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
223. The Hunters WEB Griffin
224. The Investigators WEB Griffin
225. The Jungle Upton Sinclair (Mr. Gentile, I am still mad you spoiled Christmas dinner making me read this. Meatpacking at the turn of the last century- gross and sad and did I mention GROSS!)
226. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan ( I enjoyed this more than the Joy Luck Club)
227. The Last Heroes WEB Griffin
228. The Letter Richard Paul Evans
229. The Lieutenants WEB Griffin (Loved Ken McCoy from the very beginning)
230. The Lilac Bus Maeve Binchy
231. The Long Night of White Chickens Francisco Goldman (Guatemalan mystery)
232. The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder (The horror of the 1880-81 De Smet winter)
233. The Majors WEB Griffin
234. The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett
235. The Messiah Marjorie Holmes
236. The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka (Why do they make us read this? Why?)
237. The Moonstone Wilkie Collins (For my mystery fiction class my sophomore year in college- LOVED IT)
238. The Murderers WEB Griffin
239. The New Breed WEB Griffin
240. The Night Before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore
241. The Old Man and the Sea Earnest Hemingway
242. The Once and Future King T. H. White (Read this for school the summer I was in Ireland- great story of King Arthur)
243. The Other Side of the Story Marian Keyes
244. The Other Wise Man Henry van Dyke (A Christmas story for Easter)
245. The Outlaws WEB Griffin
246. The Outsiders S.E. Hilton (Because we are all outsiders at some point)
247. The Pearl John Steinbeck
248. The Pigman Paul Zindel (HS would not have been the same without the stories- assurance that everybody feels that was in HS)
249. The Pigman's Legacy Paul Zindel
250. The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg
251. The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain
252. The Promise Danielle Steele ( Her first story)
253. The Saboteurs WEB Griffin
254. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
255. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
256. The Secret Warriors WEB Griffin
257. The Shooters WEB Griffin
258. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Ann Brashares (Love these teenagers)
259. The Soldier Spies WEB Griffin
260. The Spy who came in from the Cold John le Carré
261. The Spymasters WEB Griffin
262. The Story of my life: Helen Keller (Shows what is possible)
263. The Tales of Beedle the Bard J.K. Rowling
264. The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough (Read it in the back of my uncle's van on our way back from visiting Ohio)
265. The Traffickers WEB Griffin
266. The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams (Still sad)
267. The Victim WEB Griffin
268. The Vigilantes WEB Griffin
269. The Wedding Letters Jason F. Wright (LOVE the idea of wedding letters)
270. The Wednesday Sisters Meg Waite Clayton (A group of moms who become writers)
271. The Witness WEB Griffin
272. Then Again, Maybe I won’t Judy Blume
273. These Happy Golden Years Laura Ingalls Wilder
274. Thimble Summer Elizabeth Enright
275. This Charming Man Marian Keyes (He was not so charming in the end...)
276. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson (I read this and loved it... it is sad it is not all true)
277. Three to Get Deadly Janet Evanovich
278. Tiger Eyes Judy Blume
279. Timepiece Richard Paul Evans
280. To the Nines Janet Evanovich
281. Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
282. Trinity Leon Uris (Historical Fiction of Ireland becoming an independant nation)
283. Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom
284. Twelve Sharp Janet Evanovich
285. Two for the Dough Janet Evanovich
286. Under Fire WEB Griffin
287. Under the Duvet Marian Keyes
288. Unfinished Conquest: A Guatemalan tragedy Victor Pererea (A hard look at Guatemalan history)
289. Victory And Honor WEB Griffin
290. Violets Are Blue James Patterson
291. Vital Signs (Three women doctors in Med School become lifelong friends)
292. Watermelon Marian Keyes (Pregnant is sometimes not pretty but always pretty funny)
293. What’s so Amazing about Grace Philip Yancy (A great book)
294. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak
295. Without Remorse Tom Clancy (His best work- my favorite of his stories)
296. Woman Thou Art Loosed TD Jakes (This book was a game changer for me)
297. Zoya Danielle Steele
298. The Firm John Grisham (I read this in Guatemala- the first book of his I ever read- and could not put it down
299. Short Stories O. Henry (A Retrieved Reformation and The Gift of the Magi are favorites)
300. The Complete Sherlock Holmes: 4 Novels and 56 Short Stories (I love me some Sherlock Holmes!)
And no, I have not read "The girl with" or "Twilight" or "50 shades of"... What surprised me most was that it took very little time to find these first 300... and that I still own copies of the vast majority...
I have read HUNDREDS of books- some the dreaded assigned books for school (more than one of which I totally enjoyed) but most for pleasure, to expand my knowledge, and in the case of a rare few, to make me cry as I laugh out loud. Below is a list of some of these treasures...books I read as a child, read to my children, shared with my sister Ellen and cousin Margie (provided they were returned undamaged) and some I visit over and over...
1. "A" Is for Alibi Sue Grafton (I have read a number of her books- fairly sure I got through F and then checked in several times later in the alphabet)
2. 10th Anniversary James Patterson
3. 13 little blue envelopes Maureen Johnson (My daughter and I read this and both of us enjoyed them- can't wait to read the sequel!)
4. 1st to Die James Patterson
5. 2nd Chance James Patterson
6. 3rd Degree James Patterson
7. 4th of July James Patterson
8. 7th Heaven James Patterson
9. 8th Confession James Patterson
10. A Land Without Time John Sumser (A really good RPCV story about an Afganistan that no longer exists.)
11. A Man in Full Tom Wolfe (Horrific rape scene- the stuff of nightmares)
12. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
13. A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeleine L'Engle
14. A Time to Kill John Grisham
15. A Tree grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith (Early NYC and how the poor survived- beautiful story)
16. A Wind in the Door Madeleine L'Engle
17. A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle
18. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Judith Viorst
19. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum
20. Along Came a Spider James Patterson
21. And The Band Played On Randy Shilts (Still makes me mad)
22. Angela’s Ashes Frank McCourt (Not sure why the man had to bash his mom so and lets his father off scot free, but burning the wall a stick at a time- priceless)
23. Angels Marian Keyes
24. Anne Frank Remembered Miep Gies
25. Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl (Makes that terrible time real- hauntingly real)
26. Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery (I have read most of this series but I like this one best)
27. Antigone Sophocles (High School... clearly)
28. Anybody Out There? Marian Keyes
29. Are You There God, It’s me, Margaret Judy Blume (as close to a birds & bees talk as I ever got)
30. Bachelor Girl Roger Lea MacBride
31. Bargain for Frances Russell Hoban
32. Battleground WEB Griffin
33. Behind the Lines WEB Griffin
34. Being There Jerzy Kosinski
35. Black Ops WEB Griffin
36. Blood and Honor WEB Griffin
37. Blowback Brad Thor
38. Blubber Judy Blume
39. Brian’s Return Gary Paulsen
40. Brian’s Winter Gary Paulsen
41. Bridge of Courage Jennifer Harbury (Guatemala lit- post Peace Corps, it really broke my heart)
42. By Order of the President WEB Griffin (A great new series set in modern day)
43. By the Shores of Silver Lake Laura Ingalls Wilder
44. Call to Arms WEB Griffin
45. Cat and Mouse James Patterson (Scared me sleepless)
46. Cat in the Hat Dr. Suess
47. Charlotte’s Web E. B. White
48. Chronicles of Narnia series (7) C.S.Lewis (So so good as a series- wonderful tales)
49. Circle of Friends Maeve Binchy (Crappy)
50. City Girl Patricia Scanlan
51. City Lives Patricia Scanlan
52. Clear and Present Danger Tom Clancy
53. Close Combat WEB Griffin
54. Coming Plague Laurie Garrett (Wonderfully human examination of infectious desease and the race to understand it.)
55. Counterattack WEB Griffin
56. Covert Warriors WEB Griffin
57. Cricket in Time Square by George Selden
58. Death and Honor WEB Griffin
59. Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller (High School and again in college...Nothing else to choose from?)
60. Debt of Honor Tom Clancy
61. Deenie Judy Blume
62. Dewey Vicki Myron (A great story about a really cool cat)
63. Double Wedding Patricia Scanlan
64. Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert (She may have written this just so I would find it)
65. Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich
66. Evening Class Maeve Binchy
67. Exodus by Leon Uris (Israel's fight)
68. Explosive Eighteen Janet Evanovich
69. Farmer Boy Laura Ingalls Wilder
70. Fearless Fourteen Janet Evanovich
71. Final Justice WEB Griffin
72. Fine Things Danielle Steele
73. Finger Lickin' Fifteen Janet Evanovich
74. Finishing Touches Patricia Scanlan
75. Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah
76. Five Days in Paris Danielle Steele
77. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
78. Forever Judy Blume (yeah, 5th grade was a little early for this one...)
79. Foul Play Janet Evanovich
80. Four to Score Janet Evanovich
81. Francesca’s Party Patricia Scanlan
82. Franny and Zooey J.D. Salinger
83. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg (A favorite from childhood, though who can remember typewriters anymore?)
84. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
85. Go Ask Alice
86. Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell (Read it in Guatemala and found out how much was left out of the movie)
87. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
88. Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Suess
89. Guatemala: Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny Jean Marie Simon (Heartbreaking beauty)
90. Guatemalan Journey
91. Guests of the Ayatollah Mark Bowden
92. Hamlet William Shakespeare
93. Hard Eight Janet Evanovich
So I am a HUGE Harry Potter nerd so I have read these over and over and over again...
94. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling
95. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling
96. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K. Rowling
97. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J.K. Rowling
98. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling
99. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K. Rowling
100. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J.K. Rowling
101. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
102. Hatchet Gary Paulsen
103. High Five Janet Evanovich
104. Honor Bound WEB Griffin (Love these characters and visit them often)
105. Horton hears a who Dr. Suess
106. Hot Six Janet Evanovich
107. How The Grinch stole Christmas Dr. Suess (Christmas classic)
108. I, Rigoberta Menchu Rigoberta Menchú (A look at the war on the Mayans of Guatemala in the 80's)
109. Illusions Richard Bach
110. In Danger’s Path WEB Griffin
111. In the Land of the Big Red Apple Roger Lea MacBride
112. Island of the Blue Dolphin Scott O’Dell
113. Jack & Jill James Patterson
114. Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
115. Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes
116. Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach
117. Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
118. Julius Caesar William Shakespeare
119. Kiss the Girls James Patterson
120. Last Chance Saloon Marian Keyes
121. Lean Mean Thirteen Janet Evanovich
122. Line of Fire WEB Griffin
123. Little Farm in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride
124. Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder
125. Little House on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride (The rest of Laura Ingalls Wilder's story)
126. Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder
127. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
128. Little Town in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride
129. Little Town on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder (I really loved this volume of the series)
130. Little Women Louise May Alcott (Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy- with Laurie, bring me joy)
131. London Bridges James Patterson
132. Love Story Erich Segal (Love means never having to say you're sorry...")
133. Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Marian Keyes (This author came over from Ireland with a visitor and went round and round. A new favorite author was discovered)
134. Macbeth William Shakespeare
135. Men in Blue WEB Griffin
136. Mirror, Mirror Patricia Scanlan (Prepare to laugh out loud)
137. Motor Mouth Janet Evanovich
138. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
139. New Dawn on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride
140. Nights of Rain and Stars Maeve Binchy
141. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
142. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
143. Oh the places you’ll go Dr. Suess
144. On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (For a college project)
145. On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder
146. On the Banks of the Bayou Roger Lea MacBride
147. On the Other Side of the Hill Roger Lea MacBride
148. Once in a Lifetime Danielle Steele
149. One for the Money Janet Evanovich (My son gets embarrassed when I laugh out loud reading this series- LOVE Stephanie Plum)
150. One Thousand White Women Jim Fergus (I was not prepared for how good this was)
151. Otherwise known as Sheila the Great Judy Blume (I love Sheila)
152. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (SO much better than the movie- laughing out loud while crying so hard snot ran down my face- WONDERFUL)
153. Palestine: Peace not Apartheid Jimmy Carter ( a hard look at an impossible situation)
154. Patriot Games Tom Clancy
155. Portraits in Courage JFK (For HS and SO good!)
156. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen (Where are the Mr. Darcy's of today?)
157. Promises, Promises Patricia Scanlan (Need to read it with it's sequel)
158. Quentins Maeve Binchy
159. Rachel's Holiday Marian Keyes (Sad, hard and well worth reading)
160. Rainbow Six Tom Clancy
161. Retreat, Hell! WEB Griffin
162. River of lost voices Mark Brazaitis (RPCV Guatemala stories)
163. Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
164. Roses Are Red James Patterson
165. Schindler’s List Thomas Keneally
166. Searching for Everardo Jennifer Harbury
167. Secret Honor WEB Griffin
168. Secrets Danielle Steele
169. Semper Fi WEB Griffin
170. Seven Up Janet Evanovich
171. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
172. She Said Yes Misty Bernall
173. Silver Wedding Maeve Binchy
174. Sizzling Sixteen Janet Evanovich
175. Smokin' Seventeen Janet Evanovich
176. Speak Laurie Halse Anderson
177. Special Operations (Badge of Honor) WEB Griffin
178. Special Ops (Brotherhood of War) WEB Griffin
179. Stuart Little E. B. White (Sr. Patricia Graham read a chapter a week to us in 1st Grade... WONDERFUL)
180. Sue Barton: Neighborhood Nurse Helen Dore Boylston (When we decided as children to become nurses, my cousin Kathleen and I read Sue Barton over and over)
181. Sue Barton: Rural Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
182. Sue Barton: Senior Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
183. Sue Barton: Staff Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
184. Sue Barton: Student Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
185. Sue Barton: Superintendent Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
186. Sue Barton: Visiting Nurse Helen Dore Boylston
187. Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing Judy Blume (Poor Turtle...)
188. Ten Big Ones Janet Evanovich
189. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy (Read it as a Junior in HS and was surprisingly engrossed in the story)
190. The 5th Horseman James Patterson
191. The 6th Target James Patterson
192. The 9th Judgment James Patterson
193. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
194. The Adventures of Ulysses Bernard Evslin (All you could want to know about Greek/Roman gods)
195. The Assassin WEB Griffin
196. The Aviators WEB Griffin (The first book from this author that I ever read- I picked it up in the Barnes and Noble Annex in Manhattan and fell in love. )
197. The Berets WEB Griffin
198. The Big Bad Wolf James Patterson
199. The Bridge Across Forever Richard Bach (This book brought me back after a broken college romance)
200. The Brightest Star in the Sky Marian Keyes
201. The Captains WEB Griffin
202. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards Lilian Jackson Braun (I have read a bunch of these, but to pick out all of them is impossible)
203. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
204. The Christmas Box Richard Paul Evans
205. The Colonels WEB Griffin
206. The Commitments Roddy Doyle
207. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
208. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
209. The Double Agents WEB Griffin
210. The Fighting Agents WEB Griffin
211. The First Commandment Brad Thor
212. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder
213. The Generals WEB Griffin (Not my favorite- the only one I don't own, cause I won't ever read it again.)
214. The Glory Herman Wouk (The nation of Israel)
215. The Grand Finale Janet Evanovich
216. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
217. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (6) Douglas Adams (I have read all six books in the trilogy)
218. The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien
219. The Honor of Spies WEB Griffin
220. The Hope Herman Wouk (The dream of Israel)
221. The Hostage WEB Griffin
222. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
223. The Hunters WEB Griffin
224. The Investigators WEB Griffin
225. The Jungle Upton Sinclair (Mr. Gentile, I am still mad you spoiled Christmas dinner making me read this. Meatpacking at the turn of the last century- gross and sad and did I mention GROSS!)
226. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan ( I enjoyed this more than the Joy Luck Club)
227. The Last Heroes WEB Griffin
228. The Letter Richard Paul Evans
229. The Lieutenants WEB Griffin (Loved Ken McCoy from the very beginning)
230. The Lilac Bus Maeve Binchy
231. The Long Night of White Chickens Francisco Goldman (Guatemalan mystery)
232. The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder (The horror of the 1880-81 De Smet winter)
233. The Majors WEB Griffin
234. The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett
235. The Messiah Marjorie Holmes
236. The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka (Why do they make us read this? Why?)
237. The Moonstone Wilkie Collins (For my mystery fiction class my sophomore year in college- LOVED IT)
238. The Murderers WEB Griffin
239. The New Breed WEB Griffin
240. The Night Before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore
241. The Old Man and the Sea Earnest Hemingway
242. The Once and Future King T. H. White (Read this for school the summer I was in Ireland- great story of King Arthur)
243. The Other Side of the Story Marian Keyes
244. The Other Wise Man Henry van Dyke (A Christmas story for Easter)
245. The Outlaws WEB Griffin
246. The Outsiders S.E. Hilton (Because we are all outsiders at some point)
247. The Pearl John Steinbeck
248. The Pigman Paul Zindel (HS would not have been the same without the stories- assurance that everybody feels that was in HS)
249. The Pigman's Legacy Paul Zindel
250. The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg
251. The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain
252. The Promise Danielle Steele ( Her first story)
253. The Saboteurs WEB Griffin
254. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares
255. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
256. The Secret Warriors WEB Griffin
257. The Shooters WEB Griffin
258. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Ann Brashares (Love these teenagers)
259. The Soldier Spies WEB Griffin
260. The Spy who came in from the Cold John le Carré
261. The Spymasters WEB Griffin
262. The Story of my life: Helen Keller (Shows what is possible)
263. The Tales of Beedle the Bard J.K. Rowling
264. The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough (Read it in the back of my uncle's van on our way back from visiting Ohio)
265. The Traffickers WEB Griffin
266. The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams (Still sad)
267. The Victim WEB Griffin
268. The Vigilantes WEB Griffin
269. The Wedding Letters Jason F. Wright (LOVE the idea of wedding letters)
270. The Wednesday Sisters Meg Waite Clayton (A group of moms who become writers)
271. The Witness WEB Griffin
272. Then Again, Maybe I won’t Judy Blume
273. These Happy Golden Years Laura Ingalls Wilder
274. Thimble Summer Elizabeth Enright
275. This Charming Man Marian Keyes (He was not so charming in the end...)
276. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson (I read this and loved it... it is sad it is not all true)
277. Three to Get Deadly Janet Evanovich
278. Tiger Eyes Judy Blume
279. Timepiece Richard Paul Evans
280. To the Nines Janet Evanovich
281. Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
282. Trinity Leon Uris (Historical Fiction of Ireland becoming an independant nation)
283. Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom
284. Twelve Sharp Janet Evanovich
285. Two for the Dough Janet Evanovich
286. Under Fire WEB Griffin
287. Under the Duvet Marian Keyes
288. Unfinished Conquest: A Guatemalan tragedy Victor Pererea (A hard look at Guatemalan history)
289. Victory And Honor WEB Griffin
290. Violets Are Blue James Patterson
291. Vital Signs (Three women doctors in Med School become lifelong friends)
292. Watermelon Marian Keyes (Pregnant is sometimes not pretty but always pretty funny)
293. What’s so Amazing about Grace Philip Yancy (A great book)
294. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak
295. Without Remorse Tom Clancy (His best work- my favorite of his stories)
296. Woman Thou Art Loosed TD Jakes (This book was a game changer for me)
297. Zoya Danielle Steele
298. The Firm John Grisham (I read this in Guatemala- the first book of his I ever read- and could not put it down
299. Short Stories O. Henry (A Retrieved Reformation and The Gift of the Magi are favorites)
300. The Complete Sherlock Holmes: 4 Novels and 56 Short Stories (I love me some Sherlock Holmes!)
- A Study in Scarlet
- The Sign of the Four
- The Hound of the Baskervilles
- The Valley of Fear
And no, I have not read "The girl with" or "Twilight" or "50 shades of"... What surprised me most was that it took very little time to find these first 300... and that I still own copies of the vast majority...
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 20
From Lysa yesterday: Reflect on Psalm 31:19 this afternoon as you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving:
I am thankful for the education I received, both in and outside of a classroom. I have had so many wonderful, amazing teachers in my life- professional educators, mentors and role models to whom I owe much thanks.
"How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You, that You bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in You."
I am thankful for the education I received, both in and outside of a classroom. I have had so many wonderful, amazing teachers in my life- professional educators, mentors and role models to whom I owe much thanks.
Thank You!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 19
I am grateful for my worldview, which teaches me to be as concerned for those in Gaza and Israel as I am for those within my borders.
The bombing by Hamas and Israel have already cost too many lives on both sides.
Today I am praying for peace in this trouble area. Day Six of an escalating bombing campaign on both sides- I am praying for the miracle of calm negotiation and ceasefire.
The bombing by Hamas and Israel have already cost too many lives on both sides.
Today I am praying for peace in this trouble area. Day Six of an escalating bombing campaign on both sides- I am praying for the miracle of calm negotiation and ceasefire.
Journal of Gratitude Day 18
Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion
My man Jimmie finished 3rd in the standings- great for most, but a letdown for his fan base- old Five Time is keeping us waiting.
The surprise was Clint Bowyer- he finished second in the standings, even after Jeff Gordon wrecked him last week. That must feel like sweet revenge.
I am thankful for a great season, and am happy for Team Penske, who have waited 40 years for last night's celebration and Dodge, leaving the sport a winner.
And Brad- after the giant beer & tweeting from your car under a red flag at Daytona- I wish you all the luck in the world finding a celebrity to date. And please consider Dancing with the Stars... I promise I will vote for you!
See you all again on February 24th at the Daytona 500.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 17
Today I am grateful for the music that decorates my life...
I like Train, and during a NASCAR pre-race show, I heard their song, "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" and it cracks me up. And not only cause a friend of mine used to love a Scion...
My heart is paralyzed, My head was oversized
I'll take the high road like I should,
You said it's meant to be, That it's not you, it's me
You're leaving now for my own good
That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say
She went down in an airplane, Fried getting suntanned
Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She met a shark under water, Fell and no one caught her
I returned everything I ever bought her
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died
My pride still feels the sting, You were my everything
Some day I'll find a love like yours (a love like yours)
She'll think I'm Superman, Not super minivan
How could you leave on Yom Kippur?
That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say
She was caught in a mudslide, Eaten by a lion
Got run over by a crappy purple Scion (Just saying, Lyle)
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She dried up in the desert, Drowned in a hot tub
Danced to death at an east side night club
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died
I wanna live a thousand lives with you, I wanna be the one you're dying to
Love...but you don't want to...
That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say
That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say
She went down in an airplane, Fried getting suntanned
Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She met a shark under water, Fell and no one caught her
I returned everything I ever bought her
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
She was caught in a mudslide, Eaten by a lion
Got run over by a crappy purple Scion
Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!
She dried up in the desert, Drowned in a hot tub
Danced to death at an east side night club
Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies
And ways to say you died
Credits: Pat Monahan - songwriter, lead vocals, Espen Lind - songwriter, producer, additional guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals, programming, Amund Bjorklund - songwriter, producer, programming
Friday, November 16, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 16
My cousin Catherine- a talented young woman, wrote this for after Granny's Mass:
Friends and family one and all
For your attention I now call
We're all assembled from afar
And quelle surprise we're in a bar
But digressions I foreswear
Instead I call you if you dare.
To raise a toast to our dear Gran
The matriarch of this wild clan
Fado in '17 was born
One Ellen Murphy in Skehorn
She married Eddie and was blessed
With half a dozen of the best
Of Daughters ever to be got
Between a byre and a milking pot
And sons as well we must agree
that she was glad to see those three
In less enlightened times than these
A son was reckoned the bee’s knees
Another girl and truth to tell
They worshipped baby Gabrielle
The children grew as children do.
And multiplied before she knew
it, Gran had grandchildren galore
she lost count when she had two score
Great grandchildren did next appear
and all hold granny very dear.
Recall with deep and great affection
the apple cake baked to perfection
the box of goslings by the stove
bacon , complan soda loaves
birthday cards sent faithfully
even when you're thirty three .
Its true to say her tongue is sharp
and she delights to rip apart
the self-important and the smug ;
she’s better yet than any drug .
Though all of us have cringed and said
I’ll put a muzzle on her head
but we still love to hear her speil
cause Granny Moore is the real deal
Granny may you gad for years ,
reducing bishops to salt tears
devotion going every day
to fine gael an GAA.
And so my friends get off your asses
lift your cups and raise your glasses
salute the health of stroppy gran
and to a woman , child and man
think of her with love and say
God speed her safely home this day
In addition, my cousin Kevin's tribute was shown:
Kevin's tribute
And a good time was had by all...
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 15
With great thanks to modern technology, my cousins in Korea and Austrailia and the US and all lands in between got to take part virtually in my Granny's funeral Mass.
Granny's Funeral Mass
My cousin Lisa's words...
My thoughts were full of laughter as well as tears...
It is hard to imagine Annaghkilly without her...
She had an amazing turnout...
6 priests...
I really miss her...
Granny's Funeral Mass
My cousin Lisa's words...
You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back
or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
My thoughts were full of laughter as well as tears...
It is hard to imagine Annaghkilly without her...
She had an amazing turnout...
6 priests...
I really miss her...
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 14
Philippians 1:3-5, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."
Good friends have been a great support to me over this past week. Breakfast this morning with Danielle, and a call from Abby brought warmth of love to me as I wish I was in another place, far from here.
Surrounded by family. Listening to all the old stories, and sharing a few jars with my cousins and aunts, uncles and friends.
Good friends have been a great support to me over this past week. Breakfast this morning with Danielle, and a call from Abby brought warmth of love to me as I wish I was in another place, far from here.
Surrounded by family. Listening to all the old stories, and sharing a few jars with my cousins and aunts, uncles and friends.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 13
My cousin Seamus shared this with all of us- Granny could recite it from memory:
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
By Robert W. Service 1874–1958
A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.
When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face, though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.
There's men that somehow just grip your eyes, and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head — and there watching him was the lady that's known as Lou.
His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands — my God! but that man could play.
Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red, the North Lights swept in bars? —
Then you've a haunch what the music meant. . . hunger and night and the stars.
And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love —
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true —
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, — the lady that's known as Lou.)
Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair, and it thrilled you through and through —
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere", said Dangerous Dan McGrew.
The music almost died away ... then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill ... then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin, and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight, and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell. . .and that one is Dan McGrew."
Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out, and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up, and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that's known as Lou.
These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch," and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two —
The woman that kissed him and — pinched his poke — was the lady that's known as Lou.
And from my Uncle Jim:
Nellie was the perfect mother-in-law - great fun, great company but a menace at 25. Like Peter I loved her apple cake and she always gave me 2 big slices (cholesterol - what's that?) To use one of her own expressions she was "some character" We will miss her terribly. If you can't make it to Clones, the funeral Mass will be live on www.churchservices.tv/sacredheartclones at 11.00 GMT on Thursday
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
By Robert W. Service 1874–1958
A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.
When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face, though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.
There's men that somehow just grip your eyes, and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head — and there watching him was the lady that's known as Lou.
His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands — my God! but that man could play.
Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red, the North Lights swept in bars? —
Then you've a haunch what the music meant. . . hunger and night and the stars.
And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love —
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true —
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, — the lady that's known as Lou.)
Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair, and it thrilled you through and through —
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere", said Dangerous Dan McGrew.
The music almost died away ... then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill ... then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin, and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight, and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell. . .and that one is Dan McGrew."
Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out, and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up, and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that's known as Lou.
These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch," and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two —
The woman that kissed him and — pinched his poke — was the lady that's known as Lou.
And from my Uncle Jim:
Nellie was the perfect mother-in-law - great fun, great company but a menace at 25. Like Peter I loved her apple cake and she always gave me 2 big slices (cholesterol - what's that?) To use one of her own expressions she was "some character" We will miss her terribly. If you can't make it to Clones, the funeral Mass will be live on www.churchservices.tv/sacredheartclones at 11.00 GMT on Thursday
Monday, November 12, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 12
I am standing upon that foreshore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails in the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, "There! She has gone!" "Gone where?" "Gone from my sight, that's all." She is just as large in mast and spar and hull as ever she was when she left my side; just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at that moment when someone at my side says, "There! She has gone!" there are other eyes in other places and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"
(There is debate over who wrote it, maybe Victor Hugo or Henry Van Dyke...)
My Granny Moore (April 15th, 1917- November 12, 2012) passed away this morning. 34,911 days still seem not enough. The message from my cousin Catherine was short: "Granny has gone to God . She passed away about half an hour ago . Jim and Chris were with her , it was peaceful and swift at the end. Take care" She had an amazing life and touched everyone with great love. Over 40 grandchildren, over 50 great-grandchildren and hundreds who may not have been related by blood but were still family will mourn alongside her children in the coming days... I have been so blessed to have known and been loved by you.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 11
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29
I am grateful for my Granny's wit and decades of wonderful memories and advice:
Thick cut bread piled high with ham and dense slices of tomato and cheese, served with hot tea in the evening in time for the start of Coronation Street.
"Stay away from the goodlooking men , they are too much trouble. The ugly ones are easier to manage, and more grateful "
Hot apple tart with a serving of vanillia ice cream melting on top.
My cousin Sean reminded all of us: "You always felt the love, till the cards were dealt..."
"Hunger makes the best sauce" (Not that you could ever sit in her kitchen long enough to be hungry)
Picking peas up behind Siberia, picking gooseberries out by Tommy's house, and nettles... always finding the nettles...
And from Peter: Mine is slices of soda bread buttered an inch thick and then dipped in sugar for added sweetness. Not one to worry about your teeth was Granny Moore. Oh and square apple tarts and the fights over the corner slice.
"Say nothin'... and keep sayin' nothin"
Milk from the cows, with cream floating on top- so so good.
A recent exchange my cousin shared:
Granny: "Are you behaving yourself"
Ally: "Yeah I am"
Granny: "I think I'd need to ask someone else"
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 10
"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:4-5
Today I am thankful for social media. As Granny Moore's grandchildren are spread to all parts of the world, it has been a means of all of us coming together, sharing stories, photos and grief as this amazing woman prepares to leave us all for a far better place.
As my cousin John said when this was posted- you can almost hear her laughing...
Today I am thankful for social media. As Granny Moore's grandchildren are spread to all parts of the world, it has been a means of all of us coming together, sharing stories, photos and grief as this amazing woman prepares to leave us all for a far better place.
My cousin JP with Granny, at a family wedding in 2002.
As my cousin John said when this was posted- you can almost hear her laughing...
Friday, November 9, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 9
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
I am so thankful that I have friends in New York I can call to meet my friend who is going to be in town, and have them show him my city for me.
Sort of wish I was there too, having a Guiness at Paddy's...
I am so thankful that I have friends in New York I can call to meet my friend who is going to be in town, and have them show him my city for me.
Sort of wish I was there too, having a Guiness at Paddy's...
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 8
1 John 3:1 "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! "
I am grateful for my amazing Granny, Ellen Moore. She is shown above at Creighton University- She was related to the founders, John and Edward.
She had a stroke last night, is partially paralyzed and is surrounded by her family at the hospital. Please pray for her.
I am grateful for my amazing Granny, Ellen Moore. She is shown above at Creighton University- She was related to the founders, John and Edward.
She had a stroke last night, is partially paralyzed and is surrounded by her family at the hospital. Please pray for her.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 7
"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14
Today, an earthquake hit my former home, Guatemala. It was nearly as large as the 1976 quake that killed over 20,000.
Hundreds have been injured and the number dead is climbing, but San Marco did not lose it's only hospital and help is on the way.
Praying for you all tonight.
Today, an earthquake hit my former home, Guatemala. It was nearly as large as the 1976 quake that killed over 20,000.
Hundreds have been injured and the number dead is climbing, but San Marco did not lose it's only hospital and help is on the way.
Praying for you all tonight.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 6
"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods." Psalm 95:2-3
Today is Election day. And today I am grateful to live in a country that allows everyone a say in government.
I am also ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED that after today, I will not have to watch political ads, have any political pollers calling and there will be discussion about something other Romney Ryan vs. Obama Biden.
Oh The Joy!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 5
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6
Today I am really grateful to the men and women from all over who have traveled to the Northeast to help with repairs. Electric companies, tree removers- hundreds of workers pitching in to help get power restored. It is a huge job and I am glad there are folks willing to leave their families and go help random strangers.
THANK YOU!
Today I am really grateful to the men and women from all over who have traveled to the Northeast to help with repairs. Electric companies, tree removers- hundreds of workers pitching in to help get power restored. It is a huge job and I am glad there are folks willing to leave their families and go help random strangers.
THANK YOU!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 4
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." Psalm 28:7
Today I am saying thank you for my friends at the Cin City Reptile Show. It is a great bunch of folks and there is always something new to experience.
This is how my day went:
Today, John and I headed to the snake show to buy some food for John's corn snakes and to sell some of our babies. Mike bought five baby corns from us- so it was a good day.
And then it got better.
We missed last month's show, and I missed out on the chance to hold a big hairy spider- or so I thought. Thanks to my now favorite spider-man, Brian, I got to hold a rose haired tarantula.
So, yes I was worried and VERY nervous because all spiders bite.
But this is my year of new adventures and new experiences, and so I let the spider tickle my hand with it's hairy feet. A very strange feeling. So glad I did it.
Too cool!
Living an extraordinary life
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 3
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17
Today I am grateful for Zumba. I really love me some Zumba. And boy have I missed it...
For the first time since I broke my foot, I got to go to my Zumba class this morning. LaToya was a gift as always, and the music was jumping. We danced the morning away and it was such a great experience.
I am loving it.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Journal of Gratitude Day 2
From Lysa:
November 2: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
I am grateful for reliable transportation- I love my little Honda and as I hear stories from friends about their struggles back East, trying to buy gas and travel to work with restrictions and limited Mass Transit service, I was happy to jump in my car, turn on the heat, crank up the music and enjoy the ride.
November 2: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
I am grateful for reliable transportation- I love my little Honda and as I hear stories from friends about their struggles back East, trying to buy gas and travel to work with restrictions and limited Mass Transit service, I was happy to jump in my car, turn on the heat, crank up the music and enjoy the ride.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
What are you thankful for?
Lysa TerKeurst posted on Facebook:
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, keep a journal and reflect on one thing every day that you are truly thankful for. I will post a daily verse on Facebook that you can write down and use for praising God in His faithfulness.
November 1: "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me." Psalm 13:5-6
I am grateful my family is safe after Sandy tore up the East Coast...
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, keep a journal and reflect on one thing every day that you are truly thankful for. I will post a daily verse on Facebook that you can write down and use for praising God in His faithfulness.
November 1: "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me." Psalm 13:5-6
I am grateful my family is safe after Sandy tore up the East Coast...
All Saints Day
All Saints Day is a holiday meant to honor all the saints, known and unknown. There are over 10,000 named Saints and people have prayed for their intersession since 100AD. Catholics pray with the saint of their choosing, as a trusted friend.
All Souls Day- day of the dead- follows the next day. It is a commemoration of all those who died and praying for them is part of our faith. Like Mass cards...
Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the belief that we have a prayerful spiritual communion with those who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven.
So...
I will go to Mass today. I will pray for those who have gone before me. Even if, in my heart of hearts, I know they are the ones giving me strength on my bad days.
All Souls Day- day of the dead- follows the next day. It is a commemoration of all those who died and praying for them is part of our faith. Like Mass cards...
Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the belief that we have a prayerful spiritual communion with those who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven.
So...
I will go to Mass today. I will pray for those who have gone before me. Even if, in my heart of hearts, I know they are the ones giving me strength on my bad days.
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