Miscellaneous and More Miscellaneous

I just read this book and really enjoyed it.   I thought it was new, but is 10 years old.  It is a ghost story and a love story.  The story is basic, but I really like her view on ghosts. I would print the exact quote, but I think it is worth the read. It is quick.  That was a lame review.

I am also reading "Manhood for Amateurs".  It is a lot, a whole lot, of short stories by Michael Chabon.  I really like his writing and his view on fatherhood, men, children, women, drugs and all the other miscellaneous things he touches on.  I just finished his discussion on murses or male purses and I was laughing out loud.  "It's handsome, soft and rugged at the same time the way only suede can seem.  And it's definitely a purse.  It holds my essential stuff, including a book - for true contentment, one must carry a book at all times, and great books so rarely fit, my friends, into one's pocket - but no more, and so I can wear it, and my masculinity, and my contempt for those who might mock or misunderstand me, very lightly indeed." This guy has the best vocabulary and hilarious use of words, quite creative.  He looks at these issues with true, brutal honesty! I would like to hear him speak.

Yesterday, I heard Kelly Corrigan read from her book "Lift" and thought she was fabulous.  She was upbeat, emotional, honest and funny.  I love to hear authors read their words, it brings the books to life.  " I often wish I could come back to life as your uncle, so I could give you more.  But when you're the mom, your whole life is holding the rope against these wily secret agents who never, ever stop trying to get you to drop your end."

I haven't heard from any of the die-hards, they are probably too busy reading and watching, but all the new Sookie stuff came out yesterday.  I ordered my book on Amazon, which means I don't have the instant gratification of picking it up today.  Drat, I just realized I could be reading it tomorrow in the big, pink chair. 

Today I am going to remind you all to hug your family.  I spent the morning down at Hopkins with a little nine month old who is going through chemo.  I kept him and his mom company until dad could arrive.  This little guy smiled, laughed and was just so sweet the entire time.  I left them and drove to a viewing.  It was the mother/mother-in-law of friends.  She had been at Gilchrist and died very peacefully.  I also saved a baby chipmunk from being mauled by the gray flash.  It ran off very spitty, but hopefully quite alive.

I bought my first App for my iPhone.  I have had it almost two years, but didn't really pay much attention to the app thing.  I bought the dumbest time-waster and I just love it.  I bought Cat Paint. You can paint a cat into any picture.  It makes us all hysterical!  I think my next App will make my phone sound like a light saber when I wave it around.  Silly, silly, silly.

Last night, Ellen and Ian were doing the usual bickering and Ned pipes up, "Stop fighting, it isn't good for your relationship." 

Ned was playing outside and told me to come quickly, because he found an ant pharmacy.  
I feel like Chumby gets short-shrift in my blog.  He is the most even-keeled of the four of us.  He isn't meek or mild, he just marches along more evenly.  He doesn't have the extreme highs and lows.  He isn't stomping off to his room, because I bought red grapes instead of green.  But every now and then he is a giant grump and then wowza we tiptoe around.  I ask him if he was abducted by aliens and replaced with a grumpkin, which of course makes him madder.  His snits seem to be worse, because they are fewer and farther between.  Ian has his undies in a bunch today, because Ned always asks for stuff and people give it to him.  Ned uses his cute factor to the highest, maximum degree.  It offends Ian's sense of fair.

I want to post a picture of my latest quilt, but it is not quite finished.  I have one last corner to round on the binding.  Oh, I will finish it tomorrow morning!  I haven't made an April quilt.  There was no big event, just a bunch of small things.  I think I might just make a crazy square, this month was filled with little odd-ball happenings. Kelly Corrigan had a quote that I might use, "you can't fly without some turbulence." 

I have really hopped around, but I want to show a picture of the sweetest puppy ever.  We dog sat, Teddy, this Sunday,  He was wonderful.  I have never met such a calm dog.