currently

I am...

Reading:  Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

Listening to: my Spotify playlist

Thinking:  about gratitude--and the Non-Challenge Gratitude Challenge

Feeling:  a little sleepy. 

Celebrating:  so far this week, my AP Psychology class has participated in a "Stressbusting Lab," which entails reading articles on seven different methods of relieving stress and trying each method out--they seemed to enjoy it!  The AP U.S. History class has written senryu-style* poems about the Roaring Twenties, and although they muttered a bit at first, they soon got into it and were completely creative.  It's been a very fun week so far!

Grateful for:  creative inspiration. 

Enjoying:  I'm in a great headspace right now.

Weather:  30° and cloudy, plus there is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect:

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM EDT WEDNESDAY

* WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow and sleet
accumulations between 2 and 7 inches and ice accumulations around
a light glaze.

* WHERE...Northeast Aroostook and Northwest Aroostook Counties.

* WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 11 AM EDT Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute.

A quote I want to share:

* Senryu (also called human haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Senryu usually references human nature or emotions.

finished reading

In preparation for my library book club, I decided to tackle a re-read I expected to be a breeze. It’s funny how much your taste changes over twenty years! The very details I once found charming now felt like heavy lifting, and I couldn't help but think the book could have used a 200-page trim. That said, the prose itself is still lovely. It’s a truly thoughtful look at neighborhood life and the lingering 'what-ifs' of our lives, even if it took a little more patience to get through this time.

From the publisher:

Bridge of Sighs courses with small-town rhythms and the claims of family. Here is a town, as well as a world, defined by magnificent and nearly devastating contradictions.

Louis Charles (“Lucy”) Lynch has spent all his sixty years in upstate Thomaston, New York, married to the same woman, Sarah, for forty of them, their son now a grown man. Like his late, beloved father, Lucy is an optimist, though he’s had plenty of reasons not to be—chief among them his mother, still indomitably alive. Yet it was her shrewdness, combined with that Lynch optimism, that had propelled them years ago to the right side of the tracks and created an “empire” of convenience stores about to be passed on to the next generation.

Lucy and Sarah are also preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy, where his oldest friend, a renowned painter, has exiled himself far from anything they’d known in childhood. In fact, the exact nature of their friendship is one of the many mysteries Lucy hopes to untangle in the “history” he’s writing of his hometown and family. And with his story interspersed with that of Noonan, the native son who’d fled so long ago, the destinies building up around both of them (and Sarah, too) are relentless, constantly surprising, and utterly revealing.

Bridge of Sighs is classic Russo, coursing with small-town rhythms and the claims of family, yet it is brilliantly enlarged by an expatriate whose motivations and experiences—often contrary, sometimes not—prove every bit as mesmerizing as they resonate through these richly different lives. Here is a town, as well as a world, defined by magnificent and nearly devastating contradictions.

sunday stealing

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Random Revelations

1. Is your phone Apple or Android? What about your laptop? my phone is an Apple and my laptop is an HP

2. Can you say "thank you" in more than one language? Spasibo, Gracias, Merci, Danke, Grazie, Dank u, Arigatou 

3. What do you draw when you doodle? it's embarrassing to admit--I am not a doodler

4. Which do you enjoy more, Scrabble or bowling? I am awful at both but enthusiastic about playing both

5. Can you juggle? not in the physical sense

6. Have you ever worn pajamas in public? oh, hell no

7. Was your best subject in school the one you enjoyed the most? the subject I enjoyed the most was due to my teacher--sophomore English

8. When you're offered the senior discount before you ask for it, are you offended or grateful? I'm thrilled!

9. Do you agree that with age comes wisdom? indeed I do

10. Do you consider Sunday the first day of the week or the last day of the weekend? the last day of the weekend

postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

finished reading

Books about books are always a favorite of mine. The premise of this story is beautifully bittersweet: recently widowed Tilly receives a year-long birthday gift arranged by her husband before he passed. Each month, she receives a new book from the local bookshop, accompanied by a sweet nudge from Joe to move through her grief and live a full life. I truly enjoyed following her journey through twelve months, twelve books, and twelve challenges. It is a heartfelt, poignant read, filled with quirky and lovable secondary characters.  And here is a link to the list of 80 books mentioned.

From the publisher:

Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart...

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her fiancé waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly because Joe died five months ago…

The gift is simple – twelve carefully-chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

Tilly sets out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, the bookshop owner, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

saturday 9

Indian Lake

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, a family gets on a bus and heads off on vacation. Think about the last trip you took. Did you travel by car, bus, train, boat, or plane? car

2) Once they get to Indian Lake, they swim, have a picnic and go canoeing. Are you looking forward to any of these activities this summer? a picnic

3) "Indian Lake" became familiar to TV audiences because it was used in commercials for the Dodge Charger. In the 1960s, most households didn't have remote controls to enable viewers to mute or skip commercials. Today, we do. When a commercial comes on, do you watch or do you turn down the sound or, if possible, fast forward past it? if possible, I fast-forward

4) The Cowsills were a family singing group who had four Top 10 hits between 1967 and 1969. The brothers were self taught musicians who enjoyed playing at church and school events. When their father, Bud Cowsill, became their manager, he insisted his wife Barbara and their youngest, Susan, join the band. He wanted the Cowsills to become "a latter-day Von Trapp family." Without looking it up, do you know who the Von Trapps were? oh, yes--The Sound of Music family (I made my acting debut as Gretel when I was five years old)

5) The Cowsills were the inspiration for the sitcom The Partridge Family. It ran for four seasons and the fictional Partridges had three Top 10 hits, were nominated for a Grammy and made David Cassidy a star. Are you familiar with The Partridge Family? I wanted to be on the tour bus with them so badly!

6) The Cowsills starred in an advertising campaign for the American Dairy Association. On TV and in magazine ads they proclaimed that "Milk is the lift that lasts." Decades later, oldest brother Bill recalled that he seldom drank milk. How about you? Do you often drink milk? I eschew milk

7) While Bud Cowsill engineered the family band's success, he also contributed to their demise. The Cowsills were scheduled to appear 10 times on the influential Ed Sullivan Show, but were fired after the second because Bud was too confrontational backstage. He also had a reputation for being abrasive with record company executives and concert promoters, and this affected the the band's ability to find work. Do you have a hard time biting your tongue or controlling your temper? hmmm... it depends on how annoyed or vexed I am

8) In 1968, when this song was popular, Leonard Bernstein released his award-winning recording of Mahler: Symphony No. 8. Do you enjoy classical music? yes

9) Random question – Here we are in March. If you made any New Year's resolutions, have you kept them? yes 

currently on thursday (again)

I am...

Reading:  Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo; this library book group selection is a re-read.  When I first read it, I loved it.  It annoys me that I'm struggling with it now.  But I am a different reader now than I was then.

Listening to: the Spotify Daily Mix made just for me.

Thinking:  about tomorrow's whirlwind road trip.  I'm taking myself on a day date to Central Maine with no real destination in mind.  Other than I can.

Feeling:  excited.  

Celebrating:  using my personal days for mental health days.  Go me!

Grateful for:   I got to chat with my sisters in our group chat, I got to chat with my bestie, I got to chat with my work bestie, and I also snuck in a video visit with my Pennsylvania sister 

Enjoying:  last week I was celebrating the whimsy of wearing green every day in March.  This week I am over it and can't wait to mix things up!  Although it was fun until it became work.

Weather:  36° and light rain

A quote I want to share:

three on thursday

Thing one: today was my Friday at school, for I have taken a personal day tomorrow and will enjoy a whirlwind trip to Central Maine just because I can.

Thing two: on this trip, I have no official destinations other than knowing I want to go to Target and the movies.

Thing three: my eldest nephew is currently working in Central Maine, so I texted him to see what his availability is like (knowing he's putting in some v-e-r-y long days) and we decided that instead of trying to squeeze in a visit tomorrow--he will come up here to Northern Maine to visit his grandparents and me!  I can't believe it's been six years since I last saw him.  That's a shame and I can do better.

the non-challenge gratitude challenge

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to get caught up in the "more, more, more" of life. Always looking for the next book, the next project, or the next weekend. But what if, as my blog title suggests, this is as good as it gets? If that’s true, I want to make sure I’m actually noticing the good parts.

I want to start a gratitude challenge, but I’m doing it a bit differently. Most challenges feel like a race: fill out a calendar, don't break the streak, compete for the most "aesthetic" list. That’s not really my speed.

The Non-Challenge Gratitude Challenge

This isn't about being perfect. There are no points, no "failing" if you miss a day, and no pressure to perform. It’s just a gentle nudge to look around. I’ll be posting prompts here on the blog, and I’d love for you to join me in the comments--but only if you feel like sharing.

how it works:

no timelines: I’ll post a prompt once a week (maybe on Tuesdays?). You can answer it that day, three days later, or just think about it while you’re folding laundry.

the "little things" focus: We aren't looking for life-changing miracles (though those are nice). We're looking for the perfect cup of coffee, the way the light hits the living room at 4:00 PM, or a particularly good character in a book.

grace over grit: If you’re having a week where everything feels heavy, "gratitude" can feel like a chore. If that’s where you are, feel free to skip it. This is a gift to yourself, not a task on a to-do list.

I'll start my first prompt on April 1st and thereafter on Tuesdays for the rest of the month. I hope you'll stick around and share a slice of your "good" with me.

sunday stealing

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Distinctly Adolescent

Have You Ever ...

1) Skipped school? not as a student but as a teacher, yes

 

2) Lettered in a school sport? no

 

3) Made a prank phone call? oh, yes!  My friends and I were quite creative in our phone shenanigans!

 

4) Paid for a meal with coins? yes

5) Laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose? yes, although lately I've caused the beverage snort in others.

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

saturday 9

 

London Town

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Have you ever visited London? yes--I stayed in the Wembley region

2) In this song, Paul sings of encountering a London street musician playing the flute. Are there street musicians in your town? no

3) It's raining as he wanders around London. How is the weather where you are today?  30° and mostly cloudy

4) "London Town" is one of a handful of songs credited to Paul McCartney and Denny Laine, his bandmate in Wings from 1971 to 1981. They became fast friends in the mid-60s when Denny was with The Moody Blues, the band who opened for The Beatles on their final UK concert tour. Paul has acknowledged Denny's outstanding vocals and guitar playing, as well as his humor and generosity. Share the good qualities of one of your close friends. my bestie rolls up her sleeves to help with whatever needs doing--she's a problem solver, a listening ear, and gives great solutions and advice

5) Wings broke up in 1981 when Paul decided he was weary of touring. His kids were in school, his Beatle bandmate John Lennon had been murdered, and he simply felt more comfortable staying put and working in the studio, rather than performing live. Denny believed this would mean his role, and his financial compensation, would diminish so he quit Wings. Tell us about why you left one of your jobs. I left my retail job on Columbus Day, 1998, and began my teaching career the very next day--no looking back!

6) Linda McCartney also wrote and performed with Wings. In addition to music, she is known for her photography and cookbooks. Of these three – music, photography and cooking – which do you enjoy most? cooking by default

7) Paul's first car was a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. He selected it himself before The Beatles went off on their first world tour and it was waiting for him when he got home to London. He drove it when he shouldn't have, as he didn't get his license until spring of 1965. When did you get your driver's license? decades ago

8) Speaking of driver's licenses ... Last year someone bought one of Paul's expired driver's licenses at auction for $20,000. When you get a new license, passport, or state issued ID, what do you do with the old one? I save my old passports because of the stamps, but I shred licenses and IDs

9) Random question – Which do you have more of: dirty dishes in the sink or dirty clothes in the hamper? dirty clothes in the hamper

currently on thursday

I am...

Reading:  Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo; this library book group selection is bedeviling me!  I can't seem to get into it.

Listening to: nothing right now

Thinking:  this week has gotten away from me

Feeling:  sleepy

Celebrating: spring--my manicure is very springy

Grateful for: I had a particularly good day

Enjoying: it's been so much fun to wear green every day this month; I'm surprising myself with how much clothing I have that is green (no repeats, so far)

Weather:  27° and mostly cloudy

A quote I want to share:

finished reading

I did not expect to fall so deeply into the world of a young girl consumed with knowledge and religion, set in 13th-century Bruges.  This is a debut novel, to boot!  The story vividly evoked all of my senses — I could smell the wool market, I could see the skies, I could hear the murmuring voices of the Beguines, I could feel the parchment under my fingertips. The almost claustrophobic life in the solitary cell attached to the church wall.  The attention to detail brought this book to life.  And the exploration of faith, mysticism, and misogyny was carefully crafted.  The audio narration is wonderful.

From the publisher:

Aleys is sixteen years old and unusual: stubborn, bright, and prone to religious visions. She and her only friend, Finn, a young scholar, have been learning Latin together in secret—but just as she thinks their connection might become something more, everything unravels. When her father promises her in marriage to a merchant she doesn’t love, she runs away from home, finding shelter among the beguines, a fiercely independent community of religious women who refuse to answer to the Church.

Among these hardworking and strong-willed women, Aleys glimpses for the first time the joys of belonging: a life of song, meaning, and friendship in the markets and along the canals of Bruges. But forces both mystical and political are at work. Illegal translations of scripture, the women’s independence, and a sudden rash of miracles all draw the attention of an ambitious bishop—and bring Aleys and those around her into ever-increasing danger, a danger that will push Aleys to a new understanding of love and sacrifice.

Grounded in the little-told stories of medieval women—mystics, saints, anchoresses, and beguines—and introducing a major new talent, Canticle is a luminous work of historical fiction, vividly evoking a world on the verge of transformation.

three on thursday

Thing one:   I enjoy sitting in silence.  I don't need background noise or music or the television.

Thing two:  it's been one month since I completed therapy.  I can't say I miss all of the appointments I juggled weekly, but I miss my therapist.

Thing three:  this is shaping up to be a busy weekend.  Lots of social time!

sunday stealing

 

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Thursday Thunks

1. It's the middle of the night. There isn't another car in sight. You're stuck at a red light that just won't change. How long do wait until you run it? ok, there's a lot to unpack--first of all, why am I out in the middle of the night?  Is there an emergency?  If so, I will run the light.  

2. What's your favorite recipe? the one that comes to mind is Cuppa-Cuppa-Cuppa:

One cup diced onion

One cup shredded cheddar cheese

One cup Hellman's Mayonnaise (brand specific)

Mix well and bake in a 350 oven for thirty minutes or until golden and bubbly around the edges.

3. When did you last ask yourself, "What the hell was I thinking?" recently

4. Have you ever had a mole removed? If yes, where on your body was it? yes, it was on my back and it was precancerous

5. What website do you faithfully check (other than email)? I regularly check my blog, my blog buddies, Facebook, and Instagram

postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.