Snowy trees

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• Yoga pants. Seriously, this is my new uniform. I wear them just about every day; for sure every night in the winter. Target, you really did me right by having a great selection of Champion brand yoga pants. Don't know what I'd do without them.
• The devotional book called Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young. My friend Debbie gave it to me for Christmas. It was a big seller over the holiday season. The daily readings are only about 100 or so words. Short, yet impacting. I sit and meditate on such thoughts as "my face is shining upon you", "trust me", and "I am renewing your mind". The peace that comes fuels the day. Thanks, Deb.
• Boxed tofu. Yep, in a box, not refrigerated, straight off the shelf. I've been buying the Mori-Nu brand at my local Winco story. But, Trader Joe's has it as well. Love that I don't have to rinse it as soon as I get home from shopping or worry that it's going to bad in the refrigerator. It's amazing!

Snowy Trees

My dog Eddie and I took a little walk through the local golf course. It was stunning! I wish I had my Cannon with me to capture the crystalline beauty. However, Instagram on my phone served the purpose in a pinch. 

These trees line the street going to my home. Throughout the year they provide a canopy of beauty that changes with the seasons.

 A lone tree in a field of white. I love how it spread it's branches. It was glorious.

 Eddie and I hiked into the brushy woods on the outskirts of the course. It was magical.

 A wintry coating adorned every branch and twig.

I love the trees that cover the hills and valleys, surround the lake, and line the byways. I can never get enough of them. 

Looking ahead

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• My local library. Right down the road from me is the greatest little library! It's a treasure I use often. 
• Positive and generous friends! Yes, I know I say this often. To have such an abundance of lovely people in my life is a blessing I'm grateful for every single day. May I be an enriching force in their lives in return!
• Pinterest. Isn't it the coolest? My eyes can't get enough of the interesting things there. I've made some great Pin friends as well. Love it! Check out my boards: Shelley Hepler

Looking ahead

Contemplating the blank canvas of the 12 months before me, I remember some of the things I keep thinking I'll do. This year I'm committing to knocking three of the items off my "someday" list. I've actually already started on them. They are:

Start a Book Club

After several years of talking about starting a reading group, I've decided to jump in. Without out much ado, I invited a few of my book-loving friends to join me in reading and discussing Tracy Chevalier's newest book, "The Last Runaway." Chevalier is one of my favorite authors, writing about women and issues specific to historical periods. Now that I've set this in motion, I'd like to share a book each month. I think it will be fun to together decide what we'll read and why. Maybe we'll rotate who takes the lead on the discussion. I'm excited!

 

Find and attend unique conferences, seminars, workshops, and other learning opportunities

Just as I set this as a true intention for this year, my friend Amy invited me to a women's retreat at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center. I've wanted to go to this retreat center for some time and now I'm going this weekend. This is an excellent start for moving on my goal. Super cool! 

         Register with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) 

Next week I'm going to visit my Aunt Kathy. She is the family historian on my mom's side of the family. Years ago she combined her interest in the Civil War with her love of traveling to track down documents and information about our family ancestry  The wealth of information she's gathered is amazing. A couple of years ago she completed enough information to quality as a DAR member. Because she has documentation that proves she is a descendant from a Revolutionary war veteran, I now can piggyback on her paper trail. When I see Kathy, I'm going to ask what I need to do to get it done this year. Yup, I'm just going to do it.

Hey, if I get these three things going right way this year, I might even get to a few more items on that "someday" list! 

Happy hunting

Daily Gratitude: Today I'm thankful for:

• I have sunshine inside of me today. They skies are grey, which usually sends me into a funk. However, I feel rested and fresh. I really love feeling good!
• Angels who watch over me, protecting me from evil plans and onslaughts of destruction. The stories they must tell when they check in with their peer angels! I am grateful for their willingness to go about the business of comforting and protection. 
• I have awesome neighbors. They are the perfect balance of honoring my privacy and extending generosity. How many people can say that? 

What do you hunt for? It's books for me! 

Earlier I shared my love of beautiful vintage books. It's true that they occupy a special place in my heart. Another aspect of collecting books is hunting for great used books. It's one of my favorite pastimes.

One of the best hunting grounds is the St. Vincent DePaul where my sister lives. Every visit to see Leslie includes a trip to St. Vinnie's. This Thanksgiving was no exception. I found three awesome books for $.50 each. SCORE!

Here are my finds:

The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I have several books by this Spanish author. His writing is smart and complex, just the way like I like my books. I just cracked opened this one and it hooked me immediately.

Here's a synopsis of the plot: A fifteenth-century painting by a Flemish master is about to be auctioned when Julia, a young art restorer, discovers a peculiar inscription hidden in a corner: Who killed the knight? In the painting, the Duke of Flanders and his knight are locked in a game of chess, and a dark lady lurks mysteriously in the background. Julia is determined to solve the five-hundred-year-old murder, but as she begins to look for clues, several of her friends in the art world are brutally murdered in quick succession. Messages left with the bodies suggest a crucial connection between the chess game in the painting, the knight's murder, the sordid underside of the contemporary art world, and the latest deaths. Just when all of the players in the mystery seem to be pawns themselves, events race toward a shocking conclusion. A thriller like no other, The Flanders Panel presents a tantalizing puzzle for any connoisseur of mystery, chess, art, and history.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Ogden Nash. Witty twists of words that make light of things pompous and inhuman. Love that his poetry reflects his heart for the glories of the mundane.

Here's a good one:

What Almost Every Woman Knows Sooner Or Later

Husbands are things that wives have to get used to putting up with.
And with whom they breakfast with and sup with.
They interfere with the discipline of nurseries,
And forget anniversaries,
And when they have been particularly remiss
They think they can cure everything with a great big kiss,
And when you tell them about something awful they have done they just
look unbearably patient and smile a superior smile,
And think, Oh she'll get over it after a while.
And they always drink cocktails faster than they can assimilate them,
And if you look in their direction they act as if they were martyrs and
you were trying to sacrifice, or immolate them,
And when it's a question of walking five miles to play golf they are very
energetic but if it's doing anything useful around the house they are
very lethargic,
And then they tell you that women are unreasonable and don't know
anything about logic,
And they never want to get up or go to bed at the same time as you do,
And when you perform some simple common or garden rite like putting
cold cream on your face or applying a touch of lipstick they seem to
think that you are up to some kind of black magic like a priestess of Voodoo.
And they are brave and calm and cool and collected about the ailments
of the person they have promised to honor and cherish,
But the minute they get a sniffle or a stomachache of their own, why
you'd think they were about to perish,
And when you are alone with them they ignore all the minor courtesies
and as for airs and graces, they uttlerly lack them,
But when there are a lot of people around they hand you so many chairs
and ashtrays and sandwiches and butter you with such bowings and
scrapings that you want to smack them.
Husbands are indeed an irritating form of life,
And yet through some quirk of Providence most of them are really very
deeply ensconced in the affection of their wife.

Ogden Nash

The Elegant Universe by Brian Green. Always want to know more about superstrings and hidden dimensions. This national bestseller has my attention! Haven't jumped into it yet, but am anticipating it with relish. 

Here's why: Beginning with a brief consideration of classical physics, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes a historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic world of the standard model of particle physics and the deterministic Newtonian physics of the macroscopic world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics.

Ok ok, I know it's a bit heady, but how cool?!

Anyway, just love hunting for a good book...or two. It's one of my favorite things, right up there with actually reading them! 

My books are my friends

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• God's correction. King David said he was glad for His correction, and I used to not understand that. Yet, as I get older I realize that God's correction keeps us true, honest, and loving to others. It's way better than His discipline!
• Fall and winter merging. This morning the fall leaves are covered with a light layer of white powder. It's beautiful.
• When I think of the thousands of people on the east coast that are displaced, cold, and frustrated, I am all the more thankful for my warm home and cozy bed. Truly, I am blessed!

I have a few books

Well, maybe more than a few.

While I've been a voracious reader since I was a child, it wasn't until I was a young adult that I began to appreciate the beauty of books published around the turn of the last century. Since then I have gathered many lovely volumes.

I love these beautiful stories and the works of art that cover them. Most are bound in decorated fabric, some are actually tooled leather. Not all of them are in perfect shape, but I marvel at how well preserved they are for being well over 100 years old.

Here's a beautiful edition of the Chautauqua Girls at Home that was given to a young woman named Lou Taylor. Her aunt Avery gave it to her as a Christmas gift in 1897. The cloth cover is worn just a bit, otherwise it's in wonderful condition.

Isn't this one a hoot? Wanted- A Matchmaker. A holiday story about wanting a husband! This edition features a beautiful Armstrong design on the boards and every page is illustrated with a lavish boarder. 

Chattie B. Cahill inscribed this lovely edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin in February of 1900. I have 20 or so books that were Ms. Cahill's. She had wonderful taste in her reading material. Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate information about this specific printing.

Many years back, my father and I were roaming the hills of the Palouse when we can upon an estate sale at an old farm. Dad found several treasures. And, so did I - this collection of Tom Swift adventure books.

Finding a complete collection that's in good condition is like hitting the mother lode! This set of Master Pieces of Fiction was a great score from my friend's salvage shop. The set was published in 1904 and included everyone from Charles Dickens to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Boccaccio, George Eliot, Emile Zola, and more. I wonder is she realized what she had!

My step-mom gave me a box full of these funny, yet delightful pulp fiction books from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. They are pretty tame compared to the romance novels of today, but in their time they were quite racy. I especially like the one titled "Professional Lover."

Books are tucked around in nooks and crannies in my home. Here, a random collection of beautifully dressed friends, I mean books, sits on the mantle of my fireplace. I just love the colors!

Some of my book-friends are ornate and beautiful. Others are hearty and well-worn. All are a delight in some way. There are days that I will deliberately visit my books. I grab a cup of coffee and walk from room to room to remember them. It's a pleasurable exercise. I touch the covers, running my fingers over the embossed designs. The wonderful smell that comes from opening the pages often compels me to stop to read a page or two. Not every book has in inscription. When I find one, it's like connecting with the previous owner. I like to think of them lovingly penning their name, noting the town where they lived, and "stamping" the date that they came to possess the volume. 

I wonder if Cleopatra felt that way about the papyrus scrolls in the Royal Library of Alexandra. I do believe Caesar's accidental burning of the world's largest and most significant library would have been a real deal breaker for me!  And, surely Queen Elizabeth treasured the many volumes of classical works and Psalms she had translated and ornately bound. As well as her copies of the works of Shakespeare, Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, and Christopher Marlowe.

It would be a tedious undertaking to look at all of my old books today. I just wanted to talk about a few of them, because they bring me such joy. And, I wanted you to know that...

My books are my friends. 

(P.S. See my Pinterest board where I pin loads of cool books - Books are my friends)