Stray Thoughts

As seen on a car window magnet: "If I passed you on the right it is your fault you are an idiot." Seriously? This is what the world has come to. I can pull a crime and possibly put others in danger, but it is your fault because if you weren't driving the way that you were, I would not have been forced to do what I do? I feel since we've been emerging from the pandemic, or maybe since it was the 2016 election, there are people who not only believe this mentality, but believe it is their right to share their views with everyone because there is no doubt in their mind that they are right.  I'm too stunned to understand the logic of this thinking, and dumbfounded why it would be acceptable to put it on your car for all to see. Do they think this logic would hold up in court, or that they would never be ticketed or cause an accident with their erratic driving? Meanwhile Ashley got a ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign or careless driving. She is the most careful ...

I got to chatting with one of the women behind the check out desk at my local library about how we find new books to read. She, too, takes out more books than it is humanly possible to read. She calls it "taking the books on a vacation." They leave the library shelves and travel home with her. Then return to the familiar shelves where they can tell the the other books about their adventures. Okay, I made that last part up. She mentioned there are very few fictional books that take place in Ellis Island. I'm really surprised. She also said she writes tiny vignettes about people she encounters during the day. Sometimes it is just three lines. Then she asked me a question no one has ever asked me: do you have a book in you? This summer for the first time I really feel I have a book swirling inside of me. I just don't know what kind of book, who my lead character will be, the plot, or anything else important. Only that the book is swirling around inside of me. Vignettes a...

  Last night I attended Neil King Jr's author visit at the Princeton Public Library to tout his book   American ramble: a walk of memory and recall . This was a joint event with the Princeton Historical Society. As Eve from PHS   introduced Neil , she included the line: "He worked a multitude of jobs, from busboy and ranch hand to cab driver and private investigator, before settling into a career in journalism." I was hooked. Full disclosure, I have not yet read his book. I am on hold for it at our local library, and do intend to read it. Another disclosure, I did not take any pictures last night because I did not intend to write a blog post about the event. I went with Don because it sounded interesting. So why write this post? As I sat in the crowded Community Room, I was equal parts fascinated with his story and dreaming about writing my own book. What would I write about? Could I turn some of these blog posts into something that would garner the interest of a publishe...

  As I attempt to write more often this summer, most posts will be of glimpses into my daily life. They often will not include photos.  ~~~ Today, in an effort to beat the heat, I decided to go for my daily walk before breakfast. It was already 78 degrees out and very humid, with a forecast calling for 94 degrees and even more humidity. As I passed people, I commented how we were going to get it done before the heat kicked in. I smiled as I passed a group of elementary school campers joyfully running around under the watchful eye of their leader. As seems appropriate these days, I steered clear of the group so they were not nervous about having an strange adult with them. As a white woman of a certain age (read: old enough to be the grandmother of each of the campers), I don't pose a threat, but I still didn't want to raise anyone's  spidey sense .  Up and around the the former bocce field to add in an extra 300 steps. Passed the half dozen campers again, now playing...

  Today I'll share two quick stories. The first a chance encounter. The second an emergency encounter. While running errands yesterday I bumped into Dawn, a mom with three kids who I've known since Ashley was in grade school. Her daughter is four years older, her middle child a year younger, and the youngest is four or five years younger than Ashley. This story is about her youngest who attended the school where I work for a few months when I started. It was actually this connection that made me feel God's hand in landing the job.  Let me back up to 2019. I learned about the opening from a friend of a friend (who has since become a friend). Her friend said the school where she was retiring from had a need for a Development Director. Annie knew a little bit about my background and thought I would be ideal for the position. I applied. After a few months of back and forth, I started the job. When I announced my career move people suddenly told me about their connection to the ...

  I failed to post something yesterday (July 15) because when I came home we lost power. It came back on within a few hours, but by then my internal battery was drained. A few years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, something I rarely talk about. This year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroid, something I talk about even less often. On most days I swim through life and don't think about either. I take a low dose of Ozempic for diabetes, and an herbal supplement for my thyroid. This week I had a phone appointment with my endocrinologist (the amazing Dr. Adi). My thyroid is back to out of whack, which means all of my numbers are off-kilter. It will take a little bit of tweaking and patience, and prayers, to try to get back to normal. Meanwhile, I need to accept that sometimes I need to recharge. Today I was able to wrap my head around trip planning. I still have the last week tp plan, but that can wait another day.