Of Books and Bathrooms

    I'm all for adventures and I believe that all awkward moments are adventures, just not the fun kind. It was precisely that sort of adventure I had recently.  
    This tale starts off as all tales ought to. It was a lovely, sunny day in summer. I drove to the library in the morning and was still feeling victorious as I walked into the library because I had actually managed to park our vehicle perfectly inside the marked lines of the parking lot. I knew exactly what books I wanted so I marched off toward the shelves with the vigor and assurance that comes with having a plan. Within a short amount of time I had the books in hand and went to check out. The librarian was a cheerful, talkative curly-headed woman, her curls alone have secured a bond of friendship between us. After my books were checked out I took them out to the vehicle and then went back inside to see if the rest of my family had decided on what they wanted, in other words, I went inside to wait on them. Mum informed me that a friend of hers is going to meet us so we would wait yet for a bit. With that in mind I realized that I needed to use the restroom (a.k.a bathroom, a.k.a powder room, etc.). Having never used them at the library before, I was slightly unsure how to actually get to them.
     I marched off and found the restrooms. I felt very accomplished at that time. Not only did I manage to have decent parking that day, but I had also just found the bathroom unassisted. The whole "I'll be a grownup in a few years" thing wasn't looking so hard after all.
    The bathroom was a small room with two stalls and two rather old-looking sinks. When it came time to wash my hands I noted that the rather old-looking sinks had knobs that you were supposed to push. Now I can see that the fact that you have to push the knobs meant the sinks weren't so very old or outdated, but at the time I was focused on my task and thought nothing of it. It was admittedly fun getting to push the knobs down to turn the water on. I bopped both the hot water knob and the cold water knob and the faucet merrily spewed a stream of water over my hands. As I washed I noticed that the hot water knob was loose so I bopped it politely to fix it and then decided it was time to dry my hands. I bopped both the hot water knob and the cold water one, neither stopped gushing. I stared at them trying to figure out how to turn them off. I pushed them both down, I twisted one towards the right, then towards the left, I smashed and bashed, pushed and bopped but still the faucet spewed water. I was starting to feel upset at the faucet, I glared at it as if my stare would scare it into obedience. I bopped them both several more times and then turned to dry my hands while hoping that somehow the faucet would stop spewing water in the meantime. Even once my back was turned to the sinks I heard the steady gushing of water. I stared at the wall for a bit longer but the water continued pouring.
    At that point I was a little miffed. That incorrigible faucet was mocking me. It was depositing gallons of water into the sink just to taunt me and I just couldn't allow it to do so. I bopped both knobs once more and when the faucet failed to feel the wrath of my gaze I spun on my heel and marched out the bathroom door, the sound of water splashing into the sink followed me.
    I realized that the faucet had won and that now I had to go tell someone about it. I walked slowly, ever so slowly, over to the librarian and waited patiently for her to finish talking on the phone, instead she told the person to hold on and then asked what the matter was. After telling her, she burst out laughing and told me that the faucets are automatic and they turn off after a minute or so. I managed to laugh as well though I felt it was an act of surrender to the dreadful faucet.
    I walked out of the library that day with far less energy than when I entered, and more than a little thankful that I still have time before I'm actually an adult.

Of Books and Random Musings...

  Yesterday was a particularly rainy and dreary day, and it brought back memories of the times when I would stay inside and play with my doll or do a hundred piece puzzle while my Mum worked on crafts or played a game with us. Rainy days are cozy days, and even though I do prefer sunny and warm days, winter and early spring holds a special part in my heart and I love it oddly enough, rain, mud, cold and all.
   Now that I'm just a smidgen older, I still like doing puzzles (especially Ravensburger), but nothing beats reading books. With that in mind, yesterday Mum, Diane, and I all went to the library. I love going to the library so much that it's hard not to squeal with delight as I peruse the book-ladened shelves.
  I've always been a slowpoke by nature, and even more so when I'm doing something, or am somewhere that I really like, because of that, I could easily spend several hours in the library and it's sort of a test of my own strength to leave the library within a reasonable amount of time.
  I've never understood why libraries don't have shopping carts, it would be so much easier to transport my books while browsing if I had a cart to put my chosen ones in. Sadly I don't suspect that libraries shall take up my suggestion any time soon.
   If you're wondering when I'm about to get to the point, I'm afraid you shall be disappointed, for the point of this whole post to randomly babble, which I'm very good at.
   Some people (not me, of course) think that libraries are boring, which I can't kind comprehend, even though I try to, and I suppose the reason why I think libraries are interesting is because of all the different characters you can meet there (and I'm not just talking about book characters). For example, last year, which is a statement I'm still trying to get used to when referring to 2017, my Mum, Diane, and I watched as two Mennonite girls walked into the library, that's not exciting, I know, and we thought nothing of it either. But when I was on my way out a few minutes later I walked past the girls and heard them excitedly chatting as they hunched over a computer, "He's cute" the one girl gushed. Now, obviously I was intrigued, who did these two girls think was cute. Naturally I did the only thing a girl could do, I circled around the shelves again and walked past them, moderately close, mind you, and I took a quick peek at the computer screen. If I would have been prone to dramatics (*cough*) I would have slapped my hand on my forehead and swooned. Not because the dear fellow was dashing, but because he was rather, well, un-dashing, and the shock over their preference would have been too great for me and caused me to faint. The chap in question was a middle-aged man with sort of matted, or dare I say lumpy, hair, a rather large nose, though I should call it aristocratic, and he was smiling in that sort of self-assured business man way, you know the pose, the classic,"prop-the-chin-on-the-hand-smolder." I left the library with a shudder, but also amused.
   On that cheerful note, I will leave and go read a book. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
  

For the Love of Books

  It's no secret (anymore) that I would much rather read a book at parties and so on than have to pretend I'm interested by the people that surround me. It sounds absolutely scandalous once it's written out but perhaps I need to be brutally honest at times.

  I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to describe to you how well I love books but I'm assuming that everybody already knows the depths of my love for reading. Books really are strange, like portable adventures...but to get back on track I decided that I was going to share some of my reading quirks with you today, plus a video that I found personally hilarious and accurate when it comes to a book lover's life.

  I believe that I've already told you how I have to be perfectly comfortable when I read, but here are a lot more things about me when it comes to reading.

•   I can't stand noise when I'm reading. Except for the sounds of birds singing, or wind blowing through the trees.
•  I know that a lot of people curl up in a corner or something but I love to kneel beside my bed and read my book propped on the mattress. My Dad saw me like that once and wondered if I was okay.  
• Something I find terribly annoying, even though other people might love it, is drinking something or munching happily away on a snack of some kind when reading, it serves to be a distraction, and I'm perfectly petrified about soiling a book, which to me is a serious crime and worthy to be punished.
• Another thing is that I've always wanted to have a book that was scary enough to need to be shoved into my freezer (it can't get me there) the only problem is that I've only ever read one book that was deemed nerve wracking enough but it was my book out of a gorgeous series that I'd been gifted and by no means did I want to maim it in any form, even by sticking it into the freezer.
• I also have been known to holler out loud at certain characters that really get on my nerves, either because they're being too stubborn, idiotic, or just plain mean. 
• Diane knows that I get really pulled into whatever I'm reading, so when I was reading Divergent the one time, she hollered "boo" at my face. I fell right off the bed and landed on my book, much to her delight.
• I always think that a book has to have a perfect ending. Otherwise I dislike the books completely for they have wronged me. One of those books was Allegiant, I hated it.
• One thing that is strange about me is that books do not easily amuse me. Sure I can think something is funny but I never laugh. I only laughed (genuinely) once, and Diane had thought something was wrong. 
• And another thing, I constantly refer to book characters as being real, it doesn't annoy anyone though it can be confusing at times. 
• I've been known to tell my diary all about my thoughts concerning whatever book I'm reading at the time. I'm considering starting a book journal just for my thoughts and so on.
• I've been known to make really lame jokes concerning book characters. For example, (from The Hunger Games) I had fried up a bunch of pita breads the other week and Diane said she loved a good "Peeta" which put me into "Gales" of laughter. My family all looked horrified at my extraordinarily lame joke.  

  And now onto the video like I promised earlier.

Recently.....

  Hello again dear friends, it has been yet another while since I've last posted. I know that I told you last week that I'd be blogging more frequently and then I immediately sat back and drank tea whilst forgetting all about what I'd said.

  Now that I'm back I assume it's only appropriate to inform you about all the little things that you've missed while I was being lazy. Since I'm on my Summer break I've gotten to spend a lot more time doing all the things that I love, like binding books, reading, journaling, and sketching.

  This first picture is what I started to draw last night but didn't quite finish yet. (I really dislike drawing clothing.) I've missed drawing so I'm happy to get back to it, though I should probably use better pencils than just my regular old yellow school pencil.

  
I've really been enjoying binding books to use as journals. Though I hate using the kettle stitch it makes neat books so I'm grateful for it. The book on the bottom there is the first one that I bound, the cover turned out a little wonky but I think I've got the hang of it now, at least I learned that using old cereal boxes to make "hard" covers is not a good idea!

  
Here are my last two, most recent journals that I made, have you noticed that I love to put charms on them?

  
Now, onto more pressing matters. (I'm literally laughing right now, even though I've been told my jokes lack a sense of hilarity, they amuse me) my brother Eldon made me a beautiful book press that I love to use when I make my journals, the picture doesn't really show it, but it's varnished, waxed, and very smooth. I was terribly excited about it, and readily made the cookies that Eldon requested as proof of my appreciation.

 
 My reading of late, hasn't been Anne of Green Gables, or Little House on the Prairie, instead I've been devouring (yep, I'm absolutely hilarious) this College Nutrition Book, I've learned so much and can hardly wait to learn more. I'm sure I'll get to learn plenty more considering how I'm on page 32 out of 512.

 
And there, that's the end of my hobbies of late, since I've gotten caught up with you I can now sit back and wait till tomorrow to make another post. It truly is a delightfully satisfying feeling!

J ~ Jen Turano

  Pretty much everyone I know, absolutely loves to read and I understand it completely because I myself absolutely love to read, it sparks the imagination and serves as such a delightful past time, and is definitely the hobby I indulge in on my schedule.

  I'm sure a few of you know that my Mum is an author, and back when she was just releasing her books, her publishing company let her choose ten free books for every book that she published as an added perk to being part of their publishing house. Along with several other really good books, my Mum landed upon some absolutely terrific books, several of them which happened to be my very favorites, those books are written by Jen Turano and are apparently part of a series which I'm missing a book or two from.

  I absolutely love Jen Turano's writing style, I fell in love with her books from the second Arabella glared at Theodore ( I hadn't read them in order, whoops!) I don't know why but I found it so refreshing that finally a romance book was a comedy, that it was light and relatable (because truly I think we all have several people we'd love to throw onions at and give a good prod with our parasols.)

  I took several pictures of the books I have of hers so you can see what they are, I had issues with the camera so I'm sharing more than one picture so you can better see the one book that had been glaring at me in the light.

I so dearly want the next book which has kind of been working up throughout each of the first three books.

 

Of Books and Bugs

  There are certain times in my life when I am a mighty warrior, one that is so strong and fierce that nothing can stand in my way. I had just such a time a few days ago.

  It all started out quite innocently. There I was, sitting unsuspectingly on my bed, snuggled under my covers reading a terrific Louis L'Amour book. I have never told you before, but I love the Louis L'Amour books and so my leisurely time spent reading those books in the evenings is  quite normal and nothing seemed amiss.

  It was dark out and I was savoring the softness of my favorite blanket and the terrific tale being told in my book. Now my super warrior instincts were quite alert and my eye twitched. I thought nothing of it till I felt this great big black shadow hovering over me. Slowly I lowered my book and looked to see what it might be.

  My heart was ridden with terror when that great black shadow turned out be a most hideous brown scaled, large, bow legged bug perched primly on the tip of my big toe! Diane (she had been reading a book on the bed too) shrieked and flew out of bed. As she trembled by the door I bravely yanked my toe out from under that armored beast.

  My eagle like eyes scanned the room in seconds and with the aid of my dear comrade in battle I attained a most fearsome trap for the beast. The trap of which we are speaking was a lovely flowery stationary box. With lithe feet I approached the beast and with all my strength I fought a gag as I approached it. My breathing was labored and my heart was beating frantically, but nevertheless my nimble fingers scooped up that abomination into it's trap. Diane is not by any means a strong-hearted warrior so she fled the room as I delicately perched that box containing the monster on the top of my little waste basket and with a magnificent leap I flew under my covers feeling courageous and worthy of every medal that could possibly be bestowed upon me.

  My night was fitful because since I had not actually, dare I say it, squished, that bug it was still very much alive and all throughout the night I tossed and turned to the sound of the great bow legged behemoth clacking it's scaly shell against the sides of it's trap, trying as it might to escape.

  Now when morning arrived, rest assured I found a warrior reputed to be one with a strong heart, to put that monster to sleep. (Thanks Dad if you're reading this.) And that concludes the tale of my awesomeness.

For the Love of Books

  Books, books, glorious books! Though I love settling down to watch a good movie nothing comes close to replacing to a good book. A truly wonderful book captivates me and is the subject of my daydreams. Fortunately my parents are both book lovers and we have a huge home library. I have read quite a bunch of captivating books and believe that my writing style - which you get to experience every time that I make a post - is due largely to the books that I have read.

  Today I will be putting my own spin on the usual Wednesday Hodgepodge since it doesn't exist this week. Today I will be answering book related questions. Without further ado....

#1 Would you rather read only trilogies or stand-alones? 

I love both of them equally. Sometimes I wish there were more books to whatever I'm reading and then other times I wish that there was only one book in the series that I'm reading.

#2 Would you rather read only male or female authors?

  I do not prefer one over the other. I was prepared to say I prefer female authors until I realized I loved all of the books by Louis L'Amour, and the books by J.R.R Tolkien. So yes, I stand firm when I say I do not prefer one over the other.

#3 Would you rather shop at Barnes and Noble or Amazon?

   I would definitely prefer to shop at Barnes and Noble. Actually getting to see, smell, and touch the books in front of me is a priceless thing and can't be replaced for me by an online store.

#4 Would you rather have books become T.V. shows or movies?

  I would rather have books turn into movies that way you have the whole deal right in front of you instead of fretting "when will the next episode play?"


#5 Would you rather read five pages a day or five books a week?

   Now this is an easy question. Obviously I would rather read five books a week!

#6 Would you rather be a professional reviewer or an author?

   If I was a professional reviewer I would be sent free books to review; if I was a professional author I would get paid enough to buy my own books.... Yep, I would rather be a professional author.
And sorry by the way, that you had to experience my thought process.

#7 Would you rather read your top twenty favorite books over and over again, or always read new ones you've never read before?

  I would rather always read new books that I never read before. Even though I have favorites I enjoy rereading, it would be sad to devote my reading time to only twenty books.

#8 Would you rather be a librarian or a bookseller?

   I would much rather be a librarian. Being surrounded by books all day. Helping others find that perfect book to read. 

   Confession time .... I think it would be so much fun walking around with my nose turned up, busily tut-tutting at noisy people. And perhaps I would start a "Stop Abusing Books" program, telling people dog ears are for dogs, not books.

#9 Would you rather read only your favorite genre(s) or anything but your favorite?

   Is this question even real?! Why in the world would I want to only read my least favorite genres? This question is so infuriatingly obvious I'm just going to stubbornly turn up my nose and walk away.

#10 Would you rather read only physical books or e-books?

  I don't think anything will ever replace real physical books for me. I love everything about real books. From smelling the pages, to crying onto them, to stuffing them into a freezer for a while because they are just too scary for me and I need a little time to prepare myself to continue reading.

A Girl of the Limberlost ~ Review

  I recently read the book " A Girl of the Limberlost " You know you have found a good book when you can crawl into the book and become the main character. That's what happened to me with this book. I became Elnora, a poor girl that has a Mother that seems to care about money more than her only child and doesn't realize how cruel she is by refusing to pay her own daughter's expenses even things like school fees. With her Uncle's support Elnora sets out to make money by gathering moths from the depths of the Limberlost swamp so she can pay her school tuition and her personal expenses.

  Elnora's High school is bit more challenging than she thought it would be, she simply doesn't fit in and one of her teachers even misspelled her last name Comstock for Cornstock, though she soon wins over the girls hearts at her school with acts of generosity and thoughtfulness, though her life might be hard at times it is soon filled with plenty of surprises as an orphan named Billy visits Elnora, whether he is found jumping on dogs or yanking out a turkey's tail Elnora is busy with Billie's tendency to be bad without knowing it and his love for cookies.

  Life in the Limberlost changes for Elnora as her new found love for playing the violin takes place, including a dramatic change in her Mother, Elnora learns to forgive as her Mother finally realizes what she is doing to her daughter.

  Soon Elnora meets a young man that because of his illness has taken to the country side, because of his love for collecting moths he spends numerous afternoons helping Elnora, but as the year ends some unexpected circumstances arise. Everything eventually works out, and the book ends in a very satisfying way.