Castle in the Clouds

Okay, I have to be honest here and admit that I just did a search of my blog to make sure I hadn't already covered this topic in an earlier post.  ( Is this the first sign of dementia or Alzheimer's? It worries me sometimes how forgetful I can really be!) Although I've talked about books - often - on the blog, I don't think I've ever highlighted my childhood favorites.  If I have and I missed it on the search, I apologize.   I know I've mentioned the Little Golden Books that my mom once read to me, but surprisingly they don't really make my list of childhood favorites.  The books that come to mind when I think back to my impressionable childhood years seem to be centralized around a 10- or 11-year-old me.  These were the books I read on my own. These were the books that turned me into the reader I am today.  One of them even inspired dreams of becoming a writer myself.  The opening chapter of Harriet the Spy will always hold a special place in m

I no longer have an excuse not to start serious work on book #2.  The story bible is done.   That is all.  

It was a difficult weekend.  We knew it was time to put our seventeen-year-old dog down.  She slept more than she did anything else.  When she'd wake up, she wasn't always able to control her bowels or bladder and would mess in the house.  Steps were becoming more and more uncomfortable for her to navigate. Her vision had been suspect for at least a year, maybe more.  Her hearing, too.  Yes, it was definitely time to consider a humane ending to her long life.  So Saturday morning we said goodbye to our old dog, our Brittany.  After the vet put her to sleep, we buried her in the backyard next to Cash.  It seems we've started our own little pet cemetery.  My hope is that it stays this small for many, many years.   A favorite pastime...destroying a stick.  Serving as the occasional pillow. When she had the strength, stamina, and will to play with the boys. Chillin' with her favorite guy. Camping buddy. Welcoming our oldest into the family,

I was playing around on Pinterest this morning and stumbled across a pin by  Danielle Davenport  on Rory Gilmore's Reading Challenge . Now, I've never seen a single episode of Gilmore Girls.  I have no idea who Rory Gilmore is, but if I had to judge her by her reading list, I'd have to go with highly intelligent, well-read, and most likely a bit of a nerd.  I like to think I'm somewhat well read myself, but looking at this list I'm not quite so sure.  Green = I've read it. Blue = I own it and I'm going to read it.  Eventually.  1984 by George Orwell The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Alice in Wonderland by Lewis  Carroll The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Archidamian War by Donald Kagan The Art of Fiction by Henry James The Art of War by Sun Tzu As I L