Castle in the Clouds

Marvel is releasing Avengers: Infinity War on April 27, 2018.  I can't tell you how excited I am to see this film, even if my bladder will be begging for mercy before the end credits.  Seriously, these movies just keep getting longer and longer and longer...and they make us wait for more clips!  It's sadistic. And I'm masochistic because I will sit there bargaining with my bladder while I wait to see the deeply buried teasers. In this movie the Avengers, mainly comprised of Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Hawkeye, and Vision, are going to be joined by Dr. Strange, Spiderman, the Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Be still my heart. That so many iconic superheroes are required to fight Thanos and his allies speaks to the epic battle about to be engaged.  Each hero(ine) brings a unique skill set to the fight.  Thor has his lightning, superhuman strength, and flight.  Spiderman, his webs.  Dr. S...

Ken walking Dexter; Terri walking Creeper; Kenny walking Roxy. It's almost time!  Winter is still holding on, refusing to completely concede defeat by threatening snow and frigid temperatures, but you can feel how close spring is now.  The air smells different.  The sun, when it's out, is warmer and the skies seem a little bit bluer.  Yes, spring is almost here.  With spring comes camping. Plans are already being made.  Our first trip is scheduled for mid-May, but friends of ours are looking to get their rigs on the road as early as April.  We were asked to join them but the ground in front of our pole barn is too soft to risk pulling the camper out of storage that early, so we declined. We have a number of people that we camp with throughout the season.  Our boys.  My dad.  Ken's sister and brother-in-law.  My sister and her kids.  My brother, sister-in-law, their kids, and my sister-in-law's extended family. A numbe...

I've always been a bit of a dreamer.  My heart's not-so-secret desire is to quit the day job and dedicate myself to writing. I have this vision of me remodeling my youngest boy's room into a craft/writing/library space.  The dormer will sport a cute little reading bench.  The walls on that half of the bedroom will be floor to ceiling bookshelves that will allow me to see what I actually own. The opposite wall will sport a crafting workbench and shelves for all my supplies and scrapbooking albums.  In the center of the room, a simple desk for my computer and printer. I imagine myself spending a great deal of time in this room.  While Ken is busy elsewhere - working, golfing, fishing, hunting, or just playing in his pole barn - I can see myself curled up on the reading bench, book and hot tea in hand. I can also see myself scrapbooking with music or an audiobook filling the air.  I can see myself sitting at my writing table, laptop open and my writing noteb...

I don't remember the year.  It was before we had kids but certainly not the same year we got married and went on our honeymoon to Las Vegas.  I was pregnant most of 1997, which really only leaves 1995 and 1996 as viable options. I don't know why we decided to drive out west for our first vacation. We didn't know anyone in the area and we weren't meeting anyone coming from the opposite direction.  I think it might have had something to do with Ken's dad having served in the Air Force in Colorado Springs.  Ken had heard all about his parents' time there and I think he kind of wanted a visual to go with the stories his mom and dad had passed down to him. Me?  I just love to travel.  When he proposed Colorado, I had no better idea and no reservations.  In fact, I was eager to visit the Rocky Mountains for the first time.  Books and photos can only do so much.  You sometimes just have to experience the world to truly appreciate it. Being new...

When I was putting that collage together I was surprised by the fact that I had somehow gotten through five books and one comic book (not pictured!) this month.  Two of these books took forever for me to finish, so I really expected the overall tally to be fewer in number. I had started February with Lincoln in the Bardo , which was such a fast, enjoyable read I borrowed through Overdrive.  I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend because he thought I would enjoy it for it's focus on Abraham Lincoln as well as it's somewhat experimental storytelling style.  He was right.  I did.  I found the juxtaposition of quoted material and pure fancy to be intriguing.  I didn't check the quoted material, though, so I have no way of knowing how much of it was factual.  Those passages are presented in order to situate Willie's tragic passing in a time and place.  They give the reader an idea of how the war was going, what distractions the presiden...

Reading is many things to me.  It's entertainment and education.  It's the broadening of mind and spirit.  It's escapism.  Looking the books I read in January, I can see how each of those elements is represented in my reading choices. Harry Potter was pure escapism.  Reading it was a chance to get reacquainted with old friends, to ride alongside in an adventure I could fully anticipate because it was well known and comfortable, even in its saddest moments.  And that last book is so very sad! Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists was meant to broaden the mind and spirit by exploring the challenges faced by women around the world.  I discovered that while we still have a ways to go here in America, Nigeria seems to have an even longer road ahead of it when it comes to equality for all.  Little slights or outright abuses need to be addressed and rectified whenever necessary. What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypot...

Going back to regular programming here on the blog is difficult after writing a post like the one I wrote a few days ago.  I am still worked up.  Angry.  Tired of the ridiculous and ridiculing memes that are circulating on Facebook.  Tired of articles circulated as news when, in fact, they are mere opinion pieces lacking any nuance or thoughtfulness.  I can't tell you how often I write up a pointed response only to delete it.    So I scroll on by, biting my tongue.  Biting my tongue about the dismissive and patronizing comments about the generation that we're allowing to be murdered in math and English classes across this country.    Then I come here and stare at the blank page wondering what in the world I should write about now.  How do I return to regular programming?  How can I switch from dead children to fluff and nonsense?  How abrupt is that?  How jarring?  It's difficult. That's why you get th...