"I cannot teach anybody anything.
I can only make them think."
-Socrates
I am sitting in my living room, book in hand, looking out at the rain raising my lake and am ready for October. The summer in South Florida is the rainy season, and I am not a fan. The air is still and heavy, and outside always feels wet. There are more summer storms than there used to be, and the everyday showers last for hours rather than the short spurts we used to have. Just when I think that I have had it with Florida's weather though, I remember October through April. There is nowhere in our country that can compete with Florida during Autumn, Winter and Spring. The grass is always green, the produce is always freshly picked, and we never have to shovel snow! I think I will read my book and ignore the rain, because when all is said and done, I am going nowhere.
Speaking of going somewhere, I just ordered a book that looks interesting. 100 Places in the U. S. Every Woman Should Go, by Sophia Dembling. I started looking through it, and although I am not sure what makes Disney, Graceland and the Spam Museum female oriented, this book does give me ideas for upcoming journeys. For example, who knew that the world's longest yard sale (Michigan to Alabama) spans 675 miles through five states. Every year in August (the first Thursday through Sunday ) people along route 127 bring out their wares and the selling begins. Now I am not typically a yard sale person, but that has to be quite some journey filled with lots of interesting people to meet. Just imagine the used books you could find in five states of people's give-aways.
Ah, books! For many years I planned trips with local bookstores in mind. Guidebooks usually list interesting bookstores (at least they did when there were interesting bookstores...and paper guidebooks) and exploring those stores kept us busy for hours. How sad that technology has made those places somewhat obsolete. I blame myself as much as anyone. When I mention "sitting with a book" these days, I actually mean sitting with my Kindle or IPad mini. Trips to bookstores find me using my iPhone to snap pictures of book covers that look interesting, so I can order them for my device later in the day. I have always believed in technology and change, but sometimes I worry that we are losing too much in our rush to the next frontier.
Now the 4th of July is the perfect time not to rush to any "frontier" except our back yard. Barbecued burgers, chicken, fish or veggies sound great, accompanied by corn on the cob, my mom's recipe for potato salad and some cold watermelon. Hmmm...if I invite my daughter, granddaughters and sister, I bet we can all sneak away for an hour of reading at the pool. Have a great holiday everyone!
I can only make them think."
-Socrates
I am sitting in my living room, book in hand, looking out at the rain raising my lake and am ready for October. The summer in South Florida is the rainy season, and I am not a fan. The air is still and heavy, and outside always feels wet. There are more summer storms than there used to be, and the everyday showers last for hours rather than the short spurts we used to have. Just when I think that I have had it with Florida's weather though, I remember October through April. There is nowhere in our country that can compete with Florida during Autumn, Winter and Spring. The grass is always green, the produce is always freshly picked, and we never have to shovel snow! I think I will read my book and ignore the rain, because when all is said and done, I am going nowhere.
Speaking of going somewhere, I just ordered a book that looks interesting. 100 Places in the U. S. Every Woman Should Go, by Sophia Dembling. I started looking through it, and although I am not sure what makes Disney, Graceland and the Spam Museum female oriented, this book does give me ideas for upcoming journeys. For example, who knew that the world's longest yard sale (Michigan to Alabama) spans 675 miles through five states. Every year in August (the first Thursday through Sunday ) people along route 127 bring out their wares and the selling begins. Now I am not typically a yard sale person, but that has to be quite some journey filled with lots of interesting people to meet. Just imagine the used books you could find in five states of people's give-aways.
Ah, books! For many years I planned trips with local bookstores in mind. Guidebooks usually list interesting bookstores (at least they did when there were interesting bookstores...and paper guidebooks) and exploring those stores kept us busy for hours. How sad that technology has made those places somewhat obsolete. I blame myself as much as anyone. When I mention "sitting with a book" these days, I actually mean sitting with my Kindle or IPad mini. Trips to bookstores find me using my iPhone to snap pictures of book covers that look interesting, so I can order them for my device later in the day. I have always believed in technology and change, but sometimes I worry that we are losing too much in our rush to the next frontier.
Now the 4th of July is the perfect time not to rush to any "frontier" except our back yard. Barbecued burgers, chicken, fish or veggies sound great, accompanied by corn on the cob, my mom's recipe for potato salad and some cold watermelon. Hmmm...if I invite my daughter, granddaughters and sister, I bet we can all sneak away for an hour of reading at the pool. Have a great holiday everyone!
Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog:
