Vacation Much needed

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." Ovid

Time for me to get out of town!  Eight short days  from now I will be on the way to Scotland.
Scotland is always a great place to go to rewind. It is so beautiful there and even though there will be lots of walking, and maybe some rain, 7 days in Scotland is just what the doctor ordered for this tired girl.

Don't get me wrong, I love work, I am grateful to have a job. But, getting away sometimes is a grand thing, for an emotional person like me.

This adventure puts me on a coach tour with a bunch of people i don't know, but am more than willing to get to know.   I will be visiting the castle in Edinburgh and spend some time in the highlands,  get to see the newly redone rooms in Stirling Castle and some time in Glasgow, to see museums and cathedrals i have never seen before.

I have been somewhat gloomy for a few weeks,  I miss having family in easy driving distance.  Sometimes i feel so alone.  I have great friends and I have Steve, but i miss seeing my family.


So I am ready for a re-charge, and Scotland is just the place to unwind.

Thanksgiving

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"For each new morning with its light,
  For rest and shelter of the night,
  For health and for, for love and friends,
  For everything Thy goodness sends." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Contemplating this years thanksgiving feast, i began to feel very melancholy, as it struck me that again this year, i will not have any family at home to celebrate this great American holiday. Last year was difficult for me, not having my family at home.  I went to visit Steve's family in Indiana.  It was lovely, but just did not feel like Thanksgiving to me.

Really, I am thankful for so many things in my life.  I was raised in a loving family atmosphere with a mother and father who loved each other and all their family.  The abundance of love in my family sent me forth in the world to build my own family. Of course, in my usual way, I built my family, in two marriages and still ended up with just me and my children. What wonderful children they are.  We are missing one physical part of the family, since my son left this earthly world two years ago. He is always with me in my heart.

So as I sat there, contemplating my sadness, I started to think about all the wonderful Thanksgivings I have had in my life, as a little girl, and then as a woman with her own family, and I started to feel less sad and just truly thankful.  I am thankful that I get to cook a delicious meal in my own home. I am thankful for the smells that will fill my home as I prepare the food.  I am thankful for Steve and for his family that will join me at table this year. I am thankful for friends.  I am thankful for my daughters who get to spend the day together.  So here's to Thanksgiving!  I will leave you with the words of a great Scot   "Some hae meat and canna eat-
           And some wad eat that want it;
           Be we hae meat, and we can eat,
           Sae let the Lord be thankit."    Robert Burns

The Past The Present The Future

"Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely, improve the present. It is thine. Go Forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sitting around with co-workers with a cup of coffee in hand, the talk turned to school and teachers.  Everyone seems to remember every teacher they have ever had.  Me, not so much.  I can remember 3rd, 5th and 6th grades  and various teachers from junior high school ( why yes I am old enough to have gone to junior high school and not middle school)  and a few memorable teachers from high school.   I hear people say, oh it is because of this teacher that I am at this job or such things.  Me not so much.  I am not sure that I was greatly influenced by anyone other than my mom and dad.

So yes I enjoyed high school,  do I want to relive that part of my life, no.  I have so many wonderful memories of life after high school.  I don't really do anything in my life conventionally.  I was never highly ambitious to be anything special . Ironically, I chose teaching as my profession.  It was teaching or being a nurse. After starting college, quitting to marry, way too early in life, having a child and then getting divorced and returning to school, teaching won out over nursing.

Now that my children are grown, and gone from the home, I sometimes get caught up in thinking about the past.   Sometimes it makes me sad.  Mostly, though  I can remember some really fun times with my children with joy and wonder.

I surely cannot change anything in the past, and prefer to think about the present and not so much about the future.   I live my life in the present.  Happy, sad, contemplative, disgusted, tired but living the present to the fullest.   Looking forward to visiting with my children when I am able  but carving out a life of my own, which sometimes means doing things alone.

What comes next?   I don't know. My life is so different than what I thought it might be after graduating from college,  not sure I made the best decisions, but I have enjoyed life and being with the people I love. Even through tough times of loss, I have been able to put things in order and still just have a happy time.  What more can anyone ask?

Aging

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes."  Frank Lloyd Wright

I have been contemplating life and aging quite a bit of the time lately. I find this quote by Frank Lloyd Wright rather inspiring.   I took a day trip to visit my dad for his birthday.  Driving by my old high school, it struck me that I just don't remember the girl that spent 3 years of her life in that building.  I can't remember her much at all,  did she have dreams, aspirations, friends.  Was she funny or annoying or had any goals in life. I am sure she must have, but the woman that I am now, just cannot quite recall that girl of so long ago.

I have been feeling lonely for days gone past.  I miss people that have been so important in my life that I rarely get to see these days.  I work  and work and work every day to make money to live in my home.  A home that I shared with my children. A house full of memories.  

I find with all this meditation that I have been rather lucky.  Sure I have some sorrows that will never leave, but they can sit quietly in my mind, until I need to dust them off for a good cry every now and then, but overall, I have been lucky and content.  I have been fortunate to be able to travel some,  I have seen amazingly beautiful places and I have gotten to share that joy with people that I love.  I have truly wonderful family and friends and I think I agree with Frank Lloyd Wright.

Tis the Season

"This little green one here seems to need a home." Charlie Brown
 


Well it is the season.  I look forward to the Christmas season all year long.  I started watching Christmas movies in mid November.    I have traditions I uphold, because i love them.  I hang decorations that my children made so many years ago.  It is my favorite time of the year.

So I am contemplating why I have a mixed bag of feelings this year.  So many joyous feelings mixed with a bit of melancholy.   Thinking about how much my mom loved Christmas and how many seasons she has been gone.  My mother really loved Christmas and she held it in her heart all year long. She made each Christmas special when I was a little girl, that it became a part of who I am.  I am missing her so much this year,  perhaps it is because I am getting older.  I am missing Ryan so much also.  I have a pair of purple flannel pajamas that he bought me so many Christmases ago, and a purple night shirt, and a gold necklace that has two hearts,  he told me it was mine and his.   I miss him.  I hung his stocking with the rest of ours, even though nothing will be put in the stocking.   He is my son and just because he is not here on earth with me, he is in my heart.

So, I guess aging, is bringing on these thoughts of Christmases gone by,but thankfully, I still feel an enormous amount of joy and anticipation at this wondrous time of the year.  I look forward to spending time with family and friends, and just enjoying the season.



Merry Christmas!

Moon

"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969AD.  We came in peach for all mankind." Neill Armstrong


In my quest to find beauty in each day, I sometimes get bogged down by life itself.  Most of the time my mind thinks I am 25 years old still.  But, occasionally my body says"  Oh no, you aren't 25  years old, you are more than twice that age!   Thanks body for reminding me.  I had a slight set back with my injured knee yesterday afternoon.  I have been having increased mobility and feeling pretty good, even started taking the stairs again.  Well, the knee rebelled, I stood up to do something at work and had searing pain in knee.  I hobbled home, took ibuprofen and laid down.  When i could move a little better I went to the store to procure a knee brace.  You see, the new medical system at the clinic I go to is so bad, that when I told them i could not put any weight on the knee,  they said "Well we can't get you in today, but i will leave a message for the nurse to call you back."  Well later in the day, the nurse called.  She could not even get me in the next day.   I told her to forget about it!  I would go buy a brace and take care of myself.  I was a little annoyed.

So, feeling a bit down,  I got up this morning, put the knee brace on and set out for work.  Just as I turned the corner,   the enormous full moon came into view in the western sky,  which was totally clear, and the air was crisp and cool.  It was so amazingly beautiful, I just forgot everything and was in awe.

"The moon is at her full and riding high, Floods the calm fields with light.  The airs that hover in the summer sky Are all asleep tonight." William C. Bryant

So, thank you Earth for sending me that beautiful message this morning.

How my mind works

"My formula for living is quite simple.  I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night.  In between, I occupy myself the best I can."  Cary Grant

Today  I am feeling a bit anxious and a bit alone.  I had a lovely weekend with my friends and with Steve.

I had a lovely dinner and chat with my good friend last night,  still however, I am feeling like I just want someone to talk to right now at this moment.

I never quite understand where these feelings come from.  Why am I such an emotional person?  I have a lot of work to do and I am very grateful for that; I have a lovely family and I am grateful for that; I have a wonderful person to spend my life with and I am grateful for that; I have delightful and caring friends and I am grateful for that.

So i wonder why i get these overwhelming feelings of be alone and needing just to talk with someone.

Whatever the reason, just writing it down helps me to just put that feeling on a shelf and get on with the business of being happy.

FAT PANTS

"Here's what I tell anybody and this is what I believe. The greatest gift we have is the gift of life. We understand that. That comes from our Creator. We're given a body. Now you may not like it, but you can maximize that body the best it can be maximized." Mike Ditka


Needless to say,  I am feeling FAT!  This morning i put on my black jeans, which at one time i called my fat pants, because i had lost enough weight that they were baggy.  Well, I know i have been rather out of control lately,  and I keep making excuses, but the fact is I AM FAT!   I started a food diary, and have taken a long hard look at exactly what I am eating.  No wonder I feel fat!   I have gained back all the weight I lost, I have little desire to do much of anything and now I am flat out sick of the way I look.


Now I see this as a good thing.  Because  now I will take charge, get the will power fired up ( after all it really all comes down to will power,  I mean I know how to eat properly, but I just don't)  and give it a good try.


Partly I am blaming menopause.  Yes it is true things move around post menopausal,  and I am also blaming my alone time, which is a lot these days.   I will sit around in the evening and eat when i am not even hungry and i blame being alone so much for that, and the fact that I am a stress eater.


But, when you can't stand the way you look, and your fat pants feel tight in the morning, it really is time to get back on a healthy eating plan.  I need to turn down muffins and coffee cake at work  and grab a cup of green tea instead.  I need to grab a book instead of all those horrible things i have been eating in the evening.


         "Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading.
          I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning. " Thomas Jefferson


Yes I truly believe TJ.  My exercise routine has to get up to speed, once my injured ligament in the knee heals,  I am thinking next week for sure, starting out slowly.


So FAT PANTS,  watch out,   I am going to put you in the back of the drawer  and take out the jeans I bought last year and well actually can't zip now.

Autumn Color

For the beauty of the earth
for the glory of the skies
for the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Lord of all to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise
Folliott S. Pierpoint




The colors this autumn have been magnificent.  I drove around after work looking for the most beautiful tree.  I couldn't actually  get a good photo of the tree i wanted, so I took off on a walk around my neighborhood.  Not the best shot ever, and the color just didn't show up as well as I would like,  but here it is anyway.

I am attempting to find some beauty every day.  The amount of alone time I have now seems a bit overwhelming at times and I need to remind myself that there is beauty to be found in every day.

The color red, one of my favorites has been really prevalent in the trees in my neighborhood. It is also the color associated with my favorite baseball team,  who by the way just won the WORLD SERIES.  I have actually had the good fortune to see my team win the world series 3 times, and I am old enough to remember 1964 and 1967 although being a teenage girl then I just barely remember.  But 2006 was so memorable because I was in Scotland with my Dad visiting my daughter  and we got up to head for the train station to get to the airport very early; we switched on the telly and were able to see the Cardinals win the World Series.  My dad proudly wore his red Cardinal hat all over Scotland, trying to get some information on how the series was going.    I think I will remember this 2011 victory for a long time. Even though I had to watch game 7 alone, it was so thrilling.  In 1982 my dad and I celebrated with champagne. For this win I celebrated by breaking the seal on my bottle of Oban 14 yr single malt, which i procured in Oban with my other daughter, while visiting her in May.

So I will continue to remember to find the beauty in each day, and not dwell on all that alone time I have now.  For today, I found the early morning sky filled with the most beautiful and brilliant stars. The cool crisp air and the brilliance of the stars should be plenty of beauty to get me through  today.

Riding the emotional roller coaster

"Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health."  Carl Jung

When I was in college, oh so many years ago,   I took several courses in psychology,  in truth, I really thought about majoring in that course of study.  Carl Jung, i found him most interesting.  As for this quotation, I just want to say   really?   why?

If you read the blog yesterday, you would know that I was all pumped up for a road trip.  I went home from work, showered, did my hair, got off my knee for a while ( oh yes I have a strained ligament from Monday when I fell walking the dog; she could not help it if that squirrel ran right in front of her! I had the suitcase ready to go, a bag of munchies for the car and a cooler with lunch in it, sitting patiently waiting for Steve to arrive and whisk me off for fun and exciting getaway.

Well, when he came in the door, the look on his face gave me a real scare.  I thought something really really bad had happened.  My heart so to speak was in my mouth.  Adrenaline was kicking in.

As it turns out, our road trip had to be cancelled.  Steve was forced to work on Friday, even though he had the shift covered (which should be the director of nursings job).  I felt so sad for him.  But, you have to accept things you cannot change no matter how sad it feels.

I put all the food stuffs away, so the dog wouldn't ravage the bag, and we headed out to Krannert Center for Uncorked.  A little wine and cheese and munchies to get our minds off our sadness.  I started a game of Scrabble on Steve's IPad while he was up procuring our wine choice,  a delightful Malbec from Argentina, with the taste of berries and chocolate. So we played and tried to relax.  Went to Basil Thai for a bowl of delicious Tom Yum Noodle soup with vegetables and tofu  to comfort ourselves.   Then home to watch game 6 of the World Series.

Now that was a game for sure, and while I was on the emotional roller coaster anyway, I watched anxious and filled with dreadful thoughts.  But, my team, the St. Louis Cardinals are a never say die kind of team,  and while i turned off the tv in the bottom of the 9th for about 5 minutes, I ended up staying up until nearly midnight watching the fun and festivities of the St. Louis win, in the bottom of the 11th with two out and David Freese up to bat.  How could I turn the set off after that!  Had to hear all the interviews and rewatch the wonders of bottom of 9th, 10th and 11th innings.

So today, I am at work, exhausted emotionally.  I have to say that the early morning sky was absolutey beautiful and clear,  the stars were amazingly bright and Orion was just hanging there about my building.

So, happy, fearful, sad, anxious, relaxed, sad, anxious, dread filled, and then finally elated.  How is that for a ride?!

Road Trip

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." Saint Augustine


Travel, not a problem for me.  I plan on filling my book with many pages.   My Road Trip for this weekend will take Steve and I to beautiful South Carolina.

I really love Charleston,  I have been there when my girls were young. When we drove up the avenue to Boone Hall plantation, we all exclaimed with delight,  as we recognized the scenery.  Little did we know before we drove down that avenue that our favorite tv mini series  North and South was filmed here and we were driving up to Mont Royal!  I think i will always remember how the girls and I felt that day.

The weather should be beautiful and we will be visiting Fort Sumter.  Steve has not been there before and I delight in being able to go again.

There is nothing like a trip, even a short one to take away the cares of my world and transport me to somewhere magical.   It tends to motivate me to try to accomplish more in my work and home.

Look for future posts of magical trips I was able to take this year.

Changes

"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Well, it has been a very long time since I have written a word.   I have been undergoing many changes in my life all at once.  The so called "change of life" that a woman goes through, is exactly that, a change of life.  Almost everything about me seems different now.  I am not sure i really know me any longer.

Menopause, accompanied by the fact that both children left the house the same year to go to graduate school, and the loss of one child, has made me feel and look different.  I have been struggling with this change, in fact, I am not very good with change, even though i know it is a fact of life.

I don't seem to be able to gain control of my diet, it is really out of control.  I don't want to clean the house regularly, or to do large projects, such as clean out my garage.  I don't care about gardening anymore, it seems to be such a chore.

I long to just sit with a good book and a cup of tea, or watch a good movie, or travel.
I am very happy for my daughters. I think they are amazing, wonderful women.

I have a relationship with a loving and caring man, who sees to my every need. We travel together and have wonderful vacations and long weekends. We enjoy operas and eating out and hiking in beautiful locations, and museums.

So why might one as have I felt the need to write today.   The answer is I just don't know.  I know I have some hurdles to jump, and that i get through each day as it comes.

Funky Februrary

"The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children." Elain Heffner

I am in my usual February funk.   I get it every year.  I think it may be a multi-faceted funk.

Tax time is rolling around and as usual I am thrown into the worrying of paying the taxes, I try to save the money every year so I don't worry,  but alas it never seems to work.  And now my paycheck will be getting smaller because even more will be going to the IRS and to the State of Illinois which is in dire straits!  So pay raises are frozen, my check is getting smaller, all while I am working to decrease the amount of debt I have!

But I expect that the main reason I get this funk, is that 33 years ago my mom went into the hospital to have a simple procedure on done on her sinus cavities. She was in the hospital for about 2 weeks.

She never came home.  My mom was the most delightful person.  She had a love for life that was contagious.  She mastered the art of mothering, because she gave me the gift of life,  living it to the fullest, laughing and just enjoying life. I think I am optimistic, a glass is half full kind of woman, because of her. 

I will always be grateful that Regena Daniels was my mom.  My delightful son, Ryan is now with my mom  again.   She never got to know him as an adult here on earth, but I feel they are together now.

I will be glad to be past the first week of March! 

January 2011

"It's so much more friendly with two."   Piglet      

I refused to have the after Christmas blues.  I get them every now and then, but this January I made plans to go to  L. A. to visit Regena!

Steve and I had a lovely Christmas together. It was different for me not having either of my girls home.  Oh I got to speak to them, Janet called from Germany on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Regena called from L.A. both days.  It was lovely to hear their voices.  But, I needed to see them.

I set out of a jet plane, all by myself!   First time for everything.  Darling Steve drove me to Chicago to catch a very early morning flight. What ever would I do without him! It was a comfy flight, no turbulence and my anticipation of seeing Regena had me very excited.

We drove straight to her apartment and I was in awe of her neighbor hood.  The apartment was great and the houses on the cross street were amazing. We set out on foot to visit her campus.  Which was so beautiful.  We went to a fabulous movie theater in downtown LA then home for some supper.




The next morning we set out for Griffith Observatory.  A fun hike from the park at the bottom to the Observatory at the top.  The planetarium show was awesome and the exhibits really fun.









Then it was off to Hollywood!  Hollywood was everything I expected and even more.  It was fun to think of the history of this studio driven era of movie making.   We of course went to Grauman's Chinese Theater.

    

And all the handprints in concrete!








Who could resist trying out Marilyn Monroe's hands,   wow! we have the same sized hands!  And of course the famous walk of fame   and finding our favorite stars!

Then off to the historic LA Farmers Market.  What a wonderful experience. So much wonderful food and produce and meats and all sorts of shops to buy delightful things.



Then we had a delightful dinner at Little Dom's in Lox Feliz.
A perfect end to a perfect day.



The next day saw us on our way to the Getty Center. If ever you go to L.A. , this is a must see.  It actually could be a two day event, there is so much to see.  We visited the exhibit of illuminated manuscripts from Belgium and the Netherlands   and then the ones from France.  We saw the painting which were amazing and to see The Irises by Van Gogh up close and personal was truly exciting.

Next stop Santa Moncia Beach
Stopping on the pier for a little pier food to munch on the beach!

Then back to the apartment for a fine dinner, via a trip to Trader Joes.


My January vacation and get rid of the after Christmas blues was perfect in every way.  Like piglet said,
"It's so much more friendly with two"

December 2010

Christmas time,  I am ready, but it has been a year of joy and sadness for me.  It is a stranged mixed bag for me the year.  Ryan is gone, and the girls are far far away.   I wondered if i would feel like decorating,  getting everything out of the storage room and dealing with it all on my own.  The wonderful thing is I did feel like doing just that.   It makes me feel happy to see all the Christmas decorations around the house,  the things the girls and Ryan made throughout the years.

I got the outside lights done is very little time. I actually snowed on Dec 4, so everything looks beautiful. It has snowed several times, we have a good 8 inches on the ground still with more snow to come, today, in fact it is snowing now!  and more on Christmas Eve.   I am certainly thankful for a White Christmas.

It was snowing when Steve and I went to get the tree!  It was like magic.  I unfortunately forgot the camera, but the tree is beautiful.  We trudged through the snow pulling a two wheel cart and found the perfect tree. Steve cut it down and we drug it back to pay for it.  

The mantle is hosting the snow people, candles, the nutcrackers and of course the stockings are hung by the chimney with care,  even Ryan's stocking is there, even though he is gone.

So I guess I am ready for Christmas.  Christmas Eve will be a nice evening in front of the fire, with Steve and food of course and the film  It's a Wonderful Life to top it off.

The best of times the worst of times

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Charles Dickens   A Tale of Two Cities.

I am particularly drawn to the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities this morning.  Something my cousin posted on facebook got me to thinking about this book.   I really love Charles Dickens and soon it will be time to listen  to Patrick Stewart read A Christmas Carol.  I plan to listen to that at least 5 or 6 times before Christmas!

But I  digress, back to the best of times, the worst of times. I have been feeling so uncertain about the time I am living in.  There seems to be even more division in this country in the political climate. There seem to be so many radicals and very few reasonable thinkers.  The upcoming election is full of nothing but negativity. All of the ads are bashing the opponent.  Someone told me it is effective. That makes me feel very sad about the American public.

There is so much more crime on campus this year, that it is frankly just frightening. A young woman getting some cash from an ATM at 7:30pm was accosted by a knife wielding thief. She gave up the money and was  not hurt. I am so not a paranoid person,  I don't worry about being mugged or robbed, but this just makes you stop and think.   I am also fortunate to have an auto and I can drive up to the ATM and never have to get out of the car.

I have also been feeling just not like myself.  Too much sadness and stress in my life I guess. I thank God for all that I have and I believe me  I have a lot, not money, but the things that count, love and family and friendship.

Now for those books, here is a partial list of books I want to read:  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(the movie is coming out and I want to read the book again just before the film)

The Claddagh Ring

An Echo in the Bone(just need to finish, I am almost there)

A Tale of Two Cities

The rest of the Princess Diaries (just plain fun)

A book on how to get out of debt and financial planning of which i cannot remember the title, but  a friend recommended it and it is sitting on my shelf

This coming weekend, I will sleep in on Saturday, go to workout, sweep the floors, make some soup and then settle in with a good book!

Autumn

"There is a harmony
In Autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!"
Percy Bysshe Shelley




Autumn is absolutely my favorite time of the year.  This morning as I was driving in to work at six o'clock, in the cool crisp autumn air, a full moon was shining brightly in the western sky.  The light was shining through trees at times and I was again awestruck at the beauty of the morning.

I truly enjoy driving to work on nearly deserted streets, in the quiet of a cool dark morning.  Soon we will be turning those clocks back an hour and my drive to work will be more in the light.  So I am planning on enjoying every moment of the drive to work in the dark morning while I can.

So many things to do in the fall.  Like visits to the orchard, with a wagon load of fall mums, just waiting to add a splash of color in your garden  and  

picking apples

carving pumpkins and looking forward to Thanksgiving.


It is a wonderful time of the year.

Dublin

"I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book."  James Joyce 

On my last visit to Dublin, with Steve, we suddenly found ourselves at the Wax Museum in Dublin.   After visiting Trinity College to view the Book of Kells, and having an enormous lunch at O'Neills,

(only in Ireland do you get potatoes with your potatoes!) we had time to use before we could check into Barnacles, so we used our discount from the Dublin Hop on Hop Off bus to check out the wax museum.

It was very entertaining.  They start you out in the Writer's Room, where sat James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Peter Kavanaugh, Samuel Beckett and Brendan Behan.

Some of the figures appeared strangely real.  

Now I have been fascinated with Irish writers for awhile.  I picked up Ulysses at the library, but didn't have any time to actually sit down with it and read.  In college we touched on the subject of Joyce and Ulysses.  I have always wanted to actually read the book.   So while walking along a street in Galway, I drug Steve into a bookstore.   I found a paperback of Ulysses for 3 Eruos  and while perusing the store I also bought a biography of a journalist (man) who spent a year living on the Aran Island of Inis Mor.  Now after visting that island, i just had to purchase this book also.  Am I the only person who goes to Ireland  and brings back books?

Our last day in Dublin we were signed up for the Literary Pub Crawl.  Now I am here to say this is well worth the effort.  We stopped in at Davey Byrnes pub for supper and a drink before we checked in at The Duke to begin the pub crawl.   I was going to order a Gorgonzola sandwich, but they were out, so I had a bowl of soup and brown bread.   Now the pub crawl also ends at Davey Byrnes pub (after a stop at O'Neills and the Strand) and we learned that James Joyce frequented  Davey Byrnes, while writing Ulysses, eating a gorgonzola sandwich, he set a scene in Davey Byrnes pub.  

So now I really need to sit down and read the book.  I believe I will have time this fall, when I can sit in front of a fire in the fireplace with a cup of tea and read.

It's Hockey Night in Urbana!

"Always keep your composure. You can't score from the penalty box; and you need to score to win." Bobby Hull


Wow!  I a can barely believe the Illini Ice Hockey season starts today!  I stopped in at the ice arena and picked up tickets for Friday's game.

The team will be quite different this year, both goalies graduated, and they were awesome.  A lot of players are new.   I am excited to be in the ice arena again, hear the roar of the crowd and see the Illini skate.

Thanks to the full moon

Backing out of the drive way this morning I was struck with how beautifully the sun was rising.  The sun was peeking out of the bottom of a cloud and was quite lovely.   Then I headed west and was awestruck.  The full moon was enormous and bright in the western sky.  Living on the prairie has some advantages, such as seeing a large portion of sky. I am fairly certain the autumnal equinox is one of my favorite times of the year.


So, I just returned from a week in Ireland.  A magical, transformative week, and I have been longing to be there still. Having to return to work and get back to normal, not to mention I came home to an empty house, which was terribly difficult, has been a struggle.  The glow from the week in Ireland has been keeping me going.   So when I saw the sun and the moon this morning( I wish the weather had cooperated and stayed cool instead of being terribly warm) I felt very good about being here in Illinois.


It was an amazing week in Dublin, Wicklow, Glendalough, Galway, The Burren ( including a delightful lunch in the town of Doolin) the Cliffs of Moher, and Inis Mor one of the Aran Islands.  The people are delightful, and full of stories, the pubs are amazing, one could spend a lot of nighttime in just about any pub and be perfectly happy.

The beauty of the countryside was truly awesome.  I really could have stayed for several days in each place we visited.


Dublin, while being a big city is fair indeed, like the song says. There is so much to do and see and historic pubs to visit. You can sit in a pub where James Joyce sat eating Gorgonzola sandwhiches and having a few pints (which i did actually) and visit a pub where Michael Collins held meetings. It is just amazing.  Really!


Here is a bit of a tribute to Dublin:

In Dublin's fair city,

where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

"Alive, alive, oh,

Alive, alive, oh",

Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh".

She was a fishmonger,

But sure 'twas no wonder,

For so were her father and mother before,

And they each wheeled their barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"

(chorus)

She died of a fever,

And no one could save her,

And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.

Now her ghost wheels her barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh

This statue of  the fictional Molly Malone is at the corner of Sussex and Grafton Street and near Trinity College.   The locals call her the "tart with the cart" or the "trollop with the scallop". They love to sing the song to tourist and there is ALWAYS a female tourist getting her photo made with Molly.  It is truly delightful.