Valentine Treasure

--Can't let Valentine's Day pass without writing about my Valentine treasure.

--Without any discussion between my husband and myself, I chose the word "treasure" for my OLW this year, and about the same time, he decided to build all the grandchildren small treasure chests this year. Odd timing. He never did read that post about my OLW.

--Valentine's Day arrived, and on the kitchen table this morning was a card and an old wooden recipe file box, cleaned up, and varnished anew. I knew my husband hadn't actually made the box because it was made with tongue and groove wood construction. Why would he clean up an old box and give it to me? The answer awaited inside the treasure box.

--Inside, a 3 x 5 card said, "This may look like a treasure box for you, but it is really my treasure box--thought you might like to see inside." Under the card was a picture of him and me sharing a peck in 2007, his wedding band which he hasn't worn for so long (not a ring person), and a lapel American flag pin. I knew it was a last minute endeavor the night before, but what an impact!

--Message understood.

--You never know how your treasures will present themselves!

A Kindle Story

--Here's to reading any way you can get it!

--Before Christmas, I finally decided to take another step in the name of progress and to keep up on current web-related gadgets--again!!! Never has life brought on so many new concepts so rapidly in my lifetime! I finally bought the Kindle Fire. I decided it was a good price for reading books in the dark if I had to and for email, Facebook, music, amongst other things. However, I swore the Kindle would never replace the feel/touch/readability of a real book, but I was ready to experience what the web and its cloud held for me.

--I ordered a couple of Kindle books at very reasonable prices along with my book club selection. I was excited that I need not wait any longer for my local library to find my books from other libraries that participated in the Evergreen connection in my state. A request for a book could take up to 2 weeks to get, and my club read a book every month. All problems I thought were now solved.

--I was excited to sit in my favorite chair and read from a lighted screen in poor lighting near the Christmas tree. The font was naturally larger, and the ease in turning pages was great. I could even put my finger tip on a word to acquire a pop-up definition! Not all definitions presented themselves, but it was enough to lighten the burden of some unknown words. This Grandma was cool! At book club, I could even look up books on Amazon on my Kindle to see the reviews and summaries of books we might add to our future selections. Life with the Kindle was great. Why had I waited so long?!

--I must admit I did miss going back to look at the cover of a bound book, noticing things I never noticed before, sometimes thinking if I would change the book cover itself. I also enjoyed reading the back side of the cover, along with the inside flaps with information about the author and also the book. Sometimes there would be discussion questions for book clubs which I missed reading since these questions brought up some missed details in my reading. I did miss the actual book, especially the friendliness that comes with a paperback.

--I then hooked up with my local library to borrow Kindle books from them for two weeks at a time, and then it would be electronically removed. Two weeks was not the best amount of time for me, but it was workable, and I could attempt to get it again if it was available. I typed in the name of our next book club selection--Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. The book was not available for the Kindle from the library. Mmmm, never thought of that angle.

--Okay, I will go to Amazon and buy the Kindle version. It was about $9, so I ordered it. I opened the book only to find the cover and no other pages! I went to Amazon and selected Help from the menu and started to chat. I ended up talking to 3 people before the Kindle "expert" could be found to help me. The first person just wanted to refund my money. Refund?? This is space age technology! The next two experts actually tried to download it again with no avail. The last rep admitted all glitches are not worked out yet, and a refund would be the only route. Oh, well, nothing is perfect.

--I went back to Amazon and decided to buy the paperback for about $9, but then decided why not get a used paperback for about $4. I ordered that and since it did not come from Amazon, it cost me about $5 in shipping, so it was back to $9.

--I was actually excited once again to get an actual book in the mail!! I could feel it and read the cover over and over. Lo and behold--guess where the book in good condition was found?--the Goodwill Industries of South Central Wisconsin--Madison!!! Wow, I should check my local Goodwill store next time and avoid the latest in technology!!

--I am now reading the "book," and enjoying its feel, the cover, and the discussion questions. But when I put my finger tip on a word, no definition pops up. I won't be able to read Moloka'i in the car at night or in the dark when everyone is sleeping. I can't check my email for a break in my reading. I also have three books waiting for my return on my Kindle bookshelf. My Kindle has been in my book bag for a week, and now I miss it, too.

--If there is a moral to this story, it has changed many times since I began telling it. What I do know for a fact is that reading will never go out of style!!

Timely Thoughts

We all treasure our time,

But I've been thinking about how we mark time.

--Most of us, of course, turn the page every month and start over with a new calendar every year--beholding the 12 boxes of each month in front of us--mind-boggling!

--I find a new shoe box large enough for the year to store receipts, bills, bank statements, and yearly monetary information.

--I look back and look forward--what can/will I change this year?

--I think of my mom and how old I was when she was my age right now--am I doing more or less than she did?

--I look at my grandchildren and think of my own children at their age--how did I feel as a parent then and, what were they doing?

--I consider if I'm just sucking in air or contributing enough--(Thank you, Tammy S. for this measurement in regard to life!)

--I consider how many times I have done something and consider its worth--can I do something better?

--I mark the next Christmas by buying Christmas ornaments/cards on sale in January for next year.

--I prepare/eat lunch, thinking the best part of the day is gone, and it's downhill after this.

--I send birthday cards trying to figure out how old someone is and revel at their age.

--Christmas decorations come down, and red hearts fill my hooks, tables, and windows. (I personally think this is where the extra Christmas red dyes find an outlet, just like the Christmas green dyes find an outlet on St. Patrick's Day!)

--I receive information daily on Medicare since I am arriving at that young age of 65 this spring--Could this mail really be mine?!

--What will happen this year to change my life, the lives of others?

--I suppose this marking of time goes on and on every hour of every day, and we don't even think about it much. It might even add to the stress of the day. I guess it's human nature to keep track of and evaluate our time. How would living on a warm tropical island for weeks on end change our tracking and evaluation of time? For those of us who cannot enjoy the warmth of the southern hemisphere, sit down and imagine the life on a truly magnificent, warm island. I am. What thoughts would mark my time? I'm feeling warmer already!

One Little Word for 2012

--One Little Word has been on my mind a lot these last few weeks. I tried OLW last year, and it worked well, but I wanted to make sure my new OLW gave me plenty of open space for my life and my writing.

--On my list of possible OLWs this year were the words "laughter, patience, joy, celebrate, and positive." I wanted a word that would keep me close to the good in life despite all the negativity that bombards our lives in general and the personal hard parts of our lives that everyone faces because we are alive and things never remain the same whether it be good or bad.

--I need to laugh every day, have patience with others, experience joy in something around me, celebrate life, and remain positive most of the time. I looked up the definitions of each of these words, looking for something that would do it all for me. I came across "treasure" and thought of what I treasure in life. If I think of things that I treasure, won't "treasure" encompass all these words I've listed?

--"Treasure" can lead me from personal relationships to monetary values and from places to objects. I'm satisfied with my OLW and will begin to brainstorm a list of my "treasures" in my twelfth writers notebook of 2012! How full will my "treasure chest" be at the end of the year?

--Happy writing everyone!!!

Changing Over

It's the end of the year, and many people are changing over a lot of things--calendars, tax numbers, insurance deductibles, license plates, etc. But in your personal life, what are you changing over?

--I walked for the first time at the community center a couple of weeks ago, something I have been fighting over in my mind. I began walking this last summer with some neighbors--quite enjoyable, but now we have inclement weather. One suggested we do the laps at the community center. I wasn't ready for that change over! I just retired over a year ago, and I'm not that old! I just couldn't do that. Well, the day came when that one friendly neighbor, Mary, invited me and caught me at the right time saying, "You don't have to, you know."

--"Yes, I have to!" I said to myself. The night before I was walking from the restaurant to our car, and I realized I wasn't walking as confident as I was when I did walk every day for about a mile.

--During my first walk at the community center, I met some other neighbors who were younger than I was, and others I didn't know were saying, "Good morning" to me-- nice. The Christmas tree festival adorned the halls of the community center, and it was nice having to pass them, too. I noticed something new every time I passed them.

--The town library connects to the center and two of just said, "I love the library!" We stopped in to check on things since we usually go there anyway. I found that a whole slew of new audio CDs were on the shelves--have to check one out now!!! To say the least, this change over wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. By the way, I've signed up for T'ai Chi ("Meditation in Motion") in January and February at the center. It just took a little push to get over this hurdle of change. Where will this journey lead me?

--My next change over is big! I started with my 11th writers notebook in June of 2010, and I'm at the end of days--end of pages, I mean. I have maybe 5 more pages to go. I love this writers notebook--full of favorite things and events, and the way it's made. I use to start over every school year, but that is not the case now due to retirement. I have just run out of pages, something I've never done before this notebook. The new year will begin in over a week and that would be a good time to start anew. I've been collecting new notebooks and some have been gifts. It's just hard to start over. A clean slate is a good thing, but it's just that--untouched, blank, no feeling of ownership. Which notebook will I choose? What event will lead me to my first entry?

--The third change over will be my word for the year. I chose "glass" this year, and it did well for me with ideas for posts. I found my word by looking at ice last January while shoveling snow, and now the year ends with me reading a book about a Russian ballerina in the cold St. Petersburg of the 1800's. I am reminded again of my grandparents who were from Russia and how they had endured the frigid and icy life style of that country which even now gives me another idea for a post. Funny, how just one word can bring up so many ideas or thoughts . What will be my new word? And what by-gone events, feelings, or reflections will be surfacing on my posts?

--The last change over is taking its time. I've gone from a full time teacher of 22 years to a retired person. It's been a year and a half since leaving the classroom, but I'm still maintaining my teacher friends through reading and writing groups. I visit my old school less and less, however, and am losing touch with the "school talk" I use to feel comfortable with. I don't know the new terminology/methods or see any school kids I know anymore at my old school. I'm becoming someone new--again. I'm not sure who yet. Who will I become even at this stage of the game?

--Change is never over, so I'll just keep riding the wave.

Hope

Holiday cheer abounds,

Or does it?

Commercials are cheery,

Stores are waiting for you,

Channels show holiday fare, but

I just wrote a check out for the hungry,

Phoned different people who I knew needed a phone call,

And checked the news on Google!!

"Climate Change Could Shrink Chocolate Production."

I didn't want to think about a creature comfort being liquidated.

As I read on, the author thankfully stated

"Climate change brings not only bad news

But also a lot of potential opportunities."

"The winners will be those who are prepared for change and

Know how to adapt."

I call this HOPE.

Along with peace for the season,

I wish you hope.

The Unknown Soldier

Born unknown into the world,

Humbly, obscurely,

Unheard of.

Slept sheltered in his cradle,

Openly, feebly,

Hushed.

Died unknown for the world,

Humbly, obscurely,

Unheard of.

Sleeps guarded in his chamber,

Secretly, strongly,

Muted.

Left unknown as to fiber and face,

Only a symbol to the human race.

If he, this soldier, only knew,

That he, unknown, was famous, too.

(May 8, 1965)