The Bookity Book & Tall Grass Salon

Good luck, Chris! And have a splendid vacation, Swanny!

I flaked out on Joe's today, partly because the almanac only had an audio poem and two birthdays of people I wasn't so intrigued by. So I gardened early and long instead.

With luck I'll be posting as usual tomorrow. I'll certainly want to hear how the meet with the GF's family goes!

Good morning.

The Writer's Almanac for April 28, 2015

I appreciate today's poem largely because I've written some attempting to express the same things, or perhaps I'd more accurately say I've written from the same place, so I imagine. I like how this one manages to verbalize immobility.

Astronomer Eugene Shoemaker, author Lois Duncan, and poet Carolyn Forche share a birthday today. Forche writes poetry informed and inspired by the human rights issues that move her to give voice. It's a kind of poetry I appreciate but which gets a lot of criticism for being "political". She calls it "the poetry of witness."

I haven't watched that but will later today.

Have a good day, all.

My pleasure, Ms Maryn.

I'd bet money Maryn will like today's poem too.

Good morning. (Chris? How'd it go?)

The Writer's Almanac for April 29, 2015

The poem was nice because it didn't strain my pre-caffeinated brain. I like that in a poem. It also contains a marvelous image for the giving forth of opinions. hahaha

Okay. Today is the birthday of William Randolph Hearst of the newspapers, Duke Ellington of the swing, and some other folks. C. P. Cafavy, I've read his famous quote about how living where he did was so neat and tidy but I don't recall reading any (translations) of his poems. Robert Gottlieb who published Catch-22 and fixed a lot of sentences was also born on this date.

*sips coffee*

Meeting the parents went fine. We actually bumped into them unexpectedly, so maybe that was better--throw me in the pool and see if I sink. Nice people, and fortunately one skill I've picked up in the last few years is knowing how to ask questions and let them do all the talking. Her mom didn't warm up to me but she wasn't cold either. Cindy said her mom's still checking me out, but that I seem to have made it past the first round of evaluation.

On the job front, two "nos" yesterday, one job I really wanted, and the second one would have been neat but I probably wasn't a strong contender for. So, a pretty full day.

I'll take a look at the poem later, gotta run now

I did like the toddlers analogy in the poem. I like many of the things the poet likes, but also many of the things he doesn't like. In the last few years, I've come not to fear the conversation of strangers. I'm still very introverted, and had always feared that random people would invade my recharge time and space if I were overly friendly, but as I've learned boundaries it's not been a problem.

I've learned I can like a poem very much while not agreeing with all of it.

Where's Maryn today, I wonder? She's my sort of poetry litmus test in a funny kind of way.

Well, good morning, Chris and silent others.

The Writer's Almanac for April 30, 2015

I love today's poem. "It's nice to think that somewhere someone is having a good time", and also the ending rocks.

Today is the birthday of Annie Dillard and of Alice B. Toklas. It's the anniversary of the first publication of A Tale Of Two Cities, self-published in serial form originally by Charles Dickens. I really should read it one day. I once made an A on a book report about it which focused solely on the famous beginning lines about the worst and best of times. I couldn't be arsed to read the whole damn book for that teacher who was a rather fascist person with precise hair and lipstick and a right way and every other way wrong attitude. Neener. lol

It's the anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, in which the United States advanced European colonial imperialism greatly with the legal fiction of purchasing France's "claim" on a vast swath of land in the southeastern part of North America, land that was occupied by various indigenous nations, but, you know, never mind that, we be KINGS here!

Okay, time for Kyla to have more coffee and turn attention to the garden. Catch ya later.

Lol. Grumpy Kyla is grumpy in the morning Although I agree completely.

Nice visual poem this morning. It allows me to patch together many scenes into one that allows me to (think at least) see what the poet is seeing. One of the prettiest things I've ever seen is driving into Duluth, MN on I-35 at night. You can't see anything until you top a hill, then the entire town is laid out before you, with the lights of the city reflecting off the lake. I wanted to just take it all in, but that's also a very curvy part of the highway and not a good idea to sightsee if you're driving.

I loved those books, the Connelly Bosch series.

Chris, lol, still grumpy here, well, it IS still morning. The problem is I am really tired out today and not sure why though it might have to do with assembling this 13 foot big ass cabana thing with my cousin last night, an item she felt was essential to purchase for the back yard, having always wanted one. It was not an easy project at the end of a long day but, things like that, I'd much rather participate than not. Makes it easier to swallow.

And it's really okay, just so damn BIG! But she agreed to site it in the least obstructive place where, nonetheless, it does block my view of part of the garden. Well, how could it not?

*grumble*

Good morning.

The Writer's Almanac for May 1, 2015

Happy May Day.

The poem is amusing but the ending is cheap.

Today is a day of no birthdays. This is the date of the opening of Mozart's opera Figaro, of the first adhesive postage stamp, of The Acts of Union which joined England and Scotland into one Kingdom of Great Britain, and the day all stories of the Empire State Building opened to the public, 45 days ahead of schedule and $5 million under budget, it says here.

I agree about the ending. After such a good beginning and middle the humor at the end didn't hold up for me.

I totally understand, Maryn. Today's almanac was a yawner, for me anyway. As for weekend plans, well, there are a number of plant sales around and I may try to get to one or some. Though I shouldn't be spending ANY more money on plants this month.

Good for you! Natives may turn out to be harder to kill, too, ya never know.

Kyla, who turns every conversation to the garden these days.

So, good morning, and it is still morning here!

The Writer's Almanac for May 2, 2015

The poem today is an Emily Dickinson poem. She is always wonderful.

It's the anniversary of Ann Boleyn's arrest by her husband, King Henry VIII, for treason but probably for being mouthy and not even producing a child. Tsk.

It's Dr. Benjamin Spock's birthday, and that of Jerome K. Jerome. And Good Housekeeping magazine first went on sale, yay.

Okay, that's it for me this morning. Hope it's a good day.

Igot about 40% into Rebecca Frasier's Story of Britain. Not a bad read by any means, I just got distracted by other things and haven't had a chance to get back to it. It was more Story of England than Story of Britain since the other kingdoms are barely mentioned unless they related to the English kings in some way.

Off to Chicago today for a career deep dish pizza, er, I mean career fair and Madison later in the week to see a couple folks about possible jobs. I'll check in as able

Chris, good luck!

And good morning, everwho's here....

The Writer's Almanac for May 3, 2015

The almanac arrived late and I'm distracted and the poem is about time which is appropriate, and has this line: "a place to doubt from" which is splendid.

You'll have to read the rest of it yourself because I'm not up to making remarks this late morning!

Cheers!

I agree about the poem; I would have enjoyed it more without all the indents I believe. But I liked it still.