WONDERFUL WORDS!

You all know by now that I LOVE books! I adore the way they feel and smell. I love the covers, the type, the prefaces just inside the covers, the blurbs by other authors and readers, and the author info. Most of all, I love the fact that once I've READ each book, it's mine. Forever. New thoughts, perhaps new words, new characters who've become friends - all mine. I JUST LOVE BOOKS. Everyone tells me I have too many. HA! IS there such a thing as too many books? Ridiculous! I think not. I KNOW not! At least no one will ever convince ME of that. Over the years I've been a regular in many libraries around town. They know me by name. And Borders and Barnes and Noble consider me family. They SHOULD! I strongly suspect I have paid their salaries quite a number of times. Happy to do it. Since the introduction of such gadgets as Nooks and Kindles, many have wondered - indeed flat-out ASKED me - why I don't GET one and reduce the number of actual BOOKS in my house. I could. I have NO more bookshelf space (as you can well see!) I have EXACTLY (we JUST counted this morning because we were reboxing them) 1, 026 books already read which need a NEW home. They take a LOT of garage space. I can afford a Nook. I don't want one, though. Nooks are awesome. But books ... I can't give them up. Some of you know my childhood was, to say the LEAST, terrible, frightening, and traumatic. It was BOOKS - my dear, silent friends - which saw me through those years and taught me that REAL families did NOT behave as mine did. I learned to cherish characters. I learned to revere writers. I learned to collect words. I learned to hold my books as though they were truly my friends and substitute family. And they WERE. They still ARE. Just thought I'd share that with you this morning. It makes me smile.

THESE ARE THE BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY WORKING ON

I STACK BOOKS - ONE ADULT, 1 YOUNG ADULT - IN GROUPS OF 10-12 UNDER MY TRIPLE SHELVES OF YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

LOTS OF STACKS READY



THESE ARE ADULT BOOKS



MORE ADULT BOOKS



AND ANOTHER SMALL SHELF OF YOUNG ADULT BOOKS



FAMILY!

I deleted my last post (for those who are wondering) because some people had VERY nasty things to say about my beautiful best friend, and I was royally annoyed! No!!!! It was NO ONE I know from Blogland. Just some random people who feel it's okay to make negative comments because they CAN. Grrrr! I am pretty easygoing MOST of the time, but three things will QUICKLY rile this old Comanche: prejudice, ANYONE hurting a child for ANY reason 'cause there IS no reason, and messing with people I love. Big old no-nos with Kai!
   ANYWAY ...
Today I decided to bore you to pieces with share some very recent family photos. I will write underneath each one so you'll know who's who.

Neo and Bradley - new cousins - on Easter

Jake-man giving Neo a haircut



Just back from the circus



Megan, Jake, Leah, and Jessica on Easter afternoon

Leah holding Bradley on Easter morning



My VERY happy grandson with his fiance, the sweet Vanessa (Neo's mommy)

I LOOOOVE this motley crew! (Not to be confused with Motley Crue - LOL!) And boy, do I EVER wish I could attend Jake's and 'Nessa's wedding in Hawaii this June! Sigh. But the Army is paying THEIR way (they are both in the Army) and ONLY theirs. So after they return, they will have a small unofficial ceremony back on the mainland for all of us POOR folks! HAHAHA! Okay! Thanks for indulging me and allowing me to share my family!

OH, NOOOOOO! I CAME HOME ONLY TO FIND THAT MY HOUSEMATE, RAY ...

... has been PEA'ING in the neighbor's yard! WHAT???? Yes! Really! It's bad ENOUGH that he does it all over OUR backyard. But he figures it's okay to use the next-door neighbor's yard (and FRONT yard, at THAT!) as long as they don't catch him. I can't trust him to stay out of mischief. In fact, it's a MIRACLE he doesn't get in HUGE trouble when I'm out of town. Sigh. Oh, YOU think I'm JOKING, huh? I'm NOT!!!! I'll SHOW you 'cause it was caught on CAMERA. (NOTE: For those of you who are easily embarrassed or don't feel comfy seeing this, be warned!) 








Sugar snap peas Ray planted for the Vargas family next door are already growing!

 BWAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S my lame attempt at a very belated April Fool's joke because I wasn't able to do it at the correct time. And you didn't REALLY think I would misspell 'peeing', did you? Naw!!!!! I did that intentionally, of course! Anyway, the reason he 'shared' the planting with our neighbors is because they were always admiring all the peas in his garden! I have to admit, they ARE impressive. He's got tons of them on each bush, and they are sooooo sweet and crisp even RAW! YUM!

Peas, cilantro, tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, yellow squash, dill, radishes, lettuce, and roses all live here!

Tons of sweet, crisp sugar snaps!

  This is the beginning of the third year we've lived in this house. I'm SO not a gardener - not even an outdoor person at ALL. But Ray loves the outdoors and likes trying to grow things. It's been trial and error because he was determined at first to just toss a few seeds in the ground and expect them to weed themselves. LOL! Now he's getting it right and seeing results. As the chief cook and bottlewasher around here, I look forward to preparing lots of meals with the fruits - or should I say veggies - of his labor!

BUNNY TIME

Huh? PINK print? Yeppers! This is a one-time-only thing in honor of my lil' Amigarumi bunny. When I was at MaryBear's I felt the urge to crochet - a thing I RARELY want to do when it's super hot and sticky. (It's been 90-plus degrees and VERRRRRRY humid this April!) But I figured because this was such a teeny tiny critter, it wouldn't bother me to work with the yarn. She worked up extremely fast and - I think - came out sort of  - well - amigadorable! Maybe I'll also make the kitty from that pattern book. And the monkey. And possibly the bear. Hmmm ... perhaps the ....



Here's a flower just for you!



I look pretty cute from the side, too!

But I must admit, my fluffy lil' tail is my crowning glory!

THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN BEST FRIENDS

It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm getting ready to leave town again after a VERY stressful, tiring few days back home. We got the electrical problems taken care of. I did a MONTH'S worth of editing in under 4 days (and I have the tired eye to prove it.) Now I need to go back to MaryBear's not to RELAX as I'd originally planned, but because her daughter Sha-we is not well & someone needs to be with her at all times. I was ready for ALL of the above. But I was NOT ready for the news I received. My best friend of over 23 years, Mar (short for Marlene) has been back and forth with her husband Sid to doctors these past few months. He had a number of mini-strokes, as well as a bunch of other strange health issues and no one seemed to have answers. Now they do. Sid - who's my wonderful friend and is dearer than a brother, and my best friend's husband of 45 years - has stage 4 liver cancer. No, he doesn't drink - never HAS. It's related to his bile duct. He doesn't have a huge chance of getting better because he was misdiagnosed for SO LONG the cancer has spread. And he is now approaching 80. My heart is totally broken. Sid - with his kind spirit and giving heart, would greet me with a huge smile, and in his very heavy and musical accent say, "Welcome home, sweetheart!" whenever I entered their house. I adore him. And, needless to SAY, I love my best friend with my entire heart. So, before I leave, I will ask all of you who believe in prayer to pray for my best friend and her husband. For those who don't pray, I will ask that you hold good and positive thoughts for his recovery. I have been told the doctor may be unable to save ANY of the damaged liver. I am being tested immediately to learn if I'm a match because I am ready to donate part of MY liver if he needs it. (It's about ALL this old worn out body of mine has that's still pretty decent!) Thanks to all of you for letting me pour out my heart and cry a bit before I have to go and be strong for Sha-we later today. I LOVE YOU ALL, and I am continuously grateful for you!  I'll be back during the final week of this month!

BEST FRIENDS, KAI AND MAR ON THANKSGIVING DAY OF 1989.

MY BELOVED 'PLAY' BROTHER, SID, IN 1991