Friday, July 30, 2010

Goodbye July!!

Where did you go, July, and why are you leaving so suddenly?

Got my first Moonflower on a rainy night.

And an amazing book of poetry from a friend.

A visiting green Dragonfly on my Rose Geranium.

A blue Dragonfly I coaxed onto my foot.

Oh, all those lucious, fresh tomatoes on lots of bacon/tomatoe sandwiches!

My favorite saying on one of my many book bags.


A spider friend living in my Azalea bushes.

An awesome book I sent my granddaughter last week.  The princess saves the prince from the dragon and decides she doesn't like the prince after all and will not marry him.  This is an anti-Disney propaganda book that teaches little girls to think for themselves and not swallow every stereotype that comes along.  Every little girl should read it or have it read to her.  It's a classic!

I hope you had a wonderful July.  I can't wait to see what August has in store!!

Blessings,

~Marion~

"The clock talked loud. I threw it away, it scared me what it talked." ~Tillie Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle

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"Time is the only thief we can't get justice against." ~Astrid Alauda

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"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." ~Fr. Alfred D'Souza

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Books & magazines I read this month:

1.  Room by Emma Donoghue
2.  The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
3.  The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke
4.  The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5.  Dracula by Bram Stoker
6.  The City of Dreadful Night by James Thomson
7.  Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
8.  More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
9.  Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
10.  Babycakes by Armistead Maupin
11.  Significant Others by Armistead Maupin
12.  Adam and Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund
13.  The Paris Review, Summer 2010 Issue
14.  Zoetrope:  All-Story, Summer 2010 Issue, Guest Designer, P. J. Harvey
15.  Vanity Fair, July Issue
16.  Country Home, July 2010 Issue
17.  Poetry, Summer 2010 Issue
18.  Tin House, Fantastic Women Issue, Volume 9, Number 1
19.  I Stole a Rock by Sara King
20. Harper's Magazine, July 2010 Issue
21.  Totally Tangled by Sandy Bartholomew (a FUN zentangle drawing meditation book).
22. Neil Young's Greendale, (a graphic novel) by Josh Dysart
23.  Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
24.  Supernatural Love, Poems 1976 - 1992 by Gjertrud Schnackenberg

14 comments:

Pam said...

Yep, August is upon us. Soon the kids will be donning backpacks and boarding busses. I'll be subbing again.

Love the photos and your lengthy reading list for the month! Whew! You surely read circles around me gf!!!

Got me a mess of lady peas from the farmer's market today! Yum! Been waiting for the FMs to start selling them!

Marion said...

Pammie, I'm a readaholic, what can I say? Can you believe August is almost here? Sarah told me school starts Monday in Chattanooga. Here it's the 14th. My sister in Shreveport drives a school bus and she says the heat is unbearable in August, bless her heart. I couldn't do it. I'm cocooning in my a/c with my books.

April got a lot of peas this year and I'm going to bum some from her AFTER she shells them. LOL! I shelled peas for years growing up. I kept a purple thumb. LOL! Enjoy your peas, lady. Love & Blessings!

GYPSYWOMAN said...

girl - WHERE did it go? i mean, really, just where IS it? i am reminded of nina simone's rendention of "who knows where time goes?" - i sing it every day! and now, august - one of my favorite months! especially because i get to have a big birthday party!

your sister's in shreveport? gee! it really is such a small small world! love all your photos - like those gorgeous tomatoes and bacon for a great BLT! yummmm!

anyway, it's always always so much fun dropping by your place lady! have a fab day!

Kelly said...

July was good us, wasn't it?!

Here's to a fruitful (in many ways) August!

Woman in a Window said...

Fall is in the air. It's always surprising to me that seasons start to find their way in in advance. I just woke up. Threw on a t-shirt and my moccasins, pants, and came down to coffee. I drew my sweater tight around me! Got coffee. Breathed into the mug. It is cold, Marion. It is cold in the mornings now, despite the 80-90 later on through the day.

It is cold. And I am happy.

I watch seasons pass, as I watch your personal photos come and go. Your moon flowers last year to this. I wonder on 5 and 10 years from now? Will be watching seasons change through each other?

xo
bottomless cups of warmth
erin

Marion said...

Gypsy, I don't know where time goes. I lopped all the branches off one of my small Willows because bugs were trying to eat it and I looked outside yesterday and damned if it hadn't grown about 20 new shoots while I wasn't looking. I marvel at the renewing power of nature. If only it worked for bodies. LOL! Most of my family lives in Shreveport or Bossier. It's where I grew up after my father died. Blessings!

Kelly, yes. It was great, overflowing with veggies, flowers, books and love. Blessings!

Oh, Erin, you blew me away on this comment. I cannot even IMAGINE Fall yet! To have it in your morning air now must be pure JOY! We're lucky to get a breath of it in late September, and sometimes even October is hot.

Oh, yes, you and I are forever frinds and will be watching the seasons pass until we don't. :-) Thank you for the cool breath of air. Love & Blessings!!

ds said...

I can't get my mind around the end of July either. And I completely agree with you about The Paper Bag Princess; a most necessary book!

Your reading list blew me away.

August is a time for slowing down, yes? (proof? word veri is amble)

* said...

I'm with you, where did July go?

Vanity Fair & Harper's...yum! That's quite a reading list for July. Mine is quite a bit shorter, I'm afraid.

PS: I love The Paper Bag Princess. Thanks for reminding me of it! You are a terrific grandma!!

Wine and Words said...

Loved the photos (all but the spider...I mean really??? Must you???) And your voracious reading! I'm impressed My Marion. Everytime I start reading lately, I fall asleep. Depression or lack of sleep??? I'm sure the question begs and answer, but I am fresh out!

Thanks for the beautiful slide show!

((Hugs))
Annie

Janelle Goodwin said...

Where did July go? Your reading list makes me envious and I realized how much I need to pick up a book and dive in. After all, what is summer without reading excellent books. Your blog is always such an inspirational place, Marion!

Marion said...

I love, love, love Robert Munsch. I thought I had most of his books which the kids and I read over and over again. But I haven't got this one... I'll have to look for it.

How is it that July is over? How can it be over so quickly...wasn't it only April last month? lol

Love the photo of the dragonfly on your foot...he makes such a lovely decoration! And I envy you your tomatoes, mine are still small and green. Nothing like those sandwiches you mentioned!

I thought I was a great reader, but you've got me beat!!

Marion said...

ds, I wish I'd discovered that book years ago. It's a keeper! I read very, very fast, hence the long list. And I read 3 or more books/magazines at the same time. It drives Ray crazy. LOL! Blessings!

Terresa, grandchildren are nature's reward for having survived parenthood. LOL! Yes, a fabulous book. I'm going to get my own copy. I love children's books and young adult novels. Blessings!!

Annie, I left out the really BIG spider! LOL! I love spiders, what can I say? They're so friendly and talented, weaving those amazing webs... In June I hardly read a thing because I was depressed. I get on reading kicks afterward and can't stop. I'm going to sew this month and make some handmade baby things for my pregnant niece. Love and Hugs to you, too! Blessings!

Marion said...

Janelle, time seems to be a runaway train at this time of life. Remember when we were young and had all the time in the world (we thought!) I still have 4 or 5 books on request at the library I'm patiently waiting for. Yes, Summer is perfect for being lazy and reading. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!

Marion, I'm new to Munsch but I'm putting him on my favorites list. I hope your tomatoes are ripe soon up there in the frozen North. Are the fires in your area out? I hope so. Thanks for visiting. Blessings!!

Bubba said...

Shades of my latest haiku, Marion!
Why’d you lie, July?



WORD VERIFICATION: reestse
DEFINITION: The favorite candy of kids with buck-teeth and a lisp.