The Fanfic I'm Most Proud Of Having Written

I've written many works of fan fiction, although not as many as some others have done, and not as many as I'd like to have written.   Of all the stories I've written, and published on fanfiction.net, there is one I'm especially proud of.
I'm not saying that it is the best I've ever written; it may even

be a bit overly sentimental in spots. 

But this story means a lot to me, because in it, I right what I

have long considered to be a terrible wrong; I change what I

always considered to be an unnecessary event in L. M. Montgomery's Rilla of Ingleside.

It Didn't Seem Special

When I was a little girl, writing, believe it or not, did not feel special to me. I wrote so many stories, so many verses (I called  them

poems then; I won't now. On the other hand, since they were

written by a child, perhaps they can still be considered poems.)

I was always trying to find words which meant almost the same thing, but had different.... sometimes ever-so-slightly different... shades of meaning.

And yet, writing did not feel special to me, no more than breathing and eating felt special.

It felt necessary.

Books Read In the Week of August 23-29

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author,
and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"The Happiness of Heaven"

by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"In This House of Brede"

by Rumer Godden

[fiction]

one of my favorite novels; I loved this even

before my conversion.

Weekday Books

"Muggie Maggie"

by Beverly Cleary

[children's fiction]

(openlibrary.org loan)

"The King, The Mice, and The Cheese"

by Nancy and Eric Gurney

[picture book]

(openlibrary.org loan)

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"

by Betty Smith

[fiction]

(the first modern, as opposed to classic, adult book I ever read;

I was twelve at the time.)

{carried over from last week}

"To Teach, To Love"

by Jesse Stuart

(openlibrary.org loan)

{carrying over into next week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

This Week's Fan Fiction

One Careless Moment

AU Another World fic.

New chapter finally posted.

Revealed Ralationships
New chapter added to this
AU Another World fic.

The Poem
New chapters added to this
AU prequel to The Waltons.

Truncated But Fitting Title

When I DVR "The Best of The Journey Home" for later viewing, it shows up on my recorded list as "The Best of Journey."

Well, it recently came to me that this is actually very fitting.

After all, Holy Mother Church welcomes all converts and reverts with Open Arms, and tells all her children, Don't Stop Believin'.

A Minor Tragedy

Make that a MAJOR CATASTROPHE.  My electric coffee-maker, which I've had for more than five years, and which Mom and I both used when we lived in Brooklyn, has conked out, died,
given up the ghost, expired.  In other words, it has stopped working.
This means that until I get a new one... same kind.... I'll have to go coffeeless.
Maybe some new readers (I like to think that I keep getting new readers; doesn't every blogger?) will want to suggest that I get an old-fashioned, non-electric percolator.  Well, I can't use that kind.  I need a coffee-maker that brews the coffee directly into the cup.

Spiritual Communion (Reposted)

Not far from my house is a bakery, and when the wind is right,
I catch the scent of cookies when I am sitting on my porch. I sniff the air, the better to enjoy the smell. And I do take great pleasure in the scent of cookies, the spicy, sweet, buttery, vanilla-y scent. Yet with the pleasure is also the desire. I don't want to merely smell
those cookies. I want to eat at least a few of them!
This can, in a way, be compared to Spiritual Communion. I get great joy from an Act of Spiritual Communion, yet each Spiritual Communion makes me long to receive the Body of Our Lord.
The difference between smelling cookies and making an Act of Spiritual Communion is that
my body gains nothing by smelling cookies, but my soul gains much with each Spiritual Communion.

Mom's 86th Birthday

Mom's 86th birthday was one year ago today.  I'll always like to remember.... I telephoned her and said, "Mom, I have a message from Winky."  

And then I sang "Happy Birthday," not in the English words, but in meows!

I didn't know, then, that that was to be Mom's last birthday.

Books Read In the Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author,
and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"Least of All, Me"

by Sr. Anthony Marie, OSF

[Catholic fiction, based on fact]

(a great favorite of mine!)

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Cottage Evening Tales,
For Young People" #
by M. L. M.
(free online book)

Weekday Books

"Dandelion Wine"
by Ray Bradbury
[fiction]

"All Because of Raizy"

"Families, Etc."

"Thanks to You!"

by Miriam L. Elias
[children's/young teen fiction, Judaica]

(in "A Classic Trio, 3-in-1, second volume)

"Dear Pen Pal"
{carried over from last week}
(Kindle book)
by Heather Vogel Frederick

[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"That Dodger Horse" #
by Delos Wheeler Lovelace
[children's fiction]
(openlibrary.org loan)
I've read Maud Hart Lovelace's
Betsy-Tacy books so many times,
but this is the first time I've read one
of her husband's books.

"Emily of Deep Valley"

by Maud Hart Lovelace

[YA fiction]


"The Tale of  Pigling Bland" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture book.
( in "Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"
by Betty Smith
[fiction]
(the first modern, as opposed to classic, adult book I ever read;
I was twelve at the time.)
{carrying over into next week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

This Week's Fan Fiction

Unsuited to Each Other
A Katie Rose and Stacy Belford fic.

Chapter 6 is FINALLY up!

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author,
and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"Least of All, Me"

by Sr. Anthony Marie, OSF

[Catholic fiction, based on fact]

(a great favorite of mine!)

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Ethelred Preston

or The Adventures of a Newcomer"

by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.

[children's fiction]

(online book)

"Outnumbered!
Raising 13 Kids With Humor and Prayer"
by Mary Ann Kuharski
(biography/autobiography)

Weekday Books

"Much Ado About Anne"
(physical copy)
{carried over from last week}

"Dear Pen Pal"
{carrying over into next week}
(Kindle book)
by Heather Vogel Frederick

[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"Carney's House Party"

by Maud Hart Lovelace

[YA fiction]


"The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse" #
"The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes" #
"The Tale of Mr. Todd" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture books.
( in "Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"
by Muriel Spark
[fiction]

"Roxie and The Red Rose Mystery"
"Kathy's New Brother"
"A Made-Over Chelsea"
"No Friends for Hannah"
by Hilda Stahl
[children's fiction, Christian, Protestant {denomination(s) not specified}, series]

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

Books Read In the Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author, and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Ethelred Preston

or The Adventures of a Newcomer"

by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.

[children's fiction]

(online book)

"Outnumbered!
Raising 13 Kids With Humor and Prayer"
by Mary Ann Kuharski
(biography/autobiography)

Weekday Books

"P.S.  Longer Letter Later"
"Snail Mail No More"
by Paula Danziger 
and Ann M. Martin
[children's fiction]
(openlibrary.org loans)

"Try For a Dream"
"And Then There Were Four"
"Goodbye My Friends"
by Miriam L. Elias
[children's/young teen fiction, Judaica]
(in "A Classic Trio, 3-in-1, first volume)

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club"
"Much Ado About Anne"
{carrying over into next week}

by Heather Vogel Frederick
[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"How To Be A Clubwoman" 

by Helen Cowles Le Cron

and Edith Wasson McElroy

[nonfiction]

"Ginger & Pickles" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture book.( in

"Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"The Stinky Cheese Man

and other Fairly Stupid Tales" #

by John Scieszka 

[children's fiction]

(openlibrary.org loan)

"Don't Call Me Katie Rose"

by Lenora Mattingly Weber"

[YA fiction]

"The Friendly Persuasion"

by Jessamyn West

[historical fiction, Quakers]

{carried over from last week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

A VERY Belated Post

I really meant to blog about this on Easter Monday, but the death of my Mom on Easter Sunday (which I didn't write

about until more than a month later), put it completely out
of my mind.

One of the things I gave up this past Lent was sugar in my tea. (I haven't put sugar in my coffee for years.)  Well, on Easter Sunday, I fixed a cup of tea with sugar, anticipating the sweet

taste.  Well, guess what!  I could not drink it!  I'd become too

used to the taste of tea without sugar.

Since then, I haven't been able to drink tea with sugar unless it also has lemon or lemon juice in it. 

And oh, how I love the smell of tea with lemon!

New Collection [Old post, renamed and edited] (Preset )

I've started another offline collection in addition to my Decorative Magnets Collection. This collection, however, is a bit more unusual, a bit less conventional. [Did I say a bit?]
I've started collecting what might be called "Break-offs." These are items which have become detached from other, larger objects. So far, I have 3 "Break-offs" in my collection:
Item:
Fish-shaped zipper pull with the
word BLOWFISH.
Parent Object:
Bible cover.
Item:
Dial with channel numbers.
Parent Object:
Old tv set.
Item
Whimsical wooden duck.
Parent Object:
Kitchen memo holder.

Naturally, items with sharp edges will not go into my collection!

Note:  That was three years ago today, so happy anniversary to my Break-off Collection!

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author, and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"That Football Game
and What Came of It"

by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.

[children's fiction]

(online book)

Weekday Books

"Eight Cousins"

by Louisa May Alcott

[fiction]

{carried over from last week}

"The Home Has A Heart"
by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
[non-fiction, Christian (Protestant) themes,
anecdotes, recipes]
(August chapter only)

"Stone Soup"
by Marcia Brown
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)

 "God Uses Cracked Pots"#

by Patsy Clairmont

{carried over from last week}

[nonfiction, Christian (Protestant), autobiographical anecdotes, part

of a 3-in-1 book]

(openlibrary.org loan)

"The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"
by Beatrix Potter

[picture book.( in

"Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"Something Borrowed, Something Blue"

by Lenora Mattingly Weber

[YA fiction]

"The Friendly Persuasion"
by Jessamyn West
[historical fiction, Quakers]
{carrying over into next week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

More About My Break-Off Collection

Quite some time ago, a knob came my dresser (which was Mom's
dresser before we moved.)  I set it aside until I decided whether
or not to add to to my collection. 

Today, I finally made the decision.  It is now in the drawer which houses the collection... and which happens to be one of the drawers in that dresser!
Eventually, however, my collection will no longer be kept in a drawer.
I plan to start saving the plastic trays from the Chinese take-out place,
washing and rinsing and drying them very carefully, and transferring the collection to those trays (which will then be designated as display 
cases!)
I'm also going to separate the items in my collection, as follows:
1
Heavy objects of various sizes
(Example: the drawer-knob added today.)
2
Larger light objects
(Example: The eye-glass frame handle added in December of 2012)
3
Smaller light objects
(Example: The Blowfish zipper pull, the item that started it all!)