Early Delivery

My new hat arrived yesterday morning, a day earlier than I expected it. I was, as the saying
goes,  pleasantly surprised.
The hat fits perfectly, is very comfortable, and looks great. I'm going to keep the brim rolled up, instead of fooling around with re-shaping.
I've accessorized my hat with one of those self-adhesive applique sunflowers I bought several months ago.

This Year's Resolutions

It's my custom to make my New Year's Resolutions on the First Sunday in Advent, rather than on January 1st.
I've made two for this year, one religious, and one secular.
1: Pray three extra Chaplets of Mercy every day.
2: Read at least one biography or autobiography a week.

It seems that every year I make at least one resolution that involves reading!

Books Read in the Past Two Weeks

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books, (except Sunday books) are grouped by author, and not necessarily in the order read.


Sunday books

"Olivia and the Little Way"
by Nancy Belanger
[children's fiction]
(Kindle book)

"The Story of the Trapp Family Singers"

by Maria Augusta Trapp

[autobiography/biography]


Weekday Books

"Wendy of Glendorran" #
by P. Catherine Coles
[children's fiction, Christian, (Protestant), school story]

"Betsy and the Circus"
by Carolyn Haywood
[children's fiction]
(openlibrary.org loan)

 "The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough"
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught"
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling"
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out"
by Neta Jackson
[Christian (Protestant) fiction, multi-denomintational
and non-denominational]  

"The Diamond In the Window"
"The Swing in the Summerhouse"
"The Astonishing Stereoscope"
by Jane Langton
[fiction, marked for ages 10 and up]


"Anne of Windy Poplars"
"Anne's House of Dreams"
"Anne of Ingleside"
"Rainbow Valley"
"Rilla of Ingleside"
by L. M. Montgomery 

"Ho For a Hat!" #
by William Jay Smith
[picture book, non-fiction]
(openlibrary.org loan) 

"Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson"
edited by Stephen E. Whicher
[nonfiction] 

"Grandmother Lucy and her Hats" #
by Joyce Wood
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)


A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"  

A New Post About a Hat, With Excerpts From An Older Post

Awhile back, I blogged about a hat I used to have, one that  "I  owned for years, and got a great deal of use and enjoyment out of.It was a blue felt shapeable hat....very shapeable.  And I shaped it in every possible way.  I also liked to use different accessories on my hat.  Sometimes it would be one of several pins I had. Sometimes it would be a scarf, with the ends tied into a bow.

I had that hat for more than ten years, not unlike the hat Miss Opal wore in Lenora Mattingly Weber's Beany and the Beckoning Road.

"Her black hat had seen years of service.  It was only the flowers, Beany realized, which blossomed anew on it every spring.  This spring Miss Opal had chosen pink, yellow, and blue daisies."

 Well, after I read that , "[I]s it any wonder that I began to miss my hat, which also saw "years of service," more than I did before?   Is it any wonder that I decided it was time to get a replacement?"

Well, yesterday I found a hat EXACTLY like the one I lost, NOT like the one I ordered several months ago, about which, the less said, the better!

Click here to see the hat.  Yes, I ordered it.  And since it is Prime eligible, I won't have to wait a month to get it; I'll have it on Monday.

"I'm going to wear it, instead of a prayer veil, when I watch the Mass on EWTN... and perhaps when I just feel like wearing it!

But am I giving up on veils? No; I will still wear a veil when I pray the Liturgy of the Hours."

I wrote in the earlier post, "Was it necessary for me to buy the hat, and the sticker.  No, and I realized that before I placed my order.   Every now and then it is good to make a completely frivolous purchase... provided, of course, that it is something you can afford, and something you really want."
I still feel that way.

Back Online With Some Sad News

I had no Internet, and no TV, for more than a week, and when I got back on, I found out that Fr. Anthony's twin sister, Anne Marie, passed away last week.
I also learned that Mother Angelica's health has declined, and she is now on a feeding tube.

Books Read in the Week of November 8-14

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)    

"Saints and Snapdragons" #

by Lucile Hasley

[nonfiction]

 (openlibrary.org loan) 

"The Story of the Trapp Family Singers"

by Maria Augusta Trapp

[autobiography/biography] 

Weekday Books

"The Growing-up Feet" #
by Beverly Cleary
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan)

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group"
{carried over from last week} 
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down"
"The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real"
  by Neta Jackson
[Christian fiction, (Protestant, multi-denominational and non-denominational) ]
Early this year, I blogged about why these books appeal to me.

"Anne of Windy Poplars"
by L. M. Montgomery
[fiction]
{carrying over into next week}

"The Bad Dreams of a Good Girl"
by Susan Shreve
[children's fiction]



A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ" 

Fr. Anthony's Sister: Update

A few years ago, I shared this sad news   about Fr. Anthony's sister, Anne Marie.  I have an update:
Fr. Leonard announced at today's Mass on EWTN that she has entered hospice care, and
Fr. Anthony was traveling to be with her.
Please pray!

Written Out

I think I may have overdone my writing lately.  I don't feel like working on  any of my fanfics right
now.  I don't feel like blogging.  I feel, for now anyway, written out.
So why am I writing about not feeling like writing?

Why I No Longer Wear Pajamas

I stopped wearing pajamas when I moved to Ronkonkoma. Why?  Simple.  My kitchen window
has no shade.  I could get one, but I'd rather have the view, and I think Winky would agree
with me about that.  He loves looking out that window.
Besides, it's so nice to see the trees, especially now when they are turning all sorts of colors.

Books Read in the Week of November 1-7

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)    

"Saints and Snapdragons" #

by Lucile Hasley

[nonfiction]

 (openlibrary.org loan) 

"The Story of the Trapp Family Singers"

by Maria Augusta Trapp

[autobiography/biography] 

  

Weekday Books

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

"Gretchen's Hill"
by Jeannette Eyerly
[children's fiction]

"B is For Betsy"
"Betsy and Billy"
(physical copies) 
"Back to School With Betsy"
"Betsy and the Boys"
(openlibrary.org loans)
by Carolyn Haywood
[children's fiction]
(these books are among my
early childhood favorites)

 
"The Art Spirit"
by Robert Henri
[nonfiction]
(Kindle book)

{long-term reading} 

"The Yada Yada Prayer Group"
by Neta Jackson
[Christian fiction, (Protestant, multi-denominational and non-denominational) ]
{carrying over into next week}

Early this year, I blogged about why these books appeal to me.
 

"Anne of the  Island"
by L. M. Montgomery
[fiction] 

{carried over from last week}

"The Cat In The Hat Comes Back"
by Dr. Seuss
[picture book]
(openlibrary.org loan. I won't BUY his books.)

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

This Week's Fan Fiction

New chapters were added to the following stories:


23rd Precinct
An ongoing Another World fic.

The Poem
An AU Waltons prequel.

Unsuited to Each Other
an AU Katie Rose and Stacy Belford series fic.

Bible Reading Updated

Early this year, I tried reading the Bible using an online schedule, but due to computer issues, I fell too far behind.  I then tried reading my Bible straight through, but that didn't work either.
So now I'm trying yet another Bible-reading plan.  I dug up my old  Catholic One Year Bible
which uses the Catholic Living Bible, one of the more modern versions. I'm not, however,
reading this version; I'm using it as a guide, starting with the readings for January 1st. Why wait
almost two months?
Besides, it says on the back cover, "(T)he reader may start on any day of any year and follow
the system easily.
The readings for January 1st, in the order given, are:
Genesis 1:1- 2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1: 1-6
Proverbs 1: 1-6
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach): Translator's Prologue.
I'm not, however, following the order given.  There are several suggested plans,
but, and this is another direct quote:  "The arrangement of  The One Year Bible makes
it easy to devise any number of Bible reading plans to meet your particular needs."

I'm still working out the pattern I plan to use.

 I'm using three translations... The New American Bible,  the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition,
 and The Good News Bible, Catholic Edition.

Night Sounds

Click.
(Me shutting out the light.)
Crunch crunch crunch.
(Winky having his bedtime snack)
"Merrow!
(Winky, as he jumps onto the couch)
"Soft kitty, warm kitty"
(me singing to Winky)
Prrrrrrrrrr!
(Winky, of course!)

Sleeping a Bagel

Sleeping a bagel is a Jewish expression that means sleeping around the clock, that is,
for twelve hours.  Well, last night I went to sleep at around six... due to that headache
I blogged about yesterday.... and slept for almost twelve hours.   It would have BEEN
twelve hours, except I woke up a few times. 
So I guess you could say I slept a bagel with a couple of bites taken out of it!

Blog Post... No Fanfic Today

Today will be the first time in weeks that I won't be posting anything on fanfiction.net. I've
got a squeezing... not splitting... headache, and I don't think I could do justice to my work.
My head feels as if I'm wearing a very tight, too-small cap.
Hmmmm.... NORMAL people take something and lie down, if possible, when they have a
headache.  What do I do?  I blog about having a headache!