Gift book donated to our Crown Center library

Do more of what makes you happy.  This is actually a card-sized gift book.  It doesn't list an "author," though it does tell us the authors of each of the sayings.  Here's one you have probably heard before:

HAPPINESS is

a warm PUPPY.

                       ~ Charles M. Schulz

This is the puppy I thought of when I read that.  (I wonder why?  LOL)

And Snoopy always balances on top of his dog house, even sleeping, right?

Thoughts for the New Year

Well, this is the day I start reading a page a day of quotes selected by Andy Cohen that I told you about recently, HERE.  Glitter Every Day is filled with quotes that inspired the author.

On the very first day, he quotes his own mother!  I think she was probably happy her son actually paid attention to what she said, and now I wonder if my own children remember things I said to them when they were young.

November is NaNoWriMo Month ~ updated to say, "Oh, no!"

Back in October of 2007, I posted on this blog that I was going to spend the month of November writing a novel, HERE.  Did I finish a novel?  Nope.

Eight reasons to do NaNoWriMo

1. LEARN ~ Learn what you can truly achieve
2. PROGRESS ~ Make real, structured progress
3. BUILD HABITS ~ Chunk tasks into wins and repeat
4. CONNECT ~ Meet others with the same goals
5. ACCOUNT ~ Answer to milestone targets
6. REALIZE ~ Learn how you work best
7. IMPROVE ~ Improve with more practice
8. PREPARE ~ Train to write your next book

No Plot? No Problem!  Novel-Writing Kit ~ by Chris Baty (founder of National Novel Writing Month), 2006, writing, 44 pages

Chris Baty, instigator of a wildly successful writing revolution, spells out the secrets of writing and finishing a novel.  Every fall, thousands of people sign up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which Baty founded, determined to (a) write that novel or (b) finish that novel in — I kid you not — 30 days.  Now Baty puts pen to paper himself to share the secrets of success.  With week-specific overviews, pep "talks," and essential survival tips for today's word warriors, this results-oriented, quick-fix strategy is perfect for people who want to nurture their inner artist and then hit print.  Anecdotes and success stories from NaNoWriMo winners will inspire writers from the heralding you-can-do-it trumpet blasts of day one to the champagne toasts of day thirty.  Whether it's a resource for those taking part in the official NaNo WriMo event, or a handbook for writing to come, No Plot? No Problem! is the ultimate guide for would-be writers (or those with writer's block) to cultivate their creative selves.

No, Snoopy!  Don't give up yet.  November is just starting, and you can do it!  Just say, "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it."  Now keep typing.  Should I let you borrow my laptop?  No, I'm afraid it won't balance on your dog house quite as well as your typewriter.  And besides, I may use it a lot this month.

UPDATE:  "Oh, no!"  I've had this set for ages to start my month writing a novel.  I even published an idea recently, HERE.  It's early afternoon, and I just happened to learn that . . .

"NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is not happening in 2025 as the organization shut down in April 2025.  However, there are new alternatives for the 50,000-word challenge, such as the relaunch of the event under a new name, Novel November, by ProWritingAid.  Many other online and in-person groups are also organizing their own writing challenges to maintain the community and momentum of the original event."

Snoopy and other friends

Walking my dog

Since my cat Clawdia died, people have been asking if I plan to get another pet.  I've been telling them no, but today I noticed this little Snoopy dog on one of my tables and had an idea.  I strapped him onto my Rollator and sent this to few friends who knew I'd been getting in a lot of steps by walking:  "I realized I had not been walking my dog, so now I have an excuse to walk all over this place."

Having walked Snoopy, I decided to pick up my book with Snoopy dancing joyfully on the cover.  Peanuts Treasury by Charles M. Schulz was published in 1968.  I wrote about it before, so click HERE to read more about it.  I opened it randomly in the middle and found a very philosophical strip showing Charlie Brown and Lucy looking at something on the ground.  Lucy says, "Look at those stupid bugs.  They don't have the slightest idea as to what is going on in this world!"  Charlie Brown says, "What IS going on in this world?"  Lucy looks up at him and says, "I don't have the slightest idea!"  Yes, I love these characters.

I ran into an old friend Friday that I hadn't seen in a while, and we stood outside Walgreen's catching up before agreeing that we'll get together for lunch again soon.  Running into friends where there are good memories makes us smile and feel good, so this Senility Prayer makes sense to me:

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

Sunday Salon

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI ~ by David Grann, 2017, history (Oklahoma), 416 pages

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma.  After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off.  The family of an Osage woman — Mollie Burkhart — became a prime target.  One of her relatives was shot.  Another was poisoned.  And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery.  White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

This book was a finalist for the National Book Award.  Here's one popular highlight:  "This is why the Osage Indians refer to May as the time of the flower-killing moon."

I told a friend — who was wearing a blue Snoopy tee shirt with "I'll do it tomorrow" on it — that Snoopy is my favorite dog.  Snoopy's philosophy makes me think.  Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?  I found this photo online to share with you.

Sorry, Snoopy, but I've started something "new" on my blog.  Or rather, I've returned to being catty.  I plan to once again post on Caturdays.  Take a look HERE at yesterday's announcement.  I have photographed my neighbor's cat.  Well, I took a picture of his photo of the cat, whose name is Samson.  It's a big cat, in need of a "big" name.  Tune in this coming Saturday to read more about it.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

Snoopy is my favorite dog

Peanuts Treasury ~ by Charles M. Schulz, foreword by Johnny Hart, 1968, cartoons, 256 pages

Charles Schulz (1922-2000) was the creator of Peanuts, the world's most widely read comic strip.  His work appeared in more than two thousand newspapers around the world and was translated into twenty-one languages.  He is one of the most influential cartoonists of all time.  Since Snoopy is my favorite dog, I love the cover showing him dancing and smiled when this book showed up among my boxes of books in storage.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ~ by Rachel Joyce, map by Laura Hartman Mastro, 2012, fiction, 336 pages (451 pages in the large print edition in our Crown Center library)

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired.  He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast.  Little differentiates one day from the next.  Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn’t seen or heard from in twenty years.  Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

 

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox.  But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person.  And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce’s remarkable debut.  Harold Fry is determined to walk six hundred miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live.

 

Still in his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold embarks on his urgent quest across the countryside.  Along the way he meets one fascinating character after another, each of whom unlocks his long-dormant spirit and sense of promise.  Memories of his first dance with Maureen, his wedding day, his joy in fatherhood, come rushing back to him — allowing him to also reconcile the losses and the regrets.  As for Maureen, she finds herself missing Harold for the first time in years.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

Weekly roundup ~ at the end of July

International Friendship Day is celebrated on July 30.

I have this small poster of Snoopy lending an ear,

because he's a good friend, of course!

(It's across the room from me, but it's late, so I found the image online.)

Sunday Salon

The Peter Principle ~ by Dr. Laurence J. Peter, 1969, humor, xviii +170 pages

Why is incompetence so maddeningly rampant and so vexingly triumphant?  This book answers that question.  The authors say that everyone in a hierarchy — from the office intern to the CEO, from the low-level civil servant to the president of a nation — will always rise to his or her level of incompetence.

This book explains why incompetence is at the root of everything we endeavor to do:  why utopian plans never generate utopias, why governments condone anarchy, why schools bestow ignorance, why courts dispense injustice, why prosperity causes unhappiness.

This book is older than my blog, which means I read it so long ago that I have never mentioned it here.  I'm sure it will get a high rating when I re-read it, since I remember it from over half a century ago.

Monday Musing

Maybe I've been overthinking this, but few or no comments on things I post during the week with comments only on Sunday seem to indicate that most people read only my Sunday Salon posts.  I've decided to dump a whole week's worth of books and thinking into a weekly post.  This is it, folks, so enjoy!  (Or not.)

TWOsday

My TWO things for TWOsday are at the top, where I've shown TWO Snoopy posters for International Friendship Day today.  See what a good friend he is to Woodstock?

Wednesday Words                       and/or                       Wednesday Workout

I was reading THIS article when I happened across "gonzo journalism," which I've never run across before.  So I looked it up and learned on Wikipedia that it's "a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative."  The article is about a 24-year-old guy in the Netherlands who is "a cognitively fit and healthy young man [who] has chosen to live on the dementia ward at Verpleeghuis Groenelaan (Green Lanes Nursing Home), ultimately just to see what it’s like."  He has written a bestseller in the Netherlands and says, "I don’t have dementia.  But by living with people with dementia for three years, I know a lot about life in an institute, and I listen to people.  In fact, listening to people is the main thing I do."

I wrote about this "exercise block" this past week, promising myself that I would start attending exercise classes regularly here at the Crown Center.  The next class meets tomorrow, and I plan to be there. 

Thursday Thoughts

Why would the app on my iPhone tell me that the nearest Walgreens is over 11 miles away, when there's literally one across the street from my apartment building?  Google maps says it is 15 minutes away via highway, but I walk to my store and back in less time than that.  I saw it and took photographs of it from my former window.  See?

Long, long ago, I read this online and just came across it again.  Hmm, it's too small (and faint) to read.  Here's what it says:

ATTORNEY:  Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

WITNESS:  No.

ATTORNEY:  Did you check for breathing?

WITNESS:  No.

ATTORNEY:  So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

WITNESS:  No.

ATTORNEY:  How can you be so sure, Doctor?

WITNESS:  Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

ATTORNEY:  But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?

WITNESS:  Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Book Beginnings on Fridays

The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution ~ by Marla Heller, 2018, health, 264 pages

Beginning

The DASH diet (based on the research, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the Mediterranean diet have both been acclaimed as the best of the best in the world.  Both became famous for their amazing impact on heart health.  Both help reduce inflammation and are associated with lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, certain types of cancer, and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Now for the funny part:  I remembered having four DASH Diet books on my shelves before my recent move, but one day I noticed there were only three of them now.  I turned to put down whatever was in my hands and then went to the shelves to gather those three while looking for the fourth book.  But when I got across the room to the bookshelves, there were all FOUR of them together.  I probably blinked, like "what just happened?"  Then I realized there were THREE on a nearby shelf.  Yes, the four together all have my name in them, but the other three do NOT.  My logical conclusion is that those other three must have been my friend Donna's, and her sister gave me those copies to share with someone.  Maybe I was supposed to donate them to the Crown Center library.  I did discover on this blog (HERE) that Donna commented on this book in 2018:  "I will give it a try."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Caturday

Clawdia's special day is the last day of every week, though she would say that every day should be Caturday.  She is almost settled into our new apartment.

So is this it for the week?

Maybe, but perhaps I'll add special posts.

Something may come up unexpectedly, something I cannot wait until next Sunday to post. If so, I will post it and mention it in my next weekly roundup.  Otherwise, let's just see how this compilation works out.

Checking today's weather

Do you feel like this, too?  It may be hot; it may be cold.  It may be sunny, or it may be wet.  We may have snow, or we may have rain or sleet or icicles or a heatwave.  Maybe it will just be cloudy today.  Who knows?  Not even the weather forecasters get it right every time.  Perhaps I should adopt the attitude of Snoopy and Woodstock and dance:

March 32nd

Sorry, Snoopy!  I declare that April Fools Day has been cancelled because the past two years have been enough of a joke.  That means today is actually March 32nd.  You're welcome.

Active April 2022

The Active April 2022 calendar from the folks at Action for Happiness has daily actions to help us be mindful.  (Click on the calendar to enlarge it.)

1 ~ Commit to being more active this month, starting today.

2 ~ Spend as much time as possible outdoors today.

3 ~ Listen to your body, and be grateful for what it can do.

4 ~ Eat healthy and natural food today, and drink lots of water.

5 ~ Turn a regular activity into a playful game today.

6 ~ Do a body-scan meditation, and really notice how your body feels.

7 ~ Get natural light early in the day.  Dim the lights in the evening.

8 ~ Give your body a boost by laughing or making someone laugh.

9 ~ Turn your housework or chores into a fun form of exercise.

10 ~ Have a day free from TV or screens, and get moving instead.

11 ~ Set yourself an exercise goal, or sign up to an activity challenge.

12 ~ Move as much as possible, even if you're stuck inside.

13 ~ Make sleep a priority, and go to bed in good time.

14 ~ Relax your body and mind with yoga, tai chi, or meditation.

15 ~ Get active by singing today, even if you think you can't sing!

16 ~ Go exploring around your local area, and notice new things.

17 ~ Be active outside.  Dig up weeds, or plant some seeds.

18 ~ Try a new online exercise, activity, or dance class.

19 ~ Spend less time sitting today.  Get up and move more often.

20 ~ Focus on "eating a rainbow" of multi-colored vegetables today.

21 ~ Regularly pause to stretch and breathe during the day.

22 ~ Enjoy moving to your favorite music.  Really go for it.

23 ~ Go out and do an errand for a loved one or neighbor.

24 ~ Get active in nature.  Feed the birds or go wildlife-spotting.

25 ~ Have a "no screens" night, and take time to recharge yourself.

26 ~ Take an extra break in your day, and walk outside for 15 minutes.

27 ~ Find a fun exercise to do while waiting for the kettle to boil.

28 ~ Meet a friend outside for a walk and a chat.

29 ~ Become an activist for a cause you really believe in.

30 ~ Make time to run, swim, dance, cycle, or stretch today.

Musing on Monday

Reading report

I've decided to quit getting books from the library.  Why?  Because I have an entire library in my apartment (on shelves and in boxes), a storage unit full of boxes from the bookstore Donna and I owned 20 years ago, 438 books on my Kindle, and 331 books on Donna's Kindle (which her sister let me "inherit").

So . . . I've decided to read my own books.  Doing exactly that is, after all, one of my reading challenges.  The goal of the TBR 22 in '22 Challenge is to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  (TBR is shorthand for "to be read.")

Monday is a good day to share this report on getting older.

I'm sure you are pleased to hear this "news."  LOL.

Words from Colleen (and Snoopy)

Here are the first and last of Colleen's Thursday Thirteen.  Think of the words, look at the words, feel the words, and try different scrolling speeds for #13:

1.  The word “end” is in endure, but endure means not to end.

13.  If  you have to scroll, scroll HERE!

Sometimes, Snoopy, doing one thing is enough.  Yes, pondering Colleen's words today is a very good thing, and it makes me smile.