July Sliding By

I am not sure what has happened to the last week. We have had a couple of good rains butless just the few miles away where the crops are. We are grateful, nevertheless, for every drop we get. There have been lots of family transitions going on. I have had lots of rest, which unfortunately I am finding I require as I age. I have always resisted sleep and disliked wasting time on it, but now I welcome it. While I do not do much myself anymore, I get tired just hearing what others in the family are doing!

Not long ago, I resolved to start reading more fiction since I seriously have neglected that. I have not done too well with that resolution, but for some reason I read Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck—can’t even remember why I had that on a list to order but it was laying around. I re-read Benilde Little’s Acting Out, which I had picked up at Country Inn Suites with their good plan to let you borrow and carry out books. I re-read it because I could not remember what it was about. I need to return it and also Karen Hughes’ Ten Minutes From Normal the next time we visit Freeport.

Because Jane Eyre figured in Leslie’s engagement story and then her wedding invitation called Mary Ellen and Brian’s barn Thornfield Barn, I wanted to re-read that because I could not remember the story. I envy people who can remember and discuss their reading while I sit dumb, and I am always comforted when others confess that like me they too can’t remember what they read. I did enjoy reading it again. And now I have started Shirley, which has a book mark in early pages from long ago, so maybe I will finish it this time.

I have many more nonfiction books stacked around waiting for me to read and/or re-read. Sam is reading Elie Wiesel’s Night for his summer honors class reading, so I just finished reading it again. This is not a book that is pleasant, but I definitely think it is valuable for everyone to read. We need to recognize just how evil we humans are capable of becoming. Oddly, the love and humanity that Wiesel shares makes the book beautiful despite the ugly horror it shares.

I have also been reading in Judges reviewing the stories of Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah and am horrified at the violence and ugliness depicted. I have to smile, however, at some men’s shame to be killed by a woman. I cannot imagine why one cares about the sex of the one who kills them, but obviously once upon a time, some people cared.

I seem to keep busy with watering the flowers, feeding the hummingbirds, reading the daily newspaper, and the two meals a day I prepare. The kitchen clean up surprises me at how long that takes with only two of us eating here. I don’t have nearly the time to read that I thought I would in retirement. But I am grateful to have so much waiting for me to enjoy reading, and maybe one of these days I will get organized to do some writing.