Sunday Salon ~ One of "those" kind of weeks!

What a week this has been! The first half of the week, as many of you know, involved several stressful days during which Sadie, one of my many ‘furry kids’ was missing. I love & adore all of my cats but Sadie is special, maybe because when we found her she was struggling to stay alive, or because she spent the first 4 months here convalescing: just eating & sleeping, nothing else, unlike most kittens. I think, although, that it's because she has a spirited personality and so much character in her little body. And, of course, she can be quite brat!

Finding Sadie and bringing her home was fantastic. The stress of those few days took their toll. By Wednesday evening I knew I was getting a cold...or something. I never get a simple cold anymore because of asthma and pulmonary hypertension so now it seems I have bronchitis. Ugh! But when I've been sitting in bed reading or watching tv the last couple of days, very often Sadie's sleeping on my lap!

I didn't make specific plans to attend BEA because of medical stuff which it seems now was fortuitous. I have a few doctor appointments this week and thought, if I felt up to it, I'd stop by the Javits Center. Truth be told, I still feel like a bit of a newbie in the blogging community, though I'm really not. I feel like I'm still learning how to navigate, still getting to know other book bloggers...I guess I take things slowly! The size of BEA intimidates me, too, as much as the thought of attending such a large Book Event excites me! Some of it has to do with attending in a wheelchair with my portable oxygen along for the ride. But if I was feeling up to it, those "accessories" wouldn't stop me from such an amazing Book Event. The Housing Works Bookstore & Cafe in downtown NYC is hosting an event Wednesday evening at which Goodreads Book Club is hosting Jennifer Egan reading from A Visit from the Goon Squad as well as the punk band Care Bears on Fire (I'm not familiar with them but I like hearing unfamiliar music). I'd like to attend but I'll have to see how I feel as well as what the ticket situation is...the event is currently sold out but tickets may be sold at the door?!

My reading has been rather slow this week. It as hard to focus, of course, when I was worried about Sadie but I started Dreams of Joy by Lisa See and it was a good distraction during those days. I also started reading Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende which is a sequel of sorts to Daughter of Fortune. It's great to find out what's happened to some of the characters I loved in that book. My reading pace has slowed considerably sine I got sick because I tend to fall asleep after just a few pages! I seem to sleep just for a short time, though, and when I wake I continue reading a few more pages then I drift off to sleep for a bit....and so on! It's an interesting process. lolol I have some reviews to work on including The History of Love and Under the Mercy Trees which won't be easy since my mind is kind of foggy and my head heavy. I'll just have to see how it goes! I signed up to participate in Armchair BEA at the last minute. I'm disappointed that I missed the cut off for interviews with other bloggers but I'm looking forward to the blog posts and events of the next few days.

If you're going to BEA in NYC have a wonderful time!
Enjoy your weekend, everyone & I hope you have a good book to read!

Keep Laughing!

I was thinking about Maine this morning, the cool morning air, the spray of water across my face as waves crash against the rocks, the lapping of the water against the shore , the faint sound of gulls in the distance, it's the lullaby of the sea I have read about and heard as well. So beautiful.

And then I read this:

How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. It is a psychological truth

that the physical acts of reverence and devotion make one feel devout.

The courteous gesture increases one’s respect for others. To act lovingly

is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others

which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight.

~ Dorothy Day

I love the idea of a duty of delight, to be joyful, to act joyfully in order to make others feel joyful. What a wonderful ability to have. To actually feel purely joyful and delighted doesn't happen all of the time (in my experience, anyway). I'm thinking about that pure, ecstatic, delighted feeling that causes laughter to bubble up from deep inside you, the kind of laughter that comes from feeling utterly and completely happy, as if the sun is shining from within you and all is right with the world. That kind of feeling, that laughter doesn't happen all of the time but it's lovely when it does.

I am very fortunate in that my husband delights in making people laugh, especially me. He tells me almost everyday, after I've been laughing at something he said or did, how much he loves to hear me laugh. He's good at it too. He's witty, quick thinking, great at one-liners and very observant. He's also wonderful at accents and at any given time I am living with someone who sounds irish, scottish, australian, italian, german, southern or like several different animated characters such as Homer Simpson and other Springfield in habitants. It's fun and entertaining and occasionally (but not too often) I roll my eyes! LOL

The photos are of York and Camden Maine, Neddick Light in York (top) and the Portland Head Light Station (bottom). Looking at these photos makes me feel happy.

I hope you have a funny Friday!

Amy