Catching Up

I have been a bit of a slacker with posting my "September Favorites." Part of the problem was that my computer crashed and oddly enough it may take 30 days to create a habit but it certainly only takes one or two to destroy it. So here I am trying to catch up. I think some of these shots are worth the wait though...

Why I love September Reason #5:

The weather is perfect for biking in the mountains. That would be a picture of us driving down the mountain with our lovely two wheeled companions hitching a ride on the back.

Why I love September Reason#6:

Things that look drab from a distance are actually quite interesting and beautiful up close. I found these lovely "weeds" on the side of the road and I couldn't get enough of their shape and color.

My roommate and I were talking about how sometimes the weeds in Utah are kind of like people. We think we know someone, perhaps we even pass judgement on them as someone who will never amount to much or whatever. Then you get to know them and realize just how extraordinary they are, how brilliant their spirit shines when someone believes in them and loves them for who they are. I love things like that because I have a lot of "drab from a distance" qualities. I always enjoy the moment when that surprising discovery presents itself whether it's someone I come to know better or someone that discovers something likeable about me.

Why I love September Reason #7:

Fall Leaves. As I mentioned in a previous post. I am a fanatic about the fall leaves. I can't get enough of them! Look at that blazing color!

Why I love September Reason #8:

Dahlias. I see this marvelous sight every morning on my jogging route. I never get tired of rounding the corner and coming upon these cheerful, bright, packed in color flowers.

Favorite Things...

This is one of my favorite books. The pictures, the story line, everything about it I love. I mean what kind of witch is afraid of witches?

Picture this: An old couch with fuzzy 1970's floral print. My mom in the middle with two kids on each side, the baby on her lap and two children wrestling for the coveted spot on the back of the couch where they could peer down at the pictures while she read to us. This was our nightly ritual. We read story after story this way. And that's where my love of reading, and books and cleverly drawn illustrations was planted.

One of my guilty pleasures is curling up in my bed and reading all night. Sad that I feel guilty for reading, huh? Ok, well I don't always feel that guilty. It just seems like there is always an endless list of "other" things that should take priority, like cleaning my room for instance. This week reading has won out over the mess though.

Recently I've been revisiting some of my favorite out-of-print children's books. I don't know why but we just seem to belong together. As a child I loved the "older" books section in our school library. I would run my fingers over the heavy hardback covers that were built like a 1970's station wagon; made to last. I would pull the books with interesting titles off the shelf and thumb through the worn pages; soft with age. I can still remember the musty smell of old print. Our librarian soon noticed that I had an affinity for old books so she made a few recommendations such as The Velvet Room and Magic Elizabeth. I read them over and over again.

Back in those days our library had a loft where you could lay on the floor and read for a half an hour if you so pleased. That was back before schools thought about things like 'you can't have a loft because children might fall off a ladder', or a merry-go-round for the same reason. Not that I'm against keeping children safe, there was just more of a carefree nature to my childhood. And--the inner child in me wishes I still had a loft to curl up in and read a book.

A few years ago my mom surprised me at Christmas with an old familiar green hardback book. It was the very same book I'd read over and over as a girl, The Velvet Room. It turns out that my elementary school was selling off all of their old books to make way for newer up and coming titles. I was estatic to have that book in my hands for keeps!

The novel is about a girl growing up in Depression Era America who discovers a secret passageway leading to a library in an old abandoned house. A library she endearingly nicknames "The Velvet Room." Someday, when I am neither rich nor famous perhaps I'll own a cute little cottage with a room like that...or at least a loft. Until then my extra comfy twin bed will have to do.

Here are a few of my favorite out-of-print titles:

Andrew Henry's Meadow
The Witch that was Afraid of Witches
Mumps!
The Velvet Room
A Tree for Peter
Pickles and Jake
Homer Price and the Doughnut Machine