whatcha readin'? 2020 {book 12::goal 30}

June 8, 2020 Arlene Giddings

I am reading, I swear.

Just not as fast or as much as I normally do.
I am spending a lot of time in the yard,
cutting grass, planning a garden…
and the bulk of my reading right now
comes from a text book
about quantum computing and binary representation
and other stuff that
occasionally makes my brain feel like smushy-mush.

I read Waiting for Joe
in May…and made a note in my phone about it after
that actually just kind of caught me by surprise:

“It was…meh.
Sad & depressing like a cold rainy day
where the sun
never comes out.
A bleak existence.
A sad set of lives."

And then I gave it 2.5 hearts.

I’m not sure that it was the writing that bothered me
as much as it was the subject…
sad, hopeless, bleak, lonely.
And maybe that is just too much for me
right now.

Maybe, right now,
I just want sunshine and unicorns
and candy colored rainbows.

I’m a grown-up.
It’s my prerogative.
:)

(But…in the book’s defense,
normally, as soon as I finish a book
my brain seems to delete it from my memory bank.
But, the characters seemed to have
stayed with me for this one…
so I guess that says something.)

Also…I am starting something new…
I have decided I am not keeping as many books anymore.
So, for some of these, like this one,
if you want to read it
and have a book you would like to trade….
hit me up.
:)

2.5 ♥’s out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥’s
NEXT UP:: HISTORY LESSON FOR GIRLS - AURELIE SHEEHAN

the world can also be sweet... (a sappy sunday post)

June 7, 2020 Arlene Giddings

i have been meaning
to write a blog post about this
all week
but time kept
getting away from me,
as it often does.

last weekend,
i got a fb message from a friend
telling me that she knew someone
who was selling some smurfs.

(Note: this is not an odd message
for me to get. Haha. I actually get
things like this pretty frequently
& love that people think of me
when they see this stuff, but I digress…)

normally, they are smurfs i have or
newer smurfs which is still pretty exciting
but this…
this was different.

i didn’t have these smurfs
AND THERE WERE
LITTLE TINY MUSHROOM HOUSES!
and…
YOU CAN OPEN THE DOORS
TO THE LITTLE TINY MUSHROOM HOUSES.

i will be honest.
i wanted them all.
but…i am a grown up
and sometimes grown ups have to
suck it up and settle for a little less
than what they really want
in the name of stupid bills and responsibility
and blah-dididy blah blah-blah.

so…
i said i would definitely take the houses
(cause…did i tell you? THE DOORS OPEN!)
and the baby smurf with the teddy bear.

then i went for a walk.

my friend said she had a friend
that was coming to summerside
& would drop the smurfs off in mailbox
(also not a strange occurrence…heehee)

later that day, i find that cute little red & blue
box in my mailbox…
WITH ALL THE SMURFS
and the HOUSES WITH THE DOORS THAT OPEN
in it.

i am not gonna lie…
i squealed out loud (and scared the dog)
and might have jumped up and down a little
and immediately texted my friend
to ask what she was doing!!
and to get her email address so I could etransfer…

and she just said…
pay it forward.

every day i am so incredibly grateful
for the people in my life.

whether it’s smurfs, tomato plants, lilacs,
a kind word, a hug, a borrowed book, a smile,
some teasing (which I take as a sign of affection),
an ice cream recommendation, a card order,
a blog comment, an offer to help,
a quick “just checking in” message,
a bit of advice, sweets left on my deck…
all of these little things make me feel…
happy.
and so frigging grateful. ♥

now….to plot how to pay this forward…heehee

Happy Sunday.

mooney's pond...

June 4, 2020 Arlene Giddings

this was not my first time here…
the last time i was here,
it was fall
and i was still married
although things
were starting to fall apart,
i just didn’t really know.

it’s funny how my life is
still divided into
before the separation/
after the separation.

i love this place though.
this spot totally being my favorite,
the sound of rushing water,
the stillness, the calm.
i could have stayed there for a long time.

it is such a beautiful walk through here…
and just the perfect length of time
AND I don’t get lost.
i just wish it wasn’t quite so far away

finding my way back to me....

May 24, 2020 Arlene Giddings

For the first time since this COVID 19 thing started,
I felt a little bit more like myself.
I actually got up early Friday morning
and did a real “Friday Adventure”….
tried Dromore trail for the first time….
I did the South Loop,
well, actually, it’s possible I did the South Loop
twice
because I got confused and might have gone
the wrong way.

It’s a wonder I can make it out of a roundabout really.

After Dromore, I found a great, winding
but very narrow dirt road
that seemed to go on forever.

Then I accidentally came across Mooney’s Pond,
which I absolutely love.
I took photos there, too
but will have to share them on a different day.

I had a quick nap in the parking lot
of the trail with the windows open
and a light breeze blowing in
the smell of fresh cut grass.

Then came back to Summerside
to meet up with a best friend
who I haven’t seen for far too long
and we video called another friend
who is too far away…

I came home exhausted and happy.

As soon as I set foot on that trail,
all I could think is
THIS is what I needed…
I realize I have to make a bigger effort
to get out of the house
now that I am working from home.
It is very easy to slide into a rut of
home and home…and home.

The rest of the weekend was
pretty great too….but I have
rambled long enough… :)

(oh. but the other thing I realized
I have missed…is my camera….
this also made me very happy all weekend…
kinda like reconnecting with an old friend)

today has been a very good day...

May 8, 2020 Arlene Giddings

Blue sky.
Sunshine.
Finished a couple tasks that
I had been putting off.
Belting out
Video Killed the Radio Star
in the car.
Meeting up with a best friend
to walk a beautiful trail.
Laughing so hard
your belly hurts.

Getting a phone call
that the dumpster you ordered
is coming tomorrow morning!!
(and also, the girl that works
at Superior Sanitation
is super-sweet….)

New plants sprouting up.

Cat cuddles.

Sweet phone calls.

Texts from my girl,
maybe a visit tomorrow!

and finding out that I got
95% on the first assignment I passed in
for an online course I am doing
made me so incredibly happy…
I am not gonna lie.
I was scared.
It’s been a long time since I have done “school”…
Honestly,
I have been doubting myself pretty heavily
on this…I think that’s why it took me so long
to take the step.

But passing the first assignment
has given me just a little shot of confidence…
until I panic about the next chapter…
heehee.

Happy weekend!