I’m thinking I’m a little over sensitive this morning.  I discovered I had completely destroyed two of our dry goods storage containers by putting them in the dishwasher.  They were nice and clean but also warped and unusable.  The over sensitive part was when tears welled up in my eyes because of it.  Um. It’s okay, Janece…

Buzz has been floating around the net about DailyLit.com. The idea is that most of us make time to read emails but find ourselves without time to read books. DailyLit.com decided to break up books into 5 minutes or less bite-sized reading chunks and send it to you in email. You can have them send longer installments if you desire. Or, if you have read the installment and decide you want to receive the next immediately, you can do that too.

DailyLit doesn’t have a huge selection of books right now. They do have a large inventory of classics like Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland, Don Quixote, Pride & Prejudice and more (370 titles). Click here for all the categories of books that they have.

I’m in my 7th installment (3rd chapter) of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. While I prefer to sit down for long, immersive reads… these days don’t seem to afford me much time for that. So, in lieu of my curled up on the couch, in front of the fire, with a cat in my lap and hot cup of tea and good book… I’ll sit in my ergonomic desk chair, under the warm glow of my monitor and read my installments of Anna Karenina.

5:20am and Amira’s up, cheerful and ready to take the day. Me, I woke up with the knot at the base of my neck from last night still firmly and angrily in place. These kind of headaches are the worst. I started my morning through the headache fog. Every morning, the first half hour is same. Amira gets up. I get up. We wish each other good morning. Tova barks. I tell him to be quiet. I feed Tova his breakfast. Amira & I get her dressed. I let Tova out. I let Tova in. Amira & I head upstairs to the kitchen. I feed the cats their breakfast. I fill Amira a small glass of chocolate hempmilk and dole our her vitamins and my thyroid. I drink a glass of water and take my thyroid pill. Amira stands her vitamins, in a row, on end. And that’s where the repeat cycle ends.

This morning, the new day started with my showing Amira how to subtract. She had four vitamins, two koalas and two gummy bears, one orange and the other pink. See, baby? One, two, three, four. She picks one up and ah-yum! She eats it. Four minus one is three. That’s right, three - she says. Another, ah-yum! Three minus one is two. She nods. We get to the last lonely and fated gummy bear. She eats it with relish and I say: “One minus one…” She exclaims happily…

“WE’RE DONE!”

Amira & I discovered a new internet radio station this morning. Okay, so, she’s not really here right now (she’s upstairs with Papa, probably hounding him to watch National Geographic shorts on the internet with him) — but I’m listening and enjoying it and that’s half the battle.

I wish it was ad-free (you can subscribe/pay for an ad-free version)… but having some groovy, fun and non-drive-you-crazy music that appeals both to Amira & me.

My favorite song of the morning:

No is no
No is always no
If they say no, it means a thousand times no
No plus no equals no
All nos lead to no no no
Finger pointing, eyebrows low
Mouth in the shape of the letter O
Pardon me — No!
Excuse me — No!
May I stay?
Can I go?
No, no, no
Do this — No!
Don’t do that — No!
Sit, stay, roll over
No, no, no
Finger pointing, eyebrows low
Mouth in the shape of the letter O
Red means stop. Do not go.
No, no, no

They Might Be Giants - No!

I was introduced to these facts today.

• Trollope, the novelist, churned out volumes of worthy fiction, writing in the few hours before work every day.
• Einstein discovered the theory of relativity during lunch breaks and evenings, while working as a postal clerk.
• Wallace Stevens, the poet, did his best work in his head, while walking to his office at the insurance company.
• William Carlos Williams, on the other hand, wrote his poems on the back of prescription pads - while waiting for patients in his medical practice.
• Author J.K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book in short daily bursts, while her kids took naps. Now she’s the world’s first writer-billionaire.

I’m looking more closely at what I fill in my “in-between” times with (whether it be writing, or otherwise).

Mountaineer - 16.365, originally uploaded by janece.

“Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”

– Dag Hammarskjöld

I enjoy skimming the quotes in my 1001 Pearls of Wisdom book. This quote caught my eye. I am a mountaineer today, ready to climb the highest mountain I can see.

Growing a green thumb, originally uploaded by janece.

I’m very slowly learning the art of houseplants. When I was younger, I would tell people there wasn’t a plant that I couldn’t kill. Sounds like a gift, but it was really lack of interest and neglect. No plant can survive under those conditions.

A couple months ago, a friend gave me a Streptocarpus (a member of the African violet family). About 2 weeks ago, I spent $3.47 on a little rubber tree plant and the plant on the bottom left there (I need to look that one up again). And yesterday, I planted a sprouted avocado seed.

And so begins my little houseplant family.  Wish us well.

Speechless - 9/365, originally uploaded by janece.

I’ve gotten in one of my tongue-tied tangles. Or more genre-correct… writer’s blockage. I don’t know why I go through these cycles of not knowing what to or how to write. They are annoying. I thought maybe writing about it would help it go away.

purple Clematis, originally uploaded by janece.

I had two sets of friends lose friends of theirs to unexpected and fatal tragedies. It’s been heavy on my mind and heart and has been reflected in my artwork (as you saw exampled in the painting below). I have been praying for their peace and comfort through the grief.

… to my Papa — whose getting back on the blogging wagon!  Stop in, say hello — I know he’d love to hear from you!

Me: Hey Mira, are you hungry? Should we go up and make some dinner?

Amira: Yeah! And some food too!!

The beauty of this makes me cry.

Backstory: (pulled from Amazon.com)

Back in the 70s, Christian (the lion) was separated from his parents at an early age and put up for sale in a London department store. Two men, Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, found him there and immediately fell in love with him and determined to buy him. They scraped together the money and brought the little lion home when he was only a few weeks old.

As he grew, Christian began to need bigger facilities than Tony and John could provide. Thanks to a chance meeting, they hit upon the idea of sending Christian to Africa to live as a wild lion.

When a year had passed, Tony and John came to Africa to see Christian…

The bond was still so close between the men & Christian, that his pride accepted the two men as well. I’d love to see this video (sadly on VHS only).

Breathe - 6/365, originally uploaded by janece.

While Amira napped, I headed into the backyard, barefoot and with camera in hand. The sun was bright, making my eyes water. I could feel the heat coming down on my head and shoulders. I walked down to the creek where the trees offered some shade. Right as I got there, a lovely breeze surprised me. It made me catch my breath and reminded me to breathe.

My mind calmed and I felt more connected and centered. The cool grass under my feet, the sound of the water running over the rocks, and the wind brushing and caressing my face with its dance.