Monday's news

~our church participated in the neighborhood Fall Festival yesterday...stuff and nonsense

The tail-end of a very nice day.  Cleaned up the kitchen better than usual, and felt good inside---my insides.  No depression, but a bit of anxiety for a couple of things.  The norm for me.  I tend to fret and expect too much of myself.  I can have an exquisite time and something will sneak up on me, ruining an otherwise great day.  Have to keep on top of that.

Even got my mom's groceries in and delivered at her house with help from two youngest girls---bed changed, bathroom cleaned, coffee pot ready for the morning, started a load of clothes, tidied up, etc.  Gave her some of the bean and ham soup/cornbread I made for us.  She rarely gets homemade food being a fan of frozen dinners, so that was probably a treat.  Left her in good spirits, chowing down.  Click.  Turn off head.

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And talked to Gary about asking the fiance-of-son-who-lives-with-her to dessert on Thanksgiving.  They'd already decided to go to their separate parents' houses for turkey.  Figure it's a good idea to offer.  Being that we've not talked to her since before the great blow-up when he moved out in August, it'd be wonderful if the communication could be restored.  Not like inviting a daughter-in-law over, but I want to try.  He gets along with all of us---we've really worked on it, praying lots and lots.  There's an elephant in the room when he's here, you know what I mean, but at least he'll come over.  Not a lot, but still, it's better than nothing.  When he's here, it's like he's always on guard.  Shoot, we're done fussing.  What's done is done.  Just got plow ahead now.  And wait on God's timing.

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And in other news, got a pile of books at the library sale on Saturday.  I'll just mention a few authors I got: Miss Read, William Faulkner, William Butler Yeats, Susan Minot, EF Delafield, EB White, Mary Emmerling, Gail Godwin, Hal Borland, Thomas Hardy, Baroness Orczy, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Carrie Brown, Linda Nichols (a favorite contemporary author), and a Bailey White that'll make you crave cornbread while you're reading it.  The Bailey White is Quite a Year for Plums and the first time I read it, I just laughed and laughed, and honestly, I put the book down, made cornbread, sliced tomatoes and fished some green onions out of the fridge.  A perfect lunch.

If I got anything else I can't remember, but pretty nice haul, yes?  Now must weed out some of my own gluttonous collection.  I really am a pig.

I got the Faulkner partly because of going to Oxford, and totally loved one of his I read last week---it was a copy I'd been toting around since college, but hadn't remembered reading it. It's Intruder in the Dust, and for anyone not from the South, it's the perfect book to tell it like it is.  Exactly my experience.  I don't use the word 'awesome' very often, considering it sort of cliche anymore, but this book is awesome with a capital awe.  Kept nodding my head all through it and the ending is priceless.   Only a Southerner could get it right like Faulkner.

Oh, and borrowed a copy of Marilynne Robinson's newest book Lila, and read it in two days.  Yes.  Lived up to my expectations.  Read her book Gilead right after, if you've not already.

I've got more to say, but will resist.  Enough for now.