I loved it. It was a touching story, and I learned a lot about the conditions people endure in war, regardless of what side thy might be on. The author spins a beautiful a tale of true love and its battle with hate.
The writing style is refreshing. It’s a heavy subject, but the narrator treats it with some casual humor. He is Death. His perspective is unique. He is entitled. But he is not without feelings – deep feelings.
Yep, that’s me. I’m in sad shape. I only did 3 miles yesterday on the high school track. I ran and walked quarter-mile intervals until I had 5 laps of running. I walked the rest. My legs were pretty sore from the day before. I’m going again to today. I just have to wait for the heat to get really hot before I go. 
I did wait, and it was hot. I went about 3pm. There was a breeze at the beginning that eventually disappeared. I went 4 miles today, and I mile of that was walking. I walked a mile, did two miles alternating, and walked another mile. I felt better than yesterday, but I may just walk Vine Street tomorrow. The uphill should do me good, and I won’t need to worry about impact on my joints.
Last week I pushed a little too hard on one of my runs and it really wore me out. A break for a day or two seemed like a good idea at the time, but two days turned into more like four – not good. I usually up Vine Street, but this morning the high school track sounded good. I’ve walked it a few times with Cami, but no running.
So, this morning I started out walking a mile. The remaining four miles I alternated running and walking quarter miles. It felt really good. The quarter mile runs allowed me to keep a nice stride, knowing there was a rest coming. By the end I felt tired, but not beat up.
There is something that makes me want to push harder and run longer segments. But, I’m going to try to stick with this same program for at least the rest of the week. At some point I will get a stop watch with a lap timer to mark my progress.
I’ve been working on a few portraits recently, and I thought I would post this one here:
It’s done with Crescent matboard and prismacolor pencils.
My cousin Doug Brewer is on Facebook showing off pictures of a new yellow Chevy Camaro. I have to admit my envy. The designers on that Camaro project really got it right.
Cami brought up an interesting point though. If I were to ever get one, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy its looks because I would be sitting inside it. She said it would actually be better if she drove it so I would have the opportunity to look at it. Maybe we could each get one and just driving around looking at each other’s cars. But, I won’t be getting a car like that until my ship comes in.
A mid-life crisis is not a good time to have a financial crisis.
I looked out the window a few days ago, and realized the change in the color of the apricots. They aren’t quite ripe yet, but it won’t be long. There are a few early adopters of the delicious orange glow, and although still on the sour side, they don’t taste half bad. The earwigs have also discovered this fact.
In the skins of the most precocious of the “cots”, earwigs have started burrowing. I’m sure they’ve been waiting with anticipation similar to mine. They must feel they have just as much right to the fruit that neither of us had any part in creating. But, it still “bugs” me that they would be sinking divots into the specimens that I have my heart set on. Why can’t they be satisfied with those that the wind has brought to the ground?
In a week or so, it won’t matter. There will be too many for even the earwigs to destroy. Last year there may have been a total of 50 apricots on the entire tree. This year the field is ripe, all ready to harvest. The tree is loaded.
The verdict is still out on The Book Thief, but so far I like it a lot.
It’s told from the perspective of the “grim reaper”, and his subject is young girl in Nazi Germany. It’s got a quirky style of writing that keeps it interesting. I’m about 1/3 of the way through, so all I really know at this point is, the little girl loves books, and given the chance, she will steal them. The tension is building, and it looks like her life is destined to get more and more complicated as the war progresses. I’ll give an update when I finish it.
Cami told me about this book, and let me borrow her copy.
It’s a tragic story about a boy who tries to avoid the effects of civil war in Sierra Leone. He loses his family and many of his friends, and eventually his innocence as he is compelled by circumstances to join the military and become a war-hardened soldier. Lost for several years in an ocean of drugs and violence, he is finally rescued through the efforts of a rehabilitation program that seeks to restore his sanity and his former sense of values. In order to avoid further involvement with the military and the constant civil unrest, he escapes to the United States to start a new life. It’s a powerful story.
I took my usual 5-mile walk today. On the way up Vine Street I was mostly anticipating the mile-long section where I do my running. The wind was strong and threatened to steal my hat a few times. I didn’t do a lot of observation until my run was over and I started to cool down.
The running was harder today, mainly because I ran it faster. I hadn’t intended to, but that’s how it turned out. When I topped the hill by the golf course I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I was already winded, and had another half mile to go. The temporary downhill felt good, and as I headed to the top of the second rise I knew I would make it. But, it still wasn’t going to be easy. Mostly willpower pushes me at those moments. The stress is felt in my stomach as I push beyond my comfort zone and then a little more. Today was 13 seconds better than yesterday: 9 minutes and 51 seconds. Tomorrow will be a resting day. I will walk and not be weary. No running.
The walk back was filled with wildlife – some dead, but most of it alive. A squirrel, a sparrow, and a deer have met their demise on that little stretch of back road. I can ignore the first two, but the last one forces itself upon my senses, even when my eyes are closed. It isn’t pleasant, and I hope someone will haul it away soon.
As I walk past the tall grass, wild rye, and alfalfa, its periodic rustling makes me wonder what causes the noise. It’s most likely a combination of grasshoppers, mice, and lizards. I saw my first lizard today as it scurried up a dirt embankment.
Several dozen large dragonflies were hunting above the blacktop for a hundred yards or so. I’m not sure what they were finding. I stopped for a moment to see if any other creatures were flying around, but nothing else appeared. Whatever the prey was, the dragonflies were really excited about it, and they had brought friends and family to celebrate.
A half dozen juvenile magpies were high on the hill, cavorting with starlings and making a racket. I assume they are young because of their size and their scruffy plumage. They also sport a slightly shorter tail. Instead of fooling around, maybe they could get started on making that deer disappear. I won’t be holding my breath… unless I’m close to the deer. A little quail flew off before I could get a better look. It’s the first one I’ve seen on that road. In contrast, the doves are plentiful.
The wild rye is makes a sea of yellow in every vacant log, and along the sides of the road. Last week the ripe, golden heads were bent over, weighed down with their payload. This week a good portion of the heads have been broken in half and seed pods scattered on the ground with the wind. On various occasions I have made a mini harvest of some of the small kernels. They aren’t half bad. I wonder what wild rye bread would taste like. I’d better hurry up and start gathering if I plan to give it a try. I’ll be inducted into the Little Red Hen Club.
I saw a dog that I liked – not the first time I’ve seen it. He has a liver-colored face, white body, and large liver-colored spots on his back – probably a german shorthaired pointer of some kind. I liked the dog because it wasn’t barking or licking itself. I also liked it because it stays in someone else’s yard.