>There are days when it is better not to blog. It's important to write daily, but not every day's writing ought to be open to public purview.

>After spending most of last week out of my office in work that I don't particularly enjoy and tend to resent, I am trying to sidestep the anxiety-producing trap of feeling as if I am ineffectually spinning my wheels. It may be a problem of focus. My many commitments make it difficult to concentrate on … Continue reading >Spinning Wheels

>Yesterday afternoon my husband, daughter, and I watched The War of the Worlds at matinee prices. I'm really glad we didn't pay regular admission.Never having read The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, I can't compare the movie to the novel. But I suspect the movie's primary story line about a divorced dad … Continue reading >War of the Worlds

>I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo yesterday afternoon. Friday night I noticed that I was only about a third of the way through the novel, even though I was on page 435. It was then I realized that the volume is divided into two books with the pagination starting over in the second … Continue reading >Count of Monte Cristo – 2

>Rather than making me covet recreation vehicles, regularly walking through the campgrounds has been increasing my appreciation for our location.If we want to feel like we're camping, all we have to do is open the windows. We can even roast s'mores around the firepit and then lie in bed, smelling the wisps of smoke that … Continue reading >Camping at home

>As the morning sun blesses the treetops, the honeysuckle outside my office window remains in shadow. Bare branches tremble as a sparrow flits among them and plucks a red berry from a green-leafed branch. From the firepit in our backyard, the honeysuckle looks full of green leaves. From the flower garden in our front yard, … Continue reading >Honeysuckle

>Not long ago, Dave and I watched the DVD of The Count of Monte Cristo, and ever since I've been wanting to read the novel. I saw glimmerings of a Christian perspective on forgiveness in the movie and wondered if that perspective might be more visible in the novel.I picked up an old copy from … Continue reading >Count of Monte Cristo – 1

>Today began satisfyingly with devotions on the deck, followed by an hour-long walk.It’s so humid that the seat of my shorts became clammy from the damp deck bench. There was so much pollen hanging in the hollow where the road crosses our creek that I felt as if I were breathing syrup. And, even though … Continue reading >Walking

>My recent reading includes Iowa Letters, a volume of correspondence between Dutch immigrants and their friends who remained in the Netherlands.Having four grandparents who emigrated from the Netherlands and having lived within the Pella Dutch community all my life, I found the collection fascinating. But the appeal of these letters transcends biological or geographical ties. … Continue reading >Iowa Letters

>Last night Dave and I stayed up too late watching Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in our frequently-viewed copy of the original black and white Casablanca. We've watched the color-enhanced version, but we feel the colors detract from the artistic use of shadow and light that makes the original so marvelous. Of course, the acting … Continue reading >Casablanca