My coworker has been gifting me alllll the good books lately. I am so so grateful that the people I work with not only tolerate my rambles but they listen and hear me and bring me things they know I’ll love!
This one is like going back home because, well, it is my hometown and sense of place. But it’s more of a glimpse of long ago memories from my youth more than anything. I’ve waxed poetic about moss and swamps before and I’ll do it forever. That water that looks like sweet tea? The water of the Okefenokee and Satilla? It runs in my veins…
But anhoo, let’s dive into some more stuff including a varied selection of books, some of which are courtesy of my amazing local library.
Let’s go top-to-bottom left-to-right here.
First row: One of Stephen’s good friends opened a new bookstore in Athens and I was able to find a copy of Waffle House Vistas and a shirt and an OutKast Reader. Rec Room Books. They even have a used book credit system. Support local! / Sapelo Island has been in the news again and it reminded me that I wanted to expand my knowledge about the culture of the Gullah Geechee. We are on the precipice of losing an entire way of life for the coastal community and that’s fucking awful. / Town & Gown presented a new play: Mad Scientists in Love that had us laughing out loud every few minutes. Gosh, I needed to laugh.
Second row: Holy moly this book is beautiful and it even had a shot of Waycross, Georgia that could be from today or it could’ve been from 50 years ago. That town is a time capsule. / When I have to clean off all my projects that live on the kitchen table I like to run around the house saying Behave naturally! Mary the buttons, the buttons, the buttons as I throw everything into a basket. It makes me laugh. These buttons are for FLUKE and I hope to see you there. / I’ve never been to Beaufort, SC but I’ll be visiting this weekend. I wanted to research their tabby works among other things but this read was a little too scholarly (aka smart) for what I was wanting (general knowledge).
Third row: Commanders of the Dining Room. This was a fantastic! Written by a former headwaiter, the book features the stories of over 50 men who rose in the ranks after Jim Crow. Read it! / Philip Simmons in a picture book titled Lowcountry. I’ve been wearing a pin fashioned after this blue heron gate and I get tons of compliments on it. I love that it’s a conversation starter and I get to share his story!
Other stuff in my life besides books and pins and theatre? Cats and flowers, duh. Mama Kitty (creative name, right?) is turning 17 this year and is still sweet (and ‘muppety’) as ever. And the first daffodils of 2026 make me smile.
Let’s see…oh, I’ve watched a few things as of late. The Uninvited (1944) and Doctor Blood’s Coffin (1961) both of which were not what I expected but enjoyable enough. We have NETFLIX for one month for Bridgerton (I read the books and like the series and I will always get onboard!) and we’re making the most of it. I’m about 3 episodes in of the new Seven Dials but I’m hooked, the new Knives Out which I thoroughly enjoyed and I finally finished Frankenstein which I liked ok (so much squelch) but I think Crimson Peak was better. I even saw a movie in the theatre, the new Dracula, but I didn’t care for it overall and it seemed soooo long. But it was 1/2 off night and the seats were heated and I was among friends so that was all good…
I’m also re-reading Mary Oliver poems and this is one that I’m turning to again and again. The world has hope and fire even when we don’t. Can’t recommend it enough for you to start your morning with it, as it’s aptly named after that time of day…
Morning Poem
Mary Oliver
Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange
sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again
and fasten themselves to the high branches —
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands
of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails
for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it
the thorn
that is heavier than lead —
if it’s all you can do
to keep on trudging —
there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted —
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,
whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
Visit my Goodreads to see more what I’m reading. Fair warning: I’m a little loosey-goosey with my updating but I would still love to be reading friends on there if you’d like to add me. And always down with suggestions for new or new-to-me books…
