On the Road Again, Bemused
Sep132011
So I’m on my way to New Jersey to close on the house (handing over a honking big check that will change my net worth to Not Much At All, Really). It’s a two day trip because I tend to fall asleep after six hours, and even six hours is a lot when you have several stories playing in your head and you’re trying to listen to all the voices. I took the same wrong exit today that I took two days ago for the same reason: voices in head.
(Also, I have the car packed to the gills with Stuff to put in the cottage which is going to be difficult because it already has Stuff: because I paid such a low price (comparatively speaking) for the house, I told them they didn’t have to clean it out (they’re in Arizona so it would have been the realtor who has been an absolute godsend through all of this). Which means I have to sort through the stuff. While moving some of my Stuff in. Which means day after tomorrow begins scraping up the sheet vinyl flooring, stripping wallpaper, priming every available surface, and in between, sorting Stuff. Yes, I’ll blog the Stuff.)
But in the meantime I’m on the road, trying to pay attention so that I don’t take the wrong turn or miss the sign that says “I-80″ after which it’s a straight shot for 300 miles. I-80 is the PA equivalent of Ohio’s 1-75 or I-71: long stretches of nothing except McDonalds and vaguely threatening religious billboards (HELL IS REAL) broken by insanely badly planned cities where a thousand different highways overlap, merge, court and spark. Yes, I’m looking at you, Columbus and Cincinnati, although Akron, you’re no picnic, either. I have to pay attention driving through you all. Do you know how hard that is for a writer who finally has a book cooking in her brain, only to find there are two others in there babbling, too?
Here’s how hard it is: Sweetness did not get off the bus on Friday. Lani grabbed Light and said, “Where’s your sister?” Light blinked up at her and said, “I don’t know. She wasn’t on the bus.” A couple of semi-hysterical phone calls later (Lani) with a background of pacing (Alastair) relayed the news that Sweetness was on the bus, she had just fallen asleep. I came into this at dinner:
LANI: NEVER EVER EVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN.
SWEETNESS: I didn’t fall asleep. I was awake. I was thinking.
LANI: NEVER EVER EVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN. [Turns to Light.] And from now on you look for your sister. You SIT WITH your sister.
FAJ: Why is the younger kid looking after the older kid? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
LIGHT: Yeah.
LANI: NOT HELPING. [To Sweetness.] How could you miss getting off the bus? How? How?
FAJ: I do that all the time. I got off at the Lowe’s exit the other day instead of at Eastgate. You’re thinking, you miss things.
SWEETNESS: Yeah.
FAJ: It’s a sign of her creativity. Same with Light. They have other things on their minds.
LANI: NOT HELPING.
FAJ: You do it, too, I know you do. It’s probably your fault. You gave them that gene.
SWEETNESS: I love you, Aunt Jenny.
LANI: NEVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN.
So okay, there was one day that Mollie didn’t get off the bus (the mom who usually babysat her had sent her to another mom) and to this day I can’t breathe when I think about it; I made Lani’s reaction look understated. But still, this is a major factor in creativity: long stretches of time with a background going past rhythmically and nothing to do but keep the car on the road (or in the case of Sweetness and Light, nothing to do at all). I can’t tell you how many major insights into stories I’ve had driving on 275. And missing exits.
So thank God for three hundred miles of I-80. By the time I hit the NJ border, I could have all the kinks worked out. Or I could miss a merge and end up in Canada. if so, I’m blaming Light for not watching me. It appears to be working for Sweetness.
Loading ...
131 Comments to 'On the Road Again, Bemused'
On September 13, 2011 at 1:19 am Megan Coakley said...
If you send me an approximate time, I’ll drive down 80 and wave a flare. It will, at least, prevent you from driving out of Morris County.
Safe journey!
On September 13, 2011 at 3:48 am Jenny said...
You think I know the time? I’m just grateful it’s a straight shot until I get into NJ. Then it’s “you can’t get there from here” but at least I’ll be in the right state.
On September 13, 2011 at 2:06 pm inkgrrl said...
Traveling mercies, my dear!
On September 14, 2011 at 2:26 pm Jen said...
I live closer to Philly, I went to Pittsburgh for the first time this summer. I couldn’t BELIEVE how long I-80 is! Safe travels! If need help cleaning the house in Jersey let the Cherries know I’m sure there’s plenty of us within driving distance!
On September 15, 2011 at 8:47 pm misspiggy don'twannabe said...
Just be sure to point the right direction on I-80. The Bay Bridge that takes you into San Francisco is part of I-80.
On September 16, 2011 at 2:45 am Jenny said...
I’m in New Jersey. Even I would notice I’d been driving too long before I got to CA.
The interstates are amazing, aren’t they? Every time I head down one crossing state lines, I thank Dwight Eisenhower.
On September 16, 2011 at 11:01 pm Rosa said...
So is all of Iowa, and all of Nebraska. Which looks nothing at all like Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
I have the same issue, in reverse – if I’m supposed to be headed toward Iowa, and the scenery suddenly starts getting quaint and scenic, I’m actually headed for Wisconsin. And that’s not right.
On September 13, 2011 at 1:23 am Alis said...
This is why I don’t drive unless I simply cannot avoid it. My other half (better on some days, but we run about even) finds the scenery stimulating and will strike up a conversation about whatever is passing–abandoned building? Post-apocalyptic drama. Gothic church named Sacred Blood? Vampire story. Single shoe on the side of the road? Kidnapping with a side plot of sibling hatred. So, while he pointed the interesting bits out I would take them and run. Right into an embankment. IF I was driving… which I don’t. Because I haven’t studied my Agrippa.
So glad you’re enjoying the cottage and the driving and the plotting and unkinking the kinks. (Sounds like a rock documentary.) And don’t worry–I’m sure Light will watch out for you, too.
On September 13, 2011 at 1:25 am Emma O said...
There’s a theory. I am now blaming Light every time my mind wanders off to places and off task.
On September 13, 2011 at 2:48 am Yvonne Lindsay said...
Safe journey, Jenny, and here’s hoping there’s a wealth of “treasure” amongst the “stuff.”
On September 13, 2011 at 3:27 am Julie said...
Oh yes, the stuff. I am WAY too excited about this house full of stuff. I may have to go lie down now…..
On September 13, 2011 at 3:49 am Jenny said...
Did I mention it’s Estonian?
On September 13, 2011 at 11:33 am Eve said...
WAIT?!! What’s Estonian?? The house, the stuff?? If it’s the stuff, I might want to buy it from you. I was born in Estonia
))
On September 14, 2011 at 2:03 am London Mabel said...
Better be a big house, cause I suspect you’re just going to keep it all.
On September 13, 2011 at 3:27 am robena grant said...
Road trip! I love road trips. Shotgun!
Happy that you are having this adventure. Forget about the money. You come into the world with nothing, you leave with nothing, so you might as well invest in something that will make your time here pleasant. (After all the fixing up, it will be pleasant…I’m sure.)
That must have been so scary for Lani. Kids! I don’t know how I managed to survive the years with mine, and yet I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
On September 13, 2011 at 7:07 am Diana Staresinic-Deane said...
Oh, I’m feeling this blog post. When I moved from Los Angeles to Kansas (long story), we *meant* to take I-10 across. “Did you see the exit? I didn’t see the exit,” I remember saying to my then-boyfriend-now-husband. By the time we figured out we had missed it, we decided to take I-40 and pretend we knew what we were doing, which we didn’t, because if we did, we would have understood that it was DOVE HUNTING SEASON and there wasn’t going to be an available hotel room between Los Angeles and Phoenix for a week.
As for the signs, Kansas LOVES their religious signs. My favorite is “Accept Jesus Christ and be saved. Or regret it forever.” The period in the middle there bugs the heck out of me. The outcome is unclear!
On September 13, 2011 at 11:46 am Jessie said...
My nephew’s favorite bumper sticker is “Honk if you love Jesus. Text if you want to meet Him”.
On September 16, 2011 at 4:10 am Merry said...
I am reminded of the bumper sticker ‘Honk if you want to see an UZI pointed at you.’
On September 13, 2011 at 7:51 am KarenB said...
That right there is why I like highway driving. It occupies just enough of my brain, the control freak bit, to keep it busy and out of the way of the creative, free-thinking part of my brain that usually gets squashed by the control freak bit. The summer I spent doing prep work in a restaurant kitchen had the same effect.
Welcome to New Jersey! We’re sorry about all the water, we’re not usually like this.
On September 23, 2011 at 1:07 pm Phedre said...
I grew up in NJ. When I go back to visit my mom, I walk across the New Dover Road bridge at rush hour and photograph the GSP looking north. Then I tell the folks I know in LA, Yeah. Its traffic. And its Jersey. But at least there’s scenery on each side and no smog. And the scenery changes every 3 months. Defuses road rage, there is something to notice besides the taunting red tail lights winking in front of you.
So welcome! The accent is contagious!
On September 13, 2011 at 8:18 am LauraG said...
Hey I-80 is great for thinking, drove it enough for work, amazing how quick the drive can be when you are spaced out the entire time.
On September 13, 2011 at 8:19 am Selah March said...
My personal scare-the-sin-right-out-of-you Pennsylvania road sign: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” ~ Proverbs 9:10
Except when my hyperactive 3-yr.-old asked me to read it to her, I removed “the Lord” and substituted “your mother.” She was quiet for the remainder of the 6 hour trip.
Yes, I know I’m going to hell. Totally worth it.
On September 13, 2011 at 10:03 pm Diana Staresinic-Deane said...
You’ll have a lot of company – all of us who snicker at inappropriate moments and admire passive-aggressive behavior will be right there with you.
On September 13, 2011 at 8:24 am JLondon said...
Your net worth didn’t change. You just have a lot less cash and more assets. In the current scary financial world this is supposed to be a Good Thing (as long as you don’t need the cash to pay your bills or buy food, that is).
On September 13, 2011 at 9:46 am Jenny said...
In my experience, although that works in theory, the value of real estate is so wonky that anything you buy is likely to drop in value. I’ve given up on the concept of real estate as an investment. Now it’s just a really expensive form of T.J.Maxx: The Lotsa Dirt Department.
On September 13, 2011 at 8:37 am Amy said...
So, you, Sweetness, Light, and Lani, all in one car, across three hundred miles and a few states…
Just tell youself while driving, “I love these people, I love these people…”
By the way, where was Alistair while all this was going on?
On September 13, 2011 at 9:44 am Jenny said...
No, no, they’re back home, cleaning out the garage and pumping Lyle full of saline nightly.
On September 13, 2011 at 10:18 am Carrie said...
The Stuff is Estonian? Please tell me there will be pics.
On September 13, 2011 at 11:00 am Mary Stella said...
Did you ever find your cell phone or was St. A still caught up trying to help the government find some cooperation and common sense?
I have the sense of direction of a clam at low tide. It’s a good thing I live on an island chain where there’s only one lonnnggggg road up and down the Keys. This makes it virtually impossible for me to get lost. However, I frequently drive by places where I intended to stop because my mind wandered. When I go off of the rock to the mainland, I can’t afford to let my mind wander. It’s too damned dangerous. Those South Florida drivers are crazy.
On September 13, 2011 at 5:34 pm Kate George/Bodacious Betty said...
Mary Stella, I do that all the time. The kids are always yelling Mom! You were supposed to turn there! Or Mom! Where are you going? Thanks for the laugh, Jenny. But I’m sure glad you aren’t around when my kids do stupid stuff like take after me! Just what I need someone to tell me who they get it from. Although come to think of it, I mostly live in a house with a bunch of Engineers. Son # 2 shows signs of maybe liking writing, and Daughter # 2 has a creative bent, but they are all smart and focused unlike their mom, and I won’t be surprised if they all end up in the sciences – bemoaning the fact that their mother can’t seem to drive to the store without forgetting what she went there for.
On September 13, 2011 at 11:29 am Denisetwin said...
HA! I totally understand, it’s even worse when you have two people to discuss the thinking thoughts. My twin and I were driving from St Louis to Indianapolis, about 1/2 hour out we were supposed to turn from 55/70 (north) onto 70 (east.) Instead we stayed on 55 and were halfway to Chicago before we noticed…
On September 14, 2011 at 1:57 pm CrankyOtter said...
It is a road to let one’s mind wander. I was just on that stretch from St Louis to Springfield last weekend with my brother. Except for the funky stuff on the west side of the road (giant ice cream cone and stylized flying saucer) about halfway between, it’s really easy to forget to look for your exit.
On September 13, 2011 at 11:34 am Kiersten said...
I love me a road trip but that stretch on I-80 in Western PA? Total snoozefest. I get on a long strip of tarmac and my eyes completely lose the ability to stay open. Which is why I drive, so I’m forced to stay awake. Plus, Vivarin.
Hey, not to go all stalker, creepy, but give a shout if you need help sorting thru the stuff. I may know shit about spakle but I can jettison with the best of them
On September 13, 2011 at 11:36 am Eve said...
I’m really excited for you!! And for us – new awesome books to read soon AND you’re moving closer. We can only hope that you would consider doing writing retreats now that you’re closer to the capital of publishing. Or at least, let us throw you Random Themed Parties
On September 13, 2011 at 12:04 pm Carol Anne said...
Stuff, could be a treasure trove of the good, the bad, and the ugly and the “what were they thinking.”
Oh, I-80. Long, Long, Long stretches. Then we had to drive it back after the son’s team lost thus no Olympics. Very sad and loooong trip back to Canada. Nor will I ever, ever forget the time, again with the team, he left the ferry with the coach and his son without TELLING ME! The worst 30 minutes of my life. Poor Lani.
On September 13, 2011 at 12:47 pm Theresa said...
I fell asleep on the bus coming home in first grade. Yes, my older sister who got off did indeed get yelled at. But the bus driver just finished the route and then went by and dropped me off at the end, so all was well. Not sure how much of a panic my mom was in. Then again, I was the child who liked to wander off and hide in the middle of the clothes racks in stores, so my mom was probably panicked out by then.
On September 13, 2011 at 12:53 pm Becky said...
I got off the bus at the wrong school my first day of kindergarten. The bus stopped at a school, but it didn’t look right. So I asked another kid, “Is this Fisher Elementary?” and the kid said yeah, so I got off the bus. And nothing inside looked right, so I asked the first teacher I saw where my teacher’s room was, and she said they didn’t have a teacher by that name. I’d gotten off at the Catholic elementary school, not the public one. The teacher had been talking to a parent, and the parent volunteered to drive me over to the right school. (!!!!) (I know, but it was 30 years ago in small town Iowa.)
When I finally got to the right place, and they figured out what had happened, they called Mom to let her know. She met me at the bus after school expecting a very freaked out 5 year old. I was totally unfazed. I just told her all about my first day, including my little side trip to “St. Charlie’s”. (It was actually St. Joseph’s, I think. I still get razzed about the St. Charlie’s thing.)
On September 13, 2011 at 1:14 pm Jackie said...
Buses and kids. Mine spent so much time on buses, he got to know the bus drivers better than his teachers. He certainly talked about them more. I think he learned more from the bus drivers, but I don’t hold it against the teachers, they didn’t stand a chance. After all, they didn’t have a bus.
On September 13, 2011 at 1:42 pm Lou said...
Jenny, If you make it all the way to Canada – there are some CBs who live there… just sayin’
On September 13, 2011 at 2:00 pm Eve said...
Any suggestions what to do in Ontario? Im driving on spur of moment to see niagara falls this weekend
On September 14, 2011 at 9:39 pm Helen said...
If you’re headed to Niagara Falls, try and take in some of the historic sites in the area that commemorate the War of 1812. It’s the 200th anniversary next year, and I just read in our national paper that –strangely– the war is where we launched such a long, illustrious, and unparalleled history of basically decent U.S./Canadian relations. The Brock Monument, Queenston Heights and other places are quite near.
On September 14, 2011 at 9:42 pm Helen said...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-gear-up-for-war-of-1812-bicentennial/article2162559/
Or…you could just go to cute, quaint Niagara-on-the-Lake and spend money in a swank cafe or restaurant.
On September 15, 2011 at 8:56 am Eve said...
Thanks so much, Helen!! You’re a life-saver
))
On September 13, 2011 at 2:55 pm Mary Stella said...
When I was 10, my family lived in France for a year. We were on a quick trip to London while Dad attended a medical conference. My brother (age 14) and I wanted to visit Mme. Tussaud’s Wax Museum and mapped out precisely how we would take the subway (Tube?) and then walk to meet our mother and Nana at Queen Victoria’s monument outside Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. (He and I were accustomed to going off by ourselves like that in Paris.)
All was going fine until we left the Tube and were walking the few blocks to the palace. Older brother decided to pull rank and announced that, since he was older, I had to walk three steps behind. I said, “Oh yeah? I can find Mommy and Nana by myself!” and refused to go another step.
He left me.
I’m sure he intended to hide and watch, probably thinking I’d get scared and call for him, but I let him walk out of my sight. To cut it short, I found a monument but in the crowd couldn’t located my mother. I immediately assumed that they were not where they were supposed to be. In my logic, I figured I should go back to our hotel across town because that was the first place they’d look for me. Furthermore, I should leave early or I’d never get a cab on my own. So, that’s what I did.
Two hours later after they’d gotten Dad out of his conference, they showed up at the hotel, frantic and about to call the cops to report me missing.
I explained my reasoning. They decided that my actions made perfect sense to my 10 year old self.
My brother caught all kinds of hell for leaving his baby sister.
On September 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm Ginny said...
Driving home from college at night along I-35 from Fort Worth, my roommate and I totally missed the four exits to San Marcos because we were busy watching her odometer roll over to 200,000 miles on a 1969 mud brown Skylark. This was before cell phones and we just added another hour at least to our trip. Luckily once we left San Antonio there was nothing but dark between us and Corpus Christie. I think that old car hit 86 mph that night just so I wouldn’t have to explain it to my old school, old South, former Air Force pilot Dad that his baby girl had lost her mind. Thank God Texas has excellent highways. And old Buicks were tough.
On September 13, 2011 at 3:31 pm Becke Martin/Davis said...
Kids not getting off bus? WORST NIGHTMARE! Gives me palpitations just to think of it. My daughter Jessica was Miss Social Butterfly when she was little – I was always losing her in department stores because she’d wander off to chat with the salespeople.
Jessica was 3 1/2 when my son was born. The week I came home from the hospital was a little frenetic because he was colicky and cried all the time. She was supposed to be in her room taking a nap when I got a phone call from the lady who worked at the model home, two blocks away – Jessica had decided to go pay her a visit.
I swear, my hair is white because of that kid.
Next time you get off the Eastgate exit, stop by my house – it’s like two minutes from there.
When my husband and I lived in NJ some years ago, we got to know the stretch of I-80 linking us to the Midwest better than we would have liked. I will never forget making that trip with my three-year-old, newly potty trained daughter in the car, as well as a friend visiting from England. The change in water did something to her bladder, and between that and the poorly-timed potty training, we stopped at every single rest stop between New Jersey and Chicago. Every 17 miles: Longest. Trip. Ever.
On September 13, 2011 at 3:38 pm Terrio said...
Kiddo used to stay for the YMCA after school program. Showed up first day of new year to find school locked and dark. Flipped the flip out. Called the YMCA and I’m sure that teen is still afraid of frantic moms today. They decided to bus them from her school to another school and FAILED TO TELL ME. That woman might still be flinching as well.
I do road trips all the time and prefer the ones with long interstate stretches. You’ll be driving through nice Amish country so maybe on your way back you could pick up some good furniture. Once you get the stuff out of the way and see what you need.
Or you might get an idea for an Amish book. It could happen. Amish with Crusie snark would be like paper gold.
On September 13, 2011 at 4:38 pm Sierra said...
Okay, apparently I just had an awesome bus driver when I was in school. I fell asleep on the bus many times (it was a 45 minute ride, which meant getting up at 6 every morning) and he always had another kid tap me on the shoulder. He knew all the kids, and if one didn’t show up to the bus when they’d been there in the morning, he’d ask if anyone knew where they were.
Come to think of it, even the bus drivers in high school knew who was on their bus and where they got off. If a strange kid got on, they’d ask them if they were on the right bus. In my sophomore year, they started making us carry permission notes from our parents to go home with a friend.
Where was their bus driver to not holler at Sweetness that it was her stop?
On September 13, 2011 at 10:14 pm Robin S. said...
My kids bus driver was the same. Never had to worry. The fact that he was one of our part time police officers didn’t hurt.
On September 14, 2011 at 4:25 pm glee said...
My dad WAS the bus driver who knew everyone on the route. He always asked if kids were sick or not-in-school before leaving on the afternoon route, so no one would be stranded at school. And he usually drove the athletic bus, too, that’s the late bus that went all over the attendance area following team practices after school. So much of that doesn’t happen anymore. The driver on our route, Bessie, did similar things. This is all possible in a smallish community.
On September 14, 2011 at 5:33 pm Sierra said...
I grew up in Dallas. So, while my elementary school was small because it was a magnet school, my high school bus catered to a building housing 6 magnets and had quite a few kids on the bus. The bus driver still kept track of who was on the bus and where they had to get off.
On September 18, 2011 at 9:14 am JulieB said...
When my kids were in elementary school most of their bus drivers asked as well. But it did take them time to learn the new kids each year.
On September 13, 2011 at 6:07 pm Jackie said...
That’s more my experience of bus drivers, too. While I lived in an urban envirnoment, we were in a small school district. I knew all 4 bus drivers by name. My son insisted on getting them xmas gifts every year. I thought it was reasonable, since he spent most trips talking their ears off. There is no way he would miss his stop.
They must have been desparate to get him off the bus.
On September 13, 2011 at 6:09 pm Sue D said...
I had a friend who bought a place which was furnished. The woman had gone into a nursing home, then died. In addition to oodles of stuff, there was money. Stashed everywhere. In between stacked newspapers, in the freezer, in cereal boxes, in curtains . . . You get the picture. She was 17,000 richer, but a little miffed with herself that she hadn’t realized there was “gold in them there hills’” a lot sooner.
She made a fair bit selling the furniture at an auction.
Of course, the clean up was a staggering amount of work.
Safe driving, Jenny and happy scrounging.
On September 13, 2011 at 7:54 pm LuvCubs said...
I missed my bus-stop in the 7th grade. Rhett was *LEAVING* Scarlett! … Trauma. I looked up… I was the only (non-driver) kid on the bus. Back at the school. Parents had to pick me up. I still cannot believe Rhett left Scarlett… that was the worst part.
OH. and I want to buy a house full of stuff. That would be so cool! Please let it be lots of sewing stuff…. and journals…. Because I am curious.
On September 18, 2011 at 9:16 am JulieB said...
I read GWTW at that age too! I picked it because it was the biggest book in the library. I had seen the movie but that was the first time I realized how much of the story movies have to cut.
On September 24, 2011 at 11:39 am LuvCubs said...
My mother would not let me watch the movie until much later (??). I almost did not read it then, because I read the back cover, and it called GWTW “A Classic”. Hmph. Classic is book speak for boring. (at least it was in the 7th grade!). I decided to try the 1st chapter, and I was hooked…
On September 13, 2011 at 8:03 pm Nicole said...
Ok, here’s where I am confused. Which stories are these?? Are these the Lavender books – or something entirely new? I’m dying to know how close to publishing your next book is!
And congrats on the house! And Stuff – new stuff to sort and sell or keep is awesome. Also gotta say moving is awesome – you get to pick a new place for everything! And you finally get incentive to go through and get rid of stuff you don’t want to pack and move. Theoretically.
On September 14, 2011 at 11:09 pm Jenny said...
Liz (Lavender) is still ongoing, but the four-book thing is confusing me, so I’m working on You Again again.
On September 13, 2011 at 8:49 pm Jen_Ann_W said...
Yeah, the freeway interchanges here in Akron can be a little… stupid. My mom is visiting this summer from Arizona, and every time she drives down from where she’s staying in Cleveland I get nervous that she’ll wind up on I-276 heading for Timbuktu. Good luck, and safe travels!
On September 13, 2011 at 10:38 pm Clever Cherry said...
I hear you Jenny. I try not to go anywhere without a full tank of gas in case I lose track of where I am while daydreaming / writing.
Of course, I understand Lani’s perspective, too, being a mother who’s had her children going missing for short periods to be explained later. Terrifying. I really think if I was a bus driver I’d be with it enough to realize one kid wasn’t getting off and wake her up. Then again – maybe the bus driver is a daydreamer / writer.
The beginning of your move sounds exciting. And books cooking! Yay. Cause you know we’re all hungry for another Crusie.
On September 13, 2011 at 10:51 pm Jenyfer Matthews said...
I’ve driven here there and everywhere in the last few months and I’d rather plan my route on state highways and see the little scenic by-ways and imagine how / what sort of people live in such places than take the interstate through a big, unfamiliar city. Columbus is a particular one I avoid, as is Chicago.
Cannot wait to hear what all you find in your new place. My family is relocating to Michigan and we rented a house for now. It’s full of dust, dirt, grime and daddy long-legs but no Estonian treasure.
On September 13, 2011 at 11:11 pm Robin S. said...
I can’t speak for I-80 in OH but I-80 from around Grove City to Dubois, PA is hell after a snow (after Dubois it isn’t quite as nasty). Dead tractor trailers all over the road. I drive I-80 to go see my daughter in school and one trip last winter was like an obstacle course. And of course there were no signs or warnings. Sheesh. So watch yourself this winter if the weather is iffy.
I hope your 300 miles of highway prove productive. Personally, I’m grinding my teeth with the “Gaawwdd, aren’t we there yet?” twitches. It is amazing how horribly loonngg 4-5 hours can be when you have nothing to do but drive the car. Lucky you, with the creative brain.
A whole house full of potential goodies. I’m jealous. But I also hope you find lots of really good ‘stuff’. Happy sorting!
On September 14, 2011 at 3:38 am CatScott said...
1. YAY! to blogging the Stuff. Can’t wait to see what oddities and treasures you find. (Sure I’m weird, but I’m really OK with it.)
2. I’ve done the drive from Cincinnati to the Catskills so many times I could do it in my sleep. If you ever want a driver just give a holler.
On September 14, 2011 at 8:36 am lee said...
I can only wish you fair winds, and voluminous dumpsters -
On September 14, 2011 at 1:48 pm CrankyOtter said...
I once took a full carpool of people to Vermont when driving from western Mass back to Boston after a full day of whitewater rafting. It was my greatest driving gaffe ever. In my defense, Rte 2 jogs north for a short bit and the signage in MA is the worst ever – if you don’t already know how to get where you’re going, you can’t get there from the signs. I missed the part where the road continued back to the east – and no one else in the car noticed for an hour or more either.
I am looking forward to hearing about The Stuff. I am also thrilled to hear that you have books percolating and seem excited about it. Joy all around. Maybe you should move to Tx instead where you can get in the car, put the cruise control on, cross your legs on the seat and drive for hours in a straight line….
Then again, I’m the kind of driver who thinks that drivers should be paying attention to driving so I wonder if there’s a place you can go to rent a car to drive on a track (like the old-timey cars at an amusement park that go around on a rail without being fixed to the rail) and people who need creative time or a place where the kids can sleep and they can be nearly asleep can rent time and mentally check out while still safely driving. Sweetness could do driver training there.
I’m actually surprised more people don’t miss their bus stops. I could never understand how other people would say “I like riding the train to work so I can read” because I have to look up at every single stop to make sure I haven’t missed mine. That’s not relaxing at all. I’m nervy for the entire ride.
On September 18, 2011 at 9:20 am JulieB said...
I wish I lived in an area where I could commute by train. I love riding the train, or the bus for that matter. I understand worrying about missing the stop = I do when I’m on an unfamiliar route. But after I’ve ridden a few times, I can read the paper or most books. Some books take my brain too far in, however.
On September 14, 2011 at 1:59 pm Chelle said...
My kid watches me drive past the exit and then looks behind us and waves and says “Bye right way to go!”
NOT. HELPING.
On September 18, 2011 at 9:20 am JulieB said...
Chelle, that made me laugh out loud.
On September 14, 2011 at 4:38 pm Sure Thing said...
Didn’t I hear that Google has a driverless car? Bug Google.
I’m with Sweetness, just for being on her side – I love you Aunt Jenny!!
NOT HELPING has become a common phrase in my class. Other children just want to bug the ones that cry. You are NOT HELPING warns them away.
On September 14, 2011 at 4:50 pm Annie said...
I occassionally zone out when driving too. Lately, it seems to happen when I’m running late…then I take the wrong exit, which then prompts a u-turn somewhere and makes me even more late. I think I need a mantra of some sort to stay focused.
On September 14, 2011 at 5:28 pm Louis said...
Looking forward to seeing the “good” stuff in your new home.
Nothing like Good stuff.
On September 14, 2011 at 10:15 pm robena grant said...
AND…while the cat’s away, the mice do play. SHH! PARTY!
Tomorrow, on Jenny’s Forums, we’re going to sneak in SEP for a Book Club. She’ll be discussing her recent release, Call Me Irresistible, now available in paper back, and a really awesome read. So come on over. I promise I’ll clean up the mess…Jenny will never know….
On September 14, 2011 at 11:11 pm Jenny said...
So the hotel did not have internet last night, which Alastair tried to comfort me about by saying that their internet at home was wonky, too (NOT HELPING), and then I lost my credit card (might know where), and on a whim I pulled off wallpaper in the living room and found what I’m pretty sure is mold (not the Stuff I was looking for). I’ll try for pictures tomorrow, but ARGH.
On September 15, 2011 at 12:12 am Clever Cherry said...
Okay I think you may need some kind of ‘losing-things’ intervention. Somethings up there.
On September 15, 2011 at 12:04 am Thea said...
On the road myself, flying down the highway, stopped overnight in Ojai inhaling the fields of lavender, drinking the good local red. People live wonderful lives Elsewhere, I want me my own life back, filled as my head is with new Found On The Road ideas for going on. Paint, plant, oh and write. Write a crowd of new ideas, just as soon as I hit Send on the last article. No wrong exit possible, playing John Hiatt, trunk full o’ Stuff, backseat full of lavender, writing to be done. Yahoo!
On September 15, 2011 at 1:30 pm Lou said...
Jenny, While stripping stuff please use a face mask – you don’t want to breathe in any of that mold!
On September 15, 2011 at 3:11 pm Janice said...
Great stor(ies). Though definitely one(s) that illustrates, “why mothers get grey hair” or white. Have fun with the house, hope you do find some treasures.
And someone has a b-day coming up. So wishing you a very Happy Birthday–an abundance of fun, bursting-out-loud laughter, love and wonderful friends!!!! Hugs! Hope you fill it with all your favorite things and people!!!
On September 15, 2011 at 4:31 pm Mary Stella said...
Jenny, I hope you’ll forgive shameless promotion of a friend, particularly since he’s also a Cherry and hangs out here . . . .
Tomorrow and Friday I have a two part interview of debut author Keith Cronin on my blog. Stop in and check it out: marystella.blogspot.com.
On September 16, 2011 at 2:44 am Jenny said...
Keith is fabulous and so is Mary Stella. Go see that interview!
On September 19, 2011 at 1:27 pm Mary Stella said...
Awww, thanks Jenny! Not to be all sappy and fangirlish, but compliments are always special, including those from writers I greatly admire.
On September 15, 2011 at 5:35 pm ruthie said...
Heh. I used to be driving home from work and suddenly find myself cruising down an off ramp to??? I’d look around, and I was someplace I’d never been before. Why did I take that ramp? How? I was thinking!
Wouldn’t be so bad someplace sensible like California where the on and off ramps are on opposite sides of the freeway — all it takes is a little forethought, people. In Maryland, you might have to drive miles to find an on ramp to get back on, and with freeways crossbreeding the way they do, that on ramp might be taking you to PA or Delaware, rather than back into downtown Baltimore.
But creative people think. It’s what we do.
Wish I’d had someone to watch me. Or at least to blame it on.
On September 15, 2011 at 9:44 pm Jenyfer Matthews said...
Ruthie – I followed a sign on the interstate in Minneapolis that took me down a highway no where near where I wanted to go and ended up having to make a left turn from a small road across the median of a fairly busy highway into heavy on-coming traffic. VERY BAD PLANNING MINNESOTA. Almost makes me appreciate the No U-Turn policy in NJ
On September 16, 2011 at 12:11 am OzGirl said...
Jenny, come to Australia and drive Highway 1, it goes all the way around the entire country, not just hours of day dreaming, DAYS of it! I would say I’d lend you my car but it’s old and crotchety and would likely leave you stranded on the Nullabor. Good luck with the Stuff.
On September 16, 2011 at 2:46 am Jenny said...
I would LOVE to do that. I loved Australia, everything about it. Krissie thought seriously about moving there, we both had such a fabulous time. Driving around the whole place? Heaven.
On September 16, 2011 at 1:38 am Micki said...
(-: I think it must be very dangerous to sell a houseful of Stuff to a blogging author. But still, I’m really looking forward to it! (Somebody, please tell me that tossing clutter is a great way to boost creativity . . . I should probably spend part of the weekend doing that; the house is getting close to saturation point.)
On September 16, 2011 at 2:51 am Jenny said...
I’ll try to get some pictures tomorrow. It’s most glassware and dishes, and a ton of furniture that’s going to Goodwill or Lani (she craves the orange living room suite). I did put a bag of extremely outdated appliances in the trash, so you’ll be missing that picture. So far the only thing I’ve seen that I want is a red and white teapot (coffee pot?), but I’m not done yet. Oh and a plastic clock that looks brass from far away that’s going to end up as a art project for sure. And a black swan switchplate. Mostly I’m hauling trash out of there at a record rate. And my feet hurt.
On September 16, 2011 at 3:19 am Moth said...
Depending on the brand of the dishware you can potentially make good money from it on Ebay. My mom and sister ran an Ebay store for awhile, and selling Firestone and old Corelle they found at the Goodwill made them some good money. Just something to think about…
On September 17, 2011 at 9:08 pm Susan D said...
Glassware and dishes!!! Hot damn!
And just the other day I saw Grandma’s old 1950s kitchen dishes in a Design Exhibit at the Victoria Art Galley. You just never know….
On September 17, 2011 at 10:17 pm Jenny said...
Susie Cooper? This stuff isn’t that.
I will take pictures but my internet on the road is not good for uploading so it’s going to be hit or miss until I get home, which I think will be a week from tomorrow.
But I got to play with my granddaughters today and they’re wonderful. So incredibly cute.
On September 16, 2011 at 6:49 pm Kate George/Bodacious Betty said...
FGBVs for non-achy feet! and for some cool stuff you want to keep – or maybe for a million dollars stuffed behind the wall paper. I keep hoping to find money in my walls, but so far no luck. Maybe when I pull down the kitchen ceiling there will be money there. However, the only thing that has come out of the ceiling so far has been a brick. It left a big bruise on a shoulder and a divet in the floor! (My house is NOT built with bricks so I have no idea WHAT it was doing there!)
So FGBVs for no bricks falling and no more mold and some wonderful treasures!
Waiting for pictures with bated breath. Hopefully not baited breath. That makes me think of tuna breath. Like tuna, don’t need it on my breath.
On September 16, 2011 at 10:49 pm Jessie said...
Surely baited breath would smell of night crawlers not tuna?
On September 17, 2011 at 1:00 pm Kate George/Bodacious Betty said...
Or those little fish people put on their hooks to attract bigger fish?
On September 17, 2011 at 12:17 am Jessie said...
This has been an amazingly fraught day. My husband complained – once again- that my polydactyl Siamese had smelly feet. I bathed him (and have scars to prove it) on Monday. So it is not like I am an indifferent mother. And it didn’t seem reasonable that his bath would have worn off so soon. So I just grabbed a wash cloth and took a swipe at his feet and he screamed like I was torturing him. And I thought What the F and looked at the wash cloth and it had blood – and smelly stuff on it.
So we went off to the vet and one of those many toe nails had totally ingrown and had an abscess. After much drama he was cleaned up, toe nail virtually fell off because it was in such bad shape, given antibiotics. On the way home (all 8 blocks and 5 minutes of it), he went into complete hysterics and tried to claw his way out of the carrier, seemed to go into convulsions (hard to tell he was being such a drama king) and screamed. At home I let him out of the carrier (Read: North Vietnamese bamboo torture cage) into the small isolated bedroom as per vet instructions. And discovered he had urinated in terror in the carrier and was totally covered with it. And now 3/4 of the room he was running around in was also covered with urine.
So I have been washing the bedding and cleaning – plus setting up the new prison. Lindoro who is a major sweetheart, despite being a wimp, has been purring up a storm because his person is with him and is cleaning everything up – including him and his foot doesn’t hurt anymore. And I am now sitting down with a glass of Courvosier and listening while his good buddy – my cat Aubrey is attempting to beat down the door so they can all be together again. And other than the thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, Thunk of the door bouncing relentlessly, life is good.
On September 17, 2011 at 7:49 am MaineBetty said...
Lindoro! Love the name. What a lucky kitty. I hope you are all resting together this morning, all drama in the past.
On September 19, 2011 at 4:06 pm Jessie said...
Thank you. He was named after the pseudonym the Count gave in The Barber of Seville and the name of the hero in The Italian Girl in Algeria. And while he is a sweetheart and a lover, his nick name “Lindy” is more appropriate because not only is he lucky, he thinks he can fly.
On September 20, 2011 at 12:23 am MaineBetty said...
I recognized it. I think it’s hilarious that you have a Siamese, of all breeds, named after an opera role.
On September 22, 2011 at 3:10 am ruthie said...
My cat, when she wanted in somewhere, would pound on the door, really pound. If she had no luck, she pounded harder. When she’d finally had it “up to here” she’d rear up on her back feet and left-right-left as hard and as fast as she could…and she could keep it up for more than a minute. Amazing. Must have been a jazz drummer in a previous life.
Hope your guy’s foot recovers completely. It’s so upsetting when we’ve been ignoring some problem like that or, say, an abscessed tooth, because we didn’t know anything was wrong. Guilt, guilt, guilt.
On September 22, 2011 at 1:14 pm Jessie said...
Thank you for your kind thoughts. It was totally clean within 24 hours. And he is now playing express train through the house and is king of the world.
On September 17, 2011 at 10:59 am sharon said...
The school bus incident took me back to my years of riding the bus on country roads-1954-1966. It was a small school system so high school and grade school children were on the same bus. Our driver was a tough guy and there were rules. We sat youngest in the front to oldest in the back with girls on one side and boys on the other. The driver did not talk much but did say if we gave him any trouble that he would throw us off the bus and we would walk home. One spring day 3 big high school boys started yelling, moving around in the bus and teasing the younger kids. The driver pulled the bus over and told the boys to sit down. They laughed at him. I guess they thought that together they could fight him. Needless to say, he quickly had them out the door and he drove away. As far as I know, the driver did not get into trouble but I bet those farm boys got a “talking to” by their parents for being late to do chores.
On September 18, 2011 at 12:34 am Robin S. said...
Life has certainly changed, hasn’t it? Today that busdriver would be sued by the parents and out of a job as well. I miss some things from the ‘good ole days’.
On September 19, 2011 at 5:46 pm Jessie said...
Possibly not. Now days the driver would be expected to pull over and call school security or the police because schools have a zero tolerance of bullying behavior after all the school violence. And if it escalated that far the boys would be (1) arrested and/or (2) expelled from school. Which of course then has repercussions if they want to apply to a good college or even get into the military (In the good old days, bad boys were told they could get out of trouble if they went into the military. Now the military doesn’t want societies cast offs). So the outcome could be fairly severe for a case of teenage boys just being jerks. So you are right, in the good old days the driver had some discretion and could have defused the situation before it became a case for the law. And that is too bad.
On September 18, 2011 at 1:09 pm Office Wench Cherry said...
How’s this for a bus driver story. When my mom (who is now 62) was in elementary school her bus driver was her big brother – who was in high school!!! He was the driver because they lived at the last house on the route and the school board felt he was a responsible driver. Can you imagine a 17 year old boy as a bus driver today?
He was a very responsible driver who grew up to be a short haul truck driver who put a million accident free miles on one single truck and countless miles on a dozen or more others. In fact, he only ever had one accident – the (single vehicle) one that took his life about ten years ago. Actually, the authorities think that he may have passed away and that’s what caused his truck to crash. It was a comfort to all of us to know that after all those years of being a safe, considerate driver his final trip didn’t hurt anyone else.
On September 22, 2011 at 5:16 am Emer said...
Jennifer I am writing on your blog in semi desperation as cant find e mail address for you, but just wanted to say I recently returned from holiday in Portugal – I am Irish woman living in Ireland – psychotherapist just turned 50 and hopefully am still fabulous and funky! Also am separated about two years, it takes us longer here in Ireland to get to point of divorcing! I guess I am the one who left my lovely husband. Anyway main point I want to make is that I had a very earnest book with me for my book club which I am in me and a few other fabulous women but wanted something a bit more fun and readable. So totally accidentally I found one of your books called Fast Women in the reception of the apartment and I have to tell you I just loved and adored it – every single page of it! Please dont be offended when I say there are a lot of lets say for want of a better word chick flic books that I find boring and cliched. Yours was not like that! It was wonderful trashy but you know what I mean by trashy, the trashy, passionate, intelligent, sexy woman in me loved it totally. It reminded me of smart funny american movies in the past or older soaps that I grew up with. The sex scenes reminded me of a recent lover but unfortunately he was not nearly as honourable and decent as Gabe and I just loved Nell and Suze and Marge. Anyway I have never in my life written to an author so thats the effect your book had on me. I lay on the beach and actually laughed out loud at your comic wit and timing. And the sex!! so well portrayed. Obviously I am going to look in my local bookstore in Dublin Ireland and see can I find you, if not perhaps you could e mail me at my address if you get a chance and recommend one of your books
Anyway hope this gets to you, many thanks again for the really enjoyable experience I had reading your book.
XX Emer Emer Ward, Psychotherapist and Addiction Counsellor
On September 24, 2011 at 2:01 pm Jenny said...
Thank you, Emer! That was lovely. Give my best to your book club!
On September 18, 2011 at 1:31 pm skye said...
Maybe some of the furniture is secretly worth a lot. Talk to an antiquer before you donate. Mid-century furniture is also seriously desireable. And sometimes, very ugly furniture is very valuable. Just sayin’.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:14 pm Jenny said...
There are insane end tables and a coffee table I can’t bear to give up, but most of it is ugly pressed board. There’s a desk I love with great pulls, but it sat in the damp and swelled and I had to get the drawers out with a mallet, plus the veneer on top peeled. I’m still keeping it, but it’s nobody’s antique now.
On September 18, 2011 at 7:34 pm Diva said...
Oh I’m really with Sweetness on this one. I zone out baaad while driving. I live in southern IL and it is some damn kinda flat everywhere…when I used to drive an hour to grad classes every friday nite my brain took a vacation to miss all the little-shit-towns (yes that’s their legal designation) that were nothing but two churches, nine trailers and a gas station that closes at 8pm.
On September 19, 2011 at 10:13 am Laura J said...
And you get to feel all righteous because the stuff you’re throwing out is not, and has never been, YOUR FAULT. I hope your feet feel better. EMS sells good orthotics, for non-custom ones, though they are like $30. But they really help.
On September 19, 2011 at 11:53 pm Alyssa Goodnight said...
Sometimes I’m driving along…could be just to the library, and suddenly I think, “I don’t actually remember getting here.” And then I wonder how I haven’t ended up in a wreck.
Very cute story.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:07 pm Jenny said...
This is why I use Agnes, my car’s GPS on any trip longer than an hour. I almost missed the I71 turn-off on the way home because I was completely caught up in a short story plot. Then Agnes said, “Not THERE, you moron,” and I made the turn. Well, that’s not what she said, but I’m quite sure that was what she thought.
On September 21, 2011 at 5:07 pm Strop said...
Question for Jenny: So, if you’re working on You Again again, what’s on the soundtrack? Because I’m listening to Mumford and Sons a lot at present, and several songs on ‘Sigh No More’ are crying out to me that they want to be in a Crusie. Especially ‘Awake My Soul’.
I cut something out of a newspaper about Agatha Christie’s house to send to you, but now I can’t find it. I suspect it may be down the back of the bookcases. But I just wanted you to know I’m thinking of the book regularly. No pressure.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:06 pm Jenny said...
I’m revamping the soundtrack as we speak, but there’s some culling to do. My faves so far are a spooky version of Que Sera Sera and the Emmylou Harris/Roy Orbison “That Loving You Feeling Again.” Will look into Mumford, just for you.
On September 21, 2011 at 9:12 pm Thea said...
My friend died two weeks ago – several transplants down the line which he did not treat at all well – and there’s a huge house originally a cathedral rectory to dismantle, 105 years old, done by an esteemed architect, and crammed with art and stuff. Crammed. And of a quality we think best to ship from our downlow corner of California to a Boston auction house for a three-day interwebbie auction.
So. My husband and I are in charge of dealing with the second-floor library, all behind glass doors in substantial vintage wood cases. Cases from Africa, Mexico, Thailand, Europe, here. Fifty years of reading, Darwin in paperback, embossed and carved leather covers of trivial fact and analysis. A complete paperback first edition of the Nero Wolfe stories, even a few hardcovers. Recent mysteries set in Vietnam and North Korea. Gorgeous art books. My friend read every one and could discuss.
All goes to the local library, we’ve decided, for their annual book sale, with first an appraisal and then a look by the librarian for shelf-worthy stuff.
Our book part will be over shortly, my friend the executor expects maybe three or more years of her life will be spent on minutia before the house itself is sold.
Jennifer Crusie, we heart you.
On September 22, 2011 at 8:05 pm Robin S. said...
Amazing and appalling. OMG. And Thea {{{HUGS}}} to you for the loss of your friend.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:04 pm Jenny said...
A complete Nero Wolfe set? If only you weren’t in California. Every one of those is compulsively re-readable.
And the rest of it sounds fabulous. He must have had a wonderful life, just to be surrounded by all those books.
On September 21, 2011 at 9:47 pm MaineBetty said...
Thea, sorry for the loss of your friend.
I have a set of Penguin Margery ? Allingham Mr. Campion mysteries, the green and white covers. I will never part with them, they were my uncle and aunt’s, and I would read them out on the dock on the lake they lived on in NW Washington. Love the books, love the memories, they’re all I have a an important time in my life.
On September 22, 2011 at 5:04 pm McB said...
Oh yes. My sister is the anti-clutter freak. She has a gorgeous house that is gorgeously decorated with lovely dustcovered hardback books of serious literature carefully arranged on the built in book cases to look like people read there, but are not obsessed about it. Okay, I’m being too hard on her, because she works hard and deserved what she wants.
But my collection of beyond old paperback mysteries (Christie, Stout, Allingham, Sayers … ) drives her absolutely around the bend. I’m not sure why, since it isn’t her house, she doesn’t live there and in fact lives hundreds of miles away. She calls me a hoarder because I won’t get rid of them, even though I have explained a zillion times that I’M STILL READING THEM. Plus, they are old friends and I’m not ditching my friends just because they don’t fit in with my sister’s decorating tastes.
I told my parents they should have shipped her off somewhere when she was young enough, but did they listen???? Noooooooo.
On September 22, 2011 at 5:25 pm ruthie said...
Try pointing out that THEY’RE WORTH MONEY! Sometimes that gives them a frame of reference they can relate to.
On September 22, 2011 at 6:49 pm Jinx said...
I much prefer paperbacks to hardbacks, with or without perfect dust jackets. Easier to read in bed, easier to carry in a pocket, and for me, there’s a memorable personality about a paperback you read and loved at some point. I never forget those cherished paperback books, whereas the hardbacks seem to come and go in my memory. If somebody else considers them clutter, then give me clutter every time.
On September 22, 2011 at 8:14 pm Robin S. said...
Go McB!! I too have a family that bitches continually over any paperback, old or new. Why on earth would I reread them? Why leave them out where ‘people coming to the house can see them’? Hardbacks ‘look’ nicer. I kinda feel sorry for them. Books, as you said, are your friends and provide much happiness. They just don’t ‘get it’.
On September 22, 2011 at 9:31 pm MaineBetty said...
And also, much less of a big deal if you drop it in the tub!
On September 24, 2011 at 2:02 pm Jenny said...
You have all of the Allinghams? Wow. I named my daughter (middle name) after Amanda Campion.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:23 pm MaineBetty said...
Yes, I think I have them all, except maybe the Tiger in the Smoke, and that very last weird one about mind readers. The aunt who collected them lived in the Far East and the Middle East in the 50′s and 60s, and would get her books from British sources. She had most of the Heyers in beautiful hardbacks, but they went when the house was sold.
I love the one where she introduces Amanda!
On September 24, 2011 at 3:40 pm Jenny said...
The Fear Sign.
Actually, Tiger in the Smoke may be my favorite. Oh, they’re all my favorites.
On September 24, 2011 at 3:47 pm MaineBetty said...
I am doing a ‘serious’ dust, and I saw that I do have the Mind Readers. I think I read it 30 years ago, so maybe it will make more sense this time.
On September 24, 2011 at 8:51 pm Jenny said...
Wasn’t that one her husband wrote after she died? Or finished for her?
On September 22, 2011 at 12:08 am Thea said...
Love Allingham! and twas my newly dead friend who introduced me. (whoo, I now believe in some sorta after life. Maybe I’d better reread Maybe This Time for the theology.
I’ll start rereading my set right now. Thanks, Maine Betty, for the kick-start.
On September 23, 2011 at 5:05 pm Sharon S. said...
I have books (hardcover) that I bought through Doubleday Book of the Month in the early 1970′s. Kathleen Woodiwiss books. Her first 6 books were fabulous, but after “A Rose in Winter” I think she took time off to raise her family and when she came back either she lost something, or I did. I didn’t like them…the the first 6 book…I still have and I have read them dozens of times…only now, I pulled one out and for some reason, the print is too small. I don’t recall having this issue back in the day. When I complained to my mom she just said “Welcome to my world” and walked away. No sympathy there! So when people complain about keeping books too long, I guess that’s their problem, because I have lots of books that I kept by favorite authors that I have re-read and read again. You can never read a book too many times or keep it too long. I say “Good for Us”!!
On September 23, 2011 at 8:11 pm jkaymac said...
I have can relate to the scary bus story. I’m the oldest of three. I got on the bus at the high school one day and baby sister isn’t on. I ask baby brother, where’s little sister? He had no idea, hadn’t noticed she didn’t get on. However, the bus driver knew where she was. She was at the hospital! She’d fallen off the jungle gym and been taken to the hospital. Yep, this is a small town in Iowa in the 1970s. Everyone knows everything.
On September 24, 2011 at 2:03 pm rouan said...
Fortunately I grew up in a book loving family. I have both hardcover and paperback books (sometimes one of each for the same book). I buy the hardcover version, whenever possible, of books that I love, but I prefer the paperbacks for reading in the tub (for obvious reasons!) and in bed.