Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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literary saturday: late april reading

Books:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Status: AAAGGGHHHH!! I have this purchased on my iPad, so I use it to put myself to sleep during especially difficult bouts with insomnia. It’s that interesting. Sorry, I know this is purported to be a genius undertaking, and I can see how the tiny threads of different far-flung stories are or will eventually be somehow connected, but the inner dialogue is just so dense. Like, quite dense. And I generally enjoy inner dialogue! Laboriously crafted characters, too. And I groove complex people! Maybe I should try reading this in broad daylight, filled with energy, on actual paper with ink. Maybe that would help. For now, this is firmly on my “difficult reads” shelf. The marathon of book attempts.

Freedom by Johnathan Franzen. Status: Completed. This book was beautiful. Absolutely orchestral in its telling and weaving of generational patterns, love stories, and self actualization. I need to talk about it. Gen? Available?

freedom

Sweet Surfing:

Ever since spending that luscious week with Jocelyn in Colorado, watching her transform her adorable cabin kitchen, I have had small spaces on my brain. Hers is so pretty, so perfect for a single young woman finding herself and exploring her world. I read Joy the Baker’s memories on her many tiny kitchen spaces and loved every conjured image. All the Kitchens We’ve Lived In.

joc kitchen

Do you ever read Live Your Legend? Oh man. It’s worth keeping on your list of  weekly haunts. Go back far enough and read forward and you will have quite a feast for mind and soul. Recently the website posted “10 Ways to Do Your Own Impossible Daily“ and I adore it. “Beliefs are not facts.”

Dee over at Red Dirt Ramblings adds new material often, which is wonderful for her readers! This article is several weeks old, but it bears mentioning again this weekend because now most of us are getting serious about summer garden planning. “Beautiful Foliage Carries the Summer Garden” is perfect for anyone in Oklahoma who craves consistent lushness despite the heat and wind and humidity and bugs and, well, Oklahoma-ness. Thank you Dee!

Dorothy Beal writes Miles Post, a running blog that reaches deep into my happy guts. The author writes directly, without pulling punches, about topics ranging from body image to food, family, and travel. In “An Uncomplicated Guide to Running and Life“ she just nails it. Easy peasy.

With few exceptions, Handsome and I greatly prefer eating at home. This piece by Fit-Fluential gives us lots of reasons to feel even better about that habit. We have yet to jump on the fresh-ingredient-delivery bandwagon, as this article suggests, but some of our friends swear by it. Also? This piece says wear your apron. Amen.

Did you know I sell handmade apron sets? Drop me a line. I would love to set you up with something cute. xoxo
Did you know I sell handmade apron sets? Drop me a line. I would love to set you up with something cute. xoxo

Okay my next link is not for reading; it’s a TED talk. I hope you’ll give it a listen. Handsome and I heard it together while driving somewhere west, and we agreed it is lovely. “The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers“ by Adam Grant actually does have some surprising research to offer. My favorite line has to be, “Doubt the default.” Yes!! Yes, please. Friends, every time you sense a default setting in your life, care enough about yourself (about everyone around you) to re-examine it. Make sure periodically that the habits you have established continue to serve you and the people you love.

I would be so happy to get a glimpse of what you’re reading, too.

Now… I am off to do some average farm stuff then prepare for our pup’s first birthday party. Watch for photos! Then a girls’-night-out. Then some romance with Handsome. Very excited for every bit of that!

Happy Weekend to you!

Doubt the Default
XOXOXOXO

 

late january reading update

Happy Saturday friends! I think this is a great week to pause and do some literary looking. The month of January was rife with excellent reading material, both digital and print, and I am happy to have made a small dent in my 2016 goal. A couple of these titles warrant their own full reviews, but for today, here are some nudges from me to you. Please share what you have been reading too. I love to hear all about that.

Books:

BIG MAGIC
by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book was lovely. I am letting it count toward one of my best-sellers reads of 2016, though I had sort of intended that to be best-selling fiction. Big Magic is sort of a creative’s manifesto. In it, Gilbert is encouraging, liberating, smart, sassy, and very much the feminine counter-balance to the more industrious guidance Stephen King offers in his creative memoir On Writing (my review of that is here). Gilbert really calls down the power of magic, after all. At least that’s how it struck me. And I loved it. Five of five stars, for what it is. Compared to her other books I have enjoyed (Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things) this one was not my favorite; but it did have the quality of sparking my writing-living-nest-feathering energy and of having offered a long conversation with the author. That was really nice.

One of the oldest and most generous tricks that the universe plays on human beings is to bury strange jewels within us all, and then stand back to see if we can ever find them. ~Elizabeth Gilbert BIG MAGIC

This quote is perhaps my favorite takeaway theme from Big Magic. How tantalizing!

My Life on the Run
by Bart Yasso

I nibbled this book last autumn after meeting the author at the Spirit of Survival half-marathon in Lawton, Oklahoma. I enjoyed my chapter nibbles then and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it cover to cover this month, plus a few chapters multiple times. I will post a full review next week. For now, I offer you this little treasure, part of Bart explaining how a burro race operates and what are the differences between all the creatures:

Mules are the domesticated offspring of a female horse and a donkey, and a burro is a small donkey. A jackass is a wild donkey or someone who runs a race with a burro. ~Bart Yasso, My Life on the Run

The Shack
by William Paul Young

Oh, friends. I can barely make a passing mention of this book without really diving in. Please please please tune in for my second review soon. The first one was way back in August 2011, when my life was so very different. Reading this same book now, with five years of life changes, growth, and spiritual enrichment along for the ride, was a completely new experience! At least two of my friends are reading it for the second and third times, too, and I am looking forward to comparing notes. How wonderful. Apparently this is something I will need to own in hardback in order to refer to it many times in the future, as life continues to evolve.

I suppose that since most our hurts come through relationships, so will our healing, and that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside. ~William Paul Young, The Shack

Online Articles & Blog Posts:

Lifeingrace:

Edie is blogging again!! This makes me so happy. A few days ago she shared a beautiful, thoughtful piece on why we should still bother building a family library. My Mom would probably appreciate this as much as I do. Welcome back, Edie! We are all so excited for your book release!

Meta-Marriage: Ten Big Truths for Every Committed Couple

I  would genuinely appreciate this series even if its author was a faceless expert in some far-flung think tank I will never explore. But the fact that this very meaty and nourishing stuff is a gift to the world from my friend and local writer Kelly Roberts? Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you how happy that makes me. Red Dirt Kelly, as most of us locals know her, really knows her stuff. And her delivery is warm. Go check it out! This is perfect timing for Valentine’s Day, too!

Vitamin D in January?

Nutritional supplementation is often on my mind, especially since discovering how much better I feel taking the right Iron (three cheers for slow-release!). When local running celebrity Camille Heron shared this Competitor.com article about Vitamin D and its connection to athletic performance, I paid attention. I groove anything old-fashioned and not trendy that could help me feel better, work harder, and just live a fuller, richer life. Sunshine has always felt great, but reading a little science behind that was nice. PS- yesterday at the pharmacy, while grabbing an anti-inflammatory prescription for my stupid ankle, I refreshed my vitamin D supply. Thanks Camille!

Thanks for staying to chat, friends! Please let me know what you have found to read, whether online or in print. Let me know what YOU have written too! That would truly make my day.

Wishing you a deeply nourishing weekend. Talk soon.

I think of life as a good book.
The further you get into it,
the more it begins to make sense.
~Harold Kushner
XOXOXOXO

first literary saturday post of 2016

Happy Literary Saturday, friends! On this first such installment of 2016 I have a brief book review to share as well as a small collection of internet offerings from this past week. Hopefully you groove some of it. As always please share in comments what treasures you have found to read lately.

Cold Fear by Rick Mofina: OH MY GOSH THIS WAS GOOD! 5/5 stars from me. Highly recommend. I gobbled up this little feast believing it to be fiction then discovered it’s actually a piece of true crime, perhaps interpreted a bit but still based on a true story. (I adore true crime and am not ashamed.) Cold Fear is a missing persons story set in the Rocky Mountains and deals with all kinds of intense family dynamics. So gripping. As for the writing, imagine a thick braid. But not just an ordinary braid or even an elegant French braid; imagine one of those intricate fishtail braids you see in little girls’ hair on Pinterest. Skinny, well woven, metallic strands pulled from opposing directions at just the right moment so that this incredible masterpiece if eventually finished, and every detail comes from somewhere. Nothing is wasted. Everything connects. I can’t say anything more!! Go read this book under a heavy blanket with a flashlight and call me when you’re done. You can borrow my dog if you’re scared.

cold fear book cover

Lora the Crazy Running Girl is quitting soda, and she offers some smart strategies in this article. Also, I am on a personal mission to convince her to come run the OKC Memorial Marathon “with” me in April, and by “with” of course I just mean “also,” haha, because she is quite swift. Add some positive peer pressure, okay?

12 Foods Happy People Eat. I am basically a very happy person, and I eat plenty. I approve of this list. Only the maca root is unfamiliar to me, though I have heard recently from a friend who swears by it.

Once again Sandy the Reluctant Entertainer shares in one post food for the body and food for the soul. I cannot WAIT to try this turkey lasagna soup, and her wisdom about hospitality in the midst of big changes is very well received. As Handsome and I squint our eyes and try to peer into the future through all this foggy turnpike business, it’s nice to remember that Love and friendship will follow us anywhere. We just have to keep opening our doors.

How about 31 of the most beautiful sentences in literature? I know. So good. I salivate over well crafted sentences. 

dandelion fluff

 

One of this world’s sweetest blogging couples is having their first baby!!! Sincerest congratulations to Ashley and Brent over at Domestic Fashionista. Since they are far away on the west coast, let’s figure out how to throw them an internet baby shower.

Refunk My Junk: I am a big fan of everything Alison does, and this newest coffee table project is no exception. So fresh and pretty! Check out her unorthodox methods and drool over all that springtime living room color. She has me fully cured of all things Christmas. If you are local, you may want to know that she is hosting a big junk sale next weekend. 

The next thing cracked open from my book shelf is My Life On the Run by Bart Yasso. I’ve read passages from it these past several months since meeting him at the race in Lawton, but it warrants a cover-to-cover examination as marathon training kicks off. I have already found myself laughing out loud. Really good read, even if running is not your thing. 

Klaus my most excellent reading buddy...xoxo
Klaus my most excellent reading buddy…xoxo

Okay. Now I am off to play in the fresh snow and get some exercise. We have dinner plans tonight with two of the funnest couples we know, then perhaps a Making of a Murderer binge watch. Have your tried it yet? No spoilers please!

Your turn! Tell me stuff. Tell me all the reading things. Thanks for stopping in, friends. Enjoy your Saturday!

“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you….
In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other;
only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches
when you can savor belonging to yourself.
~Ruth Stout
XOXOXOXO

 

 

literary saturday: potpourri

Oh man, friends, we made it to Saturday! Oklahoma did not float away in the rain. We are not burning up under the sun. No winds are blowing down our roofs. Not yet, at least. Today is a serving up a pretty mild dose of autumn, and I like it.

I hope you and yours have a weekend of rest and recreation all cued up and ready to enjoy. Handsome and I certainly do. As we drink some perfect coffee and nibble on one or two things to wake ourselves up, let’s share what we’ve all been reading.

BOOKS:

My Life in France by Julia Child This is our current book club selection and it is delightful. Child describes Paris the way Hemingway did, and both remind me of my beloved New Orleans. Also, food! Her passion for food is so alive on every page. Really fun read. I will give you a full review soon.

Unmasked by Kane Hodder Handsome and I attended a costume/superhero/character event in Tulsa last spring and met this gentleman, the actor so many people know for his role as Jason Voorhees. Oh man, you guys. His memoir is a heart-breaker in the beginning. Reading it is really amping up the Halloween mood.

unmasked

 

ONLINE:

Indoor Herb Gardens: It’s late October and lots of us are putting our summer gardens to bed. But this is prime time to think about herbs, especially with the biggest cooking holidays of the year right around the corner. Herbs make all of that stuff better. House Beautiful offers some wonderful indoor herb-growing inspiration. Of course, since you’re smart you’ll also contact your local County Extension and favorite Master Gardener for technical help. : )

Yummy Fall Recipe: I am way too obsessed with apple fritters, and this recipe by Not Without Salt (I am also obsessed with her) could be my final undoing in the diet department. Apple Cider Fritters With Cider Glaze. Bless her, by the way, for posting food that is not pumpkin-based.

Ann Voskamp offers A Brave Way to Heal Our Relationships: Often I cannot bring myself to read her words because they cut too deep, too close to the nerve. Then I get brave suddenly and read them and remember that yes, they cut, but with truth. And truth has a way of also healing. Good stuff right here, friends. Good stuff indeed. In this post Ann is talking about the commonality of brokenness, the importance of listening, of setting our children gently into an unknown, and also social media. She challenges us to think about building each other up with bricks, not throwing them. This was refreshing in the best ways.

joc horse colorado
This young lady is doing so great on her big Colorado adventure. She makes us incredibly proud, and seeing her happy makes me happy. But this whole situation sure keeps me praying hard. Trust and faith. Faith and trust.

Gratitude. We know it is so powerful. My friend Kim shared an article at Live Happy online magazine called 8 Easy Practices to Enhance Gratitude. The post is a year old, haha! But that’s fine because this advice is timeless. My favorite is #6: Fall Asleep to Gratitude. I have a worried version of insomnia pretty often, and lying in a quiet room saying nothing but thank you for one specific thing after another is the sweetest way to drift off. A nice extra is waking up feeling peaceful and content, full of heart. Counting blessings instead of sheep is great advice, and so is the rest of this list.

Risk of Moderation: Again I’m reading about food and health and how to navigate it all and still be happy. This post over at The Greatist revisits the idea of “all things in moderation.” The timing could not be better for me, as I have spent these last few weeks, actually the past couple of months, making one weekend full of excuses after another, indulging socially over and over again, until suddenly my loose jeans are a bit snug. (yikes) No matter how much running I have been doing, I have not been not losing weight. And now? The cruel joke is that running is difficult again, even right after doing pretty well at that race recently. Food matters, friends. So the white lie about moderation is a solid attention getter for yours truly.

Hospitality or Entertaining? Sandy the Reluctant Entertainer nails it again with this post. She shares memories of her mom and dad, considers the meanings and implications of the words we use to describe opening our homes, and asks where is our focus, self or others? I love this, as I love so many of her posts. Bless not impress. I just love it so much. Please dwell in these words before you get all stressed out about the holidays. Sandy’s voice is so soft and strong.

circa 1977, just because...xoxo
circa 1977, just because…xoxo

Okay, happy weekending to you!

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
~Lemony Snicket
XOXOXOXO

 

 

infinite jest and all the rest (literary saturday)

Happy Saturday! Whew, what a week! Handsome and I have recovered nicely from a non-stop month that was filled to bursting with really good, happy, special occasions. He has been back at the Commish after a long holiday weekend, more than making up for lost time in the stress department, and I am caught up at the farm, except for the ironing.

And except for my running. But that’s a story for another day.

The thing is, I cannot find my earbuds, so…

What are you reading these days? What’s on your table, your device, your mind?

Klaus is an excellent reading companion. Because he is basically perfect...xoxo
Klaus is an excellent reading companion. Basically because he is perfect…xoxo

I have been nibbling at Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. And when I say nibbling I mean… I have only been reading it in the middle of the night when insomnia strikes, and the book is so wordy, so meandering and heavily laden with footnotes (!) that at 2 a.m. with raw nerves and heavy eyes might be the worst possible time to tackle this beast. It’s magnetic in a bizarre way, and its modern classic status makes me want to give it better energy. Plus the cinematic version is due soon and I need to be ready to pick it apart, right? haha ; )

Besides that, I have just cracked open our current book club selection, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Dinner Club With a Reading Problem meets next Friday night to discuss it, so you can look for my review soon. Have you read this yet? Or perhaps Tuesdays With Morrie? I am so curious and also very much in need of something refreshing and spiritually nourishing.

Okay, fancy some internet links? I’ve been stumbling on great stuff lately.

MyDomaine offered this write-up called Daily Habits of 8 Insanely Successful Creatives. Yes, please. I am interested.

Lora is the Crazy Running Girl, and I hope I have nudged you to read her blog already. This post Your Own Worst Critic was super helpful to me. I am smack dab in the middle of decidedly NOT meeting some fitness goals, goals that should have been easy for me. I have spent way too much time and energy being mad about it, which has led to a little downward spiral in my attitude. She kinda helped me halt that thinking and see some good qualities of myself again. For example, I have been sacrificing workouts and stringent eating in favor of spending time with people I love and partaking of really great celebrations. This is okay! It’s life balance. Thanks Lora! xo

If you are an Okie like me, you have probably heard of and are hopefully following along the adventures of Red Dirt Kelly and her team at Every Point on the Map. The project is slated to take all of ten years. As the project name hints, they are visiting every city, town, county, or other dot on the map of our beautiful state, then conducting spontaneous interviews with one person from there. How cool, right? This recent post titled When Doubt Hits, Hit the Gas is a heart breaker and a heart mender too. Excellent place to jump right in if you are new to this series. By the way, Kelly and her team are soon throwing a big party in midtown OKC to celebrate having achieved ten percent of their goal. Yay!! Congrats, you guys!! I am so looking forward to seeing the gorgeous portraits of each of your interview subjects and also hugging your sweet, smart necks.

Are you in love with Khalil Gibran poetry? I am. I have been since I was a teenager, particularly The Prophet. Salma Hayeck recently appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show to talk about her work on an upcoming animated feature, a musical that is all based on Gibran’s work. It looks just gorgeous. Well, check out this article on Edutopia. It’s a little nudge to middle school teachers to use Gibran in their curriculum. I am no teacher, but I know plenty and love this approach. Also? The passage highlighted happens to be one of my favorites. I have reflected on it a lot over the years, and it has really graced my motherhood.

orange gibran quote children

How about 23 Things Only People Raised by Really Strict Parents Will Understand? You had me at “people raised by really strict parents.” In this equation I am both mother and daughter, just as Handsome is both father and son. Fun read!

Since it is Literary Saturday after all, how about this list of Ten Science Fiction Books You Pretend to Have Read and Why You Should Actually Read Them? I have truly read one (1984) and am currently reading another (Infinite Jest). I have no reason to pretend with you guys.

Okay, that’s all I have for now. I hope you took a glance at my garden tour sneak peek and are watching for eight expansive and illustrated posts, one for each of the gorgeous places we visited. I am almost done with the first one. So much to say!

Wishing you a very happy weekend, friends. Keep facing the light.

“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time
(or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
~Stephen King
XOXOXO