Vicki Lane's Blog, page 564

The Wisdom of the Founding Fathers

"And the rockets' red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there."

 Our country was founded on noble ideals put forth by slave-owning men who saw no reason to treat women as equals or people of color as anything but less than human. The history of our government's treatment of native peoples is appalling. Making a country seems to be as messy and unspeakable a process as making sausage -- you'd rather not see what goes into it.
We've improved, over...

G(Listen)

Glisten -- morning sunLights the soft blooms andTwinkles in the pines.
Listen - is that a Mourning Dove's sad, soft cooing --Pining for love lost?

Chasing Steeples

 As we were watching a DVD of Inspector Morse last night (alas, we've run through all the Foyle's War episodes,) I found myself thinking of our last trip to England -- a walking tour in the Cotswolds in 2006.  We made our way along well-marked public paths through fields and woods and almost always, as we approached the next village, we would sight the steeple of the largest and oldest church.
 We managed to visit a few stately homes and even statelier gardens but my favorite parts were less...

July -- and another blog of sorts...

I told you I was getting excited. And the really wonderful blurb I just received from Deborah Crombie has lifted me right out of those red-headed stepchild doldrums. You can see it over at my Day of Small Things blog. Or in my monthly Goodweather Report. I'm quite proud of it since Deb is a writer whose work I really admire.
Just to reiterate -- the new Day of Small Things blog is really more of a website. I won't be doing posts, as such, just adding updates as reviews, etc. come in.  I've g...

Camp NoFun

Back in the closing decade of the last century -- which is to say in the 90s -- our young nieces used to visit for a week or two every summer.  We called it Camp NoFun and it was meant to give us a chance to get to get to  know each other better and to introduce the girls to country living -- baking bread, picking blackberries, gathering eggs, learning to sew -- all that good stuff.  There was still lots of time to do other  things like playing dressup in my old skirts . . .

...and the ever ...

Good Things -- and a Request

More glorious rain! Sunday's rain ended with a fine rainbow but last night's rain was after dark. There was a fine light show in the east as we sat on the porch drinking coffee and enjoying the cool air.
The turkeys are becoming regulars -- in the early morning we are likely to hear a soft chirping  just outside the back door as the two mamas lead their babies along the bank behind the house, on the way to the bird feeder. 
I mentioned yesterday that I was newly energized to begin work on t...

A Hint of Excitement . . .

I've been enjoying this break from writing (no, still no word from my editor about UNDER THE SKIN) and it's been pleasant to wake in the morning with nothing on my mind beyond working in the garden, planting some more day lilies, and checking on the Japanese iris.
But then I received a few bound galleys of The Day of Small Things. These bound galleys replace the ARCs (advance reading copies) the publishers used to send out to reviewers. I assume it's a cost cutting measure; I think it's...

The Rain Came

Click on picture below for slide show with commentary.  Happy Sunday! 

A Popular Hangout

Yesterday afternoon I looked out the bedroom window and saw two turkey hens scratching around beneath the bird feeder. It had been quite a while since they'd visited and I was happy to see they were still around.
A closer look showed what they'd been up to -- each had  a bunch of poults with her.
One  led her brood off as soon as she saw me at the window,  the babies scurrying after her through the tall grass. 

The other hen continued to excavate for birdseed, stopping now and again to keep a...

The Voice in the Whirlwind

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning s...