Ramblin' Man

The Allman Brothers' tune got it right:

Lord, I was born a ramblin' man,
Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can.
And when it's time for leavin',
I hope you'll understand,
That I was born a ramblin' man.

Bon and Mal Mott channel The Dark Rambler.  To truly appreciate this, you must begin at the intro and ramble at you own risk, use caution, I beg of you.  Repeat "it's only fiction" often to yourself, if you must.  Enjoy this work in progress.

Ethan Frome

Last week, at the public library, on the free-table, I saw a copy of Ethan Frome.  Being that I've never read it, I picked it up and brought it home.  Last night, I started to read it.

It's really quite good and not as hard to follow as I was dreading.  I've read some awfully heavy things this summer, Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" and "The Name of the Rose" kept me busy through most of June.  I had to look up all sorts of things for Pendulum and Wikipedia became my good friend (Wiki to friends, that is).

Then I read some Amanda Cross which is a pen-name for Carolyn Gold Hieilbrun.  She wrote non-fiction under her own name.  She used the pen-name to protect her status in academia.  She was a very rich writer of the English language and sometimes plowing through her writing style was a challenge for me.

So next to those two authors, Edith Wharton is proving to be a real treat.  Her writing style thus far has been a refreshing breeze.  I may borrow some of her other books from the library.

Or I may try Eudora Welty.  She went to college in Columbus, the next town over to the east.  In fact, there are some talks ongoing, regarding changing Mississippi University for Women to something including Welty and excluding "women" in the name.  This is mostly due to the fact that men have been being admitted to the institution since the 70's.

Or perhaps I ought to try Thomas Lanier Williams III (Tennessee Williams).  His birth-place is Columbus.  The home is now the site of the welcome center.

Or ought I to give my attention to William Faulkner?  After all, he is a nobel prize winner.  I've visited his home in Oxford, just a few miles from my guy's place.  Faulkner was born in New Albany, just half an hour or so from Oxford, home of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).  He died in Byhalia, a small town southeast of Memphis, northwest of Oxford.

Or maybe you can recommend some good reads...?

NAMI Support Meeting Day

Tomorrow, Thurday 13 July 06, is NAMI Support Meeting Day for the Golden Triangle Area, including Columbus and Starkville, Mississippi.  The third point of the triangle, West Point, hasn't a support group yet, but coming soonish, it will.  The months seem to be flying by and really, between this meeting and the next, will be two rather large events for us.

At the end of the month, I'm speaking to the Foster/Adoptive families' retreat to be held at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, just east of Tupelo.  I'll also plan an informational table for that event.  I'm excited about that.

In the beginning of August, Starkville is holding its 7th annual Health Fair.  I'll set up an information table for that too.  Both events will focus on children and their care-givers so I will plan accordingly.

So, that's what up in this neck of the woods, NAMI-wise.  What about yours?

home, i like to be here, when i can

There's nowhere quite like home.  For quite some time, I defined "home" as the place I lay my head that particular night.  But, I've been living out here, on this farm, for four and a half years and I just feel more right here than anywhere.

It's my stuff, ordered the way I placed it.  It's my bed with my linens.  My soaps and my teas and my pottery that welcome me and soothe my senses.  It's my yard with my doggies romping.  My quiet days and silent nights and twinkling fire-flies surround me.

My rugs, my books, my curtains, my home....sigh...my home.