Saturday, January 16, 2010

THE FISHING WAS GREAT (the catching not so good :)

The weather here in our part of the country has turned around, temperatures are going up and Phil has caught his first real fish (there was that tiny minnow sized one back in 2005 but we won’t talk about that) in Florida. This time it was a small (single serving) crappie however he catches and releases so the little guy lived to swim another day. My avid fisherman and his friend, Roger (who did get one bite) took off and spent about four-five hours bobbing around in Lake Rochelle, which is about 12 miles from our RV Park. Nothing much happened but they had a good time just wishin’ and a-hopin’ with utmost concentration. Phil said he tried everything in the tackle box but nothing worked. Maybe next time!

WORD OF THE WEEK: Raconteur – something I strive to be.
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Last week’s word:
Peripatetic: Pronunciation [per-uh-puh-tet-ik]
Adjective: walking or traveling about; itinerant.
Synonyms: 1. wandering, roving; vagrant, (full time RVer :)


THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: “Learn as much as you can about as much as you can; the great disease of mankind is ignorance.” Sidney Poitier in the introduction of his book, “Life Beyond Measure: Letters to my Great Granddaughter.” An absolutely wonderful read I might add!

I love most lending libraries in RV parks because the choices are so wide-ranging. Books I would seldom consider when new - by authors I have never heard of fill the shelves. As my eyes slide down the spines of this marvelous array, I can’t explain what catches my attention—is it the author, the title, the cover? I’m not sure; maybe a mish-mash of all three but my latest bag of books is all over the board in diversity of topic. Here are the two I’ve just finished.

BOOK REVIEW(s):
What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
In this quick read by Elizabeth Berg she captures the heartbreak of losing one’s mother at an early age through desertion and although I physically did not lose my mother, as a 10-year-old, her presence fell from grace in my heart and thanks to intense self examination, I found my way back after 20 years. This woman’s children were lucky enough to have a father (something I never had) who loved and cared for them to adulthood but even so, had many ambiguous issues. How well I understood the perception that the mother came before the child/children, whether she was there or not. Berg’s characters grow to adulthood, have their own marriages and children but when the mother becomes ill (after 35 years of estrangement) literally find their way back into her arms without reprisal. It inspires hope for the phenomenon of mother-daughter bonding regardless of the circumstances of separation … rating: eight

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Once I opened the cover, I couldn’t put it down. Reviewers say this book is all about the love of a father for his son. Yes, that is highly evident but all I will say about the plot is that the potential for horror on the next page was always there (and I don’t do horror) but still I kept reading and the apocalyptic background was sobering to say the least. I kept asking myself what would I do in the same circumstance? At the end, after the fast paced chapters I found the final scenes somewhat implausible (you’ll see why if you read it) but it is fiction and Mr. McCarthy can end his book any way he pleases. I was mesmerized from beginning to end. Now I’m looking for the DVD of the movie … rating: Nine

SCANNER SAGA:
After finally yelling Uncle we uninstalled the software and returned the first receipt scanner to Staples and convinced them it didn’t work in spite of their insistence they had never had one fail before. Anyway, with very little hassle, we came home with a new one and I started over. This time, success! I have been nibbling away at my stack of receipts, scanning them into the “in box”, then editing them for accuracy and filing them into files I have created. It is a little awkward, as I have to concentrate on each move. Nothing is rote as yet but I can see the potential. It takes two minutes to set up and if the receipts are scanned in daily it would take another five minutes and you would be done with it. Lots of other features I haven’t started to use yet but so far, I’m happy with the purchase of my latest “gadget.”
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time ...

4 comments:

  1. You are quite the reader, and a good writer as well -- I might say you already ARE a raconteur on the 'Net!

    Thanks for sharing your story!

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  2. I am glad things have warmed up for you. Fishing must be as good as getting for the guys. Have a marvelous week.

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  3. Are you talking about the little scanner that you just feed things in to? Not the type you can scan photo's etc?

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  4. Jerry and Suzy: Coming from you dear friend, I consider your comment a grand compliment. Thank you!

    Lea: So true!

    Sharon: Yes, you are correct. Sent you an e-mail with a link to the company.

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