I most often want to finish a book I have started before starting a new one. I don’t like to give up on a book even if it seems like a slow start or I can’t get into it. These are rules of reading I have followed and don’t know how I started to believe in them. A small way of imposing order in my world maybe. But lately I have decided that if I am not enjoying a book, I will stop reading it. I do not want to waste my time. Is it because I am older and don’t feel like I have all the time in the world left to me? I made the decision to get most of my books from the local public library but find myself ordering more books online as well. I like having more time to finish a book and not waiting on a long wait list to get a popular and or new release from the library. I still get books from the library if they are not recent releases. I just splurged on the latest Michael Connelly book but was practical and patient to order the latest John Grisham book from the library. I ordered John Grisham’s book from last year as well and picked it up from the library. I had started the Connelly book but decided to get started on the Grisham book because I knew I would have to return it and I know I have more time in the world to read a book I own.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt today “ for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “choices.” Base your post on the subject of making small, uneventful choices. “

Featured image is ‘Take Your Choice’ by John Frederick Peto (1854-1907) in the National Gallery of Art via Wikemedia.org

Oh, yeah, yeah it’s been quite a week. A big start to a new year. ‘Fasten your seatbelts’ or duck under your desk kind of times. I want to forget about much of it already. It’s just that I get obsessed watching You Tube videos of what news people are saying about it all. War and Impeachment, and all in the first 2 weeks. Looking for things that distract me or that I enjoy. So retail therapy, looking for bathmats. I am into bathmats lately. And I bought 2 new mystery books. I opened one to get the first 3 words for this post. I have a new computer. Nothing encourages buying a new computer like being told your operating system is no longer being updated. All the talk about Window 10 being bad and I wondered if I would have a hard time adjusting, but so far it has been fine. The face recognition feature is pretty cute. I have one on my cell phone too. I have to take off my glasses so it will recognize me. Now I’m in the system so I could be paranoid about the government having my image. I hope we don’t have those kind of surveillance systems but they could be on the horizon. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is to “Grab the closest book to you when you sit down to write your post. 2. Open it to a random page. 3. Locate the first complete sentence on that page. 4. Use the first three words of that sentence to start your post, then take it from there–write whatever comes to mind. ”

Featured image is ‘Facial Recognition’ by Mike MacKenzie on Flickr.com

“The time has come,” the walrus said, “to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships – and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings” -Lewis Carroll

My daughter and I toasted the New Year with a Prosecco and pomegranate juice cocktail. Prosecco is dry and very refreshing. The pomegranate juice added the right amount of sweetness. I feel like I need several glasses to forget about what is in the news today. My anxiety level is definitely elevated. I would like to have it all explained to us before we get into a war, not after.  This is not the time for nonsensical phrases or keeping secrets. Feels like we’ve stepped through the looking glass and are now in a world where everything is strange and foreboding.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is use an ‘ow’ word in the post.

“Oh, by gosh, by jingle

it’s time for carols and Kris Kringle…”

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season! Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is ‘ingle’. Find a word that contains “ingle” and use it any way you’d like in your post.

Featured image of vintage Christmas card via PublicDomainPictures.net

Song lyrics from ‘Mistletoe and Holly’ by Faith Evans

There had been much rancor and raised voices on the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives. As the chairman of the committee opened the debate on the Articles of Impeachment, he told the members that they could each have five minutes to make an opening statement. Many of the Democrats chose to speak about how they felt compelled to do their duty to uphold their oath of office, to defend the Constitution of the United States and preserve our democracy.  One Congressman talked about the story of Esther in the bible standing up to the king, others related that they were doing this for their grandchildren or for all the girls and boys in the country. One Congresswoman said she wanted children to know that it was important when you take an oath to follow it. Many of the members talked about growing up poor or coming to this country as immigrants and how honored and proud they were to be citizens of the the United States and elected to Congress. Congresswoman Lucy McBath shared her life story of wanting so much to be a mother and finally having a son. She dreamed of her son growing up and having a happy life. He was in a car with his friends when a man drove up, said their music was too loud, and fired 10 shots into the car killing her only child. She had come to Congress to work for gun control and other issues important to her community.  Listening to these men and women, some of my representatives, renewed my faith. They are some of the best of us.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS, is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt for today is to use a word that means ‘loud.’

Featured image Photo by Carol Highsmith of detail of mural ‘Government’ by Elihu Vedder via Wikimedia.org

A white lie is said to be harmless, done to protect the other person’s feelings. A darker shade is when someone lies to your face not to protect your feelings, but to hide their own wrongdoing  and does not care that they are telling lies. Maybe they get so used to doing it that they don’t think of it as lying or it is just a version of a reality that is the most convenient for them. The darkest form of deception is to think that if you keep repeating a lie for long enough it will become the truth.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, #SOCS,  is hosted by Linda G Hill. The prompt word for today is ‘shade’.

Featured image ‘Deceive-deception-lies’ by OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay.com