A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Joe's Birthday and a book review




Joe had his birthday yesterday, just a celebration for the two of us. Mine is following close behind. He is now 75 and isn't especially happy about it. We had a simple celebration by going out to an early dinner. The waitress found out that he was celebrating his birthday and she and the others came and sang Happy Birthday and brought him and apple dumpling with two spoons :) We are celebrating with family next week. So, Happy Birthday Joey... I hope we have many more birthdays together...Love, Balisha :)


It's a cloudy, drippy, dreary day here. I will be busy all day changing over the closet from winter (ugh) to spring. Getting rid of those once thought cozy clothes, will be a pleasure. The spring and summer ones are so much lighter in weight and color. My winter wardrobe looks so drab compared to the bright colors of spring.
I'm reading a sweet little book right now. It's called Emily Alone, by Stewart O'Nan. I'll tell you a bit about it. We follow Emily through her domestic pleasures, concerns, and crises as the calendar year moves from holiday to holiday, with Emily experiencing increased infirmity while also seeing the physical decline of her sister-in-law and even her beloved spaniel. Connection to her children remains tricky as they approach middle age, and establishing communication with her grandchildren seems beyond her ability, for they live in a young society whose life events are unfamiliar to her. I love following her through her day to day life. I guess it would be boring for some, but I love descriptive writing. I didn't pay attention to who the author was and what gender. I am so surprised that a man can capture what goes through a woman's mind. He had me right from the first sentence. There aren't many books that do that for me. I especially loved the part where her dearest friend and, sister in law, has a medical problem and Emily is forced to drive again. She had put the old Olds away and now she has to get it out and drive again. She finds courage that she never knew she had and while getting her driving skills back, she decides to buy a new car. This is just one of the delightful events in her life. When she takes ill....it shows how important our friends can be in that situation. I found out while reading it that it is a sequel to another book about Emily. I will be sure to get that one. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves detail in writing. This is an especially good read for women my age. I see myself on many pages. He really captures the elderly woman's spirit.

Balisha

8 comments:

Lona said...

Happy Birthday Joe! You should be proud of your 75th year.
That sounds like s good read Balisha. Hope the weather clears up for you. We will be in the same boat here after today. I have enjoyed these warm days so much. Oh, well this cool weather won't last will it?

Diana LaMarre said...

Happy Birthday, Joe!

We, too, tend to celebrate birthdays with just the two of us. This year, though, my husband will be 62 (early retirement age). He has been waiting for this age since I met him over 25 years ago, so I may have a little party this summer to celebrate that he has finally made it!

That book sounds interesting to me. I think I will google it and find out more. I always order books through my library and maybe this will be my next order.

Diana LaMarre said...

Me again. :)

I just went to place a hold on Emily Alone, but it was too new and they did not allow it. So I placed a hold on Wish You Were Here, the first book in that series. I can't wait to get it! Thanks so much for your book review.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to Joe! I hope I make it to 75 and I hope Joe makes it to 105. lol. The book sounds good. I just finished ordering some seeds off e-bay. I have ordered from there before and had good luck. I wanted some pink tomato seeds and ended up buying all kinds. We have been in the high 70s and now we are going back to the 30s and 40s. That's Ky. weather!

Margie's Musings said...

Happy birthday to Joe. I made it to 75. I'm glad he did too.

garden girl said...

Happy Birthday Joe! May there be many more for the two of you to celebrate together.

Sounds like my kind of book Balisha! I enjoyed your review.

I'm looking forward to swapping the winter clothes for lighter, more colorful spring and summer stuff! (Now if only the weather would just cooperate!)

patsy said...

happy birthday joe.

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday to Joe!!! :)