Saturday, April 3, 2021

Renewal

 





I thought my azaleas were dead after our big freeze in February.

It's Easter and it's spring. Never have I felt the sense of renewal as I have this Easter, this spring, after spending a year isolated and now being fully vaccinated.

Happy Easter, everyone. Happy spring.








Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (Classics Club)

Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1001 Children's Books)

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (Mood-Boosting Books)



Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig (Nonfiction)






Yes, and...Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr (Daily Meditation Reading)

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (Chapter-a-Day Read-Along)

The Little Book of Lent (Daily Reading During Lent)

Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion (Naturalist Book Club)

Jungle Tales by Horacio Quiroga (1001 Children's Books)

Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge (National Poetry Month) 







I've finished my second Classics Club list and I've started my third. I have found no better way of reading the good books. Let me say that again: I have found no better way of reading the good books. These books have been read and reread over decades, even centuries. And who chooses what books to include? You do. I'm delighted I joined in 2018. I've now read 100 books I never would have read if I hadn't joined the club, including Moby Dick, War and Peace, Excellent Women, A Confederacy of Dunces, all of Jane Austen, Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us, Diary of Anne Frank, A Girl of the Limberlost, Howards End, Jeeves...so many great reads.




April is National Poetry Month. I will be reading a poem a day in April. Here is the beginning of one I love, Thanks by W. S. Merwin:

"Listen
with the night falling we are saying thank you
we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings
we are running out of the glass rooms
with our mouths full of food to look at the sky
and say thank you..."

















Good Thing #1

Thank you, Anne of Head Full of Books, for posting this. 



Good Thing #2

I was happy to see this photo posted on the Instagram page of Bryan of Unfinished Person




Good Thing #3


Active April from Action for Happiness. I am ready for some activity. How about you?









I'm happy you found your way to the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

  • What was your week like?
  • Read any good books? Tell us about them.
  • What other bookish things did you do? 
  • What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.


My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 

70 comments:

  1. I feel the same way about this Easter. I just got my second shot Thursday.

    Thank you for the link.

    I am off to check out the Action for Happiness calendar for April.

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  2. You are so right! It feels wonderful. My post says nothing but “Happy Easter” but the freedom is great, and I’be been posting about it for a couple of weeks since the vaccine took effect. Sadly, in my home state of Michigan people are behaving freely in a premature way resulting in a new outbreak of disease and new need to be careful.

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Yes, there's lots of maskless folks around here. Too soon.

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  3. Happy spring to you & Easter. Glad you are vaccinated! We are still waiting but I'm hopeful for May. Congrats on your Classics Club accomplishments. Keep it going ....

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  4. Happy Easter! I love that you've done the Classics Club twice! I signed up about 10 years ago and didn't complete my list in 5 years, lol. Still love classics though.

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    Replies
    1. You can still work on it, Stacy. Nobody will throw you out of the club for not finishing in five years! lol

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  5. I'm also feeling revived this Easter/spring... Like coming out of hibernation or something. I have hope that things are getting better and every time I hear someone is vaccinated the hope grows. :)

    Hope you have a lovely week!

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    Replies
    1. I feel like the little leaves that are popping out on just about every plant in my yard now.

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  6. Congrats again on finishing your second CC list. I'm also planning to read a poem every day in April. Happy Easter!

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    Replies
    1. I wish I had set aside a nice thick poetry book for April.

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  7. Locked down again!! But John got his first vaccine last week and I get mine on Tuesday. Then second shots in July!!

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  8. I didn't have time to do a post for this Sunday again, alas.
    Nice post. Amen to "I have found no better way of reading the good books". I so agree. And congrats again on your 2nd Classics Club list.
    I just finished reading Double Indemnity (1936) yesterday, really enjoyed the style.

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    Replies
    1. I hope you will find time to post on Sunday soon, Emma.

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  9. I should have finished my classic club list before I start adding titles. Now I don't have that sense of accomplishment I would have had I'd broken it into pieces. Finished one list before starting the second. Happy Easter.

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    Replies
    1. I arbitrarily ended my list when I read my fiftieth book. I used what was left over to start the next list.

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  10. I enjoyed this post so much I "stole" two things from it. LOL
    I am going to start my own version of the Classics Club tomorrow. Stay tuned to http://powerfulwomenreaders.wordpress.com
    I am already enjoying National Poetry Month, but I've not started my Poetry Wanes soap yet. LOL
    Have a great week ahead.

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  11. Wishing you a Happy Easter! You are doing so great on your challenges too. I'm seeing more birds in our backyard, more greenery and want to enjoy Spring before summer heat is upon us! Hope April is a wonderful reading month for you.

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    Replies
    1. Spring here is most people's summer, I think. There's no better time to be in our state.

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  12. Happy Spring to you, Deb! I'm reading two or three poems every day this month, beginning with Mary Oliver's works. She definitely speaks my language!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Mary Oliver. She has such a feeling for the natural world.

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  13. Ahh Spring...I was able to spend all afternoon on the back porch.

    Love your azaleas!! So pretty!

    That's amazing you're on your third classics spin list!!!

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  14. Happy Easter! I'm so glad you guys are fully vaccinated. We will be too in a couple of weeks.

    Hope you have a great weekend!

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    Replies
    1. I feel (somewhat) comfortable going into stores again.

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  15. Winesburg, Ohio is on my list to read and after reading this post I want to read Fred Rogers: The Last Interview and Other Conversations.

    Love your flowers!

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  16. Happy Easter!

    I was thinking about the Classics Club today. I need to sign up! I even have most of a list chosen, it's just a matter of writing it up.

    I got my first vaccine on Wednesday! I'm so excited! I truly thought I'd be lucky to be vaccinated by my birthday in July. Florida opened up to age 40+ and I signed up right away. What a relief! Just a few more weeks until I'm fully protected! My family is already taken care of. I feel like my husband and I can safely go home and see everyone when we finish this Florida work contract in June. I haven't seen any of my friends and family since last February.

    Enjoy your week!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you got your vaccine, Jen. It's a good feeling.

      And I'm happy you are joining the Classics Club.

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  17. Happy Easter! I really need to read more Classics....one day.

    We just spent a few days away so got on a plane for a few days which is something that was hard to imagine six months ago. We are lucky here to have very few cases, which doesn't mean to say that we won't be getting vaccinated when our time comes.

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  18. I love that you put up that list of good things. We need to remember the lovely things in our life. The reference to the mug in particular hit me as I use the same one for tea every evening. It's a treasure from a loved one.

    Our azaleas are in bloom too aklthough the fuschia ones are dying out. The others are glorious.

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    Replies
    1. My mug is also a treasure from a loved one. She passed away earlier this year. I try to remember to enjoy the little things every day.

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  19. ya know it's spring when the azaleas bloom. glad to hear yours made it through the freee
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    Replies
    1. We really know spring is here when our pecan (finally!) leafs out. (That really doesn't look right, but I'm pretty sure it's correct.)

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  20. Happy Easter :)

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  21. Happy Easter!!!! I hope you have a wonderful week!!

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  22. Happy Easter! Congratulations on the classics reading. Keep it going.

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  23. Even as we hear gloom and doom about new variants and the news is never wonderful, there are definitely improvements along the way. After that whole year of isolation, some of us (me) are fully vaccinated, with more each day. And outings are happening! I have been out to a restaurant and a Starbucks...LOL. This week, I hope to go to Marie Calender's with my granddaughter, since they are 25% open.

    Enjoy all the good things...and your week. I love that poem (Good Thing #1)...

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    Replies
    1. I can't wait to hear all about your outing with your granddaughter.

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  24. A very Happy Easter to you, Deb:)). And your azalea looks wonderful - that shade of pink is such a HOPEFUL colour! I have to say that I'm not feeling quite so buoyant right now, as we are still coping with the aftermath of our covid illness. But I am very much looking forward to warmer weather and getting my energy levels back. Have a wonderful week.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry to hear that you had terrible cases of covid at your house. I hope you recover completely and quickly.

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  25. I love your 3 good things (as always). I really appreciated Anne's posting of that quote as well and it resonated with me.

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  26. The flowers are beautiful. I love pink or purple flowers. Happy Easter.

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    Replies
    1. The azaleas are one of the most beautiful flowers we have here.

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  27. I saw good thing #1 as well on instagram earlier this week and it thrilled me.. And love your good thing #3.
    i will try to see what I can do with it as well..
    I have started reading Tarka the otter as well

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    Replies
    1. I do hope you enjoy it. Never have I read a story that felt so real.

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  28. For some reason the idea occurred to me to take all the words in your titles at top, scramble them, and write some kind of "Spring 21" story with them. Of course it was not an idea that I had any hope of bringing to fruition.

    But wait - I could at least say, "The Joys of a Fantastic and Fun Planet, and Yes, Daily Meditations."

    Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

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  29. Happy spring and happy Easter! Hope you had a wonderful day and are enjoying your fully vaccinated status! I just got my first vaccine Friday and have never been more excited to get a shot. Love the movement calendar. I've been trying to do yoga every day and it has made such a difference in the way I feel. I really need to revisit my Classics Club list and possibly redo it. The end date for the list has come and gone and while I have gotten lots of good classics read there are still so many books I'd like to focus on. Have a great week!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you will revisit your list and take it on again. So glad the daily yoga is a help.

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  30. We're starting to see the spring blooms (**finally**) here in the north. Yay on vaccinations.

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  31. Looks like you had a good week. Thing are gradually getting more spring-like here in northern Minnesota. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  32. I know exactly what you mean. I is a huge big deal and indeed, renewal. I hope your Easter was very happy! Onward!

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  33. This Easter was quite different from last year. Thank goodness. It was so dreary and depressing last year and although there is still an air of weirdness to everything we do, I can see us turning a corner, finally.

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  34. Hi there Debbie! Just popping in to say hi! We've been away for the Easter Weekend and we were completely off-line. It was a good break.

    I need to pay more attention to The Classics Club and broaden that horizon too!

    Hope this Spring will bring you lots of joy and happiness!

    Have a good week ahead.

    Elza Reads

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  35. Happy Easter and congrats on the vaccine!!!

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  36. I love the idea of reading a poem a day! Maybe I'll do that and finish a poetry book I have sitting at home. Love your picture of the flowers. I just noticed yesterday that I'm seeing a lot of green and blooms starting. Have a great week!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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  37. Way to go on completing another Classics list! I hope you had a nice Easter. We're enjoying the spring weather. My husband just made his appointment for his first vaccine dose. Who would have thought he'd be looking forward to a shot? LOL I hope you have a great week.

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  38. What you write above about reading great classic books thanks to the Classics Club - loved every word of it! It makes me want to do the same. This Easter, this Spring does feel very different from the last one. I wouldn't say I was worried yet at this time of last year (it was the middle of that initial 3-week estimate lol) but I was browsing through photos and videos on my phone from this time last year and boy, what a different time that was. So much to look forward to now. I don't think I will ever take my movie-going, dining in restaurants, even going out to shop for granted.

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  39. I love your post so much good stuff here! Thanks for sharing your thought on the classics book club!

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