Speaking Volumes

My husband's been retired for three years now. It amazes me how quickly the house and all its' surrounding territory has now become his. Though I love having him home (he's a great cook), sometimes I miss having the house all to myself. When he worked he'd get up pretty early and would be out of the house by 6:15 AM. As I start work at 10, I'd have almost four blissful hours to myself. I could do anything I wanted and didn't have to feel guilty about it. It's not that he's underfoot all the time Frequently he's out in the yard doing what I call potzing. The house and yard are big enough that I can even lose him at times, especially when I really want him for something; that's called selective absence. It's just that he never seems to go anywhere leaving me to my own devices (meaning reading, Internet or foreign films).Mothers with kids who have returned to school know what I'm talking about. House to self! I used to relish those days too, when school started again and I didn't have to hide in the bathroom, the only sacred place that no one followed. So I guess I'm back to that, closing myself in the john,where no man can follow, not out of necessity but catching a few moments of peace to read.

A great series for quick reading are the Chicken Soup for the...just fill in the blank. Last Chicken Soup I read was for the Nature Lover's Soul and I must say this is one of my all time favorites, a tie with the one for a Couple's Soul. Nature Lover's Soul has some wonderful stories, Goose Island in which Tom Lusk helps with the birth of a gosling, a really funny story about Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace, a poignant story by Heather Trexler Remoff about what makes Grace run. There's the story of Lee and her dying wish to swim with dolphins and a mom who lets the chores go to have a picnic lunch with her kids. Like the cover says there are stories here to inspire, stories of joy, insight and adventure in the great outdoors. I so much loved the story by Linda M. Hasselstrom from the book Land Circle called Bells in the Night that I bought her book and have contacted her and made a new acquaintance.

All griping aside, I'm truly glad to find time to read, whenever and wherever that may be. And I'm glad to have those few minutes each day to read a story from Chicken Soup. Frequently when I'm finished with a Chicken Soup, I'll either give it away or swap it on paperbackswap.com. Not this time. It's a keeper!