This Musical Message is For Let the Rain of What I Feel Right Now Come Down

Put Them Platters On Automatic

Saturday Scavenger Shots has been hosted today by totally terrific Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti!  She has given us the word PORTABLE to work with. I think it is a good word, lots of potential. It seems like with a decent bag, almost anything can be PORTABLE.

With my trusty bags I carry around my lunch, a book or two, papers I might need

and other odds and ends. It all becomes PORTABLE!

Yesterday, DR and I went for a good long hike. We decided to bring along a little picnic lunch...

Here you see water, brought in reusable PORTABLE bottles, chips in a container that makes them PORTABLE and non-crushable, and sandwiches, the ultimate in PORTABLE foods. We used the bag that carried everything as a little mat for our PORTABLE feast!

There you have a couple of the PORTABLE moments in my life. Now, we will see who Tara chooses to proclaim the next word. Alrighty then...carry on!

Friday 5 - GimmeThree Reasons

I haven't done a Friday 5 in awhile...these are actually from last week, but I liked the questions and thought they'd be fun to answer.  Tara did this one also, on Wednesday :)  And away we go!

1. What are the top three reasons for getting up early on a weekend? 
     - Handsome Lad has to be somewhere early.
     - I have to pee and end up just staying up.
     - I have to be some place myself...like work every other Saturday.  :(

2. What are the top three reasons for getting into whatever your current job is?
     - I needed a full time job and this one was in the paper!
     - I had the right education and experience to qualify.
     - I always knew I wanted to have something to do with books for a living.
Turns out I'm not a writer, but am definitely a reader.

3. What are the top three reasons for loving you?
     - I can carry on a great conversation if you give me time to get up to speed.
     - I'm a warm and affectionate person.
     - I won't make you sorry you chose to love me.

4. What are the top three reasons for spending more money than you should?
     - There is something that cannot be put off any longer.
     - One of the kids wants something and I can't say no.
     - I am coming off a long period of what feels like deprivation and I decide I deserve a treat.

5. What are the top three reasons to be grateful today?
     - I have a job that I enjoy and it keeps me afloat.
     - The people I love are in good health (including me).
     - I love and I'm loved.

So there you have it! I gave you three reasons. As always, I invite you to play along in comments or on your own blog. It is fun to talk about yourself! ;-)

Have a great weekend...and stop in tomorrow for  PORTABLE Saturday Scavenger Shots. kthxbai

But There's a Tugging at My Sleeve

Choo-Choo-Choose and Defend Wednesday is here! This week I am going to ask you to think about the possibility of reincarnation. I haven't formulated any personal beliefs about the concept, in general, but what if it happened? And what if you had a little bit of a choice?  And what if these were your choices?

After death, you may choose to....

Live Your Own Life Over Again

OR

Take A Chance With Something New and Unknown

What says you? Choose...and please...Defend!  And have a happy Wednesday.

This Will Only Take a Moment

Just wanted to drop in quickly and say "hi".  So...hi!  I feel like I haven't had a lot of time for blog posts lately. It is busy at work as we have been moving the collection around, installing a Middle School space, and preparing for the Summer Reading Program.

In addition, I tend not to be online when I'm home now. This is mainly because with DR around it is more fun to do things we can enjoy together. Sure, sometimes that is just watching TV, but that certainly gives us plenty to talk about!  We do each other television favors. For example, he watches Dancing with the Stars with me. I watch episodes of Storage Wars for the umpteenth time with him. It is all about the give and take :)

In spite of my somewhat lacksidaisical blogging habits lately, I do get around fairly well to check you all out! Your blogs really make my day brighter.  Here are some pretty active blogs I'd encourage you to check out - Dmarks @ Throwaway Blog, NoRegrets @ Woman With No Regrets, and James @ Why It Matters. All good stuff for your gray matter and your heartlight.

Now I shall return to eating these dark chocolate M&Ms (even though they are clearly leftover from Christmas) and tracking down books I'm going to need for my upcoming programs. It is a glamorous life, but someone has to live it!

This Musical Message is For Hanging Around

There is No Message We're Receiving

We made it to Saturday! Yay!  First let me apologize again for putting out this week's word so late, but at least I made it an easy one :) This week's Saturday Scavenger Shot theme is - HUMAN.  I have many photos that include at least one HUMAN, and I'm sure you guys do too.  Somehow, though, it wasn't hard to decide what photo to feature today....

Here is a shot of three of my favorite HUMAN beings. I am still unsure of the emotion the ladies were conveying. I do know that they enjoy visiting the nearby cemetary. I remember being similarly fascinated as a child. And still, cemetaries can be quite lovely and peaceful. What could be more HUMAN than the budding lives shown here amidst the HUMAN remains at rest? Sort of poetic, right?

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Y'all are some of the freshest, funkiest, finest HUMAN beans I have ever known :) Have a great weekend and be kind to your fellow HUMANs ♥

Tara-chu! I choose you!

Last Minute Word!

Hey, sorry, sorry. Looks like no one got tagged and no word got picked. So I appointed myself to choose. Since it is so last minute I thought this would be an easy one. Something everyone should already have a photo of somewhere in their files! 

Saturday Scavenger Shots word for this Saturday, April 21 is HUMAN.

There you go.

Every Signpost in Nature Said You Belong To Me

I have been feeling a sense of nostalgia lately. Not focused on any one time or place...more just a general wisful feeling towards childhood maybe? Anyway, I wanted to somehow work that in to Choose and Defend Wednesday. I decided to focus on the way our senses can lead us directly to forgotten moments. Since I didn't see any good way to cut it down you are getting FIVE choices this week! What a treat, eh?

The question is - Which of your senses works most powerfully on triggering involuntary memories? What is it that brings you back...and why? Choose and Defend,

Touch

Taste

Sound

Smell

OR

Sight

Tell us about which sense most often takes your mind on a journey into the past. Feel free to share one of those moments, if you'd like...it can only strengthen your defense :) Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For I Heard You're Mad About Brubeck

You Don't Wanna Save Me

I got through Friday the 13th without incident and come to you now on this Saturday the 14th with my SUPERSTITIOUS Saturday Scavenger Shots. This week's word was choosen by the delightful Silly Rabbit @ Down Silly Rabbit's Hole. 

I am not a particularly SUPERSTITIOUS person, although in some ways the idea of being able to attribute good or bad things to something specific is sort of comforting. Still, I had a black cat growing up and he crossed my path many a time to no ill avail.  And my lucky underwear haven't been particularly lucky...so I'm just not feeling the whole thing ;-)

Look here...

This is me knocking on wood. It seems to have become mandatory around the library. If you dare to try and leave the desk to the next person with the words "It hasn't been too crazy so far this afternoon" you better find some gosh darn wood to knock or they look at you like you just stabbed them through the heart. If you want to read about the origin of this SUPERSTITIOUS phrase and action, look HERE.  Basically, though, knocking on wood is just supposed to protect you from the reversal of fortunes brought on by being optimistic or boastful. So, while I am not SUPERSTITIOUS myself, I am very susceptible to peer pressure...I figure yeah, I better knock on wood :)  If there is no other wood around, it is funny to just use your head. One of those 'always gets a laugh' things...

I hope you got through your Friday the 13th safely, whether or not you are SUPERSTITIOUS. And I hope you have a safe and lucky weekend.  

I Wouldn't Change a Thing

Here in Southern California it is one of those damp, rainy Spring days. I like to think of Spring as the return of sunshine...and it is, but rain (and even lingering snow in some areas) can be a pretty big part of it too. It just isn't my favorite part.

For this Choose and Defend Wednesday I decided to focus on some of the nicer things about Spring to make myself feel more cheerful :) I am hoping you won't mind indulging me in this simple exercise to see where your Springtime loyalties lie!  As always, your choices are limited...although this week I am giving you three instead of the usual two.  Yay me, right? Um, anyway, make a choice and tell us why and that is all you need to do to participate in Choose and Defend Wednesday!

What is your favorite thing about Spring?

Baby Animals

Baseball

OR

Flowers

Aren't those all rather nice? But one must be your favorite Springtime thing...at least for today. Choose and Defend!

Though We Really Did Try to Make It

Sorry that my Saturday Scavenger Shots are so incredibly late! I had myself a nice long weekend, taking off Thursday through Sunday. During that time, I pretty much stayed off the www and didn't get my post done.  Also, by delaying, I was able to take some truly, truly CHEERFUL pictures, as requested by our chooser, Tara!

Here are some little people who make me CHEERFUL :)  I took these yesterday, Easter, up at my dad and stepmom's place.

Here is my Little Prince ready to hunt for plastic eggs. He tends to get easily distracted when he's supposed to be searching. He looks almost CHEERFUL here...and his perfect little Easter outfit makes me CHEERFUL too.

Love Bug has a flair for fashion! I started to take her picture and she asked me to wait while she placed her plastic baskety bucket on her head to create a lovely, CHEERFUL Easter bonnet. How could that sight not make anyone more CHEERFUL?

Aw! Here is Miss Personality with a very CHEERFUL message for us. I don't know what more I could say about that little sweetie :)

I hope you enjoyed these CHEERFUL photos! I also hope you had a happy Easter if that is your thing. Alternatively, or in addition, I hope you had a nice weekend. Stay CHEERFUL. It feels great.

This Musical Message is For There is One Promise That is Given

What I Feel, I Can't Say

Whew! It has been a busy week so far. I am trying to do five days worth of work in three days. Yes, I have given myself a four day weekend starting tomorrow! Yay! Looking forward to some extra time off...yet the work is still there :)
Still, having made it to Wednesday without quite cracking, I believe we deserve some Choose and Defend, don't you? I hope so, because here it comes.
This is going to be one of a little deeper variety. Or maybe not. Maybe it is simple. But here is what I'd like to know for this week - Would you rather...

Lose 10 years, but have plenty of money and ease

OR

Gain 10 years, but have many struggles

I'm not sure if this is a simple question of quality vs. quanity or something more. You decide! Make a choice and defend said choice with vigor. I can't wait to read your thoughts :)  Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For I Hope It Doesn't Show