When I share that I have a blog the most common reaction is surprise. Because I write but also surprise that people still read blogs. I hear they are going quite out of style. I guess that is because reading takes too long. Even though my little articles take about two minutes to get through, that is too much time for modern readers.   I love to read but I find that I don't have the attention span that I used to possess. I keep checking out too many books from the library, but many of them are returned unloved and unread. 

 When I was unhappy, I used to journal almost every day but changed that habit after I got married to John. Now I keep a lot of random notebooks with thoughts and lists and things I learn from people who make vlogs and videos. I started watching them to see what they were like and if I would ever be able to film one. (I think no is the answer.) I do have a small tripod but have never tried to use it. If I had started years ago maybe I would have liked to have been an Influencer, but now the thought of it all is just too much. I have several you tube videos that I like to watch. A favorite is Jennifer L. Scott. She has written several books and started her Madame Chic series after spending a college semester in France. Now she is my idea of a perfect homemaker. Her house always looks quiet and perfect. She dresses beautifully, exercises on schedule, and gets up at 5:00 am to make her videos and write her latest book. I never see signs of her husband and four home-schooled children. I am enthralled just watching her cook and paint her fingernails. Not at the same time of course, but she probably could. 

There are so many more that I like to watch. An American countess who tours British historic homes is another favorite. I always like a good tour guide. There are so many women who live in perfect little cottages and wear velvet capes when they go outside to frolic in the snow. As you see, in my fantasy life I dwell in the possibility of perfection. (Apologies to Emily Dickenson)

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In our family September is the cruelest month. Even after all these years, I still spend most of the month in a fog. The closer it gets to the end of the month the more my mind jumps all over the place. Rich died fifteen years ago on September 23. It is by remembering that we keep our loved ones with us, but it never becomes easy. I miss you, Richie. Love, Mom