Have finished listening to the book Mountains Beyond Mountains ... it rocked.  Now I will look for other books written by Tracy Kidder.  When someone writes well you just want to see what else they have to say.  Also on the short list ... how's it going for Dr. Paul Farmer ... an ordinary man who has chosen to focus his life towards something simple, basic ... decency.  For me that is the moral imperative that this book helps illuminate.  It is always tempting for me to think stuff like ... well, I can't go to Haiti ... got people here to tend to.  And that is true, but I am certain that an open heart can ease the way for others right here.  I have planned on being somewhere else for a while ... now I see the error of that.  When we first came here and I found out about the illiteracy rate,  I knew to volunteer there ... I will make an effort to engage more.  Don't know how or where, but being open to the idea of that will help it find me I bet.

Ummm ... I liked being read to very much.  It's kinda perfect really ... hands free to do the ironing, or book hauling ... .  I wish they were less expensive then a hardback book.  I'm going to see what books my local library has on audio.  This may be my new thing ... I am running out of interesting documentaries to listen to ... plus they almost insist I look as I listen.

Gosh I love this wind map ... ridiculously soothing.  I wish it could be the screen saver.  These are surface winds ... it's been fun to watch the system work it's way across the area.  I know the wind changes as a front passes, but ... wow to see the display from Lincoln up to Sioux Falls then NE towards Minneapolis. And ... I have never imagined how like a cowlick this looks.  Well ... nerdy cool.  I like it a lot.  It's fun for me to glance at this and imagine what I think the other graphics that I like to look at might show ... no surprises here:

Second two photos lifted from aviationweather.gov  Looks like fairly smooth sailing on either coast tonight ... Thor is busy in the heartland.

It was actually sprinkling here during our walk just a few minutes ago.  I'm doing something new with my husband during walks ...table topics ...  tonight's questions:  What do you miss most from when you were single? and What totally out of character thing would you like to see your partner do?

I answered ... Freedom to come and go as I pleased and stay up or nap as I chose ... well ... just the freedom to put something down and expect that it would be right there when I came back for it ... that sort of thing.  He laughed.  "I know exactly what you mean", he said,  "I left my papers out on the table while we walk and I'm wondering if they will be as I left them ... will someone have spilt water on them or moved them entirely... ."  He went on to say that he guesses he spends enough time away on business trips to have those kind of breaks in his life.  I said I really appreciated the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks alone in Atlanta a couple of years ago.  No one knocked on the bathroom door ... meals were entirely at my discretion ... I slept with my books on the bed ... handy for in case I woke up and wanted to read ... the best part was the TV never came on in the room.  Perfect ... bliss really!  Okay ... I didn't say all that ... just the parts before the TV.  I was flying and thinking about flying ... it was a good time for me.   His answer to the same question ... he misses the money he had when he was single.  Yep, floating a household is an expensive proposition.

Second question ... out of character thing ... I answered first again.  I said I would like to see him relax at home as he does at the coast.  I told him that was the biggest part of moving to the coast for me ... at the coast he chills out ... even though he has work with him he just relaxes better.  I said, I'd love to see you give yourself a week off and I know you'll see that the world doesn't come to an end without your supervision.  I could tell he was thinking about it ... .
His answer ... he would like to see me take more time for day trips ... he said I was double sacrificing by not doing that for myself because on one hand he knows I want to do what I do to support my family, but I need a break every once in a while,  and also that I am neglecting ways to replenish myself.  He reminded me that last summer I said I was going to start planning little day trips to Atlanta for myself ... trips to the museums ... stuff like that maybe once a month.  I haven't done any of that.  He said I really should do that for myself ... maybe I will.

Well ... where am I on with those vices?  I think I'll spend a few minutes on that.