The New Year

Donald and I did our traditional New Year's Eve.

We stayed home.

I was tucked in reading an old John Grisham novel - "Sycamore Row;" have you read it?  I loved it.  I don't know why it took me so long to get to it (it was published in 2013).  It's a sequel to his "A Time to Kill."  We get to re-visit some memorable characters.  

I have some writer and reader friends who aren't big fans of Mr. Grisham's work, and I haven't always liked everything he's written.  I can say the same thing about a lot of the authors I read, however.  

Not all books are going to appeal to all readers.  

I kinda think,though, that the 4 1/2 star rating from 19,257 readers at Amazon is a fairly decent indication that I'm not the only person who liked "Sycamore Row."

Anyhoooo -  It was about 12:15 a.m. when I realized it was 2020.  Donald had fallen asleep watching a movie.  So we were a little late welcoming the new year.

My hopes for the days ahead would include good health and a more peaceful time for our country.

In 2020 I hope that we will soon be Trump free.  So mote it be.


On a personal note, I had a very nice surprise to start off this new year.


I did not know Susie Sharp back in 2014.  Susie is a librarian in North Dakota.  I've come to know her through Facebook and she's an amazingly versatile, fun-loving woman who loves books, acting and singing, Harley-Davidson bikes, her family, traveling, and life.  She lives her life fully and is an inspiration.

And back in 2014 she loved my "Whimsey."  

At Facebook this morning she had posted a list of her top 5 books for the last 10 years.

Talk about starting off my new year with a feeling of hope?  Wow.  This certainly helped with that.

Here's Susie's top 5 for 2014: 

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal

Whimsey: A Novel by Kaye Wilkinson Barley

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

Missing You by Harlan Coben

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner

In other years her lists have included some favorite writers of mine, including Beth Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen, so finding my name here is incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful.

So.  All this to say, each year comes with good and bad.  We each have struggles we get through the best we can.  Hopefully, we also have days of grace.  Days that we're reminded that there is good in the world, and in our lives.

Which we choose to focus on and dwell on is up to us all individually.

I'm going to try, very hard, to choose wisely in 2020.  Still hoping, deep in my heart, to soon be Trump free and that our country can somehow heal from all the damage he and this administration has wrought.

So mote it be.

Here's to 2020!

Christmas in Birmingham

Donald and I drove to Alabama the day after Christmas to celebrate the holiday with the Barley family.  It was, as usual, lovely.  

We missed two of our crew, Harrison and Ryan were hard at work while we ate very well, opened gifts and enjoyed the day.

Following a Laura Lippman tradition

She reminds me, and others, by her own example, to choose a one-word resolution for the new year. 

You can read her post about next year's word here - https://www.facebook.com/notes/laura-lippman/new-decade-one-word/10157743094633903/?comment_id=10221867366696768&notif_id=1577720434231167&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

Before choosing my 2020 word, I went back into my Meanderings and Muses archives to find last year's word, which you can read below.  I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it close most of the year.  

I'm hoping I can do as well with this year's word.

I've chosen MOVE.

I spent a lot of 2019 being sedentary. I'm now feeling the effects - too heavy, too stiff, ugh.

Time to start moving. AND past time to start cutting back on chips and milkshakes!

Wish me luck!

Another New Year's A-comin'

Laura Lippman is a writer I admire. 

Additionally, she's a woman I admire. 

And each year she reminds me, and others, by her own example, to choose a one-word resolution for the new year. 

Reading the words that others have chosen is always something I look forward to and enjoy. 

And it's always a bit of a challenge for me to come up with a word that I might actually be able to observe and follow. 

My word for 2019 is savor. 

I want to try to remember to savor the good things in my life. 

While I will not stop fighting and speaking out against the things I do not savor, I want to be more respectful to the goodness I am blessed with.

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a day of peace

x

Christmas Eve in Meat Camp

It's a quiet day here at our house.


A few gifts awaiting the Barley family Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

Donald, after helping me get a picture of Annabelle with Santa on her head (and agreeing to do the same) has gone for a Christmas Eve ride on his bike.

Unlike a lot of years when we're having snow this time of year, today is clear and beautiful.

I have a pork tenderloin cooking for tonight's dinner, and I'm getting ready to settle down with a good book (book yet to be determined, I have several to choose from).

And a glass of Christmas cheer.

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

Winter Solstice. Bring back the light.

White-Eyes

BY MARY OLIVER

In winter

    all the singing is in

         the tops of the trees

             where the wind-bird

with its white eyes

    shoves and pushes

         among the branches.

             Like any of us

he wants to go to sleep,

    but he's restless—

         he has an idea,

             and slowly it unfolds

from under his beating wings

    as long as he stays awake.

         But his big, round music, after all,

             is too breathy to last.

So, it's over.

    In the pine-crown

         he makes his nest,

             he's done all he can.

I don't know the name of this bird,

    I only imagine his glittering beak

         tucked in a white wing

             while the clouds—

which he has summoned

    from the north—

         which he has taught

             to be mild, and silent—

thicken, and begin to fall

    into the world below

         like stars, or the feathers

               of some unimaginable bird

that loves us,

    that is asleep now, and silent—

         that has turned itself

             into snow.

From Storage Space to Work Space

Remember when I posted pictures of this space and it was full of boxes that had been stored for 20 years?

After spending time emptying those boxes, sorting, and re-boxing stuff to sell at our new booth at the antique mall, giving some things away, and throwing some things away, my thoughts were to set up a space where I could work on my collages.  

What I didn't know was that Donald was out there hanging shelves and lights and turning it into a space that I'm going to love. 

His Christmas gift to me this year.

 A room of my own.

I'll keep you posted as things progress.

In the meantime - I am a happy girl.

What it takes to get a picture of your corgi wearing a Santa hat . . .

Day One

DAY TWO

And a very special Christmas wish from Annabelle

From our house to yours

Merry Christmas 

and 

Happiest of Holidays!

xxoo
Don, Kaye and Annabelle

News!

Don't you love the new look?!

I LOVE the new look!

And it's all thanks to the amazing Maddee James of xuni.com.


AND, thanks to Maddee, I also have a brand new website (and it is GORGEOUS). 

Here's a sneak peek at the banner (similar to the new Meanderings and Muses banner, but different . . .) -

And at this wonderfully magical website I have some news to share with all of you.  You just have to click on the link. 

 http://kayewilkinsonbarley.com/

Hint: think book, Paris, carousels