Gloomy Weather

I had a Saturday during which I did not have charge of the children, and it rained all day. I was good, though, and did not spend the entire day at home with the covers over my head (just part of it).

I took my bag of books to Book ReSort and had a leisurely lunch at Enchanted Forest, which I haven't done for months. I got a chance to talk to the owners for a bit after everyone else had gone, you know, ruin their day with my tales of family horror...

My interlude of curling up under covers came after lunch, but during that time I did begin reading A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. Get it, read it now. She gives many facts and examples written in gorgeous, poetic language. I want to be her when I grow up. She writes for Parade Magazine (Sunday paper insert) occasionally, and I have at least one of those essays clipped because it was so moving. I am going to have to buy this book at some point. I've decided this based on reading less than a quarter of it. The turns of phrase and rich description are amazing, let alone the quantity and quality of facts and examples she uses to illustrate the topic on which she is writing. Makes me waver between sitting down and writing and never writing again in the face of such eloquence and intelligence.

The book I did buy after borrowing it at the library for a week is one on schizophrenia. I've read a small amount of it, and I'll read more eventually. It's good and helpful information, but difficult to read and recognize at present. I wanted my own copy so that I could mark it up and take as long as I needed to get through it without having to renew or take it back and forth to and from the library.

I hope tomorrow is marginally less sodden than today, the free concerts in Long's Park start in the evening and there's a block party downtown during the day. I'd like to attend both without fear of catching a chill or getting my photographic equipment too wet.

I have an idea for diy gifts, but I need to go through my stuff and see if I can actually manage it, maybe I'll let you know once I have a better handle on the possibilities...