I think the whole notion of Mother's Day needs to be addressed. My dear mother has found the holiday to be a Hallmark manipulation; a day of obligation. The retailers go into full production mode, it's overdone, overhyped, overpriced, and restaurants are so packed as to be ridiculous...

I have to admit, my blog has been gathering a bit of dust lately. I haven't been as diligent as I should be -- my writing energies have been focused elsewhere...

“The young man stared fixedly at the setting sun. ‘Think how wonderful it must be to live where the sun sets. Look there old man, it’s touching down just over the crest of that long dark hill. That’s where I want to be...’”

There are weddings and then there are weddings...

“George has been walking all day. His feet are sore and he is hungry. He is on his own; just like a rolling stone. He asks himself a pointed question, “Who’s going to stop and give a dwarf a ride?” His answer is simple: “Nobody, that’s who...”

So, why is corned beef and cabbage traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare, you ask..?

I love spring and its perfect weather, not too hot but not cold either. Just right for kicking back and finishing that book you've been reading. I have just a few more pages of Catcher in the Rye that I decided to re-read after J.D. Salinger's passing...

"Yes, I know he doesn’t smell very nice, Elise, and yes he has food all over his shirt , but he’s a great composer, dear – he’s not like real people..."

It's a good look, but I don't know how you would get the curlers to stay on...

"Once Tanko came upon the small village, he ventured over to a trading stand to see if the traders knew what this green thing was. The traders were greatly interested by the item, even though they had not the faintest idea what it was..."

"Gladys Worthington of Hoboken, New Jersey may have saved as many as 20 people from a watery grave this morning – and then again, maybe she did not..."

It took me back to my young self when it made such an impression on me. It's also a favorite of Husband's. Teen angst, class distinctions, unaware parents, rebellion, depression, sadness -- it's got everything a young person could ask for...