Fay is on the Way

Weather Radar (click here for animated radar)

TS Fay is on the way - over warm water and headed for the Keys. Tracking is minute by minute now that it's north of Cuba. It's moving faster than expected and may organize itself a hurricane later today.

We "just"have a hurricane watch posted for our area rather than a warning. Things can change, but it appears it will go inland south of us and then move northward to the east of us. We expect windy wet weather later today and tomorrow and we're keeping a weather watch for any changes. The local news stations have constant weather coverage for our viewing pleasure.

In the meantime I've been working on my book (will wonders never cease!) and I've been visiting other blogs. It's fun to see what everyone is up to! Such wonderful creative people! I add to My Bonnie Blog List all the time during my "travels."

Six Degrees of Separation

I'm sure you have heard of the college game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Its inception is from the theory that everyone on earth is within six degrees of separation from any stranger they meet. Meaning, they can, if they have several hours, days or months, trace a line of 6 -or fewer- acquaintances to each other.

The college game, which has been going on for years now, for whatever reason chose Keven Bacon, and plays a game of linking people, mostly other actors to Kevin through movies, marriage, events, etc.

Well guess what? Here's a little tidbit to start your day: I am just two degrees from Keven Bacon.

How, pray tell, can this be? you ask with an ever so slight tinge of green in your voice. Well, I am acquainted with Dennis Lehane, author of the novel, Mystic River, which was made into a movie in which Kevin Bacon had a starring role.




People acquainted with me are just 3 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. Lucky you!

Dennis Lehane and I both graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. Different years and very different majors. Dennis teaches and is still very involved with Eckerd. He is high on my list of favorite writers, and I am anxiously awaiting his next book, The Given Day, which will be released in September. I had the pleasure of listening to Dennis read excerpts from the book on several occasions and it's going to be a good one. His book, Shutter Island and short story, Until Gwen are the next to be made into movies based on his stories.

I came to know Dennis through a wonderful writers program Eckerd College offers each year called Writers in Paradise . I attended the first one in 2005. It was especially exciting for me to be accepted into the program. The requirement, to be accepted in the Contemporary Novel workshop that Dennis taught was to submit 12-14 pages of your novel for consideration. That was all I had at the time. 14 pages. So I sent them in, they were critiqued, and I was accepted! I was in league with people who had writing degrees of various kinds and who were much farther along in their writing careers. It was a wonderful 8 days of immersion into all things writing.

I just found the following pictures on the 2005 conference on the web site! Me (the blonde lady) listening and Dennis talking. Cool!


So here I am, 2 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon and that makes you three degrees from him.

Check out Dennis' new book. If you haven't read the others, put them on your reading list!

I'm off to check the next tropical weather update. We may be getting a bit of Tropical Storm Fay in our neighbor hood next week. Click on the Tropical Update picture for the latest on that.

Book Lovers and What's for Dinner???

I was listening to my favorite Christian music station on the way home from working at my church this afternoon. Joy FM. Love it. The DJ said (perhaps quoting someone - don't know who) that "you can tell a true book lover, not by how many books she/he has read or owns, but by how many books she/he has re-read.


I am, by that definition a BOOK LOVER. I have always loved to read and re-read books. I was given my first book, Heidi, when I was 6. I remember asking my mom where Frankfurt is - Heidi was traveling to Frankfurt to see her friend Clara. Mom said it's in Kentucky. I set the book aside for a year or so. I was having a huge problem understanding how Heidi got to Frankfort, Kentucky from the Alps. On foot and by train. I was bright enough to know there was a large ocean to cross. I was also having a problem with the vast number of words I had not encountered in my school reader Dick and Jane. I think the whole series of Dick and Jane books had a total of 7 words in them. Run, Dick run. See Spot run. Jane, go get a dictionary and see if we can't get a sprinkling of adjectives and adverbs in here. Watch out for that handyman, Zeke. He is one scary dude. He has an outstanding warrant. If you see him, run, Jane, run. Run run run.

Anyway, back to Heidi. When I felt I was ready I picked the book up again, started from the beginning and my love for books began.

The books I have read many times include The Shell Seekers by Rosemunde Pilcher, Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Macey, Somerset Maugham's short stories - one of my favorites is "Before the Party", also his book The Painted Veil. My anthology of Eudora Welty's books and short stories is another of my often read books - my favorite is " Why I Live at the P.O." I have a tape recording of Eudora Welty reading several of her short stories. It is delightful! It was recorded in the 50's. She reads very fast and with a wonderful Southern accent.

My list of re-read books goes on and on, but those listed are the first that come to mind, and you will find all of them next to my bed looking a bit tattered and worn. I'll bet there are lots of book lovers out there. What's your favorite?

Another question for you: Do you write out a dinner menu for the week or the month? If so, please send it to me immediately. What happens here is, some time between 3 and 6 PM either the Mister or I ask the age old question, What's for dinner? The other person looks in surprise at the one asking the question. Like they just grew a second head. Dinner? Oh. Yeah. We eat dinner every day. Huh. What should we have?

Somewhere along the line a meal is decided upon. It may require a trip to the store for a missing ingredient or 2 - or 10, and then a meal is prepared. But why is it always such a surprise to find out at 3 PM that we not only eat dinner every day, but actually have to think something up and prepare it for ourselves.

Are we still in denial about having left the homes of our mothers? Is this normal? Do you do this or do you plan ahead?

At least we generally have stuff in the pantry and the freezer that we can add together and make a meal. At least most of the time. Sometimes there aren't any enticing ingredients available unless we are into eating combos like pumpkin and beansprouts or maybe that mince meat I bought 12 years ago along with the Spam left over from last hurricane season. When that happens we go out to eat. That's what restaurants are really for. Are the other people that show up at the restaurant also there because of that sudden shock of realization? Or did they plan on going when they made out their menu for the week and carefully shopped for all of the ingredients. I hate them. Let me know your thoughts on this. Don't be too hard on me. Thanks!