Shopping

It is drab outside. Dark brown, gray, rust with hints of dingy green. My light-sensitive eyes enjoy not squinting, but my spirit longs for sunlight, growth, something new.

***

Fresh flowers. Citrus fruit. Coffee. These are the items that keep me whole during these last few weeks of winter gloom.

***

Raining and bleak outside. Late afternoon. I stop at our local grocery hoping to grab a few essentials. The place is crowded with shoppers who, to put it politely, are very focused on their objectives. Chaos. Unhappiness.

Waiting three deep in front of the milk case I notice an older woman who is completely relaxed in the middle of this madness. She radiates health, calm– and has excellent posture.

Intrigued, I look more closely and realize who it is. Lilias Folan. Of PBS yoga fame. I quietly congratulate myself for paying attention– and stand up straighter. Stomach in, shoulders back. Move forward with grace.

***

I buy a bright yellow and green pillar candle. At home I put the candle on a plate and set it on the granite counter in the kitchen. I light the candle and the reflection of the flame on the counter gives me hope. There is Spring in our kitchen. For now. I feel better.

***

Weekend plans keep me focused on doing. As much as I want to, I can’t sit and stare out the window at nothing. I must prepare. Get ready.

***

Purple. Orange. Yellow. Pansies planted in the fall. Which colors will survive the winter? Every year it is different. I wait to see. Curiosity replaces ennui.

***

The dark green stems of the daffodils are shooting up in the backyard. Cheery yellow. A bit of orange. Color is on its way. I am revived.

Because many people in real life have asked me about it, I decided to post my review of the Kindle here in the blogosphere. I have received no money or other compensation for this review, so fear not FTC. Everything is cool here.

On the plus side:

– it is very easy to use. The buttons make sense and are easy to manipulate.

– it is incredibly easy to read in all light. The clarity is amazing and puts my iMac laptop to shame.

– it is nice to be able to change the font size.

– it is fun to play games on. The games are free or about $3, so the price is right.

– the leather case [without the light] that I bought extra is ingenious and makes holding the Kindle very easy.

– it is portable.

– many Shakespeare plays and classic books are free.

On the negative side:

– I don’t envision me ever thinking that this little gadget is a book. It is lovely for reading in short bursts, but to sit down with this and dawdle over a book– not so much.

– the battery doesn’t last as long as advertised. I’m recharging once a week, not every 3 weeks.

– all books aren’t available on it. For instance, the Harry Potter series is not part of the collection. Nor are all the books in a series of mysteries that I like. My idea was to have complete collections of certain authors so that I would always be able to read them whenever/wherever I wanted. This is not going to happen.

– subscriptions to newspapers are expensive and the choice of what is available is very limited.

– subscriptions to magazines are available, but I like to read mags with lots of photos in them so for me the Kindle is useless in this area.

Conclusion:

I like it, but it is different from a book. I liken the Kindle to instant coffee and a book to brewed coffee. Each has their place, but they aren’t interchangeable.