* The 200th Follower Winner Is.....*

Thanks again to everyone who entered my 200th Follower Contest! It was great fun reading all the different comments and knowing that there are people out there who enjoy reading my blog.

And so without further ado....the winner, according to random.org is....."Mo" of Rose Petals from Heaven!!

(courtesy google)

Congratulations, Mo!! Please e-mail your mailing address and I'll send the goodies asap!

** Added Wednesday, May 25th: I committed a big faux paus! I forgot to acknowledge my newest followers: Dayle & Lazarus! Thank you so much. I hope you will stop by often and enjoy what you see and read. **

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons." ~ Ruth Ann Schabacker

A Blissfully "Normal" 24 Hours!

If you read my post of Friday, May 20th, you'll understand the "normal" I'm referring to. And yes, I'll write about it later. I just wanted to mention the joy I experienced yesterday....enjoying the beautiful sunny, summery day....sometimes out on my deck, but mostly looking out through the windows as I did the cleaning, organizing, rearranging...listening to music or the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. I know that many of you will think I've truly lost my mind this time, but don't you ever take delight in those kinds of days? Believe me, it probably won't last very long, but my mood has already continued on today!

OK...the other thing is this: Please don't forget about my "200th Follower Contest." You have until midnight  (CDT) tomorrow night the 23rd of May. I'll announce the winner sometime on May 24th. ALSO, if you think you already commented on the link to enter, please go back and check. I know of at least one of those comments that got Lost in Outer Blogger Space. Fortunately, Lisa went back and checked!

Until later....Please remember:



"I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor." -- D.H. Lawrence

* Back to Normal....Maybe? *

What is normal, anyway? These days I don't know. Or if there even is a "normal" anymore. My blog buddy, Toby Speed, wrote an excellent post yesterday called "Things I miss about the low-tech life." I felt as if she read a part of my mind, a part that I hadn't even listened to yet. Ahhh, so that's what's wrong with me! I'm a semi-techno-junkie. I love my blog friends and being able to find fast answers to earth shattering questions on Google.....like what was the actor's name in that bit part in that little known movie from 1946?

I'm not on Twitter yet, and I barely log in to Facebook anymore. I just never got the whole point of Facebook, I guess, especially since I have a blog and much rather spend time in blogland. And, I have a Blackberry which I'm kinda, sorta addicted to. ☺

So, thank you, Toby! This weekend, I am taking a semi-vacation from Techno-Land. If you happen to stop by, you just might see me doing one or more of the household chores below....AND with a smile on my face!

 I also plan on putting pen to paper and mailing some handwritten notes.

 AND, I plan to do a little journaling in addition to my "normal" writing on my laptop.

What about you? Do you feel stressed, flying through cyberspace at excessive speeds? Do you try to keep a happy medium of old versus new? And if so....how?

“Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” -- Eddie Cantor

* I Wonder *

I WONDER....

This is my 2nd attempt at my new "I Wonder" posts, which I'll try to do on Fridays. (Yes, unfortunately that is me on the right....without any makeup, and my glasses are on top of my head. Not one of my better photos I must say, but hey....I've shown bad photos of myself before.....and at least some of you keep returning!)

I Wonder: If it will ever quit raining here.

I Wonder: Why most of the foods I love aren't good for me.

I Wonder:  If I'll ever witness a total eclipse of the sun, in person. (this is one of my most desired wishes!)

* Some Comments Still Missing *

I just discovered that some of the comments I thought were only temporarily missing, appear to be completely Lost in Blogger Space. While this is annoying in itself....you know...all those grand compliments I receive from time to time ☺.... I'm worried that some might be missing from the 200th Follower Contest comments.

Which means, I hope everyone goes back to here  to double check and make sure your comment is there! I don't want anyone to be left out. So, please check it and if you don't see yours, go ahead and leave a new one!!

"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let'em go, because, man, they're gone."-- Jack Handey

Books Like You've Never Seen Before

I watched the most amazing story last night on the CBS Sunday Evening News. It was about an artist who is so extremely talented, I can't possibly come up with enough words to describe him. I would say he is also a sculptor. A sculptor of books! 

His name is Brian Dettmer, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and he makes magnificent art out of old books. (Actually, I'd describe his work "inside" old books.) I contacted Mr. Dettmer last night via e-mail, requesting permission to share some of his beautiful creations on my blog. He replied and graciously agreed, as long as I credit it properly.

Get ready for some jaw-dropping moments!



(The above three photos were borrowed, with permission, from Brian Dettmer's web site.)

Toward the beginning of his interview, Brian stated that he understands some book lovers will only see mutilated books, but he only uses vintage non-fiction: old medical books, old encyclopedias, old history books. Books that would otherwise be headed to trash dumps.

Click on Brian's link to learn more about him and see many more of these fabulous works of art. You can also see the entire interview on CBS News.

Thank you again, Brian, for allowing me to showcase a minuscule amount of your heart-filled work.

And, Hello & Welcome to Anita, Sophie Li, M, and Mdkline, my newest followers! I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” -- Thomas Merton

* This 'n That on a Saturday Night *

I posted a gadget on the top right side bar, to remind everyone of my contest celebrating 200 Followers! Don't forget to enter and tell all your blog buddies, because there are No Rules! Just leave a comment on the May 9th post. That's it. Contest ends at midnight on May 23rd.

Someone left a comment the other day that one of the things she likes about my blog is the music in my Play List. That made me so happy, because I really love all kinds of music! I've had a lot of fun putting together my play lists, too. Since it doesn't automatically start anymore, I'd like to point out how diverse the songs are. When you're in the mood to listen, just click on a song. It's set on Shuffle, so you could experience many genres in just a few short minutes. Here are just a few: Perry Como, Cold Play, Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Jackie Wilson, Super Tramp, Glenn Miller, Patsy Cline, and The Temptations!

Have you ever cleaned out an old purse and found a few loose coins in the bottom? Well...I cleaned out one the other day and found a Five Dollar Bill. It was inside an old beat up envelope and was almost tossed in the trash! Just a reminder....look really well before you throw things away! ☺

"Wonderful friends, all kinds of music, and a few dollars in my purse.....what more could I possibly want?" --  Becky Povich 
P.S. Doh! After posting my newest post on May 16, I realized I forgot to add BOOKS!! I also need and want books!!

* I WONDER *

Well, hasn't the past 24 hours been unusual, strange and just plain aggravating?! How many of us are just a little addicted to our blog(s) and those of our friends? After my initial panic, I found some information about Blogger's problem and shared it with everyone I have e-mail addresses for. Enough about that.

At the end of Wednesday's post, I announced my idea about having a weekly post called "I Wonder."  I'm not totally sure what I'll post on those days, but for now I'll try to have it on Fridays.

I Wonder: If our country has the man-power and knowledge to build a massive space program, wouldn't you think they could figure out a way to transfer flood waters to the drought areas?

I Wonder : I can't imagine what the execs on Two and a Half Men were thinking when they chose Ashton Kutcher to "replace" Charlie Sheen. Say it ain't so!

"Wonder is the beginning of wisdom." -- Greek Proverb