Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Winter Of Our Reconnect

Ahhh, the perfect combination of conditions for returning to the blogosphere: blustery cold winds, drizzle, and a serious lack of interest in doing anything domestic. I had intended to return earlier. However, when the urge to make a comeback began to gnaw at me, I discovered that my computer was reliving the Homeric epic by breaching my firewall and gifting me with an infestation of trojan horses. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts was not, unfortunately, the quote for that particular day. Up until then I had been enjoying the wonderful Maine summer and autumn seasons. In June I embarked on a mission to read the classics. It was a return visit to some and a first encounter with others. From Aristotle to Austen, Socrates to Shelley, Cato to Camus, and Plato to Proust. On any given morning I would do what needed to be done--weeding and watering flower beds, mowing, restocking the avian buffet stations etc... The household duties were divided and staggered every other Monday; floor and fixture scrubbing on one, dusting and vaccuming the next, laundry on another and so on. All very ordered. The Queen Mother wanted to modify the routine somewhat but she was overruled. A concession here and there from necessity and scheduling issues but otherwise it went as planned. The afternoons were given over to time travel, dramatic upheavals, romantic sojourns and other flights of fancy. Cook dinner, do dishes, and settle down to work on projects of the artistic craft variety. It was a most enjoyable sabbatical from all things internet. Sometimes you just have to go somewhere and do something else to put things into perspective. I got lots of things done and had the time and space to really appreciate my accomplishments. Just before my computer came down with the plague I reread my previous posts and decided that it was time to rejoin the cyber-literati. The computer had other plans. Apparently I was due to be punished for several months of neglect. After a three-week postponement we are reconciled again and here I am. As warmth and sunshine wither on the vine of memory I suspect I will be here fairly often. I have spent the better part of the day reading vintage posts of my many dear friends and co-bloggers. I can't quite grasp that I was gone that long! Time doesn't exist when you travel through the parallel universe of great writing. HRH the Queen Mum has expressed her pleasure that I have put aside my reading regimen for the time being. Apparently quoting Shakespeare, Dickens, or Twain at every turn was wearing very thin. Go figure.

9 comments:

  1. I just reread my vintage "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers" comics. They are classics.

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  2. I'm so very glad you are back amongst us. Got your lovely Christmas card today too, a double whammy!
    I think you may have inadvertently sent some Maine weather here as our temps have been in the 20's at night for the last 2 nights. Thanks a lot.......

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  3. Well, well, dear Lord Wellbourne, welcome back! I am so very happy to see that you've rejoined the cyber-literati -- a ray of sunshine in an otherwise rainy and dreary day here in lower New England.

    I'm glad to hear you've been busy taking up with books and creative endeavors, and feeding mind and soul. But please do us a favor: next time you take a sabbatical let us know! (So we don't worry what in the world's happened to you.)

    BTW- Love your post title. :)

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  4. Oldfool: That series was done by Dostoevski wasn't it? It was the prequel to The Brothers Karamazof. :-)

    Lady H: Sorry, Sweetie, I was aiming for Dallas.

    Jayne: If and when I go wool-gathering again I will definitely give advance notice. I'm still waiting for this rain to turn to snow. I love waking up in the morning and seeing all that whiteness smirking back at me. The Queen Mum doesn't edit my posts (thank God) so I can make all the allusions I want, so there!

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  5. Welcome back! It's been too long :)

    I must say, though, that I envy your wonderful reading schedule. It has been so long since I've really had time to read. I'm planning on getting a summer job this year, but when I have free time, I plan on going back to reading the classics as well. Last summer (and the summer before) seemed to be Gothic novels....I'm going to have to find a new genre this year. Anything you could recommend?

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  6. Emmy: Thanks, Darlin', it's good to be back.

    I would recommend 'murder mysteries' for the most part. In particular the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters (a personal friend of mine). She's an independant Victorian woman married to an archeologist and a lot of their plots involve Egypt and the nefarious underworld. Ms. Peters has a rapier sharp wit and her novels are amusing as well as interesting. She herself is an Egyptologist so she really knows her stuff. I also recommend the Ursula Blanchard series by Fiona Buckley. Takes place in the court of Elizabeth I and Ursula is a lady-in-waiting/jester/sleuth. Very good reading and excellent detail.

    I always recommend reading--everything--even if it's just the cereal box or catsup label.

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  7. It's good to have you back, my lord. At the present time I am embedded in "The Way We Live Now". At my age if I just read all of Trollop it may last me the rest of my life. And I have already read, long ago, all of the Barchester novels.

    I second Jayne in requesting that the next time you are absent for so long you just check in now and then to say you're not dead.

    My daughter, Duchess Omnium, has a tendency to disappear from the net from time to time, but I can always call her up. Even though she lives on a boat in England.

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  8. Anne: Barchester is on my 'medium' list of future reads. Short list is "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More (again) and Machiavelli's "The Prince" (again). Long list includes Gray's Anatomy and the phone book.

    Motion is carried: I will, in future, check in to disavow any rumours of my demise.

    Oh.....would that I could be so lucky to be aboard a boat anywhere other than on the North Atlantic Coast of New England at this time of year. Mikonos sounds lovely....*SIGH**

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  9. OK people! I know that it should be Karamazov with a 'v'! I had a phonetic moment. Ease up!

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