tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74496466758364526202012-02-14T10:09:01.486-06:00lullPracticing Life Between the Past and the FutureC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.comBlogger6351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-15076506103507119922012-02-14T10:02:00.007-06:002012-02-14T10:09:01.492-06:00Love the One You’re With?For some, this holiday serves up only unpleasant memories of the unrequited and the solitary. But they forget that Love manifests in all shapes and sizes, to all types of creatures. Love travels on Perception, and sometimes there’s no easy explanation for how and whom it touches.Take Precious, my first animal companion of my very own. Her first love was a black version of the sculpture she’s C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-87581607118539260632012-02-14T08:33:00.001-06:002012-02-14T08:34:15.332-06:00Happy You-Know-WhatC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-89369507447039170682012-02-11T09:21:00.010-06:002012-02-11T11:43:21.898-06:00Follow Your Dreams?Stranger In A Strange Land – No. 22Lots of self-help “gurus” tell us to Dream Big to get what we want out of Life. “Follow your dreams and the money will follow,” they advise.There are plenty of people who have done just that. We know this because they’ve taken the extra step of flaunting their stories across the media to remind us of their success.But I suspect there are plenty more folks who C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-5319101734532938282012-02-10T18:14:00.003-06:002012-02-10T18:26:06.303-06:00Silver-Lining ThinkingYou’re going to see 420 Characters on my “Current Reading Lineup” for a while. Not because I’m laboring through it—far from it.It would be easy to fly through the little book, devouring it. Instead, I’m allotting time and space and imagination to each mini-world Lou Beach created for readers. I’m trying to live in each alternate universe for a bit before moving on to the next one.Here’s a line C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-69468200786619247132012-02-09T12:49:00.016-06:002012-02-09T13:39:26.864-06:00Compassion: Yet Another Endangered Species?I’ve been reading Ian Parker’s “The Story of a Suicide: Two College Roommates, a Webcam, and a Tragedy,” a New Yorker article about the Rutgers freshman who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge, leading strangers to jump to conclusions about his motivation. The author includes numerous e-mails and text messages that the players in this drama exchanged, and I was struck again and C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-52330744611577737412012-02-08T08:40:00.007-06:002012-02-08T08:46:13.302-06:00Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It…Ol’ Man Winter is back in the Bluegrass.That’s okay. I’m going to replay a sunnier day last week when my husband and I communed with a couple of paddocks of yearlings. They were curious about us—stormed over to check us out, jabbered a bit to us, then frolicked with each other.Bliss.C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-33256424181253246062012-02-07T18:03:00.009-06:002012-02-07T19:01:49.447-06:00Add The Lost Pet Chronicles to Your Reading ListIf you care for a cat or dog, or work with or around canines and felines, or feel like you’re the only one who regularly notices stray pets as they dart past or peek out from hiding, this book was written for you.The Lost Pet Chronicles is a quick, easy read yet profoundly useful. Author Kat Albrecht details her rescue work with animals and provides important information every cat and dog lover C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-57927423536494027352012-02-04T16:58:00.009-06:002012-02-04T17:07:02.606-06:00In Case the Groundhog Is Right…I’ve been under the spell of Springlike temperatures and bursts of color here in the Bluegrass.Crocuses have popped up everywhere and honeysuckle bushes have bloomed. Taller bulb flowers—jonquils, daffodils, tulips—have been ever-so-slowly pushing their way toward the sun since December. The bees seem as thrilled as I am about the early blooms.I realize none of this guarantees Old Man Winter’s C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-88769713733559215012012-02-04T16:17:00.004-06:002012-02-04T16:20:43.377-06:00A Sheepish Correction…As I wrote earlier, Shaun the Sheep has been my mood-altering substance of choice recently and I encouraged you to follow suit.However, the second season of the television series brought some disturbing changes to the flock. The characters are revealing some deviousness and meanness, likely because they’re under the influence of new writers. So-ooo-oo disappointing.Just wanted to warn you.C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-46719296785794941222012-01-31T18:02:00.007-06:002012-01-31T18:09:35.244-06:00Advocating, Not Battling, for FairnessSatirist Al Franken wrote this before becoming Senator Al Franken, but my guess is that he still stands by it. If you’re part of the 99%, it should make you smile, or at least nod in agreement.Any time that a liberal points out that the wealthy are disproportionately benefiting from Bush’s tax policies, Republicans shout, “class warfare!”In her book A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth [C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-40131307028233444012012-01-29T15:30:00.013-06:002012-01-29T15:42:22.206-06:00Soothing Savage Beasts, or Why I Was Late to ClassYou don’t always get to choose the theme of your life. Sometimes it chooses you. So it has seemed for me this past year, which I have dubbed The Year of the Squirrel.Upon reflection, I have a surprising number of memories over my lifetime involving squirrels—the black ones, the white ones, the red ones. Now it seems they’re all grey, like Stubby.When I was a kid, my grandfather “talked” to C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-5639354301045890572012-01-28T17:08:00.005-06:002012-01-28T17:14:04.079-06:00“Life’s a Treat with Shaun the Sheep”Need a lift?Watch Shaun the Sheep.Yeah, I know I’m late to the game. I’m just catching up on everything I missed during my workaholic years.Shaun is a little sheep who is wise beyond his wool yet never lets on to The Farmer. He turns bath time into fun time, helps anyone in need, and never holds a grudge against those who hurt him, nor does he accept credit for the problems he solves.In addition C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-59340987375441901602012-01-27T16:47:00.004-06:002012-01-27T16:51:08.055-06:00Wisdom from Fiction: What Matters“By the time everything is decided, it will be too late. The moment is always now. There is no then, it turns out. Everything real is a kind of now.”—Hope, the elderly artist in John Updike’s Seek My Face[I’ve no idea whose artwork this is. Do you?]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-50013087899154246932012-01-26T10:11:00.007-06:002012-01-26T10:16:43.238-06:00Evil Cookies and Wayward Commentsa! I was beginning to develop a full-blown inferiority complex until I read this on The Real Blogger Status.I’ve posted comments on a number of blogs recently, but they haven’t been published. The first few times I just thought the blogger wasn’t moderating very often. However, I’ve returned to these blogs to check, only to find that other folks have commented since my attempt.It’s a cookie thingC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-77769505388489870402012-01-25T08:30:00.005-06:002012-01-25T08:33:53.284-06:00Happy Anniversary, Husband DearestWe’ve been married for 5 years, known each other for 30, and lived together for 27.Whew! Where’s the bubbly?“Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”—Rumi[Contrary to the photo, our ceremony did not involve a church or flowing gown. Instead, we had a corporate conference room and pinstriped suits. But that’s another story…]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-10181050413269873442012-01-24T16:33:00.016-06:002012-01-25T08:05:04.480-06:00Sociopaths and Sandhill CranesSorting the Defective Brains from the Poorly Operated OnesOne of the horse bloggers I check in with periodically is starting an online reading group: WHOAprah Whinny’s Book Club. The blogger is pushing for the inaugural book to be The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. Her reasoning: She wants to understand horse abusers.After scanning the reader reviews on Amazon.com, I may actually read StoutC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-12278922365867962122012-01-24T09:17:00.002-06:002012-01-24T09:24:34.802-06:00Technical difficulties at Blogger today. Hope to post again soon, Blogger willing.[If you know the artist of this little robot, please let me know.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-76182100319325862712012-01-23T15:12:00.004-06:002012-01-23T15:15:06.954-06:00A New Soul, An “Aw” MomentDid you see the news? Rachel Alexandra, who made headlines some years ago in the racing world, gave birth to her first colt yesterday.[Pic from Stonestreet Farm.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-15646574850789250892012-01-21T09:50:00.005-06:002012-01-21T09:54:09.828-06:00You Think You’re Special?“dysfunctional family: any family with more than one person in it”—Mary Karr[Art: The Family by Picasso.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-32367204053953795122012-01-19T11:09:00.008-06:002012-01-19T11:14:58.663-06:00A Moment SuspendedAfter seeing the autumnal splendors from Natural Bridge last year, we met this little fellow (gal?) on the path back to our car. He appeared to be teetering between life and the next life, so we moved him closer to the woods for a calmer transition.“Uh-oh. What are you about to do?”But not before we took some photos of him, which, in spite of his condition, he managed to blur or escape the frame C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-20646780724140485392012-01-16T10:12:00.008-06:002012-01-16T10:16:49.400-06:00Merry Monday“Someone spiked my coffee with optimism this morning and I spat it right out.” —Larry CarlatThis made me laugh, but I imagine some of you out there are facing your workweek with just this sentiment. Shoulder on, readers…[Art by Eric Carle.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-16044978550243756112012-01-16T10:03:00.008-06:002012-01-16T10:09:10.709-06:00WordGazing: Finally, Justice Will Be ServedI WAS A DRUM MAJOR FOR JUSTICEPEACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESSThe text above is on the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in D.C. Not only is it carved without punctuation, it’s also paraphrased.Yup. Not really a quote. And not even the gist of the original utterance, which is:“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-82642550272303125232012-01-15T09:49:00.004-06:002012-01-15T09:55:33.759-06:00What We CherishJust as Jane Goodall continues caring for Jubilee, I continue to keep Icky by my side.I’ve no idea how he got his name and no one in my family remembers either. He entered my life shortly after my birth, while I was still in the hospital, and has stayed with me ever since. He’s been cuddled, fought over, lost, found, washed, and stepped on; he’s gone swimming, swinging, camping, and travelling; C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-72279824341747562112012-01-14T20:12:00.004-06:002012-01-14T20:16:36.104-06:00Book Report: Seeking Good Cheer (Or, Barring That, Hope)I finished the sheep detective book last night. Hated closing the cover on the little flock. They were quite charming.Started Jane Goodall’s Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Seemed like a sound choice for someone in need of uplifting reading material.Goodall’s concern for nature and animals was evident when she was but a baby. Her mother often told a story about the night she stepped up to C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-92050476893390566312012-01-13T11:46:00.005-06:002012-01-13T11:51:26.305-06:00A Friday the 13th Tale: Crossing the LineThis tiny tale has no spook factor except, perhaps, for its starring black feline. (And truth be told, when you stepped close to her, you could see she was more auburn than black.)A purebred Sable Burmese, she entered my husband’s life after being abandoned by a second set of human “guardians.” When my husband’s life expanded to include me and a couple of other cats, her indignation rang loud andC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-87320245209916318372012-01-08T09:23:00.006-06:002012-01-08T09:29:02.230-06:00The “Not What It Seems” DepartmentFor those whose New Year’s Resolutions include slimming down, here’s Sleep Talkin’ Man’s take on the poundage situation:“I’m not fat. No. It’s just my awesomeness swelling up inside me.”[Art by Fernando Botero.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-85397671586519522472012-01-06T10:09:00.007-06:002012-01-06T10:16:03.796-06:00Holding Gloom and Doom at Bay“Hey, Poky,” greeted my husband the other morning as he inched his way into our living room. I’m not sure why he called me Poky. A reference to Poky Little Puppy perhaps?“That’s just what I’m reading about!” I said a little too enthusiastically, The Omnivore’s Dilemma open in my lap. “The Poky Feedlot is…”He didn’t let me finish because he assumed the word feedlot led only to tragic details. “C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-1269117708629602612012-01-04T09:11:00.005-06:002012-01-04T09:15:46.851-06:00What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?If you’re short on goals for 2012, here’s one to add to your list:“Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.” —Christopher Morley[Blue Penguins after surviving an oil spill last year, now enjoying their new C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-34224153373202332602012-01-02T17:06:00.010-06:002012-01-02T17:14:27.279-06:00Love in Shades of BlueA month ago I got a call from a friend—the kind of call we dread receiving, the kind of call we dread having to make. I knew from B.’s voice that something was wrong. And then it tumbled out: His cherished buddy—his first dog—had reached the end of his Earthbound days. They parted physical ways with the assistance of a veterinarian’s needle.I felt B.’s pain. Not just because I could relate, but C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-42192931173652157722012-01-01T09:48:00.002-06:002012-01-01T09:57:35.623-06:00Congratulations!If you’re reading this, then you made it through 2011. And that’s something for some of us.I’m glad you’re here and I hope you keep coming back.C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-80308404864038125532011-12-31T14:07:00.005-06:002011-12-31T15:29:36.892-06:00It’s Headed This WaySaid my dental hygienist yesterday, “I sure hope 2012 is a better year than this one was.”“Me, too,” I sputtered. Although I’ve said that for the last six years. Each year has brought me new and unexpected challenges (which is a nice way of saying pain and trouble).For the record, I don’t buy into that “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” crap. Nor do I subscribe to the “You’re given only C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-8756221882630466622011-12-31T09:44:00.009-06:002011-12-31T09:51:01.625-06:00My Year of Reading Aimlessly“I do not want to be a book worm. If its book is taken away from it, the little blind head is raised; it wags, hovers, terribly uneasy, in a void—until it begins to burrow again.”—Katherine MansfieldFor the past year, reading has been a salve for my grief and a substitute for exploring the world beyond my apartment (doctor’s orders to stay off my feet). I’m not alone in turning to books for C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-72215729543252106402011-12-28T11:33:00.008-06:002011-12-28T11:37:07.636-06:00A Bounty of Bad ChoicesI’ve started a project that has me reading books for youngsters, specifically books involving companion animals. While scanning the library shelves last week for dog haikus, I tripped over a Lemony Snicket tome and was curious about what lessons the popular author was instilling in today’s youth.The content is silly sometimes, sarcastic other times. Readers need to be intelligent enough to know C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-62063106334924900952011-12-25T07:40:00.001-06:002011-12-25T07:42:37.790-06:00It’s Here! Now You Can Relax…C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-89269976949473577832011-12-24T16:24:00.005-06:002011-12-24T16:28:11.544-06:00It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas…Whew! I didn’t find a tree, but I purchased a 99¢ poinsettia and a wreath of mixed evergreens from the Blue Ridge Mountains, which I took apart to fashion into several holiday arrangements. Instead of a month of Christmas in our home, we’ll have it for a few days.When my father was a child, Christmas decorations didn’t come out until Christmas Eve. His mother would take him to a church service inC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-56787932200582870552011-12-24T08:59:00.003-06:002011-12-24T09:01:19.139-06:00Tree Shopping. Again.We still don’t have a tree. In fact, there’s little in our apartment that tips you off to the season except the stack (somewhat tree-shaped) of boxes—both the cardboard and gift-wrapped variety—near the door.I’ve been to several tree-selling stands. Stopped at one just this past Wednesday. But, as usual, couldn’t find anything I wanted (read: that was affordable).However, my desire for a tree C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-65606922675506535012011-12-23T18:54:00.004-06:002011-12-23T18:57:17.861-06:00You Can’t Always Get What You WantThat old Rolling Stone song is true. The question is, How will you respond?When 15-year-old Regina Mayer was told she couldn’t have a horse, she took the road less travelled…[Story and photo from Horse Connection magazine.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-77855915468375416152011-12-21T09:50:00.005-06:002011-12-21T09:52:50.045-06:00Tired of the usual Christmas film fare?Most of us have a favorite Christmas film classic we have to watch each year—Holiday, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol (my husband is partial to the 1951 version with Alastair Sim), It’s A Wonderful Life.My list is influenced by the fact that A) I’ve never had cable or satellite service, B) Every place I’ve lived has had poor television reception, and C) I’ve not seen many other C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-63561261308647016872011-12-20T20:02:00.004-06:002011-12-20T20:03:54.004-06:00Start a Christmas Tradition à la TolkienAfter dropping off books at the library this week, I scanned the titles in the holiday display. Naturally, one called out to me and I couldn’t ignore it. I took home J. R. R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas.You don’t have to be part of the Tolkien cult to enjoy this book. It’s a collection of letters and illustrations (and thereby characters and fonts) Tolkien created and sent to his C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-51137839580691108272011-12-19T12:17:00.029-06:002011-12-19T12:50:24.200-06:00Heaven on My Mind: Never Can Say GoodbyeHeaven’s been weighing on my mind, but I’ve had a hard time envisioning it.“Every living thing dies. There’s no stopping it.”—the opening paragraph of Unsaid, by Neil AbramsonAs I posted earlier on Lull, my reading these last few months has been full of heartbreak and partings—people from dogs, horses from people, goats from turkeys, geese from cows. There’s no end to these losses.I grew attachedC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-36044817994302540882011-12-17T09:52:00.008-06:002011-12-17T09:59:39.223-06:00“Squirrelly Saturday”: Need a 2012 Calendar?While shopping for birdseed yesterday, I noticed a calendar that made me do a doubletake.It was the 2012 Squirrel Stuff Calendar: The Official Field Guide to Undiscovered Squirrels published by Arundale Products. You can purchase the calendar, read the history of these unique squirrels (i.e., how the artist created them), or report your own sighting of an undiscovered squirrel (i.e., give the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-2339112686739863072011-12-14T08:47:00.004-06:002011-12-14T08:50:03.338-06:00Eat Like A HorseI saw a commercial on television last night that showed one young, vibrant, beautiful person after another enjoying mouthfuls of McDonald’s fare. Clearly, the ad campaign intended to make me crave a Big Mac. But those ad-meisters had nothing on a horse I know.I met M. (the equine pictured) this fall. He stood on the far side of a paddock until he noticed carrots and apples in my hand. He raced toC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-23788860744038475722011-12-11T11:33:00.009-06:002011-12-11T11:39:16.558-06:00Books on the Silver ScreenA dear friend gave me a box of “literary tea”: To each bag is attached a quotation. Here’s one that gave me a chuckle, especially in light of how many 2011 film releases started on the printed page:“Don’t judge a book by its movie.”An abbreviated list of films released this year based directly or indirectly on books:HugoJane Eyre Mr. Popper’s Penguins Puss in BootsSherlock Holmes: A Game of C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-81614491326137954392011-12-10T10:23:00.003-06:002011-12-10T10:25:37.959-06:00Bullish on ChristmasOh, the humiliation for the pooch pulling the cart. But the pups don’t seem to mind.[I found this pic online eons ago and no longer have info on it. If you know these dogs or the person who deserves credit for the photo, please let me know.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-61343055405823254672011-12-09T12:17:00.010-06:002011-12-09T12:25:24.968-06:00Obligations of a Pet at ChristmastimeI don’t have a dog. Or a horse or a cat. Not even a turtle or a fish.When I was a kid sans live companion animals, I collected figurines and stuffed animals to fill the void. Today I read about them.My current read is Christmas Dogs: A Literary Companion, which opens with a litany of the unfortunate results of mixing dogs with Christmas—white puppies slobbering on the red bows tied ’round their C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-25743800954789852392011-12-06T15:40:00.011-06:002011-12-06T15:48:29.805-06:00FREE Music for Dogs!I’m a day late in hearing about this, but I wanted to pass it on to you anyway.Through A Dog’s Ear is offering a free download each day this week of their specially arranged music for dogs.Today, for instance, is a Debussy piece. And to top it off, you can play a word contest on behalf of your favorite shelter. If you win, your shelter will receive the Calm Your Canine series of 3 CDs and YOU C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-59796367290808065192011-12-06T12:13:00.011-06:002011-12-06T12:25:32.906-06:00Truth Omitted for an “Aw” MomentI have a soft spot for Great Danes. And when I read about a Dane (Maddison) who, without being asked and without being trained, took on the responsibility of acting as Guide Dog to her blind friend (Lily), I had to share these photos with you. I wanted to talk about Compassion Footprints—ours and animals’.However, when I started digging into the story, I found many disturbing details (e.g., the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-56351461686359393312011-12-05T10:10:00.010-06:002011-12-05T10:16:06.395-06:00Stories for the OverscheduledYou’ve no time for fiction, you say? Your life’s about to change.Tomorrow marks the release of 420 Characters, a collection of fictional stories spilling from the mind of acclaimed artist Lou Beach. (If you’re near Los Angeles, you can hear him read excerpts at Book Soup tomorrow night.) No story exceeds 420 characters—the maximum allowed by Facebook for updates, which is where 420 began. C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-11135139639570127702011-12-05T09:26:00.003-06:002011-12-05T09:29:12.716-06:00Deck the Halls with … Pumpkins?I realize Christmas is just around the corner. Retailer music has been reminding me since October. But the tall, strangely narrow pumpkins that grace my window ledges still look so great that I don’t have the heart to remove them.I paid WAY too much for the pumpkins, and the woman selling them knew it. Then she warmed to me and started telling me about her life.She raised her daughters the “C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-47439381888436638692011-12-04T08:15:00.009-06:002011-12-04T08:20:17.844-06:00Mystery Sculptor Strikes Once MoreLast month I told you about the paper sculptures left anonymously at various libraries in Edinburgh, Scotland (“Art in Defense of Libraries and Their Treasures”). Each tiny masterpiece was a tribute to the literary arts and the libraries that preserve our heritage.The Random Acts of Beauty created global buzz and desperate attempts to expose the artist. Yet, in a strange twist to our usual C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-28113717466553670212011-12-01T09:31:00.006-06:002011-12-01T09:37:24.942-06:00Stupidity Goes Bipartisan on Horse Slaughter LegislationHere’s a brief roundup of brilliance from U.S. politicians. I’ll post my rebuttal soon.“We wanted to allow horse slaughter again in America because of an unanticipated problem with horse neglect and abandonment.” —Rep. Jack Kingston, R-GeorgiaHorse owners in Cole’s district are “pretty unanimous that they want the means to deal with an excess population.” —Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma The federal C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-40344007399071463312011-12-01T08:41:00.010-06:002011-12-01T08:51:05.157-06:00First, Do No Harm: Where Horses and Hormones IntersectHorses and hormones keep peering at me from my reading. Neil Abramson’s debut novel Unsaid opened with a couple of Premarin foals rescued from slaughter. Random links in blogs have led me to discussions about the safety of hormone replacement therapy, a topic I’m not particularly interested in. But I scanned the comments anyway and was repeatedly disappointed to find that no one ever brings up C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-22404128390689571312011-11-29T16:22:00.005-06:002011-11-29T16:27:19.163-06:00Seasonal Surprises, Seasonal Dividendsnow visited us today for the first time. Fleetingly. It left before I had time to get excited about it.I wonder if the rain, which has pelted us nonstop for days, was as tired of itself as we were of it and decided to try a new look.Or perhaps the snowflakes, confused by the glut of Christmas decorations displayed since October, raced here today for what they thought was a late entrance. C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-74289423868039835232011-11-26T13:56:00.006-06:002011-11-26T14:03:58.192-06:00Would You Like That Fried, Lightly Fried, or Deep-Fried?Stranger In A Strange Land – No. 21Today is the Gobble Grease Toss in the Horse Capital of the World. When I first learned of this annual recycling event, I thought it was a joke. Just as I had once thought that the barbed comments made about Kentuckians loving fried foods were gross overgeneralizations. Turns out I was wrong in both instances.If restaurant menus are any indication, fried is the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-52925766670900169892011-11-24T10:11:00.005-06:002011-11-24T10:14:49.350-06:00Thanksgiving Plenty: The Food that BindsThanksgiving 2010 seems like yesterday to me. From his deathbed, my list-making, eternally instruction-giving father supervised the kitchen proceedings. In his hyperspecific way, he detailed what he wanted on the menu and from which restaurant I was to procure it.At first, I was crestfallen: No home-cooked holiday meal? Then irritated: I wasn’t fond of the food at the restaurant he’d chosen. And C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-48914358188637811582011-11-23T21:18:00.003-06:002011-11-23T21:25:21.241-06:00May You Have Enough To Share…C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-53730999786852133162011-11-23T12:33:00.004-06:002011-11-23T12:37:20.726-06:00Pre-Thanksgiving PonderingsIf you watched My Life As A Turkey last week on PBS, you may be having second thoughts about putting a bird on your holiday table this year.That’s just what the folks at Catskill Animal Sanctuary hope. Pictured above is Henrietta (the feathered one) and her best friend Atlas. Clearly, farm animals have big personalities and bond as strongly as their two-legged keepers do.I’m thankful that CAS C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-35055197566918557232011-11-22T08:47:00.008-06:002011-11-22T08:54:27.712-06:00The Failed Volunteer Awaits Her FateTwo days passed after my volunteering debacle at the Humane Society. I knew they still needed help that week, and I knew I was only on the standby list, yet a sinking feeling continued to weigh me down—a feeling that I’d been deleted from the volunteer roster.Then my phone rang—they needed me!—and I was off to the land of abandoned and lost pets.I assumed I would be helping the staff catch up on C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-51916888051226355182011-11-20T14:43:00.003-06:002011-11-20T14:46:53.274-06:00Follow Your Bliss“[W]e should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.”—E. B. White[Photo shows E. B. White with his pooch Minnie.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-79497717253604133512011-11-19T17:31:00.012-06:002011-11-19T17:45:17.884-06:00Rock, Paper, Scissors: A Flustered Volunteer Spends a Day with Her Inadequate SelfFor reasons I won’t go into, I’ve not been able to be on my feet. Which means I’ve not been able to walk the dogs at the Humane Society, which has plagued me with guilt lately. So when an opportunity arose this week to perform office tasks for the Humane Society, I jumped at the chance. In fact, I offered to spend the entire day there.Preparing for VolunteeringMy day started badly before it was C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-80926177903131103762011-11-18T07:24:00.010-06:002011-11-18T07:33:57.038-06:00The Blue Jay Chronicles: An Addendum“There’s more to a blue-jay than any other creature. … You may call a jay a bird. Well, so he is, in a measure—because he’s got feathers on him, and don’t belong to no church, perhaps; but otherwise he is just as much a human as you be.”—from “Jim Baker’s Blue-Jay Yarn” in A Tramp Abroad, by Mark TwainAfter reading up on Jays, I started putting out one of their favorite foods—raw peanuts in theirC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-32616484757117873082011-11-17T09:28:00.007-06:002011-11-17T20:52:41.981-06:00NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo—MeNoDoThoIf you’re wondering why some of the blogs you visit are strangely behind in posts, it may be because the blogger at the helm is participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Every November, countless writers start or work on a novel. Their goal: 50,000 words in 30 days. As Haiku Farm blogger says, “50,000 words. One of them is bound to be good.”Or not.Other bloggers are taking the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-58900355372182388902011-11-15T08:02:00.005-06:002011-11-15T08:06:12.322-06:00I’ll Be BackSorry for the quiet here on Lull. I’ve been time-traveling.“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.” —Mary SchmichC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-78513413872203343102011-11-12T09:48:00.003-06:002011-11-12T09:50:06.958-06:00So Happy TogetherRecently, I read a short memoir about the horses a writer had grown up with. Clydesdales, they were. And her father brought the first one home—the one he’d fallen in love with, the one who started his obsession—in the backseat of his Cadillac convertible.I SO wished to see a photo of that!Just now, looking for something else, of course, I happened upon this next best thing:This is Jim Sautner C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-22006136538364272622011-11-12T08:50:00.003-06:002011-11-12T08:52:40.354-06:00On A Personal Note…Sorry, Sister Dearest. You can’t escape it. As John Glenn said, “There is still no cure for the common birthday.”Hope yours is a stellar one today![Cake from We Take the Cake.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-62957753257006575532011-11-11T17:28:00.004-06:002011-11-11T17:33:49.407-06:0011 Words for 11.11.11Today is 11.11.11. To add some flare to the rare numerical element of the day, some writers are constructing ministories with just 11 words. Here’s mine (and it’s true—at least, it’s how it happened in my dreams):The Proposal, Part 1 After cohabiting for 60 years, he asked me to marry him.What would a story be without a sequel?The Proposal, Part 2 I smiled. “We should wait to see if we’re C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-25280552934671581832011-11-10T14:21:00.006-06:002011-11-20T11:08:33.454-06:00The Blue Jay Chronicles: A Stranger LurksOne sunny September afternoon, I headed up the road to visit with a neighbor. It was a glorious day and I was trying to take it all in—memorize the newest crimsons creeping out from the trees, the whiff of crushed acorns on the sidewalk, the warmth of the sun hitting against cool air. My reverie was short-lived, however.A cacophony rose ahead of (and above) me. It was “My Trio of Blue Jays,” as IC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-84992635827973564002011-11-09T15:40:00.003-06:002011-11-09T15:55:54.658-06:00If You See It, Report It@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } No animal should have to wait this long for a knight in shining armor (in this case, Catskill Animal Sanctuary). If you see something that looks wrong, report it. Then follow up, and report it again. C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-50688254192787110522011-11-09T13:36:00.006-06:002011-11-09T13:41:45.571-06:00Art in Defense of Libraries and Their TreasuresI meant to post these pics long ago. Today is as good a day as any, I suppose. Enjoy.Earlier this year in Scotland, sculptures started appearing in libraries. In the Scottish Poetry Library was a “poetree,” with a tag reading: “It started with your name @byleaveswelive and became a tree. … We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books … a book is so much more than pages C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-19047285826668052772011-11-08T12:48:00.005-06:002011-11-08T12:54:26.637-06:00Experiencing A DisconnectOn my reading docket is a collection of Katherine Mansfield short stories. It’s my first foray into Mansfield’s work and after consuming a bit of it, I needed more context. Who was she? Where did her characters come from?When I was scanning book titles at the library’s 2-for-1 sale, I noticed Journal of Katherine Mansfield and without hesitation scooped it into my stack. When I opened it the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-72145446194834270872011-11-06T14:59:00.012-06:002011-11-06T15:23:19.728-06:00The Blue Jay Chronicles: A Cappella TrioAs I wrote earlier about our Blue Jays, they returned to our feeders this Autumn after a long summer hiatus. Or perhaps, more correctly, a new batch of young Jays had discovered our feeders, for they seemed new to the world and their feathers had neither found their proper place on their bodies nor reached the saturated blues that prompt their name. Their little head crests were usually resting C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-89410335525492457372011-11-06T07:13:00.005-06:002011-11-06T07:15:47.664-06:00Art and Animals: A Winning Combination, Inside or OutThis is the first thing I saw when I opened my browser yesterday:I started to share it with you yesterday, but didn’t because as I was trying to determine the story behind it, I got mired in discussions of whether it was Photoshopped, whether the horses were receiving decent care, and various interpretations of the setup. The photo has been around the Internet several times in the last nine yearsC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-41054356553581602082011-11-04T09:45:00.006-05:002011-11-04T09:49:22.043-05:00Build a Better World for Yourself, One Ritual at a TimeAs I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been having trouble shaking a case of glumness. Then I found this photo (couldn’t verify the photographer) and decided it looked like a great first step to take: Vent. Whether venting frustration, joy, fear, or that wild sense of brain chaos indecision can cause, let it rip full-throttle from your innermost heart and cells.In fact, it’s probably a good step to take C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-82589856695395349102011-11-02T16:00:00.003-05:002011-11-02T16:02:49.667-05:00Finally, A Little Good NewsIn the last couple of months, my reading has randomly uncovered one sad story after another, many of them about losing the one creature the writer (or one of the writer’s remaining animals) had the strongest bond with. Needless to say, I’ve been a little weepy.I don’t seek this kind of darkness. It somehow finds me and peels away whatever gossamer layer was beginning to encase my own rawness.But C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-59086718123459379252011-11-01T13:20:00.002-05:002011-11-01T13:26:05.819-05:00Día de los MuertosMosaic by Rebecca Collins.C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-85411838733870774642011-11-01T11:00:00.008-05:002011-11-01T11:06:55.893-05:00Walk for Old Dogs This MonthAs the number of companion animals increases in this country, so increases the number of elderly animals abandoned and surrendered. These are the creatures most often overlooked at the pound, the creatures some folks are even repulsed by. Why? Depends on the person.A greying dog for instance, isn’t pretty enough for some people—not fast enough or playful enough or shiny enough. The dog may sufferC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-2281799609676665892011-10-31T08:40:00.000-05:002011-10-31T08:42:21.882-05:00Preparing for the Big NightC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-28327412311685661002011-10-30T11:50:00.012-05:002011-10-30T12:01:28.969-05:00Saying Goodbye to Summer and Dog PaddlingEarlier this year as Summer gave way to Autumn, I counted down the days leading up to the local “Dog Paddle.”Dog Paddles have become successful fundraising events for canine advocacy groups across America and the Bluegrass is no exception. People pay (that is, donate to whatever the cause is) to give their dogs free rein in and around a sparkling pool.I could hardly wait to attend, anticipating C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-89668080198329219422011-10-29T07:51:00.005-05:002011-10-29T07:53:41.322-05:00Who Knew?“You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does—but you let a cat get excited, once; you let a cat get to pulling fur with another cat on a shed, nights, and you’ll hear grammar that will give you the lockjaw. Ignorant people think it’s the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain’t so; it’s the sickening grammar they use.”—from “Jim Baker’s Blue-Jay Yarn” in A C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-21018503501503892992011-10-27T05:39:00.005-05:002011-10-27T05:44:57.495-05:00Sight-Seeing in the Bluegrass: Part 3The last you’ll (probably) hear about my week with The Visitor…On a crisp and sunny Friday, we rode a lift up to the panoramic views of the Natural Bridge on the edge of Eastern Kentucky. Our aim was twofold: to show our Visitor some different terrain during her stay, and to spread some of my father’s ashes there as he’d requested.There are laws prohibiting what my husband and I planned to do, C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-1625097311374334242011-10-26T15:35:00.005-05:002011-10-26T15:39:01.147-05:00Halloween: Bringing Humiliation to Pets Every YearWe’ve all seen those over-the-top adorable pics of dogs and cats dressed for Halloween: devils, pirates, bunnies, hot dogs, Medusas, transformers—you name the costume, some poor creature has had to wear it and pose for a pic.But how many horses have you seen decked out for the occasion? These pics are from the Facebook page of the American Quarter Horse Association. (I’m especially fond of the C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-7783764490826595482011-10-25T08:49:00.003-05:002011-10-25T08:51:07.310-05:00WordGazing: You Say “To-may-toz,” and I’ll Say…I wasn’t looking for typos on a recent Saturday afternoon, but this banner jumped out at me.I suppose the perpetrator could argue that the punctuation mark is a stand-in for the omitted e. To which I’d rebut, “Why not just slip the e in there? There’s plenty of space for it.”But more than likely, the perpetrator also has trouble distinguishing its from it’s and boys from boy’s. More than likely, C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-21912143749307668722011-10-25T08:20:00.005-05:002011-10-25T08:23:02.921-05:00Getting Out the VoteI’ve been meaning to draw your attention to the mini survey located at the right on Lull, just beneath the “Welcome” text. It won’t take much time or brainpower on your part to choose an answer to the question. However, the vote tally could affect how much time and brainpower I continue to spend on posts for Lull.So let me know—by voting—how meaningful the links (to bio info, to Web sites of C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-9566451818570210142011-10-23T19:03:00.006-05:002011-10-30T12:12:09.782-05:00Parallel Seasons“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”—Albert CamusC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-47482995772221118522011-10-22T15:46:00.003-05:002011-10-22T15:48:50.014-05:00Sight-Seeing in the Bluegrass: Part 2A tad more about my week with The Visitor…We passed a field full of foals as we wended through the countryside the other day. I’ve never seen so many tiny horses in one spot—and all by themselves, too. Not a single mare anywhere near them.Had there been a place to stop the car, I might have gotten a picture for Lull. (Of course, had I remembered to take my good camera, I might have tried harder.)C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-81153208192867618212011-10-20T08:38:00.005-05:002011-11-02T16:11:32.835-05:00Sight-Seeing in the Bluegrass: Part 1I’ve neglected Lull this week because my mother is visiting from the Land of Lincoln. I haven’t had a chance to write until now, and I have to be quick about it.We started the week with an early morning tour of a few thoroughbred farms, where I could have stayed all day communing with the horses yet my mother had to be coerced into feeding a single carrot to a single pony. We do not share my C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-66517696684643967462011-10-16T08:24:00.007-05:002011-10-18T07:57:44.376-05:00A New Generation, A New OSI stopped by a library book sale yesterday and overheard a rant about print versus e-books. (I also overheard a diatribe about Ayn Rand, but that’s another story.) The folks were diehards, never to be converted to the digital experience.They should see this video, though, to understand that the future is here. Our newest readers, like the baby in the video (be sure to watch her test her finger), C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-2748608118186413802011-10-16T06:39:00.010-05:002011-10-16T07:39:48.909-05:00WordGazing: George Clooney on Drinking and SpellingHave you seen the latest Time magazine? George Clooney is asked whether he follows Twitter. He answers:“No, because I drink in the evening and I don’t want anything that I write at midnight to end my career—‘You can kiss my ass,’ all spelled wrong.”Don’t you just love a man who worries about his spelling?C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-57294205591559786272011-10-15T07:04:00.016-05:002011-10-15T07:20:16.189-05:00Seeing Dogs As IndividualsNothing exemplifies the individuality of canines better than Sarge, whose life I urge you to share with anyone trying to pigeonhole dogs (or any other creature, for that matter) by age or breed or circumstances.The large, red pit-bull mix spent his first 14 years in a Philadelphia rowhouse where he was repeatedly abused by a despicable person. Then the PSPCA stepped in. For the next six months, C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-67576841764055156032011-10-14T08:53:00.004-05:002011-10-29T07:42:55.960-05:00The Blue Jay Chronicles: A Tête-à-TêteBlue Jays have been curiously absent from our feeders since Spring. Now they’re back. Our days are frequently interrupted by their piercing calls, and they appear to be juveniles—more gray and brown than blue, feathers sticking out in weird directions.One afternoon as I hung laundry on the line outside, a Jay perched on the telephone wire above me, squawking. I watched and listened for a bit, C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-10818521835546619092011-10-12T08:16:00.006-05:002011-10-12T08:22:18.816-05:00“If you’ve got a heart, then Gumby’s a part of you!”If you haven’t already done so, visit Google’s home page today. It’s a tribute to claymation pioneer Art Clokey. (You know—Gumby’s creator.) Be sure to click on each blob of clay to see all the characters.I have fond memories of spending every Sunday with my grandparents and watching Davey & Goliath in their living room before doing arts-and-crafts projects with my grandmother.Thank you, Mr. C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-54782641472894646402011-10-10T13:11:00.004-05:002011-10-10T13:12:58.123-05:00“Me Too! Me Too!”Nothing says Determination like this little pup and his Can Do attitude.May you, too, be able to face whatever comes your way this week with the same mindset.[Art by Jamie Wyeth.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-23704116864113400852011-10-09T08:39:00.012-05:002011-10-09T08:57:57.906-05:00My Little PoniesHorses were a focal point of my childhood. I read about them, drew them, collected statues of them, rode them, and pretended to be one of them. Now, all grown up and living in the Bluegrass, horses have reprised their role in my life. Mostly, I read horse-centric books. Yet better than books about horses are blogs about them—which have become my new favorite diversion from the “Current Reading C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-90691760214183710662011-10-08T09:19:00.007-05:002011-10-08T09:26:20.458-05:00My Favorite Exercise“I consider reading an aerobic activity.”—Jane, author of The Literary HorseO, if that were only true. I’d be scary thin by now. [Art by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-70892317883002755672011-10-07T13:33:00.010-05:002011-10-09T08:39:16.743-05:00I’m No Jane GoodallI just broke up a squirrel fight.I’ve seen squirrels fuss at each other before and give serious chase to an offender. But this was the first time I’ve witnessed two squirrels standing on their hind legs, face-to-face, while punching, clawing and biting each other. I yelled at them. Rather, I yelled at one to “Leave Stubby alone!”Stubby, or The Stubster, is the gray squirrel I’ve been watching C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-68502149802326285962011-10-06T07:51:00.004-05:002011-10-06T07:57:43.840-05:00The Apple of Our (Technological) EyeIt’s quiet here today. All our Apple gadgets—including some museum pieces from 1990 and the first iteration of the iPod Mini—are in mourning.In case you missed the headlines, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs died yesterday.Even if you don’t share Jobs’ innovative mind, or his entrepreneurial spirit, or his inquisitive nature, his approach to Life is worth emulating. In that one respect, he will remain C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-61092836540717220062011-10-03T09:33:00.008-05:002011-10-03T09:44:01.277-05:00If It’s in My Weekly Reader, It Must Be TrueWhen I was in first grade—back in the Dark Ages before family-owned farms became artisanal and watermelons became seedless (and may I add tasteless) wonders—I read a fascinating article about witches in My Weekly Reader, the trusted news source for grade-school children. A single sentence captured my attention and my imagination: One sign of a witch is a dark spot on the palm of the left hand. (IC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-91223147534543689922011-09-28T10:25:00.004-05:002011-09-28T10:28:07.759-05:00O, That I Could Fly!“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”—George Eliot[Art by Gustav Klimt.]C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-76111919013798384922011-09-28T09:45:00.010-05:002011-09-28T09:54:33.167-05:00The Bond: The Money Flow, The Victims, The Need for ChangeWhew! I finally finished Wayne Pacelle’s The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. The text is easy to read, the details difficult to digest.If you’re already concerned about large-scale animal welfare, or you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you’re probably familiar by now with most of the anecdotes Pacelle delivers. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these stories, you may be C. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7449646675836452620.post-67497366125232605712011-09-24T11:59:00.013-05:002011-09-24T12:23:03.181-05:00Ode to the Commat’s National Punctuation Day again. In the spirit of the celebration, here’s an excerpt from The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. The character speaking is Renée, a 54-year-old widowed concierge who hides her intelligence (I modified the typography slightly for easier comprehension):Madame Michel, Would you be so kind as, to sign for the packages from the dry cleaner’s this afternoon?IC. J. Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269114402317109274noreply@blogger.com0