Two kinds of people

My life has taken on a new perspective this past month. I have discovered that there are two groups of people in life – the bloggers and the non-bloggers.

Friends who don’t blog just don’t get it. How many of you have blogging buggies who you have never met but who you would consider your friend, because they “drop by and visit” regularly? Just a sentence or two, but it means a lot. You’ve had a glimpse into their life, their home, and their heart. You’ve shared in their triumphs and tragedies --you’ve bonded. If you don’t see a new post for several days, you begin to worry.

Non-blogging friends just don't get it.

I know that I feel much closer to my sister having jumped into her gardening mania. For the first time I think I finally understand her obsession, I mean interest, in gardening. I mean I like gardening as well, but I’ve never been obsessed. But now I feel myself being drawn into the gardening obsessiveness (let’s just call it what it is!) more and more since visiting with so many lovely gardeners through the blogging world. I understand now! My vision and horizons have been expanded! I have big dreams for my garden this year – bigger than I would have ever dreamed without all the garden blogging cheerleaders out there.

Blogging is sort of like old fashioned letter writing. It’s just a new and improved form of letter writing – don’t you think? And so much better than letter writing, because you can visit with so many people. I love clicking here, clicking there, seeing where the clicks will lead, seeing what new insight into life someone’s blog will bring to surface.

Three of my friends blog. We are all homeschool moms, all part of the same support group. I feel as if I know them so much better since becoming blogging buddies. I know all about Nicky’s love life, her new beau.

I can share in Charmaine’s joy as her daughter finishes Phonics Pathways. I can glean from her wisdom as she so kindly has put all sorts of essential homeschool resource sites on her sidebar.

And Laurie. I love the pictures of her children. Laurie is funny. She makes me laugh.








But, I still love my friends who don’t blog. Jill for one. Recently she sent “the blogging beauties” an email. She’s made us bloggers into an email network…..
(BTW…She knows I’m copying part of her email, she said it was ‘fine”)

First, please notice that I have given you a special place - you ARE an email group (The Blogging Beauties) in my address book. No, I won't have you as a link on my blog (because I DON'T blog), but you are still special!

Poor Jill. She just figured out cell phones, then we all started emailing. Now she has figured out email, and actually checks it daily, and now we are all blogging.

In case you don't know, I am just getting the hang of email and now you are moving into blogging. HELP.......wait.......don't forget about the old dogs!!

Here's some more history: I have been a "telephone" girl since junior high. As the number of children who needed to be homeschooled increased, I realized that my talking days were coming to an end. My telephone conversations would be for emergencies - especially those waaaahm-bulance calls (ask Sherry), last minutes schedule changes and making appointments.

Gone were the days of leisurely phone calls when we talked on the phone and pretended that we were at quiet, little coffee shop sipping on our favorite coffee (even if it was one of those high maintenance drinks) just us - no children. (The children may have been in background, but as long as there was no blood then they were fine!)

So, I moved into the 21st century and jumped on the web and began emailing. It has taken some time to become proficient, but homeschooling has greatly improved my email communication skills.

Almost a year later, I am feeling pretty good. I check email not just once daily, but usually 3 or 4 times a day. Hurray!!!

But hold the phone (lame joke I know), now all of you are doing this blogging thing!! Yikes!!!! I hear the excitement in your voices and I see how you feel the connections to each others' lives, but I am still looking in from the outside. Woe is me. Now, I am not trying to make you feel sorry for me and I have already heard the distant rumblings of the impending pressure to start blogging. BUT, please just give me some time.

Time? Time? Just wait, we’ll have her blogging one day soon. Her and Donna both. And Kitty. And Julia. And Ady. And all the rest of the non-bloggers out there.

Then they’ll understand. And they’ll look at life from a whole different perspective. After all, don't you?

Books..LOTS of books

I

LOVE



BOOKS



I do



NOT



Have too many books




Is it possible to have too many books?



Well.....




Maybe.....




Rule of thumb: If you have books sitting on the floor lining your hallway, you MAY have too many books.

Yesterday, a friend of mine invited my children and me over so the kids could play while she and I worked on her books. One of my favorite things to do...

"I need a little bit of help organizing them."

"OK."

I can do this. I love to organize books.

"Um....do you have a plan in mind? There are alot of books on the floor."



When I organize books, I start by sorting them into categories.
History in one, Religion in another, Health and Nutrition in a third and on and on. You get the idea. Just like a library has their books organized by subject.

My friend had other ideas.

Does anyone vacuum their books but my friend?

Come on - let's organize these babies! Then we'll clean each pile as we look at what we have here!

"Wait...you said there are more in the garage?"

"What? Another book on History? Did you know this was out here?"



After you have your piles of books organized by category, you can see what you have.

"Did you know you have two of these? Um, can I have the extra?"

Hint: You also don't need 5 Middle Ages Encyclopedias. One or two will do. You also don't need 25 books on character training. Pick the best, one or two that you know are good, that you would like to use. Put them on your bookshelf.

Sell the rest, give them away, or if you really can't part with them, box them up, label the outside of the box with names of the books in the box, and place them on a shelf in the garage, attic, wherever, with the label facing outward so you can see it at a glance. Too much is not always a good thing (unless you are talking Zenia seeds!). Too much leads to paralysis. Too many choices results in an inability to make any choice at all.

Well, after about 6 hours my friend and I had made a good dent in her stacks and stacks of books. The good news is that she discovered she has all the resources a homeschool mom could possibly need for history, geography, character training, biblical devotions. It was just like Christmas. She found books she "had always wanted" but had forgotten she had.

And, she has 3 or 4 HUGE boxes of books for the next book sale or to sell on eBay.

My last piece of advice? When you buy a book, immediately upon bringing it home, put it on the bookcase under the proper subject heading. If you no longer have room on your bookcase, then you'll need to pull another book off the shelf and pass it along to a good friend........

OR, you can do what I do....

Buy more bookcases.

Friends

Today was a wonderful day.

Know why?

My daughter and I spent the afternoon doing one of my favorite things. We went to visit a new friend. We had never been to this family's home before, and I love that adventure in itself. But this was especially cool, because it was the home of a brand-new home school mom.

Her daughters are wonderful chicklets right smack on either side of my daughter age wise (No boys, though. Mine stayed home with Grandma). The girls had a wonderful afternoon playing, while we moms visited and talked about one of my favorite subjects - curriculum.

She was so excited to show me what she had been using, and I was excited to see it. I love fresh ideas and fresh insight. I love this process of sharing. Today, she shared with me a new website I had never visited before, (Fresh Water Fred's Lending Library) along with some other curriculum I had heard of, but not seen. We found we use some of the same books for some other subjects, and that was pretty cool - a bonding experience.

One day soon we will have her and her girls to our home, and will share with her some of our school treasures. We'll talk, look at books, drink some coffee or hot cocoa. Maybe indulge in some homemade salsa.

I look forward to these visits with my friends, old and new.

With old or new friends, it's a blessing to sneak a glimpse into someone else's world and I feel privileged that they are willing to share it with me.

Often today in our hectic world, people no longer take the time to go visiting. Hospitality is almost a lost art. We worry about what people will think about our house, our dishes, the food we serve. What if they spot some dirt? In my home, what if the dog looses it right in front of them and they step in it? (OK, sorry, get that picture out of your head).

But you know what? All people really want is a clean glass to drink from, a clean toilet to sit on, and an ear to hear them with.

That's all.

And the reward is priceless.