Starting them Early

Posted on December 19, 2017 by russtowne

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(Thomas wearing wear my boots.)

When I returned home Sunday evening from a weekend book event, My Beloved told me of a conversation she had with our five-year-old grandson Thomas during a visit that morning:

Thomas: “Where are all the (children’s picture) books?”

My Beloved: “We had to put them in boxes and put them away because the builders need room to build.”

T: “But children need to read. I’m a child. I need to read.”

I love how that boy thinks.

Russ

 

 

Posted in books, Children, Children's Picture Books, Humor, Reading, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Posted on December 14, 2017 by russtowne

Now THIS is a Christmas tree I could really get into!
With Love,
Russ

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Fun and Funny Book Dedications

Posted on December 14, 2017 by russtowne

via 13 Book Dedications Guaranteed to Make You Laugh Out Loud

I enjoyed this post and believe you will too.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in book, books, Humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Friends For Life

Posted on December 13, 2017 by russtowne

I just read an article about a woman with MS who promised they would continue coming to see her, and they did, for twenty-one years and counting. What a remarkable testament to the stricken women and he tremendous friends.

Some of my favorite snippets:

“She gives so much more to all of us than I can tell you,” said Judy Feldman, 83, one of the original organizers of Harriet’s Harem. “She gives us the inspiration to go on, to overcome anything.”

**

“I only keep the good friends,” Fridkin says with a big smile. “The other ones, I don’t keep around.”

**

Before Fridkin got sick, she was a gourmet cook, which was a great irony because her husband has always preferred frozen dinners, a dynamic that caused some friction and endless amusement in their marriage. So she’d cook elaborate meals and feed her neighbors, either when they stopped by or by passing a pot over the fence.

**

Feldman remembered one day when Fridkin was still going out to restaurants but could not feed herself. It was Feldman’s job to feed her, but they gabbed so much that Fridkin barely got to eat. When it was time to go, Feldman pushed the wrong button on the wheelchair and sent her friend careening into the table, knocking it over. Mortified, she looked down at her friend.

“I was horrified and terrified,” Feldman said. “And she was just howling, laughing.”

**

Friends For Life

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Challenges, Friendship, Illness, Love, Stories That Touched Me, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Today’s Quote

Posted on December 13, 2017 by russtowne

This is one of my favorite quotes/messages. I’m grateful to have many great people in my life.
With Love,
Russ

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Posted on December 12, 2017 by russtowne

clyde_hippo_pg14

I learned the hard way that having expectations is a choice that leads me down a path to disappointment, and if I linger in disappointment long enough I can find myself in bitterness and misery. When I replace expectations and disappointment with gratitude for the gifts that can be found in nearly all experiences and interactions, I have far more capacity for love and growth.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in expectations, Gratitude, Growth/Learning, LIfe Lessons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Monday Humor

Posted on December 11, 2017 by russtowne
I saw these on www.mikeysFunnies.com and thought you too would enjoy them.
With Love,
Russ
Looking in the mall for a cotton nightgown, I tried my luck in a store known for its hot lingerie. To my delight, however, I found just what I was looking for.
Waiting in the line to pay, I noticed a young woman behind me holding the same nightgown.
This confirmed what I suspected all along: despite being over 50, I still have a very “with it” attitude.
“I see we have the same taste,” I said proudly to the 20 something behind me.
“Yes,” she replied. “I’m getting this for my grandmother for Christmas.”
[forwarded by Steve Sanderson]
today’sThot============================
Research has determined that the shelf life of fruitcake is longer than the shelf.
=======================================
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Sunset and Silhouettes

Posted on December 8, 2017 by russtowne

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Two of my favorite things are sunsets and silhouettes of trees. The image above is the visual treat that greeted me at the end of my book event at Loma Prieta last weekend. It was a wonderful way to end the day. I captured the shot just as the last part of the golden  orb dipped below the horizon.

This weekend I’m scheduled to participate in a fundraiser for the Concord Historical Society.  I’ll be I’ll be one of two authors at the event, and am looking forward to it.

With Love,

Russ

Posted in Beauty, Nature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Golden Gifts

Posted on December 7, 2017 by russtowne

 

 

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I love the tradition described in the link and snippets below.  May the tradition expand throughout the world.

It began in 2014, when a Boston widow carefully wrapped her engagement and wedding rings in paper, along with “a very sweet note,” and dropped them in one of the Salvation Army’s ubiquitous scarlet buckets, Forster said.

“I’ve dropped my wedding ring in your red kettle knowing that the money from its sale will buy toys for needy children. In all seasons, my husband was a giver,” the widow wrote.

..

Days later, a former bell-ringer came forward and offered $21,000 for the set. Also a widow, the woman wanted to return the rings to their rightful owner.

Forster arranged for the women to meet, he said. “The public became very enamored of the story,” Forster said, after media stories ran about the exchange. 

Sources: Leo Not All News is Bad from KSAT12

With Love,

Russ

P.S. The rings in the photo are the ones my Beloved and I gave to each other when we got married. As they are still in daily use they are not being donated.

Golden Gifts

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Full Circle

Posted on December 6, 2017 by russtowne

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/medic-born-in-the-back-of-an-ambulance-42-years-ago-spent-his-birthday-delivering-a-baby-girl–in-the-back-of-an-ambulance/2017/12/04/5f3fa24a-d92a-11e7-b1a8-62589434a581_story.html?utm_term=.998da0788785

What a fun story! It put a smile on my face.

My brother Roger and his daughter Jodi are both medics. I’m not sure what their actual titles are but they work for their town or county’s fire department providing on-site emergency medical treatment and saving lives. How cool is that?

With Love,

Russ

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