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            My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky. It's time to take the window to see Leerie going by; For every night at teatime and before you take your seat, With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street. Now Tom would be a driver and Maria go to sea, And my papa's a banker and as rich as he can be; But I, when I am stronger and can choose what I'm to do, O Leerie, I'll go round at night and light the lamps with you! For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door, And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more; And oh! before you hurry by with ladder and with light; O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him to-night!    poetryloverspage.com/poets/stevenson/lamplighter   http://www.vulcanlighting.com  

Tea Norman I find myself sympathizing with Agnes Grey, the governess. While on the first job, I empathized with her. Now I am doing the same on her second job. The story is told from her, Agnes Grey's, viewpoint. If I read a true account by the children or charges, would I feel the same way about Agnes Grey? I'm wondering if she is not meant to be a governess. Of course, there weren't many positions for women at that time. What positions did she have to choose from?

Little black and yellow bird saw a boy. Without a thought or word the boy ran with joy. His chocolate milkshake fell to the ground. He didn't care. He had found a new sound. Chirp! Chirp!  chirped the wind-up toy.(hn)

Is it true? They talk about my children lost everywhere I go. Is it true? They talk about my cold love everywhere I go. Is it true? They talk about my greyed, patched hair everywhere I go. No, it's not true. The town continues to love me everywhere I go. Refuses to look at all my flaws just prays me, they do everywhere I go.

It's the beginning of National Poetry Month, 2016. I'm still enjoying Limericks. They really jiggle my funny bone.  Yesterday I read one from Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The subject is a crocodile. Then, I tried writing another one. At this very moment, my fingers want to write another Limerick. These short verses make me feel free and full of laughter. There are rules but not so many as a sonnet. Did Shakespeare ever write a Limerick? I think of my grandchildren. I can see them sitting down with different colored pencils or crayons writing Limericks on yellow, purple, red or even black construction paper. Fun! If they would decide to write one or two Limericks, I would like to receive them in a letter. Does anyone write letters anymore? I'm thinking of the ones delivered by a mailman. What better gift for Mother's Day than funny lines from the smartest children in the whole wide world? I know ; It's too early to think of Mother's Day. It's jus

I've always known Limericks were funny. Since my funny bone is slim, I would skip over Limericks written by famous poets in Literature anthologies. Silly me, I thought reading these short, humorous lines a waste of my time. Now, I'm dying to read more of them. I also think these poems are difficult to write. Happily, I am cheered up by reading these lines. They are good medicine. Kettle blows steam high. Bumble bees go by in the sky. Many robins make a nest. Flies land on bread and rest. Mothers look at toys to buy.

Introduction Bucharest, Romania 1984 Miruna, MY LEGAL ASSISTANT, peeked into my office doorway. '"A big man in the waiting room says he wants to discuss a case."' She shrugged. '"That's all he will tell me."' Bibliophile By the Sea

For a very long time, people believed they could fall from the edge of the earth. That must have been awful to live with such a fear. It's not hard for me to understand their belief and their feelings. My first time visiting an island was frightening. If we drove far enough, I thought we would reach the end of the island or edge of the ocean. If we didn't stop the car quickly or turn around, our lives would end. It's strange how the mind can turn on a silly thought, and believe it. I cringed each time we had gotten to a certain point of the island. Now I think of these thoughts as a good plot for a Science Fiction movie. I'm sure my feelings have changed about the dangerous edge. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this feeling while visiting an island. I must have missed facts in Geography class. I'm not sure whether islands end abruptly. Is their en edge like an edge to a cliff? Is it possible to go too far and fall into the ocean? I could swear we came t

The loaf of bread is stale. It is always on the wooden table in the kitchen. It is there because sometimes it's the only food the family have to eat. After traveling across the sea, the Boones never got themselves up and going again. The father was unable to hold a job. He had a skill, fishing. Too discouraged to lift a fishing rod or to put bait on his hook, he sat in front of the t.v. with the sound turned down and let colorful cartoon characters pass by while he waited for the commercials. No, his father had never grown up. The waters in this part of Atlantic City were so polluted fishermen were giving up their jobs quickly and headed further into the city. They hoped to find work in construction or in a factory. Nathan never did find a job lasting over six months. He never left home. Leaving his brood his brood of three children and a memory of a dead wife and mother was not an option. The oldest child, sixteen year old, James, carried the load for the family

Isaiah 53:5 - But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Lost hope, how often? More than three hundred sixty-five times and more. Wanting to believe that no bridge in life would ever break due to high, stormy winds. Then, regaining my equilibrium somewhere and remembering that God will never leave me. On hopeless days, He draws closer than ever. Again, this reminds me of the familiar Footsteps in the Sand. There are so many renditions. These thoughts leave me more than thankful for Easter Sunday this year. I am thankful God rise again to walk with me through sufferings present, past and future. He knows my days. He does not grow tired or weak, and His ear is open to every cry I make. Isaiah 53:5 - But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are

It's taken me a hot moment to get into this book. Luna Sea by Jessica Sherry . It has finally begun to catch my interest. I am curious about the distressed red headed woman who disappears after Delilah sees her. '"Then, search the beach! The marsh!"' I argued. '"She's out there somewhere, and she's in trouble. She was convulsing, Lewis. Her lips were blue and her pulse was racing. She needs help!"' I liked the Oceanic facts mentioned at the beginning of each chapter. The author slips sea facts into metaphors that fit whatever or wherever the character is in the book: Triggerfish, Angelfish, etc. There is also poetry and proverbs like "finders keepers."  Lo and behold, there are also scriptures. Mainly the one in the Bible about a sound mind. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 Delilah often thinks about this scripture. She suffers with panic attacks and o

In The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton, Delaney Nichols begins a new life at The Cracked Spine Bookstore. She has come from Kansas and traveled all the way to Edinburgh, Scotland. The Cracked Spine sells rare books. They also have manuscripts for trade. Almost as soon as Delaney Nichols begins work there a murder happens which involves the owner of the store, Edwin McAllister. Edwin's sister, Jenny, is "brutally" murdered in her flat. Delaney is no shrinking violet. She wants to figure out what happened and why and did someone steal a Folio from her flat. This Scottish cozy involves the writings of Shakespeare and the disappearance of a book, a classic, titled The Adventures of Roderick Random by Smollett. I really enjoyed reading about specifically titled books and just simple anecdotes about books. Delaney is passionate about books and Scottish History. She has experience in the museum and library work. I also liked how quickly Edwin, Hamlet and the staff took t

I blushed. '"I'm sorry. I need to be more professional. Men don't wear kilts in Kansas. It was an--interesting sight. We have more serious things going on though."' http://adailyrhythm.com/teaser-tuesday

"Since 1800, THE WHITE HOUSE has served as a residence for the president of the United States. The eighteen acres that surround the White House have been the Forrest Gump of gardens--an unwitting witness to history--a backdrop for Civil War soldiers, suffragettes, protestors in the 1960's and activists today."(Timber Press) http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com

Have you peeked at my books on the shelf? This one has been there awhile. It called to me this morning. Its voice loud and clear. I had to answer it. Picked the novel up and started it. The writing style blew me away. Usually, a novel carries me from my world to another one. This one just led me back into a world of memories and into a Still Life painting I might have observed in a museum. Let me share a bit with you. www.edwardkelseymoore.com "I grabbed the water pitcher and saw a bowl of grapes sitting next to it looking cool and delicious...I sat down at what had been my place at the table for three decades and poured a glass of water. Then I popped a handful of grapes into my mouth and started to feel better." Suddenly I could see myself back at the dining room table eating breakfast, lunch or dinner with my family. I could taste the grapes or bananas eaten with my children on a trip to a beach. It all flew back in my mind as quickly as the birds fly back from the

It is  the first day of spring. I haven't seen one daffodil. That is why a bike ride is in store for me. My desire is to ride up and down the country roads. I will ride slowly. Watching the streets for the daffodils written about by William Wordsworth. Then, I will write a page in my journal like his sister, Dorothy. I wanted to go riding yesterday. It was impossible. I'm stuck in this asylum. This is where the voices speak louder than any squawking peacock. They say, "don't go! Stay here! Stay away from the unseen dangers created by haunted angels." I might as well obey. Is it possible to escape from walls built so high? There is a family story. Once a third cousin on a walk with hospital patients slipped away and into the woods. "Was she ever found?" This is the question I ask my mother over and over. She looks far away. Not one word comes from her lips. I hush. I will ask God tonight in my prayers. Mother has secrets. There is so much she refuses to

Will Tyson Steele and Hunter McKay give in to their feelings for one another? That is the question that needs answering in Possessed By Passion by Brenda Jackson. They met one another eighteen years ago. Now they meet again. Tyson Steele is one of five brothers. Hunter McKay is an owner of an Architectural firm. When they meet again, Tyson comes off as very aggressive. When I say he wants Hunter, I' am not kidding. The problem for me is that he doesn't say he loves her as much as he wants to take her into his bedroom. He's sweating her that's for sure. His approach smothered me. I think it smothered Hunter too. Besides, Hunter has been hurt. Brenda Jackson describes how painful a divorce can become by writing about Hunter's husband, Mr. Robinson. He stole all of her clients. That really made me sad. In Phoenix, she starts her business from the bottom up. It did surprise me when Nadine Robinson, Hunter's mother-in-law, showed understanding and kindness to Hu

I heard a minister talking to me this morning. His voice as clear as a lake. So clear I wanted to wash my face with his voice. The water should drip over my face like truths told. Then, I came to myself. There wasn't a minister talking. It was God. Fully awake, I knew now it was time to face what I didn't know. Face what I had searched for time and time and time again in my mind. Face the fact that there was trouble somewhere close. No happy ending, no straight path, no sweet lullaby by Brahms. I would need a hand to hold. An ear in which to whisper a word of thought. A borrowed handkerchief on which to wipe my tears. Now, I am wide awake. Something tells me I'm in a pity party. I'm looking through a glass half-empty. A sigh, whatever way my thoughts turn God is still there. Not blaming me. Not asking me hard questions. Just waiting with answers, His patience and His loving kindness. So, I have turned to a smaller Bible. One where the prayers are as close as a priest

The black and white cat is still. It watches through the bed of daffodils as the gardeners plant their bulbs and seeds and listen to the whistling chimes blow away the ghostly shadows of the night.(hn)

  My goodness, it's certainly easy to tell that women in earlier centuries, survived horrible troubles. Thought of as the weaker sex Marianne and Nora's future hangs in the balance. It is up to the men in the family to keep them and to choose when and whom they may marry. Whether they inherit is placed under a clause called entailment. Poor Marianne, worries about her sister, Nora. If their Uncle Horace chooses to marry her off too soon and to the wrong Mr. Right, her future will change for the worse. Nora is already unhappy after having suffered a fever and/or fall. While reading about these two women in Madeleine Hunter's The Wicked Duke, I had a chance to look closely at the lives of the women. So much drama! I was shocked to read about a serious attempt at suicide by one of the women. Also, reading about the weak turn of  one's mind was interesting. Really, really good is the life Marianne leads. To save money for her sister, she writes letters for the new