Living well is an art...

© Janelle Meraz Hooper

5-16-06-The photo of the red door was taken in Alaska. I don't know what there is about doors that fascinates photographers...maybe it's what may be behind them that intrigues us so...

What a laugh! I’ve discovered an Arabian website that has printed one of my stories in English, but the rest of the website is in Arabic! I’m tickled to know that I’m being read somewhere else in the world, and hope that my story can help bring us all closer together. I’ve often said that I write stories about Americans who are just looking for a good piece of yellow watermelon…I’m hoping that I can help show the world that there are more of those kind of Americans here than the kind who live in Trump Towers…

Of course, these stories will never make me rich. The literary agents love to tell me that books about ordinary people don’t sell in this country. They’re looking for books about women who drip with wealth and men who drive Italian sport cars.

Now, to an extent, I agree. I don’t like to read about poor, downtrodden people who are still poor and downtrodden in the last chapter. BUT, there are lots of people who live full lives without millions of bucks. Living well is an art. Living well with lots of money may just be lucky.

I’ll never forget a young man I met years ago who managed to see all the plays and concerts around even though he didn’t have a dime in his pocket. He got in by volunteering to usher at those events. How smart was that?!

Here’s a few tidbits from my blog drawer :

Headlines: (Yahoo!)Treating mom’s depression may help kids…duh! Just think: someone got a grant for thousands of dollars to figure that one out!

Say what?!: They want to make a movie about Mother Teresa with Paris Hilton playing the lead?! That’s just plain nasty.

In the mail- As I writer, I love and honor all language. The Comanche Language and Preservation Committee has a dictionary out that is terrific. It has Comanche to English and English to Comanche sections. Price $34.00 which includes shipping and handling. They also have other language materials in a varied price range, some come with a CD to help with pronunciation. Contact them:
Comanche language and Cultural Preservation Committee
P. O. Box 3610
Lawton, OK 73502-3610
(Psst! I’ll bet they have a web site…)

Quote du jour:
“We mustn’t confuse dissent with disloyalty.”

Edward R. Murrow (Good Night and Good Luck)