I Can't Sleep

It isn't unusual for me to have insomnia when it's a full moon.

I have tried, but sleep just isn't coming tonight. And I just keep having to step outside to see that full moon and that bright Jupiter sparkling beneath! That is just so neat!!

That was the best I could do with my camera. In that first one, you can actually see a planet shape.

Okay, so fall is here. Officially today it got up to 99°F in our area, and this was the 81st day of 90° or higher temps for the Louisville/Southern Indiana area. We broke a record set back in the 50s, I believe the news report said. But showers are moving in over the weekend and hanging around for much of next week, and the temps are going to be lower. I certainly don't want cold weather to take over, and I don't really want a lot of rain either, but it would be nice to have fall temps now that fall is officially here.

Patience and Love

I recently came across the following poem by Joseph Mills. I think it's a beautiful poem, and I believe you will think so too.

THE GUARDIAN

by Joseph Mills

I don't think my brother realized all
the responsibilities involved in being
her guardian, not just the paperwork
but the trips to the dentist and Wal-Mart,
the making sure she has underwear,
money to buy Pepsis, the crying calls
because she has no shampoo even though
he has bought her several bottles recently.
We talk about how he might bring this up
with the staff, how best to delicately ask
if they're using her shampoo on others
or maybe just allowing her too much.
"You only need a little, Mom," he said,
"Not a handful." "I don't have any!"
she shouted before hanging up. Later
he finds a bottle stashed in her closet
and two more hidden in the bathroom
along with crackers, spoons, and socks.
Afraid someone might steal her things,
she hides them, but then not only forgets
where, but that she ever had them at all.

I tease my brother, "You always wanted
another kid." He doesn't laugh. She hated
her father, and, in this second childhood,
she resents the one who takes care of her.
When I call, she complains about how
my brother treats her and how she hasn't
seen him in years. If I explain everything
he's doing, she admires the way I stick up
for him. Doing nothing means I do nothing
wrong. This is love's blindness and love's
injustice. It's why I expect to hear anger
or bitterness in my brother's voice, and why
each time we talk, no matter how closely
I listen, I'm astonished to hear only love.

"The Guardian" by Joseph Mills, from Love and Other Collisions. © Press 53, 2010.

I Like This -- I Think!

Check this out. I think it's cool, and at the same time, I'm not sure I could do it without cringing. I'd want to use books that I don't want to read again, but I'd also want to use books that reflect my own tastes and preferences. And if I used books I liked, would I be able to turn them into bookshelves? I guess I'd have to use duplicates of books I like. What do you think? It is a great way to recycle!