Friday, July 6, 2007

Actually, what I miss is everything that has filled me with joy. And sometimes I miss the moment as soon as I'm in it. I miss the falling leaves in every fall, the icicle bejeweled branches that sparkle in the morning sun. I miss every rainbow, every good belly laugh, every long lingering kiss I have ever experienced.
This is why people write or paint or create music or make movies. Those long panning shots of incredible scenery? The cameraperson knows that she will miss that tree-lined lane.
Nabokov wrote a short story about a young boy's trip to the sea and the little girl he fell in love with there. He told of a trip to Paris to meet that little girl and how a marble with a blue spiral brought that time back to the narrator.
And, pardon my ignorance, wasn't it Proust who found a memory "au fond du tasse du the"?
Anyway, I will keep missing these moments and looking forward to them my entire life.

Back to books, I found a new-to-me mystery series that I enjoy, Daisy Dalrymple. Daisy is the daughter of a Baron, married to a Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, during the 1920s. Her marriage is an affront to the landed gentry from which she sprang but the lines between the classes are blurring since the War. Both the books I've read take place at huge British Estates complete with loyal retainers and eccentric family members. The author is Carola Dunn and the plots are clever.

I picked up an ARC of "Welcome to the Wisdom of the World" by Joan Chittister when I visited eerdman Publishing's booth at BookExpo. Did I mention this in a past post? I forget. I'm finding the book enlightening and thought provoking. Look for it in a bookstore near you, soon.