1. Last night I attended a funeral for the mother of one of my long-time, closest friends. Hers was one of the houses where we all congregrated, from middle school on up (I had my first kiss on the sidewalk in front of that house)… and now my friend opens up her home to all of us for get-togethers as well.

My – oh, I'll go ahead and use the word – 'old' classmates and I filled several rows, and even my mother tagged along with me. One of the guys got up and spoke about his memories – our memories – but I have to admit, when he said the words "forty years ago" and "back in the day", I cringed at the truth of it. We are old! Argh.

But we're also forever young, thanks to those memories. Rest in peace and thank you for putting up with us, Mrs. Stanley, and thanks for speaking for all of us, Randy.


2. I saw a news report about cicadas that said they only appear every 17 years. Well, if that's true, I want to know what the heck we have around here every single summer that does a perfect impersonation of a cicada!


3. Just when I decided I needed to give something up for lack of time, whether my blog or my book or photography, I had a request to purchase some photos, an idea for a{nother} children's book that wouldn't leave me alone, I passed to the next level on a paid online writing gig, and I got a lot of attention on my blog.

Murphy's Law, but in a good way for a change.

But I'm still trying to figure out how to do it all…


4. My girlfriends pitched in and gave me a gift card for my birthday for me to buy a pair of cowgirl boots to wear to the rehearsal dinner for my son's wedding.

(It's a Texas thing. I had a great pair of boots…but then had three kids. Now TG has a great pair of boots, and I have my mother's which are about a half size too small.)

Anyway, I'm in a quandary. I'm tempted to squeeze my foot into my mother's boots that night, and use the gift card to {mostly} pay for an iPad or Kindle or something like that. Several of my friends have written e-books, and I have them on my computer, but I have limited time at home in front of my computer. I can't even keep up with my book writing or photo editing, so their books are still unread, along with tons of blog posts and articles, because I can't read them on my iPhone.

I'm thinking if I got an iPad, I could tuck it in my purse and stay caught up with my friends' writings. Sure, I'd look cute in a pair of Heritage Westerns, with jeans tucked in or a cute summery dress, and two-stepping in wedges is kind of a challenge, but…

See the fix I'm in? 

If any of you has an iPad or a Kindle or other similar device, please share your input and help me with this decision before it drives me crazy!


5. I'm happy to report that I've had a couple of mouse-turd-free days since retrieving the last one from the back seat and tossing it into the woods. Fingers crossed they've decided my car isn't the luxury hotel they were hoping for!


P.S. The onion flowers are back!

April 13-0230

(Yes, that's technically 6 things. But I had to share these – such simple elegance in our little bit of woods.)


Linking with

 {Random 5 Friday}

and

Friday Fragments


Posted in , , , , , , , , , , ,

16 responses to “Five Things on Friday”

  1. Wolf Pascoe Avatar

    I have an iPad mini and it’s the best thing since chopped liver. The display isn’t “Retina” quality like the iPad 3, but everything is perfectly readable. It’s light and probably would fit in your purse, but the full size iPad 3 would probably be too big. The mini isn’t much heavier than a book, while the full size is just too heavy to read without propping up your arm with a pillow. I read many of the blogs I keep up with on the mini–but no tablet is very good for commenting–it’s so much easier with a real keyboard. Reeder or Mr. Reader are really good apps for keeping up with all your blogs. I use Instapaper to save things to read later. And the Kindle App for reading ebooks, which I get from Amazon. You will not be sorry if you get an iPad mini–unless they come out with a better one a month after you buy yours. But Apple is always doing that.

    Like

  2. Nancy Avatar

    Well congratulations on all of your projects… good thing you didn’t drop any of your loves. ๐Ÿ™‚ You’ll manage somehow!
    Thanks for sharing your 6 facts Barbara — much appreciated with all that you already have going on. xo

    Like

  3. Mrs4444 Avatar

    It’s crazy, how fast this life is speeding by; the loss of a friend’s parent is a reminder. Sad that she’s gone, but I’m she’d love that she was the reason you got together again.
    I am not into country music and obviously don’t live in the south, but I recently discovered a nearby tack-n-feed store that sells the CUTEST cowboy boots!! I am shocked by the prices, but I understand–the quality appears to be excellent in the Frye boots. Good luck with your decision! Sorry I’m no help.
    Congrats on your recent successes!! ๐Ÿ™‚
    Thanks for linking up. Have a great weekend!

    Like

  4. Gail Avatar

    I have the ipad mini and I love it. I spend more time with it than on my computer. I’d say go for the ipad, but then again, I’m a gadget junkie. One uncomfortable night in a pair of boots vs years with the ipad would be a no-brainer for me. LOL

    Like

  5. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    I'm worried the mini won't be big enough for me to work with. My eyes are getting so bad. I think you nailed the question in my mind…will I wear the boots again? I love to dance, so it's possible, but…

    Like

  6. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    You are so right that she would love being the reason we all got together. As for the boots…it just shows the problems money causes. Before my birthday, I hadn't even thought of getting an ipad and was resigned to wearing my mom's boots. Sigh. I'm not complaining though. I'm grateful to my friends for providing this problem! ๐Ÿ™‚
     

    Like

  7. lisa Avatar

    Barbara, I remember when the iPad first came out. I was sure I would have no use for it, but as time went on…and now, I would truly be quite lost without it. It is just so convenient, and so portable. I absolutely LOVE it!
    Happy Sunday to you.
    P.S. But then there’s the boots…I’d be in a fix too! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Like

  8. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Lisa, I thought you were helping me…now I'm back where I started! lol But actually, as a blogger and photographer, your input is greatly appreciated! Happy Sunday!!

    Like

  9. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Thanks for the motivation to write them down, Nancy! Blogging is my therapy! ๐Ÿ™‚
     

    Like

  10. Tabor Avatar

    The cicadas do appear every year. But there are two larger classes…one very large, and that is every 17years. I love my Kindle, but it is not great for biographies because you cannot see the photos very well and going back and forth to the footnotes is a problem.

    Like

  11. ladyfi Avatar

    The onion flowers are lovely.
    If you mainly want to read, then I’d recommend a Kindle as it has electronic paper that is easy on the eyes. An iPad is more like a small computer but the screen isn’t so good for reading – e.g. you can’t read it in sunlight (but you can read the Kindle in direct sun).

    Like

  12. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Thank you for sharing your info on the differences between the two. I'd also like to be able to read blog posts when I'm away from the computer, and my iphone is too small, so that's why I was thinking about the ipad. Sigh.

    Like

  13. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Thank you so much for clearing up that cicada question! And I hadn't even thought about issues like you mentioned with the Kindle. Thanks for sharing that! When I'm reading something with footnotes, I do like referring to them right away. And I love photos!

    Like

  14. lisleman Avatar

    Certainly not a cicada expert but we have them too and some years more than others. I believe there are different “clans” so even if it has not been 17 years another clan can be taking their turn.
    Just an idea – would the I-pad be a business expense for you writing business?

    Like

  15. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Maybe. Definitely would be for blogging. Good food for thought! Thanks, Bill!
     

    Like

  16. Barbara Shallue Avatar

    Your comments are still getting dumped into spam…along with mine! Sigh. So you don’t think the iPad mini is too small? From its description, it didn’t see much bigger than my iphone, and it’s all I can do to read emails on there. But I hadn’t thought of the weight. I usually carry my camera in my purse, too. I can foresee more neck and back problems! (And obviously you don’t remember how big my purse is, Wolf! lol)

    Like

Leave a reply to Mrs4444 Cancel reply