I love my Kindle!

 As a lifelong avid reader I debated for a long time over whether to get an e-reader or not. Initially I didn't want to spend the money-- first on the device itself, and then on books to go on it. That seemed an extravagant luxury to me, as most of the books I've ever read have either been from the library or picked up at a thrift store. So I just shrugged off the notion and decided I would keep reading the old-fashioned way.

About a year-and-a-half ago a friend told me that I could get a Kindle app for my computer, and that many titles were available for free, if one just knew where to look. One benefit that she pointed out was that I would have the books in my collection and could put them on an actual Kindle later, if I ever ended up getting one. I was all over that! I immediately downloaded the app and started looking for books.

After many months I realized that yes, there was definitely plenty to read on the Kindle without having to buy every title, and no, I didn't mind reading electronically, so I finally decided it would be worth the investment. I took the plunge about 2 months ago. I decided I could fore-go a smart phone (for now, anyway). The Kindle is my carry-around device of choice. I am thoroughly enjoying and using it every day!

I've collected several hundred free books by now. Many of them are current. The current ones are usually available for a limited time only. A lot of them are trash. I've deleted those as I've had a chance to look at them more closely. But there are a lot of good books available, too. It's been fun to build my collection. My Kindle fits in my purse, and it's very cool to be able to carry around hundreds of books to choose from at any given moment. (Ain't technology grand?)

There are a couple of websites that I watch for announcements of free books. I try to check them every day because of the limited-time offers. They are:

• Kindle Boards, Book Bazaar Forum, Free Book Finds thread
• eReader IQ, Free Books for Your Kindle

In addition to the current books, there are thousands of public-domain titles available for free all the time. I enjoy reading vintage novels on occasion so I've been collecting some of these as well.

Many classics, of course, by well-known authors such as:

• Louisa May Alcott
• Jane Austen
• Charles Dickens
• L.M. Montgomery
• Mark Twain

And lesser-known favorites I grew up reading such as:

• Grace Livingston Hill
• Eleanor Porter
• Gene Stratton-Porter
• Harold Bell Wright 

I also found a few more recently discovered "new to me" vintage authors:

• Isabella Alden
• James Oliver Curwood
• Elizabeth Gaskell
• EDEN Southworth

So, yeah. I think I already have more books on my Kindle than I'll have time to read in this lifetime-- because, of course, I do still also read books the old-fashioned way, too.

Next I want to get a searchable Bible to put on it to try using for church. I recently had to start wearing glasses for reading. It is a nuisance to have to be putting on and taking off my glasses to look up scriptures during the sermon. With the Kindle I can adjust the font size so I don't have to have my glasses to read. Whether or not the search feature will work to my satisfaction remains to be seen. I don't know if I will like it for that or not, but it's worth a try!

Unto the Hills

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

--Psalm 121:1-2

Sonlight Blog

I'm blogging today over on the Sonlight Blog. Starting today I'll be sharing there once or twice a month. Today's post is on Knowing My Kids. I'd love for you to leave me a comment over there. Thanks!

Ramblin' Thoughts

This past weekend we went camping Up the River.

 It was an uneventful weekend, as far as excitement goes. The weather was lovely. Sunny. Not too hot. Though the flies were nasty through the middle of the afternoon, for some reason.

It's always so good to get away from our normal day-to-day responsibilities and just enjoy some down-time deep in the forest. We drove over the mountain and stopped for a couple of short hikes. I particularly enjoyed the wildflowers. (Watch for those pictures soon.)

We spotted a few squirrel, a couple of deer, and a hawk soaring in the sky. We also came upon a strange bird sitting in the road perfectly still. None of us knew what kind of bird it was. We could see its eyes moving as it looked around, but it wouldn't get out of the way. So we crept closer (in the truck). Finally, it waddled off into the brush and then flew away. Anybody have any idea what kind of bird it was, and why it acted that way?

I miss living in the country, so I'm glad we are able to go camping frequently.

Priceless Heirlooms

This past week I've been updating a genealogy book I compiled about 10 years ago, at the request of my great-aunt who wants it for a family reunion in a couple of weeks. It had been awhile since I had taken time to work on genealogy, and I always enjoy it, so that was a fun diversion from some of the other projects that have been consuming my time lately.

One thing I added was pictures of headstones for various ancestors that I found at the very fascinating www.findagrave.com site. When I came across the headstone for my great-great-great-grandmother, Lucinda Catherine Ratterree Bock, I broke out in goose pimples. In order to explain why, I want to rerun a blog post from Mother's Day 2009, then I'll show you her headstone.

*****

"100 years from now it will not matter what my bank account was,
the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...
but the world may be a better place
because I was important in the life of a child."

Four Generations- July 1967.
The pensive tot in the center is 19-month-old Little Karla.
My mother, Pallie Sue Ezell, is behind me holding me up.
Great-grand Mother Shumaker is on the left holding Baby Sister Naomi.
Grandmother Ernesteen Easley is on the right holding Baby Sister Dorcas.

My sisters and I are mothers of growing families now. Our mother is the "grandmother"... and Grandmother and Mother Shumaker are in Heaven.

Four Generations- August 1922.
The thoughtful little tot in this picture is Grandmother Ernesteen Easley.
Behind her is her mother, great grandmother Liffa Shumaker.
Beside Mother Shumaker is her mother, Martha Maberry, my great-great grandmother.
And seated is Mama 'Berry's mother, my great-great-great grandmother, Lucinda Bock.

I suspect the world is a better place today because each of these ladies was important in the lives of her children!

Her children rise up and call her blessed...
Proverbs 31.28

*****

And here is Great-Great-Great Grandmother's headstone from 1929:

Do you see the epitaph?

"SHE PRAYED FOR HER CHILDREN"

I wonder if it ever crossed her mind that her influence would reach across so many generations?

May I follow her example.