Karen’s Opinion

We have been visiting friends the past few weekends and now I am feeling a bit guilty. We really should invite this couple to our home but I keep putting it off. It is crazy but when I don’t know someone very well, it makes me nervous. I especially dislike lulls in the conversation and tend to chatter a bit more than is necessary to fill in the void.

I thought it would be a good idea to have some conversation starters like coffee table books. We have a large, square coffee table that is big enough to share a snack and coffee and still have room for some great books. I have a small collection of beer steins in my china cupboard. It might be fun to have a book that tells the history of beer glassware. Another great book to have ready would be a book about Hisey glass. I am slowly getting a few pieces of that glassware and would love to show it off.

I could share a book on both breeds of dogs in our house. I’m sure Brody and Elsie will introduce themselves to this couple. They are great ice breakers.

I feel better already. It is time to invite this couple to our house!

You Are Charlie Brown

You are a good person, and in a way, you don’t get what you deserve in life. You are kind, honest, and brave… but you always seems to have the worst luck! You’ve don’t give up easily, but sometimes you can’t help but get a little depressed. Life is hard! You might be surprised to know your friends like you just the way you are. Others can see your heart of gold.

Have you ever heard of Duckpin Bowling? I never had until a friend was telling me that she and her family played. There is only one place in Indiana where you can play and that is at Fountain Square.

As described at Fountain Square’s website:

the game was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1900 and it was one of Babe Ruth’s favorite games! Ten-pin bowling used to strictly be a winter sport and most alleys closed during the summer except for a few that remained open to play odd bowling games using the smaller balls. Summer bowlers suggested that it might be interesting to trim the standard pins down to match the size of the small ball. Because it was much harder to get strikes and spares, the rules were changed to allow three bowls on each turn but only counted as a score of ten if all ten pins were knocked down with the third ball. Duckpins became so popular that during the 1920′s duckpin bowling spread along the east coast, from New England to Georgia. Today duckpin houses are still found only in the eastern states with the exception of our two locations here in Fountain Square, the only authentic Duckpin Bowling in the Midwest!

We might have to try this after the Butler ballgame this afternoon.

My daughter got me hooked on James Patterson’s series of novels, Women’s Murder Club. I had read all his novels about about American psychologist Alex Cross so I knew that this next series of books would be page turners. As seo of laundry and cleaning detail in my home, I rarely curl up with a book so when I do, it must be a good one. The Women’s Murder Club fits the bill.

This series revolves around the lives of four women in San Francisco. Now, San Francisco would be my choice of a beautiful place to live. I love the variety of culture and the hilly streets. That said, after reading these books, I would have to have 4 locks on my door and carry pepper spray at all times. The situations these ladies find themselves involved in are intense.

Patterson draws me in to the story, making me feel as if each of the characters would be ones I would sit down with in an Internet cafe. I love the sense of friendship they have. As strong as the head of a seo services organization, these women are smart and do not sit back when pushed. Turning each page to find out if someone gets hurt or worse, murdered, keeps me up way past my usual bed time. Good reading.

When asked what gets me into the Christmas spirit, I had to stop and think. I love the huge decorations that the malls put up. I can remember, as a little girl, walking through the cosmetic department of a huge department store and feeling mesmerized by the huge, sparkling ornaments. These days, the ornaments don’t look nearly as big! Could it be that being so small made everything look big? I wonder how many employment recruitment agencies it took to hire people to decorate and then take everything down again? And to think, I dread putting it all away at my house!

I miss singing in the choir at our church, especially at this time of year. In the fall, the recruitment for choir members begins. I thought about joining again this year but remembered how my back ached after standing so long each Sunday. I miss singing in the annual cantata. Does your church have a choir? Do they sing a cantata? Our church teams up with two other churches to sing the cantata. That makes a huge choir that sounds amazing. I know how much practice goes into performing a choir and that causes me to sit in awe as I listen each year. This production involves many talented singers as well as instrumental accompaniment. Violins, flutes, and other instruments add a professional flair to the movements. Goosebumps? Yes, I get them.