My Goodreads review for All These Ghosts, which was book #10 for the year (out of a goal of 15, so I'm ahead) Whoo!

All These Ghosts by Silas House
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful collection of poetry. I originally borrowed it from the library, then got it in audiobook form (narrated by the author), and then bought the book so I could own the text as well. I wanted both. I highly recommend both. Hearing the poems in his own voice, with his accent, made them leap from the page. I am a 9th-generation Kentuckian, although I am from the Bluegrass, not the Appalachians. But this volume filled me with pride for my people, especially 'Those Who Carry Us'. My favorite poem is 'For Those Who Have Loved Old Dogs'. As he reads it, his voice nearly breaks. You can tell he loves the dogs he has himself had. You feel a nearness to the author in the text, but in his voice even more so. The book is a wonderful collection of poems that make you feel, think, and wonder. They touch you just as poetry should. The audiobook is as if you had invited the author into your home, had him over for salmon cakes and beans, and by the fireplace, telling you stories afterwards.

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Another beautiful poem, one anyone who has loved a dog will appreciate

I was listening to the audiobook version of Silas House's 'All These Ghosts', which is a new book of collected poems. It is narrated by the author. When he came to this poem, his voice nearly broke, and I cried. I think you can tell why and where. It's a beautiful volume of poems. I bought both the book and the audiobook. Hearing the poems in his own voice, in his accent, is worth it as well.

[Photo is of my own beloved dog, Cerys, now gone so many years, almost 20. But she lives on in my heart as if it were yesterday, my Cer-Bear 1991-2007]

For You Who Have Loved Old Dogs

Old Andy is a big dog, black as a
night sky in the most lonesome winter months.
He is fat even though he doesn't eat
much these days. His man is one of the best
folks I know. They were hiking deep in the
high mountains when good Andy's back legs stopped
their work. The old dog folded himself down
on the path, his eyes lighting on his mani's
to apologize. My friend carried him
nearly a mile, this great sprawl of blessed
animal, who must have lain in his arms
both thankful and ashamed. They collapsed
together at the end of the steep trail,
holding on to each other, exhausted.

I'm thankful for you who take care of old
dogs. I'm glad you have one another when
you need a friend the most, that you've had times
of stillness, watching the world, that you know
the grace of silence together. I thank
the infinite eternity and the
God of my understanding for people
like you, who carry them when they need you.

Three times now I've held an old dog
in my arms as they left me. Three times
I felt their heartbeats fade away on my palm,
witnessing a shooting star become
more darkness. The end. All lost and gone.

I've grieved for each of them just as much as
I have for people I've loved. I've carried
the sweet sorrow with me, a heft I wish
I did not have to bear but one that I
will always cherish now. The burden
of my empty arms is the greatest weight.

Silas House. All These Ghosts. Durham: Blair, 2025, p. 59.

A poem that seems apropos by Sara Teasdale

 

'There Will Come Soft Rains'

Enchanting

Ye Vagabonds :: Willie O Winsbury
by u/RustyBike39 in Irishmusic

Gorgeous harmony. I love the song 'Willie O'Winsbury' anyway, but this version...is absolutely beautiful, and it was nice to see the musical instruments at the shopkeeper's. I'm assuming it was in Donegal from the one sign. Have a listen if you love traditional Irish or Celtic music. And do so if you're not familiar with it. You'll fall in love with it, trust me. They have a YouTube page as well:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMftOxnC_Jh5JAjyllxDgYQ

Oooohhh!!!

 So I got an email yesterday from Amazon about a new update to the Kindle Scribe that gives you the ability to add shapes from the writing toolbar, but also Smart Shapes, which allows you to draw a shape, say a triangle, then hold the pen for a moment, and the shape will snap into perfect lines. What they didn't say in the e-mail is:

1. You can then move and rotate the shape by manipulating it, even reactivating it later. This currently just works in notebooks, but it's really useful.
2. The same update lets you handwrite on images in eBooks with enhanced typesetting and on Word documents sent to Kindle.
3. Most importantly, this update is available now for my Kindle Scribe (the 2022 original Scribe), but not yet for the two later models. Hmm...

Anyway, if you have the original Scribe and the update hasn't downloaded yet, you can download it manually by going to this page and downloading it to your computer, then moving it over via USB. Be sure you choose the correct version for your device. And if you're reading this later, it should be version 5.19.4 [or presumably later]. The image below is Amazon's demonstration from the email, but yes, it works just like depicted.

Every Little Thing Is Going to Be Alright

I first heard this on the British mystery show 'Beyond Paradise', although I was already familiar with Kate Rusby and had a couple of her CDs. This popped up after I posted another video on Facebook. This seemed to be good for me lately.

Wonderful birthday present

I finally got unemployment in the middle of the night on the night of my birthday [hey, I happened to be up at 3 AM looking at my bank account, expecting a whopping 94¢, and instead two payments for both missed payments in March were there.], which was a complete surprise, as I was still watiting a month after my appeal for a scheduled date for the hearing.  In fact, I'm still getting correspondence about how that will be scheduled soon. (?) But no, I received the paperwork today. [I called yesterday to make sure before I touched any money]. That's the good news. The bad news is it's going to throw me off Medicaid, just that amount, never mind that I'll get paid twice more this month--or I'd just taken a distribution I haven't gotten yet out of my retirement because I didn't have any money coming in while I appealed and had bills and, well, had 94¢. I have Medicaid until the end of the month, anyway. If I have a job by then, it shouldn't matter. Otherwise I'll either have to get another insurance at 1000 dollars or so a month that won't cover hardly anything or do COBRA (and I checked, I have till May 4th to do it) and pay about $1300 for medical + dental a month--but I'd met all my deductible AND my out-of-pocket expenses so would literally only pay premiums, no copays, medication co-insurances, or any other medical costs. Any ER, surgery, or MRI at an in-network facility (and most are) would be $0.00. Hopefully, it would be for a short time. And unemployment only runs partway through June. In other words, I need to find a job pronto, anyway.

I did apply for a cataloguing position in my hometown (Danville), and I have one near there to apply for at the Garrard County Library, a children's librarian position as well. There's a librarian position here at UK, but I want the career coach at the Alumni Career Centre to look at my curriculum vitae and give me some feedback, since you don't normally see much written about format or what to put in those, and it's required.

I also just applied tonight for two UK research positions that are primarily training, and they're in the same department, making a lot more money than I ever have, and they sound very intriguing. The job descriptions were very vague. I'd like to interview just to learn more.

So far I've had four interviews, and I've been shot down on two of them, but two are still pending, so fingers crossed, both with the state. So, we'll see...