A lone Janna
three states (okay, just the corner of one)
food aplenty
and antiques.
Priceless.
A couple Saturdays ago I left town, bags loaded with reading material and edible goodies, mind set on time away and important visits.
I put almost a couple hundred miles behind me and met fellow writer and bloggy buddy, Melissa from Grosvenor Square. (And I kick myself for not asking her to pronounce that G-word for me. I stumble over it every time.) We had lunch at a quaint little hole-in-the-wall, where we talked shop and life. Melissa, a doll in her own right, was accompanied by her daughter, a sweet, talented little thing. We had a great time!
Afterward, I continued on to see my grandma. She's been in a care facility of sorts, since a car accident left her slow to move and confined by a neck brace. She's doing well, and our visit was pleasant. I admit, we've never been close, and the warm fuzzies and bonding I'd hoped for didn't come to pass. Still, our one-on-one time was important, and I'm glad I went.
One of the highlights of my trip was visiting antique stores along the way and back: Most of you know it's one of my favorite pasttimes. Plenty caught my eye, but I seemed in a bookish mood. I bought two old texts, one called the Essentials of English Composition, published in 1912, and the other Journalism. Its moss green cover caught my eye first, but then I was endeared by cursive handwriting that claims the inside cover. And its date, 1916. When I scanned the table of contents and read the following passage from within, I had to have it:
Women in Journalism
It seems to be a mooted question whether the newspaper world has anything much to offer them. According to the best opinion only those who feel that they have special talent for the work, and who are willing to deprive themselves of home and social life to an extent not required in any other business, except that of acting, should think of taking up journalism as a means of livelihood. Unlike teaching or almost any other calling, the labor of news getting and news editing is, from its exacting and severely practical nature, essentially a man's work...
Ohhhh, I could go on, but that's a decent taste. Isn't it a hoot? I had to bring it home.
All in all, a worthwhile weekend of women.
Have you had any special weekends of late?
26 comments:
Whoa. My feminist mind boggles. I spat out a bit of my coffee reading that passage.
Glad you're back. :-)
My first thought was how brave you are to jump in the car, meet someone alone who you don't know and then shop alone--I hate shopping alone and 100 miles is a real trip! Am I getting old or what??lol
Your day sounded fabulous though and I wish I could do the same thing!
Becca - It was good, then, that I didn't proceed with the next line. You'd have lost your whole cup.
Terri - Ah, but the bravery came when I hopped in to come home... and discovered the car was infested with spider mites. BIG issue. Resolved it quickly with help, but it was a tough go for a bit. (And I knew I was safe with Melissa. :)
It sounds like you had a lovely trip. I'm glad you've told us a little about it. :)
Our week in Mexico City was special. It was so nice to meet family that I was comfortable with and could be myself, despite the language issues. I don't get that very much where I live. I felt like myself for the first time in a very long time.
Essentially a man's work? Huh. LOL!
Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend. :-) I went to the movies on Friday, during the daytime, which is unheard of for me. It was wonderful. :-)
What a nice getaway you had, and how wonderful to meet Melissa ... I'm sure you had much to talk about! Friends, family, antiquing, doesn't get much better than that. We spent the weekend painting the deck, prepping the house for some scheduled home improvements. At least the sun was shining here, finally!
Melanie - That's so great!
Jessica - What did you see?
Joanne - That's quite some activity! I can relate; we've got projects, too.
Jannaaaaaa, so good to see you back! The trip sounds like a great getaway, full of good stuff, and especially meeting Melissa. Hope you get more of that often. :)
Yes, I have a little escape place and got to visit it two weekends ago. Ah.
I also think you very brave!
That excerpt from your Journalism book is completely crazy, isn't it? It doesn't even make the slightest shadow of sense. How is Journalism a deprivation of social life? How is it more of a man's activity than the many others that require upper body strength and lots of muscle? And why do I still get so worked up when I read such ridiculous statements?
What an adventure! I haven't had any overly remarkable weekends in awhile, but I have a few coming up. Soooo excited!
Sounds like a fun weekend!! And wonderful that you got to see your grandma!
This weekend was special for me as it was my first time alone in our new place (the hubs was out of town) and our new place is much more remote than our last one. But the weekend was great and I got to catch up on some Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn movies.
that's a marvelous weekend.
someday you'll treasure that little visit with your grandmother. it's not always about how they respond as much as it is about knowing we put ourselves out there and tried.
Angie - I'm sure it's awesome, knowing that special place is ready and waiting for you anytime.
Lori - I feel the same. At least it's not the current way of thinking!
Cindy - Good for you! You'll have to report back, all said and done.
Ooh, Nadine, now I like the sound of your weekend, too!
Thank you, Tess. I needed to hear that.
It's pronounced groves ner in England, I assume she'd pronounce it the same way? I loved the way the British pronounce their weird spellings.
Sounds like an amazing weekend to me too. I love antiquing! It's a part of every vacation we take.
The trip sounds blissful, girl. Hope you are refreshed and ready to go!
Funny how times change, huh? I love getting a glimpse into the past.
-FringeGirl
Love it! I love antiques and old books:)
It was a wonderful lunch! I'm so glad we were able to meet.
And so glad you found some great buys!
And yeah, the scariest thing about me is my usual frizzy hair. ;-)
Most of my weekends have just been busy. lol Sounds like fun!
scarlethue - Thank you! That's a help.
Heidi - How are you? Have you been feeling okay?
Me, too, FG!
Kara - Just something so special about them, huh?
Oh, gosh, Melissa. I've dealt with a lifetime of frizzy hair, too. I feel ya!
Kristen - Busy can be good, no? :) Hang in there.
No special weekends for me lately, but my husband is on vacation next week, so we'll see.
But, as a modern woman who has attempted to make a living as a journalist, I find that passage quite funny.
Nice to see you blogging again, Janna!
That was when I saw the Proposal. :-)
A man's work. Hmm.
How wonderful to have spent some time with Melissa! I'm so happy for you both. I love meeting my writer friends.
Uh, my special weekend of late has been moving. :-))))
Thanks for visiting me on my blog! I'm really happy to have found another fellow writer!!
WHOHOO!!
Thanks, Kathy! And maybe you will get to do something great with hubby.
Jessica - I had a suspicion after I saw today's blog. ;)
Jill - It's a special thing, to meet in person.
Jen - Hiya! It's always exciting to meet new writers, isn't it?
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