I comfortably curl up on our constellation blue microfiber living room loveseat
Lazing around on Sundays enjoying reading the Tampa Bay Times newspaper
Symbolically surrounded by Thanksgiving turkey, pilgrim and Indian figurines
Colorfully scattered autumn leaves, squirrel nuts, and bright glittery confetti turkeys
Artistically arranged on the rotund glass coffee table.
I peruse attention-grabbing front page headlines about national and world breaking news
as well as the latest local news and events happening in the Tampa Bay area.
I read about the upcoming neck in neck presidential election race just days away
as Republicans and Democrats aggressively push their political party platforms,
aggressive agendas and divergent viewpoints on timely social issues and foreign policies
such as economic recovery, healthcare reform, and global peace
by ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing our US military troops home.
Then, it’s time to intellectualize my brain in the Literature section as I optically skim
The New York Times bestseller titles to see what steaming sizzler, suspenseful thriller,
or “How To” self helper I am just dying to read next.
I study the book reviews and read several that curiously catch my literary and artistic attention:
The “glamor & grit” of China Dolls by Lisa See, a tale of Asian-American women becoming Entertainers in the 1930s and 40s,
“I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You” by Courtney Maum is a painfully human novel about a struggling artist who rediscovers his flame and regains control of his life.
Finally, two new tantalizing books about American titans of literature, Harper Lee
“The Mockingbird Next Door: Life With Harper Lee” and J.D. Salinger: “My Salinger Year.”
Ted Kooser’s American Life In Poetry column always has enlightening and endearing poems that emotionally linger with me long after I read them, giving me a creative chuckle, contemplative pause, stimulating sensation, and sentimentally soaking a tearful tissue.
I deeply delve into romantically tender stories of how couples met before they tied
the nuptial knot sharing blissfully beautiful fairytale wedding day memories
and touching moments with colorfully captured photos of the bride and groom.
I laugh out loud at favorite comic strips such as the always adorable Family Circus,
For Better or Worse and Sally Forth family dramas, Dilbert office cubicle conflicts,
the troublemaking adventurous antics of Dennis The Menace
and his cantankerous elderly next door neighbor, Mr. Wilson.
I check out the latest weekly shopping advertisements
for Target, Walmart, Kmart, Kohls, Best Buy, Walgreens, and CVS
and hungrily clip bulging booklets of grocery store coupons from P&G BrandSaver, SmartSource, Red Plum, and Publix.
In Perspective, I find opinion pieces from eye-catching headlines such as Times editorial
“Florida falling short for seniors” and Jim Morin’s “Tighten law to stop foreclosure schemes” to Leonard Pitts “On climate change, signals are blinking red” to the exaggerated and hilarious humor of Gene Weingarten’s “A real Khyuty-Pye.”
I read Parade Magazine from cover to cover beginning with Favorite Parade Picks
“What’s your state’s favorite ice cream flavor?” which highlights the most popular frothy flavors across America from Mississippi’s chocolate to New York’s vanilla,
Colorado Mint Chocolate Chip, Iowa Pralines ‘N cream to Texas OREO cookies ‘N cream
to “What’s the best TV theme song ever?” and vote for the most unforgettable tunes from
The Brady Bunch’s iconic opener to The Big Bang Theory’s catchy Barenaked Ladies ditty
“Happily Ever After,” about learning the secrets to an everlasting marriage
And climactically concluding with President Obama and First Lady Michelle exclusive White House interview about family matters from early money struggles as young parents to setting goals for American families today.
Connie Schultz’s Views always deliver heartwarming and real life stories that richly resonate with me such as “A Friends For All Season” about two female friends who are joined together through life transitions and weathering the storms of uncertainty and tough times together.
I am always on the lookout for new travel deals and exciting vacation getaways and cruises
as I dreamily gaze at beautifully exotic international destinations from The City of Light’s Eiffel Tower and London’s Stonehenge to riding the rails through the Canadian Rockies, luxury Tuscan villas, rustically relaxing quaint New England villages, warm white sandy beaches, and snow-capped mountain ski resort towns.
Finally I selectively scan through the TV Topics searching for the best week’s picks
on TV shows and weekly movies which I preset to record on my cable DVR box.
At about this time, I can hear the electric garage opening
as my husband’s footsteps energetically parading into the house
and casually collapses on the living room floor after his grueling gym workout
while I continue sitting contentedly reading the newspaper in my favorite Sunday Spot.