I finished Margaret Mitchell’s, Gone With The Wind, last night. I think I’m a fast and furious reader but I would sit down for an hour and devour hundreds of words only to discover I’d hardly made a dent in my progress through one of the largest tomes written. Back in 1936, when it was published, folk had limited forms of entertainment and time for 400,000+ words.
When I was sixteen I sped through it in ten days; many, many years later I have taken three leisurely weeks to complete this most thrilling book. I was enthralled. I was not faithful to a hundred pages a day or even a sitting. I was no longer a Scarlett wannabe lounging around the house with nothing to do besides bother about myself.
My reading group in Garland met last night to discuss the plot, character, style and language of Margaret Mitchell’s best selling classic. I met with them…virtually.
I decided it would be safer to stay up rather than risk placing my pretty little head on a pillow and falling asleep. I found as the evening progressed I felt quite well. I had some writing to finish and a few insights to jot down about the book. At midnight I made myself a pot of coffee, well half a pot, lit a candle and some incense, took my laptop into the lounge and sat and waited. I read a bird book…to keep me awake and learned interesting facts on the internet about the Swift!
Finally my Skype started singing. It was precisely 1a.m. Immediately I was in my friend’s dining room at the head of the table, a glass of merlot symbolically placed in front of me. The rest of the group raised their drinks in salutation and I was home.
To think I almost backed out because I thought it would be too cumbersome to include the electronically conveyed fifth member of the group in the converation. It wasn’t, it was as if I was absolutely there!
I stayed for an hour and a half and when we had finished pulling Rhett, Scarlett, Ashley, Melanie, and the rest of the cast of thousands, to pieces, I called it a night and went happily to bed.
The video Skyped meeting worked…how? I don’t know…
And my dears, I don’t give a damn!
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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