43 Comments

I'll take the chief flamingo officer job, please. Can't be the s'mores butler because I burn the marshmallows every time. I'll be happy to assist you, however, especially with taste testing.

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Chief flamingo officer sounds fun too. I'd be happy to share as long as you'd let me make them just a tiny bit "burnt."

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I, too, love the sounds of being a the Chief Flamingo Officer. I've been to that resort and the flamingos really are incredible!

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I've never been there but that sounds like the best reason to go soon!

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Breaks are good! We don't need any particular reason to need or deserve them. I'm glad you felt able to take one. So many great links here. I especially liked the fall reading list, and I felt so validated by the one about the processes required for a book to reach a library shelf. I used to do collection development for all the schools in my district, and this is so true: "The idea that anyone can publish a book and get it on shelves in the library is absurd, unrealistic, and damning of several professions all at once." It took me so much time to create book orders!

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Thanks for reading, Rita! The article about books/libraries was an eye opener for me as I don't have any experience with public libraries/school libraries other than as a consumer. In another life I'd do things differently and do something as a career with books/reading that I'd enjoy instead of falling into a career of something that didn't bring me much joy, but it did pay the bills and allow for me to save for retirement. :)

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If I could do things differently, I'd have been a librarian from the beginning. (First I was a secondary English teacher.) But also: My love of books, reading, and connecting young people to them was often part of what made my job hard. I cared so much, and constantly fighting losing battles about something that really matters to me took a real toll. I'm also grateful for my ability to retire, but I'm sad that I felt I had to much earlier than I once planned. Wouldn't it be great if we could know what would be best for us when we're young and making such big decisions?

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It would be so great. I've always said that when we are young we think we know it all and do stupid stuff. By the time we get older and realize just how little we knew back then, it's too late to change the things we did. The young people are the ones that really need the knowledge that it takes decades to learn.

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Yes. And also, I can see that my daughter knows so much more at her age than I knew at the same age. I like to think at least a bit of that is because of things I was able to teach her (that I mostly learned the hard way). And some things I'm maybe glad I didn't know until later. Who knows if a different life would have been a better one?

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Ooo, that Kindle Colorsoft is tempting. Loved all the riches in this post, Gayla.

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It is definitely tempting!

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I need someone to buy the full color Kindle and report back!

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If you use Instagram, follow @thelithomebody as she has a lot of Kindle content all the time and she has ordered the Colorsoft and will post about it as soon as she gets it. Thanks for reading!

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Thanks, Gayla :) Happy you are back!

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I forgot to tell you that she also posts content other than about Kindles. Most of the other content isn't something I'm interested in, but I stay because she's so nice and her Kindle content is so Kindle focused that I usually learn something from her weekly. She also reviews books, so all the bookish content makes it worth it. :)

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sold!!

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Oh I want that horse whisperer job!

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That would be fun too! Why can't all jobs be that much fun. lol

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Darn you!!! We could have met up, Harbor Springs isn't far away from me at all!! Haha, one of these trips between going to bump into one another!!

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Unless something changes, I will be going back next year for the festival, so I will definitely contact you before I go, and we can meet for lunch or dinner or something.

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Yes!!!

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Writing is hard … sometimes we need a little hiatus.

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Yes we do!

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Gayla, I'm so happy you're back with your inspiring posts. We all need a break from time to time. 🩷

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Thanks, Olivia! Yes, we need breaks and in my case, I had to force myself to write this week, but I've already started on next weeks newsletter, so maybe I should have forced myself sooner. lol

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It is perfectly ok to take a break!!

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Yes, it is. Thanks for reading!

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Good to see you, Gayla!

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Thanks, Jolene. I'm happy to be back.

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I'd go nuts if I didn't take breaks from this online treadmill. I love it. I hate it. In-between I take a lot of hikes to reset.

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I use my morning 3+ mile walks to reset, and I listen to podcasts while I walk. If I don't get to walk because of weather or some other reason, I don't feel like my day started right.

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Oct 19Liked by Gayla Gray

Lovely to see you back in my inbox. Thank you for these links and all the best with the move!

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Thank you! I think my last move was the worst because I had to go through everything and get rid of stuff, and boy did I get rid of lots of stuff. This time, it's just packing and moving, so I'm hoping for a much better experience. Thanks for reading.

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Hi Gayla. Your post caught my eye because of the beautiful snapshot of Harbor Springs. My husband and I had been in Petoskey for a few days and decided on a whim to drive over to Harbor Springs for the first time. I passed a door way with posters about the book event and stepped inside to learn that I had just missed it. Wonder if our paths crossed on the street at some point? Anyway, glad you were able to go. The town was charming. Loved the harbor and the shops. Enjoyed your newsletter with the eclectic link.

Best,

Elizabeth from South Carolina.

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Oct 21·edited Oct 21Author

We could have passed on the streets as I did my fair share of walking. Harbor Springs is such a beautiful town. I'm writing about the book festival in tomorrows newsletter with more pics of the town and area. If money was no object, that is where I'd be living. Thanks for reading, Elizabeth.

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Nice to see you here Gayla as I took a LONG BREAK from Substack. Just started reading again, at least occasionally. Still love your eclectic mix of things around books. When I travel it is always a good plan to walk through big University campuses and check out architecture like a library. Best book I've read in a LONG TIME is the one I'm reading now. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. I think, regardless of what topics she explored in her other books, I will likely check them out because she is such a great writer.

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Hi Mark! Nice to see you around again. Yes, you did take a long break. I've never heard of that book and I've never thought to check out university libraries. Noted! I hope you've been doing well. Take care.

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Glad you're back writing. You definitely need to find a place where you can't hear the silverware drop. Wishing you success and more written words :)

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Thanks, Jill! Hopefully, my top floor apartment will solve the noise problem. I had gotten used to sleeping with earplugs in to block out the dog noise, but I was always afraid that I'd miss an emergency since the earplugs did their job very well. It's nice not to sleep in them and hopefully they will just collect dust in a drawer from now on.

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Thanks so much for the shout out Gayla! I strive to be simultaneously useful and unusual. Good luck with your move and enjoy your future quiet!

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Thanks for reading, Rob! Just making sure you know that "useful & unusual" is a high praise. :) I save your newsletter each week to read when I have a lot of time to study the maps, follow the links, and savor without interruption.

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That’s definitely how I took it! Thanks again

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