WORDS TO LIVE BY: Preface from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"

"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body."

~ "This is what you shall do..." by Walt Whitman, from the preface of Leaves of Grass. Public domain.

Photo by Quincy Benton for Friday Jones Publishing

BLUESTOCKING BLUES: Is My New Book A Mistake?

I hope I did not make a bad business decision by publishing another book--"LAID-BACK SKIER"--this September. I'm talking about an actual book, in three-dimensions, not an e-book, which seems to be the trend for people who buy and read books.

An e-book might have made more sense: It certainly would have cost a lot less money to publish electronically.

Illustration by Patty Leidy for Friday Jones Publishing.

But I don't want real books to go down on my watch. I want to be a friend of the book--my longtime companion in bathtubs and beds, on beaches and airplanes. For take-off and landing, federal aviation requirements never require passengers to turn off a real book. And for actual books, there is no power source necessary, aside from the ability to turn a literal page.

I'm plugged in and wired, too, and all for e-books, as well, in certain situtions. But electronic reading, no question, is a different experience. I hear owners of Kindles and Nooks and other e-readers rave. I myself have no desire for another gadget that requires a power cord. At least not yet.

"Laid-Back Skier" is a beautiful book to hold and behold--if I'm allowed to say so myself. With sumptuous yet eco-friendly paper and almost 40 full-color illustrations, "Laid-Back Skier" even includes a printed book plate with the Latin phrase "Ex Libris" (From the Library).

But "Laid-Back Skier" does not require much reading: The book's main section includes only one sentence per two-page spread. This was intentional: Like many wired people, I find myself struggling to read. My attention span shrunk when I dove deeper into the digital age defined by abbreviations, acronyms and 140-character Tweets. With "Laid-Back Skier," readers revive the pleasure of reading an actual book, cover to cover. I envision adults reading "Laid-Back Skier" to kids unable to read for themselves. Everybody will enjoy the illustrations by Denver artist Patty Leidy.

"Laid-Back Skier" celebrates the art of the book. With a colorful, satiny cover, artful design, textural paper, and even an unusual format with the spine on the top of the book rather than the left side, "Laid-Back Skier" delivers information, entertainment, practical help in print--a skier's journal and a skier's packing list. "Laid-Back Skier" is a sensual experience, a labor of love, an ideal gift book "for skiers, riders, and snowflakes of all ages."

More information about "Laid-Back Skier" can be found at FridayJonesPublishing.com.

Wag your tale.

MAY DAY! MAY DAY! Happy Birthday, Friday Jones & Other Festivals Celebrated May 1

When I adopted Friday Jones as a puppy sheltered at Denver Dumb Friends League, I had no idea of her birthday. I guesstimated and chose 1 May because May Basket Day was big in my neck o' the childhood woods.

We celebrated May Basket Day by making little baskets--often of paper--and filling them with popcorn and gumdrops and maybe a twig from a blossoming tree.

Photo by Morgan Huston for Friday Jones Publishing ~ Cheery cherry blossoms on the tree at Friday Jones Publishing house

We exchanged May Baskets with schoolmates or left them on the neighbors' doorstep, rang the bell and ran away, leaving our anonymous gift to celebrate sweet spring.

Today's installment of Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac reports a laundry list of other holidays celebrated on May 1, including the following: In pre-Christian Rome it was the time of the festival of Flora, the goddess of flowers. In medieval England, people gathered flowers to 'bring in the May' and erected a maypole bedecked with garlands. It's also the date of Beltane, a Celtic calendar festival celebrating the start of summer. Beltane was known for its bonfires, and has been revived by neo-pagans all over the world as a major religious holiday. In Germany, May 1st was the date of a pagan festival that was assimilated by the Christians and turned into the feast day of St. Walpurgis. The night before -- Walpurgisnacht -- is still celebrated in parts of rural Germany as a kind of Valentine's Day, with the delivery of a tree, wrapped in streamers, to one's beloved. It's also a day to celebrate Hawaiian history and culture, and it's known as Lei Day in Hawaii."

All these holidays lead me to believe that May Day was the ideal day to mark the birth of my late great muse, Friday Jones.

For more about Friday Jones, "Like" Friday Jones Publishing on Facebook or visit FridayJonesPublishing.com.

Our tagline: WAG YOUR TALE. Happy birthday, Friday Jones. And Happy May Day, all.

Drop By My Virtual Garden on Examiner.com: I'm Denver Flower & Garden Examiner

Do you have a green thumb or a thumbs down when it comes to plants? Either way, I invite you to drop by my virtual garden on Examiner.com.

I'm finishing up my second year as Denver Flower and Garden Examiner, and it's a position I enjoy growing with. I'm happy to pass along information gleaned as a garden writer since 1995. And I learn as I go: Gardening is a deep subject!

On my page, you'll find posts about the following:

• Plants • Garden Animals • Garden Art • Landscaping Tips • Eco-friendly Ideas • Literary Garden Quotes/Poems • Plant-based products • Recipes • Garden Books • Garden Events & More.

• Hundreds of helpful posts, gorgeous garden photography and graphic design.

Visit my virtual garden by clicking here.

IMAGE: A garden of Earthy delights designed by William Morris

Irish Movies: The Emerald Isle And The Silver Screen

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the creative spirit of Ireland with an Irish film. Try these lesser known gems related to the Emerald Isle:

In America: An Irish immigrant family learns to adjust to live in the U.S. Written and directed by Jim Sheridan in 2003. A devastatingly powerful film. Watch trailer at this link.

The Field: The legendary Irish attachment to land provides the motivation for this dark picture in which an American businessman (Tom Berenger) clashes with an Irish farmer (Richard Harris). Rated PG, some violence and profanity.

The Secret of Roan Inish: This beguiling folk tale blends realism, myth, family legend and the Irish art of storytelling. Set on Ireland’s coast, this mystical movie includes a boy in peril, as well as a wee bit of profanity, resulting in a PG rating.

Catholics: In this twist on liturgical reform, Martin Sheen plays a papal representative who travels to Ireland to conform Catholic priests to “new” Church teachings. Also starring Trevor Howard as a rebellious Irish abbot.

Da: When an Irish-American playwright (Martin Sheen) returns to Ireland to bury his father, he relives a bittersweet past that includes Catholic family and an anticlerical dog. Touching but unsentimental Irish irony and humor.

The Field: The legendary Irish attachment to land provides the motivation for this dark picture in which an American businessman (Tom Berenger) clashes with an Irish farmer (Richard Harris). Rated PG, some violence and profanity.

The Secret of Roan Inish: This beguiling folk tale blends realism, myth, family legend and the Irish art of storytelling. Set on Ireland’s coast, this mystical movie includes a boy in peril, as well as a wee bit of profanity, resulting in a PG rating.

The Dead: John Huston directed this elegant 1987 adaptation of James Joyce’s short story, but died before the film’s release. The cast includes Huston’s daughter, Anjelica Huston.

St. Patrick Photo + + + The Crosiers/Gene Plaistead, OSC

Author's Note: My first novel, "Glass Halo," centers around a stained glass artist of Irish descent. See below for more information. Happy Saint Patrick's Day from Colleen Smith.

Colleen Smith’s debut novel Glass Halo, set in Denver, was a finalist for the Santa Fe Literary Prize and was praised in the latest issue of The Bloomsbury Review. The novel is available online and through your favorite bookstore.

To learn more:

• FridayJonesPublishing.com

• GlassHaloNovel.com

• Become a friend on Facebook, or follow FridayPublisher on Twitter.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from Colleen to you and those you love

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I'm a Colleen, with an uppercase "C"-- if not a colleen--with a lowercase "c," the Irish word for a young girl. I'm not so young anymore, though I'm still half-Irish, descended from generations of Irish farmers on my Da's side.

Since I began as a writer in my youth, I appreciated my connection to the Irish tradition of storytelling and the magnificently colorful contributions to literature from the little Emerald Isle.

My next novel, ONLY WILD PLUMS, presents a quirky Irish family, the Larkins. The novel includes chapters from various character's points-of-view, always emphasizing the power of memory and also the fact that each of us has a story.

Gathered here to celebrate the "great day for the Irish" are some links to pieces I've published about Irishmen and women, or Irish subject matter:

David Whyte’s nonprosaic world (An interview with this Irish-English poet in The Denver Post)

A talker most literate: Dubliner’s candid writings celebrated a culture’s melancholy and joys

(An interview with the late Irish writer Nuala O'Faolain in The Denver Post)

John O’Donohue’s Blessing for Your Work

Going Green: Preparing for Saint Patrick’s Day (From my Denver Flower and Garden Examiner page)

Irish Arts and Culture

17 Questions about Irish Arts for St. Patrick’s Day (A multiple choice quiz.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

All About Shamrocks

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you and all those you love.

"...May the wind be always at your back..."

~ Colleen Smith

John O'Donohue's Irish Blessing for Your Work

Here's a beautiful blessing by the late John O'Donohue, a prelude to St. Patrick's Day:

May the light of your soul guide you.

May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.

May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.

May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light, and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.

May your work never weary you.

May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration, and excitement.

May you be present in what you do.

May you never become lost in the bland absences.

May the day never burden.

May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.

May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.

May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.

May your soul calm, console, and renew you.

~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara