Here's the deal. Things, only. No Hugs. No Furry Friends. Auugh!
"Take me away..."the dreamy background male voice, accompanied by what-kind-of-music I cannot say. But, by simply stepping into her silky-water bath, bliss ensues?
So. Now.
I'm there! Shangri-La sounds better than a desert island.
Soft sun. No rain.
Balmy beaches. Soft breezes.
Piano concertos and occasional Bluegrass piano-and-banjo wafting from who-knows-where. Nowhere. Everywhere.
Squidoo - take me away.
The practical side of me wants to know what to bring. I'm limited to 7 things.
Thing No. 1
Decisions. Decisions. What do I choose first?
Because what is one without the other? PEN AND PAPER.
Reach for a blank book, grab a pen and write, of course. Moleskin books are my favorite.
A few years ago I canceled my cable subscription, bought a book on poetry writing and for one year used my evening hours doing poetry-writing exercises.
During that year when anyone found out I "couldn't" watch television, the looks people gave me were indeed as though I had chosen to live on a deserted island. When my grandson visited, we talked, played games and threw ball for ForestGump, our Cocker Spaniel. My grandson was 7 years old at the time and benefited, I think, from no screens and remotes to compete for attention.
Any time I read a book I keep a blank book and pen nearby. I have years of recorded impressions, observations and tangential thoughts in books now tucked in random places.
Yes, a pen and paper is fundamental.
Blank Books, Piano Music, Balmy Beaches
Voila! Shangri-La
I will admit the men in my life have all reinforced a preference for Cross pens.
The one I have now ~ like any I've ever owned or held ~ feels so nice, so balanced, in my hand. This little set has the added benefit of an eraser. For some reason I love the feel of pencil lead on paper.
Thing No. 2
The 2nd thing I NEED on a desert island
My first book of Dickinson poems was titled, "Final Harvest." It is relatively small and still wildly popular today. It represents most of the best-known poems taken from The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson.
I hopped on the bandwagon a few years ago and started reading this "Franklin edition" of Emily Dickinson poems. An earlier editor, Thomas Johnson, and his "Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson" is still popular.
I've spent many precious hours with both these editions of Emily Dickinson poems.
I sincerely hope you will, too.
Final Harvest: Poems
The term "final harvest" refers to the very select number of poems harvested, if you will, from the complete collection of all 1,789 poems. This is a much smaller volume than either "The Complete Poems" or "The Poems" that I highlighted above.
As you might deduce from the book cover design, "Final Harvest" is a selection taken from Johnson's edition below.
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/24/2009) 
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
Beginning in the 1950s, Thomas Johnson's "The Complete Poems" was the gold standard. He was the first to publish Dickinson's poems with the determination not to correct or change (including punctuation or grammar) anything, IF a poem survived in manuscript form.
Much research went into comparing various ones if the only survivors were poems Dickinson sent to family and friends. We wouldn't have them at all if someone hadn't save their "gift" copies of certain poems.
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 12/24/2009)
Thing No. 3
Food. Not a cookbook. Not a stove. No refrigerators allowed.
Food for the body and food for the soul sometimes are the same. Sometimes this macaroni and cheese, featured below, is the perfect meal. Especially, with an something like an avocado salad.
Apparently, more health benefits of avocados have recently been discovered. I believe it. They are so yummy. Which makes this lense so much fun.
Add plain yogurt with plenty of cherries, bananas. And, as soon as I grab a bag of walnuts, I'm good to go.
Thing No. 4
Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson
Housekeeping: A Novel
Amazon Price: $10.08 (as of 12/24/2009)
More pastimes
Thing No. 5
The New Yorker Magazine
Once, when in New York, I stopped in to see their what was then new offices in 1994. They would move to Times Square around the year 2000. I had barely missed Mr. Gill, but I was allowed to visit some of the editorial offices. I was thrilled to talk to Pauline Kael, who showed me "The Thurber Wall."
I asked Mrs. Kael if I could see it, having read about when they were moving from the old, dilapidated building that housed its beginnings. The folks at The New Yorker made sure that sketches on the wall penciled by Author and Cartoonist James Thurber (1894-1961) in his office, got cut out of the wall (!) and framed for display for modern admirers and posterity.
I even bought a New Yorker T-shirt, the one with Cartoonist Booth's mangy dog!
Desert-Island Love on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Thing No. 6
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
Shangri-La. Or, desert island.
It depends on your point-of-view
Thing No. 7
So, what if I am stranded? Really. For days, weeks. More?
This is starting to sound more and more like home. Since batteries will be important. If you were the judge would you count each battery as a thing? Or, part of the phone.
Finally! I bet you thought I was going to forget the obvious!!
When I was a pre-teen it was delicious to steal my mother's Calgon Bath Crystals out of "her" cabinet. I still remember the feel of that cabinet and my sneaky grubby fingers reaching for the commercial - - uh! .... the sprinkly bath that smelled so nice.
What 7 things would you take to a deserted island?
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Reply
- eclecticeducation eclecticeducation Oct 16, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
- Cute Lens! I have one of these lenses myself about what I would take on a deserted island. It's called Lynn's Island, in case you are curious.
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Reply
- HorseAndPony HorseAndPony Oct 14, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
- What a great lens. I am not sure what seven THINGS I would NEED. What I am sure of is, I would die without my furry friends. At the very least, I would need my dog and I would never return if I also had my horse.
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Reply
- Ramkitten Ramkitten Sep 27, 2009 @ 11:11 pm
- Interesting list AND a great idea for a lens. Now I'm thinking about what I would want if I were deserted on a desert island. Hmm....
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Reply
- seashell2 seashell2 Jul 2, 2009 @ 11:15 am
- Great lens, I'd have to think on that one for awhile too! Great ideas!
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Reply
- ChineseKitesforKids ChineseKitesforKids Jun 27, 2009 @ 11:22 am
- What a terrific idea for a lens! Very original content too. 5*****
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Reply
- a_willow a_willow Jun 11, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
- I'll have to get back on this after some soul searching! :) Well done! Love your sense of humor! Blessed by an Angel!
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Who Would Say Such Things?
LoKackl has been a member since April 7 2009, has rated 437 lenses, favorited 427, and has created 54 lenses from scratch. Lois Kackley donates their royalties to Room to Read. This member's top-ranked page is "She Asked For Footed Pajamas and Then the Fun Began". See all my lenses
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