The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

LMM includes lots of details on her inspiration for places, people, and events in AoGG (pp. 348-356) and AoA (pp. 356-7), a little about Kilmeny (p. 357), and then details on Story Girl (p. 316 and pp. 404-408).

📚What do these details add to your reading of these books?
📚What do they offer you in understanding more about LMM and her writing?

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I definitely enjoyed hearing about some of her inspirations - I also felt like some of her explanations were in the nature of making sure people understand who/what were NOT inspirations 😂 I really love the way that LMM (and many authors) are able to pull threads from different aspects of life and weave them into a different story. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—yes, it felt like there was a lot of “setting the record straight“ going on! As well as wanting to record it for posterity. So much of this third volume (her third volume, not the third published volume... I REALLY wish the editors had split up the journals in the same way LMM did!!) has felt like she's writing for an imagined future audience as much as she's keeping a journal for herself. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Also, all her details about which stories come from her own family lore really adds a lot to my view of Story Girl. Knowing it was such a beloved book to LMM, and with these added details about the sources for the stories... I'm really looking forward to re-reading it with that added lens! I also love knowing that she didn't think very highly of Kilmeny as a book 😆 2mo

lauraisntwilder That was an interesting section. I've been making notes of all the times something reminds me of her books. The way she talks about her home in Cavendish, for example, is so much like Pat. They didn't burn down the house, but her leaving felt just as final. 2mo

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BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

📚Now that we‘ve read further into LMM‘s adult life, what aspects of her personality stand out to you that maybe you hadn‘t noticed before?
📚What picture do you get of who she is and what she was like as a person?

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I've always known she was very proud/a bit of a snob, and I feel like that is definitely true. The whole section towards the end where she is telling about her family history and connections, even the part where she was summarizing the neighbors - she definitely ranks people and considers her family a cut above many of the others. However, I think that makes her determined to live up to her family name and the idea of “bringing shame“ to the ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) family is a real horror to her. It really seems to me that that is a bit driving part of what kept her with her grandmother for so long, and it definitely seems to be what kept her from certain romantic entanglements. LMM also had an amazing sense of humor and a knack for friendship. I think she had a huge capacity for affection that was thwarted again and again. Her description of her marriage as something that made her “content“ made ⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) me so sad for her because it felt like she married someone who couldn't even be a real friend to her, and she seems like someone who desperately needed friendship in her life. I find myself wondering what her life would have been like if her mother had lived, if she had grown up in a house with parents who cared about her, with some younger siblings - I'm rambling wildly away from the actual question here 😂 but I guess the point is that⬇ 2mo

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I think her journals show us not just who she was, but glimpses of who she could have been under different, happier circumstances. I so admire her determination to stay positive, to take moments to just drink in the beauty of the world around her and find peace in it, her commitment to what she viewed as her duties, and her ability to find and distill humor and humanity into virtually everything she wrote. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks The snobbishness is EXACTLY what I was thinking! That really came across in this volume more than in the previous one. But that judgmental eye combined with her sense of humor results in some hilarious recounting of various events! Her critical eye allows her to stand aside from certain moments and see the ridiculousness of it. I also wonder what it would have been like to meet her—whether I'd have stood up under her scrutiny! 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I echo your ramblings in thinking about LMM! So often when reading these journals, I run through “what if“ scenarios. I think she'd have been so much more grounded and less susceptible to depression) if she'd had a childhood with loving parents & siblings, instead of strict grandparents who did NOT understand her. Or if she'd married someone who could have been a true confidant and partner. Or if she'd had a good therapist 😆 2mo

TheAromaofBooks Her sad marriage is what really gets me the most, I think. It just seems like she was finally in situation where she could be “free“ and instead she shackles herself to someone she doesn't really respect and saddles herself with basically a full-time job (minister's wife) that she KNOWS she isn't going to like. I think it's SO interesting how many of her life choices really were based on “what people might say“ instead of what would actually make⬇ (edited) 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) her happy. 2mo

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I was surprised at how often she reread the parts of her journal that made her sad, but she didn't have anyone to reminisce with - her friends were either far away, dead, or greatly changed. As you've already mentioned, I wish she could've had some psychological help. She seems to have decided her life was over done with by the time she's 35 or so, like all her good days were over. Add to your list of "what ifs" > 2mo

lauraisntwilder < all the men whose proposals she rejected. 2mo

13 likes10 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

I have a super busy Saturday tomorrow, so I‘m posting our #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead questions early!

Here we are at the end of the second volume of LMM‘s complete journals, ending this volume just after her marriage and the start of her honeymoon.

📚What stood out to you from this week‘s reading? From this volume overall?
📚What have you found to be most interesting or surprising from reading LMM‘s journals so far?

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks So it's starting to run together a little, but was this the section where she actually went and met Mr. Jerk Publisher Page? What a creep! He's so manipulative! You can see how he made a successful career by preying on female authors! I wanted to tell her to run away!!! But instead she signed another contract with that horrid man. However, it was super fun to read about her journey to Boston and her adventures there haha 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yes, that was in this section! I got mad about slimeball Page all over again. What struck me was that she saw through his manipulation, but STILL signed that unfair contract. Even though she identified all his tricks, they were still effective tricks! And she goes on to acknowledge that she does NOT trust him. The guy knew what he was doing (unfortunately). But yes, I did otherwise enjoy reading about her Boston adventures! ⬇ 2mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) I thought it was lovely that she was able to have that trip, and enjoy herself so thoroughly. It was so rare for her to have that kind of experience at that point in her life, and it felt like the kind of escape she needed so desperately. 2mo

TheAromaofBooks Yes, she definitely knew what he was doing and seemed to just kind of have a “devil you know“ kind of attitude towards the whole situation. That guy was SUCH a sleeze! 2mo

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks It was my son's birthday weekend and I got distracted and never answered these! What stuck out to me the most was how little she talked about being engaged. She stopped talking about Ewan completely. 2mo

11 likes5 comments

lauraisntwilder

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

pick

LMM's early 30s, despite literary success and fame, seemed to have more than her fair share of sadness. Depression and loneliness were ever present in the winter months, with just her elderly grandmother for company. But when she's happy, if she's spending those happy moments writing, her words are effervescent and full of the beauty of the natural world. #kindredspiritsbuddyread

25 likes

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“I do feel so worried and unhappy all the time. I cannot even write my worries out here—they go too deep and cut too keenly. I seem to enjoy *nothing.* Always there is the undercurrent of dread and anxiety and heartsickness.
…If I had anyone to share the worry with me—to talk things over with—to assist—to encourage! But I have no one. And everywhere I look I can see nothing but darkness.”
😭💔⤵️
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I thought we were going to have more balance between pain and happiness in this volume, Maud? That lasted until winter, I suppose. 😭 My heart really goes out to her with these kinds of entries. If only she‘d had access to some mental health professionals! 3mo

Blueberry 😥 3mo

TheAromaofBooks I just read this section this morning. Even scarier was just the next page or so when she takes the pain medication - knowing that she ends up taking addictive/destructive substances for the rest of her life (through medical ignorance of the time) that entry basically saying “maybe it isn't bad if I only take it now and then“ was kind of chilling. But I also can't blame her - days and days without sleep because of pain is so horrible! 3mo

lauraisntwilder It's even harder to read knowing she outlives Frede, the only person who seems to alleviate the pain and darkness. 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I know, right?! She's so hesitant about taking it at all, then rationalizes it in a perfectly reasonable way... but you just can't help seeing the foreshadowing! @lauraisntwilder I wish for a parallel universe where LMM didn't have to stay with her grandmother and Frede didn't die and the two of them can just have their own place and live out their best lives as cousin-old-maids. 3mo

31 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“In spite of my free confessions and self analysis, a stranger perusing these journals would receive from them a quite misleading impression of my real character and life.”

“…the second volume gives the impression of a morbid temperament, generally in the throes of nervousness and gloom. …in reality these spasms came at long intervals, when loneliness and solitude had broken down my powers of endurance. ⤵️

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) “…Between these times I was quite tolerably happy, hopeful and interested in life.

Well, I begin the third volume. I am going to try to strike a better balance in it—to write out my happiness as well as my pain.”
(Feb. 11, 1910) 3mo

BarbaraJean This is exactly what I was thinking in reading the bulk of this second volume of LMM‘s journals (side note: I wish they‘d been published to correspond to LMM‘s volume divisions!)—that it‘s not a balanced picture of her life. Since she so often uses her journal to “write out” her pain, we don‘t have a record of the happy times. But this got me thinking: does writing out the pain and not the happiness not only give a stilted perspective to the ⤵️ 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) …”stranger” reading LMM‘s journals, but also emphasize the pain and not the happiness to LMM herself? What do you think: is it better to let yourself vent and get it all out, or to count your blessings and not focus on the negatives? Or is there a middle ground? (Asking for a friend 😂😂) 3mo

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lauraisntwilder I've always been a sporadic journaler, but I recently realized I hadn't written anything in my journal since shortly before my sister's cancer came back 3 years ago. We were still in lockdown mode, waiting for my son to be old enough for the vaccine, and I think the cancer news was just too much. I didn't have the words. In general though, I think it's good to vent! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Whoops, I commented about this on the other post, because I hadn't read this one yet 😂 I think balance is good. I genuinely believe that gratitude and appreciation for our blessings make us better, happier, more pleasant people, so I'm a big believer in focusing on the positive. I definitely use my journal to sometimes write out “big feelings“ and I think that lots of times those are negative ones because we tend to try and figure out “why“ ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) when bad things are happening. When good things are happening, we don't generally deep-dive into the analytics as much, or at least I don't 😆 Sometimes things genuinely are hard, and you need to get things sorted out to figure out the best way through. But sometimes it's my attitude that's the issue, and sitting down and writing down 10 things I'm thankful for today, or writing a quick note to someone I appreciate helps me turn myself ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) around.

And not to get super religious on social media, but I'm a Christian, so lots of times I'll read Psalms when I'm feeling down - it's so good to remember that having feelings isn't a bad/sinful thing, and also knowing that I'm not the only one who has ever felt this way helps me keep my problems in perspective. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks It's fascinating to me how journaling works so differently, even for the same person at different times! There are times that writing everything out has helped me immensely, and other times that I think it's exacerbated things by me rehashing stuff I needed to let go. And then as you said, Laura—sometimes there just aren't words. I used to keep a “prayer journal“ that really helped me process life circumstances ⬇ (edited) 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...and reflect on both the good & bad, with God (now I'm getting Christian-y, too 😊). I used to write in that journal almost daily, but there was a year I barely wrote at all because I was processing in different ways & praying in different ways. (I also realized I needed to stop measuring my faith by how often I was journaling!) I tend to over-analyze the bad & lean towards pessimism, so balancing out my reflection is important for me! 3mo

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks This line, from page 397, seems relevant to this discussion: "I long shrank from the pain I knew would be attendant upon the writing of grandmother's death and leaving Cavendish." I totally understand that. I think "writing it out" when you're down is helpful, but this is an important distinction -- you know bad times will pass, but some changes (like death) are permanent & words & writing can fall short. 2mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Yes! She CANNOT write it out when it comes. That long gap between March 1911 and January 1912 is jarring to see, but so telling. When I saw the gap in dates, I did a double take, and then thought “Oh, no...I know what happened in between... 2mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder - Yes, I definitely think there is a sort of emotional paralysis that comes with genuinely huge changes/times of grief, especially ones you weren't expecting. I think writing it out can really help with situations where you are trying to make sense of things, make decisions, sort of analyze life, etc. But something like someone dying - it's a different kind of sadness, and you have to get further along before you can⬇ 2mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) start to make sense of all the feelings. 2mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Absolutely. I read Madeleine L'Engle's “The Summer of the Great-Grandmother“ right after my mother passed away, and I remember thinking so many times while reading that book: “This is exactly what it was like, and I wish I could record it the way she has.“ But it was still too close. 2mo

28 likes14 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

Back into the journals this week! We‘ll finish Volume 2 next week!

What are your thoughts on this week‘s reading?

Any favorite sections, significant themes, or quotes that stand out to you?

And how about that marathon mini-bio entry we got?!

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

lauraisntwilder I loved the entry about Halley's Comet. 😊 And it was fun to end the week with Maud and Earl Grey sitting on the steps of an outhouse! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - Her talking about seeing people coming to use the outhouse and then skulking away was honestly hilarious to me 😂 3mo

TheAromaofBooks I was struck by her entry on Feb 11, 1910, where she says that her journals make it look like she's all doom and gloom all the time, but she actually isn't, and in between entries she is living an overall decent life. It reminded me how hard it is to get an accurate overview of someone's life from a completely first-person assessment.

⬇ 3mo

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I also loved the insult, after spending the afternoon with someone who annoyed her - “Sophy would make anyone in love with solitude.“ 😂

Right at the end of this section she talks about being trapped with her grandma. Do you think it's just duty that keeps her there? Fear of how people would talk if she left? She has independent means and can afford to hire help, hire someone to stay with her grandmother, to move, etc., yet she stays. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks That outhouse scene was hilarious!! She paints the scene so perfectly, between: “I could not say to Earl Grey 'This is the MacPhail water closet'“ and: “I was suffering so acutely from a suppressed desire to laugh that I hardly knew what I was saying.“ 😂 Then the women in search of the W.C., and her fear “that some unfortunate was cooped up in the house behind us, not able to get out“ 😂 😂 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Yes, that Feb 11 entry is fascinating. I feel like there was a shift in self-awareness for her, of what her journal would look like to others. Now she's an established author, her concept of what her journal is for is changing. She doesn't want a girlish record of social doings, and it can't be only a confidant anymore, a place for her to exorcise her feelings. She's now conscious of others reading it someday, and wants to give ⬇ (edited) 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) a more accurate view—but you're absolutely right, that is virtually impossible from a first-person account!

With her grandmother, I think it's a combination of things. I'm sure a LOT of it is duty—she feels a debt of care since her grandmother raised her. And no doubt there's also the burden of others' expectations: not just “what others would say“ but also her grandmother's own expectations. She feels like she can't even hire help ⬇ 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...just around the home, because her grandmother would disapprove, so I doubt she'd feel like she could move and hire someone to care for her grandmother in her place! I also think a big part of it is her strong love of place (I think she's a LOT like Pat in that way). I don't think she could bear to leave Cavendish/PEI and all her favorite “haunts.“ But she's torn up about it because of the circumstances of her staying. 3mo

TheAromaofBooks It's just crazy to me that Maud is in her mid/late 30s now and still just 100% obedient to everything her grandma says, no matter how unreasonable. Things like actually heating the house, for instance - I feel like I would just tell Grandma to suck it up 😂 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks 😂 😂 The whole not heating the house thing just MYSTIFIES me. She's waking up with frost on her quilts, for crying out loud!! I don't understand how LMM's grandmother wasn't complaining about the cold!! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks Like I understand wanting to respect it being her house and doing things her way to some extent... but not the extent of literal unnecessary misery that's destroying your health FOR NO REASON!!! 3mo

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lauraisntwilder

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

I saw Halley's Comet when it last passed by Earth, when I was 4 years old. One set of those "eyes now unborn" were mine. ??

BarbaraJean That entry gives you chills a bit, doesn‘t it?! I remember seeing it in 1986 as well—I was 7! 3mo

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean Yes! I sent this picture to my sister, who is 5 years older than me and read all of the Anne books when she was young. I said, "She's talking about us!" 3mo

16 likes2 comments

LitsyEvents

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

Repost for @BarbaraJean

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule reminder!

For #LMMJournals:
We'll finish up Volume 2 of the Complete Journals with discussions on August 31 and Sept. 7.

For #LMMReread:
We'll discuss The Story Girl on Sept. 14 & 21

Then it's on to some #LMMAdjacent reads!

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2769292

BarbaraJean Thank you for sharing! 3mo

27 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule reminder!

For #LMMJournals:
We'll finish up Volume 2 of the Complete Journals with discussions on August 31 and Sept. 7.

For #LMMReread:
We'll discuss The Story Girl on Sept. 14 & 21

Then it's on to some #LMMAdjacent reads!

As always, all are welcome—let me know if you're not tagged and you'd like to be! I keep separate lists for each book, so you're welcome to join for anything that sparks your interest.

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, LitsyEvents, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Are we skipping Kilmeny? (Not a critique haha) So far this week's journal entries have felt like a life recap 😂 3mo

julieclair I will skip The Story Girl, but hope to read all the #LMMAdjacent books. 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—yes, I decided I didn‘t care to re-read Kilmeny and figured most people wouldn‘t be broken up about skipping it 😆 I‘m behind on my journal-reading and am just jumping back in today! I got back from a trip late on Monday and seem to have no concept of what day it is or what I‘m supposed to be reading this week! 3mo

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BarbaraJean @julieclair 👍 I will tag you accordingly! 3mo

lauraisntwilder I'm in...so long as I can find copies of everything! @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean I haven't read Kilmeny, but I was thinking I would. Is it worth it to read once? Is it at least better than A Tangled Web? I read that one earlier this year. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Even with all its problems, I liked Tangled Web better than Kilmeny--I think Tangled Web is a better book overall. Kilmeny is an earlier work, and it shows. It's a very simplistic romance, sweet in its own way if you can set aside the racist/ableist overtones! I thought it was worth reading once, for a taste of an early LMM novel that wasn't an Anne book. But I don't feel the need to re-read it! 3mo

lauraisntwilder Ah, I see. How would you rate it next to Pat? 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - It's a story I really enjoyed when I first read it in my teens, but find a little too tidy and saccharine as an adult (not to mention the whole point is Kilmeny feeling like she needs to “fix“ her inability to speak before she can get married). It's one that LMM originally wrote as a serial and then sort of “fluffed up“ to make it longer for publication. So it's not terribly long and interesting to read, like Barbara said ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) as an example of her earlier writing. It definitely lacks the character development of pretty much any of her novels - it has a bit of a fairy tale vibe to it. Imprisoned Princess, Prince Charming, Jealous Rival, etc. I think it's worth a one-time read, but keep your expectations low haha 3mo

lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks Good to know! Thank you! I think I will read it, but I can understand why you'd want to skip a reread. 3mo

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BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“Poetry pored over in childhood becomes part of one's soul and nature more thoroughly than what is first read in mature years can ever do.”
—March 3, 1909

What poets or other writers did you “pore over” in childhood? Are there books or poems that became “part of your soul” because you loved them as a child?
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I enjoyed LMM's list of poets—I learned and loved poems from Longfellow, Tennyson, and Whittier as a child (Scott, Byron, & Milton were a bit beyond me!). I loved Robert Louis Stevenson as well (A Child‘s Garden of Verses), then Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay when I was a little older. For contemporary poets, I found Naomi Shihab Nye in a collection of poetry for kids (tagged) and her poems have definitely become part of my soul! ⬇

The Place My Words Are Looking For: What Poets Say About and Through Their Work

3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) Then of course, there are SO many stories that became part of me in childhood. The Ramona books, Roald Dahl, Jean Little, and of course the Anne books! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks I have never been a poetry person, but sooo many books read and reread growing up have become “heart books“ for me, ones I freely admit I'm not remotely objective about 😂 AoGG is one, Little Women, The Velvet Room, all the Narnia books, Wild Trek (Jim Kjelgaard), and so many others are precious not just because of the stories themselves, but the circumstances and timing of me discovering them for the first time. 3mo

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BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

I don‘t necessarily have a question based on this quote, I was just struck by how true it is, especially reading her journals! Even taking into account that the journals don‘t give us a full picture of her life—she so often used her journal to “write out” her bleak moods, finding writing a comfort during illness and depression—but still, the contrast between her journals and the optimism of AoGG is striking.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks So true! Anne is such a hopeful, optimistic read, written at a time when LMM's own life wasn't remotely hopeful or optimistic. It's honestly just amazing to me the difference in the tone of the book and tone of her life! 3mo

27 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

A shorter section from the journals this week—there weren‘t very many entries between the publication of Green Gables and the publication of Avonlea! I‘ll highlight a couple of passages in additional posts, but what stood out to you from this section?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I jotted down a few things to look into for adjacent reads! “The Lay of the Brown Rosary” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Hans Christian Andersen‘s Fairy Tales, and the Alexander Dumas story: “The Honey Stew of the Countess Bertha” (I might try to add that one into our reading for October after LMM's comments on ghost stories!) 3mo

TheAromaofBooks I was so struck by how hopeless and stuck she sounds. She's only in her mid-30s, but acts as though her entire life has passed her by. The way she and her grandmother are treated by the rest of her family, especially her uncle, is just despicable. 3mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Ugh, yes--I can't even believe how awful her uncle is. And seemingly all because he feels entitled to the house NOW... but doesn't want to make provision for or care for his own mother. 😡 That section where LMM has to drag out an old broken ladder to put out a FIRE because the uncle has taken their ladder?!? 😡 😡 3mo

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lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean Can you imagine how different LMM's life would've been if she'd seen a doctor? At one point, she mentions that her "moods" have become almost predictable and she has "sick headaches." I have dealt with similar issues and I think, in addition to seasonal depression, this sounds like PMS, anxiety, and migraines. She needed a therapist and maybe a gynecologist! So much of what she said felt familiar to me. 3mo

lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean I haven't had a "white night" in years and my life has had considerably more comforts and good companions, but I can understand how easy it would be to succumb to the darkness (literally, sometimes, with the snow over the windows). I really felt for her. As much as I love her humor and beautiful descriptions of nature, reading about her depression has made me love her all the more. She had to push so hard to go on. 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder - Reading about her struggles and determination to continue trying to make the best of her life and look for silver linings really has made me admire her even more. Sadly, reading this does make me think that suicide rather than accidental overdose is not an unlikely scenario for the way she died, but that really just makes my heart break for her even more. While I've been in a situation where a doctor didn't seem ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) to care/listen to me, I can't imagine feeling like I couldn't go to one because he would just tell everyone I know about my personal issues! LMM writes so vividly about the cold, dark, claustrophobia of hard winters - trying to imagine spending a Canadian winter in a rundown house with no one except an elderly grandmother just sounds so difficult. I've been helping with my grandma's caregiving since my grandpa passed back in December ⬇ 3mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) and I've related to so much of what LMM had to say about the difficulty of an elderly relative very set in her ways and unable to see/understand that things are different. You want to show respect and allow them independence, but they also can't actually take care of themselves anymore. It's tough with the burden spread across several of us; I can't imagine trying to do it all alone in circumstances like LMM was facing. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Oh, I know!! I think there was definitely more to it than only seasonal/situational depression, though those played a huge part. I kept thinking about how things would have been different if she'd had access to the health care and mental health resources we have available now. Like @TheAromaofBooks, I can't imagine feeling like I couldn't go to the doctor because then everyone in town would know all the details about whatever was⬇ 3mo

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...wrong. Maud is so, so alone in all of this and I kept getting angry at the other relatives leaving her alone as the sole caretaker for her aging grandmother. Uncle John was awful, but he wasn't her only living child, right? And there were other grandchildren but somehow Maud had to do it all, with horrible Uncle John making everything worse. 3mo

25 likes10 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

A quick reminder of the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the next couple months! This week we're back into the journals, then we'll start reading Anne of Avonlea on 8/11, with discussions on August 17 and 24. Looking forward to reading along with you all, whenever you're able to join in!

#LMMJournals #LMMReread #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, julieclair

julieclair I‘m looking forward to Anne of Avonlea! 4mo

CogsOfEncouragement Thank you for hosting! I‘m only going to be able to join in for the Anne of Green Gables/Anne Shirley series of books from here on out. Really looking forward to rereading Anne of Avonlea. 4mo

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement You‘re welcome—thanks for joining in with the buddy read! I‘ll be sure to tag you just for the Anne books (and the related schedule/announcement posts) going forward. 😊 4mo

See All 11 Comments

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! I am loving the mix right now!! 4mo

JenlovesJT47 Been away for awhile but looking to jump back in! Can you tag me in future posts pretty please? 🤓💚 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Me too! I wasn‘t sure how well it would work jumping back and forth between the journals and other books, but I‘m really enjoying the variety! 4mo

BarbaraJean @JenlovesJT47 Absolutely! Are you interested in reading along with all of it: journals, re-reads, adjacent reads? I have separate tag lists for each, so if you‘re interested in some but not others just let me know! 😊 4mo

JenlovesJT47 All of it! Thank you! 🤗 3mo

BarbaraJean @JenlovesJT47 Will do! 🎉 3mo

lauraisntwilder Keep me tagged please! I've ordered the next two volumes of the journals, so hopefully I won't get behind again. 🤞Looking forward to The Story Girl, since I haven't read that one before. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Definitely! Will keep tagging you for everything Kindred Spirits 😊 I look forward to your thoughts on Story Girl! 3mo

31 likes11 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“Strange, dead, tyrannous old year! Will I ever be free from you? Perhaps I don‘t really want to be free. Perhaps I cherish a secret hope that I shall meet you again—or the soul of you—in eternity, and that then you will give back to me all you ravished from me.”
—May 20, 1904

Same, Maud. I‘ve had years like that!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks For real! 4mo

31 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMM Journals - Discussion

📚What are your thoughts on this week's reading?
📚What sections or quotes stand out to you?
📚Why do you think LMM chose to write in her journal about Anne of Green Gables and Ewan‘s courtship only after the fact?

This section closes with the publication of AoGG, so we‘ll start Anne of Green Gables next week! Next Saturday (July 27) we‘ll discuss chapters 1-19.

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks This was a tough section to read. I felt so bad for Maud and the way that she was so isolated away from any intelligent, congenial company. I've been helping caregive for a difficult grandmother who sounds a lot like Maud's, and I can't imagine that being my only, constant company. I was surprised at how little she mentioned Anne, even after saying that the manuscript had been accepted she never mentions any updates after that until the book ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) arrives. As for Ewan, it was interesting that she doesn't mention him basically at all, considering how regularly she talks about other people in her life, and how (theoretically) open she was about her feelings for Edwin and Herman. Like we discussed briefly on your other post, there is definitely a sense of settling here. She's so lonely and so completely out of options. I think she viewed Ewan as a “safe“ choice to give her the home ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) and children she wanted. But it still seems like a minister is the last person she should have married, not just because of her own indifference towards organized religion, but because she KNEW all the demands that it would make on her and knew that it meant being somewhat homeless in the sense that you are at the mercy of what church “calls“ you or doesn't, never having your own real place. Out of the various people she could have ⬇ 4mo

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) “settled“ for, a minister seems like a terrible choice.

Her descriptions of depression were very moving. I have never been that down before, but I do get mild seasonal depression (I think everyone in the midwest does... the sun just doesn't shine for five months!!!!) and I related to the joy she felt in being able to get outside, feel the sunshine, embrace some trees, and get her hands in the dirt. I was SO furious with her uncle for ⬇ 4mo

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) taking away her garden! I know we are getting a somewhat biased account, but he just sounds like an absolutely terrible person.

So I'm glad we're breaking up the journals a bit with some warmer, more optimistic reading. I'm enjoying the journals, but some of the sections are tough sledding. :-/ 4mo

lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean I'm finally caught up on the journals, so I'm looking back over your discussion from previous weeks. I agree Maud had seasonal depression, but to an extreme. Not only does the world grow cold and dark, but she's truly cut off from the outside world when the mail stops running. No one sends her letters, no one comes to pick up their mail, and she can't even go to her room! 3mo

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - The room thing really got me! There is something horrid about not having a single bit of privacy or space to call your own. 3mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Glad you were able to catch up! The journals are not happy/quick reading! @TheAromaofBooks Me too on the room thing! The bios said she had to sleep downstairs in winter because it was too cold--which made a certain amount of sense. I hadn't realized it was too cold because her grandmother wouldn't allow her to light the fire in her room!! That made me even more frustrated with her grandmother. That's WAY beyond “set in her ways.“ 3mo

24 likes8 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

There are highlights throughout this secondhand copy, which drives me just a little bit batty. I would have purchased a different copy if I‘d known this one was marked up! So I found this highlight very ironic. I wish this book‘s “not so wise” former owner had taken LMM‘s advice and used pencil!! (Blue highlights are my own, and are on the photo rather than the book!) #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I literally couldn't read the copy from the library that had all the randomly underlined letters. It was SO distracting, especially because it felt so random. I want to find this person and ask “Why did you underline every 'u' in EVERY instance of the word 'blue'??!?!?!“ 😂

As a side note, I feel so bad for Maud. Do you think her seasonal depression would have been as severe throughout her life if these early adult years hadn't been so isolated? 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks 😂😂Are you still reading it or did you buy a copy? Because if you don‘t mind highlights, mine can be made available to you 😆

I‘m not sure how it would have affected her later life, but my heart breaks for her situation at this point. If she could just have had her own home & space, and/or a like-minded companion close by—Frede or Nora, etc. it would have made such a difference. Or maybe if she just went south for the winter 😆 (edited) 4mo

TheAromaofBooks I caved and bought a copy. I think I could have dealt with it better if it felt like they were underlining with purpose instead of randomly 😂

The word I have for her life is just TRAPPED. But these diaries are also doing a way better job helping me see why she ended up marrying Ewan despite him not being a great match. 😕 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahaha—yeah, I couldn't deal with that kind of nonsensical underlining, either! I HATE highlights, but at least these make sense.

Yes, trapped is a very apt descriptor. I agree about Ewan & it makes me so sad! She basically says she‘s settling for him because she wants a home, companionship, and children. Which I understand, and those are valid reasons to marry, but I wish she'd had the kind of love she wrote for Anne & Valancy!⬇ 4mo

BarbaraJean This quote: “I shall never know the *fullness* of life—to love absolutely and give myself to the man I so loved, knowing he loved me as well. But I have not been cheated out of everything.“ 😭 4mo

38 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“Oh, if I had nothing else to thank God for I would thank Him for flowers. There is more of His inspiration and revelation in them than in all the writings of Jew or Greek, bond or free. The Great Teacher knew that when he told his disciples to consider the lilies. But his disciples, then as now, would rather be disputing over place and power and their own interpretations of his words and works.”
—May 5, 1904
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks I feel like she has been way more into gardening in this section than she ever was before, which I mostly found funny because I also didn't get into gardening until my mid/late 20s and now I can't stop 😂 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Ha! it seems like gardening really helped her nature-loving soul during this time of isolation and loneliness. And she HAS a garden since she‘s finally not boarding somewhere! At least grandma wasn‘t weird about LMM gardening like she was about having people over. 😆 4mo

32 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

This is the copy of the schedule I meant to post last week! Here's what the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead is reading in July/August: continuing LMM's complete journals with volume 2, and then our first re-reads with Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. All are welcome—feel free to pop in for any of the Saturday discussions you'd like!

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I'm so interested to reread Anne of Avonlea after a couple of the “analysis“ books we read really dunked on it 😂 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahaha—I‘m planning to pull those books out and review their dunks as I read 😆 I remember being disappointed with Anne of Avonlea when I re-read it back at the beginning of this buddy read. I‘m interested to see if I like it better this time (with diminished expectations)! 4mo

22 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“There is magic in the breath of the firs. It gets into my blood like wine and thrills me with unutterable sweetness, as with recollections of some other fairer life lived in some happier star. There is kin to me in those dark stately trees. I love them as I love no other.”
—December 27, 1902

#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

38 likes

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

“I never can stop half way in an emotion. I must sound the deeps every time and sometimes they are like to drown me.”
—June 30, 1902

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

40 likes

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - #LMMJournals - Complete Journals Vol. 2

We‘re back into LMM‘s journals this week, with her time in Halifax and then back in Cavendish. And more Ed Simpson!

📚What are your thoughts on this week's reading?
📚Any favorite sections, or quotes that stand out to you?
📚What common threads do you notice throughout LMM‘s journals so far?

Next week: Journals Vol. 2 - Mar. 16, 1904–June 20, 1908

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I posted a couple quotes I loved—both highlight two common threads I‘m seeing, especially in this volume: her bouts of depression and the solace she finds in nature. In her early journals she focused more on social doings, but now that she‘s more isolated, with peers married and/or moved away, her “low” moods are more frequent—and she uses her journal to “write them out.” Her moods are so tuned to the weather and to the lack of close friendships! (edited) 4mo

TheAromaofBooks I am still working through this chunk. I am honestly so confused about the whole Ed Simpson thing. Wasn't their engagement a secret?? Why is she SO wound up about it?? Why does she think everyone knows about it and is judging her?? 4mo

TheAromaofBooks One quote from Nov 28 '01 really struck me - “I can always write brilliantly when I am in the dismals.“ LMM really fascinates me with the way she was able to write such warm, happy stories even during times of stress and turmoil in her life, and here we see a little glimpse of her acknowledgement of that even in early days. 4mo

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BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I thought the same about the Ed Simpson episode!! I remember her being so relieved they'd kept it a secret because she wouldn't have to answer questions about breaking it off. I honestly didn't understand why she thought everyone was reading into all of her actions—why would anyone think anything about it?! It all seemed like an over-reaction. But the fear of what others would say was strong—both at that time & especially for her. 4mo

CogsOfEncouragement Wed, Nov 13, 1901
Life in a newspaper office isn't 'all beer and skittles“... made me stop and look it up. I had never heard this phrase and thought it fun.

I'm sure most of the crimes in the world must be committed by hungry people. I always feel “fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils“ when I'm hungry. That is why I am cross and grumpy at the present moment.

I found her description of the common, human, hangry, disposition humorous. 4mo

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement I had heard “beer and skittles“ before but had no idea its usage went back that far! And I love those quotes on being grumpy when she's hungry. Such good descriptions! LMM probably would have loved the word “hangry.“ 😆 4mo

TheAromaofBooks LMM's relationship with Ed Simpson is one of the most confusing aspects of her story to me. Even when she was engaged I could not figure out why she was so upset about the idea of ending the engagement. I get that that was “not done“ - but also what “wasn't done“ was getting secretly engaged without the permission of the woman's guardians! So why was breaking an engagement that “shouldn't“ have happened in the first place more disgraceful?!! 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I felt the same way: Why is it such a big deal—stop agonizing and break it off already!! There are so many secret engagements in LMM‘s fiction and they aren‘t shown as scandalous. And wasn‘t her engagement to Ewan a secret for years? Maybe a secret engagement was less frowned on if it led to a public engagement & then marriage, and she was concerned both “not done“ things would be discovered, compounding the gossip & disapproval. 4mo

29 likes8 comments

lauraisntwilder

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

The third time was the charm! One order got lost in the mail and the second never shipped, but I finally got a copy. I'll try to get caught up for next weekend. #kindredspiritsbuddyread @BarbaraJean

BarbaraJean Yaaaaay!!! 🎉 I'm glad you finally got hold of a copy! 4mo

21 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

I resonated so strongly with this—I remember feeling this way when my mother died: “One felt as if the foundations of all existing things were crumbling and every trustworthy landmark swept away.”

Then her thoughts on Queen Victoria are so similar to mine when Queen Elizabeth died: “Who ever thought that Queen Victoria could die? ‘The queen‘ seemed a fact as enduring & unchangeable as the everlasting hills.“
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

TheBookHippie ♥️ 4mo

35 likes1 comment

TheAromaofBooks

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

I was quite glad to be able to get a copy of this book from the library, but I literally think I am going to order my own copy after all because some JERK has random underlined not passages, not phrases, not even WORDS but literally random letters!?!? I think they were trying to mark works “subtly“ since, you know, it's a LIBRARY BOOK but it is SO distracting. Every page is like this, with at least 2, sometimes up to 10, words marked. 😑 ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) I'm starting to find myself looking to see if the underlined letters spell words or something? A cry for help?? The page before this one marked the “ic“ and “ea“ of “pick beans“ and then all four “u“s the four times the word church appeared. Just. Why. Flipping ahead, the whole book is this way. Why are the words “Amanda“, “post office“, and “lawyer“ so important on page 267!? I can't live this way! 😂
@BarbaraJean 4mo

Ruthiella Maybe they were using it for creating a cipher! 😂 Still, so annoying! 4mo

BarbaraJean Ugh, that‘s annoying!! And it looks like it‘s in pen?! 😠 I bought a secondhand copy of Vol. 2 and it has highlighting throughout, which I HATE. But at least it‘s phrases and sentences that make sense as significant!! @Ruthiella It does look like they‘re marking some sort of code—but failing at being inconspicuous! (edited) 4mo

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Clare-Dragonfly How obnoxious! Are all the underlines in the middles of words? Maybe they were trying to make the underlines inconspicuous since it‘s a library book? Instead of, you know, just not marking in it… 4mo

Aimeesue That is very, very weird. 🤔 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Ruthiella @BarbaraJean @Clare-Dragonfly @Aimeesue - I definitely think that they were trying to be “subtle“ with their underlining since it's a LIBRARY BOOK, but I'm also just genuinely perplexed by the randomness of the words they chosen to mark. For instance, EVERY time the word “blue“ appears it gets a mark!??! The word “church“ also gets noted EVERY time. But others are very haphazard. It's just the weirdest thing. 4mo

rabbitprincess @Ruthiella Haha that was my thought too 😂 4mo

TheAromaofBooks @Ruthiella @rabbitprincess - I did try to put together some of the letters but didn't come up with anything. Why every u in church?? Why every l in blue?? I would NOT make a good detective! 😂 4mo

48 likes8 comments

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

Just a quick reminder of the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule for the next month!

For #LMMJournals: We'll start Volume 2 of the Complete Journals this week, with check-ins to discuss on July 13 and 20th.

For #LMMReread: We'll begin our first re-read on July 21, with Anne of Green Gables. Discussions will be on July 27 and Aug. 3.

If you haven't already, please let me know if you'd like to be tagged for any of these discussions!

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I came across an earlier (possibly obsolete) tag list in my notes today, so I'll also tag @willaful @prairiegirl_reading @sblbooks @quietjenn @kwmg40 and @LeahBergen just in case... I'm not sure if I messed up my lists! Let me know if you want to be tagged for any future posts (I have separate tag lists and can tag you for any portion you're interested in... or not at all!). 5mo

LeahBergen Feel free to tag me whenever you feel like it! I enjoy following what you‘re reading and will pop in when I can. 😊 5mo

TheAromaofBooks I'm so interested to get back into LMM's journals. And I'm also excited about rereading her own work now that we've been doing a deep dive into her life for so long!! Thank you so much for organizing/hosting - I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed exploring LMM's life and works!!! 5mo

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BarbaraJean @LeahBergen I‘ll be sure to tag you for these schedule posts so you can keep on top of what‘s being read when! 4mo

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks You‘re welcome!! Thank you for reading along with me! I‘m really excited about getting into the re-reads, especially reading them alongside her journals! 4mo

julieclair I think I need to skip the journals and (sadly) Anne of Green Gables. But please keep me on the schedule post tag list, as I sure do hope I can jump back in in August. 4mo

BarbaraJean @julieclair That's a shame, but I understand! I'll tag you for the schedule posts so you can stay in the loop, and you can jump back in whenever you're able. 4mo

julieclair @BarbaraJean 💙💙💙 4mo

lauraisntwilder Don't take me off the tag list please because I do want to participate, but the 1st copy I ordered of Vol 2 of the journals got lost in the mail and I got a refund. My second try hasn't even shipped yet. Contemplating canceling with them and trying a 3rd time with someone else. 4mo

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Ugh, that‘s so frustrating!! I hope you‘re able to get a copy soon! 4mo

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