Write More Blog Entries Month

Apparently this is write more blogs month, as in write a blog entry a day. Good goal, so here goes. This is also National Vegetarian Month, so a good time to try out some new vegetables you've never had before or some new dishes, right? I will freely confess that I don't think I will ever try making eggplant dishes at home. So far, none of mine have turned out & I think I'd just rather have a restaurant do it for me. Much more fun that way.

Also wanted to mention Mayapple Press. For those of you interested in poetry or in supporting regional writing efforts, Mayapple Press is well worth checking out. Judith Kerman is the editor & owner of the press, I believe. The books are beautifully produced and edited, a real work of art. Check it out.

naming the puppy game

puppy names are HARD! Here are the ones I've thought up so far. And yes, you may vote in the comments if you so wish. ;) Puppy comes home weekend of October 10th. and I wanted to share this post from Cute Overload with y'all. Cutest kitten ever!

Natalie,
Wendy,
Jory,
Kara or Cara, Calla, Callie
Keeley
Louie
Honey
Ivory
Lark
Leaf
Sachi (means bliss child, joy in Japanese)
Leonie (Lay-oh-nee)
Arcadie ((ar-KAY-dee)
Lyall
Flavie (FLAH-vee)
Roi'sin (Roe-sheen, means Rose in Gaelic)
Tory
Jenny
Jenna
Olivia
Hebe
Honesty
Hero
Isla (eye-la)
Ivy
Lexy
Izzy
Kizzy (Kezia)
Taffy (old Welsh, means beloved)
Ciara (kee-ara)
Posy
Clarrie/Clara
Daisy
Nell
Darby
Delwyn (pretty, blessed)
Evie
Nora
Parry (pear cider!)
Bailey
Betsy
Charlotte (Lotty, Charley)
Cherry,
Dori
Jessie

sharing

Liked this quote & wanted to share it:
Quote of the Day
"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
– Ella Fitzgerald

Pretty cool, eh? It is raining, so who knows if I will get to paint today! But since I have no love or inspiration for painting the garage, well... (hm, maybe I should try painting a mural on the sides of the garage, my dream garden! Wouldn't that be nice?)

reading and various things

Life has taken a sad turn, recently, since my youngest uncle has brain cancer, and despite valiant efforts by the doctors, surgeries, etc. he is expected to pass away this coming Sunday. I am very glad that he has a wonderful wife and that his four children will be able to be with him as he passes, but very sad for my mother.

On a slightly cheerier note & getting back to the books side of things, these are the books I'm reading right now:

Time Travelers (book one in the Gideon trilogy) by Linda Buckley-Archer. (YA) Fun, engaging, great time period to set a series like this, and Gideon is a pretty darn intriguing character.

Waterwalk : A passage of Ghosts by Faulkner (non-fiction, journey book of father & son on a canoe trip, really terrific book).

The New Gold Standard by Joseph A. Michelli (nonfiction, really good book about customer service & the Ritz-Carlton experience, and chock-full of interesting things to think about, in regards to how you conduct your work and think about your work experiences).

and last but not least, The Waters of Michigan by Lubbers & Dempsey. Terrific environmental/photographic book.

Driving & book reviews

This link is about how to drive safely. Well worth reading & applying to oneself, as I am right now....

I also want to look up the article writer's book : Tom Vanderbilt is the author of "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)."

And a reaction in the Chicago Tribune about what features (including Book Reviews) would readers like to keep. I always liked reading the Chicago Tribune's books section. Not sure if the link still works, but I thought what people said was interesting. Sure hope they keep the book reviewers around.

Gotta look this one up , because I always love the China books : The Last Days of Old Beijing by Michael Meyer (Walker, $25.99, 9780802716521/0802716520, June 24, 2008)

A New Puppy and updates

Hi all,

Busy summer so far, and it doesn't look like letting up yet. I have just picked over twenty tomatoes (some are the small cherry/grape tomatoes, so it sounds like more than it really is. Good thing I have some friends to help me eat them though!). Those yellow pear tomatoes are really lovely & good too & I'm having a blast eating these & using them in recipes.

Got back from Madison, WI just fine, and had a nice family oriented vacation. We did get to see some of the downtown capitol & a tiny bit of the University of Wisconsin campus. Easily the highlight of the trip was the trip over on the Lake Express Ferry. It does cost money, but it is worth it in terms of cutting out the Chicago detour (and that horrendous expressway traffic. I used to live in Chicago & expressway traffic is not my favorite thing at all). And the staff are wonderful, gracious, kind, and the seating is terrific. You meet a lot of interesting people too. Lots of families, which makes sense, since handling a young toddler & a baby is probably a lot more fun on a ferry boat than while driving through Chicago.

We met a couple & his friend who were driving classic cars to a competition. Turns out they have 100 classic cars. Wow. Where can you keep a 100 cars? They must own a parking garage.

New puppy coming soon, I hope, if all works out, probably around October 10 or 16. Parents are a pair of Welsh Springer Spaniels; dam is Kate & the sire is Walker. The two of them are lovely dogs. There are 7 females & 1 boy, so right now I don't know which I'll be getting, but I already have puppy names.

More suggestions are welcome.... I'll share the names I've thought of so far in a separate post. It would be utterly lovely if, like Bonnie (sis's dog) and Annie (my very own kitty) the puppy would suggest its own name. I love it when that happens.

Summer is flying by

Sorry to be so dilatory about posting here. I've had company, I've had to work longer hours (we're approaching fiscal year end close for my workplace) and... its just been busy. We also went to Williams & Sonoma for their big end-of-summer sale and got some nice things, including Tartine for 9.99. Not bad! Also visited a local yarn shop which just reopened and they had some nice things for reduced sale there.

Met up with a long-time friend at Travelers Club, which is in East Lansing, Michigan. She'd heard it was a Tuba museum, and we'd both wanted to go see it. Very nice eccentric place, food was plentiful, and full of wonderful fresh vegetables from the garden. We had a good time. Her oldest daughter was also along, and it was great to get reacquainted.

Sis & I are going to Madison, Wisconsin weekend after this coming one, and taking along one of our aunts. Ferry boat ride in our future, which should be fun.

But you can see why I have been busy. This coming weekend is the Fiber festival, which is fabulous.

And here's quote for y'all, taken from sparkpeople :

Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul - Simone Weil

What we can learn about patience from a diamond

Trying (but failing) to see your goals realized can be frustrating. Margaret Thatcher once said "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it," and she was absolutely right. You've got to believe that you will succeed! Never admit defeat as long as time and effort remain. Our greatest asset is patience; our greatest weakness is throwing in the towel. Banish discouragement and feelings of impossibility by working hard, doing more, and not giving in! A diamond was only made beautiful after millions of years as a lump of coal.

Red Pepper Spread

I think I hinted at having lots of lovely red bell peppers to use in canning. As chance would have it, I used the Roasted Red Bell Pepper Spread from the Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving. Fantastic book with loads of great recipes. Not sure how I feel about this particular one, because it requires red wine vinegar, a full 1.5 cups of it. Highly vinegary recipes are not my favorite, so we'll see how I like it. I hope it turns into a spread rather than a sauce. ;)

Given my dislike for some of the pickled stuff, I think I will just try to freeze the red peppers I have left & eat as much as I can in the meantime.

Made Smitten Kitchen's Blueberry Crumb Bars. They've been a hit so far, so I hope the Master Gardeners Group I made them for likes them too.

Onward to the next reading project....

quoting and red bell peppers

Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man. Sir Francis Bacon

Just because I like the quote, I thought I'd share.

Found red bell peppers for 2.99 a pound and they are delicious looking. So I brought a lot of them, felt guilty about spending the money, looked for canning recipes & lo & behold, found TWO. So I went back & brought MORE red bell peppers.

I'm going to make (and can) roasted red pepper spread and Pickled Roasted Red Peppers. Will use that lovely white wine that I got at a local wine tasting too, because they always say to use the best ingredients possible. I love that wine, and now I will have a chance both to cook with it & to drink it too. ;)

I promise not to drink it before I go out to paint the garage, however.

various items of interest

Really cool story, about twins who have swum in Lake Michigan every day since they were 12 years old. They're 70 now.

Another cool article, this one about Jim Abbott, the former pitcher in the major leagues. Very inspirational story, I thought, about a very humble man.

Made blueberry jam today. If it doesn't set, I"ll give it away as ice cream spread or pancake topping. ;) Two of the batches yesterday didn't set & I think (because they had cherry in them) that the cherry & the high amount of water & not enough pectin caused that to happen. We'll see how they set in the next few days. So far I haven't had any trouble with the lids not sealing.

Jams, jams, and more jams

My goal for this summer was actually to do some canning. What with food prices, fuel prices, etc. I'm even more motivated to go ahead & get some canning done. Yesterday, I decided it was now or never, so I went to the City Market & picked up a flat of raspberries. Now part of the flat was in the refrigerator, but the rest had been sitting out all day. Still, for a cost of $45, I had an entire flat all to myself & wound up making raspberry jam that very night, and for the first time all by myself.

I'd helped Mom, of course, many a time. I forget when she stopped canning, but it was likely when she went back to working full time & probably about the time my grand father started living between his two daughters' houses. Life just got too busy at that point. Her tomato sauces were lovely & I was always being told to run downstairs & get a jar of tomatoes for dinner that night. When I said there wasn't any, she'd always send me back down again.

Oddly enough, I remember only a time or two when there really wasn't any. Those filled jars hid really well.

Anyway, my goals were simple, to make Christmas jam. I missed the strawberry season for a number of reasons, but was thrilled to find out that I could still buy raspberry flats. Thrilled enough that I went back & brought another flat! Plus ten pounds of blueberries. The dining room table is looking really pretty; raspberry jam, raspberry/cranberry jam, and raspberry/cherry jam. Tomorrow, I need to either freeze the remaining raspberries or make more jam. Or maybe make muffins....

Made blueberry muffins from the King Arthur Baking cookbook. Used Ricotta cheese, because that's what I had, instead of sour cream. The dough was really stiff, so I think maybe the more watery sour cream would've been a better choice. I'll try again tomorrow & will take the results to work.

Another really fun thing I did was, I picked up rosemary & basil plants at the Hickory Corners Greenhouse, which is also at the City Market. Lambs Ear, Phlox, and a couple other things too... and they have some really lovely birdbaths, which, believe it or not, I think I'm going to 'save' to buy when I reach a goal. I'm hoping to reach that goal before the end of the summer.

More reports on my baking & canning will come up later! I really want to make a lot of tomato sauce & can some whole tomatoes because I use a lot of tomatoes in cooking. I think making my own will be fun.

Should add here that I also ate my very FIRST four cherry tomatoes of the season, straight from my very own backyard plants. This is way more fun than TV... and harkening back to Diane Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard, I am also picturing my plants saying, "grow grow grow" in little plant voices....

Gardens & tomatoes!

I'm SO thrilled. I have tomatoes that are ripening! They're the cherry or grape tomatoes (I forget which) and there are approximately four or five. I'm sooooo happy! Really made my evening and I'm glad I walked out to look at them. They're not quite ripe yet, but maybe tomorrow, and some of the bigger ones are starting to turn that vestige of yellow. Hurry, you tomatoes!

Brings back lovely memories of the time Bridie got all excited because I had a shiny red ball in my hand (a tomato) and jumped up & down hoping I would throw it for her. So I did, until it split & Bridie gave it back to me while licking her lips thoughtfully... so I threw it for her one more time, kinda guessing what might happen.

Sure enough, little miss mischief stood there with her back to me, looked over her shoulder once (and was smacking her lips) and then I could see motions of chewing... Then she looked around & at me, with the biggest, most innocent eyes, "Mommy, I can't find the ball, sorry." What a silly pooch! It was worth it to throw that 'ball' for her and see those eyes light up like that. My sweetie!

Annie got to go outside with me while I threw some compost items into the compost bin. She was chewing grass as fast as she could, as she saw me returning. My little cat-cow! She's not an outdoor cat, but loves to come outside & seems to have learned that she's not going to be left alone to roam out there.

Hooray for vegetables! Grow, grow, grow!

Culinary memoirs & tracking

Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Culinary Memoir

Ellen F. Steinberg • Recipe adaptations by Eleanor Hudera Hanson

Based on the pocket notebook and handwritten recipes of Irma Rosenthal, a young Chicago housewife from the turn of the twentieth century, Learning to Cook in 1898 is a glimpse into American culinary history. "

Found this at the Wayne State University Press website. Doesn't it look interesting?

Quick update on my journeys! I have been to Canada for the weekend & had a great time, despite a huge downpour of rain that lasted about twenty or so minutes. They needed the rain, so it was actually a good thing. We were at the German Shepherd Club in London Ontario for a tracking test & got to watch a lot of urban style tracking. Good learning experience. Am reading a book about bridge restoration. Hey, it is more interesting than it sounds! It is all about how to save a bridge, what the ropes are for historical restoration, etc. Fascinating book & the title is A Bridge Worth Saving, author is Mike Mort. Otherwise, what with power washing my garage & getting covered with flecks of white paint is about the extent of the excitement around here.

Sister showed up for a lace knitting class at a nearby yarn shop & had a good time. Always enjoy spending time with her.

today's activities (movies, books, powerwashing?!)

Yesterday & today turned out to be quite active days. I went to the northerly cinema to use the free movie ticket I had (movie clubs are great to belong to! free popcorn & the occasional free movie) and saw Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Pretty fun, and it was really great to see Karen Allen back again. I think she's a knitter now & owns a shop, but can't recall at present, Went & checked & she is!) (Ok, her name is Karen Allen, not my original guess of Smith, but I was... semi-close ;) ) Doesn't hurt that I love Shia LaBeouf too. Fun action movie.

The movie I really wanted to see, however, was Prince Caspian. I knew this movie was going off the big screen shortly, so I went to see that today. I have to admit that I was both pleased & disappointed. I always love the costuming, the scenery is splendid, and the four young actors are terrific. The actor who played Prince Caspian did an excellent job & I look forward to seeing him in the next movie, the Dawn Treader movie. The nice addition was that the role of Susan was far more active, than in the book. However, the romantic sub-plot was totally contrary to what CS Lewis wrote (and totally contrary to what he would ever have written.) Some of the plot lines were shifted in ways I didn't care for, mostly because that's not how the book handled it & because it makes Lucy (the youngest) very much to blame for much of the deaths in the movie. Didn't like that one at all.

Read two really fun books. The first one brought a former coworker (and luckily, current friend, Hi Kate!) vividly to mind. Although I must admit I can't think of the Kate I know doing things like walking on her hands (maybe that's a talent I never saw?) or carrying around a bucket strapped to her waist. She does have lovely purses though.

This one was The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart. I can see why it was a New York Times bestseller. It is beautifully done in terms of good writing & good action driven plot, has great puzzles, and gives you a lot to think about. I love Reynie Muldoon & Miss Perumal (the tutor), Sticky, Kate, and even Constance, who is the irritating one in this book. It is lovely, and a great juvenile.

The other book I also just adored, which is the one by Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks of Gardam Street. If you haven't read the first one, The Penderwicks, do that before you read this one. I love the story of the father with four girls. This book absolutely puts paid to the idea that only bad people & bad events are worth reading about. Talking much about the plot will ruin it, so suffice it to say that each girl faces challenges, they all grow up (even the father) and many interesting events take place.

One thing I really love about the book is that I have friends in the Books & Readers Forum on Compuserve, who have complained that their daughters who suffer from depression also suffer from the fact that so many of the books read in schools are issue books. They deal with depression, suicide, divorce, abuse, drugs... and on & on. Why, they said, can't there be books that are not so issue-driven and depressing? One woman actually had a teacher suggest a different book for her daughter to read. The daughter started to read it, sighed & put the book down & walked out. Turns out that in the first page, the father of the main character dies.

I wholeheartedly agree that we need a better balance. And Birdsall does such a beautiful job with this one. (p.s. there's even football & soccer in the book, to give you an idea of Birdsall's talents).

Last but not least, I decided to scrape the garage, to get it ready for painting. But then I realized that someone had suggested using my power washer instead, so that's what I spent the last two hours doing. I have little flecks of white paint all over myself, the yard, and the driveway. The garage never looked elegant before, but now looks distinctly shabby & threadbare. Here's hoping the primer makes it look glamorous again..... (maybe dark green trim will help?)

I wonder what Annie thought, watching all this stuff going on & watching white flakes fly by & water shooting into the air. Here's a picture of her in the window (look above).

Walter Farley

Loved Walter Farley & I think I've read just about all of his work. Another similar author that I really loved is Colonel SP Meek. I may have left off one of Col. Meek's initials! Parts of the following deleted & condensed. There's nothing better for a horse crazy girl, as I was, unless you consider Marguerite Henry. His son (I think, or is this the grand son?)'s blog is here.

Excerpted from Writers' Almanac: June 26th was the

"birthday of children's book author, Walter Farley, born in Syracuse, New York (1916). From an early age, there was nothing he wanted more in the world than his own horse. Unfortunately, his parents couldn't afford one, so he spent all his time reading and writing about horses.

Between the ages 11 and 15, he wrote dozens of short stories with titles like "The Winged Horse," "My Black Horse," "Red Stallion," and "The Pony." He later said they were all rough drafts for the novel that he finally finished while he was a student at Columbia University, which he called The Black Stallion (1941). It's the story of a boy and a wild stallion who survive a shipwreck and become friends on a deserted island.

The book was so popular that Farley went on to write 20 novels about the horse, including The Black Stallion Returns (1945), The Black Stallion Revolts (1953), and The Black Stallion's Ghost (1969)."

Off to see Prince Caspian, before it goes out of the theatres! Next time I post, I'm going to post about making beeswax candles & Jeffery Farnol, one of my favorite authors.

Tasha Tudor

This is something I sent to a friend & it is an excerpt from a newspaper article:

"Legendary author and illustrator Tasha Tudor died June 18 at her Vermont home.
She was 92. A family statement on her said, "We thank you for supporting Tasha
Tudor's lifestyle and artwork during her long career. We hope that Tasha's
message of 'taking joy' in all that one does will be remembered as we pass
through this difficult time together." (from shelftalker)

Tasha illustrated nearly 100 books, some of which were her own. Her first book
was Pumpkin Moonshine. Her latest, Corgiville Christmas in 2003. Among her
awards were two Caldecott Honors.  There's also a NY Times obituary which may still be retrievable.
She did amazing work and I have enjoyed her illustrations & writing quite a bit. I have a book about her
called The Private World of Tasha Tudor, which has really amazing photographs. There's also a book
about her garden called Tasha Tudor's Garden, which I plan to buy.

I love the fact that she died at home, with her family with her. It must have been a sad time for them,
but I know she loved her home & yard so much that there's no other place she would have rather been.

Sure wish I could have met her, but at least I can meet her through her books. That's the real blessing of books.

NASCAR & other things too (Happy Fourth of July!)

NASCAR article about Jeremy Mayfield traveling over to Iraq & his experiences there. Fabulous article.

Also loved this one, with all the beautiful pictures & people taking their citizenship oath. The guy who sent this to his mother said that he was at the mass re-enlistment ceremony & the atmosphere & spirit there were beautiful.

Thanks to all our veterans, for their service, and very hearty thanks indeed to our servicemen & women currently serving.

Where is Matt?

Thought Matt's story was a pretty fun one to post here. Basically, he has several videos on YouTube, which show him dancing & those are in exotic locations around the world. He's not much of a dancer, but he sure is fun to watch. Such a happy expression! Love the fact that Stride (the gum) sponsored his last two trips & basically told him to go have fun.


http://www.wherethehellismatt.com (great video & fun story!)

The Calder Game by Blue Balliett

Another really interesting & mentally challenging book by Blue Balliet. I love her books because you not only learn art, history, and even a little bit of math, you also get to interact with some really interesting fictional characters. She does a terrific job of keeping the whole plot interesting & mystifying. Highly recommended.

Virginia Kahl quote

"Little children should enjoy their books. As long as possible, let them live in a world where characters are basically good, incidents are funny or exciting, and the story ultimately satisfying. I hope that the children who read my books have put them down with sighs of contentment, knowing that their expectations of cheerful uncomplicated tales with happy endings have been vindicated."

--Virginia Kahl, quoted from Contemporary Authors
The Gale Literary Databases

Loved this quote & I have Kahl's book, "The Duchess Bakes A Cake" which is hilarious. I also have a picture of her surrounded by cats, and drawing her cat. She has the happiest smile on her face.

Have just started reading The Region of Lost Names by Fred Arroyo, from University of Arizona Press, 2008. Really interesting book, which starts out from the perspective of Ernestitio (also called Ernest or Ernesto), as he comes to grips with his past, present and future. I suppose that sounds vague, but it is a little hard sometimes to describe books without totally giving away the fun of reading it for the first time yourself. Perhaps it suffices to say that I really like the book and that the author is giving a really good peek into his character's mind & how his mind is freely floating between events of present day & the struggles of dealing with his imperfect parents & his break-away from that past. The book appears to be structured so that you see it first from Ernestitio's mind & then from Magdalene's. Haven't got to Magdalene's yet, but am looking forward to it.

Another aspect that I find very real & very personal is the way the character alludes to past griefs... and slip slides away from talking 'too much' about it. How very human! Really beautiful use of language here too.

Carpe Diem

Found these quotes & thought they were appropriate :

If there is no wind, row." - Latin Proverb
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle, comic
"Things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. -- Abraham Lincoln, US President.

Well worth remembering for every day life. Today I seized the day, and after a long day at work, went out with a friend & laid two tracks for her dogs. Then I went to the Master Gardeners meeting at the local university & learned about compost, plus some volunteering activities coming up for the Master Gardeners.

Before you're too impressed that I'm a Master Gardener, remember our motto... we're lifelong learners, not people who know everything there is to know! :) I became one so I wouldn't be so dangerous to the flora & fauna in my yard. Great people, great fun. Sure had fun on the track too & I think every day should be like this.

One thing I would love to "seize" is the opportunity to buy a rose farm. If only! I can put that on my list of dreams, yes? What's your dream?

Willo

Willo Roberts

Loved the last line of her article : "Reading mysteries should be fun. Writing them certainly is!"

various topics

Just liked this quote, so thought I'd put it here:

"My two favorite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library. -Peter Golkin, museum spokesman (1966- )"

Had a good day & got some shopping done. Also started reading a really fabulous book, which, believe it or not, is about Jiffy Mix! The book is a company history, but has a beautiful touch of personal history too, so that you learn about the people behind the company & the people who worked there, not just the CEOs & company owners. The story is so interesting & so well written. The writer, Cynthia Furlong Reynolds, also wrote Our Hometown : America's History as Seen Through the Eyes of a Midwestern Village, which is about Chelsea, the hometown of Jiffy Mix. Our Hometown got some national mention because of its beautiful & personal portrayal of the "average" midwestern town.

I'm really loving the Jiffy book, and the full title is : "JIFFY"(tm) : A family Tradition, Mixing BUsiness and Old-Fashioned Values. The woman who came up with the Jiffy Mixes & perfected them was married to a miller & was the daughter of a miller. As such, she took pride in her baking and wanted to make it possible for even a man to bake good biscuits. You'll have to read the book to find out more about that part of the story, but it really is a wonderful one & the story of how Chelsea & JIFFY came together is a beautiful one. Great history & also great reading. Book is from University of Michigan Press, and was published in 2008.

Annie, Labrador Retrievers and various historical facts

Thought this was pretty cool:

"Jack Dempsey
Born this day in 1895 was American heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey, who held the world title from 1919, when he knocked out Jess Willard, until 1926, when he lost a 10-round decision to Gene Tunney."

Sis was here today, while waiting for her Labrador Retriever at the local university veterinary hospital. I didn't get a chance to see her while she was in my house, but will see her this coming weekend. I am absolutely certain that Annie was well entertained & played with! Annie loves her auntie, and whenever she sees her, yells in her little cat voice about being played with. Nothing like an aunt. ;)

Scotts & Icebound

With my Scottish ancestry, I have to put up this excerpt from Britannica :

"1314: Battle of Bannockburn
On this day in 1314 began the Battle of Bannockburn, a decisive engagement in Scottish history whereby the Scots defeated the English, regained their independence, and established Robert the Bruce as Robert I."

Hooray for Robert The Bruce!

Today we got in a really wonderful book, Icebound. I would class it as a juvenile. It is really well written & absolutely fascinating. Just the right touches of history & all the things that interest youngsters. (Or at least... it interested me, I would hope it would interest others. Full title here & a link to the author's website as well. "Icebound The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan" Text and Illustrations Valerie Olson.

I also spoke briefly at our all staff today & got to hype two good books, Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Nguyen and From The Vine : Exploring Michigan's Wineries (Kegerreis & Hathaway). Both are also highly recommended to anyone who is interested. The first is a great memoir, especially about the immigrant experience. The second is a great introduction to wines, especially of this particular region.

Tasha Tudor

Tasha Tudor died on Wednesday, June 18th this week. She was a really fabulous artist & children's book illustrator. I loved her book, "The Secret World of Tasha Tudor." Really amazing woman who lived life on her terms. The New York Times had a lovely long obituary on her.

historical moments & other things

Love getting the Britannica news every day. I am hoping it is teaching me more about history. As much as I love history, which I never realized until I took a class from a local mayor in Minnesota, I've not taken very many classes. I would love to rectify that and learn a good deal more.

Here's a couple of things from today's newsletter that I thought were interesting: " Howlin' Wolf
American blues singer and composer Howlin' Wolf, one of the principal exponents of the urban blues style of Chicago and noted for his brooding lyrics and his earthy, aggressive stage presence, was born this day in 1910."
and

"1567: Casket Letters found
The Casket Letters—which directly implicated Mary, Queen of Scots, in a plot with James Hepburn, 4th earl of Bothwell, to murder Mary's husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley—were said to have been discovered this day in 1567."

Yesterday got a little too exciting when, after watching the Top Chef reunion for season 4, I managed to kick a jar of pickling salt that was on the floor. Let's just say that thing feels like concrete. My toe is not broken, but it is bright purple, double its usual size, and it doesn't feel very good right now. I slept with an ice pack all night. My doctor doesn't think it is broken & judging on how my other foot felt when I broke the second toe, I would agree. Come to think of it, I joke that my kitchen activities are more like a combat sport. I guess the bright purple toe bears that out!

And speaking of Top Chef, when the contestants were asked what they would tell people who were coming on the show for the next season, the unanimous comment was, "Run the other way." After hearing that you have to ask permission for everything, from going to the bathroom to going to bed, etc. and that you have to be available 24/7, I think I would agree. No thank you. (not that I would ever be a candidate, but still.... )

About the picture, sorry about the washed out cat face, because Annie is gorgeous & the picture doesn't do her justice. Sure thought that little kitty (3 pounds, six months old) was pretty cute perching on the rim of her cat tree. Thanks to her surgery for her diaphragmatic hernia (fancy word for having a hole in her diaphragm, which resulted in her liver going up into her thoracid cavity & collapsing a lung) she's hale & hearty at all 7-8 pounds of her.

(segueing yet again) I'm still hoping to go pick strawberries tomorrow, at a local farm. I used to go to U-Pick farms with my family, and have good memories of going with my mom, sis, and aunt, plus her children. My littlest cousin would have a bright red mouth, and much fun was had by all. This will be my first adventure into canning (hence the pickling salt.. I am hoping to do pickles or pickle relish)
and I hope all my time watching Mom will pay off.

Hi Mom!

The title of this particular post is because my mother has just gone out with FEMA to work in Madison, WI. She works in disaster relief & has done a number of different roles with FEMA. We wish you luck, Mom, and will be praying for you that all goes well.

Reports that I've heard indicated that something like 1/3rd of both Wisconsin & Illinois (and parts of Indiana, but not sure how much) were affected by the flooding. I gather that more like 2/3rds of Iowa is affected. Such a sad situation. Mom will do her best to make things better & isn't that what Moms are for?

Other things : we have a new person at work & it turns out we actually were in the same library school class together, so that was nifty, indeed. She's great, and it is going to be good to work together.

News from Britannica for today: "Composer Igor Stravinsky, whose work had a revolutionary impact on the musical world just before and after World War I and whose compositions remain a touchstone of modernism, was born in Russia this day in 1882."

I note also that recently there was Anne Frank's birthday. Still remember reading her diary & marveling at this amazing writer, who was so young.

It is work

But sure interesting. Today at work, I was looking through a list of serial titles that needed to be claimed & some are really funny. How about a certain association of Parks & Forests, which has a newsletter called "Tree Barks" ?

Sort of reminds me of dog-related newsletters, where they have the word barks in the title or birchbarks, which used to be used sort of like paper. I think. ;)

Author related news : a Don Winslow Interview which is very interesting. Winslow's mysteries are well written, interesting plots, and have unique twists. He's not writing about his former sleuth at this point, instead starting out with a new character.

I'm also looking forward to reading Eliot Pattison's latest. Pattison's series is set in Tibet & his main protagonist is Han Chinese, who has been exiled to Tibet to a Chinese work camp. This is a fascinating series, written by a long-time diplomat who spent a lot of time in China & I think in Tibet. Just a beautiful series & I've been wondering when the next would come out, since there was a long gap between books.

Closer to home, my area was hit with high winds, lots of rain, and more wind & rain. We have had substantial power outages, but fortunately, my power stayed on except for a few blips. My maple tree decided to toss a few branches hither & yon, narrowly missing a few cars & trucks. It threw things on my neighbors' sides, and with the exception of a slightly dented truck, only scratches resulted. I still have a large branch between the two garages (my next door neighbor's garage is about four feet or so away from the side of mine). Will need help to drag it out & a local friend & coworker has said she'd help me try to drag it down. I also have a four foot high pile of debris by the curb, but I count myself lucky because so many people had whole trees tip over & I've seen some trees down by the road that were cut up & whose logs were taller than I am. Yikes. We were fairly lucky in that most people didn't get hurt in this last encounter.

Tomorrow I get to go to lunch with another friend & coworker, the next day, possibly an arts & crafts fair, and then after that, on Sunday, I get to see... Puppies! (they're all spoken for, so none will be coming home with me.... ) I plan to take a cat toy with me. Remarkable how much dogs LOVE cat toys (feathers, tearability, fun!) and how much most cats do not like dog toys. Too much slobber, probably.

More later...

Dr. Pepper

I have friends who love Dr. Pepper, so this link is for them. (P.S. I like it to, but I drink diet, sorry)

gardening

I was pretty lazy today until just now, but did get out to plant about half of my vegetable plants. I have dirt that is pretty hard to dig in, so I hope I can get the rest in tomorrow and all the flowers in on Sunday.

Came in all hot & dirty, and found this splendid article on guerrilla gardening. Who knew there was such a thing? Kudos to Scott, of the article, for all his fine work. I wish I had that sort of energy.

Am volunteering for our Ag Expo at the local university's campus. I am hoping for four hrs each day, but we'll see. Have always wanted to go, but always had reasons not to go & this year, I really want to get my Master Gardener certification back.

Full of myriad musings

Really good day today, because I was able to finish off a long work day with laying a VST track for a friend. Her standard poodle is a cutie & really good tracker. Really fun dog. We left the other two standard poodles at home & I'm sure they were very jealous about being left behind. :) It is so fascinating & magical to watch the dogs work. How do they do this?

Fun stuff came in from the University of Michigan Press today. Really gorgeous books too. I also got a book from Forge, the newest Estleman book, Frames. I love this series & am glad that Estleman's Valentino now has a book of his very own. I could be mistaken, but I think this is the first time in full novel format, because I've read the Valentino short stories in Ellery Queen many times. Those are so great & the book is awesome so far. I'm already on chapter 4, the part where Valentino meets a beautiful girl whose name is Fanta. I just may finish it tonight.

Other books are: Michigan : our land, our water, our heritage, which is full of wonderful essays on what Michigan's natural environment means to some native Michiganians & to people who have moved here. I particularly liked Alison Swan's essay about introducing her daughter Sophie to her first painted turtles. These turtles are beautiful, do look up some pictures if you haven't seen one for yourself. We had a painted turtle in our house for a little while. My mother liked having us know about some of these wild creatures, but always released them back to the wild shortly. I still remember those scratchy little feet, and the feel of that moist skin. Turtles are just amazing creatures. I haven't finished this book yet, but I plan to do so tomorrow. I love many of the authors who are in this book. Should mention too that Nature Conservancy is part of this book & that the profits from buying the book go to the Nature Conservancy.

Other books: Ludington State Park: Queen of the North by the Reeds. Another really amazing nature/photography book. I haven't seen the DVD that goes along with it, but I'll bet it is really cool.

And my canning & preserving books arrived too. I have often helped my mother can, but never done the whole thing myself. I'm looking forward to it this year.

Thoughts for today

Just read a blogger's post about another blogger's fight for her life. This comes close to home for me. I have two coworkers who have/are fighting breast cancer & I know nine breast cancer survivors on Books & Writers Forum (CompuServe). Just too many people fighting for their lives & all one can do is pray for them.

There is also a fundraiser going on, that I wanted to link to. I believe the fundraiser lasts until July 2008.

For my part, I also go on the Breast Cancer walks when I can & yes, I also go to regular doctor checkups. I encourage all of you to do the same thing.

Powells.com & chocolate

One of my favorite pictures of Bridie & me. We had an close encounter with a friend's Vietnamese Potbellied pig. Yes, we're both nervous. Pigs have SHARP teeth!

If you're not already a subscriber to Powells.com's newsletter & you're a booklover, I encourage you to subscribe. I particularly love the links they provide to author essays & Q&As. In fact this one comes from something in their recent newsletter. I sent a note to myself to remind me to post this to the blog, with the subject header of, "Because she talks about chocolate." And indeed she does. Fun interview to read.

this essay by Cecilia Galante.

General catching up after Memorial Day

Back again, this time from visiting my parents. Annie the cat stayed home as watch-cat & was very cool & relaxed when I got back, thanks to daily visits from friend Mary. I think Annie prefers to stay home to traveling with me, unfortunately. I had always hoped that she would be ok with traveling, if I took her traveling fairly often, but like most cats, she prefers home-time to being with me & traveling.

More news from Britannica... and I love the daily updates with bits of history in them. I can always hope the hard facts like dates & when things happen will eventually sink in. Timelines are not my forte.

On this day, Ian Fleming's birthday & of course there's hoopla about something or t'other to do with his birthday & various events. I forget what, exactly. Popular culture is apparently not my forte either. For the record, my favorite James Bond is Sean Connery.

Amnesty International was founded on this day, in London, 1961. They also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977. Cool!

various readings : Gloria Whelan's Yuki & the Thousand Carriers. As always, a beautifully done children's book. I love the way Whelan writes. She has the ability to simplify the story, but her voice comes through beautifully & poetically. The illustrator's work is awesome. I believe this is part of the international series & Whelan does so well with this.

Also a lot of fun, Brennan-Nelson's Willow. This one is the story of a young girl in an art teacher's class. The teacher is very uptight, and Willow, shall we say, is not. She's fun, she's artistic, and her creativity is just bursting out of her. A really fun book, with an irrepressible spirit, much like that of Pippi Longstocking. Both books are from Sleeping Bear Press & are highly recommended.

Next on the cooking front, Gazpacho. If you have favorite recipes, send them my way! But at least for once, I do have a cucumber on hand. Mine tend to get slimy very quickly, so I tend not to buy them much. My grandfather also commented that they smelled like cottonmouth snakes, so that turned me off for a bit. I'm going to try not to think about that aspect of it....

Neglect, Mistaken Identity, L'Engle's latest

My poor neglected blog! I haven't forgotten, just have been really busy. The Ann Arbor Book Festival was hectic, but fun. I heard later we had about 8-10,000 people. And the day was beautiful, sunny but cool, so it was just the right kind of weather for hanging around outside.

We were cleaned out of all our free pens & those little doodads that you use to clean dust off your screen & off your TV monitor. Always a good day when you get to spend it hanging out with authors, people who love books, publishers, and readers.

Here's a really terrific essay posted at Powells.com One of my favorite places to read on the web. Also wanted to mention that Britannica has given me (and other bloggers) a free subscription to it, which is going to be wonderful, just for reference questions & such. Let me know if you need me to look something up. ;) Many thanks to Encyclopedia Britannica!

On the reading front, I have read Mistaken Identity, the book about the Taylor University van crash, about the survivor, Whitney Cerak. Wonderful book in so many ways & on so many levels. I highly recommend it. I also read Madeleine L'Engle's latest book. You may know that she died a couple of years ago (2007, I believe) and the book was published posthumously. Very much in L'Engle's style, the main character is a tall, gawky girl who when acting (or playing music in other books) becomes at one with her body & movements. Very much a growing-up book, and a good book of a young adult becoming fully adult. It does seem a tad dated for this day & age, but it is beautifully written as always. I miss having her around & miss the expectation that she would be writing another book someday soon.

I also can't let this post pass without mentioning that Memorial Day 15 years ago, was the day I got Bridie. So today is very much a day of memories for me, and not a small amount of sadness. I picked up a little 9 pound puppy, with long ears, and the most quizzical look. She was most unhappy to be picked up & put in my car for the ride home, because she'd already been in a car for the distance between Washington DC & Bristol, TN. I just adored her from the very beginning & my heart was already quaking... would I be a good enough owner for her? Would she like living with me? I think all in all, she mostly did like living with me, except for all those times I'd leave her & go to work. I adored her and thought she was the bee's knees. Such a terrific dog in so many ways, and so very smart. My obedience instructor used to tell me that I needed to work harder, because Bridie was so smart & could outthink me. She sure was right. I'm so glad I had Bridie in my life, even in this time of grief.

book activities & links

Here's some book related news! :

Ann Arbor Book Festival

The 5th Annual Ann Arbor Book Festival will be held from Thursday, May 15 to Sunday, May 18, 2008 www.aabookfestival.org/

Do come to this if you're in the area, as it is tremendous fun. Well worth braving any predicted rain!
And back to Rick Riordan & Labyrinth, check out this link.

Rick Riordan's Battle of the Labyrinth

Love this one, and the series just keeps getting better & better. This is always a pleasant outcome, because sometimes the first book in the series is the best, but Riordan comes through with every word. I picked up the first book of the series purely because I know Riordan's mystery series & liked them very much. Much to my surprise, I loved this juvenile series as much if not more.

Wonderful imagination all the way through & a very clever folding of ancient mythology into the present day world. In this book, Percy Jackson and his famous pen/sword, Riptide, once again try to go back to school. Let's just say the cheerleaders are not quite what they seem. Chance encounters, old & new friends coming together, all blend to create yet another fantastic adventure. In this one, Annabelle takes the lead through the Labyrinth, and they encounter the master of the labyrinth, as well as many creatures who abide in the Labyrinth. Saying more would ruin the story for others, but suffice it to say that the great hearts, great love, and great anger behind the characters in the book turn it into a most compelling adventure story. Well worth reading for anyone who loves fantasy/SF and for anyone who loves good juvenile literature.

VST (Variable Surface Tracking)

Sounds mysterious, doesn't it? Really, it is just the name for what is sometimes called urban style tracking. It is fun, and unlike TD & TDX (Tracking Dog and Tracking Dog Excellent tests) tests, it doesn't require quite so much walking in fields, meadows, farmland, and woodland.

Instead, you take a dog out & show him an article from a stranger. This person just walked in a specific pattern through buildings, on asphalt, sidewalks, grassy & dirt areas, etc. and possibly even entered a building. The goal, the dog needs to find where that person walked, what they dropped, and find the final article.

There's more information here, at the Moraine club's website. It is similar to what the Search & Rescue dogs do, but more formalized. I laid two tracks today, on Michigan State University's campus & am hoping that one of my tracks will have a pass. Two will be great, but VST passing rates are low, because people are still learning how to train for it & how to read their dogs. I'll report more tomorrow.

Still working on those dandelions. I've filled up two of those tall brown yard bags so far (and that's only for the backyard). I'm expecting to fill up at least one more, maybe two. The picture above is my Kolkwitza bush. (I think that's the right name) also known as a beauty bush. I think. It is pretty, but only for one short week in the spring time, which is likely why it isn't planted much any more.

Lita Judge & One Thousand Tracings

Oddly enough, one of my favorite books from last year was One Thousand Bones by PJ Parrish (mystery and a really good one. This is a new series for the Parrish sisters), and for this year, it is One Thousand Tracings by Lita Judge. (what's odd about that, you may ask? The fact that two of my favorite books both have the words One Thousand in the title) The book has won at least 8-10 major awards so far this year & it is fabulous. I got to talk to Lita at Marshall District Library, in two separate sessions. The first was for writers, and there were only three of us, so we all got to talk & share stories, etc. The second was about the book & Lita's presentation is fabulous.
If you have a chance to go see her, do... she's great.

Work has been busy, but we also have a new student working with us who is fabulous. We also had an ice cream social, which was great fun.

And spring really must be here. I think I pulled up about five dozen dandelions in my backyard, maybe more. Was outside for about 75 minutes & filled two yard bags full of debris & .... dandelions. So far, I've managed to get most of them out of the front yard over the last six years. But the backyard.... I still remember waking up one morning my first spring in this house & seeing the backyard as wall-to-wall dandelions. Beautiful & golden, but the neighbors hate you if you let them grow & blow seed onto their yards, so I pull them. Good exercise. Must admit I miss my doggie companion, who always hung out there with me. Instead, I had my sweet cat, yelling cat swear words out the window, because she wanted to come outside & eat grass. She's a great deal of fun. Even when she's yelling cat swear words out the backdoor.

Potholders

For the past few years, I've made potholders for Christmas gifts. People really like them & I guess because they're handmade, you can't get anything like them in the stores. Will take a picture & post it, so you all can see them. I'm also interested in trying out these potholders, which are a long time family handcraft, handed down through the years for this blogger.

Mom's told me she thinks the potholders I've made with cotton & wool loops are better than the ones you can buy in stores. Isn't that a nice compliment? These are the ones that as kids, I made on plastic looms, and you pull loops over each other, then crochet the ends together to make potholders. The ones from Harris are lovely, and the loops are perfectly matched, so that you don't have all those horrible ones that are either too long, too short, and are torture to put together.

But the one from the My Little Kitchen blogger looks really interesting. I may try it. Scroll down to Crochet: Old Fashioned Potholders. I think the first blog entry that comes up is a little silly (the underwear potholders, for a bridal shower, my goodness!) but what an interesting piece of family history.

My family has started making all (or most) of their Christmas gifts for a variety of reasons. We have fun, and it is a very creative activity. My sister gave me two cross stitch pictures (beautiful! more pictures, yes... ) , Mom made polar fleece blankets for everyone, I made food, gave away potholders, and something else that I am forgetting.

Here's something else that is interesting, a link to a blog about a book club. I love their idea of making the books sit with their faces to the wall, if they're displeasing to someone. Bring on the dunce caps!

And before I forget, the picture above is an example of a book with fore-edge painting. It is a scene of Lake Erie, and my two co-workers are holding the book pages bent, so we can see the scene. Isn't that nice of them?

Goodbyes, afghans, and eating

Sounds like a nice conglomerate of information, right? I've missed blogging & am happy to get back to it. To the left, you'll see a very nice couch/love seat, with a colored lap robe to the right. I made the lap robe on my Weave-its, and it is my first one ever. Used Noro silk/wool blend (Silk Garden), and this was heaps of fun to to. The photo was taken by the coworker & friend that I gave it to, because she was leaving for a wonderful new job. I'll miss her, but will be seeing her soon, as she's not far away.

Right now, I'm enjoying the spring vegetables. Green onions aplenty, wonderful baby spinach & baby romaine, and delicious bell peppers. I added raspberry vinaigrette, pistachio nuts, turkey, and a small amount of cheese. Still ahead, but probably for tomorrow are the various dishes to make for the week ahead, like Oriental cabbage salad, raspberry chicken, gingered chicken, and probably chicken mole. Or maybe chicken chili....

And I really need to get back to reading too. Believe it or not, I've been too sick to watch TV or read & after the wisdom tooth extraction, most of the time I talked to my mother or listened to her talk, which, believe me, is far more important than reading or watching tv.

Friday look back at the good books you've read in the past sounds like a good idea. So I will join in on Patti's suggestion on her blog of covering a good book from the past reads that you think are overlooked. But that may have to wait until tomorrow, since I'm still recovering from a wisdom tooth extraction.

Have been to see two authors' readings & signings recently. If you have a chance to go see Lita Judge (One Thousand Tracings) go. She's wonderful, very intelligent, and her talks are varied, which is always a good thing.

I also saw Ted Kluck (Paper Tiger) who talked about his football experiences & why he wrote Paper Tiger. Nice guy, and a very good book. More later, including pictures.

Past due update

First, many pardons for not posting for a while. I think I explained earlier that April tends to be a busy month for me, since there are work events. Well, the big one (Night of Notables) is over, and I had a blast. Right before that, there was doubt that I'd even be there, as I was quite ill, but fortunately recovered in time for the events & had a great time talking to all the authors who were there.

More great news : my mother came up to help me with a project that I was quite frankly well over-my-head with, and we're going to be able to complete it successfully. I'm looking forward to seeing the end results. Yay for Moms!

While out ill, you'd think I could've been reading, but without a TBR stack (To-Be-Read) right here, that wasn't possible and I wasn't focusing well anyway. But I did get a chance to reaffirm my liking for the TV show, Without a Trace. Fascinating storylines.

More tomorrow, I hope, as I will be cooking again!

uploading photos & powells books blog

Yesterday, Blogger wouldn't let me upload any photos, so I want to make sure I upload one today. Oddly enough, Comcast had several channels that decided to blank out randomly throughout the evening too, so something must've been in the air. High winds or something? Here's a photo of Annie that I like. Doesn't she look cozy? Sometimes when I see pictures like this, I have a hard time remembering that the rescue people who had her called her Lovely. I know she is lovely, but to me, she's always Annie. She named herself the day I got her & has always responded and come to me when I call out Annie.

Reading Powells.com's blog today, I found out that they have a pair of baby shoe bookends, which were apparently planted in Powells by a couple (brother & sister) who found the baby shoe bookends while cleaning out their grandmother's house. They decided they wanted to put them some place where the bookends would be on display forever, and they picked Powells for that. Even more interestingly, someone planted a rubber ducky in the store too, which is... visible. Not sure what that means, but when I go to Powells, I'll make sure I look for it. I hope I find it. Apparently if you do find it, you can't tell anyone, but if I find it, I'll take a picture of it, just for memory's sake.

Just so I have a record and an inspiration/impetus to keep spring cleaning, I managed to clean up my jewelry racks of earrings. Am actually managing to let go of some things that I will never wear for various reasons & even let go of some singleton earrings, including one from small computer parts. That one I know I'll never see again, because I lost the other earring on the streets of Chicago. I know it is a very small step in spring cleaning, but it is a start, right?

Friday the 18th post

Just wanted to put an update from yesterday here. I read the final book in the Shadow Children series by Haddix, Among the Free. Good ending, and a hopeful one. Also finished Trouble by Gary Schmidt, and it was well worth reading. The protagonist & his brother talk about climbing Katahdin and well.. do they? Read the book & find out!

Also wanted to mention here a book I read last year, called Unto the Daughters : The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family by Karen Tintori. What a remarkable book. When I tell people the synopsis of the plot, the first thing they always ask is, "This is fiction, isn't it?" and sadly enough, it is not. I prize this book as much for its record of cultural history, record of an immigrant family, and the ties that home, homeland, and culture can have on people. Karen Tintori gives such a beautiful picture of what made Frances (her great-aunt) who she was, and why omerta had such a hold on the family.

Unto the Daughters is also a very interesting illustration of the 'dangers' of doing family research & genealogical research. Sometimes you do find out things that aren't so wonderful about your family.... but they're still your family & they still are a part of you. It is hard to put into words how much this book means to me, and how fascinating it is, but I do highly recommend it. It is hard to read in parts, because it is real and the events happened to real people. The sorrow over some of the events is very clear, but so is the peace that comes from knowing & understanding some of the twists in the family bonds.

Earthquakes in the Midwest

Just thought I'd mention that there was some news about an earthquake in Illinois this morning, around five a.m. EST, four a.m. CT. I actually felt it this morning, but assumed it was my cat pawing the side of the bed for fun. Oddly enough, a friend & coworker (Hi Kate!) also blamed her cat for the earthquake.

Dear Sweet Annie had nothing to do with the earthquake, I think. I hope. I'll see if I can find a picture for a future post that has her eyes open.

Since it is allergy season (and more books of course)

Here's a new study from University of Michigan, which talks about some things people can do, which doesn't involve medication but can help a lot with sinus problems. And yes, it does sound dreadful, but it really isn't. I use Neilmed's Sinus Rinse, and since the packets are pre-measured for you, you don't have to worry about using too much sea salt or not enough.

Onward to more pleasant things: I am finishing up Margaret Peterson Haddix's books, her series on The Shadow Children. Yesterday, I read Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, and Among the Enemy. I have the last book all ready to go... and am delaying because once I've read it, the series is over. Remarkable writing, engrossing plot, and a series that really hooks the reader into it. You find yourself caring about the people and you find yourself wondering if those events could happen here. Lee Grant/Luke Garner is written up in the blurbs to each book as though he's the primary character in each one. He does play a starring role in several of the books, but other characters come to the fore & play a primary role in the others. I love it when authors do this, because you begin to get a fuller picture of the community & the society, rather than just seeing it all through the eyes of a single character.

I have some other Haddix books to read (stand alones) and am looking forward to reading them. Will also be trying to do some spring cleaning this weekend. Amazing what odd things you find & you wonder, "Why on earth did I ever keep this?"

More later,

K

All my books this April 13th, 2008

Picked up a bunch of books at B&N this past weekend & of course, dived right in & started reading. I'm still reading Trouble by Gary Schmidt, and haven't finished yet. But I will, soon.

The other books have all been just great: Among the Impostors and Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The people over in Books & Writers forum mentioned this writer & they were exactly right, her work is fabulous. Basically, they're set in a time when people are living under a totalitarian government, and having more than two children is absolutely forbidden. Farmers' work & lives are controlled to the hilt, and everyone is poor, desperate, and working very hard to survive. This story about the third children is amazing, as she builds this fascinating world of survival. I've always liked survival stories & I think that's part of the reason why I like these so well. Highly recommended. I plan to read the rest in this series very soon.

Then, Eggs by Jerry Spinelli, in which two wounded children find each other. It starts out with an Easter Egg hunt. The boy has lost hist mother (said on the first page) and the story itself is very much the story of the two children who find each other, make unlikely friends and somehow, someway, manage to find healing. They're both cranky children and unbelievably funny at times. I love Jerry Spinelli's ability to mix pathos with humor and fun. I also love that it starts with an Easter Egg hunt. Too cool!

Charlaine Harris writes several series & this one is from her Sookie Stackhouse series. Some of my favorite authors are those that can blend several genres & this one is a blend between mystery, romance, fantasy, and is really terrific. I tend not to like vampire stories, but this one works for me, mostly because Sookie is able to take care of herself around them. This one takes Sookie to Lake Michigan, on the shores of the City of Chicago. Really fun to hear the Southerner's viewpoint on the Northerners!

Trouble by Gary Schmidt : which I haven't finished yet. It starts out with a main character, who is the youngest of three children. His oldest brother is badly hurt in an accident, and everything changes in the family. His father is having trouble dealing with the situation, and the main character is not used to seeing his father like this. Life is going on... but not all is well.

I think what I like best about Schmidt is his ability to mix a little bit of history into his story. He's able to give you the sense of the time & place, what happened, why people thought the way they did, without making you feel like you're sitting through an history lecture. There's always a bit of a mystery... why are people behaving the way they are? What makes them chose the course of action they chose to take, which can be destructive or a humbling brand of goodness? If you haven't tried Gary Schmidt's work yet, do, because they have all been well done & are all set in different time periods.

I have to go grocery shopping now, which will bring in the cooking part of this blog nicely. But it isn't anything too exciting or innovative, just salad stuffs. I may try to recreate the Thai salad I had at a local restaurant the other day. Speaking of which, the waitress there asked me about my Sookie Stackhouse book & seemed really interested in it. I like it when the waitpeople ask me about my books, although sometimes I'm embarrassed by what I'm reading. I'm working on it, though! Not much to be embarrassed about really, except that sometimes people aren't accustomed to adults reading juveniles. I refuse to be pigeonholed & told I can't read something just because of my age, however. Reading Power! Reading Rights! Fight on!

resuts from the Tracking test : spring 2008

All went well, although it was a very tiring day. Ann was the navigator for me & a splendid one. Without her, I would've wound up hopelessly lost in the backroads of Laingsburgh. We got to all our tracks & did our part with no problems whatsoever. Tiring weekend, but well worth it.

Still no pictures of today's event. I was just too busy. But I'll share the successful TDX pass from several years ago, in the fall test that the dog club hosts every year.

Here is a copy of the report I posted to the club's email list & to the tracking dog listserves.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Those who know me well, know what I mean when I say it was a great
weekend for tracking. Dogs seem to love this coolish, rainy weather.
The humans did their best to stay dry & I think were mostly
successful, except maybe for a few wet feet. Rubber boots came in
handy this weekend!

Judges were: Deb Huff and Sharon Smith for the TD, and Sharon Smith &
Terry Smith for the TDX. Jilliane Job was the Test Secretary. Judy
Andreas did hospitality and Dick Hemer was the judges' driver this
weekend. Headquarters were Victor Township Hall, on Alward Road in
Laingsburg, Michigan.

Three passes & one fail for the TD, no passes for the TDX.

Passing dogs for the T were:

Standard Poodle: Colando's Compay Segundo owned by James P. Colando
and Shirley Robertson, MD
German Shepherd Dog: Alta-Tolhaus Par Four owned by Laura Green (Battle Creek)
English Springer Spaniel: Mystic's Curtain Call, CGC owned by Paul and
Beth Lange

Failing was a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, and the judge said that
this dog got within ten yards of the last corner & hence 70 yards or
so to the glove, so this was a very near miss & a fine performance up
to that point. The judge cited increasing winds & swirling currents.

For the TDX: failing dogs were a GSD, Maltese, and a Labrador
Retriever. We had one pull from the test, a Beagle.

I did not have a chance to observe any tracks except the final two,
because Ann & I laid the cross tracks for all four of the TDX tracks.
What I can tell you is that the weather was blustery, we had snow
overnight and a little this morning (very transient, and the wind did
pick up & get quite icy. On the previous day, the day of plotting, it
drizzled most of the day, and the fields were quite squelchy in parts.
However, they were very nice fields, nice cover, and it was a good
day. It is always a good day when you go tracking, even when it snows
in April!

The following are the trackers for the TD portion:

Mark Johnson
Jean Fierke
Tom Ford
and Melissa Bloomfield . Irene Brett served as the TD chief tracklayer.

The TDX people: Doug Heym, Marty Siegrist, and Mary Wolowiec. Marty
Siegrist served as the chief tracklayer for the TDX. Anne Kuschel and
Kim Laird were the cross trackers for all four tracks.

The next opportunity for joining in the fun is May 11-12, for our VST,
Variable Surface Tracking. After this past weekend, I think the chief
advantage of this urban style tracking is that you do not have to wear
big rubber boots or worry about walking through ponds, and two, you
don't have to worry about horse, deer, rabbit, or goose manure quite
as much! ;) The VST will be on MSU's grounds, if I recall rightly, so
do come out & watch, as the VST is always interesting & the company is
good.

tracking day

This weekend is the weekend for the dog club's tracking trials. I have pictures from the October tracking trials two years ago (2006) and will post those. Tracking weekends are fun, and I always try to make sure I don't have anything else scheduled. The blessings include being outside no matter what the weather (and realizing that being a little bit cold or having a little rain on you won't kill you), all the good exercise, socializing with people you don't see very often, and the bliss of watching people pass.

For those who haven't seen or heard about tracking, it is pretty simple : a person goes out & walks in a predetermined pattern across a field or sets of fields/woods/roads, etc. and drops articles (socks, gloves, belts, hats, bandannas (spell check just suggested I put down bananas, but unfortunately, food items are not allowed), on the track. Then a dog and its handler/owner try to find the articles & find the ending article. If they do, they get a title, much excitement & celebration, and usually a trophy of some kind.

The weather today is great for tracking (in terms of having dogs pass) because it is cool & rainy. I've noticed before that when we have rain the day of plotting our tracks, and rain at night, we normally have a very good pass rate. Here's hoping!

I will try to get some better pictures tomorrow. Today was too hectic to try to take pictures, especially with the rain and trying to manage the tracking maps I was drawing, plus running through muddy swampy fields.

And yes, I do find all this tremendous fun. I did miss my little buddy riding shot gun, and thought about her often today. She never liked being left in the car, and I've looked back more than once to see a friend pushing Bridie back into the car, because she was half way out. She'd managed to pull the window down a bit & as spaniels do, was climbing out to get to mom. Nothing (except death) could ever have separated her from me. Good memories, always.

For the CSI buffs among us

This book is the second by Tobin T. Buhk and Stephen D. Cohle, MD. The title is Skeletons in the closet : stories from the county morgue, and it is published by Prometheus Books. If you ever wanted to know whether the CSI television shows are realistic or not, read this book and the first one too, by the authors above.

Well written, fascinating, and a good explanation of the science of figuring out what happened to the bodies, why sometimes you can't tell whether the method of death was natural or foul. It also explains how they figure things out; such as with the Rainbow Farm shootings, in which two men died. Did they threaten the police officers or not, and was the killing justifiable due to the threat? It is all explained in the book, so read the book to find out! I was also particularly interested in the finding of a woman's body in Pigeon Lake. The science used there to find out where she came from & who she was is very interesting.

What's really neat about this particular book is that they show you the inside story on some of the more notorious crimes in Michigan, as well as talking about some of the more obscure ones. I will admit that if you're squeamish or don't like reading about autopsies, you probably will not like this book. I did have to turn over a few pages because I couldn't read them. The photographs in the middle of the book, while not of the actual victims in the book, are a bit disturbing. Some of the photos are of the landscape, rather than of the bodies themselves & those were interesting. Well worth seeking out & if you have a chance to hear the authors speak, do take advantage of it.

Angie Sage's Queste

If you haven't experienced this juvenile fantasy series, do give it a try. I read the first one, Magyk a few years ago & have looked for Angie Sage's writing ever since.

Queste is the third book in the series, and the full title is Septimus Heap, Book 4 : Queste. First off, I love the main character, Septimus Heap. He's humble, but fun, he's not arrogant, but he is knowledgeable, interesting, full of great insight into the world & the people around him. Just a good kid, really. In Queste, Septimus has a bundle of concerns to deal with. One is, what to do with a character from Physik; two, what to do with the problem of someone trying to ill-wish him, and last but not least, how to retrieve two people who are lost in time.

I can't say too much more, lest I ruin the book for someone else, but I did want to mention that there's a marvelous character in here from the Manuscriptorium (library), who actually functions as a book & paper conservator. The character is fun, marvelous, and a real surprise. Loved everything about this book.... do read it.

For Jane : the entrees

Dear Jane, since you asked about the entrees (and thanks for saying it sounds good!) :

My sister reports that she will be making the following for the reunion :

"3 soups, plus a lasagna for Friday night. Tonight I'll soke some salmon, for at least one meal, as well as for salmon spread and smoked salmon chowder. I also have one batch of biscotti made with plans to make some more tonight... I will also make some foods that are particularly "kid friendly" for the boys. Maybe some homemade macaroni and cheese and chocolate chip cookies."

Between the two of us, we should have the reunion food covered... I guess we'll find out! Someone else is bringing the bread, from Great Harvest, of course.

way too busy, but also lots of fun

Am helping cook for the family reunion this coming weekend. Didn't want all of you out there to think I'd forgotten you!

Last night, Austrian Raspberry Shortbread (and several of my coworkers want a piece, so I'm taking it to work for them), Korova (World Peace) Cookies, plus I picked up the ingredients for the other dishes.

Tonight : seasoned Oyster Crackers (will post recipe later), poppy seed bread (again, later), the morning glory muffin mix from Williams & Sonoma (using my brand new silicone muffin cups.. they're wonderful!) , tapioca pudding.

Tomorrow's plans are for me to do the preliminary work on the artichoke gratinata & the "World's Greatest Green Bean Casserole", pack the car, and then head for home. I'll work a few hrs at work first though.

So far, the family reunion will include family from New Mexico, Ohio, California, South Dakota, and one other state... of course, Michigan! I think 21 people are coming, which probably means the Colorado people aren't coming. Rats. But we'll certainly have a full house & I hope the food helps out. Sis is doing the entrees.

Still reading Jane Austen's letters. She's as charming in her letters but with more biting wit, as in her novels.