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.

Finding Jane/John Does and other Sunday news

This article really had an impact on me. The people involved in trying to find out the identities of Jane Does is amazing. I'd love to be involved. One reason it has such an impact on me is that while I was working in Chicago, riding the EL train back to Oak Park, a lady sat next to me & started talking to me. She told me that her nephew had left to go on a road trip & never came back. She believed him dead, but they just didn't know. He'd been gone for over 15 years. I don't know if they ever filed a missing person report, but if they did, it was some years after he'd left. He gradually stopped sending them mail and.... they just never heard from him again. She cried & said that if only they at least knew what had happened, it would be a comfort. I've never forgotten her or her story.

Here's a short clip from the story:

"He spends the next seven to eight hours at his desk, beneath shelves lined with miniature plastic skulls, immersed in a very different world.

Their faces seem to float from his computer — morgue photographs, artist sketches, forensic reconstructions — thousands of dead eyes staring from endless websites as though crying out for recognition. John and Jane and Baby "Does" whose nameless bodies have never been identified. ... He wants to give the Does back their names."

I liked this quote also & thought I would put it here: "Suffering is the tuition one pays for a character degree. - Richard M. Rayner, M.D., SparkPeople member. Rayner goes on to comment that one has a choice when confronted with difficult situations. You can be bitter & die a long, slow death, or you can take courage, and, as in Rayner's words, "The ones who chose character truly live."

My take (and rephrasing) on that one is that you can chose to be a victim, or you can chose to be someone to whom unfair things have sometimes happened... but you're going to continue to be the person you want to be. Idealistic? Maybe. But being more positive about living & life events works for me. And I'd much rather live filled with hope than filled with despair.

Went for a walk, and yes, I looked for that Scottie & was much disappointed that it wasn't outside. Awww! But I did have a good one hour long walk.

Still reading Austen's letters. They're best taken in small doses, so you can get the full impact of them. Also reading Sheep, Goats, Soap by John Malcolm. I love the main character, Tim Simpson, who is a former rugby player & a very unlikely looking art fancier & financier (we would call him a banker in the USA, I think).

Also made the World Peace Cookies, (recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen) and the Austrian Raspberry shortbread. But all I did was make the dough & freeze it. Feels good to get that out of the way, and to get a jump start on the impending frenzy of cooking for the family reunion.

Loren Estleman, Jane Austen, and my Annie update

This is Loren Estleman at the2006 Night of Notables, held at the Library of Michigan. In the very background, you can see a silver haired man in a grey suit, and this is former Governor Milliken. Since I've been talking about Loren Estleman's books in previous posts, I thought I would include his picture here.

Loren was great, and I loved talking to him. In fact, at the earlier reception just a few moments ago, I had walked by his truck and said to him, "Hey, I love your truck!" and he smiled & waved, said "Thank you. The truck was beautiful, a clear bright cherry red, and of course, he is a pretty cool guy. The book he was being honored for is in the Amos Walker series, and is called Nicotine Kiss. Do read it if you can, as nobody does dialog better than he does. And his plots are fun.

Back to Jane Austen, whose letters I am still reading & whose various biographies I'm still reading. Her letters really convey the sheer fun, humor, and wittiness of Jane. She would've been a fun correspondent, had she condescended to write to me. Her biographer comments that one of the things that keeps Jane's novels so timeless is that she does not put many details about food or clothing into the books. The books are very much about the people and the houses they live in, but descriptions are usually relatively cursory, consisting of "how elegant your furnishings are!" and such, rather than lengthy descriptions of what people wore or how their houses were arranged. This writer (the Double Life author, by the way) also talks a bit about how much thins were changing for Jane's culture & society & describes in great detail all the class consciousness that exists then. This helps a lot in putting her tart remarks into perspective and also is explaining a lot about British culture to me, especially at that particular date in history. There's one part of the book where the biographer comments on the things Jane would not have heard on her walks... things like cars, airplanes overhead, etc. I'm learning a lot, and best of all, enjoying the writing as well.

Back to Annie, she is continuing to eat her bubble-gum antibiotic in tuna fish. I even splurged & brought her some canned Salmon as a special treat. Here's hoping I can continue to fake her out! I just have to get to Monday after next. I am also hoping this round of antibiotics will do the trick, but if they make me give her pills, I plan to crush them in the tuna fish. (bleah! better her than me). She is currently yelling at me about the fact that she wants to go out. She gets particularly bad in the spring & in early fall about this. I do take her out & watch her & walk around after her, to make sure she'll be ok, but I can't do this every day or for very long. It is an indulgence, but I can't help spoiling her. I wonder if Jane Austen would approve. ;)

Speaking of which, Masterpiece will have Sense & Sensibility on, on Sunday at 9. I am looking forward to it very much. It is a new movie, and it'll be interesting to see how it compares to the one with Emma Thompson & Hugh Grant. It is also longer, so they are showing it in two parts. Goody!

Last, but not least, I made my first ever quinoa salad. It went pretty well, I think. Recipe is linked here and I understand that the salad improves if it stands overnight. I am hoping to make this for the family reunion & since my family (extended ones too) are adventurous eaters, I think they'll at least try it.

Question of the day : I've been growing my hair out for a while, because I didn't want to spend the money for a haircut. Shall I grow it out & cut it for Locks of Love? Saw a program about it & wondered..... but I'm not sure I have the patience to have my wild curly hair long and in my eyes for however long it takes to grow my hair out to seven cuttable inches.

back again

Had to post my little sweetie's face here. if you wonder what she's thinking, she's thinking, "Can I come out too?" She tended to break out of the back gate (my burglar dog!) and come find me, which ws not a good thing. Not very safe.
In case this turns out to be helpful to anyone else, if you have a cat that doesn't like bubble gum flavored antibiotics, these can be nicely hidden in tuna fish. I know vets don't recommend this as a steady diet, but for the sake of getting the antibiotic down her and for my sanity (Annie was terrified by the whole process of forcing meds down her throat) this will work for two weeks.

Am reading Jane Austen-related books. We have some old books in the library where I work, and one of that was a woman who talked about the little that was known about Jane Austen's life. She mentions that Jane Austen's brother George was thought to be mentally disabled, and that he was basically put away. Turns out he had fits (epilepsy) and she speculates that Jane learned to talk on her fingers (her expression) for his sake, so that they could communicate. Interesting book & full of lots of information. She also comments that Cassandra, Jane's older sister, burned all her letters so that family information couldn't get out & heavily blacked out parts that they didn't want outsiders to find out, which is why we know so little about her life & her own opinions.

I should list the books here, before I forget. Only a Novel : the Double Life of Jane Austen by Jane Aiken Hodge. (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc, NY, 1972).

The two I mentioned in an earlier blog : Jane Austen by Margret Kennedy. (Alan Swallow, Denver, 1950), which talks about the period that Jane Austen lived in, the novels, etc. Very tiny book. Speaking of Jane Austen by Sheila Kaye-Smith and GB Stern. (Harper & Brothers publishers, NY, 1944. Verso says that this book was published in England under the title Talking of Jane Austen. The book is lighthearted, pokes fun at popular concepts of Jane Austen, and is a little snotty. Both women are authors, writing around the very early 1900s.

The other really tiny book is: Jane Austen: Selected Letters -- 1796-1817, Selected & edited by R.W. Chapman (Oxford University Press/Geoffrey Cumberlege, 1955). Let's see if I can cook all the food for the family reunion (first week in April) AND finish all the books.

Battles with Annie & a new Austen book

This is Annie, when she weighed three pounds at six months of age. She was small enough to sleep on the edge of the cat condo, as you can see here. Neither position looks comfortable, does it? But three pound cats do what they want to do, right? I am happy to report a small advance in the antibiotic-giving regime, which, I have to say, smells repulsively sweet. I used to clamp 18 pound Cooky-the-Cat between my knees, so that I had two hands free for the head part. Despite the fact that Annie weighs 11 pounds less than he did, this technique works well on her too, just a little less "big" cat to hold on to.

Am reading two small books, Jane Austen's letters and another book which is a commentary written by people who were publishing books around 1900s or so. The current chapter is a commentary on what one woman calls the chumps in Jane Austen's books. It is amusing, and they do have some interesting things to say about what books people in general like & why. I'll report back the exact titles tomorrow, when I have the books in hand again.

Annie, Persuasion, and Conrad's Fate

Just picked up Annie's antibiotic for her UTI (infection) and remarkably enough, it is bubble-gum flavored. If it isn't enough that this thing is disgusting shade of pink, it is also bubble-gum flavored. Yuck. Surely there's a small child out there that would rather have chicken flavored antibiotic? It would certainly make things easier for the cats of America if the pharmaceutical company would not cater to the children of America. (yes, that's a joke. Sort of.)

Needless to say, I have pink stains on my brown trousers, and Annie refused to be near me for the next ten minutes. (she forgives quickly, but is still wary of being picked up). If you are wondering about this picture, this particular posture is the "Don't Touch My Tail!" look, but it works for the "Don't give Me Antibiotics" look too.

Forgot to add in this quote from Persuasion, which I really liked:

p.154

"Yet, in spite of all this, Anne had reason to believe that she (Mrs Smith) had moments only of languor and depression... How could it be? She watched -- observed -- reflected -- and finally determined that this was not a case of fortitude or of resignation only. -- A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more ; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from Nature alone. It was the choicest gift of Heaven ; and Anne viewed her friend as one of those instances in which, by a merciful appointment, it seems designed to counterbalance almost every other want."

I love this quote because it gives a wonderful word picture of a woman who has lost nearly everything, but still manages to be cheerful, to look forward to life, and to enjoy what she can. Austen has some very poor people in her books (people in reduced circumstances) and very often, they bear their misfortunes so very well. She does contrast this with complainers & people who talk too much. ;) Another thought about Persuasion follows.

Much later on, toward the end of the book, Anne & Captain Harville discourse on marriage, love, and the differences (based on gender) in attitude toward both situations. It finishes with Anne saying, basically that women love longest even past all hope. Whether you agree with Anne or Harville, this section really sets the stage for Anne's speaking more openly than she ever has, and her own beloved Captain takes the hint & proposes again. Really beautifully done here. Wish I could write something so well fitted together.

Finished Diana Wynne Jones' Conrad's Fate : A Chrestomanci Book. I love Diana's imagination and her varied characters. Definitely fantasy, probably for the mid-teens & up. Basic summary of the beginning is that Conrad is just a kid when he discovers the magical world of books (he lives above a bookshop, what a dream life!) and also that he has terrible karma. It would ruin the book to say too much more, suffice it to say that Diana's books are that rarity, books that actually make me smile while I'm reading them, and upon occasion she's actually made me laugh. Very few books tickle my funny bone like hers do. She has a marvelously sly sense of humor.

More later....