The quote was - "Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are."
That's it!
If you are:
bored,
happy,
sad,
romantic,
disgusted,
fearful,
hopeful,
optimistic,
pessimistic
There is an app for that.
Books. Always and forever the window to somewhere else.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
last hurrah
September slip
to Jersey Shore.
High blue skies
with hoodie mornings
French fries seasoned
by sea breezes
white sugar sand
between tan toes
gulls salvaging
summer
me, too.
to Jersey Shore.
High blue skies
with hoodie mornings
French fries seasoned
by sea breezes
white sugar sand
between tan toes
gulls salvaging
summer
me, too.
Gift
This morning Valerie Harper, diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and told she has three months to live, said upon receiving word that the tumor has shrunk a bit, "How exciting! I may make it to Christmas." There was such a look of joy on her face.
I want to bottle that.
When threatened with total darkness, the teeniest wavering flame is meaningful. And yet we natter away our full, healthy, promising days with inanity.
I want to remember.
I want to bottle that.
When threatened with total darkness, the teeniest wavering flame is meaningful. And yet we natter away our full, healthy, promising days with inanity.
I want to remember.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Just between us
The little boy hair was tousled. The fingers were grimy that began to drum quietly at the edge of the information desk as I answered another patron's question. But the mother encouraged patience.
Finally I turned.
"How may I help you?"
Now up to bat he smiled, "Do you have the book called..... do you have the book called...." he stopped.
"Do I have the book called..." I encouraged.
Suddenly the three-year old dashed around the desk and into the inner circle to my chair, stood on tiptoes and whispered into my ear, " Do you have the book "Everyone Poops"? (!!!)
We did. (a humorous picture book by Taro Gomi)
And glory be, wouldn't it be lovely to cultivate such a sense of delicacy beyond the age of three?
Finally I turned.
"How may I help you?"
Now up to bat he smiled, "Do you have the book called..... do you have the book called...." he stopped.
"Do I have the book called..." I encouraged.
Suddenly the three-year old dashed around the desk and into the inner circle to my chair, stood on tiptoes and whispered into my ear, " Do you have the book "Everyone Poops"? (!!!)
We did. (a humorous picture book by Taro Gomi)
And glory be, wouldn't it be lovely to cultivate such a sense of delicacy beyond the age of three?
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Grammy's cake
Before my time, my grandmother purportedly made a dynamite chocolate cake - very moist, almost wet, chocolate cake with caramel icing. After her death, my aunt produced the same type of cake - very successfully, and it was lavishly praised but always referred to as "Grammy's cake". This irritated her no end!
Why? I guess because everyone wants to stake a claim - to be unique in some way. I think it would interesting in a family setting to see if people could come up with one dominant aspect about those who passed and see if the answers were similar - being remembered for singing, gardening, potato salad, humor, athleticism, fried chicken, sewing, writing, beauty, wealth, date-and-nut pudding!
All I can say for sure is, right now I would love to sit down to a large slice of Grammy's chocolate cake!
Sorry, Aunt Esther.
Why? I guess because everyone wants to stake a claim - to be unique in some way. I think it would interesting in a family setting to see if people could come up with one dominant aspect about those who passed and see if the answers were similar - being remembered for singing, gardening, potato salad, humor, athleticism, fried chicken, sewing, writing, beauty, wealth, date-and-nut pudding!
All I can say for sure is, right now I would love to sit down to a large slice of Grammy's chocolate cake!
Sorry, Aunt Esther.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Subterfugue
A delightful new juvenile fiction book called Paperboy by Vince Vawter, about the struggles of a young boy who stuttered, contains a line from Voltaire - "Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts".
I've thought a lot about that quote.
How often do we say the direct opposite from what is flitting through our minds?
Grin or grimace inwardly.
If they only knew.
I've thought a lot about that quote.
How often do we say the direct opposite from what is flitting through our minds?
Grin or grimace inwardly.
If they only knew.
Corn Husking Time
Sitting on the front stoop steps, I stripped the yellow green sheaths from this morning's farm market corn. One quick yank of a handful of husks and a backward snap of the stem, and then a gentle stroking of the ear to rid it of its silk - a practice that I have been performing since I was about five years ago.
At home we would set up outside under the pear tree, or in the bay of the barn, or on the front porch. The smallest person had to help husk the endless dozens of corn for our family of seven. Sometimes we blanched them for freezing, or just boiled them for a meal.When Mother bore platters of steaming "roastin' ears" to the supper table they were the cuisine highlight of the summer. She always melted a bowl of butter that we lavishly brushed onto the corn, sprinkled with salt and dug in! The rest of the meal was negligible, but she usually had something like brown-butter potatoes and tomatoes with a sweet dressing to go with the royal corn fare. Biting those sweet kernels off the cob, was the messiest, most delicious meal ever!
Today I had four ears of corn to husk.
The times they are a-changin'!
At home we would set up outside under the pear tree, or in the bay of the barn, or on the front porch. The smallest person had to help husk the endless dozens of corn for our family of seven. Sometimes we blanched them for freezing, or just boiled them for a meal.When Mother bore platters of steaming "roastin' ears" to the supper table they were the cuisine highlight of the summer. She always melted a bowl of butter that we lavishly brushed onto the corn, sprinkled with salt and dug in! The rest of the meal was negligible, but she usually had something like brown-butter potatoes and tomatoes with a sweet dressing to go with the royal corn fare. Biting those sweet kernels off the cob, was the messiest, most delicious meal ever!
Today I had four ears of corn to husk.
The times they are a-changin'!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Pioneering
I reread - at light speed - These Happy Golden Years yesterday. For the millionth time. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but I almost know whole passages by heart, certainly the dialogue. And while that whole Laura series is idealized and stripped to the bone, there is a lovely purity of purpose in them. Life was tough, but the people were tougher. Those pioneers endured momentous challenges, as in life and death challenges, not alas- alack- I'm-caught-in-traffic-and-will-be-late-for-work challenges. Look at yourself, your children, your friends, your neighbors - pick out the ones you think could have made it, living on an undeveloped parcel of land for five years, in a shack, amid extreme weather conditions and no conveniences, in order to claim it.
Sobering.
And yet, I look back at my primary family I feel that my parents tried to instill the basic civilized rules in us as Pa and Ma did for Laura way back in the late 1800's. Hopefully as life gets easier and easier, the tenets of goodness are still rising to the surface.
But that pesky self-indulgence is sure making it tough!
Sobering.
And yet, I look back at my primary family I feel that my parents tried to instill the basic civilized rules in us as Pa and Ma did for Laura way back in the late 1800's. Hopefully as life gets easier and easier, the tenets of goodness are still rising to the surface.
But that pesky self-indulgence is sure making it tough!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Game time
In my previous blog I mentioned the name William Makepeace Thackery. I didn't want to diverge from the quote so I had to use another entry to describe what a rush of memories that name brings to me.
Authors. The game.
What child of six would otherwise know William Makepeace Thackery? But because of that card game, the gentlemen (oh, yes, there was the token Louisa May Alcott) Twain, Tennyson, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Dickens, etc., were friends to me. It was a deck of 52 with 13 distinguished authors and the goal was to achieve a set of four works for each. We have 50 year old family jokes stemming from that game! Like my father's famous, "Let me check" when asked about a certain author, grandly pulling one card out of his pocket and proceeding to ponder the question.
The point is not the game. The point is the fun. Family members gathered together, playing a card game, no tv, no iphones, no ipods, no computers. Just people, matching wits. Learning about wins and losses. Shared time, shared laughter, shared values.
Shared.
Cherished.
Authors. The game.
What child of six would otherwise know William Makepeace Thackery? But because of that card game, the gentlemen (oh, yes, there was the token Louisa May Alcott) Twain, Tennyson, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Dickens, etc., were friends to me. It was a deck of 52 with 13 distinguished authors and the goal was to achieve a set of four works for each. We have 50 year old family jokes stemming from that game! Like my father's famous, "Let me check" when asked about a certain author, grandly pulling one card out of his pocket and proceeding to ponder the question.
The point is not the game. The point is the fun. Family members gathered together, playing a card game, no tv, no iphones, no ipods, no computers. Just people, matching wits. Learning about wins and losses. Shared time, shared laughter, shared values.
Shared.
Cherished.
Ocassion
I posted a quote from William Makepeace Thackery the other day on our staff whiteboard.
It read, "When I walk beside you I feel like I have a flower in my buttonhole."
At first I smiled thinking a man and a woman.
But the more I thought of it, it is a lovely doff of the hat to anyone whose presence beside you is a celebration.
It read, "When I walk beside you I feel like I have a flower in my buttonhole."
At first I smiled thinking a man and a woman.
But the more I thought of it, it is a lovely doff of the hat to anyone whose presence beside you is a celebration.
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