October 30, 2018 IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

Remember Bob Ross?? The man with the red afro taught people how to paint HAPPY LITTLE TREES on public television?? Well--I'll have you know--I'm NOW the PROUD owner of a BOBBLEHEAD Bob Ross. It's the FUNNIEST thing. YUP--that's all it takes to make me happy. If you press the button-- he ACTUALLY speaks. It's REALLY Bob Ross' voice serving up his witty advice and humor!! What a blast to the past. I can remember watching Bob Ross with my grandmother. We were glued to the television and not because of the RED AFRO. It was the  combination of his SOOTHING VOICE and MAGICAL brush strokes. He was incredible. He could paint a beautiful piece of art AND give advice in thirty minutes! Bob Ross was a positive, encouraging person who was famous for saying--We don't make mistake--just happy little accidents.  My Bob Ross Bobblehead dished up some sage advice today when he said --We all need a little dark--so we can see the light--much like life. WOW--That's deep. A funny aside--No one ever called him BOB OR MR. ROSS. It was always BOB ROSS--both names--interesting. Thanks for the memories.
Currently reading a a National Book Award Finalist from 2017 by Min Jin Lee called Pachinko. This wonderful saga is the story of four generations of a Korean family. The story begins in 1910  during Japanese colonization and ends in 1989. At the beginning of the novel, Sunja lives in a small fishing village in Korea with her father Hooni and mother Yangjin. As a teenager, Sunja  falls in love with a wealthy, powerful man named Hansu and becomes pregnant. After she finds out he is married, she refuses to see him and instead marries a sickly minister named Isak and moves to Japan to be closer to his family. Sunja's son Mozasu is born and takes her husband's name. She also gives birth to another son named Noa. Her husband is later imprisoned because he is a Catholic and the family struggles to survive. Don't want to say too much more but Hansu lives in Japan and wants his only son to be a part of his life. The women in this story are strong characters who hold the family together against incredible odds. Find out what happens to the next generation when you read this novel for yourself. It's about 500 pages--6 mile run--that is a real page turner. The characters are rich and unforgettable. Enjoy.