August 26, 2025 HE'S GONE

 

He's gone. Yup--the baby left for college. It's the FIRST time in 31 years that we DON'T have kids at home.  It's troublingly quiet and very neat. Shoes aren't left astray in the kitchen--smelly uniforms no longer stink up the laundry room AND no one is calling from practice begging for dinner. Who would have thought I'd miss these daily rituals-- BUT I DO. Back in the day-I couldn't wait for the kids to grow up and get out so that we could have our lives back BUT the reality is that our KIDS became our life and now that they're gone we will have to reinvent ourselves to some extent. It's all good. No worries. Ali will be home this weekend to celebrate her birthday and SHE WILL leave her shoes in the kitchen and her laundry and her suitcase and coffee mug and the house will be a disaster again. Can't wait! Finished a lovely novel the other day called Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers. The main character of the story is Jean Swinney, a middle aged journalist who lives in London in the 1950's. She has a rather lonely life as she is tasked with taking care of her overdemanding mother when she is not at work. One day while at the office, a woman named Gretchen Tilbury writes a letter to the paper claiming that her 10 year old daughter, Margaret, is the result of a virgin birth. Being the only woman at the paper, Jean is tasked with investigating the matter. As Jean investigates and gets to know the Tilbury family, which also includes Gretchen's husband Howard, she feels drawn to the family and realizes how lonely her life has become. Don't want to say much more than that you will have to read this amazing story for yourself to find out if Gretchen's claim is true and realize that things are not always as they appear. Interestingly enough, this book is based on an actual claim of a woman in the 1950's who said she had a virgin birth which is called a parthenogenesis and other historical events in the book are true. I really enjoyed this book and had trouble putting it down. Let me know what you think. Enjoy. 

August 17, 2025 EVERYBODY HURTS

Priceless. A deep tissue massage. Who knew?? Yup-hurt my back a while back and tried nursing it back to health--stretching, pain killers, pain patches, creams. UGH.  What a waste of time....I know a massage is expensive BUT I should have bit the bullet 3 weeks ago. It was an incredible experience--one I need to partake in more often. Felt like a new person after my massage--so I decided to drive to Boston to see my daughter. BIG mistake. Traffic was ridiculous and the extended sitting reinjured my periformis. I am so sick of being injured. Is this really part of getting older??  Guess this calls for another visit to the spa. Only wish insurance covered the bill. Gonna have to get a better paying job at this rate. While resting my back this week, I read Fredrik Backman's novel Anxious People. Set in a small town near Stockholm, Sweden, a bank robber, desperate to keep custody of her children, attempts to rob a bank. After the robbery goes bad, the bank robber flees and tries to hide at an open house BUT ends up holding the potential buyers hostage. The hostages are quite a cast of characters with very different anxieties: Zara, is a bank mangager with a tragic past, Lennart is an actor desperate for a job, Estelle is a widow and my favorite --Roger and Anna-Lena, retirees who flip apartments in a desperate attempt to keep their marraige from getting stale. This story is a little bit of everything--funny, empathetic, insightful even though I thought it was a bit contrived as everyone seems connected by the end of the story. Find out what happens to all involved when you read this quirky book for yourself. Enjoy. 

August 6, 2025 YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT

Bromance-- since first grade. Joined at the hip--until tomorrow. Yup-Tim's first BFF is leaving for college. Weren't they just playing Monopoly in the family room?? Where did the time go???  It's a bittersweet time for sure. On the one hand--the excitement of College--BUT there's also the FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN--AND CHANGE. Tim's been so lucky with friends. He's literally had the same core group since first grade-A BAND OF BROTHERS. They'll have to say SO LONG for now--until Christmas--BUT the Bromance will continue because of their connection and  shared memories of the last thirteen years. Enjoy your first semester--can't wait to hear all about it. The main character, Hai,  in Ocean Vuong's new book The Emperor of Gladness isn't so lucky. As the novel unfolds, Hai, is a nineteen year old Vietnamese American living in East Gladness, Connecticut, debating his fate as he stands on a bridge ready to jump.  Luckily, an elderly woman named, Grazina, talks him down. Grazina takes Hai to her dilapitated house to discuss his near suicide and then Hai reluctantly becomes her caretaker.  Hai also starts working at Home Market, a casual restaurant, where he meets a cast of characters including the manager BJ-who wants to be a professional wrestler, Wayne, Russia, Maureen, and his cousin Sony. They form a camaraderie as they share many struggles while working at this dead end job. Hai and Grazina also form a bond that ultimately changes both of their lives. This is a quirky story about friendship, loneliness and addiction where the reader decides the fate of the characters. I enjoyed this book--especially the characters in the restaurant as I felt like I was back at Papa Ginos.