March 29, 2018 AT THE HOP

SO--when's it okay to give up the CHARADE?? If I have to be THE EASTER BUNNY one more time??? Seriously--Can't I just yell--THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY--GET OVER IT!!!!!! This is my LAST year--I'm hanging up the bunny suit--I'VE BEEN HIPPIN' AND A HOPPIN' FOR 24 YEARS!!   My youngest is in FIFTH grade. You can't tell me the kids at school don't talk about it.  HOW CAN THERE BE A GIANT BUNNY  HOPPING ALL OVER THE WORLD??? It's not logical. MAYBE--JUST MAYBE--These kids are smarter than we are. Could they  JUST BE PLAYING ALONG to get more candy?? I guess I'm not smarter than a fifth grader!!!! Or is it more significant? If they give up on the EASTER BUNNY--then they have to give up on the BIG GUY TOO.  Growing up is hard to do. Who wants to give up on the magic?? Okay--I'll wear the bunny suit--but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Wasn't sure if I'd like Lydia Reeder's Dust Bowl Girls but  thought I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did. Dust Bowl Girls is the true story of a women's basketball team who were trailblazers for women's sports during the Depression. Sam Babb was a Midwestern basketball coach who traveled around Oklahoma recruiting talented girls to play basketball for Oklahoma Presbyterian College. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for these talented young women--go to college on scholarship and play basketball. Reeder's research is impeccable as this book is part social history, sports history, and the excitement of the game as these pioneers played their way into the national championship. The players--Doll Harris, Lucille Thurman, Coral Worley to name few--are clearly brought to life by Reeder.  I couldn't help but root for the Cardinals because I felt like I knew the players well. There are also great illustrations throughout the book so you can really see what the players looked like and appreciate the uniforms of the day. There is even an epilogue to see what happened to this extraordinary group of women later in their lives. If you like sports and are interested in learning about women's basketball--this is the book for you. It's about 260 pages--or a 5 mile run--worth a few three pointers.

March 25, 2018 A LITTLE BIT STRONGER

Feeling better. Must be the yoga. It's getting easier NOW that I understand SOME of the LINGO. It's like learning a whole new language. Downward dog--cat cow--plank pose--plow pose--cobra pose--bridge pose--it's MIND BOGGLING. It's not easy BUT nothing worthwhile ever is. I've been wanting to take up yoga for a LONG time and I FINALLY committed.   I'm 10 weeks in and feeling stronger and more flexible every day. Before I started yoga--I was about as flexible as a telephone pole--most runners suffer from this problem--not sure why. Now--I'm twisting and turning my body into strange pretzel-like shapes while breathing at the same time! My balance has also improved-- I'm finally able to HOLD a pose without falling over and breaking my neck.  I've settled into a pretty good routine too.  On my running days--I do a 30 minute full body stretch for flexibility--and when I don't run--I tackle a level II total body workout. I encourage all you runners out there to give YOGA a fair shake--you won't regret it for a minute and your running will improve!

Not sure why I read Gabriel Tallent's debut novel My Absolute Darling but I think it's because I fell in love with the main character--fourteen year old Turtle Alveston on the first page and I had to make sure she was alright. The book was a terrifying nightmare  and  I'm still traumatized three days later. Turtle lives in Northern California near the coast with her paranoid, INSANE, survivalist father--who thinks the world is going to end any day. He has isolated Turtle pretty much from humanity except when she goes to school where all the kids think she's a freak. Her father is a monster. He's physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive--the violence is brutal-- but sadly-- Turtle still loves her father because he's all she has.  After one particularly abusive night, Turtle runs away. While walking through the woods, she meets two high school boys who show her true friendship and kindness. They represent a world that Turtle is unfamiliar with and give her hope that her life can somehow change. Will Turtle find the courage to escape from her father or will fear keep her prisoner forever? Find out when you read this novel for yourself. It's about 420 pages or a 5 mile run that you will not be able to put down--or forget.

March 21, 2018 FIVE MORE MINUTES

Today's my grandmother's birthday. Can't believe she's been dead for fifteen years. It's also--STRANGELY ENOUGH--the day my grandfather died--20 years ago. They were two of the most important people in my life at one time. My constants in an otherwise chaotic life.  Just before my  grandmother died she said, "I don't know how I'm going to live without you Marsha Parsh?" and I tearfully responded, "Live without me, how am I supposed to live without you? That's the funny thing about life though. WE DO. I think of them often and even have vivid dreams where we're all back on the farm. They seem so real-- They're alive again for a little while. Then I wake up and I'm back to reality. If I had one more day with them--I know EXACTLY what we'd do.  First, I'd  spend the whole morning baking cookies with Gran and then I'd spend the afternoon shlepping around the flea markets with Ump buying junk. Yup--it's the simple things I miss most.

If you love books as much as I do--you will love the little gem I just read Dear Fahrenheit 451 Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks. This clever little book (I'm kicking myself in the ASS as I write this for not thinking of writing this myself) is written by a librarian named Annie Spence. It's written  as a series of letters to some of the books she's either read or encountered in her life. I know this sounds odd--but it's not--IF YOU REALLY LOVE BOOKS. Some of my favorite letters include her break up note to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, her Dear John letter to Nicholas Sparks, her love letter to The Time Traveler's Wife and her thank you letter to Ray Bradbury. Some of the letters are laugh-out-loud funny--while others are more heartfelt. I also love her list of books that she will never break up with--which includes some of my favorite books-- Dandelion Wine, Charlotte's Web and Wuthering Heights to name a few.  I absolutely loved the sections-- I'd Rather be Reading-- which is a list of excuses to tell your friends so you can stay home with your books. I'm going to be using those excuses next time someone asks me out!  He's Just Not That Into Literary--a guide to getting your guy read--is Classic too. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. It's about 240 pages or a 3 mile run--that will remind you of the books you love and why you love to read. Enjoy.

March 18, 2018 LET TIME GO LIGHTLY

Count yourself VERY LUCKY if you have lifelong friends. The people who--Can see where you are  and know where you've been--Harry Chapin. I 'm fortunate enough to have a few.  These are special friends--they remember and share precious memories from BACK IN THE DAY. It's a bond--like cement--that lasts forever. Even when time and circumstances separate you--sometimes for 20 years--you can see that person and pick up like it was yesterday. It's a wonderful thing. My daughter is  fortunate in this respect too. Throughout--preschool--grammar school--high school--and soon to be college graduates--they've stuck together like glue. They've grown into an amazing group of women--given a great gift--take care of it and don't let go.

I literally could not LET GO--PUT DOWN-- Harlan Coben's newest book Don't Let Go. Nap Dumas is a detective living in New Jersey who spends most of his time talking to his twin brother, Leo, whose been dead for fifteen years--under mysterious circumstances. Leo and his girlfriend Diane were hit by a train their senior year of high school.  Curiously enough, Nap's girlfriend, Maura,  disappeared on the same night. For fifteen years, Nap has been trying to unravel the mystery of his brother's death and find out what happened to his lost love, Maura.  He finally gets the opportunity after Maura's fingerprints show up on a suspected murderer.  What really happened to Leo and Diane on that dark night near the abandoned military base? Why has Maura been hiding for fifteen years? Find out for yourself when you read this book that has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster! It's about 350 easy pages--or a 4 mile run--that you won't want to end. Guaranteed.

MARCH 13, 2018 MR. DISAPPOINTMENT

Although disappointment is a part of life-- it's still a TOUGH pill to swallow. Take sports for instance. Teams play their HEARTS out RIGHT --but in the end--SOMEBODY  has to LOSE. It doesn't mean the other team IS ANY better--it's just part of the game. Disappointment SUCKS--but it's a necessary evil. Unfortunately, we all have to experience this and every other feeling in life to be truly alive. UGH!! We can't POSSIBLY understand REAL SATISFACTION though unless we FEEL REAL DISAPPOINTMENT at some point too. I guess the important thing to do is-- keep it all in perspective--EASIER SAID THAN DONE--I know.  Realize that EVERY disappointment in life is an opportunity to learn a lesson--AND--reflect.  These are KEY to living a successful life. Don't forget to enjoy the ride though--Celebrate the good times too. Be proud of your accomplishments--there's always next year!

It's that time of year again when I get really busy at school. My brain is spinning round and round  and my attention span's shot-- so I've been reading short stories.  I've been concentrating on American short stories; especially, Edith Wharton. Edith Wharton--for some reason unbeknownst to me-- is not widely known for her short stories.  She is famous  for her wonderful books Ethan Frome, The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. She actually won the Pulitzer Prize in literature in 1921 for The Age of Innocence--the first woman to win such an honor. She is a wonderful writer who deserves more recognition for her collection of short stories too.  I'm reading The Best Short Stories of Edith Wharton right now but they can be accessed on the internet it you only want to read a few of them. I recommend "Roman Fever", "Pomegranate Seed" "The Journey" and the "Bunner Sisters"--for starters. Before reading her work though, I  encourage you to read a little biography about her life online because there are so many parallels between her work and her life. Happy Reading.

March 6, 2018 WOULD I LIE TO YOU?

Have been S-P-R-E-A-D-I-N-G myself too thin lately. Way too much to do and NOT enough hours in the day to get things done. Of course this leads to STRESS--ANXIETY--WORRY. When I start waking up in the middle of the night obsessed with the THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST--Something's got to give right?? BUT WHAT?? Between teaching, correcting, TRYING to run--OUCH, yoga, reading, blogging, words with friends,  family CRAP--AND ON TOP OF THAT NOW-- fitting in physical therapy too. MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE.  It turns out that my BUTT pain from running is actually--IT BAND SYNDROME. It's this muscle that runs from my hip to my outer knee that is INFLAMED AS A MOTHER!!!  SO--I'm going to suck it up and start physical therapy because I've tried everything I can think of to NO AVAIL. SPRING is coming and I'd be lying if a said I COULD LIVE WITHOUT SPRING RUNNING. Speaking of lying, I'm reading this great thriller by Ruth Ware right now called The Lying Game.  

Isa, the narrator, Kate, Thea and Fatima have been friends since attending the same boarding school near the cliffs of the English Chanel in a town called Salten. While at school, the girls play the lying game--but promise never to lie to each other. Their time together comes to an abrupt end after a tragic event. Flash forward seventeen years and Kate sends her friends a text with three little words--I need you. Isa, Thea, and Fatima immediately abandon their lives--go back to Salten to help their desperate friend. Find out what happens when these old friends get back together and realize that the past they thought they buried is alive and well. This is a fun, suspense filled book. I really enjoy Ware's writing and you will too. It's an easy read of about 385 pages--or a 4 mile run--that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Enjoy!

March 2, 2018 RHINESTONE COWBOY

 NASHVILLE. If you'd have asked me ten years ago --Do  you like country music--I would have said--HORSE FEATHERS.  My daughter turned me on to it about 5 years ago--and I have to admit--I TOOK A LIKIN TO IT--I'm a convict--oops convert. So when  friends suggested going to Nashville for a long weekend--I said Hot Damn--I RECKON SO!! Went last weekend and-- HAD A HOG KILLIN' TIME--IT'S A GREAT CITY. Got up every morning--ran around the city--stopped at a few saloons on the strip for some VITTLES, BOLD FACE AND LIVE MUSIC--A LITTLE SIESTA--in the afternoon--THEN REPEAT. WHOOPED IT UP--COWBOY HAT AND ALL.  Believe it or not-- Live bands play EVERY DAY from 10:00am-3:00am--AND-- bars have 3  floors with different music on every floor. IT'S LOCO. And if you're a Karaoke fan--it's pretty serious business in Nashville--the competition is REAL.  They also have these crazy PEDAL TAVERNS TOO. Not sure how much it costs but saw several bachelorette parties pedaling around RAISING HOB--AND--CATERWAULING to their favorite songs. Nashville is a spectacle for ALL THE SENSES--that I highly recommend. Lassoed a copy of Sebastian Barry's book Days without End for the trip--unbeknownst to me--it was  about the old west!!
The narrator of this wonderful novel is Thomas McNulty, an Irish immigrant seeking his fortune in America before, during and after the Civil War. At age seventeen, Thomas and his new found friend and later lover, John Cole, enlisted in the army. It was the 1850's--sign up or starve. The two experienced the horror and brutality of war as well as the price Native Americans paid in the name of progress. Women and children were killed without regard and scalped without consideration as the army cleared the West for the white settlers.   Although Thomas and John had a fair share of "blood on their hands" they later "adopted" a young Sioux girl and forged a family in order to protect her from danger when the Civil War began. Thomas and John were quirky characters to say the least--one day they were cross dressing and dancing with the soldiers--the next they were participating in the blood bath that is our history. This story is a must read as the writing is incredible. It's only 250 pages or a 4 mile run that you will never forget.