April 5, 2018 PLACES IN MY PAST

Last Saturday I ran a race that was a real --BLAST TO THE PAST. Went to Baltic--with my comrade from grammar school-- to run the St. Joseph School 3 mile road race. Hadn't been through the town in at least 20 years--Talk about going back in time. When you're young--EVERYTHING LOOKS SO BIG--but Baltic-- is actually--a tiny speck.  If you blink a second too long--you'll miss it. So--I kept my eyes peeled as we  drove around town because I didn't want to miss a thing. Drove down Main street-- passed the  gristmill--post office--elementary school--fire department--in 3 minutes. Even stopped to check out the  duplex  I lived in--BACK IN THE DAY. It's seen better days OR  maybe not. Either way--I'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY.  Reading an interesting book right now that's also taking me back  called White Houses by Amy Bloom.

As a great admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt, I felt compelled to read this historical fiction written after Bloom pieced together the documentation available about Roosevelt's "forbidden affair" with Lenora Hickok. Hickok, whose early life in South Dakota was ridden in poverty, grew up to be a well-known American journalist. In 1932, she was assigned to report on FDR's first political campaign and met Eleanor. As their friendship grew, it eventually became intimate and after FDR was elected President she actually moved into the White House as the "first friend" to Eleanor. Their affair went on for several years as Hickok later work under the Roosevelt administration promoting and protecting the Roosevelt name. Told from the point of view of Hickok, Bloom's story is intriguing as it re-examines an important time period through another lens while introducing us to a love story kept hidden for too long. This novel is only 220 pages--or a 3 mile run--and a real page turner that you will certainly enjoy.