September 23, 2023 GLORY DAYS

 

One thing people never tell you is that your kids will grow up, move out, live their own lives AND it will never be the same. As my kids were growing up, I never really thought too much about it BECAUSE THEY WERE ALWAYS AROUND.  But when they left-- everything changed. I guess I took my time with them for granted. We tend to take people for granted when they live with us day in and day out. I still see my older kids often-- BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR ME. It's really hard to go from knowing their every move to knowing NOTHING. Letting go is the hardest thing. I still struggle with it and I haven't lived with my older kids for over 10 years. Not sure what I'll do when my youngest leaves --in less than 2 years. Ugh. As horrible as the Pandemic was in 2020, one good thing happened. My daughter came home and lived with us again for several months. I LOVED having her home again. We walked, talked, and drove each other crazy. It was great. I was reminded of my (guilty) good fortune while reading Ann Patchett's new book Tom Lake. This little gem is set during the Pandemic in 2020 in Northern Michigan on a fruit farm. The main character, Lara Nelson, is enjoying spending time with her three adult daughters, Emily, Maisie and Nell, who have come home because of COVID restrictions. As many of the crew has abandoned the farm, Lara and her daughters need to help pick fruit for several hours a day, and to pass the time, they ask their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor she knew briefly in the 1980s. The novel then jumps back and forth between the two time periods as Lara relates the story of her time at Tom Lake, a theater company, where she was almost famous playing Emily Gibbs in Our Town with Peter Duke. I don't want to say much more other than I totally enjoyed this book. It reminded me that we all have a summer in our past  that stands out and it's fun to take a nostalgic look back at our glory days every once in a while.  Find out all about Lara's past and her relationship with Peter Duke and other theater actors when you read this super enjoyable book for yourself. It's only 300 short and sweet pages. Enjoy.

September 10, 2023 HOT OF THE MOMENT

Crazy first week of school. The weather was wicked--HAZY-HOT-HUMID. School felt a little like Death Valley. Seriously--just breathing made me sweat. BUT--No biggy right--WRONG.  School was actually canceled Thursday AND Friday because of the heat. I have invented a new term for it. We had  two "SUN" DAYS.  Get it? Instead of SNOW--SUN. Can't make it up. Thinking back to the olden days......can't remember anyone ever caring if we sweat TOO much in school. Pretty sure NO ONE cared what we did back in the day though.  Kids today are WEAK. A little sweat and they whine like babies. Better watch out--we're gonna  create a WHOLE generation of people who have NO COPING SKILLS. That's gonna hurt. In other news, I just finished a really good mystery by William Kent Krueger called The River We Remember. I am a huge fan of Krueger and have read several of his books. This one does NOT disappoint. Set in Jewel, Minnesota, in 1958, while the small town of Jewel celebrates Memorial Day, the body of Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River. Sheriff Brody Dern, a war hero, investigates the death while the town folk immediately suspect Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran because he's not White and he had the audacity to marry a Japanese woman named Kyoko.  Both Angie Madison, a war widow, and Brody, try to ease tensions in the town after Bluestone is arrested and  refuses to speak. Find out who killed Quinn and so much more when you read  this mystery for yourself.  It's about small town life in the late 1950's, the cost of war, and the prejudices people try to justify in the name of Manifest Destiny. It's about 430 pages--an easy read--with great characters. There's even a bit of a love story mixed in if that suits your fancy. Enjoy! 

September 4, 2023 TEARS IN HEAVEN

 Tomorrow marks my 25th year in education. WOW. The beginning of the school year is such an exciting time. It really is fun to meet new kids--It's especially rewarding to show them that they can accomplish anything if they commit and put in the effort. Just believing in the possibilities is a gift in and of itself. I am really blessed--I get to watch kids grow and develop into kind human beings. When teachers-parents-staff-students work together, great things can happen. Hope everyone has a great year. Just finished an incredible book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, by one of my favorite writers, James McBride. As the story unfolds, It's 1972 and workers discover a skeleton in the Chicken Hill section of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, while digging to make way for a housing project. The bones have been there for several decades. The story then goes back to 1925 when Chicken Hill was a neighborhood of immigrant Jews and African Americans. One of the main characters, Chona, runs the Heaven & Earth Grocery store and her husband, Moshe, runs a theatre and dance hall in town. When the state decides to send a deaf, black boy named DoDo to Pennhurst, the community on Chicken Hill band together to try to save him. This novel is about the survival of a marginalized community and the lengths they go to for justice in a corrupt, small town of bigots, liars and thieves. The cast of characters who live in Chicken Hill are unforgettable--Paper, Nate, Addie, Fatty, Big Soap-- and the writing is perfect. Find out what happens to DoDo, Chona and the rest of the characters when you read this page turner for yourself. I totally enjoyed it!