Bits, Bobs and Books!

The absence of reviews on this blog might lead you to believe that I am NOT reading. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How could you think such a thing?

Among all the other bits and bobs of my life, books are a constant. It is true that I can go a full day without opening a book but then the shakes set in. So here is what I have been reading.

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver series! If you are fan of British mystery writers who penned their stories in the late twenties through the early 60s, you might enjoy this series. Miss Silver spent most of her working life as a governess before she became a private detective.  She has such a comforting, yet authoritative, manner that people tell her all sorts of revealing things. 

Wentworth adds a lot of fashion and society details to help define her characters. Readers visit country manors and town homes of upper society. I have only read four of the 32 novels but I suspect Miss Silver deals with middle and lower class suspects and victims as well.  THIRTY TWO NOVELS. 

The mysteries can be a bit histrionic. There is always romance involved. And Miss Silver's powers of deduction can appear miraculous. Read this series for the ambience, the puzzles and the relationships of young people who use repartee to cleverly dance around their feelings.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. In an alternate Thailand, Pong is an orphan born in prison. When he turns 13, the tattoo that identifies him as a prisoner will be changed so that he can join society in the city. Pong, like everyone in the city, idolizes the Governor. After the Great Fire that destroyed everything years ago, the Governor arrived and with his gift of Light, he restored the City and outlawed fire. But when the Governor visits Pong's prison, everything changes for Pong, his best friend Somkit and the warden's daughter, Nok.

The jacket flap compares this book to Les Miserables. Pong escapes the prison and Nok is obsessed with finding him. She follows him to a mountain monastery and then into the city slums, uncovering secrets of her own family and of the Governor, himself.  LOVED THIS BOOK. The Governor's magical power, the old monk that helps Pong, Somkit's inventions, and Soontornvat's writing add up to a lovely adventure.

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate. YAY! Bob, the stray dog, gets his own book. The story of how a dog who claims to be all about "numero uno" becomes a HUGE hero and reunites with characters he lost long ago is charming, a quick read, and continues the story of Ivan, the gorilla, and Ruby, the elephant calf from The One and Only Ivan. I see a pattern emerging. Let's see if I'm right. The One and Only Ruby may be next.

Bob lives with George, a zoo keeper, Sara, and their daughter, Julia. Bob loves to visit his best mate, Ivan, and the adorably enthusiastic Ruby at the zoo. When a huge storm hits, Bob must help save his friends and hunt down the familiar bark of one of his litter mates. It's a page turner.

Did I tell you about the graphic novel, Lightfall by Tim Probert? The artwork is lovely!  Beatrice must find Grandfather Pig and she must keep the Fire, (a flame in a glass globe), burning. Something ominous is stirring in the land of Irrpa! Beatrice meets a Galdurian - perhaps the last of his kind - who offers to help her. Because he has survived for hundreds of years, his help can be bit confusing. And, of course, the book ends with a cliff hanger. It's awesome.

The Bits and Bobs of this post's title refers to all the things I do to keep myself sane in these trying times. Here is a list:

1. Computer games. I downloaded an Advent Calendar from an online greeting card company. As I wait for December 1st, I play the games collected in the "living room" of the calendar. I WASTE SO MUCH TIME playing these games but, hey! I am not a fan of housework and I can't go many places.

2. Crochet. Crochet. crochet. and more crochet.

3. Poetry. I don't write as much as I'd like but I have been writing more during this time of solitude.

4. Walks. I should take one NOW. I especially like walking with my nonagenarian mother. I am so lucky to still have her in my life.

5. Storytelling! WOW! Here is a link to my latest venture with members of Patchwork, the Storytelling Guild. (Scroll down to the video.) This was our show for Tellabration, the International Weekend Celebration of Storytelling. I am the last teller of the performance. There are so many great stories here.

6. Planning Holiday events for my worship community - well, one event. I am planning a Zoom carol sing on December 6th. This may be a recipe for disaster because Zoom is not made for group singing or recitation. A carol sing is spontaneous and Zoom is not designed for spontaneity either. There are a lot of details to work out. I don't have an accompanist who can jump in and play any carol. WHAT AM I THINKING??? Pray for me, and for the intrepid singers.  

Luckily, the Christmas Eve Meeting (planned by other Friends) is NOT spontaneous and the music will be carefully recorded and presented. 

7. Watching TV shows from France and Italy. My husband "owns" the TV and he found a streaming service that offers TV shows from around the world. It's hard to crochet and watch these shows, since we have to read the subtitles. But the series that we watch are fun!

8. Music. Listening and singing. My granddaughter asks me if I have to sing a song about everything I do. The answer is, "Doesn't everyone?" 

And here is a lovely video from the One Voice Children's Choir.

Stay safe, friends.

 

Thanksgiving dilemma

 He asked again today. "Are we making a turkey on Tuesday to share with A & L & D when they pick D up after work?"  

Me: (Blank stare)

Him: Or, what?

Me: (Frowny face and helpless shrug)

Him: Should I get a small turkey at the store?

Me: Uh, um, I don't know.

Him: What are we doing for Thanksgiving?

Me: (Drops head to the table.)

My latest coping strategy is to wait until it is too late to do anything and do nothing. That can NOT happen with Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday. We open the house to our son, our daughter-in law, our granddaughter and our daughter-in-law's family and to my mother and sometimes to one or more of my siblings. Dinner is followed by a walk and card games, silliness and chatter - and football on TV.  It is a day to just be together.  Also, FOOD!!!

When family can't attend (last year, they planned to be out of the country) we invite friends. No matter who we host, it is always the same. Food, conversation, laughter, football, games.

Um, not this year. 

I already texted the usual suspects and cancelled a large gathering.  However, I can't let go of the idea of pies and roasted Fall veggies and stuffing.  Should I bake pies and drop them off, masked and socially distant - set them on the doorstep, ring the bell and run away?  I can easily peel and slice enough vegetables for all of us and deliver them on Wednesday.

Should we take a chance and invite my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter to a short celebration? We see them twice a week anyway. (We see the parents for five to fifteen minutes at a time. And D for the afternoon. That doesn't count as "residing" with them, I guess.)

WHAT SHOULD WE DO??? I. DON'T. KNOW.

Kim and Penn Holderness made their decision to stay home. And then they made a video about it. Check out that Grammy's dance moves. 

I have a lot to be thankful for, anxiety aside. So far, my closest circle is COVID-19 free. I have a roof, the Internet, a sister who works at a yarn store if I run out of yarn (!!!), books, enough money, lots of food, a nice husband. What else could I need?

I need hugs, lots of hugs, to and from everyone I love. So, I WILL bake pies and peel veggies. I will fill those pies with hugs and drop them off with the ones I love. We will Zoom or Skype or Facetime our meal and NEXT YEAR we will all be together.

Stay safe, everyone.  Happy Thanksgiving.

 

WAITING!!!

I. AM. SO. TIRED. OF. WAITING. How about you? It's funny how, even though we have spent several months holding our breath, the world continues in its rounds, undisturbed.

Today the wind is brisk, the sky is crystal blue. The air is tinted with cold. My sweatshirt is not warm enough. We waited for the end of the summer's heat and, whoops, it is really and truly gone. Today, a walk will feel bracing and even a bit exciting. Hold on to your hats and your children. This wind might steal them away.

The leaves parade down the center of the street, a colorful substitute for the parades that we had to cancel this season. Trees that held tight to their dying leaves so far will have to give them up. Get our your rakes. Leaf peeping and raking and jumping time is here.

Tomorrow is a biggie and although Election Day will come and go, the waiting won't end in 24 hours. No, we will have to "wait and see" if a transition will happen and how it will all turn out.

2020 turned into the Year of Waiting - waiting for a cure for COVUD-19, waiting for a return to sanity, waiting for people to learn to get along - while keeping their distance,  - waiting for peace, justice and "the American way" or what we hope the "American way" is. 

While we wait, let's take the time:

 to reach out to our loved ones, 

help a neighbor bring in her recycling bins, 

smile with our eyes since our mouths are hidden,

write an email to a friend,

thank the postal workers for struggling on,

take some food to the food bank,

give a warm coat to a shelter,

bake a loaf of bread,

have a cup of tea,

and give thanks that we have things in our lives worth waiting for.