Walking Under Trees; Summer time

The community center opened up again with limited admittance but I do not plan to return - not yet. Every morning, I get out before 9 am to take a 40 minute walk.

If you live on the East Coast, Eastern PA especially, then you know that 9 am is not early enough. I am so drenched by the time I get home that a shower feels redundant.

I have rediscovered the joy, the luxury, the calm and cool, of walking under trees. This morning I crossed streets three times to take advantage of the deeper shade on the other side. Maples give superior shade. Sycamores are shady, too, but their branches are so high up that sun slants through their leaves. (Never mind, sycamores. I love you for so many other reasons.)

When the temperature drops under a tree, I always think of the scene in "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Scout has to recount what she thinks happened when she and Jem were walking home from the school pageant. Scout had her ham costume on and could only see what was underneath her. But she knew she was under a tree because the ground was cooler there.

Would I know I was in the shade of a tree with my eyes closed? I think I might on these hot summer mornings. I won't try it because the trees with the best shade have the bumpiest sidewalks.

My route takes me into neighborhoods with the most trees and the oldest trees.  I keep moving. Still some shade is so deep that I want to sit with my back against the trunk and dream; or look up into the jungle above me, made of crossing branches and thick green leaves, and wonder.  Or, just breathe in shade-cooled air.

Today, I walked down the island in the center of the street. One side of the street had disappearing sidewalks and intermittent shade. The other side was largely shade-less. Sturdy trees marched down the center of the street and so did I. I know an invitation when I see one.

The trees do invite you to take advantage of their shade. If you are lucky enough to have a tree on your property, sit under it for a spell.

Walk under trees whenever you can. Walk there now for the shade. Walk there in the Fall for the color. In the Winter, look up at the lacy fingers against the sky. In the Spring, celebrate the many greens of fledgling leaves.

Walk. Linger. Breathe.

Popularity Papers!

Back when I worked as a children's librarian, a publicist from Abrams (Jason Wells who is now with Magination Press) sent Amy Ignatow to our library to talk about her new series of books, The Popularity Papers.  The drawings are adorable and the books are funny!

This summer my 8 and 1/2 year old granddaughter discovered these books. She LOVES them. Although the books are about kids getting ready to enter middle school - and then in middle school - let's face it, our 4th graders are already worried about that inevitability. And if we can just dredge up those memories of our own childhoods, we will realize that concerns about popularity and the opposite sex are there all the time. They just aren't at the top of the things kids worry about - yet.

Yesterday, my granddaughter brought me Book 4, The Rocky Road Trip. I have no words to tell you how wonderful, warm, funny and wise that book was. Seriously. I will stop this post right here and just bask in the memories of that road trip to family members who are lovely and to family members who are NOT!  and the Fun Facts, and Bye Bye Miss American Pie and bears and ... ahhhhhhhh.

The family structures are not white picket fence. They reflect the times we live in. 'Nuff said.

I wonder if Amy Ignatow could be persuaded to do a reunion book. Maybe Julie and Roland could, I don't know, get Married and Lydia could be the Maid of Honor and Melody could be the wedding planner. Or is that too Hallmark channel for this series??

If you have a pre-teen, take a look at these books. Read them yourself. Amy Ignatow is a genius.

Be Kind to Monsters!

In Kelley Armstrong’s A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, Princess Rowan, the oldest of twins, wants more than anything to be the Royal Monster Hunter. But birth order requires her to become Queen. Her younger brother, Rhydd, brave, loyal, thoughtful - and diplomatic -must assume the mantle of Monster Hunter.

Ho hum - mismatched family expectations. Isn’t it always the way? The book breaks with tradition when a tragedy catapults the 12 year old twins into confusion and action. Rowan gets her wish in the most awful way possible.

In order to become the Royal Monster Hunter, Rowan must train with the best hunter in the kingdom. Accompanied by the last Monster Hunter’s tame warg, who barely tolerates Rowan, and soon joined by a baby jackalope, Rowan finds the elusive monster hunter.  He is wounded and his young apprentice turns her away.

Rowan tries to, and fails to, impress the young hunter-in-training. She gets kidnapped. She barely escapes an attack by a pegasus. She and two possible allies fight off giant spiders and collect firebird feathers.

Then, they meet the most horrendous monster of all, the very same monster that forced Rowan and Rhydd to change their futures. A battle of wit and cunning, (Rowan is small for her age and that monster is HUGE), ensues!

Palace intrigue changes the expected outcome of this novel. Unanswered questions foretell future installments.

I am more than ready to read Rowan and Rhydd’s further adventures!!!

Eerie-on-the-Sea might be very pleasant in the summer sun but in the winter…brrrr. Herbert Lemon is the Lost-and-Founder of the Grand Nautilus Hotel and just one of the odd characters that lives there. When a strange girl slips into the window of his basement room, Herbert, age 11 or 12 or 13 or thereabouts, falls into a grand, creepy adventure.
There is a man with a hook for a hand, a miniature model of the town with mysteriously moving figures, and a legendary sea monster. They all search for something. And who better to help them than the Lost and Founder of the Grand Nautilus hotel?

Herbert and Violet are looking for Violet’s parents who disappeared from that very hotel 12 years before. Can the Malamander answer Violet's questions? Is this monster horrible or harmless?

The second book is out now, Gargantis!


In 2018, Adam Gidwitz introduced his monster saving series, The Unicorn Rescue Society. Since then, URS members have protected a jersey devil, a chupacabra, a basque dragon, a Sasquatch and, most recently, a water serpent from Cuba.

Remember this, reader friends, mythical monsters are born that way and need our protection.

‘Nuff said.

MAIL!

I got a letter! From a real person! And I stopped what I was doing, sat down and opened it. For just those few minutes, I fell into someone else’s world. The slant of the words, the loops and whorls of penmanship, I was touching something she made - just for me.

Emails speed up the communication. They lie in a long line of other messages that demand my attention. Even when they take up the whole screen, I know that once that note is closed other messages will wave and call. My aunt prints out her emails in order to give them the personal attention they deserve.

Emails are not letters.

But a letter! In an envelope! My surroundings actually drop away. I can’t read a letter and unload the dishwasher - as I can when I am talking on the phone. With a letter in my hand - and in my sight - I don’t look around and notice Things That Need To Be Done.

Texts? I think of texts as Need To Know Quickie Notes. They ask questions. They call for attention. “What time…?” “Give me a call…” “Thinking of you. Let’s talk later…” “Could you?…”

Texts are not letters.

Video calls connect me to people far away. I love seeing their faces and hearing their voices. But just like actual meetings, video calls end, and unless we record every single one, we have only our memories as souvenirs.

Video calls are not letters.

This letter? I can read it again and again. I can smile as the words race across the paper. I can imagine my sister’s desk. She might have written it there - or at the table in the kitchen, or even sitting in her yard under her orange tree.

I got a letter! and it lifted up this hot summer day - like a scented breeze from somewhere faraway!  I got a letter and because I did, I am going to take the time to write a letter- or two - right now.

BLM - Book reviews

Hmmph,!  I just spent two hours trying to make a book review video and my tongue tripped over so many words that I quit!  I quit!

Instead, I will review four books that address, however tangentially, the issues that Black Lives Matter protesters hope to change.

This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewel. Written for students, this book is a primer for understanding who the reader is and how they fit into the various circles of influence in society. When the reader figures that out, they are given tools for speaking out and taking a stand. Finally, Jewell offers ideas for finding allies, joining organizations and campaigns to make our society more fair for everyone.

We Are Power by Todd Hasak-Lowy. Hasak-Lowy covers six long-running nonviolent campaigns that suceeded.  Mahatma Gandhi's march to the sea earned India its independence. Alice Paul worked tirelessly and very publicly to gain the right to vote for women. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Project C campaign worked to end segregation in the south.  Cesar Chavez fought, non-violently, for better wages for the migrant farm workers of California and the Southwest and he won!  Vaclav Havel led the Velvet Revolution which turned Czechoslovakia into a democracy.
The last nonviolent protest is still ongoing, Greta Thunberg's protest to bring attention to our dire climate crisis continues to this day.
Nonviolent protest does NOT mean no one gets hurt. This book shows that we can change the way people think and act without inflicting violence on others.

Thurgood Marshall by Teri Kanefield. This book is part of The Making of America series of biographies by Kanefield. The biography is eminently readable and gives a lively overview of the

first Black Supreme Court Justice's life as well as an overview of Civil Rights in America in the late 20th century.

New Kid by Jerry Craft. Winner of the 2020 Newbery Award, this graphic novel follows Jordan, a aspiring cartoonist, as he starts at a new prestigious private school a train ride from his neighborhood school. Jordan is one of a handful of kids of color at this school. To deal with new-school-itis, Jordan draws these awesome comics that describe his trip to the new school every day, how he thinks his teachers see him and the other students and his feelings.  The interactions with the teachers are so realisitic that I wonder if this book is based on Jerry Craft's own experiences. It's awesome and eye-opening and hopeful.

Sunday Selfie - What I Believe, Stuff I Learned

Things I believe:
I believe Black Lives Matter.

I believe families should stay together.

I believe in social distancing and mask wearing as a community attempt to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19.

I believe that Native Americans have the right and responsibility to protect their sacred lands.

I believe that the Earth is our Home and should be kept clean.

I believe that our National Parks MUST be protected.

I believe in a whole lot more (universal health care, voting rights for all, we are all one family,  dandelions are not weeds), some serious, some not.

And I believe in YOU!

Thanks, Pixabay.

It’s been a time, hasn’t it?  Are you keeping a journal? Do you write down the events as they happen? Do you make note of the realizations you have had, the joys you rediscovered, the small happinesses of your days? YOU could be the Samuel Pepys of 2020.  Those entries will create the stories of your future.

Almost daily, some municipality in our area hosts a rally to support Black Lives Matter. It gives me hope that people will eventually start treating others as members of the same community.

Our county has moved to “yellow” - stores and restaurants are re-opening with social distance requirements and mask requirements.  Yesterday, I went to a store!! And bought crafting supplies…of course.

While I ease into finding my new normal, I wonder what I have learned.

I have options that a lot of people don’t have. I learned that. Things as simple as a choice in what I eat for breakfast can fill me with gratitude and awareness.

When I walk around my neighborhood, there is beauty everywhere I look. People grow kaleidoscopes of flowers in their yards. Rabbits are everywhere! Small things can bring joy. I learned to look for them.

I learned that I have enough! Enough food, clothes, room. Stores will see less of me, I think.

I like my own company. It’s nice to learn that I like myself, even while I stew over my shortcomings.

I learned that change takes way, way too much time. We just have to keep working, trying, picking ourselves up and marching forward. Our goal is to always “spiral upwards” towards joy, towards love, towards a unity that makes room for everyone.

Stay safe, everyone. Keep striving for peace, hope and love.

5 Pandemic-related thoughts; Sunday Selfie

Whew! I can barely type anymore. My brain is in a fog. There is garden to be planted, house to clean; stuff to sew and thoughts - so many thoughts.

I scuttled my first Thought #1. It was divisive but writing it made me feel better.

So my new Thought #1 is this.
Write down the things that anger you instead of shouting them out. Write down your worries. Write down your disappointments. Write down your hardships.  Somehow, seeing them spread out in black (or blue or red or even chartreuse) is a release.  And, sometimes it puts your worries into a more healthy perspective.

(CAVEAT: Writing down reports of dangerous behavior will NOT help you. If you or your loved ones are abusive or dangerously careless of themselves or others, reach out for help.)

Thought #2
How does going over and over the timeline of missed opportunities help us?

Now is the time to concentrate on finding solutions. If our government can't get moving due to lack of science, or lack of experience, or lack of attention, or, blast them, lack of concern, then we have to save ourselves. Support our front line workers. Invest in companies that are producing research based tests and treatments. Also, vote the buggers out! Write your representatives. now.

Find ways to work with others to promote responsible behavior. Make masks. Wear masks. Wash hands. Stay six feet apart. (Oh, that one is so hard when there are Moms to hug.)

Thought #3
Breathe.

Thought #4
Give thanks for all the people who are finding ways to connect safely; the artists who post their songs, artwork, dance, musical pieces and theater attempts, stories and writings online for everyone to enjoy.

Libraries that offer meetings on internet based networking sites; teachers that contact their students often to keep them up to date; friends who photograph the beautiful and delightful things in their life and share those photos; children who create chalk drawings to cheer up their neighbors. Poets who find new ways to view our predicament. Be grateful for what we have. Reach out to others who have less.

Thought #5
Lift each other up.  Sing. Breathe. Bake. Find the flower in the sidewalk and celebrate it.
Be kind. Be truthful. Be careful. Be brave.