Reading, Reading, Reading

I recently discovered Dorothy Sayers, and I absolutely love her writing style. I first came across her on YouTube and listened to a few audio books, beautifully read by Ian Carmichael. The audio books were very enjoyable, and a recent trip to the used book store with grandchildren gave me an opportunity to look for a few of Sayers' books, and luckily I found two. I just finished reading Clouds of Witness, it was excellent, I couldn't put it down. The plots are well thought out, the main character, Lord Peter Wimsey, is very entertaining. There is wry humor though out her stories and you find yourself rather amused as she tongue in cheek pokes fun at the formalities of the legal system.

Over the past week BBC 4 extra radio had a reading of Sweet Caress by William Boyd, I listened to an installment one day and really enjoyed it, I looked to see if our local library had a copy of the book, they did so I put it on hold. On Saturday I picked up my library book and having finished Clouds of Witness yesterday I began reading Sweet Caress last night. Well, I lucked out, the story was immediately engaging and I couldn't put it down, I took the book up to bed and fell asleep reading it. Are you ever woken up by the book you are reading as it slips out of your hands onto the floor. It is very enjoyable to find books that just simply hit my sweet spot.

Over Christmas I re-read a favorite Agatha Christie, N or M, a nice quick read with enjoyable characters. The book is not spoiled by knowing, who did it, in some ways it changes it up because you are more aware of the slyness of the perpetrator(s). And another re-read was Less Than Angels by Barbara Pym, I absolutely love her books, and own a copy of all but maybe one, I even have a copy of her cookbook written by Barbara and her sister, and a biography. Pym has been described as the Jane Austen of the 20th century, and I would agree, her stories are really a comedy of manners, they describe ordinary people navigating life within the social norms of their class. The stories are amusing and like a stream they burble along, but beneath the surface a lot is going on. The only sad story she wrote, and it is sad, dealing with the loneliness of old age, is Quartet in Autumn, but that said it is still a really good read.

I really don't care to purchase books, as most are available at the library and many are good for one read only, but a few I know I will read over and over. I enjoy Agatha Christie, and have read and re-read a number of her books, the same with Barbara Pym, and I can now add Dorothy Sayers to the list.

What are you currently reading?

Easy Going Saturday

Finally some warmer weather, still below normal, but much improved from single digits. Heavy rain and strong winds moved in this afternoon, glad we are home.

I woke up very early this morning, so finished reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith, I really enjoyed this book, although the ending was a bit silly, but overall a a good read. I feel back to sleep after finishing the book and didn't wake up until eight am! I was quite shocked that I slept so late.
 I started reading Word On Fire, Proclaiming the Power of Christ by Bishop Robert Barron, there are 30 chapters, so one a day will take me a good way through lent. I went to Stations of the Cross yesterday evening, I was rather flustered and feeling stressed out before going, and thought I should stay home, and then realized it was just exactly what I needed. I was glad I went, there is a lot of comfort in the prayers and tradition of The Stations and the Litany said at the end is so reassuring and so calming. 

After breakfast, yoga practice and a little housework Dave and I headed into Fort Wayne to run a few errands. I returned a couple of things to the library and then we drove by the BMV as it is time to renew my drivers license, the parking lot was filled to maximum capacity, we decided to run our other errands first. Off to Wal-Mart, we picked up a few groceries and other bits and pieces, then headed over to Half Price Books. I purchased a few paperbacks and a clip on reading light, this will be nice for reading in bed and not disturbing Dave with too much light. Next stop Target for some new jeans, a birthday gift :) I found two pairs of Levi's and not only did they have my size they were longs!

My light colored Levi's, the other pair are the same just a dark denim.

We then headed back to the BMV, the parking lot had emptied out so I popped in and was headed back to the van ten minutes later, the task taken care of, I didn't get a chance to read my book while I waited!.

My official BMV Indiana drivers license picture, LOL.

Time to go home, boy isn't life exciting? We got home and I had a lovely birthday card in the mailbox from my mom and dad. After we put everything away and made lunch we realized we had forgotten coffee, brussel sprouts and eggs, isn't that always the way of things. No matter, we popped down to Meijer a little later to pick up the missed items, and found a few other things we didn't know we needed, including a beautiful pink hyacinth, it smells wonderful and looks so cheering on the kitchen counter.










I have so many books to read, I am not sure what I want to read next. I am sure I will read The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy, each chapter is it's own story, yet all the chapters loosely fit in with each other, I will read a chapter every day or so and I am going to read a Roald Dahl book, Innocence, a collection of short stories. I have a Barbara Pym autobiography I found last week and think I may start to read that too. I think that will be more than enough books on the go. So far no television during Lent is working well, and I very much enjoy reading, so is it really a sacrifice?? Hmmm deep thoughts to ponder, LOL.

A little later we plan to make dinner, Dave is having a steak, I will have a vegan bowl, we are going to have a glass of wine and play a little scrabble, I lost last time we played! 

Tomorrow all of our kids and grandkids will be over to celebrate my birthday with us, they are bringing all the food, they plan on a huge stir-fry, and they are bringing cake, it will be a fun, chaotic, crazy birthday, and exactly the way I like them to be! 

Well that is all for now,

Peace be with you,

Bean

March Madness

I can't believe it is already March. This Sunday I will be fifty-five years old, the old double nickel. I think age is all a state of mind, I don't feel how I once imagined a fifty something old person would feel.

This past week we found out that our 10th grandchild is on it's way, due on September 7, this news really put a smile on my face, life goes on, always exciting to welcome a new little one into our family. This baby will be the third child for our eldest child Matt and his wife Traci, big sisters Alivia (6) and Aubrey (4) are super, super excited. I hope the baby is ready to have three mothers, LOL.

On a sad note we had our dog, Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, know as Digby to family and close friends put to sleep. Digby was a rescue dog, he came to live with us on January 18, 2014 and was estimated to be around 8 years old. He was a very docile dog, great around the kids, and very well behaved. Over the past year Digby really started to feel the effects of old age, mainly in his hips. Steps were becoming a great difficulty for him, and he struggled to lay down and struggled to get back up, his eyes were bad and I don't think he could hear very well. About four months ago we had to restrict him to the kitchen area of the house as he was quite prone to "accidents". So yesterday was the day we said farewell to Digby, I stayed with him, petting him as he quietly slipped away. Thank you Digby for being a good dog.

Reading, boy oh boy, I am on a tear, probably because the weather is so cold and I am so very tired of television.  I finished The Lilac Bus by Maeve Binchy, enjoyable so I ordered a used copy of another of her books, The Copper Beech. I read this book many years ago, it was the first Maeve Binchy I ever read, it should arrive today. I finished God Bless You Dr. Kervorkian, to be fair this book only took about an hour to read, it was a bit strange, but most Kurt Vonnegut is. Not my favorite KV, that would by Breakfast Of Champions. Then I moved onto White Teeth by Zadie Smith, WOW, I am loving this book, it is a long read but I am progressing quickly as I simply can't put it down.

This past weekend I went to my most very favorite used book store, Hyde Brothers. The store is located in a historic neighborhood in a very old building. The ceilings are very high, twelve plus feet, and the books shelves are stuffed full from floor to ceiling. There are ladders on rails to climb up to reach books on upper shelves. The aisles are a maybe a yard wide, and at least two cats pad around keeping an eye on the customers. In the basement, the ceilings are low, but again books shelves are filled to the brim from floor to ceiling. It is a bibliophiles dream! Anyway, I was excited to find another Zadie Smith book, Beauty, and I had to climb way up a ladder to retrieve it. I then found an auto-biography by Barbara Pym, one of my most favorite authors, and then found a copy of a yoga book I was looking for. It was a very rewarding bookstore visit.

On Sunday Dave made beer-can chicken for everyone, I made steamed broccoli and healthy oven chips as sides. I had my usual vegan bowl of goodness.  Seven of our grandchildren were over, we had fun after lunch showing them playground games we used to play. I made a big loop of elastic and taught them how to play "elastics", sometimes known as Chinese Jump Rope. Then we showed them how to play some of the sort of pat a cake, rhyming games, we always sang:

Under the brambles,

Under the trees,

Boom, Boom Boom,

True love to you my darling,

True love to me.

And when we're married,

We'll raise a fam-i-leee

Of little children all in a row, row, row,

Then we took out a deck of cards and did "magic tricks", and built houses of cards. It was a lot of fun for young and old alike.

Lent begins this week, today is Shrove Tuesday, or as we knew it as children, Pancake Day! Tomorrow I will go to Mass and receive ashes, and we will be in the journey of Lent. I feel called to give up TV for Lent, so will do this. I have done it in the past and find it to be very beneficial. I will  look for some Lenten reading material, perhaps daily reflections, and attend the Stations of the Cross, hopefully each Friday. And, I will look forward to Easter.

Well not too much else going on, we are desperate for Spring to arrive, it is still so cold, too cold for March as we should not be having lows in the single digits. But the geese are back, and lawn mower commercials are running on the TV, so spring must be in our future.

Book Haul

It had been a while since I last visited Half-Price Books, a wonderful book store with fabulous prices. I popped in today, had a nice nose around and came out with several books to add to my 2019 reading list. It is a popular book store, I am sure the greatly discounted prices help, and there is always a long line at the register. I am happy so many people enjoy reading. It is very family friendly, lots of books for children and all at very good prices.

One of my favorite writers is Kurt Vonnegut, he is so succinct, so honest, so funny, and so good at pointing out the futility and stupidity of many things that go on in the world. He is a Hoosier we can be truly proud of. I look forward to reading God Bless You Dr. Kevorkian.

I visit other blogs, and a recent post was about a trip to the thrift store and some books purchased, one being a Maeve Binchy book. As I perused the Half-Price Books book shelves I saw a Maeve Binchy, one I read and enjoyed many years ago, The Lilac Bus, so I purchased a copy.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith, I am looking forward to this, it may be my next book to read. I watched a dramatization of the book several years ago, I enjoyed the twists and turns and the way the characters connected and interacted. I am assuming the book will be meatier than the televised production.

Then I found a DVD copy of My Dog Skip, a wonderful, gem of movie about a boy and his dog. My grandchildren love the movie, it is funny and at times suspenseful with a couple of sad scenes guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye, and most importantly it is good story. I am glad to own a copy, it is popular and oftentimes when I look for it at our local library branch it is checked out. Obviously we are not the only people who enjoy this family classic.

Last week I was listening to the radio and heard about an author who had lost her battle with cancer and died at the age of sixty-nine, her name was Andrea Levy. There followed a very nice discussion about Andrea Levy and the books she had written. Small Island was her "break through" book and won several awards.  My interest was piqued, and a quick search on my library app and the book was on hold. I picked my copy of Small Island up from our local library branch this morning and look forward to reading it soon. The book was made into a television program, and I hope after I read the book I can find a copy of to watch.

Right now I am reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I purchased this book for a couple of dollars last year at Half Price Books, it sat on my book shelf until last weekend. I am really enjoying it, and highly recommend it to anyone, it a coming of age book, a journey to self-enlightenment book, a very thought provoking book. It is an easy read, yet well written. I had to google a few terms for definition, Atman - Self, Brahman - God?, Brahmin - priest or holy man, this helped me a lot. This book is well worth reading and I totally understand why it is on so many Reading Recommendation lists.

Quick update: I finished Siddhartha this afternoon, what an absolutely beautiful book, a profound message. My initial take away thought, "As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen".

The final book purchased is for grandson Ralph, he is two and in the past week or so has come to realization that colors have names, although in Ralph's world all colors are called yellow. I hope he enjoys his book about colors.

And lastly, something that has nothing to do with reading, I made a homemade solution to clean my yoga mat. The concoction is 3 parts water, 1 part witch hazel, and a few drops of essential oil, I chose lavender. Once I week I can spray down my mat and give it a good rub down, keeping it clean and fresh smelling for a long time. 

I mentioned in a previous post that I was doing yoga with a You Tube Channel, Yoga with Adrienne. I started with a 30 day challenge, Dedicate, and tomorrow I will complete day 30. I have committed my time everyday except once, to the Dedicate journey, and I must say I feel stronger, more flexible, and can balance really well now, and this is only after 29 days. I will finish day 30 in the morning and start a new Adrienne challenge on Monday. I am finding the strength training from yoga and the stretching to be a great accompaniment to running, they go together like a horse and carriage!

But the bigger benefit to me is the way I feel after 20 minutes of yoga, stretched, relaxed, calm, focused, ready to take on the day, HAPPY :) It just builds on from the well being generated from a good run.  I think yoga is going to be a part of my day for many years to come.

We are battening down the hatches as we prepare for very high winds tomorrow, sustained winds of forty-five mph with gusts to sixty, yikes, I really, really dislike this kind of weather, it unsettles me and I find it hard to relax.

Well nothing much else to say today.

Peace be with you,

Bean

Currently Reading - Planning To Read....

I am currently reading a collection of short stories written by Diana Athill, the book is called An Unavoidable Delay and Other Stories. The stories are about our human condition, our thoughts, feelings, motivations,they could be set today, they have aged very well.
Diana Athill recently died a the fabulous age of a hundred and one! In 1952 she established a publishing house and worked with authors who are now considered masters of their craft, Margaret Atwood, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, just to name a few, she remained in publishing for fifty years. Diana published her first book, the one I am reading, in 1962.
I had never heard of Diana Athill, until one day I was listening  to a radio program called Last Word on BBC 4. Each week the program focuses on the lives of three or four influential individuals who have very recently died. Diana Athill sounded so interesting, so I used my library APP and found one of her books, put it on hold, and a week or so later am reading and enjoying it much.
I enjoy short story collections, there is something about the format of a short story, it has to be concise, the reader has to meet and understand the characters and whatever dilemma they are experiencing all within a few pages, and most importantly feel fully satisfied at the end. Diana Athill does this expertly.

Last week I ordered a used copy of Thornyhold, written by Mary Stewart. I paid $4.99 for my copy and that included shipping, what a deal. I have read this book several times over the years, it is a well written, entertaining story, and a nice little bit of escapism, something I need once in awhile. Another book I enjoy by Mary Stewart is Wildfire at Midnight, the copy I have is from 1977, I have read it countless times over the years. It is a love story and a murder mystery and takes place in the Isle of Skye. Mary Stewart is so good at setting a scene and describing the landscape that you almost feel as if you too have taken a trip the wilds of Scotland.

 I plan to read Thornyhold in the next few weeks as I am t really ready for some escapism, a bit of a mind vacation for. I think the reason I like this book so much is because the setting seems like a sanctuary, a place I would love to go to, a place to restore and recharge myself. Or maybe it is mid-February and I am impatient for fair weather and more outdoor activities and am suffering from a little cabin fever.

My next book to read is a book of poetry by Carol Ann Duffy, Feminine Gospels, I heard about this book from a radio program where it was spoken highly of and sounded interesting, I have only read the first poem, but will get into the rest of the book once I have finished my current book. Poetry is a genre I have little experience with, but I plan to change this.

Every so often I peruse my bookshelves and decide that a few books have to go. This week I did just that, and selected about a dozen books that I either had no need for, or would not read again. Luckily the handful of people I work with all like to read and I take books that need new homes to the office, put them in the break room with a sign, "Free Books" and wait a few days, most find new homes to go to, and those that remain get donated to the Goodwill. I cleaned out the children's book shelf in my family room this week, putting very damaged, worn out books in the recycling bin, and sorting out age appropriate books to send home with grandchildren. The book shelf now looks tidy and organized again.

Well that is all,

Bean 

Lentils, Sweaters, One-Eyed Cat, Family, and Reading, Oh My!

Do you own a Rice Cooker? Well if you do, don't just limit yourself to only using it for rice. I decided to try cooking lentils in my Rice Cooker, and I am so glad I did, the lentils cooked up perfectly, and I didn't have to worry about them boiling dry and burning in the pan. I am quite sure any grain would be good to cook in the Rice Cooker, Quinoa seems like a perfect grain to try. And, I am thinking about trying a very basic rice pudding with some almond milk and rice, I will give it a whirl and see how it turns out. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A little pot of lentils

Knitting project continues on, now three sweaters are completed, and I am working hard to finish the final blue sweater for Peter. Pictured are Masen, George, and Ralph modeling their new homemade sweaters - they seemed really pleased with them.

Masen

George

Ralph

About seven or so years ago we had a one-eyed stray cat show up, she was thin and obviously very hungry,  so we fed her some beaten eggs. Later I ran to the store to purchase cat food and we have fed her ever since. We named her, very originally, (NOT), One-Eye. She is a fixture around our place, hangs out on our deck and front porch most of the day, prowls our field hunting small rodents, she is a very good hunter despite the handicap of a missing eye, and seems to have made her home in our barn. One-Eye is well fed, by us, and other neighbors, and each neighbor has their own name for her. In mid-January we had a heavy snowfall, I saw One-Eye wading through the snow on our deck to eat her food and that was the last time I saw her. After a week or so we assumed the worst, after all she is an older cat, and an outdoor cat, her life is not as cushy as it would be for an indoor cat. I was sad about her possible death and missed her morning visit to the back door. On Saturday morning when I was out on my run I said my final farewells to One-Eye. Later that day I was out and about when I received a text from my husband, One-Eye was back! WOW - how happy the news made me!!!
I am not sure where she was for two weeks, perhaps someone shut her inside for a couple of weeks to shelter her from the weather, if so I am very glad that they did. One-Eye is not a people person cat, she does not like to be petted or picked up, and she is not a fan of the indoors, once in a while she comes in, but she wants back out within a few minutes. 
I am so happy to be back into our normal routine with One-Eye, she appears at the back door every morning, I feed her, then she hangs out on the deck and the front porch most of the day, she likes to sit by the backdoor and look at us. Yesterday it was raining hard so I placed her food dish just inside the back door and after a bit of coaxing she stepped over the threshold to eat her food.  Masen and Ralph were very excited that One-Eye was in the house, I must say I was impressed with her tolerance towards their little boy exuberant expressions of love towards her, and Ralph even tried a little cat food for himself, YUCK! 
I think she is glad to be back :)

Last Saturday, after a week of brutal cold, it was nice to enjoy a very warm February day, it was in the low forties and the sun was shining! I met up at a local Coney Dog cafe with our son Matt, and our son Ben and his wife Taylor, I was watching our daughter Amber's five boys, so we had a total of eight grandchildren to dine with, I think everyone had a good time. I did, although I did not partake of a hot dog, I did enjoy a few french fries.

And, last but not least, this is the book I am currently reading, Death and The Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh, I am enjoying it. A murder mystery, it is fairly obvious who the murderer is from the get go, but that doesn't spoil the story, it enhances it. I liken this story to the came of Clue, just a fun little puzzler.

Blowing Away January - Literally

Holy Cow!! It is eight in the morning, outside temperature is minus 14 with nineteen mile per hour wind, gusting to thirty-plus miles per hour, predicted high temperature today, minus 9. The wind will remain with us until tomorrow afternoon and then subside. Friday will warm up into the teens, Saturday we will be above freezing, and next week the highs will be in the forties. What crazy weather this is, and I am glad this arctic air is only around for a day or two, that I can cope with.

Our thermostat is set to heat the house to sixty-eight degrees, downstairs the temperature is sixty degrees and the furnace is running non-stop. Dave and I are hibernating upstairs as it is much warmer up here. So thankful we each have a craft room upstairs so we won't feel trapped in our bedroom all day. I plan to do some yoga, reading, knitting and will bake vegan banana bread muffins a little later, the oven will add a bit of heat to the downstairs, and I can dispose of a few very ripe nanabars :), Dave said he will bake some bread. I am glad that schools are closed, many businesses are closed, and all of our children are home today with their children, I didn't want to see any of them have to go out into this brutal weather.

This past Sunday we had family over for Sunday dinner and I prepared another fully vegan meal. On the menu: vegan walnut loaf with oven roasted potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli. For dessert we had nuts and a citrus fruit salad made with fresh pineapple, mandarin oranges, kiwi, green grapes and banana. After lunch the kids played Candy Land, checkers, Old Maid and Uno, it was a family fun afternoon.

Oh, and I have found a new super tasty concoction, Kimchi - wowsers it is so tasty, so good, I add a couple tablespoons to my vegan bowl of goodness, mix it on in, and it is simply delightful, a party for my taste buds, LOL.

I have been hard at work knitting four sweaters for the four youngest grandsons. I finished one for Ralph, and have almost finished two more for Masen and George, this leaves one more to complete for Peter. I used a new yarn, a Wal-Mart house brand, a great price $1.97 a skein, it took two skeins for each sweater, so $16 for all four, a good deal. But I am not overly thrilled with the yarn, it is fine for kids sweaters, but it is a little unevenly spun, I would not use it for an adult project.

Little Ralph, pleased with his new sweater. Don't you just love that shade of green!

I am keeping up on my reading and just finished A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym, she is one of my most favorite authors. I so very much enjoyed this book, it is one I read every once in a while, as I do all of Barbara Pym's books. I own a copy of all of her books except one, and they are all so very enjoyable. I have a cookbook by her too, I believe written in collaboration with her sister, it contains recipes for many foods mentioned in her novels. Do you ever feel sad when you finish a book, as if you are parting with an old friend, well I do when I finish a BP book, I just miss the world she creates.

This month I got started with some yoga, I am doing a thirty-day yoga journey with a You Tube yoga teacher, Yoga With Adrienne, she is such a gentle spirit, I enjoy her very much and am enjoying the journey. The movements are so gentle, my spirit so calm when I finish, but my limbs are literally shaking with the exertion, it is a good work out for mind, body, and soul, and a nice compliment to my cardio exercise. One of my personal goals is to incorporate regular strength training into my exercise regime, we lose muscle as we age, and keeping core muscle strength is essential.

So January is literally blowing away in an arctic wind, but February will blow in much warmer. We are halfway through winter and I am looking forward to spring, looking forward to a long, outdoor walk on Saturday. Hopefully the roads will be in good shape for a run on Sunday, I am psyched up to get outside again.

I hope you had a good January,

Bean

Books Read in 2018

Here is my list of books  read in 2018. Some I will read again and some I have read at least once before.

My 2018 Favorite Books

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
Symposium - Muriel Spark
The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald
The Bell - Iris Murdoch
Farther Afield - Miss Read
Angel - Elizabeth Taylor 
A View of the Harbour - Elizabeth Taylor
The Keeper of Lost Things - Robin Hogan

I would be hard pressed to pick my absolute favorite book for the year, any of the above would qualify.

My 2018 Least Favorite Book 

The Rotters Club - Johnathan Coe

I persevered and finished it, but did not enjoy  at all.


Fiction

Fall of The Giants - Ken Follett
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Gail Honeyman
The Stories of Muriel Spark - Muriel Spark
Symposium - Muriel Spark
Tales of the City - Armistead Maupin
Mr. Pye - Mervyn Peake
The End of The Affair - Graham Greene
A Few Green Leaves - Barbara Pym
The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald
O Pioneers! - Willa Cather
A Far Cry From Kensington - Muriel Spark
Cider With Rosie - Laurie Lee
The Bell - Iris Murdoch
The Girls of Slender Means - Muriel Spark
Summer in Fairacre - Miss Read
The Fairacre Festival - Miss Read
The Martian - Andy Weir
Marker - Robin Cook
Changes at Fairacre - Miss Read
Farther Afield - Miss Read
Kim - Rudyard Kipling
An Unsuitable Attachment - Barbara Pym
The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford
Love in a Cold Climate - Nancy Mitford
The English Major - Jim Harrison
Animal Sanctuary - Sarah Falkner (didn't finish)
Angel - Elizabeth Taylor
A View of the Harbour - Elizabeth Taylor
The Private Patient - PD James
The Mistletoe Murder and other short stories - PD James
Alternate Side - Anna Quindlen
Black And Blue - Anna Quindlen
The Keeper of Lost Things - Robin Hogan
The Lido - Libby Page
A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman
The Blood of an Englishman - Agatha Raisin
Fiction Can Be Murder - Becky Clark (didn't finish)
The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion
The Clear Light Of Day - Penelope Wilcock
The Rotters' Club - Johnathan Coe
Dashing Through the Snow - Mary Higgins Clark/Carol Higgins Clark
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
Down To Earth - Faith Addis

Non-Fiction

Seasons of My Life  - Hannah Hauxwell with Barry Cockcroft
Island Home - Tim Winton

Poetry

The Little Book of Vegan Poems - Benjamin Zephaniah


What did you read in 2018 that you really enjoyed?

A Spledoinkel Day

Today is granddaughter Alivia's 6th birthday, yesterday evening I took her birthday shopping, we had a really nice time out and ended our evening at her favorite restaurant, McDonalds! Alivia selected her birthday meal, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and fruit cocktail. My son Matt, Alivia's daddy, is making a giant meatloaf to bring over, and of course there will be birthday cake and ice cream. I made up a vegan loaf for the vegetarians and vegans in the family.  I just love that a six year old enjoys such a nice comfort food kind of meal, she picked the same birthday dinner for her 5th birthday, and grandson Patrick picked the same meal for his 8th birthday this year. Grandson Henry always picks spaghetti and garlic bread, and grandson Charlie always wants pancakes and sausage. I wonder what meals the five younger grandchildren will want as they get older.

Alivia and Ralphie enjoy their Happy Meals at Mickey D's

Vegan loaf all mixed up and ready to pop in the oven a little later today

This morning I went out for a run, it was a little below freezing, no wind, and the air was clear and sharp, really the most perfect running weather. My times were excellent, I only ran three miles, but did each one in under ten minutes. When I finished my run I took a few pictures, it was simply beautiful out and the crisp fall air very invigorating.

Pretty fall foliage

A picture of the tree line

Me feeling invigorated after my run.

My "big bird" running pants, ha ha!

A view of the back of our house with a frost covered roof.

The day went from a cold and frosty morning to a brilliant fall day. Grandsons Henry and Patrick came over for the afternoon and have kept grandson Masen entertained. They built a leaf nest and then sat in it eating Kit Kat bars. 

The boys in their nest

 Dave has taken advantage of the mild weather to  trim some branches in the areas that we park out front, a necessary chore and one that I think he rather enjoys.

I just finished reading The Lido by Libby Page, I enjoyed it for the most part although felt it dragged a bit towards the end. It is a nice story, I cared about the characters, but felt that the ending was really rather unlikely. I much preferred the book I read before it, The Keeper of Lost Things. I am now reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, although only a little way into the story I am really enjoying it.

I picked a few books up at our local library branch, it is a small branch and the selection of books is a bit scant. I like the MC Beaton Agatha Raisin stories, but am not a fan of his Hamish MacBeth stories. They are both sort of silly mystery story series with the "cozy" factor so many mystery have.

I have never heard of Becky Clark, but I think it is going to fall into the silly mystery story with the cozy factor genre. The third book, The Farm by Tom Rob Smith sure sounds good, but the reviews are rather so so, I will give it start and see how it goes.

I refilled the bird feeders today, I cannot tell you how much pleasure the grandchildren and Dave and I get from watching all of the birds who visit our feeders. We have many woodpeckers, lots and lots of sparrows, blue jays, red wings, and cardinals. In the summer, gold finches, blacked capped chickadees, humming birds, join the throng, and we saw a Baltimore oriole and an indigo bunting this year. We get cat birds and cow birds, and mourning doves. And occasionally our neighbors chickens go on a wander and always manage to show up to peck at all of the dropped seed around the feeders. Nature, there is always something interesting to see and enjoy so it is very important that we all help take care of the environment.

The all you can eat buffet for the avian wildlife

And last, but not least, I bought a new tea towel for the kitchen, it is hanging on the front of the stove, don't you just love Mr. Fox. When we purchased this stove I made sure it had a handle on the front of the oven that would allow me to hang a towel from it, our last stove did not and I always wished it did.

Splendid Mr. Fox

FALL

I love this time of year. Drizzly days, beautiful colors everywhere, a feeling of everything relaxing, hunkering down, readying for the cold days of winter. And yet, the very next day can arrive with brilliant blue skies, warm sunshine, and a pleasant breeze, it truly is a time of transition.

Yesterday we had most of the family over, daughter Emily and son-in-law Brad were missing as they both were working, but all nine grandchildren, our other children and their spouses were over for a Sunday meal. It was a rainy, windy, day we even had a spot of hail at one point. A perfect day for comfort food. I made sloppy joe for most of the attendees, vegan burgers for son Ben, and my vegan bowl of goodness (lentils and lots of steamed veggies with nutritional yeast, Yum Yum). For desert I made a pan of brownies, they lasted about five minutes, and a bowl of green jello with canned peaches, a favorite with most of the grandchildren. I enjoyed a scrumptious granny smith apple. I provided potato chips and raw veggies and pickles for sides. It was a nice meal.

You can imagine the chaos with nine energetic children cavorting around the house, the oldest ten, the youngest nearly two, seven of them six and younger! They are a noisy and rambunctious lot, I wouldn't have it any other way. When everyone leaves the silence descends upon the house like a heavy blanket of snow, it is good to be the grandparents, we need the life and energy of the younger ones, but we also need our peace and quite, grandchildren provide a nice balance and make you realize that parenting is definitely for young people!

On Saturday I took six of the grandsons to the downtown library which is the main branch of our wonderful public library service in our county. This is their favorite library location because we get to park in the underground parking lot and this is why they think it is called the downtown library - because we have to go down into the parking garage to park. There is a great playroom in the children's section, we spent some time there, it is big area with lots of interesting things to play with, I learned that grandson Peter, who is four, is an absolute whiz with puzzles. While at the library we selected a few movies to watch, the kids picked out four, and I picked out a few for myself. One of the movies I chose was Castaway with Tom Hanks, it is beautifully filmed, and turned out to the be the perfect movie to play in the background whiled everyone was over yesterday. There really is no dialogue, for the most part just beautiful views of an island in Fiji. We all agreed it was the best type of movie to watch while nine children busied themselves with their imaginative games.

I have read a lot of books this year, I am listing them in a blog post and on January first I will post the list of books read in 2018, and begin my 2019 list. I just read The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan, some have described it as "very twee", I would totally agree, yet it is such a lovely story, it is total escapism with an excellent plot and unexpected twists and turns all the way through, it is classified as a "happy ending" book, and it is.  I am now reading The Lido by Libby Page, another "happy ending" book, I am halfway through it and it is a lovely story, well told. At the beginning of the year I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, another "happy ending" book, it too was super enjoyable. I have read a lot of books this year, some very dark, some a bit dreary, and just before reading The Keeper of Lost Things I read Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen, in fact read two of her books back to back, neither had happy endings, and I felt I was ready for something a bit light hearted and cheerful. I was listening to a book club radio program on BBC 4 and they mentioned The Lido and The Keeper of Lost Things, and how popular they are, both are first novels by their authors, and they said they are classified as "happy ending books". I checked our wonderful library and put them hold, I am glad I did they have met my expectations.

The host and guests on the radio program I mentioned had a lengthy discussion about why "happy ending" books are so popular right now. I thought to myself, DUH!, do you even have to ask, look at the world we live in, wars, political fighting, everyone taking offense about everything, mass shootings, gruesome news stories, we are overloaded with the awfulness of the world we live in and the news rarely counters it with the wonderfullness of the world we live in. No wonder we want a little escapism, a story about nice people who do nice things with a happy ending. My next book in queue is, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, I am looking forward to reading it.

Well that is all for now,

Peace be with you,

BEAN

The Bell by Iris Murdoch

This is one of the best books I have read, I was sad when it ended and kept reaching for the book only to have to tell myself I had finished it, there was no more to read.

Although this book was written in 1958, it seems timeless, it is a study of people and their motivations. The story is set at a private house that has a cloistered Benedictine convent on the property. The main house is in the fledgling stages of becoming a lay community to be a buffer between the convent and the outside world. The lay community is evolving slowly, it is led by Michael, he owns the house and property and had aspirations to become a priest. Mr. and Mrs. Mark are a middle aged couple who had some marital issues before arriving, but are now assisting with the day to day running of the community, he does the accounting and she organizes the day to day activities. Catherine, a young woman, is living with the lay community but is planning soon to become a cloistered nun at the monastery, her very troubled twin brother is staying in the lodge house temporarily, the community do not know how to deal with him. Then there is Dora, a main character, who is in an unsuitable, abusive marriage with Paul, a man much older than her and a scholar. Paul is not part of the community, he is simply staying at the house while he studies historic manuscripts at the convent. Dora joins him at the house at his request after a brief separation due to an affair. Two other visitors arrive, a very nice man James Tayper-Pace, and he brings along a student Toby who has interest in visiting the community. And the last character, Sister Clare, who resides at the convent and dispenses wise counsel, although she appears in the story here and there, her influence on the community is always in the present.

The story begins, the characters are introduced, and the scene set. Lots of little things happen, we slowly discover the back ground of each person, and begin to understand their motivations and responses to situations that arise. The novel is philosophical, it is a study in human nature, in morals, in the perception of right and wrong, love and control. Slowly things reach a crescendo that affects all of the characters, and with that I will reveal no more so as not to spoil the reading of the book.

There are a lot of Latin quotations in the book, be sure to google them and get a definition, understanding them helps in understanding the narrative of the book. And you will learn the definition of Toby's favorite word, rebarbative.

I borrowed this book from the library, but have since ordered a used copy from Amazon, as I know it a book I will read again. The descriptions of location and characters brought the story alive. The human emotions and behaviors were realistically depicted, we are all fallible, sometimes wise, sometimes foolish, and often driven by motivations we don't always  acknowledge.

If you are looking for a philosophical character study with an excellent plot this book is for you.

Peace be with you,

Bean

Books I Read Last Year That I Will Definitely Read Again

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
An excellent book, thought provoking, disturbing, a study of a mad man, very well written, very believable. I was led to reading this book after reading:

The Dolphin People by Torsten Krol
Who is Torsten Krol - no one knows, well I assume perhaps his publisher knows the true identity of the author, but no one else apparently does. This too is a study of a mad man, it is disturbing, thought provoking, well written and it led me to read:

Callisto by Torsten Krol
What a wacky, fast moving, disturbing book, so much happens, it is craziness yet it makes sense, and it really makes you think about the insanity of our government, homeland security, police policies etc. A good story.

Hidden Lives by Margaret Forster
A memoir, and a delightful book, the very first part was a bit hagiographic, about the great grandma who not much is known about, but then the book moves into it's own as the grandma's life is unfolded, and then the mother's life, and finally the authors life. The story had some parallels to my own mothers life and I purchased a copy for my Mom and she really enjoyed the book. Margaret Forster was a prolific writer, she wrote Georgie Girl, which is perhaps one of her more well known books as it was made into a rather good movie in the 60's. After Hidden Lives I was led to reading this book:

Diary Of An Ordinary Woman by Margaret Forster
This moving book is a diary of woman from the age of nine to close to her death in her 80's. The diary moves through the early 1900's, WW1, the interim years, WW2, recovery after the war, the changes in British life through the 50's, 60's, 70's etc. It is excellent, when I finished the book I grieved for the diary writer, Millicent King, she was a good woman who lived through difficult situations and was always strong and capable. The book is written as if the Diary was real, the premise is that Margaret Forster the author was asked to take a strangers diary and publish it, it is actually a work of fiction, but it could be the record of any woman's life growing up and living through the years that Millicent did.

Margaret Forster wrote many, many books, and I will be reading more of her books this year and know I will not by disappointed by them.

Peace be with you,

Bean

Reading, Reading, Reading

I have enjoyed a fair number of good books this year, I just finished O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - excellent, excellent, excellent. I was introduced to Willa Cather a few years ago when I was in a book club and someone selected Death Comes to the Arch Bishop, it was a very good story. Not high adventure, no dramatic plot twists, just a simple story about a simple man who simply lived his life. It really was a life well lived, and nicely told. And, then the historical look at the western US and how it changed as the white settlers and missionaries arrived. After reading Death Comes to the Arch Bishop I purchased O Pioneers by Willa Cather, it then sat on the bookshelf forgotten for the past two years. Last week I finished The Book Shop by Penelope Fitzgerald and  was waiting for a book to come in at the library, and wondered what to read while I waited, so I perused my bookshelf and was happy to find O Pioneers! 

O Pioneers! was written in 1912, and is the story of Norwegian immigrants settling in Nebraska, it is interesting from a historical perspective, and the story is good, it rings true, it could have happened. The main character is Alexandra, she is the oldest sister, the wise person in the family, she with her pragmatic guidance brings about stability and wealth for her family but at a cost to herself. Willa Cather herself lived in Nebraska, her family relocated there from Virginia in 1883 when she was nine, so she knows the hardship, the country, the people, most from Norway, Sweden, France, and Russia (the Bohemians), and the life they led honoring the past yet creating a future. Cather's books really, really give you a feel for the daring, hard grit determination of the immigrant families who left the stability of the known, their homeland, to venture on a long journey to the "new world" and then venture into the "wild west" to create a new homeland. If you have not read Willa Cather, do yourself a favor and read something of hers, it will stay with you.

I have just started a biography of Agatha Christie written by Laura Thompson, it has decent reviews, and I have always enjoyed AG books, and tv/film productions of her works. And in the wings waiting to be read I have Cider with Rosie, by Laurie Lee and A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark. 
I must say Muriel Spark is in my top five list of favorite authors, I have enjoyed everything I have read of hers. Barbara Pym is one of my most favorite authors, I recently re-read the book A Few Green Leaves, she has a gentle humor as gives an observation of life in a small community rather than a plot driven story, nothing really happens yet there is always an undercurrent that something might happen, but probably won't because people are so stuck to the way they are supposed to behave.  The Book Shop by Penelope Fitzgerald is good, the first book I have read by this author who started her writing career at the age of 59, this is one of her early books and it was shortlisted for the Booker award. PF's writing is a bit like Barbara Pym's, it is an observation of life in a small town, but there is much more of a plot, it is a humorous story, really a cautionary tale, but it is also so very, very sad, it is well worth reading. Only 10 chapters, so a very quick read, but a story that will remain in your thoughts.

What are you reading, or have recently read?

Bean

A Vegan Bowl Of Goodness and a Good Read

Each week I take time to cut up my veggies, this makes meal preparation a snap for the rest of the week. I bag all the chopped veggies up and keep them in the fridge. Once the bag is empty I clean it out and then keep it in the bottom of the fridge drawer so I can refill it at my cut up session.

For lunch and dinner most days I eat my Vegan Bowl of Goodness, sometimes known as a Buddha Bowl, or as my mother calls it, my bowl of weeds!

A pot of green tea and a VBG!

I steam my veggies, I will always have a couple of servings of greens, collard or kale, red cabbage, diced tomatoes, nutritional yeast, mushrooms and Brussel sprouts, the other veggies are added as the mood strikes me. I like sweet potato, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, carrots, beets. 

Brussel sprouts and sweet potato

Collard greens, purple cabbage and mushrooms

The veggies go in the steamer first, then I dump in the greens and cabbage and top it all off with some sliced mushrooms. I put some diced tomatoes and lentils in a bowl and heat them in the microwave, and then add a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast (nooch). 

Once my veggies are ready, ten minutes at the very most, I simply dump them on top of my lentil, tomato, nooch mixture and ENJOY!

For dessert I enjoy a half a cup of frozen blueberries.

Lentils and diced tomato

Nooch added to my lentil, tomato mix

My most favorite Vegan Bowl of Goodness is my morning bowl of oatmeal with a couple tablespoons of ground flax seed mixed in, it is sooooo yummy and I just absolutely love it. I often have a second bowl of oats in the afternoon for a snack, really I could live only on oatmeal and be quite happy.

Ahhh, me lovely oats!

I am so enjoying my "more reading" for 2018. I am devouring books and all have been good so far. Earlier this week I whipped through Symposium by Muriel Spark, it was excellent. It is a well written story, a wealthy London couple host a dinner party for ten, some of the guests know each other, and some know of, but don't know each other. There is a bit of mystery, a lot of comedy, a fabulous plot, no one is as they seem, and it is very enjoyable. Highly recommend it.

The second book I started this week is by Armistead Maupin, Tales of the City. This book is an absolute kitchy riot! It is laugh out loud funny, as it depicts life in the mid seventies in San Francisco, the gay scene, the drug scene, the one night stand scene, the restless, bored, never satisfied uber wealthy people and their scene. Lives intersect, part, regroup, in a constant changing scene of depravity, it is great stuff. And the kitchy part, OMG, the descriptions, from the milk crate book shelves, the macramé plant hangers, shag carpeting, hang in there baby cat posters, you can just picture it all! Highly recommend this book too.

Well good people that is all I have today, I've gotta get back to my Tales in the City babies!

Peace be with you,

BEAN