Confessions of a Grandma

Just finished: I think Matt Haig is a brilliant writer and I really enjoyed this book.  It is the story of an alien from another planet in a far away galaxy who comes to earth on assignment.  It is not so much a fresh look at what it means to be human as a comforting look.  And the writing is so, so good.  I also recently read: This book is also essential about what it is to be human.  It's about a family of vampires trying to pass as ordinary people in the neighborhood.  I am long over my vampire fascination, but I enjoyed this book a lot. Also: This is historical fiction based on the story of Anna Eliza Young, a wife of Brigham Young who ended up campaigning for an end to polygamy interwoven with a modern day murder mystery that takes place on an isolated compound where polygamy is still in practice.  Interesting, although I thought it bogged down at times. Currently on my nightstand: Goldberg, of course, is one...

That Vermont is home to more writers per capita than any other state in the nation is a testament not only to the natural beauty of our surroundings and the possibilities for solitude and contemplation, but also to the great traditions and institutions that support our literary artists when the time comes to share their work.   from:   New England        Review, Vermont Reading Series handout, November 21, 2013   We had a literary outing, the women in the writing group I attend.  We drove to Middlebury, VT , and spent time browsing the Vermont Book Shop , one of those small, independent book shops like I remember from the old days.  (Owning a store like that has always been a part of my fantasy life.)  I did a bit of Christmas shopping.  We went out for pizza at American Flatbread  which is in the Old Marble Works district. The hostess asked if we wanted to be seated next to the large brick fired oven. Now why would any...

I like to read.  I always have.  I am not of the opinion that reading is for bedtime, something to put you to sleep.  I never, ever feel guilty that I spend a certain amount of time reading during the day instead of doing something productive.   I have always felt that reading is a worthwhile activity in its own right. At the same time, I like to thinkthat I keep a pretty good balance in my life.  I enjoy a lot of different things and I like to feel I make time to see people and do a variety things that I enjoy.  Once in a while, though, I get really into something.  I could not put this book down.  Unlike at least one reviewer, I did not feel the rug pulled out from under me.  I thought the plot was predictable, but at the same time I was completely sucked in.  "Oh! I knew it!!"  If you like a mystery/thriller, this book does it.

I have to say that I have never yet read a growing-up-in-the-South novel that I haven't really enjoyed, and so it was with Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall. I also have to say that I have never finished a growing-up-in-the-South novel that in any way makes me wish I had actually come of age in the South anytime in recent history. Even so, it does seem to provide a depth of experience that is fodder for many talented and/or popular writers.

Our town library was not very busy on Monday when I was volunteering. It gave me a chance to scout out some books for myself. I came home with The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley for Mike. Any one who tracked my book borrowing and purchasing might conclude that I am really into history, particularly the military history of the United States and western expansion. They would be wrong, though. I brought home for myself Anne Tyler’s Noah’s Compass , Michael Pollan’s Food Rules and Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven . I’m usually more of a fiction reader, but I’ve enjoyed Michael Pollen’s other books and this one took about an hour to finish. I like that one of his rules is to enjoy yourself enough to occasionally break the rules. “All things in moderation…including moderation.” Jon Krakauer is an excellent writer, in my opinion, and Under the Banner of Heaven is about religious extremism. The focus is on the Mormons, but it really speaks to any kind of extreme fundamentalism. ...

Tonight's supper was spinach pie with an olive oil crust that I had ready to bake in the freezer. I used the crust recipe from the Vegetarian Times and the filling recipe from the revised Moosewood Cookbook . It was quite good, but I hope the leftovers hold up since this was a large pie and it is rich. A small piece and salad filled me up. Mike made himself a sardine sandwich, but he forgot to take a picture of it. Simple recipe though--slice a whole wheat roll, open up a can of sardines and drain the olive oil before plopping on the roll. Top with a slice of cheese. Maybe someday I'll try one. I finished The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Well, sort of finished as I did a whole lot of skimming. It just seemed to wander so much I found it really hard to get into. I have now started Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I'm finding it fascinating, can hardly put it down--hence the supper of sandwiches or freezer fare.

I have a favorite photograph of my mother and me when I was about two. We are sitting together and looking at a newspaper, the sheer delight showing on both our faces. I consider myself very fortunate indeed to have had a mother who read to me on a regular basis. In the early 1950's there was a multi-volume series of books from Childcraft and my maternal grandfather, wanting to foster all things intellectual in his grandchildren, presented us with the complete set. Really, it was quite the comprehensive education--classical mythology, poetry, fairy tales, fables, all manner of wonderful literature, sciences, art, even math (largely untouched volume out of the set). My love of literature came at an early age. One might think that this gave me a tremendous advantage in learning to read and write, even speak. It did not, at least not right away. I was painfully shy and tongue-tied, so unsure of myself as to be immobilized sometimes in front of strangers. That made school difficult as ...

I finished reading So Much for That by Lionel Shriver--one of those books I wish that I had never started or that I had just decided not to finish. Why is that such a hard thing? This book should have come with a strongly worded warning label: If you have the slightest tendency towards depression, do not attempt to read this book !

I just finished reading a book of short stories entitled A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You by Amy Bloom. I picked it up simply because I loved that title. And then there were the tidbits like: I sometimes think that my mother's true purpose in life, the thing that gives her days meaning and her heart ease, is her ability to torture me in a manner as ancient and genteelly elaborate as lace making. from "The Gates are Closing" Sometimes a writer's ability to turn a phrase just grabs me and I am filled with both admiration and envy. ******* On the subject of seeing: I received a denial of payment for my visit to the eye doctor a few weeks ago. I had an increase in the "floaters" drifting across my line of vision and then lightening-like flashes, which were new and worrisome. I called my eye doctor in Vermont and he advised seeing someone, "preferably a retinal specialist" right away. I was able to get an appointment and I thought I was doing th...

Arkansas Patti, on her blog ( htt p://thenewsixty.blogspot.com/2009/11/kindle.html ) recently wrote about Kindle, the electronic book. I was surprised but pleased to learn that its reading surface does not have the computer screen glare that I had assumed would be the problem. I am a regular at our small town library, shown here. The library, a mile and a half from my house, is a good destination for a walk. The librarian is always interested in acquisition requests and is great about using the State inter library loan system. It even has downloadable books for borrowing, which I have never tried. I don’t think my eyes would tolerate reading an entire book off a computer screen. That’s why I was glad to learn about the non-glare feature of a Kindle even though I am not about to run out and purchase one. I still like the feeling of a book, but I get the appeal of a digital reader. What I did see recently was a digital reader for the kitchen. You know, designed to hold recipes, menus, co...

I have been finding it difficult to concentrate on reading lately. Partly this is due to my eyes bothering me--"floaters" make it look like little bugs are flittering over the pages. This also makes it hard to clean as I scrub away at spots that are not there or I leave actual spatters untouched. Eating...well one would think I'd be losing those pesky ten pounds what with the little critters crawling on my plate and in my glass. I do wish that was working. We'll see what the eye doctor has to say later this week. So for not being so focused, picking up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski was a curious choice. (The librarian's comment was, "You haven't read that yet?") I got through it, but I can't say I am better off for the experience. Vesna, a woman in the writers group at the library, often says my writing reveals my slavic heritage so maybe I should have liked it more. Or maybe I need to work on lightening up my writing...

Girls of Tender Age: A Memoir byMary-Ann Tirone Smith ( here ) is about growing up in the 1950's. It happens to take place in Hartford, CT so it brought back all kinds of memories for Mike. If you spent time in any urban environment where the ethnic boundaries were as clearly marked as the street names, it will ring true. If you experienced the 1950's as a child, it will ring true. It's funny and poignant at the same time. Then, too, woven into her own story, which includes growing up with an older brother with unrecognized and untreated autism and a pre-feminism mother "on the verge of a nervous breakdown," is the story of a neighborhood pedophile and the tragic death of a classmate. Let's just say not everything about the "good old days" was good. I also recently read The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee ( www.janiceyklee.com ) and Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ( www.lisasee.com/Bio.htm ). Two quite different books, but interestingly they both c...

I have always enjoyed magazines although now I have let all my subscriptions lapse. I have always found that after a while the issues seem to be repetetive and now it's a hassle to change addresses when we are away. I can borrow magazines at the library in Jericho (although not the most current issue, but so what), read them at the dentist or doctor's office, buy them for a quarter at the Venice library, even read some stuff on line. Still, I end up buying a magazine every now and then after standing in the checkout line at the supermarket. There's alwyas some intriguing hook splashed across the front covers and I give in. Recently, I bought a Woman's Day. The hooks--"1 MONTH TO A HEALTHIER YOU...lose 10 pounds" and "STOP SPENDING ON STUPID STUFF." So, do you want to know the secret of losing 10 pounds in a month? Eat less and exercise more. No magic and in reality that is exactly what I expected. I did have high hopes for the "STOP SPE...

Health magazine for June has an article about 50 secrets to fabulous and fun tastic summer hair. By far my favorite for a laugh: Wrap sections of your damp hair in cotton tube socks and tie the ends of each sock together. Go to bed for the night. Socks are more comfortable than rollers, you see. (Does anyone really do that? Sleep in rollers, I mean?) Then in the morning take out the socks, fluff your hands through your hair and enjoy the waves. My hair is already wavy so I don't think that I'll try this. Because my hair is wavy, I naturally yearn to wake up with perfectly straight hair. Also no one in the house has tube socks. It would not be worth the trip to K-Mart or where ever it is one goes to purchase tube socks. This little beauty secret would pretty much hatchet any chance of getting lucky that night and I still think it would be hard to sleep with knotted socks all over your head so you might want to be occupying your time somehow. And really, if I ever did try t...

There was an appropriate piece in the Burlington Free Press yesterday, the Chris Bohjelian column. He told about the elementary school in his small town of Lincoln, VT. The entire school walks to the town cemetery for a Memorial Day observance. Students can find graves marked with GAR, soldiers who had fought in the Civil War. In a small town there are many connections between the past and present and this struck me as such a fitting way to honor that. Reflection can sometimes be overlooked in education's current focus on meeting test standards. In Flanders fields the poppies blow (1) Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with u...

My mother once said to me, "I feel like my brain was programed to last for 75 years and now I'm 80 with a useless brain." It was actually a few more years before the rest of us started to notice evidence of big memory lapses and the start of a long term decline into dementia that ended when my mother was almost 92. I've often thought that her statement about a useless brain meant she was aware of something not right going on in her head. It was doubly poignant to me because she had suffered from mental illness throughout her life. To be lucid about the shifting nature of her thoughts was so curious. It was a comfort to read Still Alice. The story is told from Alice's perspective. Her life as a Harvard professor, high-powered neuropsychologist , internationally famous for her research in linguistics is all drastically and dramatically changed when she loses a word and the losses start quickly piling up. It is a fictional account, but realistic. So many of the expe...

I was reading Vigor , a health related newsletter from my health insurance provider ( http://www.bcbs.vt.com ). The article was "Five Reasons to Join a CSA Program." The arguments were pretty straight forward: It will change the way you eat--meaning that you learn to appreciate food in its season. We have great strawberries locally, for a very short time in spring. Local tomatoes and fresh green beans cannot be beat in the summer. Apples and pumpkins and squash are yummy in the fall. So that makes sense. It's green--no long distance shipping mean fresher produce and no big carbon footprint from transportation across long distances. Green is good, all the rage. It will change the way you cook--meaning that with all the fresh veggies in the fridge you're less likely to turn to processed foods. Sounds like a good enough idea. We all are aware that processed foods are not good for us and eating more vegetables and fruits is always in nutritional advise. It will ...

I started reading stepford dreams, a blog that is written by a young woman in Australia. She put her legal career on hold to be a housewife. Being of the bra-burning era feminist persuasion, I was prepared to be derisive but found myself enjoying the wry wit. I guess the experience of homemaking is fairly universal (no matter what else complicates it), but that's what got me thinking about the language. I mean "homemaking," "housework," "child rearing," "parenting" -- these are all things that get done however one chooses to label oneself at various stages of life. When I had my first teaching job I had two small children and a husband just out of the army who was going to start college. For a while, he was a "househusband," pretty rare at a time when women were almost embarrassed to be " just a housewife." Now, I know plenty of "stay at home moms" and "stay at home dads" but no "working mo...

Those Who Saved Us by Jenna Blum is a fictional, but all too believable, account of a German woman who lives through the hell of World War II by doing whatever it might take to keep herself and her daughter alive. It also stories the impact on her daughter as she finds out her mother's secrets. It's very sad and at the same time life affirming. I thought that Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos would be kind of a light read. It is essentially a romance but with and added fairy tale like element from the perspective a young girl who is trying to find her parents. Now that HBO is running the series, I decided to re-read the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The TV version was striking me as very similar in impression to what I had remembered about the books, but I'm finding that the books are richer than I had remembered. I'm enjoying and appreciating them more with the second reading. I just finished reading Jodi Piccoult's Handle Wi...