I Dreamed I was an Orchid Dreaming I was a Butterfly

Recent Good Reading

 I loved McCracken's bittersweet tale of the love that develops between a lonely young librarian and a boy who can't stop growing.  It's a fascinating look at quirky personalities, the difficulty of being different, and the nature of love itself. And the words, the words! the wonderful use of language -- such a delight! The Guardian has a nice review of it HERE.  But what I really would like to know is what any of my librarian or ex-librarian friends think about the main character's musings on her profession. 

Admittedly, the book is set in mid-twentieth century America -- long before librarians had computers and all that comes with them as a part of their job description. Back when there were library cards of the sort I was longing for ... 

Ann Patchett's tale -- also replete with quirky personalities and bittersweet love and also set in the Fifties -- takes place in a rather charming home for unwed mothers, run by (mostly) very pleasant nuns. It's the story of Rose, pregnant and fleeing a stultifying marriage, who seeks refuge at the home and stays on ... 

It's a strangely charming story that makes me hope that some of the girls who disappeared mysteriously from high school, only to return some months later, accompanied by whispers and rumors, were at a place equally pleasant. The New York Times has more HERE.

Liz Zelvin's ebook (below) is a fine read for adults and young adults -- and I hope a lot of them read it for a look at the effect Columbus had on the world he 'discovered,'  for an understanding of the European/Christian view of  'savages,' and, as well, for a glimpse into the world of the hidden Jews -- those Spanish Jews trying to avoid the horrors of the Inquisition.  This book would be a great addition to school  curricula.

It's a bargain at 99 cents HERE.

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Remembering Martin Luther King

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

What To Do on a Snowy Day

Stay warm. . .

 

Catch up on sleep . . .

 

Stay warm . . .

Stay warm and catch up on sleep . . .

 

Or. . . Willa wants to convince Otis to be her boyfriend.

Otis is ignoring her . . .

But she's persistent . . .

He'd really like to bite the brat . . .

But that would be wrong . .   .

What a good dog you are, Otis!

Do You Remember.... a Random Selection

I still look for four leaf clovers. . . and press them in books. I also have some of my grandmother's books with bits of unidentifiable vegetation between the pages.

Can't do that with an E-book.

Baby doll nighties --  oh, yeah. These were de rigeur in the Fifties.

I'm pretty sure that all my classrooms up through sixth grade had these cursive ('real writing,' we called it) and printing guides. In spite of that, my handwriting is well nigh illegible.  Oh, and the lovely, pull down maps -- they were kind of magical. I wish I had a set right now.

Dyed chicks used to show up in dime stores every Easter. Thank goodness, this practice has been banned. But one year, I received a red one and it became my grandfather's special pet, following him around the yard. My grandfather was devastated when he accidentally stepped on the chick, putting an end to a brief existence.

 I really miss library cards. I used to love to see who'd read the book (or at least checked it out) before me. And when.  Sometimes I would find that some unknown and I had very similar tastes in reading.

Oh, yes -- these old timey desks were standard in the public schools in Tampa in the Fifties. Most of them had holes for inkwells and ancient graffiti . Ancient wads of gum underneath too.

Evensong

Love Your Neighbors

This is a nice thing: folks from my county -- some natives, some longtime residents, and some who just got here are coming together to raise funds to help Neighbors in Need, a local organization, provide heating assistance to low income families.

It began when my friend Mary Maupin had her own on-line sale of some of her beautiful paintings and collages, donating half of the proceeds to Neighbors in Need. Her generosity inspired these other folks to organize this massive flea market and more.

Some nifty items are going to be available. Above is a mixed media piece from Mary -- who records the beauty of our mountain coves and villages in gorgeous colors. 

Look at this vintage radio! I have a feeling it's going to be a popular item. Lots more great stuff is coming in -- antiques, arts, crafts.

Foe those of you in the area, this is sounding like a pretty big deal -- and for such a good cause.

MADISON HAS HEArT has a Facebook page with  more pictures of things that will be on sale, like this beautiful piece by a local potter,  and more information about donating...

I've been getting together a box of various nice  items to donate and then I realized what would be perfect -- a Madison County antique quilt.

Some years back my dear friend Grace Henderson, knowing my interest in quilting, gave me a box of string-pieced quilt square --"The last squares Mama pieced," Grace told me. They'd been machine pieced on squares cut from the pages of a Sears catalogue --very traditional.

So I put the squares together with blue sashing, layered the top with batting and backing, and tied the whole thing with red crochet thread. And then I gave it back to Grace and her husband Paul. 

And a few years later, not too long before her death, Grace gave it back to me.  I've never used it, other than to take it with me when I did a talk about quilts or to hang it up as a decoration.  I love to think that it might be auctioned or raffled to help provide warmth -- both for the buyer and for some county resident who needs help this winter when the nights are so cold and fuel oil so high.

I think Grace would be pleased to have her quilt used this way.  As they say around here, she was the givingest somebody. . .

Looking Up