Tuscany and Florence

On day 3 of our trip we left Rome after lunch and drove about 4 hours into the heart of the Tuscan hill. We passed charming hill towns along the way. Tuscany is a pretty countryside that reminded me of the Texas hill country with Italian villages instead of Texan small towns. Olive trees, wine and other agricultural pursuits are the main economic drivers outside of tourism.

The hotel where we stayed was called Il Croccichio and had the best breakfast of our entire trip. After arriving at our hotel, David and I washed clothes and rested while the girls went swimming. Dinner that night was at the hotel and was a Tuscan feast. We had Italian peasant bread, salad, sausage and cheese, and dessert.

Day 4 dawned bright and early and we boarded the bus for our trip into Florence. Florence is a mecca for art lovers, and I can only wish we had had more time there. I think I could have fallen in love with the city. As it was, it was extremely crowded, pushy and otherwise not the best of experiences.

Our first stop in Florence was the Academia to see Michelangelo's David. I took this picture before I realized you weren't supposed to. The hallway leading up to David has several of Michelangelo's "prisoners." Sculptures that he bagan and worked on at various stages during his life but never finished. I thought the prisoners were very thought provoking.

After the Academia we met our tour guide, Valentina, and walked to the main square in the city where the Duomo stands. Duomo is Italian for "cathedral." The Florentine Duomo is the 4th largest in the world, made of green and white marble striped for effect. The dome was designed by Brunellesci and is the model for most domes created afterwards, including the one in the US Capilol Building. While I really wanted to go inside the church, the lines were too long and we didn't have time.

From here we walked along through the old town to an open air market where a statue of a boar sits. You rub his nose and drop a penny into the grate for good luck and a return trip to Florence. Finally we made it to the Uffizi to find out that the air conditioning was broken in the building and they were only letting a few people in at a time. We waited for over an hour to get in and then toured the famous paintings and other works of art in the Uffizi. These included the Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's painting of the saints including a frame he carved out of wood (which was super interesting), Bottecelli's "Spring" and many others. Pictures weren't allowed, so I don't have any.

After the Uffizi, David went to the Science and Technology museum, and Alyssa, Elizabeth and I went with our friends the Peterson's for pizza. After pizza we shopped and bought a few things. On our way out of town, we stopped at a scenic overlook and got some greats shots of Florence. you can see how the duomo dominates the city.

Then we returned to our hotel for another fabulous afternoon of swimming, recreation and another Tuscan feast! This time I had eggplant (so yummy) and gelato for dessert.

I loved Florence and would have been so happy had it just been me and about 200 other people in the city. Instead it was overwhelmingly crowded and our "true Italian" experience consisted of fighting our way into the Uffizi, literally blocking pushy tour groups from getting passed us in line. While I would have liked to have had the time and space to experience Florence for all she's got to offer, I was glad to leave. This isn't to say I'm not interested in going back, I just think it would be wise to do so in November when the tourist crowds aren't so bad.

Another thing I learned to appreciate in this part of our trip was that being a part of a tour group gets you access quicker and easier to places than you would if you weren't. Because of the AC problems, only tour groups were allowed access to the Uffizi. We would have waited for hours only to find out that we couldn't go. That would have been horribly disappointing. The "power tours" of the highlights seemed worth it at that point.

I think that Tuscany is one of those charming areas of the world that has held onto its charm because of economic hard times. It sort of "froze" expansion and development and has become an interesting place for tourism because no other place in the world exists quite like it. I definitely want to go back on my own and explore the hill towns, talk to the people, taste the crops fresh out of the fields. And I would love the opportunity to take lots and lots of pictures. It's such a beautiful landscape that it begs for photos, and driving by in a bus just doesn't provide those opportunities.

Rome

Days 1&2 were spent in Rome, Italy. We arrived around 9:30 on Monday morning, caught a train into the city and walked the 2 or 3 blocks to our hotel from the train station. It was too early to check in, so we left out bags and went out in search of a late breakfast/early lunch. We found that in a nice little "bar" just around the corner from our hotel. Now, a bar in Italy, while also selling alcohol, is a cheap, efficient way for locals to get good food. For tourists it's a confusing mis-mash of people jockeying for position and throwing receipts up on the counter. We managed to order our food and then convey to the person behind the counter that we wanted to sit down. The person who understood English, took all our food away and told us to go sit down. We were tired and confused, but did as he suggested. Luckily they brought us our food in short order and we plowed through it. I had a most delightful tomato and mozzerella pitta warmed under a toasting iron. YUMMY!

After lunch we walked around the area and went into a local church called St. Mary and Martyrs (there were several, and I shortened it for my notes and now can't remember the rest). It was originally the Diocletian Baths, but all of that area is under renovation. The church itself was designed by Michelangelo, but time and wars have erased most of Michelangelo's imprint. My favorite part of the church was the nave pictured below. It is all painted, but from a distance looks so three dimensional that I walked over to have a look at the beautiful marble.

We walked back to our hotel via this fountain in the Plaza Republica.

After putting our bags up, we were seriously fighting jet-lag and decided to go out for a bus ride around the city. Little did we know that by the time we walked to the bus stop it would be pouring down rain and the busses wouldn't let us on because they were already full. We got soaked and miserable, but managed to finally ride around the city. It kept us awake, if nothing else. After that, we went back to our rooms, dried off, and met our tour group and went to dinner. We ate at a local pizzeria that was absolutely fabulous. My favorite of the pizzas was the "frute de mer" (sea food). It was delicious, simply delicious.

On Tuesday we were up early for a quick breakfast and then brisk walk to St. Peter in Chains chuch. There is a statue of Moses carved by Michelangelo. Very interesting. The chains that Peter wore as a slave and as a prisoner are also on display in the church. The church also had all these grim reaper type statues and paintings around. It was actually kind of weird.

As we were waiting to gather all up for our walk to the Colosseum, it started pouring down rain. It rained pretty much the rest of the day, but we were still able to tour the inside of the Colosseum. I honestly expected to be more impressed with the massive ruins, but I wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it's still really impressive, but I thought it would be bigger than it was.

After the Colosseum, we toured the Roman Forum. This is where most of the political goings-on in ancient Rome happened. What is amazing is that until 150 years ago, it was completely covered in dirt and was a cow pasture. The archeology going on there, will continue for many more years. I thought it was also interesting how the Romans have built upon the ruins simply by adding stories or filling in the areas below. This way they've actually preserved much more than you would think possible.

From here we walked to the Pantheon, again in the rain. Walking into the Pantheon made the entire day of rain and cold and frustration worth it. I only took a couple of pictures, and they don't do much for understanding the amazing space. When inside, you are standing in a sphere that it 142 feet tall and wide. It has a hole in the dome where the only source of light it, and rain as it turns out. There are drains in the floor to keep things dry and safe that you would never notice unless you were looking for them. The Pantheon "made" Rome for me.

After this, our tour group broke up. We went to a wonderful lunch outside of the Campo di Fiori (Flower Market) and then back to our hotel to rest and dry out. Dinner that night and an early bedtime rounded out the day.

On Day 3, we went to Vatican City and toured the Vatican Museum which has to be the finest collection of statues anywhere. The Sistine Chapel is located towards the end of the museum and we went there and admired Michelangelo's ceiling. The Chapel is unbelievably crowded and noisy even though no talking signs are posted everywhere. Every great now and again a museum person will shout out "Silencio" and the noise will fall only to grow again. One cool thing that our guides kept reiiterating is that this summer is the first time in over 25 years that the scaffolding has been down in the Chapel. We were the first tour group to see the Chapel without its scaffolding in a generation.

At this point in a regular tour we would have gone into St. Peter's Bascilica, but since the pope was giving mass in St. Peter's Square, we went to see him instead.

A yummy buffet lunch and David and I were awaiting our bus for our ride into Tuscany.

My overall impression of Rome (and most of Italy for that matter) is that it had some really amazing food, even more amazing collections of art, was crowded, VERY crowded, busy, bustling and alive. While much of Rome itself is very old--4000 years or more--much of it, right next to the old stuff, is very modern and industrial. There are cars everywhere, parks, plazas, squares and people living and loving life. The people were definitely entrepreneurial (the umbrella people materialized at the first drop of rain with a pack of umbrellas under each arm). Our Roman tour guide, Francesca, said it best when she said that Rome is ancient, old, and modern all within a block. It's ruins and office buildings stacked on top of one another. Rome lives its history while creating its future.

I don't know if I'll go back to Rome or not. I enjoyed the Pantheon enough to make another trip and I really missed seeing St. Peter's Bascilica, so maybe I will, and maybe next time I'll fall in love.

Sometimes...

Sometimes all you need is a comfy basket to while away your troubles in life...

On another note, I'll begin posting a city by city account of our trip tomorrow. It'll probably be interupted by daily life post-able accounts, etc., but I'll try to provide an interesting recap (with pics of course) of the trip, while updating you on what has become my crazy life!

Pink...

My daughter dyed her hair pink today.

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow I will begin posting pictures and descriptions of the trip. Today I have a report due, need to buy groceries and still get over jet lag...not to mention get everything ready for the bee!

Overwhelmed but will be better once the report is sent away!

I'm BACK!

We had such a fabulous trip! I'll begin posting soon with a daily account with pictures of our activities. It was truly an opportunity to see and do things that I had always wanted to. Glad to be home, though, even if I'm so jetlagged that I can barely keep my eyes open!

Adios!

We're leaving in the morning and won't be back until June 13th. I may upload some pictures along the way, so check in every once in a while.

Miss y'all!

iPods, suitcases, checks and other stuff!

So much to do in the three days left. We still need to get our iPods situated. I finally got the knobs to my EZ Stitcher frame that I'm going to attach a cross stitch project to this evening. We have to pack...write out checks to the bills that will come in while we're gone...send invoices for the contracts I have...get the letter for the house/cat sitter completed...get contact information to our parents...sleep...

aaah! SO exciting.

4 days...

only 4 days until I leave and SO much to do and take care of...I'm so excited I can't sleep past 5:30. At least I'm moving TOWARDS Europe time.

More later!

Last night I dreamed...

That David and I were moving into this great big house in California. It had this huge living room, dining room and kitchen "great room" and then off to the right were the "adult"rooms. This included the master suite and three other rooms which I was going to use as a library, office and sewing room. On the other side of the house were four more bedrooms, a bathroom the size of my dining room and a storage closet. I was so excited about moving into this house because it was completely devoid of any character whatsoever, so we were going to be able to use the great "structure" to decorate around.

The problem was that the previous owners didn't get all their furniture when they left and ended up leaving us a HUGE mess that had to be cleaned up before we could move our stuff in. We were still cleaning when our guests arrived for the open house party.

When I was a little girl...

I went to South Dakota and saw Mount Rushmore with my grandparents and my aunt, uncle and three cousins. When I think about it now, I have no idea how 4 adults and 4 kids managed to drive 3000 miles in even remote comfort, but I don't remember feeling anything but excited and happy about being on the road. We drove hundreds of miles a day, but it was a fun trip filled with fun memories. It was the second trip I took with my grandparents, the first I went as the only grandkid and we only went to Wichita, KA, and back.

On this one, though, my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Mary were there as drivers. We did the traditional trip to Wichita to see the family and go to the minor league baseball playoffs. I never really liked baseball, but it was fun being someplace that was focused on celebrating. I got a bright orange baseball and had anyone who was running around in a baseball uniform to sign it. I then got a protective plastic display case and put it on my shelf in my bedroom where I showed it off for years. I think I thought one of those minor league players would be famous one day and I could sell the autograph for lots of money. If this ever happened, I never knew about it, so I didn't get rich.

After we left Wichita we drove north to Mount Rushmore. We stopped outside an Indian reservation to look at a giant totem pole, then drove through Black Bear National Park. That was really cool as the bears were everywhere and you could pet the babies. Then the great mountain with its awesome carvings. Unfortunately papa couldn't climb to the look-out observatory, so those of us who could practically had to run up there, take a photo and run back to the car. Then we were off again.

When we went through Colorado we stayed at a hotel that had an indoor heated pool. I remember being SO excited about going swimming, so I couldn't have been out of the car 5 minutes before I was jumping into that heated pool, that may have been heated to a grand total of 65 degrees. We ended up spending the rest of our play time in the hot tub much to the chagrin of the adults who were in there. (Years later when I was describing this hotel, David laughed and told me he stayed at the same place on a trip with his parents. He and his brother jumped in the pool, told their mother how wonderfully warm the water was and convinced her to jump in. I don't know if he has ever been forgiven for that.)

Then we were going to go to Silver Lake, CO, but couldn't get a room, so ended up driving and driving and driving over night through really cloudy mountain tops. I remember being really scared and then extremely relieved when they finally found a room where we could sleep. I thankfully slept on the floor that night.

At one stop, Donna and I bought all these funky looking playing cards. Some were round, some crooked, some slanted. We had a great time playing gin and go-fish to pass the time.

I think the trip to GA with my parents and the two trips with my grandparents were the grand total of all the trips I took with family as I was growing up. As a jr. high student I went to Washington, DC., New York City and Honolulu, HI. More on those trips in a future entry!

Book Review: The Elusive Flame by Kathleen Woodiwiss

I loved this book. I had so much fun reading a romance novel, and one by Woodiwiss. I haven't done that in years and years and years. Ever since I got serious about grad school, the romance novels went bye-bye. But what a big mistake.

Are they predictable? yes. Do the characters follow the same story arc every time? yes. Are all the men handsome? yes. Are all the women beautiful? yes. Do the couple have a conflict and refuse to talk to each other about their problems? yes. Does this lack of communication almost lead to them losing one another forever? yes. Do they eventually end up back together--often by happenstance? of course.

Do I care? not at all.

What fun I had reading this book. I loved it that Cerynice saved herself and her child in the end all by herself. That is certainly a departure from the ordinary in romance novels. I loved it that the whole story is an adventure. I am comforted by the fact that I know that the villains will meet their just reward and the good guys will too. I enjoy the fact that the book is historical and didn't even really care if there were silly mistakes (like the last of the azaleas dying out at the end of May in Charleston...more likely they would have been dead at the end of April, but that's such a picky point it's hardly worth noting).

So, yes, mom, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to catching up on my Woodiwiss books!

Our Itinerary

I can count on my fingers the number of days I have left until we leave! I have so much to do in the meantime, both work related and trip related, that I don't know how I'll manage...but since I'll have to, I guess I'll just have to.

Our itinerary for those who are curious:

May 28-29: Rome
May 30-31: Tuscany and Florence
June 1-2: Venice--we have a whole day free to do whatever we want!
June 3-4: Austria--we're staying at a working farm near the town of Reutte
June 5-6: Murren, Switzerland--lots of free time to hike and relax in the Swiss Alps
June 7: Burgandy Region in France, we're staying at a working farm near a castle that is being built using tools and methods common in the 12th century
June 8-9: Paris
June 10-12: Amboise in the Loire Valley. This is where we leave our tour group and do things on our own.
June 13: Return home.

I'll have lots and lots and lots of pictures. Each one of us is bringing a camera with extra memory cards. And we're picture takers!

Travel

Several of you have asked when we'll be leaving for Europe...Sunday, May 27th at 10 am from Gulfport, MS. We fly to Atlanta and then to Rome. We should arrive around 9:30 am on Monday morning and will then go to our hotel, drop off our bags and begin to enjoy our day. To say we can't wait would be like saying, well, the most obvious thing in the world.

I think this trip has just about monopolized every aspect of our lives. When I get dressed or go to the store, I say, "wouldn't this be a cute outfit to wear in Europe?" When I exercise I like to imagine how it will feel being IN Rome walking through ancient city streets or hiking along a trail in the Swiss Alps. I try to keep my footing extra carefully just in case I'm in cobble stones. The girls can't wait to take pictures of themselves with hot Italian men (they're 15 and can't help themselves...). The beach time in Venice sounds "divine" to Alyssa. Seeing castles is going to be totally cool for all of us...not to mention Elizabeth getting to go to France and actually hear the language she's been studying for the past two years spoken. I hope she has the nerve to try to at minimum order some food. For David, the idea of being without cell phones, e-mail and other work stresses may make a rebel out of him yet.

We are taking a tour with the Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door tour company. I like Rick Steve's PBS travel videos and own a complete collection. I think he has an interesting philosophy about travel and tries to steer travelers away from traps and into pockets of unique history and culture. For that reason I'm extremely excited.

However, I don't really like to travel with a set itinerary. Years ago I discovered that on the Myers Briggs personality type indicator I'm a "ENFP", with the P being the most important component of my travel desires. P means perceiving and a P person likes to "go with their whim," to oversimplify it a bit. In a leadership seminar I attended, we even had to plan a vacation as a group of P's, while our opposite personality group, the J's (Judging) had to plan one too. When the J's got up to do their presentation they were all tidy and neat with printed out lists of what they needed and how they came to their decision. They went through step-by-step how they had planned their trip. Number one on the list: "budget." When the presenter said that, I laughed out loud. I was so embarrassed because it was a terribly rude thing to do, but our group NEVER EVEN considered how much money we had to spend. This is how "P" we were.

In fact, David and I are both strong P's. He hasn't been officially tested, but after reading the descriptions, and going through a few seminars, I can guess. When we travel, we always go independently, get in the car and go. My only requirements are that we have a hotel everywhere we plan to be and that there is a car rental secured. Then we get to our hotel, look around, examine some guidebooks, talk to some people, and set out to explore. We have found ancient stone circles, works projects in Ireland, the wonderfully cute town of Cobh in Ireland. Whenever we feel like it, we stop and take pictures. If we'd planned to do something and ran out of time, we know that there will be a next time.

When we described this travel ideal to our children back in the fall, they had the total "deer in the headlights" look. They were terrified of being lost in a country they've never been before. They said things like "but I want to go to the Collosseum" (so do I, but I guess my whimsy travel ideals made it sound like I don't also hit the big stuff). So as we talked, we realized that a tour would make them feel more comfortable, and to be honest, we'd feel more comfortable too because we'd have the freedom of knowing that we weren't making them miserable and thus them making us miserable.

And since we made that decision, booked our reservation for Rick Steve's Family Europe in 14 days, I have felt so relieved. I haven't had to think about train tickets, hotel reservations, or anything. We have several free days on the trip where we can go and do whatever we want to do, and in the meantime all the big sights have been reserved for us. My only concern is hanging out with 26 other people that I don't know and their kids. What if we don't like them? What if someone believes that their child is perfect and it doesn't matter if he's acting obnoxiously on the bus? We got our list on Monday and the first thing I noticed is that there is a family of 7. Our first assumption, of course, is that it's 2 parents and 5 kids...which is likely, but it could easily be 2 grandparents and 5 grandchildren, or 2 parents, 2 grandparents and 3 children. So, we'll see. But it's funny how every single one of our family noticed this and started making assumptions about the people who we only know by name...a potentially dangerous situation.

That said, I am approaching this trip with an open mind. My worries are there, but the absence of that huge burden of pre-planning has allowed me to relax and dream about all the cool stuff we're going to do, how much fun we're going to have, and still get my work done without being totally stressed. And that's a very good thing. And I'm really looking forward to spending time with the girls and David where we can laugh and have fun and get to know one another outside of our daily grind. And I don't think I could have said that a year ago.

When I was a little girl...

I went on vacation with my parents to Georgia to see our old neighbors. This is the only family vacation that I remember taking with my parents and brothers. (I know we went to the beach in Freeport when I was younger, but I don't remember those trips.) I was eight years old.

On this trip, we had my cousin Phil with us who was friends with the older boy of the neighbors--Jeff. Jeremy was around my age and we'd always played together as kids. In fact, I remember Jeremy coming over to our house after we'd oved out to the farm and playing "house" with me. He came home from work and started cooking dinner! I told him to get out of my kitchen and not ever come back. I probably ruined the boy forever now that I think about it.

The main things I remember from that trip are:

• All the seats were removed from the back of the suburban so I had to sit between my parents the entire trip while my brothers and Phil lounged around in the back.
• I spent all of my money at the first Stuckeys we stopped at. I don't think we'd even made it out of the state of Texas. I bought: a turquiose ring that was adjustable so I could wear it on any of my fingers, a glass water puzzle that had a red plastic mouse with a curly tail that you had to work through the loop at the top of the egg shaped dome, some yes/no books, and candy.
• My water puzzle got broken when Jeremy and I were playing "pool". We had put a bunch of toys in the pockets and were pushing the pool balls into the pockets, which of course meant the toy got broken. Paige insisted that Jeremy replace it with his allowance money so I got a stuffed parrot on a plastic branch that I still had when I graduated from high school.
• I slept on their brown leather couch and Jeremy didn't want to leave my side becuase he'd missed me so much, so he slept on the floor. I remember thinking I might get pregnant because I slept in the same room with a boy. Luckily I didn't! I wouldn't even kiss the poor boy good night!
• Going to the Battleship in Mobile, Alabama, and having to spend the night in Mobile on our way home because it was raining so hard. I think my daddy wasn't really happy about it, but mom refused to drive/ride any more in that weather. The tunnel in Mobile was probably the coolest thing I'd ever seen.
• Going to the Civil War Battleground in Vickburg, MS, where it was also pouring down rain. We ate our picnic lunch in the suburban because we couldn't get out of the vehicle without getting thoroughly soaked.
• We went to Stone Mountain, GA, which is a giant rock with a carving of some important Southern general. We rode a train which was ambushed by Indians. During the ambush, one of the actors lifted my dad's cap off thinking he was bald and had been scalped. I thought that was the funniest thing in the world.
• We also went to Atlanta and visited the underground mall which was supposed to be a subway at one point in time that was abandoned for some reason. I think this is when I went to the Madame Tussaud's wax museum and saw the Henry VIII and all his wives, including the one with the extra finger.

Clearly this is why I have such a travel bug...or maybe it's just in my personality and the trip to GA with my family helped me realize how much I love to go places and see things I've never seen before and will likely never see again...I hope my kids have as much fun and enjoy our trip to Europe as much!

Wal Mart

I've had posts on here about how much I hate shopping at Wal Mart here in Hattiesburg. We don't have enough stores in this town to accommodate all the shoppers' needs, so everyone and their baby goes to Wal Mart. It's crowded, there is never what you need in stock, and the store is usually dirty--and this is the "nice" Wal Mart that's clear across town from where I live.

We went last night after several nights of scouring the pantry for food. We all hate shopping so we put it off as long as possible.

BUT, the kids have had to start going with us after our little skirmish a couple of weeks ago...and I think they actually are enjoying going. They take a buggy and buy all the stuff they need, and we take our buggy and buy all the rest. They are usually done in time to help pick out produce, and it's a mad dash of Butlers running around the vegetable and fruit aisles with me hollering out to everyone what to get. We even got a few laughs last night when I yelled out to David to get "Four oranges, honey." (which I believe was because of my East Texas accent, and David believes it was because I was hollering...who knows...)

On our way home and afterwards I heard the kids mention that they actually LIKED going to the store to get all teir stuff. One of them said (and I can't remember who it was, bad parent that I am) that it was like practice for going to college. The other said that she was just happy to have caffeine again. I tried not to laugh too loudly for fear that I might scare them, but it was such a pleasing feeling to hear them actually acknowledge everything that I've been telling them all along!

I'm at a loss...

Of things to write about, and have been for a few days. I really can't wait to go on my trip, and I can't wait for the quilt bee...and I'm looking forward to summer being over with so the weather will cool off a bit. I always love 4th of July but since I'm not going to New Orleans until they figure themselves out, I don't know where to go find really good fireworks. We'll have to see about that.

At any rate, I'm simply in a big old writing slump because all I can think about is all the cool stuff I have coming up, and even I'm getting tired of hearing myself go on and on and on about Europe! And I really can't talk about all the wonderful cool things I have coming up with the quilt bee because of all the secrets I might reveal...

When I was a little girl...

...I had to wash clothes for the entire family. From as early as I can remember I thought washing clothes was extremely fun. I got to help Grandma and Papa T wash their clothes in the great big antique washing maching apparatus they had set up in their garage. It was a series of tubs, agitators, wringers, and more tubs. You filled some of the tubs up with water from the hose--Papa would usually start working on this first thing in the morning--others you left empty to catch the wrung out clothes. Then Grandma and I would separate all of their clothes, starting with light and then moving to darks. The clothes would hit the agitator, go through a wringer, fall into a rinse tub, where they would sit for a couple of minutes. Then they'd go through another wringer, another rinse, and I believe one more wringer, rinse, wringer cycle until they were ready to go to the line.

My jobs during this time were very important. I was to chase any buttons that popped off from the wringers and I was to scoop the soap bubbles out of the last rinse tub. For some reason, I remember it being extremely important that the last tub be immaculately clean of soap bubbles. I was never ever ever to stick my fingers anywhere near those wringers, as my whole body would go through it just like the shirts did and I would end up in the waiting tub all wrung out like a wet shirt--that thought made me very scared of those wringers.

Then Grandma and I would hang the clothes on the line. I was too short to reach the line, but I could hand her clothes pins and unfurl the shorter items like socks, underwear and wash cloths. There was always an order to hanging up the clothes and clothes always shared a clothes pin with another item of clothing. I can still see in my mind that line with the socks, stocking underwear (hers then his), night shirts, t-shirts, gowns, dresses and overalls--everything flapping in the wind. I always got to fold the wash cloths when we would go get everything off of the line later that day. Clothes washing days were some of my favorite with Grandma and Papa T.

I also was the clothes washer for our family. I learned that you had to keep towels and everything else separate or you got these pills on your clothes that were really unattractive. Most of the time we dried our clothes in the dryer, but I would also hang clothes on the line if the weather was nice. I hated hanging clothes on the line at my mother's house. I don't know why other than there were always spiders nesting in the little springs of the clothes pins, and there was a very agressive blue jay that lived in a nearby tree and believed that we were after her and her babies. She would swoop down and knock me on the head if I wasn't careful. I often had to wear the clothes basket on my head to keep from being pecked. I remember one time when Mom was trying to get me to hang the clothes on the line when I was a teenager and I really didn't want to for all of the above reasons among others (I'm sure I was reading some book or other than had completely captured my attention). At any rate, I cried "have you ever had to dry your face with a towel dried on the line?" I remember the scratchy towels hurting my skin. She lauged at me, as she should have.

But overall, I really really enjoyed washing clothes. I still do, and have about 6 loads of them to get done today!

Book Review: Aluburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was pleased to read Alburquerque after attempting Jalamanta. The latter was such new age tripe and difficult to read that I put it down after two evenings of trying to make it through. The story seems that it would have been good if the language itself was accessible. I started Alburquerque right away to make sure that I didn’t need to get rid of all the other Anaya books on my list. I don’t.

This is a great book about a young man, Abran, who finds out that he is adopted at the age of 21 in a letter from his mother written on her deathbed. He goes to her side and she dies that evening, but he doesn’t know who is father is. His mother kept this secret in her heart and only his father knows, but had promised Cynthia not to divulge the secret.

The coming of age story is set in the midst of a mayoral race in Albuquerque, and Abran agrees to fight for Frank Dominic, a rich man who uses his power and money to get what he wants. Abran’s search finds him true love, friendship, and eventually a confidence that “he is who he is” (a theme that keeps repeating itself throughout the book—an attempt to remind Abran that even without the knowledge of his biological father, he knows who he is).

Well-written, well-crafted and a very interesting book to read, Alburquerque will be on my “recommend to others” list for some time.

2 Cross Stitches

Love's All by Notforgotten Farm Samplers. While I love this little lady, I will never work another pattern by this designer because the pattern was pitiful. I, who still have good eyes, couldn't read the differences between symbols without a magnifier, so ended up having to color the pattern in order to be able to do it with any semblance of ease. I even attempted to blow up the pattern more than two times, but then the ink was so light, that I still couldn't read the symbols. She's awfully cute, though.

A Wedding Sampler from a really old edition of Cross Stitch and Needwork Magazine. I loved this magazine when it used to be printed and have never found a good cross stitch magazine since. It's done on white linen with white threads, beads and ribbons. I made one in ecru for David's brother when he got married and was determined to make one for me when I had the chance...almost 10 years later!

Everybody needs a spa day

David and I went to the Point Clear Marriott Grand Hotel over the weekend. It may be the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at...it is definitely the nicest spa facility I've been in (considering that the number of spa facilities I've been in number probably 2 or 3 depending on what you count as a spa, I'm not sure how reliable my "nicest" is...but it was swanky...trust me on that!).

We decided to take a business retreat because we've been going crazy and nutty and not able to figure out what we need to be doing, so a few days of no other distractions would be good...and it was great.

I had a facial and a hydrotherapy bath. David had a massage and a hydrotherapy bath. I loved both treatments and can't wait to go back again. My friend, who we met for dinner Sunday evening, the day we had our spa day, commented that I sounded different on the phone. It was funny because I was commenting to David how much more relaxed I felt just from the previous time we'd made that very same drive.

I have a pile of work to do that just about meets my nose, so I really need to start tackling it, but I'm so relaxed that I'm not worried--it'll get done, it doesn't stress me. Just a little at a time and before I know it that stack will be taken care of.

When I was a little girl...

...I loved to read books. I could read and read and read until my eyes popped. I remember in third grade, at the new elementary school, going to the library every day. I read all the books in my section and they had to move me to the "older" section. I was so excited. MORE books. That's when I discovered the Little House on the Prairie series. I devoured them, every single one. I would be so upset it for some reason the next in the series was checked out by someone else. Books helped keep me sane.

I still read all the time. Books are one of those things that still excite me when I get to pick out a new one. I have a shelf of about 70 books that I will read someday. At a book a week (my current pace) that should take me about 1.5 years, so it really isn't as many as it seems....I should get to my next one, now that I think about it!

Efficiency

I had a dream last night about Grandma T. She had planted this huge plot of corn (about 20 acres or so) because she could sell it for things like animal feed, ethanol (it WAS the wave of the future), and corn meal.

Someone who doesn't know her asked "Why at her age would she do something like this?"

My reply was: "Grandma has always been someone who hates waste. She doesn't waste food, or water, or time, or money, or opportunity."

And when I woke up I thought "How apt."

I'm so relieved

I read Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya years ago when I was in graduate school. It is a phenomenal book, and one I highly recommend to anyone simply because it's a great book. I have always wanted to read more of Anaya's work and have collected several of his books over the years but I haven't read anything else until now.

If you've been observant, you'll notice that I changed my "book I'm reading now" earlier this week without providing a review of that book. That's because I couldn't finish it. It was Jalamanta by Anaya and it was so horrible that I didn't even make it through 40 pages. The premis was ok: An exile returns home to help out his people as they are being persecuted by the dictatorial regime. But the way it was told was just awful. It sounded like some weird mish mash of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and New Age tripe that I couldn't take it seriously, much less actually care about any of the characters. I put it away disappointed in Anaya and wondering if Ultima was his only good book.

But, I decided to pull out another of his books just to help myself answer that above question and so that I wouldn't avoid him forever if Jalamanta was an anomoly. I'm relieved to say that this next book, Alburquerque (misspelling intentional) is excellent. I was hooked from the first sentence, and committed by the second, and that doesn't happen in very many books. I'll be devouring this one.

Book club book review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I loved this book the first time I read it and I loved it the second time I read it. I’m sure if I read it again, I’ll still love it.

In The Red Tent, Diamant creates a life around the only daughter of Jacob, Dinah. She is the petted and precious daughter of her four mothers, each of whom taught her something special that became an integral part of her life. The red tent, the place where the women go during their menstrual cycle, is a central theme in the early part of the book because it provides a space where women are able to celebrate who they are, their life giving abilities, and the unique characteristics that make them women. The first part of the book is so beautiful and alluring that the reader is willing to give herself over to the fantasy of women’s space undefiled by men.

Dinah’s life takes its own course after they move the first time and then settle outside of Shechem. It is here that Dinah meets the love of her life, has that fantasy destroyed before her very eyes and then escapes to Egypt where she raises her son and establishes herself as a very talented midwife. Her adventures continue and the book ends in a beautiful reminiscence of Dinah’s accomplishments and wonderful gifts.

I find Diamant’s fiction to be so spiritual without being preachy. She is a talented story teller who weaves a wonderful tale about a woman who could see the beauty in life despite all of the tragedies and heartbreaks she endured.

It was a rough day yesterday

Yesterday was tough. I'm not sure where my kids got the notion that I would buy them a car, but they did and it was a tough discussion filled with fit-throwing when it finally hit them that they were indeed going to have to buy their own car. E is actually refusing to learn to drive until she gets her own car. Logic there astounds me.

Not only that, but they, repeatedly, mentioned the fact that David and I haven't had time to go to the store lately and that "if we would only do our job and go to the store" everything would be alright. For many reasons that didn't settle so well with me.

I swear I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when they graduate! E pointed out that we're going to have a lot of free time after they leave and wondered what on earth we would do with it. Isn't it just like a kid not to realize that their parents have lives other than centered around them.

I'm tired and have a headache today and simply don't know what I have the energy to tackle...

When I was a little girl...

I made these really cool things out of crayola shavings and glue. And I did this inside my desk in third grade much to the chagrin (and repeated irritation) of my teacher.

I was lucky enough to have a mother who bought me the whole 64 pack of crayolas. I wanted this not so much for the variety of colors (though this was really cool) but because it came with a crayola sharpener that you could use to sharpen those pesky crayons when they got flat. There were 4 of us in the back corner (where the good kids sat) who had this awesome box and we would finish our work early and then start our craft projects. If we were lucky enough we would have construction paper, but more often than not, we just had to rely on whatever was handy--and that was often the insides of our desk.

So, this is how it worked. Before the system was perfected, each person would take their flattish crayons and sharpen them which would result in these really cool looking shavings. We would then squeeze a glob of glue about the size of the palm of our hands on the inside corner of our desk and then we'd open the bottom of the crayola box (carefully so that all the crayons didn't go all over the floor) and empty the shavings onto a sheet of notebook paper. Then we'd sprinkle the shavings onto the glue and wait and wait for it to dry. Once dry, we peeled the whole thing up and took it outside to look at with the sun in its background. I'm sure we dropped them after that and proceeded to make more.

We figured out pretty early on, though, that a mix of colors really just looked brown or black and we needed better organization than that, so we would pool all our similar colored crayons with different people and they would shave until we all had several piles of color. Then we'd use these piles to create ART. We could make flowers, birds, skies, whatever. The globs of glue in the bottom of our desk were worked with a bit before we dropped the shavings onto them to make them look like something. Our little factory could put out at least one "painting" a day if we weren't too terribly busy with classwork.

That is until we got caught. Mrs. Lucas was a stickler for a clean room and well-behaved children, and I'm sure that 4-6 smart kids in the back of the room working together on a craft project weren't all that neat or well-behaved (I can see all the smears of crayon shavings on the floor even as I type, not to mention the metal that had to have been ripped out of the insides of our desks). She put a halt to this factory of activity not only by taking up our crayons, but also by telling our parents. I remember my mother being so angry at me for "wasting" my crayons by shaving them for art and not just coloring with them.

After that I was limited to the 48 crayola box, which while still having all the wonderful colors, didn't have the sharpener. Mom didn't understand that the pencil sharpener didn't shave crayolas the same...or maybe she didn't care...but at some point someone, who was also limited to the 48 crayola box at school, managed to get a 64 crayola box at home, ripped out the sharpener, and the little rebel factory was in business once again. I'm fairly sure this is why I ended up getting sent to stand in the hallway one day where I cried and cried so loud that the special ed teacher invited me into her room to help her out so I wouldn't disturb her students anymore. That's another story, though.

Book Review: A Catch of Consequence by Diana Norman

A Catch of Consequence was a really good read. Set at the beginning in pre-revolutionary Boston and then for the remainder of the novel in England, it is a great historical novel. I particularly enjoyed the characters, especially Makepeace Burke, our heroine. She has fiery red hair and a temper to match, not to mention a drive to see things happen. When she finds a man drowning, she has to save him, and the rest of the story is the outfall of that one decision. Not only is the man she rescues a British peer, but he was being drowned by the rebels in Boston who frequented Makepeace’s tavern.

In true romantic fashion, Makepeace and the man she rescued, Sir Phillip Dapifer, fall in love, and despite the difference in social standing, get married. They don’t, however, live happily ever after. Sir Phillip’s first-wife, who he divorced because she committed adultery with his best friend, makes sure that life for them is miserable, eventually leading to the death of Sir Phillip. It is this point that the story focuses on Makepeace and what she has to do to heal herself and move on with her life.

As I said, I really liked this book. I thought that there were interesting changes in character for Makepeace, while keeping the thread of who she truly is. I honestly didn’t understand why she fell in love with Sir Phillip. He seemed a rather flat character who didn’t have the passion to deserve her. The plot is focused and mostly all of the characters were delightful or served a purpose for the novel.

A few things I did not like about the book centered on the writing. I found myself a little stunned by the abrupt transitions between paragraphs. I sometimes didn’t understand that I was reading about another character until I was a few paragraphs into the change. This was disorienting and troublesome for me as I’m not a quick reader and don’t gloss over sentences or paragraphs. I also found some of the dialect extremely difficult to understand, impossible in some instances.

Those concerns were little, though. A Catch of Consequence is a delightful book that I enjoyed reading from the first page until the last. I’m looking forward to my next Diana Norman book.

For the Love of Office Depot

I absolutely love shopping at Office Depot. I can find excuses to go to that store. I love picking out paper, and pens and notebooks and dividers and basically any office supplies you can think of.

Yesterday I bought a labeler. It is so much fun. So far I have labelled all of my notebooks so that I know what I'm grabbing, or can tell someone else, "get the one that says XXX." I feel like I'm in an organization heaven right now.

Back to it!

Goodbye to San Francisco

David left today on a trip to San Francisco...it's a conference trip, so (he says) not fun for him, just something that he has to do. I was planning to go on this trip, if you remember from blogs past; however, I decided not to since I do have a lot of work to do and since it would cost money and not really profit us any business-wise. Turns out that was a really good decision considering how crazy things have been here lately.

But, I have to say that this is the second trip to San Francisco that I ALMOST went on and didn't and I'm dying to go to that city. I've always wanted to see the bridge, the hills, the street cars, china town, the bay, everything. I've wanted to go to the wine region since I discovered wines and know that when you drink them locally they are so much better than when you buy them at restaurants or stores. It's disappointing not to be able to go a second time. One day hopefully...

In the meantime, I work and work and work. Europe will be a well-deserved rest!

I hope it isn't so!

So, yesterday I wrote how I thought I was psychic as a kid and would have these dreams that were so vivid and real and would sometimes "come true." Well, last night I dreamed that David and me and the girls left for our European trip only to find out once we got to the airport (about 2 hours away) that we'd forgotten our passports! yikes! Talk about something that would be horrible.

Well, now that I dreamed it, I can put extra assurances to make sure it doesn't come true!

When I was a little girl...

I thought I was psychic. I truly believed that I could tell the future just by sitting down and thinking. I could predict what was the next song on the radio, I even could predict the words in a song that I'd never heard before. I could solve the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune faster than anybody I knew! I would have dreams that were so profound and real, I really believed I had lived them.

What I now know to be intuition was certainly magic when I was a kid. I believed in my gift and only shared the fact with people that I thought would appreciate it...which were few and far between. I actually thought it was a gift granted to me by Great-Grandma Stricklin. I knew she was magic too. I would often have long conversations with the trees or clouds or spirits or whatever lived in the oak trees on the 30...I learned a lot about the way of the world and how things function during those times lying on the trampoline.

I'm saying all this tongue in cheek, but I actually have had several weird dream experiences. Great-Grandma visited me and mom a couple of days after she died (that's one example, there are others). I knew that I was going to marry a man named David who was tall, dark haired with dark eyes. When my friend Jeffrey Lucan died, he visited me in my dreams several times until I told him that he was freaking me out. I miss him now that he really did leave me.

So, though I don't really believe myself psychic anymore, I do think that there's something to intuition and being observant of patterns for they help us see a bigger picture than the world in which we occupy space. I still can't explain all the dreams, though...

Book Review: The Salt Letters by Christine Balint

While I can’t say I hated this book, I can’t say I loved it either. The Salt Letters provided an interesting and easily readable account of a girl’s escape from family expectations to pursue the love of her life…and to do so required her to travel all the way across the world in a rickety, overcrowded boat. Her experiences are harrowing and the narrative voice is true: you feel Sarah’s experiences and sympathize with her.

What I didn’t like about the book was that it was written in such a vague way that I couldn’t really tell if she died or found her love in this world at the end. The narrative weaves the story through both the present and the past, but the ending isn’t clear if she’s in a dream world from her sickness or if she’s healed and will begin her life anew in the “new world.” It almost feels as if the author wants the reader to be confused, or that she’s being cute in writing a double-meaning ending, but it was unsatisfying for this reader. I didn’t like not knowing.

What I did like about the book is how the characters feel real, how you can sympathize with them, how their struggle to survive the miseries of the long boat ride (boredom, discomfort, unsanitary conditions, bad food, lack of privacy, etc.) makes them all feel a little crazy, how the narrative takes on a fantasy tone at times. The playfulness of the narrative was a stark contrast to the actual events of the story, and was, for the most part, done well.

Oh, to be cradled in the arms of Amazon.com's packing materials!

Vignette #3

In a discussion with A, E, David and me last night about boys and why they're so hard to understand, A said that she would continue believing that boys don't think about sex and that they have emotions but are just stupid, E replied:

E: That's naive Alyssa, and you know what naivitee will get you...pregnant!

Luxury

When I was a little girl...

I'm going to start a new series on Mondays called "When I was a little girl..." where I'm going to try to bring up an interesting memory from the time I can remember until I graduated from high school...So, here goes.

When I was a little girl I used to have a very very hard time waking up in the mornings. I would get out of my princess bed (the four poster wooden bed that was a "gift" from a slave owner to her slave upon emancipation, or at least that's the story I was always told) and put my feet on the little rug beside my bed and scoot on that rug over to my doorway. My room didn't have carpeting in it for a few years and the floor was always cold on my warm sleepy feet.

I would then dash to the bathroom and do my business and get back in bed where I would cozy up and usually fall back asleep.

After a couple of scoldings I would then get up and sit in front of my dresser. The bottom drawer was broken, so when I pulled it out it would lay on the floor instead of hold itself up. I would sit there and usually doze off to sleep again only to wake up when my head hit the dresser or floor or when one of our cats came to greet me good morning. I would then select my clothes and get back in bed where I would cozy up again.

At some point I managed to get dressed and then would start my ritual of eating breakfast. I loved cereals that had different kinds of "bits" in them. My favorite was always Lucky Charms. I would go through and eat all of the oat bits first and then I would eat the marshmallows color by color. I'm sure this took me forever because the marshmallows were usually all soggy and gross by the time I finished.

At some point my mother would start fussing because she was going to be late for work yet again, and I would have to start running around to get all my stuff ready for school. Then we would get in the car for our LONG ride to school and I would usually fall asleep again on the way, or at least try to if my mother's singing didn't rouse me too much.

Easter Beauties

It's a Good Friday

And I'm thankful for that. I have a bear of a month coming up that involves at least 3 Saturday workdays for me and 2 for David and unfortunately, they are not on the same Saturdays. I'm ready for May 5th to be out of the way so we can resume our normal pattern--Friday night date with dinner and movie, Saturday sleeping in and then doing nothing all day except what we want to, then Sunday more of the same.

So, I will enjoy this long weekend (we're taking Monday off with the kids) and then we'll begin a month from hell in just enough time to stop, take a short breather, pack everything and head off to Europe!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Bookclub Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (a week or so late)

Rarely does one come across a book like Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It's a love story, a tragedy, a social commentary on the plight of African Americans at the turn of the century, an anthropological study in language and culture, a historical perspective of the building of "black towns." And it's so well-written and conceived that I have not met one person who didn't love this book.

It is rare for our bookclub to unanimously love a book. There are usuallya couple of us who really love it, a couple who really hate it, one or two who tried but couldn't finish, one or two who wanted to read it but didn't for whatever reason, and then those who were indiferent. Everyone of us loved this book.

While the language can be a little difficult to master at first--being written in dialect--you get used to it after a chapter or so, and the reading of the book is very quick after that. I read it the first time in college and fell in love with Hurston as a result. This time was also a wonderful experience.

High praise from me, who doesn't always love a book, and not necessarily the second time around.

Book Review: The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

I fought with myself on whether I liked this book or not. I really did not like the main character of the memoir--Gerda, Sylvia's Great Aunt. She was pompous and self-righteous and seemed motivated to do the right thing for all the wrong reasons, but somehow she grew on me and by the end I liked her despite her flaws.

This was a tough book to read considering how all of the other "Quilter's Apprentice" series books have been really feel-good books that help you see how quilting has formed relationships between women that span generations. I was at a point in my life where I needed that "easy read" and The Runaway Quilt did not provide me with that. However, by the time I finished and was keenly aware of the fact that I missed all that wonderful female bonding that happens between quilters, I realized that I was getting just that, but it was between generations of quilters that would never know one another. It was at this point that I learned to like the book.

The Runaway Quilt posits quilts' roles in the underground railroad of the 1850s. Were they really signals for runaway slaves, and if so, how did they work? Despite evidence to the contrary, did the log cabin quilt really signal a safe haven? Most importantly for this story, was how did an Elm Creek quilt make it to South Carolina with such glaring evidence that it originated there, but no evidence that there were familial or other contacts in that area? That mystery gets solved in Gerda's memoir and through other revelations, which do make the book a worthwhile read.

Don't pick up The Runaway Quilt if you expect another "easy" read by Chiaverini. However, if you're looking for a book that helps us understand the challenges facing people during the Fugitive Slave law time period, then this book will help you see those in addition to positing how women's work (i.e. quilts) helped fuel a rebellion movement.

Monk's Fishouse, Cobh, Ireland

A Sugar Confession

I had dessert last night. It was so far below what I thought it would be that I have NO desire to have dessert again for a while. The best part was the berries, and to be honest I could have done without the cake and custard.

Goes to show you that tastes DO change even if the mind-set doesn't.

To All Thornton Thimblers!

In the book I'm reading, The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini, there was a quilt bee in which the main character assisted in quilting 13 quilt tops...in ONE DAY!

We have clearly been slacking...I'm shocked that in roughly 3 months from today we'll only have managed to finish ONE top in THREE days...

But, hey, they didn't have all the wonderful shopping and eating opportunities that we have today...not to mention all the games and stories and catching up!

Can't wait!

Reading

I love to read. I think reading is one of life's best pleasures. No matter how wonderful your life, escaping into a well-written book is something that can't be surpassed by very many other things--sex, travel, and a good bottle of wine are really the only three I can think of.

I think my love of reading is one of the reasons that, when I have a book that isn't gripping me in all the right ways, I begin to avoid reading. Why would I read "that book" when I have so many other fun things to do? Why would I read "that book" when I know how much fun reading should be and it's just not getting me there? That's where I am right now...and funny enough I want to finish the book--most of the time I get to feeling this way I simply put the book aside.

So, what that means is that the book has some good qualities that I like, but is missing something huge for me. And since I know what it's missing, I'm hyper sensitive when those points come up.

Tell me, any readers out there. Have you read The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (4th in her series)? Did something about it irk you? I'm wondering if it's just me seeing that she now has 5 more books published in this series in just 5 short years...If I can manage to push through, I'll have a review by early next week...and then I'll be less cryptic about why it annoys me.

You think you know yourself...

If you remember a couple of weeks ago, I was talking about going shopping and finding a new bra since my old ones weren't looking all that great anymore, and when I did I was going to try on the size that the measurements said I should be?

You know what? They were right. Somehow all these years I thought I was a C cup and now I'm a DD. It's almost like I had a boob job and only had to pay a couple hundred dollars for some new bras. I've tried on different styles, different brands, etc., and almost to a tee I'm a DD. It's almost like I have new toys that I have to dress up!

Vignette #2

Overheard while E was on the cell phone with her best friend while also e-mailing with her on her new laptop:

E: You have to get instant messaging...yeah, that way we can text and IM...it's, like, TWO things, you know.

Spring Fever

This time of year is so hard for me. All I want to do is go play outside in the sunshine, be silly, and sleep. Putting on my sandals for the first time of the season is almost a moment of celebration. Springtime means that you have to wait until October at least to eat chili gain. And thought I'll miss it, that's ok. I love to watch the birds building their nests, our cats get a little nutty. My children even went on a picnic last weekend (I think this may have been the first in their lives initiated by themselves). Springtime in Mississippi is particularly lovely. So many things flower here and everything seems to be in bloom this week.

It's a lovely day!

Book Review: Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker

Possessing the Secret of Joy is a difficult book to read, but worth it if you want to be more informed about the horrors that afflict women in many parts of the world, including our own country. The central character, Tashi/Evelyn (she has an American and an African name) underwent female circumcision as an adult because she wanted to belong to her African tribe and be elligible to marry. The horrors resulting from that decision affect the rest of her life--both physically by making it almost impossible to birth her only child and emotionally as is marked by her bouts of insanity.

The story is told through several people's perspective including Tashi's husband, her best friend, her son, her husband's lover (Lisette) and their son. The contrast between Tashi, who's sexuality is erased through her culture's insistence on female mutilation, and Lisette, who's sexuality is celebrated and barely containable, is marked. The fact that Tashi's mutilation affects everyone in her life is significant and powerful. While trying to overcome something she doesn't understand, she is able to affect those around her through her suffering and attempts to make something of her life.

Walker was amazing to take on such a difficult topic...I don't know how she managed to write the pain Tashi must have felt without becoming seriously depressed herself. It was a difficult book to read, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write. My only complaint about the book is that at times, the narrative voice slips into a historical/preachy voice that doesn't sound like any of the narrators and made me want to skip forward even though the content of that section was important.

I don't recommend this book to someone who wants a light-hearted read, but if you would like to learn something about female circumcision and why certain cultures continue to practice this horrible crime against women even today, then I do recommend that you pick this book up.

I went out for a simple walk...

Yesterday I decided to go for my walk while the maids were here cleaning the house. I always hate being in their way, so a walk, which I need to do anyway, was the perfect answer. They usually take about an hour, so I decided to be back in 45 minutes. While I had driven by and through the park a few blocks from my house, I had never walked on the fitness trail, so I decided to go there and try that out. Frustratingly enough there was not one sidewalk between my house and the park and then the trail was a huge disappointment. I still needed to kill 20 minutes, so I decided to walk down to the street that is 1/2 mile from my house, walk the 3 blocks to my street and then walk down my street. The sidewalks weren't all that plentiful on this path either, which was rather frustrating, but I managed getting into a ditch or a driveway when a vehicle would pass.

I turned down 21st Avenue, the street where the house I'll buy one day is on, and only one block from my house...actually since I left the back door open when I left it was only a matter of going through the alley near my house to get to my back door...not really a whole block. But, as I went past the Press's house, I noticed there wasn't a car in my driveway which meant that the maids were already finished...and likely had locked the house on their way out. I had a half a second of panic, but tried to remain calm, went to the door, and indeed it was locked. I didn't take my key, not expecting to be gone long enough to matter.

I didn't have any idea what time it was or any way to call David who had a meeting at 11 to see if it was worth walking up to his office. But after 15 minutes of trying to entertain myself by going through the mail (nothing but bills) and listening to music on my iPod, I decided it was worth trying to catch David...if nothing else, I would at least be DOING something. Besides, I had to pee and there was nothing but restaurants between here and campus and I was fairly certain that a sweaty person in exercise clothing wouldn't be welcome to use their bathroom without at least purchasing a coke. And since I had no money...So, up to campus I went, and I managed to catch David who was finishing up his work for the morning and was about to leave early to come home and surprise me since his meeting was cancelled.

We walked home, he let me in the house, and I learned a very important lesson...never leave home without your key or your cell phone!

Book Review: In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

In this sixth installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, Smith delivers another uplifting book. I may have enjoyed this one the best of the series so far. Things happen in this book, but for the most part, it was about character development. And learning more about these wonderful characters is a good thing.

Mma Romatswe finds herself in a pickle when her first husband (Note Mokoti) returns demanding money and inciting fear as he has always done; Mma Mokutsi takes dancing lessons and meets a man, who, though not perfect, is close enough; Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni finally finds his match in passion for machines in Mr. Polopetsi; Charlie the mechanic gets a dose in reality when he quits his apprenticeship to date an older, rich lady who drives a Mercedes Benz. While all of this is going on, Mma Romatswe and Mma Mokutsi are trying to find a Zambian man who ran away with lots of money, but that little mystery is really understated in this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cheerful Ladies. To see Mma Romatswe fall and recover herself was a perfect move at this point in the series. She has seemed bigger than life throughout, and to see her humanity was, for me, very refreshing. I love watching Mma Makutsi grow into herself and be proud of who she is. She is simply delightful.

One thing that Smith does in all of his books that he continues to do well in this one is provide a life of integrity and morality for his characters without being preachy or nostalgic. While the characters yearn for a time past when everyone treated each other with respect and tradition, they do so in the expectation that people should still be acting that way, not in sadness that they no longer do. I love these books and am very much looking forward to #7.

Guest Blogger: David Butler! Movie Review: All Quiet on the Western Front

My wife and I have decided to watch all of the Academy Award (Oscar) winning movies in chronological order. We joined Netflix and added each one to our queue. The movies started to arrive several weeks ago and we are attempting to watch one per week. We have made it through 5 movies to date.

The first movie to be reviewed is All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). All Quiet on the Western Front is a film adaptation from a novel chronicling World War I from a German soldier’s perspective. The movie begins with students in either a senior-high or early college classroom. The students are all fresh faced, nicely dressed and day dreaming while the instructor rambles. Behind the instruction out two open windows on each side, you see mobilization for war. Eventually the instructor's voice becomes louder and more virtuous proclaiming the honorable role of defending the Fatherland ( Germany ) and each young man's duty. The instructor eventually whips all the students into a frenzy where they go off and enlist in the army.

The rest of the movie chronicles this classroom of boys from boot camp to the front lines. I will not give away the whole movie or ending, but one of the most poignant scenes is when one of the former students now solider comes back after months (or is it years?) from the front lines. He drops by the same classroom with the same instructor giving the same patriotic speech to a new group of young faces.

The cinematography is superb with each scene shot for maximum impact on the viewer. The acting is perfect, you feel sympathetic for the soldiers and what they are experiencing both physically and psychologically. During one scene, the French forces charge into and over the German trenches. These soldiers shoot and fight hand-to-hand against these foes. One has to step back and remember that these "enemies" are actually the "good guy" the Allies in World War I. The movie is that compelling. For 1930 the sets are huge and expansive, especially the trench warfare pieces and associated explosions.

I strongly recommend this movie to anyone. It is not simply a war movie, but instead is a fundamental insight into how warfare transforms a person in a short time.

It's Allergy Time

I have experienced what I believe is the worst allergy attack I've ever had. I thought I had a terrible cold until David pointed out that everyone else is feeling bad and maybe it's allergies and gave me one of his zyrtec. I felt better within an hour. I actually slept last night which was a huge bonus.

I don't think we pay enough attention to allergies--most of the time they're not terrible or life threatening. But as I said as I was going to sleep last night, you can die of allergies...

San Diego Pictures, Finally

We had a very nice time in San Diego. We got there Monday evening, went to the hotel and had drinks and nachos, then went to our room and practically passed out since we'd been up and moving around since 6:30, Central, that morning. This was the view that greeted us in the morning.

My friend Tony picked us up on Tuesday morning and took us into the city where we went to see the Embarcardo--basically the shipyard. This statue had just been dedicated. There were WWII vets everywhere and film crews. It was very exciting.

We then had to take David back to the hotel so he could go do his conference workshop, and Tony and I went back to San Diego to Balboa Park where we walked around and saw all kinds of wonderful views. The gardenia garden and the fountain were my favorites.

After Tony dropped me off, David and I had dinner and then saw this beautiful sunset from our room. It was an early day the next morning getting back home.

Big Circles Batik Quilt

I collected batik fabrics for this quilt for years before coming up with the design (derived from a photograph in a quilt magazine advertisement) and then piecing it. I almost lost it to Hurricane Katrina, and thought I had for a few days, because it was at the quilt shop in Pass Christian. However, the quilter escaped with just the quilts she had commissioned to quilt before the shop was destroyed by the hurricane. Lucky us! Anyway, I have finally found a quilter who I trusted to work on it and she did a fabulous job quilting it as she would a double wedding ring. It's just about as perfect as it can be (in my humble opinion anyway!)

From Home Alone to Home Congested

Well, my home alone dreams didn't happen. While David was indeed gone, the girls were not able to spend any time this weekend with their friend Ali like they had planned. First her grandmother was sick and then Ali got sick. Ali did try to not be sick, but after she threw up several times at the mall Sunday afternoon, A&E insisted on coming home.

Unfortunately I woke up Saturday morning with a bad cold, so while I didn't sit at home and moan like I wanted to, it did take a little bit of the fun out of shopping, and the playfulness I expected to have once home was really diminished. I did get my awesome quilt (pictures tomorrow) and hemmed it. I did get several shirts and bras for the trip. Oh and two new pair of shoes...in fact, I got the most comfortable pair of sandals I've ever worn. They are the Yucatan style by Ecco and are worth every penny.

The weekend wasn't a total wash, but I still feel a little puny and have to head up to Jackson for a meeting, and I don't feel nearly as invigorated by the home alone time as I thought I would.

D#$% cold!

Home Alone

David left for Tucson this morning and spring break starts for the girls this afternoon. I suspect that I'll spend a good bit of the next three days home alone, and I'm trying to decide what to do with myself...

I started a new book that I'm really enjoying (6th in the Ladies Detective Agency books). I could have it finished this afternoon if I sat down to read it.

I could go to the mall and shop for bras. I love losing weight, but when all my bras begin to look like there's less of me in them, I can only hide that for so long. Of course, doing my measurements the way JCPenney says to do them, I'm supposed to be a 42DD, which made David laugh in a rather insulting way when I informed him of that. So, bra shopping could definitely be up there.

I could just go shopping for clothes. Need new summer stuff, as I was apparently expecting to lose weight before this summer because I got rid of every pair of shorts I ever had. Of course, the stores aren't carrying anything new and exciting just yet. When I asked when the spring stuff would be coming in, the woman behind the counter said, "we're already getting it." I replied "really?"

I could get a ton of sewing done. I am almost finished maching quilting a lap quilt and I could attach the binding and snuggle under it tonight while I'm reading. Plus I have my needlepoint and cross stitch projects that are mid-way.

Of course, there's always nintendo. I could finish our new game before David gets home and make him incredulous and jealous. Or I could play the other game that's really boring for other people to watch, but which I really enjoy--It's a farming game, and I believe when I left off I was actually pregnant!

The little nag in the back of my head is reminding me that there's always work...I don't want to get into the bind I was in last week...

First, though, I'm going to get breakfast, and then I'll consider what I want to do this weekend. I am definitely going to pick up my latest quilt from the quilter. I CANNOT wait!

Book Review: Pope Joan by Donna Cross

• I was intrigued by Pope Joan, especially when I read that the book was based on a legend that is believed to be true: the Catholic church has purged all evidence of Pope Joan from its because of the embarrassing problem of having a female rise to the ranks of pope.
  
  Cross does a very good job of showing church history during a time that Europe was plagued by disease, famines, barbarian raids and many other violent things that made living difficult, education almost impossible, and women’s right a laughable circumstance. She tells the story of Joan who is the third child and only daughter of a Catholic missionary priest who married her mother even though she was a heathen, supposedly because of her beauty. Early on, Joan is torn between the literate world of the church that, though completely oppressive to her as a woman, opens doors to her intellect, and the “heathen” world of her mother where the gods are kind and instructive not vengeful. She eventually chooses to become educated and runs away from home when the opportunity presents itself for her to gain education at a monastery.
  
  The remainder of the book deals with Joan’s love of a man, her fascination with learning and reason, her pull to things masculine because they represented power, and the danger of being discovered for what she truly is. When her village is sacked by Vikings, Joan takes advantage of the situation and takes on the identity of her brother who was killed in the attack, becomes a monk and excels in the Catholic church to the point of being elected pope.
  
  I liked the book. It made me think about a lot of things—especially the world we have today where we take for granted education and women’s rights. I did find that the point when Joan “switches” gender to falter a little because Cross seems obligated to “prove” Joan’s existence and the fact that she could have been caught any number of times but somehow wasn’t. Overall, the book is successful and a highly recommended read.
  
  Some of the more compelling ideas explored in Pope Joan are
  
• the lack of rights for women—down to the basic lack of privacy or choice in spouse
  
• the use of superstition couched in religion as a means of “proving” innocence or guilt in all things from witchcraft to murder
  
• the class system which made it impossible for people to rise beyond the station they were born to
  
• education as a privilege—one which someone would give their life for.

Hasta Jueves!

I'm headed to San Diego EARLY in the morning and won't be back until Wednesday afternoon!

See you all on Thursday!

A Report on Date Night

I did indeed make it until 10pm, but just barely. We had a fabulous dinner of bbq pork chops (they were really really good), broccoli, salad, and some foccacia bread. Then we sat on the porch and finished our wine and talked, then played some nintendo, put together the outer edge of a puzzle, then played some more nintendo and then went to bed at 10:01. I remember looking at the clock at 10:12 and laughing that I'd made it past 10!

Now, back to editing this report so I can be done done done tonight!

Date Night!

I'm so excited about date night tonight. Not that we're doing anything other than spending time together, playing games and having a few glasses of wine, but it IS something other than work, and this week, that's very special.

I mention date night to some of my friends and they seem really surprised that David and I would still have a special night that is totally dedicated to just us. "Aren't you bored spending time with him yet?" they ask...bored? If I were bored, why wouldn't I do something about it and if that didn't work, why would I still be married?

I have to admit that we went a little crazy earlier this year and went out to dinner every Friday night. While I love doing that, switching to working from home and the accompanying expenses (not to mention being marrooned in Santa Fe) have made that a little more difficult financially than it was last year...so we're only going out twice a month now, and after getting insurance premiums I'm beginning to think that maybe we'll have to cut those out too!

At any rate, Friday nights are nights that David and I reserve for each other. The kids have to find something to do and somehow to get there and we simply do whatever we like and talk and have fun.

The problem with date night tonight is that I'm really tired and hope I can manageto stay awake to make it through a game or two. I've worked until 9pm every night except last night since Sunday and it's starting to wear on me. When I went to bed last night I realized that I couldn't remember when I'd last had a shower. I think it was Wed., but I couldn't remember if something came up and I didn't make it. So, hopefully I make good progress on the final things I need to finish up for this report and can enjoy myself and stay awake at least until 10!

March

The old saying goes that March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. That certainly holds true for today as we've had stormy weather all day.

March has always meant to me St. Patrick's day which is always fun because you have to wear green and drink beer. I actually hated St. Patrick's day as a child because next to yellow and orange, green was my absolutely least favorite color.

But the weather never meant much to me. Actually March usually heralded the coming of spring. The weather would get warmer and sunnier, the grass would start coming in, the leaves budding. It was actually one of my favorite months until I moved to Kentucky when I decided that March was a cruel joke. It was the dead-end of winter and everything was dead and seemed like it would never ever come to life. It was still so cold and rainy and miserable...and the snow storms usually dumped a ton of snow. I was always so happy to see the end of March during those five years we were there.

In Mississippi, the trees start to bud, the azaleas bloom, the weather gets beautiful and sunny and not so humid. I love March here and am looking forward to the cold weather being behind us.