Letters Home

My mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer in 2002. My father was understandably overwhelmed, so it fell to my sister and I to clean out my mother's things. This was heart-wrenching and incredibly sad, but there were also moments of remembrance and even happiness. One of those moments was when I found all the letters I had written to my mother during my years away at college, lovingly saved. I couldn't read them for a long time, but eventually I came to see the letters as a wonderful gift my mother had given me. I could read and remember all the things my much-younger self was thinking about, asking them to send, worrying about (passing organic chemistry was a big one), and how I changed over those four years.

Here's a humble missive from my freshman year. An A in chemistry was news-worthy.

This postcard just makes me laugh. It would have taken at least 3 days for it to arrive and let my parents know I had gotten back to school safely, quite a bit different than waiting for an immediate text from my own kids when they drove back to school.

Still typing letters, but now worrying about Organic and disappointing my parents. I probably should have left out the sentence about napping and not feeling guilty.

Getting closer to being out in the real world, worrying about a $26.55 electric bill in my senior year. It's a good thing they sent me soap!

I'm glad I went to college in the golden (my kids would say olden!) days of letter writing.

Say It Ain't So!

I'm not an early adopter or "cool kid" when it comes to technology. I don't have a smart phone or a tablet, mainly because I don't have a real need for them. My current cell phone and laptop are important because they help me stay in touch with people in my life, but a small piece of technology that I use every day and consider an absolute necessity is my iPod. Mine is a ten-year-old iPod classic (yup, not a cool kid) which has worked fine until recently. Scrolling the click wheel plays havoc with my battery life, to the point that I need to keep it plugged in most of the time to use it. I thought I would tell my husband he would be getting me a new one for Christmas, but imagine my dismay when I searched the Apple site only to discover they had discontinued the classic model!

I visited the Apple store, Best Buy, Amazon, and ebay in a search for one, but alas, there are none to be had (at a reasonable price). I've thought about it for a few days and I think I'll replace my poor old classic with a new, improved nano. I'm sure I'll come to love it eventually, but for now I'm going to spend lots of quality time with my classic before we have to part.

Read, Knit, Repeat

My poor Subaru has been recalled so the brake lines can be checked and replaced to make sure I don't die in a fiery crash due to brake failure. I'm a big fan of working brakes, so in addition to enjoying the dealership's excellent coffee, I'm using some of my forced waiting time on two of my favorite activities:

• Reading - I'm listening to The Magician King, reading Centennial on my Kindle, and reading a "real book" copy of A Prayer for Owen Meany. I think three books may be one too many for me to really appreciate them, so I need to finish one. At 1104 pages, it isn't going to be Centennial any time in the near future!

• Knitting - I'm working on (yet another) Hitchhiker, using Peppino in the colorway Happy Times. It's yarn I couldn't resist when I visited The Loopy Ewe in October, and I was anxious enough to start knitting that I wound it in the Denver airport. I have lots of Happy Times associated with this yarn, so I'd really like to finish so I can wrap the Happy Times around my neck and be warm and cozy while remembering them. 

Ten on Tuesday - In Series

This week's Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Favorite Book Series.This one should be easy!

 In no particular order...

1.  Anne of Green Gables - I loved this series as a child and am happy that they've remained favorites with rereadings as an adult.
2. The Hero and the Crown - There are only two books in this series, but I love this one and The Blue Sword because Robin McKinley wrote excellent stories with strong heroines. 
3.  Abhorsen series - This is another series with tenacious female heroines finding their way, and an interesting portrayal of Death as a river with seven gates. I was thrilled to find that Garth Nix had written a fourth book in this series, and Clariel is patiently waiting on my ipod.
4. Harry Potter - When I was handed the first book in this series by my favorite independent bookseller, it was a magical moment. I was so anxious to read the next books in the series that I used to order them from the UK before Scholastic started publishing them simultaneously in the US. I love Rowling's imagination and ability to plot.
5. The Indian in the Cupboard - These books captured and enthralled Oldest Son for several years, and I came to love them also. It's a series that I wish I had been able to read as a child to fully immerse myself in the magic and imagination.
6. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen has my undying devotion because this is the series that got Youngest Son to enjoy reading. In elementary school he read when he was forced to, but it wasn't until we discovered Hatchet that he began to read because he wanted to. I love that Gary Paulsen responded to his readers with the third book in the series, offering an alternative ending. 
7. My Side of the Mountain - I love this series because it's the one that kept Youngest Son reading. Who wouldn't want to run away, live in a hollow tree with weasel and falcon companions and use their wits for survival? I'd like to give it a try!
8. The Magicians - I read the first book back in 2010, but then forgot about it. I recently read this interview with Lev Grossman, was very intrigued, so I've just finished a reread of The Magicians and am currently reading The Magician King. I wonder if I would enjoy books more if I had a better understanding of the author's thoughts and motivations? This interview certainly helped me understand the risks Grossman took with this series, and I greatly appreciate them and his take on fantasy.
9. Cabin Pressure - This one might be cheating a little bit because it's a BBC radio series, but it is still a series, goodreads has listings for them, and they are a truly hilarious must-listen. You get to listen to Benedict Cumberbatch and John Finnemore is a creative genius. His writing and the acting of all four characters is perfect and perfectly funny, across all four seasons. Some details about the characters are revealed as the seasons progress, adding depth to the extraordinary comedy.
10.  Redwall - anthropomorphized animals, the battle between Good and Evil, and wonderful descriptions of feasts and food make these great books. 

I just noticed there's a lot of YA on my list, but I'm not exactly sure why. I do know that I'm always glad to have more books to look forward to in a good series, and it's a real plus to start reading the series when all the books are published - no waiting for we impatient readers! What's your favorite series?

Branching Out

Rain, 20-30 mph winds, and 40-50 mph gusts all worked together this past weekend to remove many of the leaves from the trees (except for those stubborn oaks). Yes, it's chillier, and we know what's coming next, but for now, I'm appreciating the bare branch silhouettes.

Sustenance on Sunday

Sundays are for writing about food. Sometimes Sunday dinner is something that might have met with my grandmother's approval, like pot roast, mashed potatoes, several vegetables, and homemade rolls. Most Sundays it's something that's not too fancy, but might take a bit of time or require some extra effort. Today it's homemade calzones. They're not difficult, but I do have to plan ahead, be around to punch down the dough, and forming them is a little fiddly. I've tried many different fillings over the years, but everyone likes plain old pepperoni and cheese best.

 Youngest Son almost always cheers when he smells calzones for dinner, and making a family-pleasing dinner that's appreciated makes it worthwhile.

Saturday Snippets

Saturdays are for small bits and pieces that I love. Today the snippets are from a picture book. My sons are in their twenties and certainly not interested in having me read to them, but I've been thinking about picture books ever since Mary posted about reading to Charlie. I loved reading to my kids; it was a wonderful way to end the day with all of us snuggled together, enjoying the closeness and some great books. I miss the snuggly closeness, but I also miss the books, so I had to look through some of my packed-away favorites.

  

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell is a book that we all loved. It's easy to read with a pleasant rhythm; there were with plenty of opportunities for the kids to yell, "Quack!", and I love anything illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 

 Even 20 years later, we still occasionally ask each other, "How goes the work?" That's a picture book with staying power!