Greatest global online bookclub in town

I am so glad that it has been brought to the attention of the group.. and I have to add, again.. for I think I raved about it during our “transition period” when posts were lost or not read. Although the Bar is an important part of the book, Moehringer’s life story is excellently told– and I liked the book as much as any I have read in a long time.
As for reunions: high school and college both; I love them. I am not able to make my college 65th this year, and that saddens me, but the very few high school friends I have locally do meet for lunch a couple of times a year, and next year will be our 70th. Incredible.

It is true I think that child hood and HS friends probably are the closest ones people make. I see some of mine every few years and we still manage to find a lot to talk about—non-stop. I also made close friends with my nurse class mates probably because we lived and worked together. I still keep up a round robin letter with seven of them. One died. I now have close friends here in Princeton and though we grew up in very different environments we keep learning from each other. Princeton and New York are a lot different from Oslo. They grew up in these places.

Jacky I think you are right about the bars and I am looking forward to reading that book also. By the way, when I lived in Oslo there were three bars only they called them beer parlors in those days. They maybe didn’t serve hard liquor but you could get that from the bootlegger across the river in ND. The only time I ever went into those places as a child is when we sold poppies. It was a scary but we sold a lot of poppies. I went in one as an adult and it still felt strange and a little scary.

The downside of moving around a lot, as my family did during my school years except from 1944 to my graduation in 1948, was that I made no ‘life-long’ friends and I also was not in the ‘in crowd’ so to speak. (THAT I didn’t miss as the in crowd were a bunch of real snobs.) Consequently, after I married and moved away, I wasn’t notified of class reunions and really had no ‘friends’ to go back to visit. I do know that one of my Mother’s neighbors would give my address to the folks who were doing class reunions but I still never made the list. I’m not sure whether I missed out on something or not – I would have had very little in common with them (Air Force life first and then Navy life after marriage etc) so probably not. I do think I missed out on those kinds of friendships; however, I must say that the friendships I have had since including my online friends are worth their weight in gold.

I guess I haven’t “suffered” (!!) all that much.

Yesterday I went up to Saginaw and had lunch with a bunch of my highschool classmates. It was a swell time. I hadn’t seen them in almost three years. It was surprising to see the list of survivors. Out of a class of 64 kids, 29 have died. It’s been 58 years since we graduated. We’ll have another, full reunion in October.
Huggz all,
Jerry

Good post, Jacky, and a lot of truth in it.

I’d like to read that book Julie, we have one bar in Oslo, plus the Legion Club, which is only open certain nights. But I’ve noticed that there’s a comoraderie in the bar that draws folks in, esp. men, who seem to be able to communicate better there than other places even their homes. I don’t know how deep the relationships are, but people do need people, and for some this is the place to find community. I don’t think its the alcohol for some or even most, although it probably releases some shy inhibitions for conversing.

I’ll see if our library has it.

Jacky

I remember people talking about this book a little while ago, and it sounded interesting. I didn’t expect it to grab me the way it did, though! The Tender Bar is a memoir by J. R. Moehringer. He was raised by his mother in and out of her chaotic and unsettled family home, and as a young boy he found a home, and men who substituted for the father he did not know, in a local bar. This brief description doesn’t begin to do justice to the story; the author tells his tale in such a way that even though I have no interest at all in the drinking life, or the barroom culture he describes, I was engrossed nonetheless, and found myself eager to find out what happened next. The characters were very real, and Moehringer is clearly a gifted writer.

I’d love to hear what others have to say about The Tender Bar.

Julie

This has happened so often over the years the farmers found it worth while to dike their farms. The land is so rich it is worth staying there, plus it is a nice place to live—you can see forever.

I can see you walking down the sidewalk with a book, Jacky; it conjures up a wonderful image!

As for those pictures, I was amazed that a good many of the farms and Oslo as well had dikes built around them and so stayed dry. It was startling to see water water everywhere and suddenly a dry farm surrounded by water.

I felt so sorry for you all in LA and MS, Joy. Our floods come quietly and slowly, so there’s time to prepare ect. Even in 97 when our nearest large city, Grand Forks was mostly covered and 60,000 evacuated, no one died and we then got rid of the really low land homes, the areas were made into parks. And a much better diking system there too.

I do most of my reading in the am, since that depression, I love a quiet time with my Bible and half a pot of coffee, with cream, and then I often don’t get back to a book until I’m in bed, and sleep shortens that time. When you live in a small community all your life, you know a lot of people, plus we have a lot of relatives around, and our church membership is shrinking so the same folks are involved in most everything that goes on in it. But its so good to feel good and appreciate each day, that I just read when its quiet. I love reading in the car and as my husband likes to do most of the driving, I can. And I like audio books while walking and have even been known to read awritten book as I stroll. Remember we are perfectly flat here.

Jacky

The pictures of Oslo are indeed incredible. Thanks to whoever shared
them w/us. Oslo was SO fortunate to have the dikes—–New Orleans
(in my state) DID NOT.
Joy, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Here’s the link, Leah….copy and paste it. OR type it in.

http://www.cropnet.com/oslo2006/

Someone asked where we read. Personally I like to read in bed, though it sometims is difficult when the book is very heavy. During meals I generally read the newspaper or mail, but when I get in bed at night, I like to relax with a good book and magazine. The radio is on, tuned to a music program.
There was mention of pictures of flooding , was it in Oslo? I must have missed that. Was thee a link?

I appreciate the pictures and stories about the flooding in Minnesota. I never knew that country was so flat as to cause such extensive flooding. Very intersting and thank you.
Huggz all,
Jerry

Jacky and others, when you write about the kinds of things that happened either long ago or in the not too distant past, it is interesting reading to those of us who have never had experiences like that so please – don’t apologize!

Thanks for the flood pictures of Oslo site, Jan, since our son’s crop consultant took them, I’ve gotten them.

We live in Oslo now, but lived on Craig’s farm when we were first married. I had severe after baby blues following our 4 child’s birth and moved into Oslo, which helped me get back to normal. I like people around and farmers have to put in very long hours. Our son moved to the farm when he decided to come back to farming,after a two year trade school, and married at 35 and they have 3 teens and like it very much. Our dil and grandaughter have horses and the boys are learning to drive farm equipment.

As Darlyne said, the floods used to cover almost the entire village, I don’t think we’d have anyone left here if the corps of engineers hadn’t built a permanent dike.

It seems the roads, dikes, and huge ditches have changed the way the Red River spreads, though. We never used to get flood water’s out to our farm, 4 miles west of Oslo, and now all the farm yards in the area are diked too. Grand Forks has dug a floodway around the west side of the city, very wide and deep, and there is controversy about an east west road just across the Canadian border 60 miles north of us, that blocks the Red in the USA.

But the waters are finally flowing north and the fields can now dry. Last year our son was done seeding the sugar beets and flax at this time, so every year is not like this one, thank God!

This got a bit long, sorry. Jacky

I do crossword puzzles in the bathroom!

I read in about the same places that Jo does, but she eliminated the bathroom and doesn’t everyone read there? I also listen to books on tape during my daily walk or stationery bike ride and while doing jig saw puzzles in my sun porch. Some puzzles take me months to do depending on how much other stuff I have to do.

This morning I had planned to walk to the library but the weather is rainy and cold so I decided to drive. I got a Janet Evanovich book on tape that I don’t think I have read plus a couple of other mysteries.

Jan, I think the Oslo flood has been worse. When I lived there, eons ago, the main area of the town would flood, The town is diked now so that doesn’t happen. The kids had a lot of fun when it did flood but I don’t think the adults liked it. The land is so flat it doesn’t take much of a rise of the river to flood for miles. These floods are what made the land so fertile.

It is indeed and such a joy to have all of you posting –

Your books sound great, Georgianna, and I’ll tell you where I read: in bed, while TV is on (it helps mask the ringing in my ears whether I’m watching or not), waiting for it to be ‘my turn’ at the doctor’s, et al, and while eating. I think that’s all.

I finished Burma Surgeon and am back to Franklin and Winston by Jon Meachem (my ‘bed’ book) and Click Here for Murder by Donna Andrews (my living room book) for when I’m taking a crochet break. And I finished the latest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King. THAT one kept me awake one night until 3:30 and then I picked it back up after I did my morning routine with Ebony and my eye drops. This book, the 8th in the series, was titled LOCKED ROOMS and boy! was it good.

From all those books, you may think I’ve not done a lot of crocheting and you’d be right, unfortunately. None of the other books I’ve got are as good as these. So the crocheting will proceed.

Jacky, a friend of mine sent me a website with pictures of the flood. It looks worse than any I remember – is that because they have done so much diking in Grand Forks, etc? Is y our son’s name Craig? If so, I saw his farm in the middle of water. You have probably already seen these, but if not:

http://www.cropnet.com/oslo2006/

Do you live in town?

Candace, I agree. It is beginning to feel more like old times.

I have to say though, it doesn’t seem like anything on this blog works the same way twice. I just persevere and so far have been successful. It was good to hear from Jerry. I went to Barnes and Nobles today. Oh, what fun. I went to buy a book for a wedding gift. ( I also bought something practical for the kitchen but not at Barnes & Nobles.) It is called True Love by Robert Fulgham. He also wrote “All I ever needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” I also bought a new book by Mike Leonard. Can’t remember the name but it is the story of him taking his parents on a cross country trip in an RV. His parents are characters. There were other members of the family, too. I see him on the Today Show. I also bought another Miss Julia Book. Oh, where and when do you read? All of you. You can e-mail me and not clutter up the blog with that info. Thanks. Georgianna

Nothing new to add but enjoyed reading all about the temps, the gardening, the new books, Jerry’s take, etc., etc.

More like old times.

Candace

Which is lovely, actually. The maintenance folks put fertilizer on the lawns today and dogs’ paws had to be wiped off so they wouldn’t lick and get sick. Only once did I have to do that – which was ever so nice.

The temp is much cooler than it was, too. Pre-rain? 70°. Post-rain? 58°

Loved your verse, Jerry – it’s been ages sinces I’ve heard that one.

Your activities sound interesting and helpful, Joy. I wish there were more opportunities in our little village. The “pink ladies” in our local hospital are no longer in pink, and have another name, I think, but it looks like they feel good about what they are doing.

Jacky

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz…
I wonder where the flowers iz!

All kidding aside, is this Spring or what??? Flowers popping up all over the place and I’ve never seen the forsythia so full and brilliant. It’s in the low seventies here the front door is wide open to the screen porch. What in the world am I doing behind this keyboard?

Enjoy it folks, winter’ll be back soon enough!

Huggz all,
Jerry