Greatest global online bookclub in town

Trying once more with the desk top window.

Jacky

Jacky, you should be able to reload the page and get the most recent posts by clicking on the “refresh” icon at the top of the page. If you’re using Firefox, it’s a blue curvy arrow. If it’s Internet Explorer, the icon is something similar (I can’t remember what). I hope that works for you. (Darlyne’s daughter here–I pop in every few years to say hello.)

It all looks the same, but I’ll see if this works from the desk top window. Jacky

I used my new window, and none of the newest entries are there, including the ones I sent. So I’m now back to internet explorer, favorites, and here. I knew it was too simple!!!

Jacky

I see Louise Erdrich has written a new book titled “The Plague of Doves”. Looks pretty good in the NYT book reviews.
Huggz all,
Jerry

We did a lot of trips; both our folks lived in Michigan and not too far apart. We of course were either in MD (very short time), CA or TN. I rather enjoyed the trips I made with kids and just me. He wouldn’t have me driving and I figured it was because he’d have to tend to kids! MEN! Anyhow . . . . .

We don’t mention the ’s’ word around you, Jacky. But we are due for some cooling this weekend so we won’t mention it around me, either. I think this summer is going to be a hotter than usual one. Darn it.

I made a solo trip with four kids from Delaware to ND. They were older–old enough to fight with each other. The oldest had just gotten her drivers license so could help a little with the driving, but not on two lane roads. She had learned on a turnpike or toll road. It was two lane from Michigan on to ND. I remember pulling over to the side of the road and announcing that I would start driving again when the arguing stopped. It did and they were good after that. We also had a big dog with us. I remember the second night in the motel I fell into bed, gave the kids money for a fast food place near and left them on their own. My husband was flying to California on business and meeting us in ND on his way back. I was hesitent to make the trip alone but he said he could so why couldn’t I. I couldn’t think of an answer. I couldn’t say,”I’m just a woman”. He said all I had to do was drive to Toledo and turn right. I did and we made it without a mishap. I did buy an air filter that a gas station attendent sold me and as I was pulling away, I remembered being warned by my husband not to buy it. He even showed me one so I would know what it looked like. He had had the car fully checked out to be safe. I asked the kids to not mention that but of course that was the first thing they told their Dad when we met again.

I made another solo trip from Ohio to ElPaso Texas with two teenagers, a dog and a cat. The temp was -2° when we moved out so it felt like heaven when we got to Tennassee. Except for going through Dallas-Fort Worth during rush hour the trip was sort of enjoyable. We enjoyed going through little towns in TX with names like Buck Snort. I wonder if it is still there.

I just got ggobit as a window on my desktop! and all I did was rt click in Firefox. I used to have to go to internet explorer, then favorites, and I have a lot of favs, and GGO was toward the bottom. Jacky

Your trip with 4 small kids sounds amazing, Jo. I never traveled by myself, or with my husband, when our kids were real young. We did take the oldest two to WA when they were 3 and 5. No seat belts, no dvd player, and not much for them to do but sit, but they were good. We payed less than 5.00 a night for motels, and our gas for the whole trip cost much less than one fill now. Those were kind of the “good old days.”

Sunny and in the 50s today, but the s word was mentioned for the weekend—again.

Jacky

The news sounds pretty good to me, Jacky. Let’s hope it continues that way.

Snow plows are good to follow, 25 mph or no. Reminded me of a bus I followed. Wasband was in the Navy and would be gone for 3 months and thence to another duty station. So I wrote my mother to see if I could come stay with them for 3 months. It was. So here I am with a box lunch packed by one of the other Navy wives (fried chicken, bread and butter sandwiches!, cookies, napkins) in the front on the floor, daughter in car seat in the front (she’s almost a year old), 3 little boys 5-4-3 in the back seat which was built up w/crib mattress on the road from Memphis TN to Flint MI. Got to the motel the first night, two younger boys went right to sleep, oldest and daughter still awake but she was fussy. Told oldest, can you keep awake until she goes to sleep - it wasn’t going to be too long, and he said he good, and I was asleep right away. But I followed buses both days. Had pulled over to change Debbie’s diaper, bus went past but slowly. Driver looked at me, eyebrows raised (did I need help?) so I held up the diaper and shook my head. He and front couple of rows passengers all got chuckle out of that. So did I. It was a good trip, too. Kids behaved very well. They were even quiet when I told them (like driving through Indianapolis). My bribe did the trick - ice cream on the other side of the city. Lunch was at the pointed end of an extremely long skinny corner gas station. When I got everything loaded back up and drove up to the office to toss the trash, they were chuckling about organization, kids etc., and I said a mom had to have organization when she was overrun w/kids or total chaos was the game. We all had a laugh, they were very pleasant and off I went again.

I ALMOST miss those days.

But not quite.

Sorry I’m slow getting info about CLive’s lung CT scan. The Dr feels its scarring, not serious and will check it once again in 6 months.

Our youngest daughter took accounting in college, got her CPA whatever, but really didn’t like doing taxes, they keep changing the rules and she really likes ORDER. So, after marraige and their first child, she finished a two year training in the cities to be an ASL interpreter. She has been subbing in this line of work in the St Paul schools until she can pass some sort of test and work for a company that uses computers and actual watching of the interpreter by the deaf. I don’t know just how it works.

They have tried to hire her permanently in the schools, but they need the MN Care insurance program as her husband has chronic leukemia, his med. Gleevex costs 100.00 a day, and the school’s insurance wouldn’t cover. He’s in complete remission and feels fine, and we are thankful for the med, the remission, and the insurance!

My sister, the 3 grandkids and I drove from St Paul, home on Fri. The heavy rain changed to sleet and then to snow in the first 100 miles, but we got behind a snowplow that was spreading sand and salt, and were happy to continue at 25 miles an hour. There were cars and semis in the ditches, and folks would quit passing us for a while after each vehicle off the road, but soon someone would speed around us and many would follow=====until the next problem at the sides of the road. Only one ambulence and fire truck, though but two men were killed on I-94 we read in the paper on Sat.

They are talking snow again this weekend, will it never end~

Jacky

I did read both of those books you mentioned but not the newest one. I also saw the movie, Namesake which got poor reviews but I liked it. What do they know? I also read another one by her but can’t remember the title. I think that one was made into a movie also and I probably saw it.

It was Communiversity day in Princeton today. The university and town get together to put on a celebration. The town was full of people, the weather beautiful and a big success. I met and shook hands with some of the politicions. I walked to the library, got a couple of new cds and then walked on and took in some of the festivities.

Have any of you read any of Jhumpa Lahiri’s books? She wrote “Interpreter of Maladies”, (Pulitzer Prize) and “The Namesake”. (Now a movie) I’m enjoying her newest effort; “Unaccustomed Earth”. Eight longish stories. This lady writes so beautifully it doesn’t matter the subject or the plot, her tales are a reader’s dream and I am rapt. Most of her books and stories are about the lives and problems of immigrants from India. Some of you might want to look into her books.
Huggz all,
Jerry

Good move by your daughter, Darlyne–that old poem is certainly applicable to women.

Candace

Love it, Darlyne. Good for her. LOLOLOL

To punish our youngest daughter for some infraction my husband made her memorize “If”. She did but amended the ending changing it to “You are a woman my daughter”. Later I think the poem was posted in the bathroom.

I ‘googled’ Rudyard Kipling and his Wikipedia article came up, a wonderful and informative piece. He had two daughters, one of which died earlier from influenza. And his only son, John, did indeed die at the battle of Loos in 1915. The article commented on the fact that he always felt guilty after pushing so hard when John had been turned down because of his eyesight. It’s a most interesting article for someone who was as uninformed as I.

It’s only weepy at the end when the Kiplings find out that their son has died. It is otherwise not weepy.

Thanks for the warning, Jo. I really try to avoid weepy shows. You just triggered another long forgotten memory. Only now did the name Kipling remind me about his poem “If.” Fifty years ago I was doing some work for a printing company. I remember thinking “If” was a good message for my then young son. They set the poem in beautiful script, about 12 x 24″ printed on heavy stock. I just looked in the bottom of a drawer and found two copies. Was surprised to find copies of The Gardener by John Hall Wheelock they had done–totally blank on that one–no idea what I was thinking.

Candace

Have some tissues ready, Candace, especially at the end. I found it to be an excellent production and young Daniel Radcliffe working hard to fight off his Harry Potter persona. I think he is succeeding. Now I have to find out if that is really true. I expect it is or Kipling’s descendents would be raising a mighty fuss. I obviously know nothing about Kipling and actually, I don’t believe I’ve ever even read Kim.

For any of you political junkies, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is being interviewed by Bill Moyers. I know there are different schedules for PBS on different stations around the country. It is to be on here at 9:00 CST Friday evening. I’m mentioning it to friends who may not ordinarily watch PBS and thought I’d add it here while I’m online.

I watched the show about the deaf and taped the other–haven’t watched that one yet.

Candace

I read the article by your daughter. How very beautiful! I was a DD at one time. And I guess my eldest daughter will be a DD at some time.

Treasure each other always!

Please ignore those lines through the words, I think I clicked on the del thinking it meant delete, It didn’t,

That is a nice surprise Jo. Have a great visit.

By the way, I watched the Hallmark show about the deaf child and Mother and thought it OK but I was disappointed in the ending. I did learn a lot about signing and how the deaf feel. Jacky, how did your daughter get into that field. She teaches signing doesn’t she?