The Secret River

Every so often, a book comes along that leaves me speechless. The Secret River is one of those books. Originally published in 1956, it won a Newberry for Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. If that name sound familar, it's because she also wrote The Yearling for us. The story is quite simple, with a sweet lesson: when hard time hit, what we need to survive is inside us, we just have to look .

Sometimes message books can be somewhat obvious, but this one isn't. There's Calpurnia, the budding poet, who works a rhyme into every crevice of her life. There's the gypsy, Albirtha, and Calpurnia's hard working parents. A hosts of townspeople and animal dwellers round out the cast. Oh, I can't forget Cal dog, Buggy-horse whose back dips in the middle, and who has an enormously fat stomach,just like a little old buggy horse!



The illustrations alone are worth lingering over for a long, long time.



This galley arrived today. It will be my weekend reading. I'll report back!

Sadness

Today, my thoughts are with Les Ann Halvorsen who passed away last week. Some people do great things in their lives, and shout it from mountaintops, in newspapers, on Face Book and any other avenue where they can gather an audience. Other people do great things quietly, and smile from the wings as they see how their accomplishments have affected others. Les Ann falls into the second group. She gave so many gifts to our community, all given gracefully and selflessly.

I would not be surprised if many of you reading this have never heard her name. Les would be OK with this, but, when you drive past Holiday House, next December when you buy your Christmas wreath from the disabled workers there, if time you see people conversing in sigh language, or witness

the success of an English as a second language speaker, think of Les Ann. These are just a few of the contributions she made...always a champion of the challenged minority! What an inspiration!

*****Two weeks ago, I received a little card from a former student, now a friend, named Kari. Kari has started an appreciation blog. Each week she sends out a card to someone and writes a bit on her blog. Kari plans to appreciate someone each week for year. I was week #22. You can check out her blog at kari-iapprciateyoubecause.blogspot.com. This is great idea and got me thinking about how I don't thank people enough, either publically or privately. So, I'm stealing this idea from Kari. I'm not sending a card to Kari, since I know she reads this blog.

So, I begin. Week #1. Kari, thank you. Thank you for reminding me to pat people on the back. Actions deserving praise don't have to be grand or flashy. Most often, I forget to thank people when they have brightened my day by making me laugh, or diverting my attention from what may have been the whine of the hour. Your note, for example, showed up just when I needed it, and I hope that my messages will do the same.

Why not give it a try. If you want to do the same, and are not sure of how to set up a blog, I would be glad to help you.

***I haven't written too much about books lately, but I promise to re-focus in the coming weeks. Last week, Casey Martin, publisher of Home Brew Press, asked me to write a cover blurb for this soon to be published collection of Justin Isherwood essays. If she chooses to use it, it will appear on the cover with other endorsements, including one by award-winning Wisconsin writer, Jerry Apps. Now, don't go thinking I'm blowing my own horn here. It makes me giggle, and would love to see the puzzled looks when people read the back of the book. Maybe Casey will change my name, and give me an exotic sounding title in hopes of adding credibility to the blurb.

I started a book-clubbish novel called The Weird Sisters which, as the title suggests, draws heavily on Shakespearean themes and quotations. So far, I like it.

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY! (Help! Is that where that pesky apostrophe belongs?)

(Don't you just love those people who say Valentimes Day?)

Hometown Report

Here's a nice little picture of our newest book discussion group member, Benjamin Button. He hangs with Angie and Kevin, and appears to be very good natured. BB and Angie stopped to visit a couple weeks back, and, despite my terror of children under thirteen, I held him while Angie shopped. In addition to being good natured and adorable, this guy is solid. Angie travels with an impressive bag of supplies to keep him healthy and happy, along with the normal equipment she carries in her own purse. I am sure we will be seeing her on the Sumo circuit in no time.

Benjamin did all his baby tricks for me. He stared. He gurgled. He cried. He drank a whole bottle of something, and he burped. He also smiled, but Angie said I shouldn't consider it a sign of his approval. Most likely he was just working something out.

*****More baby news...you may have heard about the pregnant woman whose truck overturned in Cleveland last week, and the trooper who was injured while helping her. I am happy to tell you that all is well with both. Jenny and her son Jacob stop to see us often, and we all look forward to their annual, goofy holiday card. I talked with Jenny on Thursday and she had just gotten confirmation that her unborn child is fine.

At first, it was feared that the officer may have broken his neck and could be paralyzed, but that is not the case. Jenny's family has kept in touch with his family, and it appears that things will work out there as well.

*****Last week was rough for me. Somehow I ended up with a buffet of infections, and was treated with a needed, but way too strong antibiotic. You know those info sheets you get at the pharmacy listing drug side effects? Well, I got every one on the list - confusion, dizziness, rubber legs, blood pressure drops, drowsiness...I'll spare you the litany of messy effects. But, my thoughts about small town life were confirmed. It's not necessarily a bad thing when news begins moving. Friends showed up with sick day soup, casseroles, energy bars. There were daily calls to see how things were going, and offers to check on mail at LaDeDa or work for a few hours here and there. All that for a small, inconvenient illness sure go away in good time. I am grateful for each and every gesture, and humbled to know there are so many quality people in my life.