The 10-Book Challenge

A fellow blogger challenged his followers to list ten books that had an influence on them. This really got me to thinking back to my childhood.  It took a while but I finally came up with a list. I decided I could just as well post it in case some other bloggers might want to take up the challenge

Here they are in no particular order:

1)  Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Suess.  I have loved this book for as long as I can remember. I puddle up every time I read, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant's faithful one hundred percent".

2)  The Book of Knowledge 1943 edition. I don't remember how old I was when my parents bought this children's encyclopedia set but I spent many hours browsing through it. I think it gave me my interest in travel, archaeology and ancient history.

3)  The Household Searchlight Recipe Book. As a child, I loved to browse through my mom's cookbook reading about fanciful things like hors d'oeuvres and souffles and other foods that never graced our kitchen table. I yearned to be a sophisticated grown-up and make all those exotic dishes. ( I do occasionally make a quiche or a bundt cake but I'm still not sophisticated enough to make anything really elegant.)

4) The Nancy Drew Mystery series by Carolyn Keene. I avidly read those gripping mystery stories, sometimes under the covers at night so my mom wouldn't catch me. After I read all they had in the library I moved on to other writers and subjects. The Nancy Drew series was updated in the 70's because the books were no longer PC (eg. all the bad guys were "swarthy") but I'm sure they are still luring girls into the love of reading.

5)  The Golden Nature Books series. These handy little paperback-sized books were just right for taking on family camping trips in the woods. They helped the kids and me to identify birds, wildflowers, trees and critters.

6)  All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriott and also his subsequent books. I fell in love with Yorkshire, the people and the English countryside. When I finally traveled to England and the plane slowly banked over stone-fenced fields dotted with sheep, I nearly wept with joy.

7)  Harbrace College Handbook. I was issued this English grammar book my first quarter of Community College back in 1982. I enrolled in an English composition class to recover from my combined divorce-and-empty-nest-syndrome collision. Ever since, this book has been my valuable resource when I need to check whether to use affect vs effect or who vs whom.

8)  How to Talk Minnesotan by Howard Mohr. Like most people, I grew up feeling quite ordinary and average. Sometime in the 70's and 80's, Mr. Mohr--along with noted humorist, Garrison Keillor noticed that we were kinda unique in our own folksy way. This book paved the way for our "Minnesota Nice" identity. So even though I may have a Minnesota accent, I can take some pride that along with that I also hold doors for people and defer to others in conversation, in elevators and driving.

9)  The Synonym Finder by J. J.Rodale 1978. I'm the sort who's always groping for words. I picked up this large book at a garage sale some years ago and I use it all the time. 

10) Family Cookbook and Memories by Janice Wagar 2007. It's probably tacky to include this among my favorite books since I compiled and wrote it, but allow me to explain. After I retired in 2005, I decided it was time to do the cookbook of family favorites I'd been thinking about for years. I collected recipes from family and friends which also brought back memories. I started including anecdotes and family history plus some humor in the book. By the time I was done, I had created something unique for my family. I sometimes re-read it and cringe at small errors or see things I wish I'd done differently, but all the same, it still gives me a boost to have actually created it.

The Seven Challenge

On May 10th, BLissed Out Grandma posted a list of seven Historical or Literary characters she'd like to meet and why. I've been thinking about it ever since and could not think of a single character from literature I'd like to meet, but I have my list of seven historical figures:

L. Ron Hubbard--"What were you thinking when you dreamed up the Scientology religion? It was a huge joke that got out of hand, right?

Nostrodamus--"When you were writing your prognostications, were you really seeing future world events or just basing your predictions on the past? Do you think you accomplished anything good with your writings?

Queen Elizabeth I--"Didn't you despise your father for cutting off your mother's head? What was it like to be around him? What was it like to be Bloody Mary's little sister?

Isaac Asimov--"You were such a great thinker, brilliant scientist, prolific writer and jovial personality. Is there some way you could transfer some of that talent to me?"

Jane Goodall--"To me, you are a saint for protecting wildlife and the environment. May you live to be 100!"

Johanna Lee and Martha Just (my two grandmothers)--"You both died when I was young and I never got to know your stories. What was it like to emigrate to America? What did you do to survive in a foreign land when you didn't speak the language? I am in awe of you and I dearly wish I could have known you both."

Now, who are your Seven?

In a perfect world, I would have been...

Once in a while, you hear people say that they love their job so much they can't believe they're getting paid to do it.

I spent my life doing a wide assortment of jobs: working in factory boning chicken for Campbell's Noodle Soup, working in a freight company office, hospital business office, and in an insurance company (interspersed by about 20 others over the years.) None of these were what you would call a "perfect fit" for me. Looking back and taking all of my interests into account, I've finally realized that in a perfect world, I would have been a world traveler and producer of wildlife documentaries.

I might have sat on a Rwandan mountainside with Dian Fossey and watched gorillas. I could have trekked through the jungles of Gombe with Jane Goodall to observe the chimpanzees. I would have gone on National Geographic Expeditions to exotic places to do award-winning films about thought-to-be-extinct animals.

Of course, this would assume that I was strong and athletic, that I had photographic/cinematic skills and that I had no family obligations. Oh well, it would have been great fun. So, tell me, what's version?

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR PERFECT LIFE?

My Happy Place

I used to work with a gal who would jokingly say she was going to retreat to her Happy Place. She didn't really describe it but it seemed to make her happy to talk about it.

I've never had a Happy Place although I'd sometimes try to imagine what it would be. It most certainly would not have anything to do with a beach or an island--or a foreign destination. Thoughts of winning the lottery triggered Happy Speculations but not really a place I could retreat to. Nothing concrete would come to mind.

For the past week, I've been fighting a bad cold and coasting through my days trying to regain my energy. Then a few days ago I realized that when I'm on my computer and blogging or checking emails in the morning, I feel pretty good. When I finished and went to have some lunch, however, I'd crash. My energy level would bottom out and I'd have to take a 2-hour nap.

So, it seems that My Happy Place is at the computer! When I am here I'm being productive and interacting (sort of) but most of all I'm comfortable and content. Now, that's what a Happy Place is all about!

SO, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR HAPPY PLACE!