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 dog heroes of 9/11

This was sent to me in an email and I was so touched by all the sweet faces that I had to share it with you.

Nearly 100 rescue dogs worked at the World Trade Center eleven years ago. Only a handful of the hardworking dogs are still left.

Moxie came from Winthrop Mass with her trainer on 9/11 and worked for 8 days.

 Tara also came from Massachusetts and worked for 8 days with her handler.

Kaiser came from Indiana and searched tirelessly for those trapped in the rubble.

 Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss came from Texas and stayed for ten days.

Guinness came from California with his owner Sheila McKee and worked 11 days.

Merlyn and his handler worked on the rubble pile for five nights.

Abigail worked with her handler for 10 days after the collapse.

Hoke and her handler came from Denver Colorado and worked for 5 days.

These pictures and many others were made for a book commemorating 9/11 and the rescue dogs and handlers who worked so hard in the aftermath. The book is called Retrieved by Charlotte Dumas.

I loved this movie!

Yesterday, my daughter Brenda had a day off. She's a nurse at the Veteran's Administration Hospital. She wanted to see a movie that was showing only at an "Art House" theater over in Minneapolis. It was her idea. I'm a St. Paul person--I don't do Minneapolis any more than absolutely necessary.

St. Paul and Minneapolis are separated by the Mississippi River but are very distinct cities. St Paul is the State Capitol so there are a lot of government buildings here as well as the History Museum, Science Museum and the State Fairgrounds. Minneapolis is bigger and livelier, and that's where the independent (or "small") films open.

All I knew about "Bernie" was that it's about a murder in a small Texas town. As it turns out, the film is a dark comedy based on real events. And, it is very funny--the funniest movie I've seen in a long time. 

Another year, another tax return

I went and got my taxes done today. What with the deadline for filing looming large on the calendar, it's a relief to have it out of the way.

I blush to admit that I am incapable of doing my own taxes. Even though I like to think I'm a reasonably intelligent person, doing taxes is like swallowing an elephant--it ain't gonna happen! I like to say that I'm a words person, not a numbers person.

Happily, I have a friend who actually likes doing taxes! She has done them in years past but couldn't this year due to family problems. So, I went online and found a place where volunteers help with taxes for low-income folks like me. It's first-come, first-served so I went early and wound up standing in line in an office building stairwell for twenty minutes.

The process was streamlined enough that it moved along at a decent pace. There was an interesting mix of others in the waiting room. Along with the usual working folks, there was a young Hispanic woman holding a toddler with a little boy in tow. There were several college students filing for the first time, a young Asian couple, and several men who appeared to be living a hand-to-mouth existence. One was wearing shoes with the paper-thin soles barely attached. There were several older Hmong immigrants accompanied by their adult grandchildren as interpreters and several people with disabilities. It was basically a composite of St Paul citizens.

I was quite impressed by the courtesy and diligence of the staff and volunteers. They even provided free coffee and packaged snacks for the long wait.

My total tax refund for state and federal comes to a little over $100 which will be nice. I found that the service is supported by donations. It's call AccountAbility Minnesota and it does good work.

Wheaties Cherry Winks

This is a Christmas cookie I remember from my childhood. My mom made them because my dad was nuts about cherries.

Wheaties Cherry Winks Cookies
2-1/4 c flour                1 t baking powder
3/4 c butter                 1/2 t soda
2 eggs                         1/2 t salt
1 c sugar                     1 t vanilla
2 T milk                       1/3 c maraschino cherries   
1 c chopped nuts         Candied cherries
        1-1/2 c crushed Wheaties cereal   

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and
sugar, then add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients,
add nuts and chopped maraschino cherries. Shape into balls and
roll them in the crushed cereal. Drop on a greased cookie sheet
and press 1/4 of a candied cherry in the center. Bake 12 to 15
minutes at 350 degrees.

                                                              

Decompressing

I was away at the Celebrate Yourself arts retreat over the weekend. It's always a humbling experience to be around so many beautiful, talented women.  I'm not talking about appearance and glamorous clothes. I'm referring to those deeper resources of womanhood that, despite physical attributes or limitations, continue to give birth to wonderful, creative art.  It's in our bones--this need to create. We get together and paint, draw, write, dance, sing and celebrate. It's a gestalt of collective energy that defies explanation. 

I attended a writing class with the poet and author Wendy Brown-Baez. She is such a marvelous talent that I'm double humbled. Wendy is a fascinating woman who has lived in Israel and Oaxaca, Mexico and traveled the back roads of the world. Check out her blog for an entrancing read.

Awards Sunday

Here it is Oscars Sunday and I have won my own special award! BLissed-Out Grandma has given me the GLOB award. (Although the BLOB award might actually be more appropriate.) She credits me with seeing the beauty in others, which is a really nice thing for her to say.

Blissed is a fellow Minnesotan and grandma who not only blogs about how her grandkids brighten her life. She also has a solid position in Twin Cities history--check out her blog from last Saturday for her "MN-street creds".

I was looking forward to the Oscars tonight but it turns out I won't be home. I'm not overly sad although it will be the first Academy Awards show I've ever missed.
From all the press, it seems that tonight's awards are just a foregone conclusion. There won't be much suspense or excitement. Since I'm not into who-wears-what or who's hanging on whose arm, I guess I won't miss much.

My computer seems to be working better after some self-help fixes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Lily the Bear

Several weeks ago, I posted about Lily's den-watch up in northern Minnesota near Ely (pronounced E-lee). Lily was in labor and gave birth to a single cub. My daughter, her daughter and I were all following the events as they were shown on a video camera that was set up inside the bear's den. Lily soon had thousands of followers online.

The North American Bear Center sold a few Lily the Bear items on their website. Last week I got a package in the mail from my granddaughter. Inside was a very nice tan Lily T-Shirt for me.

When I told my daughter about it, she said she had ordered the very same shirt for me! We had a laugh over how we all think alike! (Only, I never ordered it for myself because I don't buy new things.)

They've had a contest to name the baby bear (a female) sponsored by a large grocery store chain. They received thousands of entries, the winner to get $500. It will be interesting to see what kind name they choose--will it be a Native American name, a cutesy name, an historical name or area name? We'll soon know. I didn't enter, but I would name the little black bear "Teddy". What name would you choose?

For further info you can contact: http://www.bear.org/website/visit-us/lily-den-cam.html

Lily's Den

A lot of people are engaged in the "Lily-watch" as the hibernating bear has her cubs in a hidden den in the northwoods of Minnesota. She already had the first cub but is still in hard labor so another one is on its way. I stopped watching for a while because I couldn't stand to see her suffering. However, there are well over 49,000 other folks logged on currently. I can imagine that after the cubs arrive, the number of viewers will soar.

Sometimes they get it wrong!

The proper way to weigh yourself! Who knew?

All my life I've been told I'm fat. Well actually, I didn't know it until I was five. At that time, my family moved from California back to Minnesota and I met all my aunts and uncles for the first time. I have a distinct memory of that meeting as my mom's sisters oohed and aahed about what a fat little thing I was.

Over the years, I have struggled valiantly against obesity all the while being assailed by the media and medical people about how it would shorten my life. Here is a short list of the different things I used to lose weight--Ayds caramels, grapefruit diet, Hollywood bread diet, the drugs Dexadrine, Preludin, Ionimin, 3-day fasts, TOPS, Weight-Watchers, Atkins Diet, Rotation Diet, South Beach Diet and many others I can't recall. My doctor once gave me a booklet on the Heart Healthy Diet--this consisted of cutting out fats, but then moved on to eliminating salt and sugar from your food choices. I called it the "Gotcha Diet" because it was as if they decided that once got you trapped into their plan, they were going to take away everything!

Well, the upshot of all this is that they had me convinced I wouldn't live much past the age of 65. So when I retired, I set up my pension plan annuity to pay out over 5 years. I will get my final check next month.

The problem is that I'm nowhere near dead!

Not only will I suffer the loss of that income, but SS benefits didn't increase this year. At the same time, other expenses are increasing. I am in deep doodles!

I know I'm a dunderhead for not planning better. I should have been less trustful of the medical establishment/media and believed in my Norwegian hardiness more. I will manage, but just be forewarned, when they tell you you're probably going to die, don't believe them!

Welcome to Culver's

Yesterday we ventured up Rice Street to go shopping at the Dollar Tree Store. (There's always something we need at Dollar Tree.)

When we got to the corner where we turn into the strip mall, there was a brand new Culver's restaurant fully erected in just the last several weeks. I let out a whoop for joy! I just love Culver's and always had to go a ways to find one. Now there's one just a mile or so away.

This is a mixed blessing, of course. Culver's was special because it was an occasional thing. Now that it's close to home, maybe it will become no more special than a McDonald's (the bottom of the heap when it comes to eating out). Since I rarely go out to eat, I guess there's little danger that I'll get jaded.

I am pleased and thankful to have one nearby. The food is good and inexpensive and it's a great place to take grandkids. What more can one ask for?

Halloween is a done deal

We never get any Trick or Treaters in our building. I don't even bother to buy candy anymore (except for myself--I love candy corn!)

The place where I live is on a cul-de-sac that ends at a steep slope covered by trees. You can't see the building from the corner because of the dark wooded lot next door. To a kid, I suppose it would look pretty spooky. Having seen a lot of spooky movies, I can understand that feeling.

Have a nice Halloween and remember to Fall Back your clocks tomorrow!

Nostalgic Stamp Collectors

I apologize for the lousy illustration but I haven't found a better one. It's a new offering at the Post Office featuring stamps recognizing the TV shows of the 50's and 60's.

There's Milton Berle, Lucy & Ethel, Red Skelton, Howdy Doody, Jack Webb, Lassie, Hopalong Cassidy, Groucho Marx, Dinah Shore, Ed Sullivan, Kukla-Fran & Ollie, Phil Silvers, Lone Ranger, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, Burns & Allen, Ozzie & Harriet, Steve Allen (Tonight Show), Rod Serling (Twilight Zone) and Jackie Gleason.

I remember every one of those shows. I guess that makes me a real oldtimer!

Try this on for size

This is Becca, a friend from my Writer's Group. She's a regular contributor to a delightful and helpful online newsletter called Momicillin. It's at http://www.momicillin.com/

The site also gives reviews on various products and tips, so it's worth checking out.