June Grass

I know it's July but today I picked seeds of June grass at the Nature Conservancy site of Weaver Dunes. I picked two half gallon empty milk jugs of June grass.

I was so glad the sky was overcast because we were very warm. By the time we finished at 1 p.m. the temperature was 85 degrees. We had a nice breeze. An Eastern towhee sang for us while we worked.

Our group included a dozen people. Some from Winona, some from Rochester, and some from Minneapolis. This is blazing star. We could have picked hoary puccoon seeds but those are hard to find without the flowers.

We found white and purple prairie clover.

These are partridge peas. I had a good day out on the prairie today!

 

All In Her Head

I read a book written by Elizabeth Comen. She works as a breast oncologist. Her book is called All In Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies And Why It Matters Today. This is a book that every woman should read although it will make you angry and frustrated. The author will go through eleven body systems and explain how women have been examined, judged, ignored, shamed, and gas lit. Women continue to be mistreated until this day. The mistreatment of women is woven into our culture and even enlightened female doctors will engage in the practice. In between the history of medicine the author includes snippets of experiences with her own patients which I found very interesting. 

 

 

The Jackal's Mistress

Chris Bohjalian is the author of the historical fiction novel called The Jackal's Mistress. During the civil war a commander of the Union Army was badly injured in a battle in Virginia. He had one leg amputated and lost three fingers. He was still alive but very weak when the Army had to pull out. Knowing he would die if moved, they left him in a bedroom on the second floor of a house. They left him with a flask of water, some pain pills, and some hardtack. After a week or so all of his provisions were gone. He yelled for help through the open window. A black woman heard him. She went home and told her husband and their employer, a young woman named Libby, about it. They decided to bring him to their house and nurse him back to health. There was one other person in the house. She was the niece of the young woman. Once the commander got well enough to speak the niece would talk to him. She, being a southener and having lost her father to the northern troops, did not like the commander so she called him a jackal. The commander taught college in Vermont so he was an interesting person to talk to. His presence put the entire family at risk. Libby's reasoning was that if her husband was in the same situation in the north, she would want the northern family to save him. The civil war was a violent time but not everyone involved took violent actions. 

 

 

All The Broken Places

All The Broken Places is a fiction novel written by John Boyne. The story starts out in London. In a second floor apartment lives a 91 year old woman named Gretel. She lives in a luxury apartment. She is friends with the woman across the hall. When the downstairs apartment gets new tenants Gretel is anxious about compatibility. A young woman with her 8 year old son, Henry, moves in. Later her arrogant film director husband moves in too. Gretel does not get along with the husband downstairs because he is abusive. He searches into Gretel's past. He finds out about her father who was a Nazi commander during world war two. The book is actually a sequel to The Boy In Striped Pajamas. Gretel was the boy in striped pajamas older sister. The abusive man downstairs threatens to expose Gretel's past if she exposes his domestic violence. This very entertaining book explores the complex personality of Gretel and the long lasting effects of culpability. 

 

 

May We Be Forgiven

This sad and comical novel takes place in one year. Beginning on Thanksgiving and ending on Thanksgiving, May We Be Forgiven is a tale about a family implosion. The author is A.M. Homes. The story is about two brothers and their families. George is the older, more charismatic, more successful brother with a forceful temper. Harry is younger. He teaches college and is writing a book about Richard Milhouse Nixon. He is a big Nixon fan. On Thanksgiving George murders his wife. This leaves Harry with the job of raising two teenagers, taking care of a dog and a cat, and living in George's home. Harry also has to take care of George's legal defense, his psychiatric treatment, and the care of their parents. By the next Thanksgiving, after many trials and tribulations, small mistakes and big mistakes, the family joins together again on Thanksgiving. They reunite as a family of choice instead of a family of blood. They are scarred, healed, and healthier now. I loved the story. My only complaint was the number of paragraphs describing sexual relations. What I mean to say there was too much sex.

 

  

What Happened To Security Questions

Last week my laptop fizzled out. I could not turn it on. So I bought another laptop. To sign in to my email I needed the password. I could not remember the password. I had it sent to my other email. I couldn't remember that password either. I tried and tried. I ended up contacting Yahoo mail. I answered all their questions. I sent a picture of the front and back of my driving license. I still could not get in. The woman suggested I wait 24 hours and try again. I tried again tonight and I got into both my emails. What happened to the security questions I answered? What street did you grow up on? What was the name of your first pet. In which hospital were you born? Why did we decide not to use security questions anymore. Anyway, I think I solved my problem. I forwarded one of my email passwords to my phone email so I should be good from here on out. What a hassle! 

Mansion Beach

Mansion Beach is a fiction novel set in current times on Block Island, Rhode Island. A young woman from Minnesota, her name is Nicola, goes there to work at a seal sanctuary. Her cousin from Minnesota, more like a brother than a cousin, David, lives during the summer on Block Island. His wife, Taylor, is wealthy. Taylor's family has a small cottage that they are letting Nicola stay at no charge. Nicola doesn't have much and gets around the island on her bicycle. Next door to Nicola's cabin lives Julianne George. She is a wealthy owner of a high tech fashion start-up. Her goal, in moving to Block Island, is a nefarious one. Nicola and Julianne become close friends. The book is basically about friendship; friendship between cousins and neighbors.