Strength In What Remains

 Tracy Kidder is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Strength In What Remains: A Journey In Remembrance and Forgiveness. The story is about Deo, an immigrant in New York City from Burundi. He escaped Burundi after a civil war and genocide. The Hutu's are killing the Tutsis and vice versa when actually no one can tell the difference between the two. In Burundi he was an intern at a hospital in a smaller city. Now he is in New York City with two hundred dollars and horrible memories and nightmares about the genocide. He knows no English and has no contacts. He can speak French. He met a guy near the customs area of the airport who interprets for him. The guy offers to let him stay at his place tonight if he can wait 3 hours until his shift if over. For a time Deo is living unhoused in Central Park. Eventually, with the help from people he meets on the street, he ends up studying at Columbia University. He gets his green card. Once he becomes a doctor he goes back to Burundi to start a clinic near where his parents now live. His life is dedicated to healing. This was a great story about a very resilient man.

Crocus

Nice weather we're having here in Mechanicsburg. Yesterday it was so nice I decided to walk up ten blocks to the Mechanicsburg cemetery. Crocus were blooming on the grounds.

 

The Liars' Club

 The Liars' Club by Mary Katt is a memoir of her childhood growing up in an oil town in east Texas. Her father was an oil man who loved to drink alcohol to excess and tell tall tales with his cronies at the bar. Her mother was an artist who married seven times. She married the author's father again and he was her last husband. She grew up in a home where the kids mostly had to take care of the parents. Between her mother's mental health problems and addiction to pills and alcohol and her father's problems with alcohol. she and her sister had little time just to be kids. The story rings true and I thought the writing was excellent.

Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts

Yesterday, after visiting the Potomac Falls, we drove 15 minutes to Wolf Trap National Park For The Performing Arts. I didn't know we had any national parks for the performing arts. Here we are behind the stage. We had about 30 people listening to the park ranger's explanations,

After he opened the stage curtain we could see where the audience sits. We saw the lights and the sound equipment. There are permanent seats for about 800 people but another 800 can sit on the lawn too. The outside audience gets their own sound system.

Here is the stage curtain before he opened it. Performance run from mid May until mid September. Performers here include Mary Chapin Carpenter, BB King, Dolly Parton, the National Symphony Orchestra, River Dance, ballets and operas. The largest performing group was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The Wolf Trap logo is attached to the wall.

This is a dressing room for a larger group of people. We got to hang out in the lounge and the dining area. Some of the people in our group have been to this building to see performances. They had many questions and our tour went longer than planned. Out in the woods they have a children's theater. From mid June through August adults perform theater from children ages six through fifteen. I am not going to be here this summer but it would be fun to see a play in the woods as long as it wasn't raining.

 

My Lucky Day

On my way home from the YMCA today I stopped at the Giant Grocery Store that is along the way. I picked up some yogurt, half and half, cheese, fruit and pasta. At the checkout line I waited for my turn. I noticed the guy behind me had only two items. I offered that he could go ahead of me. He looked to be in his 50's. He declined my offer and we discussed our favorite flavors of yogurt. We both like peach. I put my items into my reusable grocery bag. The total was around twenty five dollars. I dug out my debit card. His hand was over the debit card reader device. He said he was paying. I asked how I could thank him. He told me to say, "Thank you." I asked the clerk how often this happens. She replied, "Not very often if at all."  Today is my lucky day. If I wasn't anti-gambling I would probably buy a lottery ticket.  

Potomac Falls National Park

Today we drove a couple of hours south to Potomac Falls National Park. I didn't realize the Potomac River had falls.

We got there after 11 a.m. and we had a couple of hours to walk around before out next appointment. We had lunch at a picnic table.

When I walked over to the trash can to throw orange peels away I heard frogs. I heard wood frogs. We heard hundreds of wood frogs singing "keck a heck, keck a heck." These two frogs were on the path. We picked them up and set them in the grass so they wouldn't get stepped on.

 

Euphoria

Lily King is the author of Euphoria, an historical fiction novel inspired by Margaret Mead. In this story three anthropologists meet in New Guinea. In 1933 the three anthropologists meet at the village where Andrew Bankson is working. Nell Stone is a talented anthropologist who has published a book that draws much attention. Her husband, Fen, is aggressive and intelligent. Andrew helps them find another village to study up stream from him. He hopes to keep them close because he is lonely without any other English speakers around. Nell and Fen don't like the places close by so he takes them further away. At the village Nell gets to work learning the language and the names of the children and women. Fen hangs out with the men but he won't share what he has learned with her. She types up her notes and is working hard. Fen helps the men construct a dugout canoe. Andrew comes to visit. Andrew shares what he learns with Nell. With the three of them talking they come up with some bright ideas. Soon jealousy comes into the picture and the situation gets out of control. This was an interesting story to read. I can't imagine being an anthropologist and having to learn new languages every time you move.

Anne Of Manhattan

 Do you remember the book (or movie) Anne of Green Gables? Anne of Manhattan, written by Brina Starler, is a rewrite of that story. This is a silly, romantic story of an orphan named Anne who is adopted by a brother and sister who own a winery. The winery is on Long Island. Anne attends graduate school in Manhattan. Suddenly Gilbert, her old nemesis from high school shows up in her program at college. The professor has them work together on a thesis. Although it is not known to Anne and Gilbert, these two people love each other and all their friends and family know it. 

Under The Whispering Door

 Under The Whispering Door was written by T.J. Klune. This book is a fantasy fiction novel. Wallace is the main character. The book starts out with Wallace attending his own funeral. Wallace was a workaholic lawyer. Very few people attended his funeral and unkind words were said about him. It was true that Wallace was a jerk during his lifetime. No one can see or hear Wallace. Suddenly a woman arrives at the funeral and starts speaking to him. She can see and hear him. She wants him to travel with her to meet Hugo who will help him pass over. Wallace does travel with her. She takes him to a tea shop. She and Hugo work at the tea shop selling cups of tea and scones. Also at the house is Hugo's father who, like Wallace, is dead. Hugo's father's dog is there too and the dog is dead. Customers cannot see nor hear the dead people. Wallace spends some weeks at the tea shop. He is influenced by Hugo and the other tea shop regulars. Wallace's personality and behavior change. He becomes a nice person. Sometimes this book was hilarious. At other times it was emotional and sentimental. Although I don't think this book would be for everyone, I enjoyed it. 

Glen Echo

Within walking distance of the Clara Barton house is the Glen Echo Amusement Park. Much of it is closed until summer. This photo shows the very old carousal.  They had bumper cars. In the ballroom 30 couples were dancing the waltz. The art studio was open. A cafe was open. The swimming pool was closed. The puppet theater was closed but it was open this morning when we were at the air and space museum. The children's playground was open and the grand girls enjoyed spinning around and getting rid of their extra energy. There was a glass studio with things for sale and classes. They have acting classes and music classes too. I imagine this place is very different during the summer season. 

 

Clara Barton

Yesterday after our trip to the air and space museum we went to the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Maryland. I knew she was a nurse during the Civil War. I didn't know she started the first public school in the state of New Jersey. When New Jersey decided public schools were good and went to hire a principal, they chose a man over Clara. So Clara decided to leave New Jersey and start a school elsewhere. Once the war started she went into nursing. She nursed whomever was injured no matter which side of the war they fought for. After the Civil War she went to France to rest and recover. There she learned about the Red Cross. When she came back to this country she started the American Red Cross. She was a successful leader of the Red Cross but not good at keeping records. She ran the Red Cross until she was 83 years old. This house was given to her by two brothers who invented the egg beater. They wanted a famous person to live near their amusement park. The Red Cross wanted the house once she retired but found it it didn't belong to the organization, the house belonged to Clara. Through her work with the Red Cross we now have guidelines for natural disasters such as fires and floods and tornadoes. Clara Barton was a remarkable woman whose patriotic work benefitted millions of Americans.

 

Air And Space Museum

Today the five of us drove south to the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Air And Space Museum next to the Dulles airport near Washington, D.C. We spent 2 hours walking around looking at planes, helicopters, missiles, gliders and even a space shuttle.

This is a very large place. Some planes were only inches apart.

Some were German, American, Japanese and French.

I learned a lot today.

The grandgirls were given a sheet with a scavenger hunt. If they found all the items they would get a prize. They were very motivated to get the prize.

There is the space shuttle. There were also some astronaut suits and helmets.

 

The Lost Apothecary

 Sarah Penner is the author of The Lost Apothecary, a novel set in current time and also the 1770's in London near the Thames. The apothecary, in the 1770's provided, upon request, medicines that were poisonous. She does this for women in order to liberate them from the men who have wronged them. In present day London Caroline is visiting from Ohio on what was supposed to be a celebratory trip of her ten year anniversary. Before she left she found out her husband was unfaithful so she went alone to process the news. She joined a mudlarking excursion. Mudlarking is looking for old items in the mud of the Thames river. She finds a blue vial made of glass. On the vial is a crude image of a bear. She starts to do some research. Eventually she finds the story about the apothecary. I enjoyed this historical fiction book.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Boiling Springs

Today I took another hike south on the Appalachian Trail. I started in the town called Boiling Spring. I saw the spring and it did look like it was boiling but that is because the two springs come together with such force the water boils up but the water is not hot.

Snow drops are blooming here now (which are white) and these yellow winter aconite.

 

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

The book, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, written by Jennifer Chiaverini, is based is based on an actual person. Elizabeth Keckley was born into slavery. She worked hard to finance the freedom of herself and her son. Now she has a dress making business in Washington, D.C. while her son is in college in Ohio. One of her customers is Varina Davis. When Abraham Lincoln is elected to be the president, Mrs. Mary Lincoln inquires to have dresses made by Elizabeth. Soon all of  Mary's dresses are made by Elizabeth and Elizabeth comes to the White House to help her dress before events. Elizabeth becomes familiar with the entire Lincoln family. She is there when their son dies. She helps Mary deal with her grief. After the President is assonated, she helps Mary make plans for her family. Many times Elizabeth puts Mary's need ahead of her own and ahead of her business. Later in life Elizabeth wrote a book detailing her life as a slave, as a dress maker and as Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker. This is one of the better historical fictions books that I have read.

Class Mom

 Laurie Gelman is the author of Class Mom, a humorous novel set in Kansas City. Jen Dixon is the class Mom for her son's kindergarten class. She sends out emails, organizes class parties, organizes parties for parents, and organized the schedule for conferences. Jen has done this before for her two older daughters who are now in college. She was a single mom to her daughters. Now she is married to a lovely man who owns a sporting goods store. Jen's best friend is the PTA President. Not all parents agree that Jen is the best choice. School politics can be funny. I thought this was a fairly funny novel about family life.

American Housewife

 American Housewife is a book of short stories written by Helen Ellis. There are 12 stories in the book. One story was about the best bra fitter south of the Mason Dixon line although that story was actually about his wife. Another story was about a woman who had a commission from the Tampax company to write a book which she puts off doing so long that  the editor has to take extreme measures to make her finish the book. Another story is about a woman who married a man whose mother is wealthy. In order to inherit her luxurious Manhattan apartment he has to be married. His mother dies so now the woman and her husband live in the luxurious apartment. In another story, the wainscotting wars, two women share a hallway between their apartments. The woman who moved in wants to redecorate the hallway. She wants wainscotting put up. The woman who lived there for years thinks the hallway is just fine. Both are determined to get their own way. The conflict gradually escalates to the point of violence. Not all the women in this book are nice. Most of them are unlikeable but it made for interesting and sometimes hilarious reading.

Deaf Utopia

I read a memoir about Nyle DiMarco called Deaf Utopia: A Memoir And A Love Letter To A Way Of Life.  I am not a fan of reality shows such as Dancing With The Stars and America's Next Top Model. If I was I would probably know who the author is. Nyle is a twin. He has an older brother too. He is the fourth generation in his family to be born deaf. He grew up learning American Sign Language which is an advantage many deaf people don't have.  Nyle's father is also deaf and didn't grow up in a home that used ASL. That set him back communication wise and emotionally. Nyle writes about being proud to be deaf. He doesn't consider himself to be hearing impaired nor disabled. I found it very interesting to learn about deaf culture.

The Lost Girls Of Willowbrook

 The Last Days Of Willowbrook was inspired by the actual Willowbrook institution. The author, Ellen Marie Wiseman, did research about the institution. I remember hearing about it from Geraldo Rivera on television back in 1972 I think. The author told the story with the voice of a 17 year old character named Sage. Sage lives with her step-father. Her parents divorced years ago. Her twin sister, Rosemary, died 5 years ago. Her mother died two years ago. Sage overhears a telephone conversation with her step-father where she learns that her twin sister didn't die but was put into an institution called Willowbrook. The phone call wasa to let him know Rosemary was missing. Sage goes to the instituion to find out more information. Since Sage and Rosemary are identical twins the staff at Willowbrook assume Sage is Rosemary. Sage is confined to the institution where the residents are underfed, the conditions are filthy, some of the staff are abusive, and everyone is medicated to keep quiet. The author was able to capture the voice of a 17 year old who is obsessively over-thinking and worrying. The subject matter was horrible and upsetting yet I still enjoyed reading the book.

The Librarian Of Banned Books

 Brianna Labuske is the author of The Librarian Of Banned Books, a historical fiction novel about three women. The story is told by the three women. Althea is a writer from Maine. Her debut novel went well so she is invited to Germany by Joseph Goebbels to participate in a culture exchange program. St first her impression of the Nazi party is a good one. She is assigned a handler who keeps close tabs on her and makes sure she sees only good things. Eventually she runs into someone who shows her the other side of the story. Hannah has escaped Berlin and is living in Paris in 1936. She was part of the resistance party to the Nazi's but she is finding almost as much antisemitism and hatred in France. The third woman is Vivian who lives in New York City in 1945. Her husband, Edward, was killed fighting the Nazi's. She is working with the council of book publishers. She is fighting a senator who wants to censor the books that get sent to the service men and women overseas. Vivian arranges that Althea and Hannah meet to change the senator's mind. This was an interesting book about people who can change their minds when the learn new facts. Not everyone can do that.

Today

 Today the grand girls and I were on our own. This morning we went to Target to buy Offspring #1 a birthday present. We stopped at Petco to look at the pets. Then we drove to Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the ice fest. Families were walking around town looking at the ice sculptures. We saw about 30. Some had broken or melted. People rode on horse drawn wagons. We came home for lunch and then went on a bike ride around this neighborhood. We played with some Legos, did a little sewing and reading. Today was a good day.

The Last Flight

 Julie Clark is the author of The Last Flight, a fiction novel set in Manhattan and San Francisco. Claire lives in Manhattan with her wealthy political husband. She wants to leave him because he is hot tempered and physically abusive. Eva lives in San Francisco alone in a small house. She wants to leave town because her drug contact is putting her life in danger. Eva and Claire happen to meet at the JFK airport and start talking. They agree to switch tickets, passports, and identification. Eva flies to Puerto Rico for Claire and Clair flies to San Francisco for Eva. Two strong women figuring out their lives dealing with controlling men. This was an interesting story to read.

Dance

Tonight I went to an elementary school dance. There were several hundred people in the gym. Students were given a glow stick and a foam rod that had lights inside. The gym was dark, the music was loud, and a disco ball shined above. Some people were dancing near the speakers. The loudness made it impossible to converse.  Kids were throwing balloons in the air or popping them.  Most of the kids had dressed up. Offspring #1 and I dressed up too but most parents didn't. In the hallways there was a cafeteria room where they offered popcorn, pretzels and goldfish crackers plus water to drink. In another room 8 volunteers applied temporary tattoos or face paint. My grandgirls found friends to hang with and we didn't see them most of the night. They were wearing floor length dressed and lipstick. We were there for an hour but that was more than enough time for me.

Hiking South

Today I drove to the Appalachian trailhead on Trindle Road and hiked 2 miles south instead of north. I hesitated to hike south last time because I could hear gun shots to the south. I heard them again today. There must be a gun range around here. Today was a beautiful day for a hike in the woods. The temperature got up to 51 degrees and the breeze was slight.

After a while I came to a style. I love stiles. But then I was in a field surrounded by electric fence. No animals were inside the fence.

Soon I came to another stile. After a five minute walk to the end of my journey I turned around came back the same way. I climbed over four stiles in one day-a new record.