Saint Peter

This weekend the MN Master Naturalist conference is at Gustavus Adolphus College. The campus is very attractive. I enjoyed seeing people that I usually see once a year. Dinner was great. We had caeser salad, wild rice, green beans, bread and butter. For protein they had steak and salmon. I had a Gardien patty that looked and tasted like chicken. I even brought it back to the kitchen to ask and they assured me it was vegetarian. I thought it tasted like chicken. But what do I know? I haven't had chicken for 40 years. For dessert they had chocolate cake, cheese cake and carrot cake. Tomorrow I am scheduled to go bird watching at 7 a.m. I hope I can get up that early.

 

 

Braver Than You Think

Braver Than You Think was written by Maggie Downs. This book is a mixture of a travel adventure story and a memoir about grief. Maggie's mother has Alzheimer disease and no longer recognizes her. This is hard for Maggie so she handles it by going on a year long adventure. Her adventure starts by hiking to Machu Picchu. From there she travels through Peru and Bolivia and South Africa. She doesn't have much money so she sleeps in hostels or tents most of the trip. She volunteers at an ape rescue place where she gets attacked and bitten by an ape. Then it's on to Uganda where she thinks she will be volunteering to plant rice or possibly teach English to children. Instead she anchors a radio show for several weeks. Volunteering is another way for her to travel cheaply. Along the way she runs into a few dicey situations. Some people try to take advantage of a woman traveling alone. The author rationalizes her trip by the fact her mother wanted to travel to most of these places but never did. I enjoyed the travel parts of the story. Regarding the grief I thought the author was a bit selfish. 

 

 

In The Time Of Butterflies

 Julia Alverez is the author of In The Time Of Butterflies. This is a historical fiction novel based on the murder of three sisters in the Dominican Republic in 1960. The dictator at the time was Rafael Trujillo. Every house in the nation had to have his picture on display. The story starts when the four sisters are young and living with their parents on a cocoa farm. The farm is prosperous. Trujillo, also known as "El Jefe", ruled from 1930 until 1961. The daughters grew up and got married. Some of their husbands were in the opposition party. One sister and her husband refused to get involved in politics. In the end, she was the only sister who survived. This was a heartbreaking tale due in part because of the excellent writing but also because it really happened.

 

 

The Bear And The Nightingale

 In the fiction novel The Bear And The Nightingale, the bear is not really a bear and the nightingale is not really a nightingale. Katherine Arden is the author of the novel, the first of three in a trilogy. Set in Russia during Medieval times the heroine of the story is Vasilisa. Her name is spelled several different ways but she is the daughter of Petrov. Her mother died soon after she was born. Her mother had special powers and Vasilisa has them too. She can see mythical creatures and communicate with them. One year Petrov goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife, Anna. Anna can also see mythical creatures but she is frightened of them and clings to a rigid faith. She spends much time in the church because the creatures don't go in the church. Russian fairy tales are much darker than Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. The fairy tales in this book are not suitable for young readers. I am not sure that I will read the rest of this trilogy.

 

 

Joy For Beginners

 Erica Bauermeister is the author of the fiction novel called Joy For Beginners.  At a posh dinner party in Seattle, five friends gather to celebrate Kate's recovery from breast cancer. To celebrate her achievement Kate decides to take a camping trip down the Grand Canyon. She urges her friends to do something out of their comfort zone. She offers to choose their "out of the comfort zone" action for them. For one, it's to get a tattoo. For another, it's  not to care whether her mother disapproves of her anymore. For another it's to get rid of her ex-husband's stuff in her house. For another it's to landscape her yard. I know this sounds like Kate must be some kind of controlling freak but she's really not. It's a delightful book written for women.

 

 

Lawn Boy

 Lawn Boy is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Jonathan Evision. Set in Wahington state, a young man named Mike Monuz, just a couple years out of high school, lives with his mother and his older brother with behavioral problems. He works for a landscaping crew run by a cheating boss. His specialty is carving plants and hedges into topiaries. He has artistic talent. His truck breaks down. His lawnmower gets stolen. Nothing is going right for him and he knows he has to shake things up. Seems like he can't get one foot on the ladder to success. Slowly things start to change for him. With another landscaper he starts their own landscaping business and they run it honestly. This book is a cute coming of age story about a kid who keeps on trying.

 

 

The Sugar Queen

Sarah Addison Allen is the author of The Sugar Queen. This novel is set in the south in contemporary times. The main character, Josey, is 27 and lives at home with her hyper critical mother. Her mother is never satisfied no matter how hard Josey tries. Josey keeps a closet full of sweets which she sneaks in after her mother has gone to bed. One day she is surprised to see a woman in her closet. Della is a local waitress who climbed in Josey's window during the night. Della gives Josey advice. Although Josey is angry with Della she takes some of her advice and starts branching out into the world instead of focusing on her mother. I didn't like that there was some magic in the book but the story was compelling.

 

 

 

 

Endangered Ancient Snails

Yesterday I attended a showing of a movie put on by a non-profit organization called Sustainable Driftless. The name of the movie was Spirit Of The Driftless; Preserving Our Legacy. Driftless refers to a landscape from Hastings, MN to south of Dubuque, Iowa, including parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, that wasn't covered by the latest glacier. I watched the movie with 40 other people at a local lodge. The movie talks about the unique and beautiful landscape that is the driftless region. Here we have unique land forms. One speaker told us about endangered ancient snails. Their first record of them was in fossils. But then one live snail was found in Iowa. They kept looking and eventually found 37 groups of these rare snails. The snails, about as big as your pinky fingernail, are found on the north facing slopes. Here the rocky ledges of limestone, marble, and gypsum break apart and fall down the bluff piling up on itself. This is the karst region. When a sinkhole forms in the flat land on top of the bluff, moisture and air gather in the sinkhole. In winter ice forms in big sheaths. In summer the ice recedes but does not disappear keeping the area cool. That is where these Iowa Pleistocene snails live. They like it cold. They like this rare habitat. Not all 37 of the snails habitats are protected by the Driftless Area National Refuge but 21 are.  I thought it was bizarre to first learn about a creature by studying fossils and then finding a live one.

 

 

If The Creek Don't Rise

 If The Creek Don't Rise is an historical fiction book set in North Carolina. The author is Leah Weiss. Characters are introduced by chapters as they tell their side of the story. The first character is Sadie, a young pregnant bride who is being abused by her husband of just a few months. The second is Gladys who is Sadie's grandmother. Gladys acts angry at Sadie for marrying Roy against her advice. Next is the pastor, Eli, who hires a new teacher for the town school. Next is his angry, spiteful little sister who hates change of any kind. Next is Kate, the teacher who is hired by Eli. This is an honest and gritty tale that does have some hopeful moments.

 

 

Sisterland

 I always thought Curtis was a boy's name but Curtis Sittenfeld is the female author of Sisterland. Twins Violet and Kate are middle aged and living in Saint Louis, Missouri with their father. As youngsters they both had a special sense. Kate tried to downplay her special sense. Violet embraced her talents and made money as a psychic. While Kate is trying to raise her two young children Violet predicts an earthquake will shake Saint Louis on October 16th. While reading about the two sisters was interesting I thought the book was too detailed and overly long.

 

 

 

Moon Of The Crusted Snow

 Waubgeshig Rice is the author of Moon Of The Crusted Snow. Do you know crusted snow? Where the icy layer of somewhat firm and the powdery snow is underneath. I once walked through a field of crusted snow with bare legs and cam out with tiny cuts bleeding down my leg. Would have been smarter to stick to the streets. In this dystopian novel the author writes about an Anishanaabi group in northern Canada. Some members of the group stick to the old ways of speaking the language and hunting for moose and deer and geese to eat. Others prefer playing video games. One day, before Thanksgiviing, the internet and cell phone and electricity go out in the area. Food supply dwindles. Band leadership tries hard but eventually looses control over the community. A skeezy white guy moves in to help or so he says. The author grew up north of Toronto and wrote a very moving yet horrible story about a fictional community struggling to survive.

 

 

Furiously Happy; A Funny Book About Horrible Things

Jenny Watson is the author of Furiously Happy; A Funny Book About Horrible Things. Jenny is quite open about her mental health. She has labels like anxiety, depression, and ADD. Her mother said she is just quirky and quirky is the right word.  ADD is very apparent in her writing. Sometimes she writes discussions she has with her husband. He is loving and tolerant. I have worked with people who have untreated ADD and I find it to be a real struggle. Also, her dad is a taxidermist. She is into taxidermy which is the reason the stuffed, furiously happy raccoon is on the cover.  She actually owns 2 stuffed raccoons and one bear head. This book is not for everyone. I enjoyed it but was not disappointed to come to the ending.

 

 

Happy May Day

 Today I attended the Winona Indivisible rally at Windom Park. Part of the reason I went is because they had a maypole. I always wanted to try a maypole. Unfortunately I walked .7 miles to get there and left my phone at home. I didn't have time to walk and come back. So I got no pictures of the maypole. I did do the maypole with another guy. Was it fun?  Yes, it was fun until the final three trips around the maypole when dizziness set in. I think I looked inebriated. They had a food drive for immigrants. A couple people running for office spoke. Another lady spoke who wasn't running for office and she was the best speaker. She was a teacher at Winona High School for many years. She became a union representative. She was part of the negotiation team. Once a group of Winona business men asked to meet with the negotiation team. All of the business owners were millionaires. All the negotiators salaries combined did not reach even one of those guy's salary. This happened when Tim Pawlenty was in office. Pawlenty liked slashing budgets and taxes. The negotiation they were working on was a two year negotiation. The businessmen asked the negotiators to stop asking for an increase in salary for two years. None of the businessmen were willing not to get a salary increase for two years. Anyway, the teachers got their salary increase with the help of the negotiators. I think there were about 100 people in attendance. I saw people of all ages. They had a drumming circle of 7 drummers which was fun to hear. They had popcorn and apples and candy. This was a good night. Here is one photo I snagged off their FB page.

 

 

A Spot Of Bother

Mark Haddon wrote A Spot Of Bother. He also wrote The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time which I really loved. This book is good but not as good as the other one. The story revolves around a family living in London. George Hall is the father and a bit of a hypochondriac. The story is told from his view. He gets a bit of eczema on his thigh and totally freaks out. His wife is busy planning a wedding for her daughter, Katie, who is set to marry Ray. She is a single mother and really has no filter. She is quick to judge and quick to anger. George and his wife also have a son who is gay and just lost his best relationship through his own fault. George's anxiety builds up before the wedding. His panic attacks are coming fast and furious. By the morning of the wedding George has decided that giving a father of the bride speech is more than he can handle so he takes off walking. If this book were turned into a movie it would be slap stick comedy. 

 

 

A Family Matter

Claire Lynch is the author of the fiction book called A Family Matter. This book is about a broken family. This heart breaking story explores the social differences between the world of today and the world of 1980. A young mother has a daughter with her husband. When the girl is four the stay at home mother falls for another woman. The mother follows her heart. The husband has the law on his side. He raises the girl telling her her mother didn't want her anymore. This wasn't true. She asked for custody but the judge gave it to the father. The girl grew up to have children of her own. Only when his father was on his deathbed did he confess that he was the one who kept her from seeing her mother. The book was written beautifully.  

 

 

The Price Of Honey

Meg Waite Clayton is the author of the fiction book The Price Of Honey. Five young mothers start meeting at the park while their toddlers play at the playground. Frankie, Linda, Kath, Brett and Allie becomes friends and mentors to each other. The year is 1967 and the park is in Palo Alto, California.  They all share a love of literature. One is athletic, one is shy and secretive, one wears white gloves every day, one is brusk. Both moving and comedic, this story about female loyalty was a pleasure to read. 

 

 

The Lotus Shoes

The Lotus Shoes was written by Jane Vang. She writes about two girls. One of the girls is a servant and one is a member of a wealthy family. Although she is a servant Little Flower's mother decides to bind her feet to improve her status. Li Jing, the girl Little Flower is sold to be her maid does not have bound feet. Her father decides against bound feet because he does business with foreigners who do not approve of bound feet. Li Jing forces Little Flower to unbind her feet because she is jealous. When the fortune of Li Jing's family burns and crashes Li Jing and Little Flower must fend for themselves. At times the two girls are rivals and tentative friends. Little Flower grows up to be less of a push over. Li Jing grows up to be less cruel.

 

  

How To Be A Good Creature

I listened to How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir Of Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery. The author talks about some of her many pets. She is also a scientific traveler to many countries for research work. She once had a pig named Christopher Hogwood. Two teenage girls would come to her house to give her pig their own special spa treatment. The pig enjoyed the warm baths and attention. She gets quite emotional when her pets die. She even mentioned suicidal thoughts after the death of a favorite dog. The author is definitely an animal lover. 

 

 

 

 

Best To Laugh

 I saw Best To Laugh on the shelf at the library and I thought to myself, "Here is a Lorna Landvik book you haven't read yet. This book is about a girl growing up with her Grandmother in Minneapolis. Her Korean born mother died at a young age. Her father was depressed by her death and he died when she was in high school so Candy Pekkala relies on her Grandmother. As a child Candy and her Grandmother watched the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. During commercials Candy would imitate Carson and the guests to her Grandmother's delight. Candy is a little lost after finishing college. When her cousin calls and asks her to sublet her Hollywood apartment while she works as an entertainer on a cruise line Candy agrees to go. She moves into the apartment building and decides to make friends by asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Candy loves to bake and her neighbors appreciate her yellow cake with fudge frosting. She gets a job at a record production agency as a temp. Her biggest ambition in life is to do stand-up comedy. When she finally faces her fears she finds out that eventually she is quite good at it. Her special talent is handling hecklers. If she has a heckler, she is bound to do well on stage. She takes the stage name Candy Ohi (yes, like the county in western Minnesota). The book is a hoot and I did laugh at this description or Lorna's years living in Hollywood.

 

 

Sugar, Salt, Fat

I just finished reading a non-fiction book called Sugar, Salt, Fat: How The Food Giants Hooked Us. The author is Michael Moss. His book was a best seller in 2013 so it is a bit outdated but the topic is still relevant. He writes about Coke and Pepsi, Kraft, Nestle, Capri Sun, Frito-Lay, and Cargill among others. These companies had techniques to find out bliss points. They know the exact amount of sugar, salt, and fat it takes to keep you coming back for more. These processed foods lead us to be a nation beset with obesity and heart problems. As I read along I was proud of myself for never buying a Lunchable for my children. Those meals are terrible for kids. The book is long at almost 1900 pages but the last 300 pages are references. Some of the CEO's of heavily processed food or drinks feel remorse about their work and they refrain from the products they produced for their own health reasons. The book was certainly an eye opener for me.