Chickadee Cleaning

 Today was cleaning day in my household. I did two loads of laundry and set them on the deck to dry in the sun. I shook out all the throw rugs. I hung my quilts over the railing to air out. I swept and mopped the floors and dusted. I noticed a black capped chickadee was helping me out by picking hairs or fibers out of my star rug. Maybe this bird was building a nest. In any case, I appreciated the extra fine cleaning by an unpaid passerine passing by. Perhaps this is my thanks for all the suet and black sun flower seeds I put out for them.

Dandelions For Breakfast

 

I was given a delicious Mother's Day brunch this year. To start with we had coffee that was freshly ground and made in a French Press. This coffee had five times the caffeine than the coffee I usually drink at home. I could feel the surge of caffeine surge through my veins and enter my eye balls. I was zinging. We had a bowl of food. At the bottom was hash brown potatoes with peppers. On top of that was a vegie stir fry with onions, green pepper, garlic and tomatoes. On top of that was sautéed dandelions leaves with onions, lemon pepper, salt, and balsamic vinegar.  On top of that were slices of marinated tempeh with liquid smoke and other ingredients to taste like bacon. There was hot sauce on the side. This was a delicious breakfast. I haven't eaten dandelion leaves since my Grandmother made them for me. I think she sautéed hers with onions and bacon and vinegar. I consider myself lucky in that both of my offspring are better cooks than I.

Before We Were Yours

 Lisa Wingate wrote the historical fiction Before We Were Yours. I was unaware of Georgia Tann, the infamous child trafficker of Tennessee. Georgia worked for the Tennessee Children's Home Society. Once appointed head of the agency she began the black market sale of children in 1924. She took children from families under false pretenses. She would go to hospitals and have parents sign away their rights while the mothers were still under sedation. She targeted children with blonde hair and green or blue eyes. Tennessee had a law written to avoid the black market sale of children saying the state would pay only $7 per adoption. Georgia sold most of her children to rich families in New York or California. The actress Joan Crawford adopted two children from the Tennessee Children's Home Society. She had such a thriving business she resorted to stealing children who were walking home from school. Some mothers who had just given birth were told their babies died when actually they were taken by Georgia Tann. Georgia was able to bribe a local judge and law enforcement to help conceal her crimes. She lived a lavish life style while the children in her homes were malnourished and abused. Sometimes she extorted more money from the adoptive parents by claiming the real parents wanted the children back. Georgia Tann was finally busted in 1950 and she died of uterine cancer before she could be sentenced. This novel takes an example of a family whose children were taken. Five siblings live on a houseboat tethered near Memphis. When the mother labors with twins, the father takes her to the hospital. While there the mother is told her twins have died. When the parents get back to their houseboat their older five children are gone. The Tennessee took seven children from these poor parents. Most of the story is told from Rill's point of view. Rill is the eldest of the seven siblings and although none of this is her fault, she feels guilty for not doing more to keep her family together. This was a really good book.

The Stoic Challenge

 Today I read The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide To Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient. This is a pretty short book and is easily read in a day. Considering it is about philosophy, it was easy to read. The author uses real life examples to illustrate his point. One time I read a quote that said "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." That quote struck me as a truth I hadn't considered before and this book underscores that point. Everybody has obstacles and set backs. How we respond to those setbacks is a choice we can control. We can get angry but does that help the situation? Is angry a pleasant feeling? Why not avoid feeling angry and instead concentrate on more pleasant emotions like joy and amazement? William B. Irvine suggests that setbacks are an essential part of life. Without setbacks, there would be no way to appreciate when things go according to plan. Without setbacks, we wouldn't be able to practice our problem solving skills on small problems before bigger problems come our way. This author suggests that when faced with a setback, imagine the (imaginary) God of the stoics giving us a necessary lesson. He also suggests that once the setback is over, go back over the situation in your mind and grade yourself on your performance. I thought this was a good book. Time will tell if it makes my life any easier.

Then She Was Gone

 In Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, Ellie is the main character. Ellie is 15. She lives in northern London with her parents, brother and sister. She has a boyfriend and is getting ready to study for some big examinations. She is a good student, happy, and her mother's favorite child. One Saturday she leaves home to go to the library. Before she leaves she asks her mother to save the lasagna leftovers for her for lunch. Her mother promises to do that. Ellie doesn't come home for lunch. Ellie never comes home again. What happened to Ellie on that Saturday is revealed slowly and in pieces. Some parts of it are hinted at. Her disappearance is reported to the police.  Elllie never made it to the library. Local cameras show her walking toward the library. Appeals are made on television shows. Police search the neighborhoods. Eventually the police theorize that Ellie ran away. Ellie's family never believe that theory. If you read the book you will find out what happened to Ellie. This was a very bizarre story that I don't want to reveal here. I was feeling pretty bad for Ellie and had to remind myself that this is fiction so I think that proves this was a great book.

May The Road Rise Up To Meet You

 May The Road Rise Up To Meet You is the beginning of an Irish prayer and it is also the title of a historical fiction novel by Peter Troy. The book has the point of view of four people. At first the four people seemed so totally different and random I couldn't see how they could possibly come together. Ethan MacOwen is a boy in Ireland during the potato famine. His beloved sister has just died of the famine. His Dad and other brother have already emigrated to New York. Ethan, his mother and his Aunt are getting ready for their journey. Ethan meets a black man on the ship who takes him under his wing and saves his life. Marcella is a girl in Spain living with her brothers and Grandmother. When her father arrives to take them to live in New York City, Marcella is sad to leave. She isn't happy living as a socialite and being brought out to meet suitors chosen by her father. Micah is a boy learning how to be a carpenter from his father. Micah and his family are slaves in Virginia. When the plantation comes upon hard times, Micah and his father are sold for cash to keep the place going. Micah goes east and his father goes west. Mary is also a slave living with Gertie and learning how to sew and embroider clothes. Mary is also sold. As she stands on the auction block she sees a white family with a little girl. The girl has beautiful clothes and a green and yellow hat. The girl asks that her parents buy Mary so she can have a friend to play with. Mary and Justiana do become friends. As the tutor schools Justiana in French and math, Mary learns beside her. Eventually Mary's skills as a seamstress are noticed and she is put to work in the family store as a dressmaker. Since Mary can speak French, her dresses sell for more money. Ethan, Marcella, Micah, and Mary are all living in the time before and during and after the Civil War. The story of how they end up meeting each other is a fascinating tale. The characters are very well developed. Reading the dialects (Irish brogue, Spanish, and the deep South drawl) takes some getting used to. This was a wonderful story.

Grand Lake Trail

 Usually I get my exercise in by walking around town. Today I monitored by streams north of Duluth near Fredenburg (on the Cloquet River) and Grand Lake Township (on the Us-kab-wan-ka River). Both streams have very clear water today and the water temperature is 45 degrees. On the Cloquet river I see six Canadian geese, a pair of Trumpeter swans, and a bald eagle. After putting all my monitoring equipment back in my car and grabbing my rain coat, I decided to take a walk on the dirt road I was on. Unlike walking in town, there is absolutely no traffic and no gorgeous view of Lake Superior. The road is blocked by an iron gate that is padlocked shut. Four wheeled vehicles have made a path around the gate. I walked on the road for 20 minutes until I saw a snowmobile trail called the Grand Lake Trail. I took that for another 20 minutes until it ended at another dirt road. Then I took that road for another 20 minutes. Some of this area has been recently forested. Pines have been planted and each one has paper stapled to the top to prevent the deer from munching them down. I walked past a couple of swampy ponds where chorus frogs were singing their sexy songs. When I get real close to the pond the frogs suddenly stop singing. What are they thinking? Do they worry I will overhear them and tell others? Do they think I will find them and catch them? Marsh marigolds were in bloom. I keep walking on and the frogs so back to singing. Twice I hear ruffed grouse drumming nearby. I find some scat on the path. The scat has a lot of hair in it so this must be from a predator. I find some tracks (see above). Could they be from a wolf or a coyote? A light rain falls and I am glad I brought my rain coat. Unlike last Saturday when the temperature was 80 degrees, today it barely reaches 50. I make it back to my car after a two hour walk feeling exercised and fully bathed in nature.