"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Sunday Salon: June 12, 2016

GKHS has been pranked. Senior prank 2016

Weather: fine. A few greyish clouds are floating by but it looks like work-in-the-yard weather, not too hot, not too cold.

History Made: This week, for the first time in America's history we have nominated a female candidate from one of the two major political parties to be President of the United States. Finally! history is being made. If you haven't see this video, I recommend it. It is very inspiring.


Praying for Orlando, Florida, for the families of all the victims of terror and gun violence: This wasn't a good weekend for Orlando. Friday night Christina Grimmie, a young musician and a one-time contestant on The Voice, was gunned down by some guy (a spurned fan?) and Sunday morning over 100 people were killed or wounded in a domestic terrorism attack on people partying in a gay club. My heart is breaking.

Elizabeth Warren explains the importance of the Judiciary branch and how Donald Trump and the Republican party are trying to mess with it.  This is long (30 minutes) but is is very revealing. I don't usually use this blog as a spot for politics but this week with Trump calling a decision made by a Federal Judge to be erroneous because the judge is a Mexican (he's not), made my blood boil. Click the link here, but please open in a new tab.

We've been pranked: the school year is coming to an end (six more days) and you know what that means: senior pranks. This year the senior class outdid themselves. They booby trapped the whole school with saran wrap, balloons, and crepe paper. It was hilarious.  They just stood around watching everyone try to figure out how to get up the stairs or down the halls.  Good job Class of 2016. You got us! See photos.  
The main staircase is blocked with saran wrap and balloons
Crepe Paper and Saran Warp block off part of the Commons
Even the hallways were criss-crossed with crepe paper. 2016 prank.

We didn't really need this sign. We knew who had pranked us.

Books currently reading:
  • West With the Night by Beryl Markham---a memoir of a fascinating, eccentric woman who was a contemporary of Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton of Out of Africa fame.
  • The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner---a YA audiobook. The story revolves around three teens, one, Dill, has a father who preaches in a church which dances with poisonous snakes. It is an odd topic I've never read about before.55%
  • The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge---another YA novel, this one is a mystery set in the late 1800s. 40%.
Finished reading this week:
  • Circling the Sun by Paula McLain...a book club selection and a novelized memoir of Beryl Markham (See note above about West with the Night.) This book has become my new obsession. Read my review here.
Pressure washing the deck:  Yesterday Don and I pressure washed half of our back deck. It is made of that recycled material called Trex. It isn't the world's best product for the Northwest since it does it discolored and allows moss to grow on it.  My job was to brush the cleaner before Don power washed it.  Then I would follow behind him using a paint scraper to get up the moss and lichen which had grown between the slats. It was a very wet winter as Don kept reminding me.

A quirky reading habit: yesterday on this blog I identified a quirky reading habit of mine. Do you have any quirky reading habits yourself? Check out that blog post, here.

Scones: We decided to have brunch after church but had to deal with the foodstuffs we had on hand. We dug out this old scone recipe book. I think the last time it was used was 1997. Carly selected and made the most delicious scones I've ever had, Classic Cream Scones.


My thoughts and prayers are in Orlando right now.


16 comments:

  1. The last I read there were 50 dead and 50 more injured. Did all of them die? I'm just so very disheartened by all of this, and the fact that nothing will probably change. If it didn't after Sandy Hook, it certainly won't now. I love circling the sun, and it also made me fascinated by Beryl. Let me know what you think of her book! Hemingway liked it.

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    1. Thanks for the correction. I heard 50 killed and 50+ wounded...I will correct my statement. Thanks.

      I will let you know about West With the Night. So far, so good.

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  2. I couldn't see the link for the Elizabeth Warren video? I wouldn't mind seeing it :) I, for one, am glad to be voting for Hillary this fall and not that other guy. Off to read your post on quirky reading habits.

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    1. For some weird reason the link wouldn't stick. I have reapplied the link and it should work now. Do take the time to listen. It explains a lot.

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  3. Great video! I hope that Hillary beats that entitled creature on the other side.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. I am so inspired by the video and the fact that we have our first female candidate for President.

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  4. I'm out in the desert of New Mexico and so I missed hearing about the shootings in Orlando. I can't understand violence like this.

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    1. I was on a news blackout, too, and didn't hear about it until the middle of the church service. So tragic.

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  5. Enjoyed both the videos. My heart is a mess with the Orlando shootings and the hate and more hate responses. Funny post on the quirky habit! :) Any book someone describes as a 'new obsession' would certainly be worth a look!!

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    1. Yes, Do look at Circling the Sun. I too am totally sad and mad about the tragic events in Orlando.

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  6. That balloon / saran wrap photo is priceless. I'd like to see them all released. I'm a fan of Beryl Markham's and liked both those books! The news today was just terrible.

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    1. I've been an educator for 35+ years and this was funniest prank of them all.

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  7. Haha! I love the senior prank and miss seeing those days since moving to middle school. A few years ago, our seniors let loose live chickens in the commons area/cafeteria. To watch the administrators and resource officers chase those chickens...it shouldn't have been funny, but it was hilarious. THIS with the balloons and plastic wrap top those chickens!

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    1. Ho-ho. Chickens. That is a good one. I bet it did look really funny. The lest part of our balloons and saran wrap barriers was the whole school was effected.

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  8. Ah, that's a fun senior prank! I wish we had students like that, but our group this past year wasn't much into anything fun like that. So sorry you've got a little longer to go with school. We finished the week before Memorial Day, but then school starts back up like the second week of August, so that's coming soon. I'll be interested to see what you think about The Serpent King, it ended up being a lot different than what I thought going into it. Have a great week!

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    1. I confess I am kind of into The Serpent King in a weird way.

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