Sunday Salon, October 8, 2017

Depoe Bay, Oregon. September 2015. The world's smallest navigable harbor.

Weather: Fall-like, our backyard is littered with leaves from our Mountain Ash tree. Friday was an incredibly windy day.

Daniel Ellsberg: I attended a lecture at the University of Puget Sound on Thursday evening with my friend, Jan. We had hoped to hear him talk about his decision to release the papers, which became known as the Pentagon Papers, and led to end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg, 86, had other stuff on his mind. He spent nearly the whole evening talking about the H-bomb and the horrible, terrifying impact it will have on the whole world if we engage in a nuclear war. Jan and I sat in stunned silence. Our President is so unstable it is very possible that he thinks a nuclear war with North Korea is a good idea. God help us all.

60 for my 60th: I am nearing the end of my challenge to connect with 60 friends for my 60th year. I will count my evening spent with Jan, I'm sure she won't mind. Thanks for going with me, Jan. As horrifying was the information we learned, I did enjoy the time spent with you! Friday, I spent nearly three hours with a long-time friend and the sister of my best friend from Corvallis, Julie. Julie and I have so much in common so we had lots to talk about. Thanks for the coffee and the delicious banana brownies! Tomorrow I head to Port Hadlock, about two hours from here, to visit a friend, Mary Jo, from high school days. I am really looking forward to seeing her. Thank you, also, Sharon. Even though we've already had our 60 for 60th moment, I sure enjoyed the wine, cheese, and conversation.

Grandson: I only visited with my grandson one day this week and he has already grown so much. If I manage to stay away another week (unlikely) we will be practically grown up when I see him next!

Faith in Action: This is the week our church members participate in any of twelve charity efforts instead of going to church, we are being The church in our community. Don spent yesterday building furniture NW Furniture Bank for an organization that makes furniture available for people coming off of homelessness who have nothing. I spent the day hunched over my old sewing machine making items which will be sent to Days for Girls, an organization which makes reusable hygiene products for girls in Africa where taboos don't allow women to properly care for themselves during their menstrual cycles. I am not a very accomplished seamstress but I was able to make a portion of the little bags which are used to hold all the component pieces given to the girls. See Days for Girls website for more information.

Cybils Judging: I started reading books for my judging job of MS/HS Nonfiction titles this week.

• The Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human by Kay Frydenborg. Interesting compilation of research of our relationship with dogs. Well-written, and wonderful color photographs make this attractive to teen readers. Click the hyperlink for my review.
• Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America by Teri Kanefield. The target audience is middle grade readers. Chalk-full of interesting information about this famous American, the first Secretary of the Treasury and the prime author of the Federalist Papers. Though well-done, the book is short on illustrations or photos. It is therefore not very visually-appealing.
• Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough.  73% complete. It has been an interesting contrast reading the two books right next to the other in time. This book is filled with illustrations from historical documents and though it is over 100 pages longer, it is more readable that the first book I read. It also has a tremendous and helpful epilogue. The target audience for this book is high school students.

The only other book I finished this week was a reread of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The book absolutely cracks me up and I loved the audiobook read by Stephen Fry. What a talent! This time I became aware of quite a few quotes that made me think of President Trump...and not in a good way.

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”  (Made me think about Trump's comments about Puerto Rico being in the middle of a big ocean.)

It is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. (This quote doesn't need an explanation.Ha!) 

Currently reading: 

• Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough. See note above. (Print, 73%)
• The Beatles: All Our Yesterdays by Jason Quinn. Graphic biography. (Print, 27%)
• The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White. Plodding along. (Print, 73%)
• Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart. YA psychological thriller. (Audio CDs, 50%)
• You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins. Historical, cultural YA. (E-Audio, 20%)

Books in the wings: I have four books in a pile right next to me waiting for their turn, and six on hold at the library waiting for me to pick up. It is obvious that retirement as a librarian does not mean retiring from reading for me.

Don’t Panic.