Sunday Salon, April 8

Glass art by Dale Chihuly at the Tacoma Art Museum

Weather: Rainy, with a bit of extra wind. We seem to have developed two "ponds" and a "creek" in our backyard overnight to accommodate the extra water.

Easter: Last Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of Christ in a festive worship service at church then enjoyed a brunch with family at our home afterwards: a cousin's daughter, a niece and her husband, our daughter, grandson, and son-in-law joined us for the day. We feel so blessed.

Today is called Low Sunday: Last year I attended my parent's church the week after Easter when the pastor explained why the service was filled with comics and jokes. It was a fun, new church experience for me. So today, remembering last year, I did a bit of research to find out why it is called Low Sunday and discovered "from a poor translation of the Latin name, Dominica in deponendis." Of course this means nothing to me, so I will drop it.

My prayer for the day (week, month, year): "Lord, please break my heart for the things that break your heart."

Dr. Seuss Thing 1 &2. Guess this makes Ian Thing 3.

The week before Easter both of my sisters were here: We hosted a brunch on Sunday, then on Monday, Kathy, Grace (and her hubby), and I explored the funky part of Seattle near where Grace's daughter and son-in-law live. We crawled on the troll under the Aurora Bridge, visited the statue of Lenin and cold war era rocket, and went on a tour of Theo's chocolate factory. Fun!

Spring Break: This past week was Spring break for my daughter, a teacher, so I had a break from babysitting, though I did see my grandson several times. Don took the day off Wednesday so we spent the day doing something special. We started the day at the gym (Don on the machines, me in water aerobics); next we went to see the new exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum on immigrant art; followed by lunch at The Red Hot, where I had a Hound Dog (hot dog with peanut butter!); and then on to a movie at our favorite indie theater and saw "The Death of Stalin", which was supposed to be a tragi-comedy but I didn't think it was very funny.

A week of reading and blogging: The weather hasn't been fine so I've spent a lot of time inside reading and attempting to catch up on my blog reviews. The problem, of course, is the more I read, the more reviews I needs to write.

Here is a list of the books I have finished the last two weeks (click on hyperlinks for reviews):

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline---a reread for me, I listened to the audiobook here in Washington State, while Carly was listening to it in New York. We compared notes afterwards. Now I am ready to see the movie.
• Kindred by Octavia Butler---my Classics Club Spin book, this one involves time travel back to the early days of our country and to witness slavery up close and personal. I recommend it.
• Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Killer by James Swanson---I really liked this YA book and the timing was perfect since this past week was the fiftieth anniversary of this assassination.
• Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, a Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden---I seem to be on a theme of reading books related to slavery and civil rights. In fact, I wrote a blog post about the theme called "Musings and books on slavery, civil rights, and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Books I am currently reading (Don't laugh, I know it is a lot):

Painting by Maria Merian

• The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman---I am really enjoying this book about a phenomenal artist and scientist who lived in the 1600s. The book's target audience is upper elementary or middle schoolstudents, but I think all adults will love it, too. (Print, 34%)
• Devotions: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver---I am delightedly making my way through this tome of a book by my favorite poet. No rush. If I read a few a day, I am doing good. (Print, 46%)
• Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump by Michael Isikoff and David Corn---more political and inflammatory information about the state of our government and world. Frightening and maddening. (Print, 12%)
• Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan---set during WWII, Anna is a civilian diver for the US Navy. (Audio, 57%)
• The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement---essays by Taylor Branch, a civil rights historian. (Print, 20%)
• The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin---I am just one chapter in on this classic fantasy novel, the first in a popular series. (E-book, 8%)

Lovely: Have a listen.