Sunday Salon....September 23

Ian, one, with his great-grandpa, ninety. Birthday Buddies.

Weather: Cool temperatures but sunny skies. The leaves are starting to turn on the trees and our Mountain Ash tree has started to drop its leaves (it is usually our first tree to do so.)

90 and 1: Last weekend we were in Oregon helping celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday and my grandson's first birthday. Highlights were that all of my sibs and their spouses gathered, both of my daughters and a niece and nephew, along with their families, also attended the weekend full of activities. // My youngest sister read out the list of 90 reasons she is grateful for our Dad. She said it was an incredible experience creating the list and living inside gratitude for the length of time it took to make the list. // Ian, the one-year-old, was his magnanimous self. Even though he was tired from not taking his normal afternoon nap, he still smiled through all the traditional birthday activities, even playing with his new toys as he opened them. (See photo above of the two birthday boys.)

2008: This past week I was leafing through a magazine I found in a basket in the bathroom just in case someone needs reading material. One of the topics didn't seem too relevant so I searched for the publication date. 2008. I have a ten-year-old magazine out for reading material. For goodness sake. Ach.

Peace Sunday: Today is Peace Sunday on the church calendar. Here are the words to one of the hymns we sang. I cried thinking about the state of affairs in our nations today. I hope the lyrics to this hymn touch your heart today. Peace!

"This is My Song" (Finlandia tune)

This is my song, O God of all nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is,

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine.

But other hearts in other lands are beating,

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, Thou God of all nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Currently reading:

• Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward. I am reading this book incredibly slowly because it bothers me so much. E-book, 11%.
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amar Towles. Several friends have recommended this book about a Count who is on house arrest in a hotel in Russia for years. Though his world is small, he lives his life with dignity and respect. Audiobook, 51%.
• She Walks in Beauty edited by Caroline Kennedy. Poems selected by Ms. Kennedy. Print, 9%.

Books completed the past two weeks:

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. I finally finished this 500+ page tome which was so dense and difficult. Points for finishing it, right? Do I recommend it? No. (Print and audio.)
• The King Years by Taylor Branch. Essays about the Civil Rights movement. I've been working on this collection sine April. Done. Phew! (Print.)
• Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover. Wow, what a story and such a unique voice in the author. This is for an upcoming book club and I am sure we will have a big discussion. (Audio.)
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nimerofsky. A classic set in France during the early days of WWII. The author, born a Jew, was eventually killed during the holocaust. (Audio.)
• Spooked: How the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow. We've heard the story about this radio spoof and the effect it had on society. This book clears up some misconceptions. (Print.)
• The Friendly Jane Austen: A Well-Mannered Introduction to a Lady of Sense and Sensibility by Natalie Tyler. (Print.)
• My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, et al. A spoof, including ghosts, of Jane Eyre. Fun. (Print.)

Update on TBR Challenge: This past week I participated in a reading challenge designed to knock a few books off the To Be Read (TBR) pile. Here is how I did:

• Total books completed: 3 (The Name of the Rose; The King Years; My Plain Jane)
• Total pages read: 881 (Which includes pages from all six books I worked on during the week.)

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