"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=========

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Sunday Salon...'Things are changing fast' edition

'4th of July' climbing rose.
Weather: Who can tell? We had muggy weather last week, Saturday it was windy and overcast. Will we see the sun today?

Books (I thought I'd better add my book notes earlier in my blog-post, since these notes tend to get lost at the bottom of it otherwise):
  • Completed this past week:
    • Citizen: An American Lyric by Laudia Rankine. A poetry book about racism. Of everything I have read so far, this book has impacted me the most at an emotional level. Please read my review by clicking on the hyperlink. Highly recommend. E-book checked out from the public library.
    • Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. My sister recommended this book about elephants and those people who care for them and study them. Has a typical Picoult plot twist near the end that I didn't see coming. E-audiobook checked out from the library.
  • Currently reading:  (Yes I know, this is a ridiculous number of books to be reading at one time!)
    • The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. The prequel to the Hunger Games series. The book is long, at 520 pages, and I've lost interest but I will finish it. 80%, print.
    • Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything by B.J. Fogg. I bought this book months ago, placed it on the bookshelf and forgot about it. It is probably one that should have stayed there for a few more months as I work through other books, but I have started it and I'm interested in how to make these tiny changes of habit, so I read on. 18%, print.
    • Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation by LaTasha Morrison. Don and I are participating in a book study on racial reconciliation through our church. Our small group meets once a week in a Zoom meeting. Last week was our first meeting. The end of each chapter has four to seven discussion questions. 22%, e-book.
    • This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons On How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell. This book is targeted at a YA audience. At the end of each short chapter the reader is instructed to journal or create a list on the topic. 39%, print.  
    • Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad. This is our book club selection for July. The library, which isn't opened yet, offered this book for unlimited e-book checkouts so that all the gals can read it at the same time and not have to wait until a copy comes available. This is another project book requiring journaling and reflection. I am liking this best of three I am currently reading on the similar topic. 18%, e-book.
    • Oona Out of Order by Margarita Mortimer. The blogosphere has been buzzing about this books. So far I am not sure if it is for me but I haven't gotten far. 23%, audiobook.
    • This Train Is Being Held by Ismee Amiel Williams. A YA book which is getting a lot of love these days from reviewers. 7%, e-book.
This week: Don and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary by ordering 'fancy' food from a favorite restaurant and taking a long drive in our convertible. We gave ourselves ceiling fans, one to replace the broken one in the bedroom and the other a new one for the covered deck. Simple pleasures!

Things are changing fast. Black Lives Matter protests are reaping actions faster than some may have thought possible.
  • House passes sweeping Democrat-led police reform bill. (NBC)
  • NASCAR: When they banned confederate flags at their events last week, some fans got pissy. After a noose was found in the garage of the only black driver, Bubba Watson, all the drivers and their teams, along with 82-year-old Richard Petty, escorted Watson and pushed his car to the lead of pit road before the opening of the Talladega Race on Monday. (NASCAR)
  • Mississippi is considering changing their state flag, the only flag to contain the confederate flag within it. I suspect it will make this change with pressure from the SEC (Southeastern Conference) which is a powerhouse in college football, and football is king down South. What the SEC wants, the SEC gets.

  • The Chicks, once the 'Dixie Chicks', are back and their new video is worth the time you took to visit my blog. It is so now and so important.
 
  • And this...it might seem like just a gesture but it is about time that smart black women are rewarded:
  • The US Senate, with bipartisan support, voted to pass The Great American Outdoors Act. It will fund much needed maintenance and repairs on National Parks. (GNN)
  • In a survey, 40% of men said that the COVID-19 lock-down has improved their relationship with their kids, and 60% feel closer to them. (GNN)
  • The House of Representatives passes a bill to approve statehood for D.C. (DailyKos
  • Don't be afraid to 'Virtue Signal', it can be a powerful tool to change people's minds. The whole article is very interesting. I recommend you read it. (Time) In case you don't want to, here is the concluding paragraph:
    • "This clarifies why signaling is so important. Not every person tweeting their support of a righteous cause will follow through. But no matter their motives, when many people speak out, their voices have a powerful effect on receivers. The last few weeks have made it clear that anyone opposed to racial justice is indeed in the minority, and that people who believe Black Lives Matter have plenty of company. Collective outrage has become a social norm; coupled with the leadership of local organizers, it has yielded a phenomenal groundswell of action."
A bit of humor to lighten things up:

Maybe with humor we can finally get people to lighten up and wear masks when they are out in public...

The dust storm is real and a bummer.  






How I am feeling these days:

The required cat photo of the week. 
Where is George? Can you find him?

And finally this week I end my post with a video of the Squirrel Ninja Obstacle Course. The video is 20 minutes long but I loved every minute of it, often laughing out loud. Treat yourself to some coronavirus stay-at-home/stuck-at-home fun and watch the whole thing. I promise you, it is worth the time. Enjoy.

 
 -Anne

25 comments:

  1. A feel good post with lots of humor and great memes. I love the squirrel video; I've watched it several times. (and other videos that he has done) Happy Anniversary to Don and you! From where did you get your dinner?

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    1. We got dinner from Crocketts. I love the Romano Encrusted Chicken.

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  2. Ok. I watched every minute of that squirrel video and it is the best! I am going to make sure my dad watches it because he is constantly trying to outsmart the squirrels in our yard. They win every time.

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    1. I hope your dad gets a new appreciation for the squirrels and their stick-to-it-ness. What fun. I made my hubby watch it last night and he was laughing from the first minute.

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  3. I put Citizen, Am American Lyric on hold and look forward to reading it. And honestly, when I read your comment about a 20 minute squirrel video, I thought to myself, I need a 20 minute squirrel video and meant it. Thanks for your continuing presence despite the pandemic.

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    1. I will return Citizen as soon as I talk Don into reading at least one section of it. Very poignant.

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  4. Wow, 7 books at one time? That's amazing. I have a hard time concentrating on one. LOL Happy Anniversary! I love the mask humor meme. Too funny. I hope you have a great week!

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    1. I know it is crazy and it always seems to happen. I order books from the library and all the holds come in at the same time. This time I am trying to frantically read them all but it requires that I treat them like homework.

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  5. I do love your feel-good post! Is that George's nose I see in the photo?

    I can't stand Devin Nunes and I wish we could kick him out of California! LOL.

    Great cartoons and photos...and bills passed. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. George is in the sink in the bathroom but the photo was taken from my daughter's bedroom, so he seems very far away. I hate Nunes, too, and I'm not from California.

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  6. You really have put an upbeat spin on the current situation of our country. I wish I could be as upbeat as you are. But as your little picture says, it's the Civil War, Spanish Flu, Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, and Watergate all at once. I'm not sure about the Dust Bowl.

    be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Apparently the dust is here from the Sahara. All bad things at once.

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    2. Where do the murder hornets fit in?

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    3. We could add plagues and locusts to the list and put them into the locust category.

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  7. "What the SEC wants, the SEC gets". Haha I think that's true, and I love it. Glad to see change happening (and overdue!). The Ballad of Songbirds- I've been curious about that one but have heard mixed things, so I'm not surprised. And that TIME article I need to go check out...

    Love the Chicks' video!! Had to laugh about the hornets too. :)

    I think I see George- is he sitting in a sink? hahahahah

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    1. I love The Chicks new video. It is so right on and inspiring.

      Yes, George is in the sink looking out.

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  8. Haha, I love that ninja squirrel! I’ve seen Citizen around a lot lately and am considering picking it up. Happy anniversary and have a great week!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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  9. I like the Chicks new video and song. Sounds good to me. Thanks for these. Enjoy your week.

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  10. While I love The Chicks, and this video, I am not sure about the name change to chicks! I mean it's there choice but I wouldn't have chosen that!

    And happy anniversary!

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  11. Citizen was a great read. It went fast in my Little Free Library, too.

    Renaming NASA headquarters may seem small, but it's the small things that each of us can do every day. As Mother Teresa said, "Do not thing that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need to do is love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." I remember this quote when I feel like I'm not doing much to help make things better.

    Your post, as it always is, is a wonderful mix of thoughtful reflection and (desperately needed) humor. Thank you. I had to share the squirrel video with my husband and my dad, both of whom have been waging their own wars against squirrels at the bird feeder.

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  12. Oh I loved this post:)). Thank you so much for that amazing squirrel video - and I love that he dismantled it after a short time so the animals didn't become dependant on him... Have a lovely week and many thanks for all the laughs!

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  13. Happy Anniversary 🥂
    Thanks for sharing all those snippets, I enjoyed learning about such positive changes.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  14. I loved Leaving Time and yes, what a surprise ending. My daughter recommended Me and White Supremacy, she thought it was well done. We watched The Hate U Give yesterday - very powerful movie.

    I loved the squirrel video; I needed the chuckle.

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  15. There is so much going on in the world right now. In the early days of the pandemic there was a meme about SEC football and stay at home orders. I kind of wish they would bring back that meme with cases rising in the south.

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