"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, September 6, 2020

Sunday Salon, September 6th.

The cats, Fred and George, are settling in. George explores the dryer. Fred guards the hallway from the dog. Ready to run up the stairs if danger approaches.
Weather: Overcast this morning but it is supposed to clear up and be bright and beautiful later.

Family news:
  • We drove to Portland yesterday to celebrate the life of my aunt who died recently after a long decline. She was 96 years old. It truly was a celebration of her life. Not too many tears. We held the service at the cemetery while social distancing but were close to each other in hearts.
  • Afterwards we drove to visit a cousin who was recently (February) diagnosed with ALS. She is already on hospice care. It broke our hearts to see her in this diminished state but we were glad we got to see her before the end. Life is so fragile. Take care.
  • Our daughter and her cats are settling in after our long trip from California last weekend. The dog now accepts the cats but cowers a bit in their presence. Our cat is still grumpy about the invasion.
  • We're on Baby #2 alert. He is due this month and his mommy is ready for him to arrive. Any day now?
Books:
  • Completed this week:
    • The Unlikely Pilgrimage of  Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce...The story of a man who decides to walk 600 to save a friend who is dying from cancer. In the end he likely saves himself. Audio.
    • Finders Keepers by Stephen King...The second book in the Bill Hodges series, my daughter and I listened to most of this on the way home from CA but had to finish the last of it as we worked a puzzle. Classic King with lots of gory details. Audio.
    • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga...I've been reading this Newbery Honor book for over a month. It is about a young teenager who is a Syrian refugee living in Michigan. Written in verse. Print.
    • Given: Poems by Wendell Berry...I've now been introduced to a new poet. Print.
    • The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa...part of my cat-book project. I didn't enjoy this one as much as everyone else who has read it. Print.
    • Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann. A Children's nonfiction book. I read it to Ian and he was interested through about half of it. I, on the other hand, was fascinated throughout. Print.
  • Currently reading: 
    • Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo...another YA novel written in verse, set in the Caribbean. (E-book, 10%)
    • The Bird Box by Josh Malerman...an unlikely book club selection which is a post-apocalypse set in the near future, considered a thriller. (Audio, 35%)
Good news:

1. Military support for Trump has slipped a lot since 2016. In a recent survey done by Military Times more troops say they'll vote for Biden in 2020. Follow the link for more details. (Military Times) This is especially good news on the heels of the distressing news reported in the The Atlantic this week that Trump thinks US Military troops who died in war are losers and suckers. Note: The news out of The Atlantic landed like a thud and seems to have sprouted legs. Will this finally be the one thing that Trump does or says that upsets his followers?

2. The granddaughter to Billy Graham, Jerushah Duford, says that many evangelicals are putting Trump before God and that is an insult to her grandfather's legacy. Read the article. She restores my faith as she analyzes the situation. (USA Today)

3. How to vote in every state. This is a guide to make sure you know how to register and to vote in your state. Spread this one around so it gets out to people who need it. It is sad how difficult some states make it to vote. (Slate)

4. Brandon Leake, on America's Got Talent- Sept. 1st, performs a powerful spoken-word message to his mother about being a black man in America today. Drop everything and watch this. (YouTube)

5.  A supercomputer analyzed COVID-19 data and an interesting new theory of what it does in the body has emerged. If you are up for a super long read, here is a very interesting one (Thanks to Margaret for sending me the link.) (Medium)

6. Companies are finding creative ways to encourage employees to vote and to make sure others can vote, too.


7. This is terrible news but may give people cause to switch parties and vote for Biden.

8. "@Faces of COVID" Twitter account. Tweets that honor those who have died from the disease. Here is an intro and feature about its creator on The Chris Hayes show. (MSNBC)

9. Unrelated good news: An ancient breed of singing dogs, thought to be extinct for the past 50 years in the wild, have been spotted in Papua New Guinea. Scroll down on the article to see a video of the song these dogs sing. (Gizmodo)

10. Honeybee venom has been shown to kill aggressive breast cancer cells. (Science Daily)

On the lighter side:

1. Here is the feel good video of the day that goes out to my grandson who rides one of those tiny bikes.

 2. CNN's fact checker says that Trump's "Dark Shadows" comment about Biden was almost too stupid to debunk. (HuffPost)

3. Sadly...

4. I can't wait to be able to get a good night's sleep again...

5. Ha-ha. My husband rolled his eyes when he read this one.

6. Schadenfreude: Four boats in a Trump-themed flotilla sunk yesterday. Could it possibly be foreshadowing of things to come for Trump and his campaign? Read this poem while humming the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Funny and clever. (DKos)

I appreciate your comments so that I know you visited this blog post. Let me know what you think of what is going on in politics, books, your family. Thank you.
-Anne

21 comments:

  1. Fantastic spoken word, love the bicycle video (I saw that one on Twitter and it made me smile), and the golf sign? Priceless! Fingers crossed that baby #2 come soon and that it all goes well.

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    1. I know. I love that Spoken Word performance. It needs wide distribution.

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  2. Let me know when baby gets here. (with pics if you're allowed) You're welcome about the Covid 19 article; I find it quite interesting. I also watched the bike slalom course that the guy devised--so cute and uplifting!

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    1. Thanks for pointing out the COVID analysis article. So interesting. I can imagine that Ian would do the same thing with his little bike.

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  3. I love what the man did for that little boy. The TIME cover is priceless and so true. Glad the cats and dog are settling in to new environment. PS - and the golf balls OMG too funny. Thanks Anne, you make my Sunday.

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    1. I like finding funny items online. The little guy on the bike is so cute.

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  4. I always check your blog for reading suggestions. A new grand baby is a great way to pass the time!

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    1. Did any of the books sound good enough to be added to your reading list? I was pretty neutral on most of finished selections this week.

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  5. My husband like the golf sign! They are always playing with their balls those golfers!

    96 is a magnificent age, she must have had some stories, glad you where able to celebrate her life.

    Have a lovely week.

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  6. I’m so sorry for your loss. Praying for your cousin. So much truth in this post. Have a great day. Enjoy it.

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  7. Great post! I love to see the numbers go down for Trump, but worry that he will find a way to steal the election, Circa 2016! I will never be convinced that he won that one fair and square, thanks to Russians and who knows who else.

    I can't believe that some people still think that Trump gave us a great economy. They cite that as a reason they vote for him, without really looking beneath the superficial stock market issues...and ignoring how he has divided the country. Not to mention how he messed up with the virus!

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

    Love those cats!

    We really need to get rid of the electoral college!

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    1. I pray, pray, pray that Trump will flop in November. Our cousin's husband said he thinks Trump is trying to lose. It seems that way doesn't it?

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  8. Fred and George are so cute! I feel so bad for your cousin with ALS, it's an awful illness. I hope your delivery goes very well. You must be excited to be so close to the end. I love that video about that little kid and the driveway. How kind of the neighbour to draw him a racetrack!

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    1. From the headline I was worried that it was something bad. So glad they got out and helped create a racetrack for the kid.

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  9. I'm sorry your books didn't really work for you this week. Most of the ones I loved this week were kids' books.

    I hope all goes beautifully for the arrival of Baby #2.

    I see your information, Anne, and I feel hopeful for November. Then I hear my neighbors talk, and I feel bewildered about the people around me. Are we not watching the same news? Is their information filtered differently from mine? What can I say or do to change their perspective?

    Thanks for sharing information and humor each Sunday. I enjoy spending time on your blog each week.

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    1. One gal responded to me on Facebook and said it was "fake news" about Trump saying soldiers who died for the service of the country were losers and suckers. I linked back to FOX news where they confirmed it. She then apologized to me. So there is hope.

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  10. I'm so sorry for the loss of your aunt.

    I love the kitty pics and the political updates.

    Hope you have a great week!

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  11. Baby watch... huh! I hope it isn't too long. And thank you for all your links - I especially loved the one about the man with the driveway and the little boy:)). I hope you have a good week and the baby arrives with no undue drama...

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  12. I loved both Harold Fry and Finders Keepers. Have you read The Love song of Miss Queeny Hennessey as well? It's so beautiful!
    Hope you are having a super great week.

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  13. I am sorry about your aunt. It sounds like a lovely celebration of her life. I am sorry too for your cousin, but glad you were able to visit.

    I hope everything goes well with the birth! You must be so excited! I am glad the cats are getting on well in their new environment.

    I am sorry to hear you didn't enjoy The Travelling Cat Chronicles as much as others. I wasn't sure about it when I first started it, but I adored it by the end. I am definitely interested in Clap When You Land, and hope you enjoy it!

    Thank you for sharing the Brandon Leake video. I hadn't seen it before. Very powerful.

    I am glad to see Trump's popularity dwindling, but, I tell you, Anne, when I'm on my county or neighborhood's Facebook group, I lose some hope. When I listen to my in-laws and many of my cousins talk, I lose some more hope.

    I love the guy who drew the race track on his driveway for the kids. That was such a great thing to do.

    I hope you have a great week. Happy reading!

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