"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, October 5, 2025

Sunday Salon -- A Little of This and That

I completed a puzzle of banned books, thinking the whole time about why people don't want others to read these excellent books. The Diary of Anne Frank? I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings? The Grapes of Wrath? Honestly, I think people want to ban books so their children won't ever read any books.

Weather: Rainy and overcast. Of course this is good news. Our dry, parched spot on Earth is so thirsty.

Food: I can tell that it is autumn because I feel like cooking and baking again. I didn't make anything earth-shattering, though. Here are a few foods we haven't seen on our table since last fall:
  • Baked acorn squash, a family favorite with a bit of butter and brown sugar.
  • Homemade Sloppy Joes made from a no-recipe recipe on the NYT. The flavor reminds us of school days and growing up in a different era.
  • Pumpkin muffins, made from a copycat recipe of the no-longer-available Starbucks pumpkin muffins with a bit of cream cheese inside.
  • Zuppa Toscana, another copycat recipe of my favorite soup at Olive Garden restaurant.
  • Today: I haven't decided yet, either Chicken Noodle soup or Chicken Curry with Green Beans. the chicken is thawed so it will be something chicken that gets fixed.
A little of this and that: It was a typical week. I did a few things out of the ordinary though. 
  • Our church is sponsoring an event called Faith in Action. A bunch of projects were offered and I signed up for one at the Lutheran church to help tie quilts for their blanket project. It was a fun, easy, sociable event where I met several women from other churches all dedicated to making a difference for underprivileged people. Don signed up for the project to build furniture at a furniture bank, but IKEA didn't supply any rejects this year, so it was canceled.
  • Friday afternoon was lovely and we had an audiobook to finish, so Don and I hopped in the truck and drove up the road 30 miles to a restaurant, The Mill Haus Cider Co, which specializes in hard apple cider. Our daughter and one of her sons, who live nearby, joined us for a late afternoon of conversation and antics, enjoying that early fall weather. The layout of this place is perfect for families with young children who can play games on the lawn while adults watch them while sipping their cold beverage. (Click on the link to see a photo of the layout of the place. It is very unique.) Since it was Friday there was live music -- sing along stuff for Don and I like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". Tee-hee. I hate it when I get that song stuck in my head.
  • On Thursday I had a long meeting with a gal who is taking over my duties as a church leader. I've been at it for six years and it is time and necessary to pass on the baton. She will do great, better than me I'm sure, and I look forward to the break.
Mom is moving: We have a date and I and all my sibs will come together in a two weeks to assist her move into a senior independent retirement community. It is hard to make such a big change at her age but we are proud of her for being bold and brave. We'll be down in Eugens quite a few days later this month.

Banned Books Week: Is now -- October 5-11th. Check out this list of challenged or banned books and pick one out to read this week. Tell others why you are doing it! Let's preserve the right to read.

Books, what I've read and what I'm reading:
  • Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep. A book club selection. A narrative nonfiction account of a trial in Alabama which caught the attention of Harper Lee. It was her last attempt at writing/publishing anything. Complete, audiobook.
  • Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe. This is my Banned Books Week selection. It is a graphic (illustrated) memoir. I found it very helpful in understanding the gender distinctions. Complete, e-book.
  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wambli Weiden. This is the book Don and finished up on our trip to the Cider Haus the other day. It is set on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota and is a mystery. Watch for my Audiobooks with Don review this coming week. With its completion I have now finished my year long challenge to read a book set in every state and territory of the US. Complete, audiobook.
  • Tilt by Emma Pattee. Set in Portland, a pregnant lady attempts to get home and find her husband after a cataclysmic earthquake. I finished it but didn't care for it. Audiobook.
  • I Do Know Some Things by Richard Siken. One of the books nominated for the National Book Award in the poetry category. It is very different since the poems are all in prose. Complete, print.
  • The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. Another book club selection. It is a modern Turn of the Screw tale. Perfect for October and Halloween. Currently reading, 14%, print.
  • A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I've never read this first Sherlock Holmes story. Currently reading, 10%. Audiobook.
Blogging this past week:

Jamie is five! That hair!



-Anne
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