Ernest Hemingway

For our September Book Group, 

we read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.  

I actually read it twice to make sure 

I understood what was going on in the novel.  

It is a fairly significant novel, 

although its content is not always admirable.  

It was published in the 1920's 

and is based on aspects of Hemingway's life in Paris, 

with the characters based on people he knew.  

There are several reasons it is significant: 

the writing style was new 

-- short brief sentences whereas long prose had been the norm; 

historically it chronicles the Lost Generation, 

a group of expatriots who make their home in Paris 

-- poets, authors, painters, etc, who found Paris open and free; 

one of the characters in the book, 

Lady Brett Ashley, is a "modern" woman 

-- one who has money, 

can choose her lovers at will, 

is beautiful and adored by many men, 

and yet at the same time, still "needs" a man.  

The characters drink to escape 

the nightmares of WWI 

while enjoying the openness of France, and Spain.  

It made Pamplona's 

Running of The Bulls famous to American readers.  

And it launched Hemingway's career.  

While I have never been a huge Hemingway fan,

I have enjoyed his various novels.

My favorite is A Farewell To Arms, 

but I must admit the reason I like it so much

is because of the 1957 movie version 

with Jennifer Jones and Rock Hudson. 

I will be visiting the library to get 

The Old Man and The Sea

For Whom The Bells Tolls

and 

A Moveable Feast.

Then I can make a better assessment

of his writing.

Autumn is definitely on its way.  When I get the paper off the driveway, I enjoy the cool, crisp morning air.  It still heats up during the day but I am glad the nights are cooling down to delightful temperatures. I love working outside and the yard work has kept me busy.  My Little Red Hen quilt is still in the works.  We've had a lot of fun with the family and I am looking forward to more.  

Summer's Almost Over

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over and the cool autumn weather will soon be here.  I can't wait.  Since I am a woman of a certain age, I have been plagued with the hots.  I am always hot.  When I walk out onto the porch or deck at home or at the cabin, I feel like one of those flaming meteors whirling into the Earth.  I feel like I am radiating so much heat that everything around me is going to burst into flames -- maybe I am channeling Like Water For Chocolate.  So I am looking forward to the cool of autumn and the chill of winter.  I promise I will not complain about being cold as I trudge up Webb Hill every morning.  It will feel good to wear a jacket or sweatshirt.

I have played with Donovan and Charlie, Lindsay and Randy, Derek and Bob this summer.  We've been to the cabin, to Logan, to Las Vegas, and various places in between.  I've eaten great food and enjoyed wonderful desserts.  I've cried over dead lawn, pulled weeds, and mowed grass that was too long!  I've gone swimming, laid in the sun, biked in the cool of morning, visited with my sisters and aunts, went to Wicked with my family, rode in the Red Riding Hood bike ride, hiked Bald Mountain, walked the dogs, and read a ton of books -- almost too many to count -- and very few of them worth mentioning.  I have been reading the Tony Hillerman books and have really enjoyed them.  I read a preview book (The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber) that I liked and found another author that can be a hit or miss (Elin Hilderbrand).  I made a bunch of receiving blankets, but didn't put much of a dent on my Little Red Hen quilt.  I completed a project for the NMGS, and one for DSC Library, both family history related.  And I started a new article although it has sort of stalled out for now.

If you look at how time goes by, you could say that I haven't done much this summer.  But on the other hand, if you think about how each day is a gift, I have completed a bunch of projects.  Half full or half empty.  I like to think half full.

Projects: I need to stay busy or . . .

Picture borrowed from Stitches and Sewforth

This is the latest quilt I am trying to do.  

I learned a few things.  

When it says to iron on the Pellon on the WRONG side of the fabric, 

it doesn't mean to iron it on the RIGHT side of the fabric.  

Wrong is right in this case.  

Sharp pointy scissors are the best for tight corners 

but aren't so good for big man hands like mine.  

And the most important:  

a quilt won't get made sitting in the cupboard.

I am enjoying quilting.  

It has helped me on so many levels.  

I have to do a shout-out to my friend, Dana, 

and her quilting business, My Lazy Daisy.

She has been a huge help in so many ways.

The other project I've been working on is for
the New Mexico Genealogical Society 

and the 1918-1919 Death Certificates.  

I received a file of pictures that were identified numerically.  

My job is to re-name them with the person's name and death date.  

If you didn't catch the dates, here's a little history update.   

World War I (The War to End all Wars) ended on 11 November 1918.  

The flu pandemic, known as the Spanish flu, lasted from 

January 1918 to December 1920.  

Between 50 to 130 million people died. 

 Over 500 million were infected.  

Because of the tight quarters where soldiers were stationed 

and how they travelled to various places to come home, 

the flu spread quickly.  

This particular flu affected young adults most severely.

Okay, so back to the NMGS project.

As I re-name the certificates, 

I also notice how they died.  

I've seen mine injuries, a shotgun or two, farm injuries, and infant mortality.

But the bulk of the people died from the flu.  

One the names I did today was Tony Rigoni.  

Say it out loud; it sort of rolls off the tongue!

A few certificates later was Mary Rigoni, his 14-year old daughter.

A few more certificates was Humbert Rigoni, his 6-month old son.

And when I got to Emma Rigoni, his wife, tears came quickly.

A family in just one week.

I try to do 100 per day and there are about 1600 left in the file.

But I got stuck today because of the Pigoni family
and couldn't complete my daily total. 

I'll get back to it tomorrow
where I hope my emotions won't get the best of me.

Picture borrowed from L's blog

These two cuties are just too cute.

Grammy is very happy to have them be part of our family.

L & R:  you make very darling babies!  Keep up the good work!

Summer Reading

B took this with his phone.

I have been up to the cabin quite a bit over the past two months and it has been lovely.  Words can't quite describe waking up to the cool fresh air.  I even enjoy the birds singing.  I don't know what they are saying so early in the morning but it must be shouts of joy that another day has begun.  A while ago, someone told me that waking up each morning is symbolic of the Resurrection.  It give me a different perspective as I greet the sun peeking over the mountains.  And since I am of a certain age, I don't sleep as much now and wake up before the sunrise so I actually do get to see the sun rise.

The fires in various hotspots in Utah gave the sunsets an extra wow factor this week.

What I've been reading:

The Well and The Mine by Gin Phillips

1493 -- Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann

The Beach by Elin Hildebrant

(just bought another one of hers entitled Summer People)

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg

People of Darkness, A Thief of Time, and Sacred Clowns by Tony Hillerman

I recently pulled from my bookshelf for a re-read:  Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

I've been trying to locate B's original copy of The Two Towers (he got this particular copy when he was in the 5th grade) because that is what he is reading for the 12th time.  It is the first time he's re-read it since he read it to D when D was in the fifth grade.  It was our tradition:  I read the Book of Mormon with the kids before their baptism and B read the Lord of the Rings trilogy with them when they were in 5th grade.  I hope they treasure those memories as much as we do.

Latest reading

My latest reading list:

Any of the various books by Tony Hillerman

 (these are the ones I read recently)

The Blessing Way

Hunting Badger

Talking God

Skeleton Man

The Fallen Man

I am working on getting all of the Hillerman books.  

I read his biography, Seldom Disappointed, and really enjoyed it.  

He seems like he was a really nice man.

Other biographies that I have read recently include 

Lisa See's On Gold Mountain 

and 

Amy Tan's The Opposite of Fate. 

Amy Tan has two new books coming:  

Rules For Virgins 

and 

The Valley of Amazement

Worksong by Ivan Doig (always 2 thumbs up)

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood (I really like this one)

I am currently reading

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner

Also I ordered new Adriana Trigiani books:

Viola in the Spotlight

and The Shoemaker's Wife

Welcome to The World!

Welcome to the World, little guy, little bubba, little Charlie.

We are so glad to meet you and love you!

Words cannot describe seeing you come into the world.

I love your Mom and Dad.

I love your brother.

I love your Grandpa.

I love your Tio

I love your Prana

I love you.

Blast From the past

These are pictures from the 1979-1980 Murray High School Boosters.

In the first picture, I am in the second row, just past center.  

In the 2nd picture I am on the left 4th row from the bottom.  

Wow, could I get my hair any bigger?  

Yes, I actually could and probably should have!

I think these are great pictures with wonderfully great memories.

A LIttle Bit Busy

Things have been a little bit busy here at La Casa. We've had L & R and their family with us for a few weeks. They moved to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, but L was about 37 weeks along and didn't want to start new with a doctor she didn't know. So she stayed with us and went to a family friend. And a new baby joined us on Saturday. We are all a little sleep deprived but so happy our family has grown. We are so happy for R & L; they have such a bright future!

I've read a few books since my last post, but none of them really worth writing about here. I just started re-reading Death Comes For the Archbishop by Willa Cather. I first about this book when I was in the American Lit class taught by Professor Genaro Padilla. He was from New Mexico and also taught the Southwest Lit class. He is now at Berkeley. The first time I read the book was when we traveled to Albuquerque to visit family, and I was reading it as we passed by Acoma. [We later visited Acoma on a subsequent visit] I think I've read just about everything Willa Cather has written; I've even taken a Willa Cather Lit class taught by a Cather expert, Marilyn Arnold. My other Cather favorite is Shadow on the Rocks. My one complaint about Death Comes for the Archbishop is her treatment of the local Spanish people. Her Anglo arrogance [as well as Archbishop Lamy's] shows through the prose. I wish there were a book of this caliber written for and about the Spanish people who settled New Mexico and showed them as I believe they were -- hardworking people trying to make a living for their families.

I'm going to visit the Land of Enchantment this weekend with some of my sisters. We will visit our Aunts, go to a lecture about the Jaquez family, visit several of my "internet" cousins who have been so helpful with genealogy, and enjoy the scenery. When we go to restaurants and they ask "red or green" I will always choose green. I will stand where my Dad played and grew up, and remember.

Fun In The Fort

My next door neighbor friends (age 9)

have made use of a little hole in the shrubbery in our yard.

We had one of the shrubs died and so, I pulled out the remains.

The shrubbery on each side filled in through the front,

but in the back, there is a nice little hole and it is the perfect hiding place.

They call it The Fort.

Yesterday, they took Little D in there and he loved it

so today, he wanted to play some more.

I fit in The Fort but preferred sitting on the wall

or even better, on a blanket on the grass out in the open!

We had fun playing

Chase The Ball,

Kick The Ball,

Roll The Ball,

Throw Rocks in The Rock Garden,

Find Rocks in the Grass to Throw in the Rock Garden,

and Roll In the Grass.

What a fun day with a fun fellow!

I also had fun with his Uncle D,

his Mom Linds,

and his Grandpa.

I had a fun evening with our next door neighbors, D & C,

and a surprise visit with my sis and her co-worker.

It is now 1:20 AM.

Can't go to sleep. Not sure why.

Could be the two Diet Cokes I had with dinner. :(

Today would have been my Mom's 82nd Birthday.

I miss you, Mom, and have wonderful memories to keep you always in my heart.

I found her family in the 1940 census. She was 9 years old at the time.

I also found my Dad's family. He was 19 years old.

The 1940 census became available online 5 days ago.

It took me an hour or so of looking

but it wasn't too hard and well worth it to see their pages.

Maybe now I can go to sleep.

Pacific Northwest

On our journey north, we had some extra days on our schedule so we took a little side trip to Forks, WA. For those who might not know, this is where the Twilight series (by Stephenie Meyer) takes place. It is a pretty place and very cloudy and rainy so I can see why the Cullens chose to live there! B and I decided that we are probably Team Jacob. Trying to explain the stories to B was hilarious and more fun than any two people should have! We stayed in Sequim (pronounced Sqwim) and had the best, absolute best, salmon dinner ever! I'm pretty lucky to be on Team B. He's a pretty great guy and I'm grateful to spend my life with him.

We took 3 different ferries to get to the various places -- one to get to Forks, one to get to Victoria, and one to get to Vancouver. On one of the ferry rides I overheard the following exchange:

Child: But I thought we were going to ride a ferry.

Mom: This boat is the ferry. It is called a ferry.

Child: Oh, I thought we were going to ride a fairy.

In Victoria, we went to Butchart Garden -- a small estate with various gardens dedicated to the beauty of nature -- there was a Sunken Garden (in an old quarry), a Rose Garden (not blooming yet), a Japanese Garden (beyond beautiful), and Italian Garden, and more. There were blooming flowers and trees but I am sure the coming months will only be more beautiful.

We also went to China Beach. It meant walking through a very dark forest down down down to the ocean beach. B was humming a song and I asked why the humming. His reply: to let the bears know I am here. What? When we got to the beach, there was a sign alerting us to possible cougars in the area as well as black bears. I started humming a song too.

I read two very good books while on the journey in addition to the Book of Mormon. The last few chapters of Alma are some of my favorite. They are war stories but there is so much to learn from them, and then the first few chapters of Helaman are amazing too. I read them on my Kindle, and each time I read, it was an amazing wonderful experience. I know there is more excitement yet to come so I will keep reading.

The two books I read were Midwives by Chris Bohjalian and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Both of them were really good books and I would recommend both for book clubs or pleasure reading. Midwives is about a midwife's practice, a tragic death, and the various possible outcomes. It was gripping to the very last page, the very last word. The Snow Child is about loss, overcoming loss, finding joy in small things, letting free things be free, and what effect we have on others. I don't know what is like to lose a child, but I have had loss in my life and have moments of despair and sadness. I have also had wonderful moments of joy and fortunately for me, the joyful moments are plentiful. I have been blessed many times over with sweet and tender mercies of the Lord.

L and R picked us up at the airport and showed us their new home. It was warm and cozy and already filled with love. We talked about the coming baby, the new job, the new house, the new places to explore, and just how much fun it will be for them. My favorite moment was when little D showed us his yard. He chased Prana, who was playing with a stick. Prana dropped the stick, and Little D picked it up and started chewing on it too. We all laughed. He hunkered down and said hello to the darkling beetle crawling across the grass. He wanted to touch it but didn't and then did, then didn't. Finally he touched its back. The beetle scuttled quicker and Little D drew back with a surprise and a laugh.

Another great moment came when our Big D joined us for dinner. He's a busy guy and we love spending time with him. I was glad to hear he helped his sister and brother with their move. We loved hearing his plans and talking about his van and his future.

The next surprise was when our friend brought Buddy and Buster home to us. I didn't expect it; I was planning to drive to her house to get them because she had worked until 4:30 am. She brought them to us because she said we probably were tired from travel and the dogs had awakened her anyway. She is an angel and it was wonderful having them home.

I'm very grateful for so many things.

I don't say thank you enough to everyone I should.

Thank you.

President Howard W. Hunter said in his last public address to the Church:

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend.

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.

Write a letter. Give a soft answer.

Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.

Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize.

Try to understand. Examine your demands on others.

Think first of someone else.

Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude.

Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child.

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.

Speak your love and then speak it again.

I finished reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien last night about 3 a.m. I thought it would be good to read it in preparation for the movie that comes out in December of this year. It will be a two-parter so we have something to look forward to in 2013. The reason I was up so late was because the dogs needed to go outside to potty. I drowsed for a while hoping they would go back to sleep but they kept jumping off the bed and then Buddy started whining. That usually means "I have to go and I have to go NOW" so it meant down the stairs and out the door. It was just long enough to wake me up for a while. I had just a few more chapters to go so I finished. It is always a great read and I forget little parts here and there, so it is a good refresher. I am sure the movie will be wonderful

I've been helping a friend with her new business and last night received the title of Senior Editor and Technical Writer. Apparently, I am even going to get business cards! Well, I'm not working that hard to deserve those but it has been an interesting journey learning how to edit and draw and create on the computer. My job has been to do the pattern inserts (also known as the pattern instructions) complete with illustrations. Some of the drawing has been done the old fashioned way by hand, but most has been done by computer. I've learned a lot and it has been a lot of fun seeing the creativity put in to the business. Here is a link to their website: mylazydaisy.com

We've been sick at our house = lots of naps. I can't seem to get through the day without a nap, and oftentimes, they are too long during the peak of the day. But I'm so tired that it doesn't really matter because I can't do much else. I am trying to do some spring cleaning but it is a slow go as a result of the nappage. Oh, well.

Food Glorious Food

Our trip thus far has been about friends, fun, and food. I will have to wait until I get home to get pictures from B. We met Doug and Patrice Vermillion and their daughter Teresa in Hilo for a few days at Volcano National Park. We did three hikes to the Green Sand Beach, across a volcano crater, and at Akaka Falls. And we ate three, yes, three times at the Thai Thai in Volcano. Yummy yummy food. Then we moved over to Oahu where we hiked to Diamond Head, over and back to the Hale Koa hotel from our hotel, and to Ka'ena Point. We ate at Duke's, Ruth's Chris, the Udon Noodle House, a shrimp shack, shave ice at Matsumoto's, Cheesecake Factory, Bippa's at the Hale Koa, and Denny's (which was pretty yum for breakfast). We went to Duke's a second time with D, and are planning to go to Niko's with Ben and Krystal and their family tonight. We wanted to go to Uncle's but it closes at 3 on Monday. We also snorkeled in Hanauma Bay, and went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, and walked the main drag of Waikiki numerous times. What an adventure! Today is our last day. Oh, and DSC men's b-ball have won 3 games thus far. They have one more game tonight.

Reading this trip included Hawaii by James Michener. It was originally published in 1959. The other book I am still reading is Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, published in 1891. I remember seeing the movie that was made in the 1980's and having taught The Mayor of Casterbridge, decided that it would be a good one to read. I am enjoying it. I keep seeing Nastassja Kinski in the title role. I think it won an Oscar for the cinematography. It was beautifully filmed.

I am looking forward to being home. Miss my girl and her family. Miss my dogs. Miss my regular routine. Vacations are delightful but there in no place like home.

New fav book

My newest favorite book is The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen. Tonight B and I will eat at my favorite Thai place: Thai Thai Restaurant in Volcano, Big Island, HI.