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Random words, pictures and thoughts of one who always wishes to be on the mind's road to discovery!

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Connecticut River Valley, New England, United States

Saturday, April 30, 2011

This Bird Does Not Beep-Beep!

Roadrunners (Look West Series)Roadrunners by Lynn Hassler Kaufman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have been enamoured with this bird ever since a young one decided that he/she? liked us and our car in the parking lot of White Sands National Park's visitors' center. The bird was on our hood and side view mirror having a great time with its reflection. When we came back to talk to it there was no fear and it allowed us to get quite near and photograph it, actually, it seemed to pose and preen for us. So when I saw this little book on this year's trip I picked it up. What an incredible creature this is--a hunter of the first order--grasshoppers and other insects, horned lizards, snakes, little birds ect. Its method of cooling itself in the hot summer and staying warm in the cooler winters was fascinating. The lifelong commitment to its mate after an extensive courtship ritual and the cooperative parenting and protection of home was offset by its ruthlessness in killing prey and even its own offspring if needs be.



So much more than the cartoon character and it doesn't even say beep,beep!



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The Navajo Long Trail

The Navajo Long Walk (Look West Series)The Navajo Long Walk by Lawrence W. Cheek

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Most Americans who are interested in Native American history are familiar with Andrew Jackson's removal of Eastern Indians to the West and the tragic Trail of Tears. Not many know of the removal of the Navajo from their beloved Canyons of New Mexico and Arizona to the horror of Bosque Redondo in the desert of Arizona. Just as tragic but with, if one could call it that, a happier ending.



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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Disappointing Novel from Erica Jong's Daughter

The Social Climber's Handbook: A NovelThe Social Climber's Handbook: A Novel by Molly Jong-Fast

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Only the second of nine goodreads giveaways that I didn't like though I finished this one, hoping it would improve.



Never laughed, never chuckled, never even smiled. Nothing about this book was even slightly humorous despite the cover quotes "irresistable"--I trudged through it. " razor-sharp "--dull and boring, like the characters within it. " Blissfully entertaining "-- Not in the slightest. " fast, funny and smart "--took forever to get through it; see the first sentence; well, I DO understand the financial manipulations that caused the recent crash better than ever.



Not one of the people in this novel have any likeable characteristics--they are greedy,self-absorbed, boring people. If the book were about vampires, ghosts, aliens I could have liked it better for I would have said this is fiction and they aren't real. Well, unfortunately, these people are real--oh, not identified specifically, but everyone of them exists including Daisy,who in real life doesn't actually kill others, that is, deprive them of life, but she deprives them of living which is much the same. She sucks the animation and joy from those who she sees as a threat.



A horrible book about horrible people being passed off as hilarious fiction---I wonder, is it a case of laughing at oneself and one's own intimate circle? A sort of inside joke--which will make it all okay and make the lifestyle meaningful?



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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Lost in Shangri-La--a book review

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War IILost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Off for a pleasure ride over some of the most exotic scenery in the world and some of its exotic residents three service people, two soldiers and a WAC find themselves the only survivors of a tragic plane crash in a rain forest with no way out among possible headhunting cannibals. 1945 New Guinea. A place that had only been seen from the air, so it was thought. The story of their initial days trying to reach a place where THEY could be seen and where they would be safe from the natives is heart rending. Two of them are seriously injured with gangrene rapidly setting in; the third, though physically sound and in command, keeping his deep grief at the loss of his twin brother under control.



Once seen the efforts of their colleagues to supply them with food and shelter is only surpassed by the efforts of a handsome paratrooper and his Filipino recon team to physically reach them and provide them medical treatment and a way out of the jungle.



The story has everything--tragedy, comedy, a touch of possible romance, bravery, derring-do, intercultural understanding without words, suspense and eventual success. I read it in one day and though the events took place when I was a 2 1/2 year old toddler in New York City, the people caught up in this newsmaking event were as real as though it were being reported on contemporary nightly news. Each one comes off the page as a living three demensional human being and as a reader I worried about the outcome, though the actual players are, for the most part, now dead.



The pictures throughout the book enhance that sense of knowing the characters and making them real. The use of their own words, through diary and interview, brings even more depth to their personalities.



The story of this event and the strengths and weaknesses of the people who found themselves in it compares favorably with Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, stories of the Donner Party and those of the soccer players stranded in the Andes. Nice, too, is the follow up to the lives of each of them once the drama had passed.



Just a great read! I wish, now, that I'd gone to the glider museum in Lubbock, Texas--next time.







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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Anxiety over Weather, Replaced by Anxiety over a Cherished Pet

As there was absolutely nothing to watch on TV and since I'd forgotten to bring in one of my new books to read, I turned out the lights at 9:30 on Wednesday night, Mar 31 and managed to fall asleep. I am usually a night owl though not much past 1125 unless there is a particularly good movie on or I'm reading a book hard to put down. My body, therefore, does not cooperate when I ask it to put on the brakes and relax into sleep at such an ungodly early hour. The flip side, of course, is that when it does work I'm awake at the crack of dawn and so it was on Thursday morning. I even managed to get down to the dining room in time to get something to eat--such as it was.

How I'd love, just once, to see a breakfast such as Choice Hotels shows in its advertisements. We've stayed in all levels of their offerings, except the boutique hotels they own and believe me--the usual is an off brand of colored cheerios, a cheap knock-off of bran flakes sans raisins, orange juice, hard boiled eggs, coffee, dried out sausage patties, stale danish, whipped spread ipo butter, sometimes biscuits and gravy. My usual is a cup of coffee in the room brought to me by Bill who has been up for at least two hours before me. It I get to the dining room in time I grab a juice and maybe a piece of fruit if it looks halfway edible or a yogurt if it is there and not banana something or other. All in all it is not for the breakfast that we've chosen this motel chain! LOL

Hoping to beat the impending storm at least to Binghamton we were on the road at 742--a record for us! As you can see most of the trip was in rain and fog with heavy truck traffic but the roads were neither icy nor snowy and for that we were grateful. The trip was as much of a blur as the scenery. Within an hour we went through the rest of Virginia, into and out of West Virginia in the blink of an eye, and on into Maryland, which had been our goal the night before. We agreed that we had been wise to stop the night before since we were very tired and would not have wanted to even try to go out for our fried oysters. It was not until we reached Pennsylvania, in the heights that we hit any snow. While it was quite heavy at times and certainly wet with big fluffy flakes the roads were still warm enough that it did not stick for the most part--though the trees and ground were covered and more was accumulating there. I did not take many pictures since this part of the trip is so familiar I think we could drive it in our sleep. In Wilkes-Barre, though I tried once more to get a good shot of that Church. It is quite challenging since there are all kinds of motel signs and trucks travelling in the other lanes, but these are better than I've ever gotten. Anything to amuse myself and pass the time. We both hate the Pa leg of the trip--crossing the state diagonally on clomp,clomp,clomp roads with trucks and mad men and women zigging and zagging back and forth over three lanes is a real drag! At a rest stop, while Bill was in the facility or necessary I people watched. A car from New York pulled in alongside us and the DRIVER stiffly got his legs onto the ground then brought out his walker and his companion assisted him up onto the curb and then she shuffled off ahead of him as he slowly mad his way up the walk. And Bill wonders why I get nervous on some of these roads, in the snow and rain etc. How is that guy eligible to keep a license? Bet his reflexes are much better than a drunk driver, or someone on a cell phone, etc!!!

Well, soon we were nearing Binghamton and since it was only around 1230 we decided to make the push to Barb's in Saratoga. I had spoken to her and she knew this was a possibility. So I called to see what the weather was like there--47 degrees and doing nothing--so we said, okay we're on our way. After 451.9 miles and five states we arrived at her door at 4:17 in the afternoon. Not too many pictures along the way there either though I would really love to know what a PASSIVE RECREATIONAL AREA is! In our tired frame of mind Bill and I came up with some doozy ideas, most of which are not printable!

Barb greeted Bill with a nice cold Corona and me with a glass of some Spanish white wine. After some relaxation she served the paella she had made for us. Bill isn't fond of seafood in a casserole so he had a shrimp cocktail before the main course and Barb had portioned the food so that there was a dish sans seafood for Bill and one with clams and shrimp along with corrizo and chicken for us. She was unhappy with her adaptations--clams instead of mussels and wasn't in love with the meal. Both Bill and I thought it was excellent and Bill brought his leftovers home and ate them for lunch today. None of us ate the clams--they were too big so Barb steamed those she hadn't cooked and minced them and the ones from the paella to use in chowder and a clam pasta sauce for herself. Of course, the best part of the meal for me was the mince pie she made for me--I'm the only one in the family who likes it so I don't get it often anymore. My Mom and I liked it so it was easier to make and have eaten, without having to eat it all by oneself. I brought that home for me for sure!

Bill went to bed fairly early--the long drive was tiring for us both but particularly for him. Barb and I sat up and talked and drank wine and snacked until about 1130.

Friday we woke up to snow, although it started fairly late in the morning--about fourish I think. Again, not falling heavily but wet and thick without sticking to the roads. We lingered over coffee and then had breakfast and visited. Bill brought everything in from the car--I wanted to organize it better and throw away any garbage etc, since we had no idea how close we'd be able to park to the house. It is a pain in the butt to have to carry a zillion small things that want to fall out of your hands across a wet and muddy and slippery driveway that you can't drive on to the door. Also, I wanted to give Barb some of the little things I'd gotten her and show her books on the places we'd been and some things I'd gotten for Bets etc. I really wanted to spend the night and come home today, since I was worried about Killington. But Bill was anxious to get home now that we were so close. So after Barb printed off some tax materials for us and we repacked the car we headed home around 2 with drizzle and 39 degrees.

As it turned out the storm they predicted really didn't hit us and the ride home was pretty uneventful. Killington had snow and the temperature was 32 but as luck would have it, once more the roads were warm enough that they didn't ice up nor did the snow stick to them. As we approached Lebanon Bill asked if I wanted to stop at 7 Barrel for dinner as we traditionally do--there not being much in the line of food at the house.Though I know he was disappointed I really just wanted to come home and so we continued on.

Sure enough we had to park across the way --we came into the house and immediately called for the cats, neither of which came to greet us. Bill found Misty upstairs and she came to greet him but there was no sign of Soot. All of a sudden we heard this loud meowing. Bill looked all over upstairs but couldn't find her. I was searching on this floor to no avail. Then we decided she must be locked in my workroom downstairs so Bill headed down calling to her but when he opened the door she wasn't there. Yet the sound, which now stopped was coming from the vicinity of the door. He moved the chair and there she was lying on her side, not moving, talking to him and filthy. He picked her up and brought her to my footstool and while I petted her and she purred and acted normal except that her abdomen was badly distended and she couldn't move her hind legs, he called the vet. Within ten minutes of our arrival in the door, Bill and Soot were on their way to Hanover to see what was wrong.

I stayed here not knowing what to do with myself and really not being able to do anything anyway. I'm so glad we didn't stay at Barb's --I'm so glad we didn't eat at 7 Barrel. Sharon arrived about a half hour later with her stuff to spend the night and have her dinner. I think I was somewhat dazed but we visited awhile. She said Soot was fine on Thursday morning when Sharon left for work.

Anyway, when Bill got back without Soot, he said that the vet said a clot got lodged in the place where the two arteries go into the hind legs and so the legs were not getting blood, it is quite painful but since the legs were still flexible she felt it had happened within two hours of her arrival at the office. They kept her overnight--she is still there and will be a few more days, if she survives--gave her blood thinners and pain medication. Took xrays to ascertain that there was no injury or other organ involvement. He was told getting the clot out and restoring circulation was the first concern--then we need a cardiologist to determine what the underlying cause of the clot is.

Today we called and there has been SOME improvement. Bill cried after he hung up--he's sure we are going to have to put her down. I cannot believe it--she was so normal last night except for those damned legs! We'll call again tomorrow, but since she is 14 and already this is over $600, if there isn't significant improvement--if she doesn't have the use of her legs --what can we do? I never thought, she, the athlete, the thin one, the active one who eats minimally would be the first to reach this stage.

Betsy called today and I couldn't talk to her because she'll hear in my voice that something is wrong--she can always tell with me--she asked about the cats--Bill said Misty greeted us and Soot purred. Not lies, but........

Fred and Meg and anyone else who reads this who might have conversation with Bets--please DO NOT MENTION this to her. We want to wait until we know what happens and what choices we have to make. I know it is silly, it is only a cat, but those who pray could you send up an extra prayer for our Soot?

Also, Fred, your hat and gloves are here--but that's a whole other story!

So today, Bill's gone off to do the taxes and a little shopping and I have checked out our finances and done my pictures and blog. I'll write one other short one as I always do--a sort of summary of miles and free nights and gas costs etc for those who care about those things. I know some of you like to know so you can decide if it is something you'd like to do.

Barb and I are planning on doing it together come Fall--if I can save the money now--I want to have at least $1000 saved to bring Bets home at Christmas. With Barb I'll get to see more of the North and we will go to some of the places Bill and I visited that caught Barb's eye. But for now, all I can think about is Soot and some quiet time reading and readjusting to life in one place.

Will keep you posted. Thanks for travelling with us--I hope you enjoyed the ride--I know I loved sharing with you and getting your comments. Til next time--Bill and Kathy are home in Vermont!