He is getting around very well. He’s no longer using a cane and is able to do a lot. He is hoping that more of his customers call him to do jobs, because he does have a friend helping him who can do all the things he can’t do. And, of course, he needs the money with the holidays coming. I am still helping him out with washing his clothes, because I know it is hard for him to go up and down the basement stairs where his washer and dryer are. I’ve been going down at least once a day to see what I can do to help him out. I am trying to get him to stay off his feet as much as possible because I know how hard it is, and I want him to heal as fast as possible. I’m proud of how well he’s taking care of himself.

Of course it is a little hectic and my house is a pit because I am trying to help him out instead of cleaning my own. But I will be able to catch up when he is better. He will get a prosthetic shoe after three months, so he will be able to do everything. I know he is really looking forward to that. It has already been a month, so time does go by pretty fast.

The two of us will be going to our church for Thanksgiving as we do every year. It is so much easier when you have no family close. Jack and I used to do it on a regular basis. And it is also a way to get a really wonderful gourmet meal because everyone fixes their favorite and best dish. We all look forward to it. I will also be participating in another Thanksgiving meal at The Center which we prepare for our clients and their children, both those in the shelter and in outreach. Miss Evelyn, my coworker, and I went to the store to buy needed items today. When we got back to The Center we learned that a church had donated seventeen turkeys. None will go to waste though because there are always those that need a meal and can use the help.

It is very rewarding even though a lot of work to prepare a meal for all of our clients. We anticipate that we may have around seventy five for dinner on Wednesday. Many of the staff and others pitch in, so our biggest task is to cook the turkey, peel the potatoes, make dressing and prepare the basics, while many provide desserts, drinks, relishes, etc. Much like our church it is most enjoyable to come together in community and fellowship and share with others. I hope all of you have as Pleasant and Blessed Day.!

I continue to go to the RiverPlex on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for a water exercise class and enjoy it very much. It starts my day off well and I feel much better after going. It is different than the YWCA. Not better or worse, just different, and I am so glad I am able to do this. I hope to start working out on some of the machines soon, since I would like to build more upper body strength. That seems to be the area where we lose strength as we grow older.  At least I have. I discovered this one day last summer while working in the yard. I had dug a hole to plant something and lost strength in my arms and fell face first in the hole. I had difficulty pushing myself up with my arms and had visions of lying in the yard for a couple days with my head in a hole. Fortunately I was able to get up, but decided right then to work on upper body strength.

I have really got in to a phase where I am reading mysteries. I find them enjoyable, suspenseful and sometimes very humorous depending on the author. I’ve read The Sinner by Tess Gerrotsen, All the Pretty Hearses by Many Daheim, Shockwave by John Sanford, 61 Hours by Cecil, and Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb. Because much of my reading is done in bed just before I fall asleep I find this kind of literature interesting and easy to pick up and read after letting it go for a period. None of it is great literature, but it relaxes me and provides me with a type of spiritual practice that is both informative and unusual.

This is a short column tonight because l had to return to work to finish it since I have no computer at home at this point. I hope to remedy that soon. Hope you had a Great Turkey Day!

I had left my dog, Kaja, with my son on Friday. I knew he hadn’t been feeling well, but I was so wrapped up getting ready to get out of town, which I love doing, I didn’t pay enough attention. When I got back on Sunday night I stopped at his house to pick up Kaja, and when I went in, he wasn’t there, so I took Kaja and went on home. When I got home there was a message on the machine from Jason. He said, “Mom, I’m in the hospital and I just had my left, big toe amputated.” I freaked, called him and he calmed me down, and I went right up to the hospital. It was very difficult, but I didn’t cry, just tried to talk rationally with him and he was very positive and focused. I was so sad, glad, mad, but so thankful that it wasn’t any worse.

He came home on Tuesday, but wouldn’t come to my house to stay, because he wanted to go home to be with his dog and in his own bed. Which I understand. So I have been trying to go down quite a lot to support him. He doesn’t live very far from me luckily, so I zip down in about five minutes. It has been a sad, regretful time, but also interesting now that he is doing well. I had to pick up meta honey for his foot which I had never heard of, and which is available only at Barnatos at the old Cub Store. It comes in sheets and also in a tube form and is actually honey that allows the foot to heal more quickly. Of course like always when he has a problem, I hope he realizes the seriousness of his diabetes and takes better care of himself. I asked him what this meant to him, and he said it was a wake-up call, so I am hopeful and will be as supportive as I can. I recently went on a food regime that I took from a book called The Diabetes Cure which is really just emphasizing, a good diet with very little sweets, organic fruit and vegetables, whole grains and a few good supplements.

Jason asked me if I would loan him the book to read, and of course I am delighted with that and hope it helps both of us. I have been on this “Cure” for about a month and am noticing a lot of difference. I have more energy, am less tired and have lost some weight. These are still good things, and although I hadn’t gone on for those reasons, I’m thankful for all of them. All in all this has been a pretty good month. The weather has been great, and while I was in Kenosha, it was truly an Indian Summer. We walked all over without a coat, and that is not what we’d anticipated. WE all took gloves and hats and were prepared for winter weather in the North. What a pleasant surprise!

The other significant event this year was my birthday which was yesterday, and I had a great day. I started the day with a water exercise class with Carol, a friend at the Riverplex where I am now going since the YWCA closed. I then went to breakfast with some of the women in my old water exercise class. We went to the Par-a-dice which has a fabulous buffet. I enjoyed seeing all of my friends and enjoyed the food. I had gone off the “Cure” both yesterday and during the Conference at Kenosha, but I’ll get right back on it, because it is working so well. I stopped by Jason’s to check on him and then met another friend, Carlette, for lunch and a movie. She also presented me with a beautiful bouquet when we got out of the movie. I told that was too much, but she said it was a significant one and I deserved it. What a wonderful friend she is. I am very lucky to have the great friends I do.  She had called me the week before saying she’d like to take me for lunch and to a movie, because we are movie buddies. There was a movie I’d almost forgotten about that we did go to see. It I   Sarah’s Key” which I knew would be sad, but it was pretty well done. It is the story of the round-up of Jewish people from France early in the war. The French are very ashamed of this dark story and it isn’t known very well. Probably not as good as the book which I loved and couldn’t put down, but enjoyable.  I’ve heard that Landmark Theatres are devoting one of their theatres to foreign, art and outstanding films, and this was the first. I haven’t verified that yet, but certainly hope that is true.

I ended the day  by picking up a spinach pizza, which is one of my favorites, and  a Holiday sandwich, which is my son’s favorites,  from Fedora’s and going down to eat with him. I am encouraging him to stay off his feet for at least a week, although he is getting around very well with a cane. The cane was his dad’s after his amputation and mine after knee surgery, so it’s certainly becoming a family ‘necessary.’

Our church had a book sale and I picked up several titles which I also managed to read. Nothing of any great value, but I did pick up a couple Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton titles  which I mentioned in my last column. They are both authors of light hearted mysteries without the blood and gore in many of the mystery writers today. They are funny and irreverent, and I love them.

I am going to end a little sooner, because I still have a thousand things to do. I dropped my luggage from the weekend, haven’t unpacked and put mail and other items on the table. Now I may need a shovel to clean, but it is the last thing for which I am concerned.. I refuse to worry about a clean house when there are other things more important to do. Enjoy the sunshine that we’ve been having!

Finally a wonderful Doctor, a Dr. Shanthappe, came and gave the correct diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis. What a blessing that was finally and needless to say, so I won’t say, I was not at all a happy camper. I wrote a very scathing evaluation to Methodist, particularly after I found out in my Dr’s office that my computer record stated no morphine or narcotic drugs were to be given to me. I am still very upset about their callousness, lack of caring and my absolute lack of control or power. I will absolutely take an advocate with me the next time I go to the hospital.

I am back at work, because I feel okay, but have learned how careful I must be with food and medicine. I enjoy working more than staying home because I work short hours, usually just four hour shifts, and I’m not at home where I see the things that need to be done that I don’t want to do. I have done a tremendous amount of reading this whole summer, and I am almost tired of it and need to take a break. I pretty much gave up on my yard this summer. I couldn’t stand the heat and I hated to spend the money on the enormous amounts of water that was needed, so I just let it go. Next spring I will start over.

I went to see A Better Life at Independent Theatre this afternoon, and it made me very sad to think that it may the next to last movie I will see there because it is closing. It has been wonderful to have a movie that showed art, controversial and unusual films. I will truly miss that. Hopefully another may open up and maybe even in the same building. It was an ideal location. After realizing that it was operated by Jay Goldberg, I’m even more upset that he didn’t put more money into advertising, because that is what killed it. Many people hadn’t heard of it, and didn’t recognize the excellent selections of films shown there. A sad commentary about Peoria again that we won’t have an opportunity to see the great films that were shown. My friend, Carlette, and I went to many of the films and even joined as members right after commenting that they would probably close after we joined.  And sure enough that is what happened. We’ll miss the films and Luke, who was so courteous.

The last couple days have been a little on the warm side, and I was looking forward to wearing a jacket in the morning. This morning was cool enough to wear a jacket when I walked Kaja, but fortunately not too cool. I will love cool fall mornings all the time soon, I hope. I started another new book this morning, and have been reading a lot this last week. The title of this one is The Eighth Promise and is the story of a Chinese boy who grew up in America, but part of a family that kept the Chinese tradition alive. It is very interesting to read from a male’s perspective.

I have enjoyed several volumes recently written by people of other nationalities. It is refreshing to read about other cultures and I always learn so much about theirs. One I read was called The Lost Wife and was a different slant on a holocaust story. It was a tragic story of a couple who survived not knowing the other was alive to meet at the grandchildren’s wedding. It was very touching and made me feel their sadness in a whole new way. Another was Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kuhsner, which was the story of an American family whose father worked in management in the sugar cane industry before the Revolution. It certainly offered new insights into another lesser known culture. The last that I particular enjoyed was the The Mistress of Nothing by KatePullinger. Again a different slant of a well worn topic. I have learned to enjoy many different styles of book than I used to, and it’s opened up many vistas of growth and knowledge. Enjoy our cool Fall.

I really wonder what my dear late husband, Jack who was a journalist, would have to say about the media today. He was already concerned about the way some newspapers were writing stories that were unethical and much was being said and printed that did not have to be printed. He was a very ethical person and always said he taught his students to remember their ethics when they wrote stories, and not allow sensationalism to color their facts. He also used a stamp when he corrected students’ stories that said FE meaning fact error. He thought that the most important part of any story was getting the facts straight and not embellish a story to make it more entertaining. He would agree with me I’m sure. The other person who agreed with me was President Obama who was quoted in Newsweek saying,” We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know how we treat one another is entirely up to us.”

As I’ve said, caring and concern starts with each one of us and how we treat each other. It starts in our families, in our own homes, reaches into schools and churches and eventually in to the broad, outside world. And being kind and considerate to others makes us feel better inside, so I can’t imagine how people like Charlie Sheen and Jane Lynch must feel inside. And I don’t buy the argument that that it is what people want. People will, unfortunately accept too much from those who are in the public eye maybe because they don’t know any better or maybe they think it’s clever. It’s not. It’s stupid and demeaning to those who carry out these kinds of behavior and those who accept it.  We all need to teach our children well and accepting   this kind of insult on television and other media is not teaching, but abdicating our responsibility to set good examples. It takes only a simple wrist movement to turn off the TV on programs such as these, and ignoring magazines and newspapers who promote this kind of inconsideration.

It seems to me that we as a public accept anything that is printed or presented on television as appropriate behavior. No, not at all! I recently picked up a quote from a book I read that kind of says it all. “American culture obsesses about a sports figures’ broken ankle or the marital affair of a movies star but totally ignores the hundred million children in the world who sleep on the streets every night.” We need to change our priorities and make ordinary people as important as any celebrity or politician.

Well on to the weather! I do not have a very attractive yard this year because it has been too hot or raining again when I have time to get out in the yard, so I have rather a jungle in my yard. Actually I kind of like it that way, but it does look a little unkempt and most people like more order. It’s my yard, so I really don’t care what others think. I like it any way, and I’ll leave it the way I think is appropriate for me and my view.

I have got quite a lot of reading done during the rainy days, and I’ve gone back to some of my favorite authors. I read a novel by Anna Quindlen who is one of my favorite authors. She is a good story teller, and I enjoyed the book which was called Every Last One. It was a very good story about a family, and then Boom! Three of the heroine’s family were killed, and it really hit me in the gut. The only thing I could ever imagine being worse than losing three family members was to lose them at the same time. I learned again that what each of goes through is not so unique and that knowing how others got through the horror is helpful. It took me back to my losses, but I could identify with the characters, and could empathize without losing it all over again.

I also read a Judy Picoult novel about an autistic child and what it is like to live with and cope with an autistic child. The title was House Rules and it was quite well done. She is an excellent author who chooses various problems and then writes about them in an extremely realistic and informative manner. A lighter novel, but also well written was The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. It was a fast enjoyable read. And then I got into two much heavier and more difficult books that were much longer. I read New York: A Novel by Edward Rutherford which was a tome of over eight hundred pages, and I had to slow down a bit, but it was a fascinating look at the development of New York from Fur Trading days to the Twin Towers going down. Each era that the author covered had an interesting and documented story of characters living at that time.

The last that I’m still working on is Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood. It will take me a long time to read also, because it’s written in a style similar to the bible. I have to think about each page a great deal more than much of my reading. Hope to get out soon, but it looks like the rain will continue for a while. Have a good spring and summer. With all the rain we should have beautiful flowers.

The other public figure who is now seen everywhere and quoted on absolutely everything you pick up or watch is Charlie Sheen who is a drunken, ill-mannered jerk who is also an abuser. I work at The Center for Prevention for Abuse and we don’t need someone like him all over the media. It is bad enough that we have to have domestic shelters because of men who can’t control themselves, but to put him out there as a model is wrong, wrong, wrong. I know that others will say that I am a dinosaur and maybe I am but we need more civility in this world, not less. Television shows that show rudeness, bad manners and other wrong behavior should not be on and I for one think we should protest and boycott those shows that are absolutely showing the wrong behavior particularly to children. How can we expect children to have any kind of good manners and care about others when they see this kind of garbage on television? I know there are those who say that I am living in another world and perhaps I am, but I like it and I think we need to have some positive role models for a change.

Now that I’m preaching, I’m going to mention another issue that drives me nuts. Many of our film stars and sports figures display really bad behavior and yet get paid huge salaries. What kinds of examples are we setting up for our children? Magazines and newspapers laud these people as if they are some kind of gods, and it is so detrimental to all young people. I think we need to start holding those that are in the public eye to some kind of standard. I see those who are in the entertainment industry held up in a different way, and we all need to counteract those images of what is right and good. Maybe a boycott of certain programs or entertainers would help if we could make it happen. A policy of respect, good manners and care would go a long way toward making things better.

And the other issue is technology which is consuming the world in a negative way. I know that it has helped a great deal in many ways, but now it is going too far. When our children spend more time on the internet, texting and playing video games, it is not helpful for their education. I see young people with cell phones in their ears or texting wherever they are. There seems to be so little social interaction among young people. They may be sitting at the same table, but texting someone at another location. A co-worker just came into the library looking for some poetry about bullying which is one of the extremes happening today which is truly scary. We had a workshop on cyber bullying and a young woman talked about how she thought she was talking with a young woman, went out to meet her, was kidnapped by a man, raped and held hostage. They finally found her through a zip code which is one of the serious issues with children going on the internet. Many children who go on the internet think they are anonymous, but they are not. We were warned in the workshop which was presented by Lisa Madigan’s office about the tragic happenings that can result from children giving out too much information. They suggested that parents have the television somewhere where they can supervise. The suggestion was made that the television not be allowed in a child’s room.

Anyhow it’s a fact that children are so involved with technology that they aren’t having any social life. I think that we should license cell phones like we do driving, because they get so involved that everything else is lost. Maybe having a license is extreme, but I do believe that children need to be kids a little longer and not get cell phones too early. Our children are really growing up very fast and miss out on their childhood. I know we can’t go backwards, but I think a little common sense could go a long way with our children.

I’m going to get off my soapbox now. I guess I’m in a bad mood because I love working with children and I hate to see the problems they face these days. I wish that the whole world would just sit back and see what is happening to children. We need to teach and practice acceptance and respect for everyone no matter what age they may be.

My reading hasn’t gone very far this month. I’ve read quite a lot of light reading but not much that I would really tell someone else about. I am reading a good book by Maisie Mosco called Scattered Seed which is about a Jewish family who immigrated to England from Russia. There is an earlier book called From the Bitter Land that I want to get and read now by that same author. Another book that I thought was well written was Cactus Garden, a mystery by Robert Ward.

I actually got out in the yard twice to work a little bit and hope the good weather returns soon so I can get back out in the yard to get ready for spring.

The Holidays are very different for me now, because I have learned they are a flash in the pan of life. I don’t allow the now of celebrating overshadow all of the other good days of my life. Each year during the buying sprees such as black Friday, I let it pass me by and go on with what is happening to me right now. Living in the “Now” has been the best way I can combat any of the bad moments becoming too important. In fact this year much to my own chagrin I went to an early morning sale to buy some jeans that were half price. I usually don’t pay much attention to what is on sale, but this year a sale caught my eye and I actually got up at five to be at the store by six. That is my absolute earliest time to go out, and I probably won’t do it again. I deliberately ignore most of the ads just so I won’t be tempted by a very low price.

I have certainly reached a point in my life where relationships are more important than buying just the right gift. I’ve found that spending time in quiet reflection with warm memories is so much better than joining in the wild hustle bustle that many equate with the Holiday Season. Life truly has balanced out for me, and I appreciate each day for what it brings. Sunsets, warm weather, task well done, softly falling snow, a walk with Kaja, my dog, coffee with a friend and beautiful scenery are more meaningful and special than picking out the right gift or rushing to go shopping. I also have learned and welcomed the opportunity to know each person in my life in a more complete and enjoyable way.

Because I have always been a little critical and controlling, I have looked at each person in a judgmental way. Now I try to look behind the façade of each individual and see the anguish, joy or unhappiness behind each face. Now that I am a recovering controller, I try to see each person in a more tolerant, way without putting my own thoughts or expectations on them. Everyone has his or her own hang ups because of background, experience, education, religion, good or unhappy history, and I am the last person who should ever judge them. I am trying to accept each person for who they are and what values they have, not because of my expectations. I try very hard to be respectful of people and their religions and know that I have no right to make any assumptions or expect anything from them. That is the reason I love my own religion because we believe in freedom of religion and that everyone has the right to believe as they wish and no one has the right to say his or her religion is the only way.

Anyway I hope that will be my Christmas gift to everyone, to accept them fully without judgment and to be respectful of their own life style. Now if I can just let go of my own son’s actions. I am still too much of a mother and say to him “You need to pick up your clothes, or not leave dishes in the sink.” I need to let go of my expectations of him and love him unconditionally. He never says to me. “Mom, how come you have dishes in your sink or you need to clean your house.” So I will try to do the same for him. I think one of the hardest things for parents to do is let go of being that parent and become a friend. So Jason, if you read this you can remind me of that in the future! Not too much, please, and I will try to do the same.

I have read several light trashies, as I call them; those are the ones I read to go to sleep or just to relax. I read probably six light hearted books that I picked up at our church book sale to which I didn’t give another thought. One was a mystery by an English author, Marjorie Allingham, which I must confess I didn’t finish. Very seldom, in fact only once or twice, have I ever put a book down without finishing. I will read on to try to find some saving grace, no matter what! Anyway there was too much dialogue with British accents, which I found too wearing and gave up the book without finishing it.

Three titles I read with little break which found them difficult to put down to sleep or clean house. Neither of which is more important than finishing a good book. The first I read was Anne Rivers Siddons’ Outer Bank which is an attention-holding, well written book. Almost Moon by Alice Sebold was very different and a little macabre. I’ve heard her compared to a modern day Poe, and her stories are a little difficult to read, but hold your interest well. This entire book takes place in just one day. The last book of note was The Master Butchers’ Singing Club by Louis Erdich, who I have read before many times. A great story of an immigrant German family with shades of Native American intolerance, but realistic of the time. Enjoy the Holidays, but don’t stress yourself.

Enough! On to life. I have been thinking quite a bit about what is happening in our country and three things stick out in my mind that make me angry, but I know that does not help, so I am trying to put a positive spin on everything and let go of the negative and the people who seem to be doing so many thoughtless things and taking less than positive action.

The first is the absolute negative thoughts and action against Muslims. Our country was founded on religious freedom, and who do these zealots think they are to determine who, what and where religions can build community centers and mosques. I will never be able to understand why and how they think the way they do, but maybe one of the answers is what I heard when former President Jimmy Carter was on Nightly News with Brian Williams. He said very quietly, in his mild mannered way, he thought Fox News was partly responsible for the lies and half truths that too many Americans have picked up on. I always wonder who and why so many watch that rabble rousing station. Every time I go into a waiting room that insidious station is on. I usually just get over in a corner and read, but I am going to ask that it be turned off from now on. I am usually waiting for an appointment for which I am paying my money for, and I am going to refuse to listen or watch Glen Beck and other hateful word mongers.

I know and hear all about freedom of speech, but I remember learning in school that free speech was a freedom for all, but not when it harms others, and it has gone too far when those who twist and lie are bringing about serious damage to our nation. When it is obvious that many of these “radical free speechers” try to twist and convert their “Freedoms” and limit those very freedoms. I know we can just refuse to listen or turn off the channel, but I am concerned about those who are truly just not thinking, and allow these rabble rousers to put thoughts into their heads. There are moderate views in the market place and if we read carefully and think about what is really right and truthful, we can decide for ourselves without these right wingers putting erroneous thoughts and beliefs into our heads.

On to my second concern. The Tea Party and those who say they want a return to the Constitution of early times. Do they really want to do away with amendments that allow women to vote and provide equal rights to all citizens? Our founding “Fathers” wrote the words of our constitution in a different time and place and it has to change to reflect new freedoms and new knowledge. I wonder how many women who support this movement have thought about it taking away their right to vote. “Please people think about what a return to earlier times would mean for all of us.”

My third concern is the hurtful words that are written in so many letters to the editor and other places. We all have the right to write and say what we think and feel, but what good comes from calling others names or mocking a religion or beliefs. A basic respect for all religions and those who are not religious is what we should practice. What good does name calling or derision of others get us? It should make us feel bad if we have a conscience. I know that the Constitution guarantees my right to believe as I choose, and I believe that being an American makes me responsible for respecting all others. I don’t have to agree with them, but calling them wrong is not my place or responsibility. I hope everyone can learn to be proactive about that responsibility. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could learn to love each other and practice the ‘Golden Rule?’ No I don’t have to eat your kind of food, wear your type of clothing or pray the way you do, but I can honor your right to do so. I hope everyone begins to think about the harm they do to others by their criticisms and belief that their way is the “only way.”

On to my life. I have read a great deal in the past two months, but fiction and non fiction, light and heavy reading and enjoyable and not so enjoyable. I’ll just mention four titles. Two are by Stieg Larsson in his recent trilogy. These are really books you can’t put down. They are fast-moving suspenseful and well written. The first is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the second is The Girl Who Played with Fire. The third is out, but I haven’t read it yet. It is “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” I saw the first two movies at Independent Theater and they were will done, with good acting and very enjoyable. The author who was Swedish died of a heart attack at age fifty which is a tragedy. I also read “Corduroy Mansions,” which is Alexander McCall Smith’s latest and not any of his series, but a new one which takes place in London and is a light-hearted look at a group of people living in a building in London with four flats. It’s a fast read and fun.

Remember to get the whole picture before you decide what to believe!

That is the way I feel about this constant heat and rain. I wish we could alter the weather somehow, but I know we can’t. I know we need to learn to adapt, live with it and do our best, but sometimes it’s is truly overwhelming, and I want to pack my bags and leave. If I could I would. I would leave my house, move to a moderate climate and live a more pleasant, moderate life. Extremes get to me as I age and I just don’t want to deal with them. But what is my choice? Stop griping, do my best under the circumstances and stay inside in air conditioning as much as possible. So that’s what I will try to do.

I did get out of town a couple weeks ago, and it was wonderful. I went to a District Women’s Conference at Pilgrim Park which is up by Bureau. It was a fabulous weekend and I reconnected with many old friends and made many new ones. I truly needed to get away and being with other women has always been one of the best ways to do it. We had interesting workshops, spiritual worship services, and much fun in between. I was able to get some new books, because we always have both a book sale and a white elephant sale.

They are great because this is a group of thinking, caring women, and the books they bring are the kind I read.

Another good thing about the experience is that we totally missed the horrid weather here including the tornado that hit Elmwood. We had rain and wind, but being in a large building made the storm seem minor. And it was compared to Peoria. We kind of drowned out the storm with our fun and games which are a big part of our evenings. A plus for the time was that the staff at the Center were vey helpful and kind and the food was very good, and we didn’t have to do a thing for ourselves.

We’ve started Kid’s Kamp at The Center, and that is different and enjoyable. We hold the Kamp just three afternoons a week, but it is great fun, and the children have a wonderful time. We have a really stupendous bunch of kids this year. They are respectful, engaging, helpful and respectful to one another. It is a joy to work with them.

I have been reading what I brought home from the Conference and because I can’t get out much. I picked up Good Harbor by Anita Diament which is a touching and realistic look at women’s friendship. I had read the author’s Red Tent years ago and knew I would enjoy this new one. I also read Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons, who is yet another favorite author. I’ve read many of hers. This was a love story or perhaps two love stories with a twist at the end. Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman was a book given to me by my friend, Carlette. It was a moving struggle written in first person of a young man with Tourettes as well as other medical problems. Friendmasn was Cory’s father, and it was a story of unimaginable support and love within a family as well as a story of an incredible condition that seems as if no one could survive it.

I finished up my reading this month with a light-hearted cat book by Lillian Jackson Braun called The Cat Who Robbed a Bank. I had read most of hers thru the years, but this book caught my eye, and I discovered I had not read this title. Her books are just pure fun to read of an elderly gentleman named Qwilleran and his two cats Koko and Yum Yum, who always seem to be involved in the mysteries their master gets involved with and helps solve them.

This book brought back memories of my family because I had a sister-in-law who had read all of Braun’s books, and when I went to Albuquerque where they lived for the last time in 2000 for my brother’s funeral I brought back many of her books. She was one of the few people I knew who read as much as I do, and it was a bond between us.

One of the reasons I love the books by Braun are that they take place in a small town where the author introduces you to all of Qwillerans’s friends and the merchants in the town along with the simplicity of living and old fashioned ways that permeate the story. They remind me of the goodness and purity of James McCall’s #1 Women’s Detective Agency titles and his other books. Read one of these or one by Braun or one in the Mitford Series to recall a quieter, less stressful time.

I know I’ve expressed concern about the abundance of everything in this area and this is another proof. It seems that when we get rain, we get too much, when it snows, it’s too deep, when it’s cool, it’s cold enough for a coat, when it rains floods happen, and when it’s hot, we need air conditioning.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a moderate climate where everything stays on more of a level playing field. I do see that global warming has already greatly affected our climate, and it is only going to become more so.

Again this month I’ve had the problem of having beautiful weather when I am inside working and bad weather when I have time to go outside and work in the yard. Oh well I guess I need to stop complaining and just accept whatever is. I thought I had reached that point in my life, but conditions still seems to produce my complaining, which has no effect on anything. I remember Jack saying my worrying about things never changed a thing, and he was so right. But why is it that my stressing-out mode kicks in? I need to reprogram myself but I’m not sure that’s possible at my age.

I do know that my body will not tolerate working in my yard many more years. I remember when I went out in to the yard early and spent the whole day outside. Now the time outside gets shorter and shorter and my aches and pains stay with me longer and longer. I find that I can spend only about two hours outside and then I have to come in and take it easy for about the same amount of time. So several short spells in the garden are about as productive, although the backaches and tiredness stay with me much longer. I know that in a couple more years I need to give up on a yard, move into a retirement home or condo, or get some one to help with heavy jobs.

My son, Jason, helps with some jobs now, but I know that by next year I’ll need more of the heavy jobs contracted out. It is really a pain getting old, and I’m tired of it. I want to start going the other way, but I’m not sure how to arrange that. I’ve read books about contracts with the devil and other supernatural options, but I’m not sure how to go about setting up those kinds of contacts. It gives me something to thing about in my old age.

I recently went back to a Diabetic Nutrition Class, because my blood sugar was out of sight, and I wasn’t coping well with stress. While in the class it was easier to talk with someone else about ways to reduce the stress, but it is much harder on my own. Through the years, I’ve learned many ways to deal with the stress of life which raises my blood sugar. But as the years pass and I am more often on my own, it is more difficult. I’ve learned to breath appropriately, meditate, exercise, read and do many thing to reduce stress, but each year it gets harder.

Not having a family close by I know makes a difference, and I think I get so absorbed in reading and actually almost live the story, because I don’t have much of a family here. I am really beginning to envy large families, because there is always someone around with whom to interact. Being so much on my own is both good at times and not so good. I think as we age, we do have different needs and life is different in so many ways. I love my independence, but also miss greatly the closeness that Jack and I shared. I don’t think you can ever replace a spouse, no matter how many friends you might have.

I really enjoy my life ninety five percent of the time, but it’s the five percent that is more difficult. I do force myself to get out of the house and interact with others, but it becomes increasingly comfortable to curl up with a good book rather than going out particularly in bad weather.

I love working with children at the Center, but again sometimes I’m very tired and stressed out, and would rather be home with a good book. It’s really good that I work only for short stretches at a time. That way I’m relaxed and ready to deal with the children. And most of the time it is wonderful. Gad! Enough about me.

I just finished reading a really good book about Africa and apartheid by Nadime Gordimer entitled A Sport of Nature. It is fiction but closely follows the violence in Africa through the life of the young heroine, Hillela. Her experience of people and events is a journey through the continent’s struggles. Two others I read were the Mitford series which I had remembered reading parts of to Jane with whom I sat for many years at Lutheran Hillside Village. I read the first two in the series, the first being At Home in Mitford and the second A Light in the Window. Both are by Jan Karon, are light hearted and quick, enjoyable reads.

Beneath the Lion’s Gate by Maaza Mengiste is another fiction novel about actual happenings in Ethiopia. The book jacket reads “A novel that’s tender, brutal, and fearless, it is accomplished beyond a first book.” I look forward to reading more of her books. Two others I read were Falling from Heaven by Jeanne M. Peterson which is another first author who explores two extraordinary spiritual traditions in Tibet and America. The second is another debut author and the book is Then Came Evening, a moving story about a Vietnam vet and the struggles of an American family. I like to read the first books of any author. They are always fresh, insightful and well written. Enjoy the heat if you can!