Currently Handle with Care: A Novel By Jodi Picoult see related

Well, kids, it's been a couple of days.  

I read 2 books since Monday and am well into a third. 

I read WHILE I AM FALLING which was very good.  The main character gets into some trouble that seems to just escalate but by the end of the book; it is all working out and the future looks bright again.

I read THE DIARY which was also a good story.  I thought I had figured it out until the last few pages cleared up the mystery. 

I have started HANDLE WITH CARE by Jodi Picoult.   I know some people don't think she is a good author but I enjoy her stories.  I think she takes on such interesting subjects and creates characters that seem real to me.  The dialog that she uses always sounds accurate to me as well.  This is the story of parents who have a child with OI. OI is osteogenesis imperfecta which means the bones in their child's body break with little or no trauma.  This story also involves an attorney who likes to file big money cases and how the choices the parents make, regarding a lawsuit, can and will change their lives and could destroy lives of those who love them.

I am officially a senior citizen...or I will be by my next birthday in December.  I signed up for a Medicare insurance policy on Tuesday which will begin on January 1, 2010.  I never thought this day would come and here it is....

A friend gave me a huge bag of paperback books on Tuesday as I had given him a huge bag of books last Saturday.  It's good to have books.....if that blizzard ever comes and I am snowed in for months...I will be ready.

Yesterday RH (retired husband) and I met another couple at a casino.  We spent nearly 3 hours talking in the restaurant before we went off to gamble.  Neither RH nor I were doing well at all on the penny slot machines.  I was on my last $5 when I finally started to hit a couple of bonuses.  I went home with $27.54 out of the original $50 I took with me.  And, when I started to play one machine, I found a ticket for $14.40 sticking out of it.  I waited to see if someone would come back to the machine to claim it.  But no one did so I gave the ticket to one of the attendants walking by.  I hope they were able to trace the ticket to the rightful owner.  I know there are security cameras all over so I sure didn't want to appear that I took the ticket.  You can get into BIG trouble for that. 

When RH and I were in Loughlin, Nv. a year ago....that happened to someone while we were there.  She had cashed out but the ticket printed as 1 cent; she took the ticket and walked away.  Then a second ticket printed out with the remainder of her money which was about $80.  When she realized what happened, she went back to the original machine and the ticket was gone.  Security just ran back a tape and saw the face of the person who took the ticket, went through the casino and found him.  As he was being cuffed; he was taken back to the woman and told to apologize to her face to face. 

We found out today, indirectly, that one of our nephews and his girlfriend had a baby.....but we have no information on the date of birth or even if the baby is a boy or girl.  We were planning on sending a gift but can't decide if we should do so or just wait to be notified about the birth.  Since this is the first grandchild of the brother of RH who has cut himself and his family off from the rest of us for the past two years....it is another instance where they don't seem to feel any of us are "worthy" of their attention.  I imagine we will just send a check and turn another cheek again.  As RH said, there's no reason to act like they do...

Hope you are having a good week.

Currently While I'm Falling By Laura Moriarty see related

So I went to the library today....and what a glorious visit it was!  There were so many books that I was looking for and so many more than I think I will enjoy reading that I had to make myself stop at 10 selections....

Good thing I have given myself another timeout from Face Book so I will have time to read again.

This is a novel about a relationship between a daughter and her mother when one is trying to grow up and the other is trying to stay sane after a divorce.  I read a previous book by this author entitled THE REST OF HER LIFE.  It was also about a mother and daughter and how a choice the mother made to help her daughter turned into a serious problem.

  This is the story of a woman blessed with a perfect life, a charming husband, two bright teenaged children, a successful career and busy within her community.  Then she discovers a secret and her world starts to unravel.  This is described as a book with  "psychological tension and chilling moral complexity that accelerates to a shattering conclusion...."   OOOOOH!

 This is a story about 2 grown daughters who discover a diary kept by their mother in her attic.  Their mother is unable to speak and is near death.  The two sisters read about their mother life when she was y oung.  How she lost her heart to one man while devoted to another.  Of course, there is a terrible situation in which their mother could only save one man.  "THE DIARY is a love story and a story of a family and the question most adult children ask at some point...how well do you really know your parents?"

 FAMILY ALBUM.  For years, the grown children have protected their mother and her illusion of domestic perfection.  As each of the grown children returns to their former home, the long repressed secrets are revealed and how those secrets impacted the family.

 This is the latest book by one of my favorite authors.  This book "brings us into the heart of a family bound by an incredible burden, a desperate will to keep their ties from breaking and a powerful capacity for love."

 This is a love story...a lighter read....a story of 4 childhood friends who found a premier wedding planning company.  Of course, there will be the usual star-crossed lovers who have to fuss, fight and fall in love within the 358 pages of this book.

 This is an epic story that takes place in Russia at the dawn of the 20th century and pre-Revolutionary China between two people who fall in love and have to fight to be together.

  The year is 1934.  The country is in the middle of the Depression and a Texas woman is running a boardinghouse.  This is the story of her struggle and the man who comes to live there.  Can he help her during the unrest in the town when times get very tough?

 This is the story of 3 friends who uproot themselves from their comfortable lives in the suburbs.  They buy a run down mansion and challenge themselves to make it their new home with plenty of disaster and home improvement problems and even a ghost in the house.

I have heard a lot about this autobiography.  I want to read it for myself. I always liked Mackenzie Phillips and want to know how she made it through from being a child born into rock and roll royalty, becoming a child star.....losing herself in drug and alcohol addiction.... to the other side.

I have my reading planned for the next few weeks.  Talk to you later.

RH (retired husband) remarked this morning that our first two weeks of November weather have been better than the entire month of October.  He's right.  We have had warmer temperatures, sunny days and overall; it has been a pleasant 2 weeks.  RH is finally getting ahead of the leaves falling.  He has raked and used the blower on the leaves nearly every day and also mulched many piles.  There are not too many leaves left on the trees and even the neighbors have done their part so we don't get their leaves in our yard as often.  RH said he is ready for the snow if only to cover up the rest of the leaves.  Oh, did I mention, he is outside AGAIN blowing the leaves out of the flower beds and the front yard.  Yes, he is.

Speaking of two weeks in November...I have been back on Face Book since the first of the month.  I cut way down on the numbers of games I play but still find I spend hours on the computer.  I have decide not to bake any more sweets in Yoville or plant any more crops in Farmville and Farm Town and to leave my island unplanted. And my restaurant in Cafe World will be closed this weekend.   In other words, I am putting myself in another time-out. 

It has been apparent to me that this year, I am going to be hosting more holiday gatherings than usual.  Years ago when we first got married, we couldn't wait to have the annual Christmas gathering at our home.  It made us feel so grownup and we even got both sides of our families together for a few years.  Then another member of RH's family got married and they wanted to have Thanksgiving at their home.  It was so nice to have someone else doing Thanksgiving.  We had Christmas Eve at our home.  But a couple of years ago, that other family member just stopped inviting everyone to their home.  So, we picked up the slack and had Thanksgiving here at our house.  Everyone brings food and shares.  As our children have grown up and gotten married...the little groups have branched off.  All of them share the holidays with their new in-laws and many of them have moved away too.   Sometimes other siblings come back to Indiana and spend one of the holidays with us.  There are still 3 brothers in RH's family in this area plus a cousin and her husband, our son and his family so it can add up to a large group.

For the past few years, we have had a cousin and her husband, our son and his wife and her two daughters and ourselves for Christmas Day at our home too. 

This year we are doing Thanksgiving  ( 1) for a small group of 7; 

Christmas Eve  (2)  for anyone who wants to attend which could potentially mean 8 more in addition to the 7 we know about.

Christmas Day  ( 3) for at least 7 people.

Now, it appears we are also hosting New Year's Eve  (4) for about 8 people. 

I can't tell you how excited I am.....No....really....excitement is not the word....oh Jeebus!

I don't love cooking that much.  I don't like worrying that my house is not clean enough.  I don't like worrying if I made enough food,

will it taste good?..

will it be hot enough?...

 will the planned meal come together?...

 will they eat it?, 

 Should I stick to a menu I know or try something new? 

 And what a mess to clean up when they all go home.  I remember years when we had 25 people and how exhausted I was.  It didn't make the holidays fun for me at all.

It is much better now that I am retired.  But still.....I wish the family gatherings were big enough that other members would take over.  I do share Thanksgiving now with another of RH's brothers and his wife.  This year they are spending time with her family...as they should.  We are all getting older now, we are all retired now...we are all tired now.... LOL.

RH thinks it is just a matter of cleaning the house and preparing the food.  He just doesn't understand the emotional pressure I feel to make sure it turns out the way I feel it should.

It always reminds me of the following ....

Martha Stewart's Christmas Letter to Erma Bombeck

***

Happy Holiday Planning.....

Currently Reunion: A Novel By Therese Fowler see related

Are you watching the dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars?  I have watched both programs since they first started.  I have to say I am really tired of Dancing With....  They drag on the second show of the week for so long, with that stupid music.... when they eliminate the contestants...  I read a book or magazine during the show.  While I do enjoy most of the singers they have on as extra entertainment on the Tuesday elimination show; I do get tired of seeing professional dancers prancing around the stage while the singer is performing.  Most of the time, I just want to watch and listen to the singer.  And how many times can the dancers do basically the same steps as they interpret the song?   I do enjoy most of the actual competition dancing. 

 I am seriously rooting for Kelly Osbourne even though I know she is not the best dancer this season. 

 And excuse me, but I am really tired of Donny Osmond and his sister, Marie, talking on all the TV shows about their opinions of the other dancers.....Actually I am really tired of the Osmonds period...the end...time to go...it's over....  (and please don't send me hateful comments about my opinion of the Osmonds either!)  I loved to watch the Donny and Marie show years ago but I am just tired of hearing about them.

I do like So You Think....., I enjoy the young dancers and how hard they work.  I often wonder why they are criticized about the costumes or the choreography since they have nothing to do with that.  Usually there is at least one dance that brings me to tears each season.   Last season it was the dance about breast cancer survivors.

RH (retired husband) and I signed up for Medicare for 2010.  RH had to change his Medicare Supplement policy to another.  I will be eligible by next month and signed up by next week for 2010.  The policies are changing due to the economy but we found one that will be about $21 a month for each of us and has prescription, dental and vision coverage too.  It all helps.  For 2010, we decided it was better to pay for coverages we want and have some co-pays than to take Medicare with its own supplements direct and pay more per month..(.about $125 to $150 each) and have no co-pays.  Fortunately, we are allowed to reassign our choice of company every November for the following year.  With the way the government is moving with the economy and the health care programs; there is no telling what will happen after next year.

I had a strange experience yesterday.  We were having lunch with a friend.  I ordered an egg salad sandwich and after about 2 bites, I felt a tingling in my left upper jaw and then behind my left ear.  I touched my neck behind my left ear and it was swelling up.  I had been sneezing off and on for a few days and felt sinus pressure in my upper teeth so I think it was a sinus related reaction.  The swelling behind my ear went down after about an hour.  Then last night, I ate a brownie and it swelled up again and this time; it was more swollen and more uncomfortable.  I didn't eat anything else except some yogurt and a bagel about 2 hours later.  It swelled up again.  I took an Aleve because the sinus pressure was more noticeable in my upper jawline on both sides and it went down again. 

Today, it is not swollen but there is some tenderness to the touch.  I haven't eaten anything yet today because my stomach is a bit queasy.  I am wondering if I am getting a sinus infection?  My teeth are still uncomfortable too.  I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary yesterday except for the egg salad.  I can't imagine anything that could have been in the egg salad to cause a reaction.  Any ideas, anyone?  I have googled the symptoms and it appears to fit the sinus theory.  I will pay attention to this for a couple more days before I contact the doctor. 

Before, when I have noticed the teeth discomfort, I asked my dentist to check.  He said I was fine and that the sinuses can cause the teeth to ache when the sinuses are swelling.  Right now, I can feel my cheekbones and upper teeth tingling which is the reason I am sure it is related to sinuses.

I've been back on Face Book for about 11 days and I am bored with it.  I have cut down on many of the games and still find I don't care that much about Yoville and Farmville and the others.  Hopefully by the end of this month, I will be done with it.  I just don't see the point any longer in working so hard to get to the next level.   You don't really get anywhere.  .  I have enough yocoins to buy a house and I don't really care.  I have enough Farmville coins to buy a real house and I don't care.  I may just sell off all the animals and crops and just watch the fruit trees come in and enjoy the various colors and leave it at that....or....not! 

I am reading another book.  REUNION, by Therese Fowler.  This is a lighter read....about a woman who is successful in television, with a secret past, and she is now in Florida and planning to buy a little cottage.  I am sure she is going to meet a wonderful man and somehow her secret past will come out to cause trouble before the happy ending.  I'm planning on going to the library next Monday so I need to get back to reading my current library books.

And along those lines, do any of you watch Brothers and Sisters?  I like that show but.....I see once again that the young lovers are not telling each other the truth .... so they will get all upset with each other before the planned wedding takes place in a few weeks.  Hey, I know, everyone has moments when they think they are being kind to their loved ones when they don't tell the truth or keep a secret...but this couple's relationship has been this way all along the story line.  They constantly decide on their own that not telling the other one involved about a serious situation or their true feelings is the kindest thing to do.  Then, of course, there are misunderstandings and they fight and fall apart and then get back together.  I think it is time for them to grow up and communicate.

Of course, I have a lot of room to talk.  I keep things to myself too.  Communication seems to have become more difficult for me lately.  I don't know why but I feel like I withdraw more than I used to.  Could it be that being retired has made it easier for me to avoid the real world?   I know I don't go out and do much anymore.  I tell myself I am saving money, saving gas, being independent but when it is too much?  This is another reason why Face Book is a problem for me...it makes it so easy to be alone and not communicate in the 3D world.

Thoughts to ponder....

Well, kids, I just finished this book.  I loved it.  It had humor, history, love, respect, anger, sorrow, lots of sorrow, stories, culture, problems, mystery and even a page where I gasped out loud.  I thought I had read other books by author, Pat Conroy, but I haven't  But I will...so yes...I will.

I watched a short video about Pat Conroy.  He said it took him 5 years to get this book to the publisher.  He said his family and friends often wonder if they will be part of the story or take the shape of one of his characters.

He writes in long hand.  Yes, that is correct....he writes his book in long hand, then sends it to a typist and then to his agent and on to the editor.  He said it is not unusual for the editor to cut 500 pages the first time around.  He said he knows he could write much more quickly if he typed his manuscript but he enjoys writing at least 5 pages a day in long hand.  It works for him...and it certainly worked for me.

Do yourself a favor.  If you like reading about the South, if you love multiple characters who really become like your own friends as you read about their lives and why they do what they do (note..yes, I am speaking as if they are real!) then get this book.

The story begins in 1969 when the main character, Leo, is instructed by his mother to meet twins who have just moved in across the street, and also meet two orphans who will be attending his school and also meet the new black football coach and his son.  Their friendships endure for over 20 years along with 3 other school friends who are included in this story of people who care about each other. 

Pat Conroy is obviously a man who loves Charleston, South Carolina.  You will soon love it too and want to visit it to see South of Broad...which is described as the most beautiful place on earth.