A-Z Wednesday " N "

It's that time of week again. Well the letter "N" suggests a strange grouping. My sweet friend Ruth passed on these books to me. (This is my unofficial cheering and encouraging section, they know I'm behind in my Romance Novel) It's a series of Romance Novels, THE NASCAR SERIES, yup you read it right. Nascar like the cars, racing the whole shbang. Haven't tried to read them yet. It'll have to wait until my challenges get tiresome. The Nascar Series are you guessed it by Harlequin. One of the titles " Running on Empty" This is the kind of thing I'll be reading, Would he risk his heart--and his daughter's future-on his lost-but-found wife?
this is my homework, I'm to stop reading what I normally like and read real romance. There is definitely a formula. thanks Ruthie.



And then there is "No More Dead Dogs" After my group of readers had read just about every depressing war book, Like "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit", I thought it might be fun to read a more humorous one. And this is what they chose. I'm happy to say that whilst discussing this one, there was some serious root beer coming out of noses. (they laughed so hard).

Synopsis: " I knew Old Shep was going to die before I started page one," I said.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mr. Fogelman snapped. "How?" I shrugged. "Because the dog always dies. Go to the library and pick out a book with an award sticker and a dog on the cover. Trust me, that dog is goin down.|
"Not True!" stormed the teacher.
"Well," I challenged, "what happened to Old Yeller?"
"Oh, all right," he admitted. "So Old Yeller died."
"What about Sounder?" piped up Joey Quick.
"And Bristle Face," added Mike "Feather" Wrigley, one of my football teammates.
"Don't forget Where the Red Fern Grows," I put in. "The double whammy--two dogs die in that one."
"You've made your point," growled Mr. Fogelman. "And now I'm going to make mine. I expect a proper review. And you're going to give it to me--during detention!"

Well now not only do you have to read this book, but you'll have to go back and read all the others mentioned, and that's what happened with my little group.

Don't forget to check out the other posts of A-Z Wednesday, you never know when you could find your favorite book.

By the pricking of my thumb...

I love Agatha Christie Mysteries. One of the books I'm not sure I've ever read was "By The Pricking Of My Thumb". Today as I'm laying on the acupuncture bed with all these things sticking out of my arms and hands, I'm thinking I need to read that book. I'm suppose to be clearing my mind and relaxing whilst all this is working. Apparently the title comes from a scene in Macbeth. Well I hope pricking my thumbs means I'll be pain free this night and actually sleep. Off to order a book.

And where are you my spelling police?

Welcome to Holland

As most of you know, if you are a regular reader of my blog, I have a mom in a long term care facility. When I arrived to visit yesterday, Friday, the rec staff was just hustling her off to travelogue. Travelogue is a little virtual visit to a country of choice. Yesterday's country was Holland. The staff, get little pieces of memorabilia and crafts as well as, some sweet treat that is typical of the country of choice. Then there is a little movie to welcome the tourists to Holland. For most of the presentation my mother didn't realize it was me talking to her in polish, and all she wanted was the treat and then out. Well of course I didn't comply, I made her stay for the whole thing. I'm not sure what she is rushing off to, Oh yes I am, she's claimed a spot in the common room that is "hers" and no one is allowed to be there except her, so she sits there day in and day out watchfully guarding it. Well she lost her spot, because she was really in Holland. What a lovely presentation, and such a tasty treat, a great diversion from life in front of a T.V. which is not always on. Our next "trip" is Italy.

I must say that the whole while we were visiting Holland, I couldn't help thinking of the poem :

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

And while my mother doesn't have a disability, she is disabled, and having taken this trip before, I know it to be an enjoyable trip that I am so glad I've been on, and if I never get to Italy that's o.k. with me, I only wish that my traveling companion was a little more co-operative.

A-Z Wednesday, "M"

Well today's book is not only the collection of yummy quick meals, it arrived from Vicki, of Reading on the Beach. I won it in one of Vicki's giveaways. Our yummy supper was Broiled Honey Mustard Salmon. Thank You so much Vicki. I know I'll enjoying testing all these delicious dishes on my family.



If you're new to A-Z Wednesday here's how it works.
Here's how it works:

Each Wednesday I'll post the meme with that weeks letter (A-Z).

Grab the A-Z Wednesday button on my sidebar to add to your post, to link back here.

Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with that weeks letter.

Post
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back here and post your link in the comments
If you've already reviewed this book you can the review also.
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment.
(We all love comments, don't we?)
Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

How do you know it's been a good B Day?

By the crumbs on the plate.

I didn't do it...

I didn't participate in Friday 56 this week, for some unknown reason. But I do have a few lines to share with you from "Fall on your Knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald.


Mercedes doesn't much care for dolls any more, but Lily is passionate about them and so is Frances. ...At the moment, they are all nicely lined up against the hope chest: there is Maurice, the organ-grinder's monkey;there is Scarlet Fever, the girl baby with the porcelain head; there is Diphtheria Rose, whose velvet dress Frances has shortened fashionably; there are the twins sailors, Typhoid and TB Ahoy, and the little boy doll, Small Pox. There used to be a lovely lady doll in a ballgown, Cholera La France, but she got lost somewhere. In pride of place is the flamenco dancer with her crimson dress and castanets. Spanish Influenza.

Doesn't this make you think what on earth was going on in the world, that these little girls found this language so familiar. It's a must read, recommended by "Lennie" from Alphabet Soup.

What about you?

Every week Suzanne, from Quietfire Design sends out a journal prompt. I try to participate, these are private journals. It occurred to me that my kids really know little about ME outside of what I do in relation to them and their upkeep, so I started to write a private journal and I love how Suzanne prompts me into thinking about things. So today I thought I'd bore you with some of my thoughts on this particular topic.

Today's Prompt.

Do you travel regularly?
Have you ever traveled for work?
What is your usual mode of transportation?
Is this mode your favorite way to travel?
If you travel for work, is it all work - or do you take time to "smell the roses" while you're away?

I seem to be traveling all the time. I travel by "Go" Bus. The "Go" system is a series of commuter trains/buses in the Greater Toronto Area, now reaching as far as Niagara Falls, Pickering Milton/George Town, Acton and beyond. I travel by this system to visit family and friends, to Dr. appointments, to painting group etc. Is this work? I wish I was getting paid mileage.

Then again I did travel for work a couple of times. I had opportunity to go to a training session or two in Ottawa. The unfortunate part of that was it was BRRRRRRRRRRRR cold. Not winter yet, but cold. Ottawa is quite a lovely city, the capital of Canada. We were in class most of the day so by the evening, the sidewalks were rolled up and not much sight seeing got done. I did however go to high tea. I arrived in Ottawa via the VIA Train, (Go borrows the tracks from Via). The country graciously booked me on 1st class, well I thought I could easily be transformed to the Orient Express, such service and all with a little french accent. Gaston brought out the wine the minute the little hand and big hand hit 12noon. I only had one glass, just in case the Prime Minister or the Queen was meeting me at the station.

But the ultimate travel for work I'd like to say I did was to tell you all I'd been to Japan, Ohara School of Ikebana. But alas no such luck,...

What about you?
Do you travel regularly?
Have you ever travelled for work?
What is your usual mode of transportation?
Is this mode your favourite way to travel?
If you travel for work, is it all work - or do you take time to "smell the roses" while you're away?