I hardly ever recommend a book

 because everyone has their own preferences in what subjects interest them.  

When I go to the library for some good reading, I always pick up two books (in case one of them doesn't thrill me).  Usually I choose a novel by an author I know, and then there is a back corner of the room where I seem to always find a book from an author I've never heard of.  In that corner are real life, historical books and biographies.  "Miracle in the Andes" was a favorite as well as early American history about Native Americans.

Just finished a book that really drew me in about a woman who speaks of herself in such a raw honest way before and during an ill-planned hike through the Pacific Crest Trail.  Cheryl Strayed lost her mother and divorced a man she loved, got into heroin before she decided to test herself on the trail.  I loved this book from beginning to end.  Don't usually endorse a book, but this one is well worth the read.  

My favorite movies and books are all about survival and revival.

In difficult times, you move forward in small steps.

Do what you have to do, but little by little.

Don't think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow.

Wash the dishes.

Remove the dust.

Write a letter.

Make a soup.

You see?

You are advancing step by step.

Take a step and stop.

Rest a little.

Praise yourself.

Take another step.

Then another.

You won't notice, but your steps will grow more and more.

And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.”

- Elena Mikhalkova

(Image of Tasha Tudor, American Illustrator 1915-2008)

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Paring Down!

 We have given up on lots of collectibles (hoarding) since moving to a smaller more efficient home. So now, with limited space, I'm only collecting mini pieces, such as these small books ~

The largest of these is only 3 1/4" x 4" and the tiniest is 1 7/8" x 2 1/4".

My favorite is "Quotable Women".

A woman's life can really be a succession of lives, each revolving around some emotionally compelling situation or challenge and each marked off by some intense experience.

~Wallis Simpson (1896-1986)

I have given away several of these little gems as gifts ~ usually added to a larger gift as an extra bit fitting to the person's interests.

My busy last 7 days

To save my sanity, I'm watching much less news and trying to keep busy.  Pandora is a real blessing.  As my grandma used to say ... "The key to happiness is keeping busy"

So here is what I've accomplished in a week ~

If you've been following me and saw my last blog posting, I talked about making a doll quilt.  Well ~ here it is (20 inches square)

and here is the Country Kinfolk doll made to go with it.

Plus I read a book by John Grisham on my kindle just before my Fire Tablet gave up on me.  But since I loaded up my retreat with reading material when I saw what was coming, there are plenty of paperbacks on the shelf.

Success in Life (a repost from 2012)

“That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and

 loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men

 and the love of children; who has filled his niche and 

accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found

 it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued

 soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty or failed to

 express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he

 had.” 

Robert Louis Stevenson

I find that the internet can be a fount of inspiration and pure joy

  

in times like this.  Came across the wonderful quote above and 

 

this happy photo by surfing around in just the last half hour. 

 

 Hope it expresses my "appreciation of earth's beauty" and helps 

me get through this day.

One Thousand White Women

This book begins with a real event in history that Jim Fergus deems the “seed” that grew into a novel. During a peace conference at Fort Laramie in 1854, a prominent Northern Cheyenne chief requested one thousand white women.

Through a fictional “Brides for Indians” program, the central character, May Dodd, is sent to marry the great chief Little Wolf, along with quite the cast of fellow white women who band together to form an entertaining group as they too enter into marriage with Cheyenne men. 

The program is completely voluntary, and May decides to go because she has nothing else to lose – after all, she has been committed to an insane asylum for having children out of wedlock with a man who is considered beneath her family’s worth. 

What a nut, right? Right… women as brides for his young men. His reasoning? Because children are born into their mother’s tribe, the chief believed that procreating with white wives would be the perfect means of assimilation into white society. As you can probably imagine, in real life this request was not well received in Washington, and the white women were never sent to the Cheyenne people. In Jim Fergus’ novel, they are.

I would never have picked up a book or entered one in my Kindle titled "One Thousand White Women".  But my cousin, who is always giving me reading suggestions liked it and, knowing my love for American historical novels, thought I would too.  She was right! I picked up so much information about the Cheyenne people and their everyday life (especially the women's busy days) in the 1870s.  Sad ending of course as these people who lived off the land were forced into white agency life (aka the reservation).

Stone Calf (1803-1883) was a Cheyenne peace chief who brought his small band to the agency in Indian Territory in 1870. He worked to bring other bands in as well. 

Crackers and Milk

In two sittings I read this little soft cover book sent to me by my cousin Sara. The perfect read just before Thanksgiving or any time you feel life has given you more than you can handle.

I was surprised to see it offered on Amazon only because it almost appeared to be self-published.  It was signed and given to my cousin Sue by the author . . . Arlene Nelson.

"Crackers and Milk" retells Arlene's mother's amazing story of an unusually tarnished childhood wherein she was the oldest of five children growing up in the early 20th Century in rural Midwest (actually took place mostly in the same area I grew up in).  Her struggles to keep her sisters and brother together without parents will break your heart.

Thank you Arlene Nelson for gifting it to my cousin Sue who passed it on to her sister Sara and then she to me.

word of the day . . . sussurus

I'm currently reading a book aptly named "Boundary Waters" which takes place in Northern Minnesota in a region of wilderness straddling the Canadian and United States border.  It's a modern day story about the tracking of a woman through that vast network of waterways by a group of men led by an Ojibwe boy.

Living my first 17 years just a bit south and west of Duluth, I enjoyed hearing the names again of familiar towns and lakes.  

But, I digress!  The word "sussurus" stopped me from going on midway through the book, and I just had to look up its meaning.   Sussurus (of the stream) is whispering, murmuring or rustling.  Don't you love it when the sound of the word is the same as its meaning.

"Boundary Waters", along with other books by William Kent Krueger, take place in this part of our beautiful country.  This is my first book by this author, but I will be reading more of his novels.

the theme was "book pages"

Another ATC swap produced these three fun projects . . .

Just so happened to have an old Courier & Ives book that had already been ripped up and abused.  So I took some pages that had lovely letters at the beginning of the paragraphs, colored them in the style of illuminated letters and adhered them to 2.5" x 3.5" boards.

Found some postage stamps with authors pictures on them, bits of pressed flora, this and that, etc.

Took a break from painting to create ATCs.  Variety is the spice of life!

Four Pin Friday

Call me old~fashioned but I simply love art nouveau design and the beauty of the Victorian era in general.  The swirls, the harken back to nature in fauna and floral inspires me.  

These books (found on Pinterest) beg to be opened and read while sitting in the shade of a big oak tree with a babbling brook at the side and the aroma of blooming Oriental lilies wafting in the air.

A girl can dream, can't she?

What are you reading?

I have found a new favorite author! 

In reading my third novel by Jodi Picoult, "not being able to put it down" has new meaning for me.

"19 Minutes" was my introduction to this author ... gripping story.

"My Sister's Keeper" with it's surprise ending.

and now I'm deep into "The Pact".

Cannot say enough about this author's storytelling ability and now that the cool wet weather has engulfed the Pacific Northwest, I'm planning to load up on her other books (of which there are many)

 

Up at Night!

Couldn’t sleep last night (nothing new) so I turned on my reading light and picked up a little classroom book my DIL asked me to read.  It is a favorite of her third graders where she teaches.  With only 63 pages I finished it way before I was ready to go back to sleep.  By 3:00, tears were streaming down my face.  “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” by Eleanor Coerr … such a touching sweet story based on the life of a real little girl who lived in Japan from 1943 to 1955.  I highly recommend it for all ages.

Two good reads

This past weekend I met my daughter at Barnes & Noble.  She agreed to help me spend the gift card she had given me for my birthday.  It's a store I can get lost in for hours and hours!!

I ended up picking out a beautiful packet of origami papers and paperbacks by two of my favorite authors . . . 

Carl Hiaasen.  This will be the fourth book of his that I have enjoyed.  AP described his writing as "Fast-moving...makes you laugh out loud..."  The first paragraph of "Star Island" absolutely did get me to laugh out loud!  NY Times book review ... "Outlandish lunatic farce".  If you like a great story with lots of humor, you will love Hiassen.

Greg Isles.  My daughter~in~law introduced us to his book by gifting us "24 Hours" at Christmas.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote "The pace is frenetic, the fear and paranoia palpable, and the characters heartbreakingly honest".  Stayed up past midnight two nights in a row to finish this book!  So, gift card in hand, I chose Isles' "Third Degree" for my next read.