Weekend Fun

Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for morning meditation, the break from the heat, library books on Kindle, summer produce, being able to not take things personally, bug spray, and going to bed early.

Grandma loves Babyface

My mom visited for a long weekend and Babyface was the star of the show.

The super-strict mom I grew up with has been transformed into the most doting of grandmothers.  Carousel and train ride at the mall? Ice cream before dinner? Eat the cream cheese with your fingers? All her ideas!

My heart leaps up when I see Babyface with his grandparents and since none of them see him too often, almost all our usual rules slide.  Last year my Aunt Cece visited and kindly minded Babyface so My Heart's Desire and I could go to a movie.  When he said he was hungry, she brought him cookies in bed.  When I told my cousin this, I thought she would die laughing. Grandmas and Aunts are the best!

Euphoria

Lily King's Euphoria is a dizzying, beautifully written novel. I listened to it on Audible and no wonder I was driving so slow.

It's the story of three anthropologists in  New Guinea in the 1930's, a tangle of anthropology, romance, work that intrigues almost immediately.  The plot wanders a bit in the middle and there is some modern-day syntax that doesn't quite work, but the story is great and the ending makes it all worth it.

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Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for sunshine, air conditioning, homemade popsicles (My Heart's Desire bought these rocket and sailboat shaped molds), how much Babyface likes being 4, my home office, finding a forgotten gift card, amazing in-season cherries, crepe myrtles in bloom, having family trips to look forward to, and finally figuring out how to download podcasts.

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The Boston Girl

First I listened to a sample Anita Diamant's The Boston Girl on Audible but found the narrator's voice grating, so I downloaded it on my Kindle from the library.

In this well-written novel, Addie Baum, 85, tells her plucky life story to her granddaughter in a series of monologues, each that make you want to pull up a chair.  Addie begins when she was born, in 1900 to immigrant Russian parents, the youngest of three daughters.  Her story is detailed and much of it is follows familiar archetypes.

The storytelling moves fast and it's easy to care about Addie.  Much of the important historical events are rather glossed over and this doesn't explore the contextual events of the time beyond the surface.  Addie's personal story has many twists and turns and Addie speaks very frankly to her granddaughter. The voice is conversational, friendly, and I found it hard to put down.

If you're looking for a deep dive into of a lifetime of complex events and thoughtful analysis, keep looking.  But if you throw this book in your beach bag, you won't be disappointed.

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Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for a long holiday weekend, My Heart's Desire's parents are coming down tonight,  Radical Acceptance, book clubs, southern pecan coffee, a good night's sleep, Maui Mango candle, quiet mornings, Audible (I'm currently listening to Euphoria), being able to roll with things, the Serenity prayer, wisdom from other moms, Babyface's joyful dancing, and the thrift store jacket I rock in my chilly office.

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