First, a coincidence

I've already shared this card from my sister, HERE, but today I'm sharing it again because of a coincidence.  I found it under a pile of books yesterday, on the day that just happened to be my sister's birthday.  Here's the story behind it:

It's a birthday card from my sister Ann, who died in 2016.  There's no date on it, but it was ironic that I found it on March 22, HER birthday.  A week ago, the online cards I use reminded me to "send a card" to her, and I told someone that I'm not convinced they know how to contact the dead.

On the front it says:  "Perhaps you know why women over fifty don't have babies."  Printed inside:  "They would put them down somewhere and forget where they left them.  I can't even remember why I'm sending you this card."  My sister added:  "But I do remember that I Love You!  Ann."  The amazing coincidence, to me, is that I happened across it on HER birthday.  It's like she's sharing another laugh with me, even though she died almost a decade ago.

Five Equations That Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics ~ by Michael Guillen, 1995, mathematics history, 288 pages

Dr. Guillen shares simple stories of five fascinating people who were able to harness the power of electricity, fly in airplanes, land astronauts on the moon, build a nuclear bomb, and understand the mortality of all life on earth.  He was ABC's Science Editor and an instructor at Harvard University.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I posted an Irish proverb, HERE.
2. On Tuesday, I wrote about wearing green and "the luck of the Irish," HERE.
3. Wednesday's word was "rankle," HERE.
4. On Thursday, I wrote about happiness and kind words, HERE.
5. Book Beginnings on Friday's subject was the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction in 2012, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Beginning ~ with the house's foundation

Beginning

Small trees had attacked my parents' house at the foundation.  They were just seedlings with one or two rigid, healthy leaves.  Neverthe-less, the stalky shoots had managed to squeeze through knife cracks in the decorative brown shingles covering the cement blocks.  They had grown into the unseen wall and it was difficult to pry them loose.  My father wiped his palm across his forehead and damned their toughness.

The Round House ~ by Louise Erdrich, 2012, literary fiction, 357 pages

One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked.  The details of the crime are slow to surface because Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe.  In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed.  He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude.  Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

While his father, a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own.  Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe.  And this is only the beginning.

The Round House is a page-turning masterpiece — at once a powerful coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a tender, moving novel of family, history, and culture.  And it won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2012.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Are you happy?

March 20 is International Day of Happiness, and it also happens to be the first day of Spring.  After a rough winter, I imagine lots of folks are happy to see the arrival of spring.

I have a copy of Clean Speech St. Louis, Volume 4.  It encourages us to speak words of kindness during the month of March this year.  Each year has a slightly different focus.  It reminds us (daily during March) that what we say makes a difference.

I noticed some trees between me and the highway are turning white.  I wonder if they are dogwoods.  I would go check, but my spring allergies say "no" to that.

Have you ever gotten rankled?

ran·kle / ˈraNGk(ə)l / verb = A comment, event, or fact that causes persistent annoyance or resentment.  Example:  The way he jokes about my hair or clothes always rankles me.

Two thoughts for TWOsday

1.  Did you wear green yesterday for St. Patrick's Day?

I did.  Some of my ancestors were Irish.

2.  Saying "the luck of the Irish" was originally an insult.

The phrase dates back to the 19th century and is often linked to

Irish immigrants who found success during the American Gold Rush.

In other words, they weren't smart, just lucky.

An Irish proverb for St. Patrick's Day

The background color is green for St. Patrick's Day,

and I loved a black cat that I named Clawdia.

So this proverb is perfect for my blog today.

I miss you, Clawdia, my little black kitty with a heart on your chest.

Sunday Salon ~ book I heard about

The Second Chance ~ by Charlotte Butterfield, 2025, fiction, 384 pages

Nell has always known the date she's going to die.  After a psychic predicted her death date twenty years ago, she has lived life accepting she would never see forty –  embracing adventure and travelling the world, choosing fun over commitment and laying down roots.

So, when the fateful day comes, Nell feels ready.  She sends five excruciatingly honest confessions to her sister, parents and past loves, knowing she won’t be around to face the consequences.  Then, with her heart laid bare, all that's left to do is check into a glamorous hotel and wait for the inevitable.  But when Nell unexpectedly wakes up the next morning broke, single and very much alive, she must figure out exactly how to seize this second chance at life.  And then it also hits her ... what on earth happens now that everyone knows how she really feels?

QUOTE from a resident in our Cafe on the day before Pi Day (Friday, 3-13:  "Don't forget the MAGPIE while sitting around on Pi Day."

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, my subject was Roberta Flack and a book she published, HERE.
2. On Tuesday, I wrote about Vitamin B12 deficiency, HERE.
3. Wednesday's word of the day was "extrapolate," HERE.
4. On Thursday, I was getting ready for Pi Day (or pie day), HERE, and also thinking about brain activity, HERE.
5. Book Beginnings on Friday's subject was a boy in a suitcase, HERE. 
6. On Saturday, I posted a cat quote, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.