Two by two

When I eat in the Circle@Crown Cafe, either I've agreed to meet someone there or one or TWO people come over to talk to me.  Yesterday, a women sat down to talk with me, and a man stopped to talk us, though he never sat down.  Both are residents.  Today, a man who lives on my floor sat down to chat while I finished up my lunch.  It really is good to live in a place with so many friendly people.

Go ahead and borrow that book

The Surrogate Mother ~ by Freida McFadden, 2025, literary fiction, 320 pages

She was promised a miracle.  She got more than she bargained for.  Abby wants a baby more than anything.  But after years of failed infertility treatments and adoptions that have fallen through, it seems like motherhood is not in her future.  That is, until her personal assistant Monica makes a generous offer to serve as a surrogate.  It's an offer that will make all of Abby's dreams come true.  But soon, strange things start happening, and it turns out Monica isn't who she says she is.  The woman now carrying Abby's child has an unspeakable secret.  And she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

My note:  Seeing this in the library, I had to have it, even though I have not yet finished the book I'm reading.  I went ahead and got it.  (Amazon calls this literary fiction, suspense thriller, and psychological thriller.  So which is it?)

March is Women's History Month

I am still slowly reading this book:

Separation of Church and Hate is making me think.  It is a rallying cry for anyone who is sick of people using religion as a way to hide their hate.  I blogged about it HERE.

Week in Review

• The subject I chose for TWOsday was games, HERE.
• My Wednesday word was "ubiquitous," HERE.
• On Thursday, I was thinking about Chinese proverbs, HERE.
• My Book Beginning for Friday was from More Than Words, HERE.
• On Saturday I reflected on a signifigant family anniversity, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Remembering a long-ago Saturday

The long-ago Saturday that is on my mind today was February 28, 1959.  Let's see, 2026 minus 1959 is 67 years ago.  That's the day I married.  I remember as we left the church, that car-loads of friends were lined up to follow us.  We got into our "getaway" car driven by a friend, but went straight through it to another friend's car going in the opposite direction.  Yep, we almost got away, except for those who happened to be parked going in that direction.  I no longer remember details, but I do remember divorcing him 14 years and three children later (also in February).  The three children, all married now, gave me seven grandchildren.  The first one made me a grandparent on grandparents day.  And now I have six GREAT-grandchildren).  This photo includes four generations (I'm wearing red):

Beginning ~ with the prologue

Beginning

He'd imagined the baby would be a boy, a son to take to ball games, to watch his favorite movies with, to teach to drive stick.  A son who would slay the Jabberwock with him, who would pick up his own sword and fight the manxome foes alongside his old man.  The way he had.  A son who would continue his legacy, the family's legacy.  An heir.

Standing with his baby girl in his arms, her head resting in the crook of his elbow, he felt the need to say he was sorry.  To apologize for imagining her a boy.  Because from the moment she was born, the moment he first saw her, it was as if a seed had been planted in his heart.  It quickly rooted there, and now, three days later, he felt it growing, filling him with pride and love and determination.

More Than Words ~ by Jill Santopolo, 2019, fiction, 350 pages

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter.  Raised by her father, owner of New York City's glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most.  And Tim — her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood — feels the same.  But when Nina's father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core.

As her world falls apart, Nina begins to see the men in her life — her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael — in a new light.  Soon she finds herself caught between the world she loves and a passion that could upend everything.  This is a heartbreaking novel about grief, loss, love, and self-discovery, and how we choose which life we are meant to live.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Pondering some proverbs today

Chinese Proverbs ~ by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, illustrated by You Shan Tang, 1991, sayings, 58 pages, 

From a culture rich in advice and thought, this little book is a collection  of centuries of traditional wisdom.  Each proverb is illustrated along with words in both English and Chinese.  This saying made me smile and nod in agreement:

"Do not wait until you're thirsty to dig a well" (p. 42).

Here's another:  "An old horse knows the way" (p. 36).  As you can see, it's short and the whole book can be read in a few minutes.  If you stop to ponder each saying that is included, it could take a bit longer.  Maybe that's the whole point.

My word for today is ubiquitous

Ubiquitous (adj.), pronounced yoo-BIK-wih-tus) = a word that describes some-thing existing or appearing everywhere simultaneously.  One example would be the orange man's pervasive self-advertising.  (No, I will not include his photo.)