Beginning ~ with a town disappearing

Beginning

The town had been there for a century and a half.  Then one evening, in the summer of 2021, it disappeared.

The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration ~ by Jake Bittle, 2023, climatology, xxi + 345 pages

Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense — we imagine that as global warming gets worse over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world fleeing famine and rising seas.  What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States.  In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.

From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving.  In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters.  Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas.

Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history.  The Great Displacement tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives — erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thinking about books I've read more than once

Yesterday, I noticed that three books I had checked out of the Crown Center library were books I had already read.  Yes, I do re-read books, but having that many at the same time surprised me.  I am now in the middle of re-reading Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout, literally about halfway.  So I'll keep reading that one.  You can see what I wrote about it, HERE.

I also checked out Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, knowing that I had read it before.  It is a wonderful book, and I decided that it was time to read it again.  Not only have I mentioned it on this blog at least half a dozen times (as you can see HERE), but it is a book I have recommended to many readers.

The third book is March by Geraldine Brooks, which I read so long ago (the copyright date is 2005) that I had not even started blogging.  My first blog post was dated January 2007, HERE.  I will probably read each of these three books (I mean, re-read them, of course) before returning them to the library.

World Book Day

World Book Day is celebrated on April 23.  This date marks the anniversary of the deaths of the literary giants William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, making it a symbolic day to honor literature.

Today is Earth Day

Earth Day is a global event dedicated to environmental protection, celebrated annually on April 22.  Why?  Because the first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, when millions of Americans mobilized to advocate for environmental reform.  This movement led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the enactment of significant environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.  Learn more HERE.

Let's drink tea today

April 21st is National Tea Day, to honor one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world.  It's a time for tea lovers to enjoy a hot cup of their favorite tea or an icy glass of tea (as I prefer).  Some articles I found seem to indicate that this day is only celebrated in Great Britain, but others say that the United States also celebrates this day.  Whatever day it is, I'm sure I will be drinking hot or cold tea.  Maybe it's because I have English ancestors.  Now, where's my tea?

Reading history ~ from a time I remember

Betty Friedan and the Making of the Feminine Mystique: The American Left, the Cold War, and Modern Feminism ~ by Daniel Horowitz, 1998, feminist history, xiii + 355 pages

Ever since the 1963 publication of her landmark book, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan has insisted that her commitment to women's rights grew out of her experiences as an alienated suburban housewife.  Yet as Daniel Horowitz persuasively demonstrates in this illuminating and provocative biography, the roots of Friedan's feminism run much deeper than she has led us to believe.  Drawing on an impressive body of new research ― including Friedan's own papers ― Horowitz traces the development of Friedan's feminist outlook from her childhood in Peoria, Illinois, through her wartime years at Smith College and Berkeley, to her decade-long career as a writer for two of the period's most radical labor journals, the Federated Press and the United Electrical Workers' UE News.

He goes on to show that even after she married and began to raise a family, Betty Friedan continued during the 1950s to write and work on behalf of a wide range of progressive social causes.  By resituating Friedan within a broader cultural context, and by offering a fresh reading of The Feminine Mystique against that background, Horowitz not only overturns conventional ideas about "second wave" feminism but also reveals long submerged links to its past.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I mused about carrots being healthy, HERE.
2. On Wednesday, I was feeling overwhelmed, HERE.
3. On Thursday, I wrote about falling into a good book, HERE.
4. My subject for Friday was five things I'm grateful for, HERE.
5. Saturday was CATurday again, HERE, even though it was not my cat.  What?  Nothing posted about what I read?

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Shared by somebody online ~ not my cat

... but just right for a Caturday post.

Five things I'm grateful for

I'm GRATEFUL for .....

1.  Being able to find JOY in at least some part of every day.

2.  Still being able to read and write and blog about books; I've been blogging since January 2007.

3.  Living in a place with great activities available for seniors who reside here and also for seniors who live in the neighborhood.

4.  Being able to walk (even with a Rollator) thousands of steps each day.  I walked more than 9,300 steps yesterday.

5.  Having someone on staff where I live who will help us deal with complicated paperwork.

Do you see "EMBRACING EACH DAY WITH JOY 

GRATITUDE" at the bottom of my Gratitude Journal?

Librarians know readers, as this cartoon shows

I think the idea of falling into a good book may actually describe a lot of readers like me and probably most of you who read my blog.  Well, except for wanting those cookies.  I may eat breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, or a midnight snack while reading.  Uh, maybe I do eat an occasional cookie or two. 

Feeling overwhelmed

Last night, I went to bed feeling like this.  I am having to change cards at my bank because mine may have been compromised.  That means I'm dealing with a bunch of paperwork and confusing stuff.  So I went to the office and got help, trying to do it all online with email and faxes because I no longer have a car and don't drive ... sigh.  So is my Wednesday Word "sigh"?  Or "overwhelmed"?  Or "frustrated"?  I guess I don't need to define any of these for you, right?  Does anyone else feel like saying one of those words, too?

Musing about carrots ~ yes, I had some for lunch

As a child, I was told that eating my carrots would help me see better.  That's actually true.  Carrots contain beta-carotene, which helps protect vision.  And 

for a book lover like me, being able to see means being able to keep reading.

Windy weather

I was out walking on Thursday because it was a "nice day," when I felt a shove like someone trying to push me away -- hard.  Then the wind tried to grab my Rollator, which I quickly pushed off the sidewalk onto the grass.  The wind, shoving me like an assailant, then tried to blow the contents out of the basket on the Rollator seat.  While I shoved downward with my hands, that wind actually tried to take the whole basket.  I hurried home as fast as the wind would let me, and I literally have not left the building since then.  It was awful!  (By the way, those trees above are not like our trees, but they show a strong wind blowing wherever they are.)

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis ~ by J. D. Vance, 2018, memoir, 264 pages

I wrote about this book HERE, when J.D. was nominated to run as Trump's VP, and tt originally got only one comment.  Helen said, "How did I not put together that the author and the VP candidate are the same person? I'm so embarrassed. I thought the book was good but not great."  It's technically "good" (as in college-level words and writing), but I am struggling to keep going.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I mused about a book set in the Smithsonian, HERE.
2. On Tuesday, I showed two views of the Mona Lisa, HERE.
3. Wednesday I wrote about Unicorn Day, HERE.
4. On Thursday, I was thinking about birds on our feeder, HERE.
5. On Friday, my book beginning was from a book about planning ahead for your own death, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Let's begin by imagining something

Beginning

Right now:  imagine dying.  Make it what you want.  You could be in your bedroom, on a lonesome hill, or in a beautiful hotel.  Whatever you want.  What is the season?  What time of day is it?  Perhaps you want to lie in sweet summer grass and watch the sun rise over the ocean.  Imagine that.  Perhaps you want to be cuddled in a soft bed, listening to Mozart -- or Beyonce.  Do you want to be alone?  Is there a particular hand you want to hold?  Do you smell the faint scent of baking bread -- or Chanel No. 19?  Close your eyes.  Feel the grass.  The silk sheets.  The skin of the loving hand.  Hear the long-held note.  Dance a little.  Smell the bread.  Imagine that.

Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying ~ by Sallie Tisdale, 2018, planning, 242 pages

Sallie Tisdale offers a perspective on death and dying that is informed by her many years working as a nurse with more than a decade in palliative care.  From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), she leads us through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise, and humorous hand.  This is more than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible: it is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths she has witnessed, as well as stories from cultures, traditions, and literature around the world, including:

What does it mean to die “a good death”?  Can there be more than one kind of good death?  What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good?  What to say and not to say, what to ask, and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors, and more.  What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pain, and joy of this unique time.  What happens to a body after death?  What options are available to me after my death, and how do I choose — and make sure my wishes are followed?  In other words, she offers the resources and reassurance that we all need for planning for the end.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thinking about birds today

I've downloaded the Bird Buddy app so I could see the birds who use the bird feeder on our patio here at the Crown Center.  Now I have to figure out how it works.  This week has been busy as I got some paperwork finished and turned in, so I have not read nearly as much as I usually do and this is a very short post.

Added on Friday:  I deleted that app, because it will only show me the birds landing on a bird feeder I buy myself.  So I can watch the birds that come here, but not on my phone.

Unicorn Day

I just noticed that today is International Unicorn Day.  While looking for an illustration, I learned it is also National Unicorn Day.  Wow, people must really be fascinated by unicorns!  I've always associated the word with children's toys.

Word of the Day

u·ni·corn = /ˈyo͞onəˌkôrn / noun = 1.  a mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn projecting from its forehead.  2.  something that is highly desirable but difficult to find or obtain.  Example = "An album like this is something of a unicorn."

Two views of the Mona Lisa

I just learned that "umop apisdn" is "upside down" spelled upside down with different letters of the alphabet.  While looking for an example, I noticed pictures of the Mona Lisa upside down.  Yes, she's recognizable even upside down.  Then I was surprised that one "upside down" Mona Lisa has an upside down mouth.  What?!?  Yeah, take a look at the original article, HERE.  I turned these pictures upside down and back again a few times.  Her mood may have changed, but it made me smile.

Have you visited the Smithsonian?

The Smithsonian Institution ~ by Gore Vidal, 1998, historical fiction, 260 pg

A teenage math and physics prodigy is summoned to a secret laboratoy in the Smithsonian in 1939 to help work on bombs for the coming war.  Once there, he discovers that parts of the Smithsonian enable him to move through time, that the exhibits come to life after hours, and that he is doomed to die in combat if the US enters WWII.  As he brainstorms with Robert Oppenheimer, he gets a glimpse of the coming war.

Working in secret to avert the war while working with the laboratory to help win it, he is helped along the way by a cast of characters from around the museum and US history including a pottery-obsessed President Lincoln, the bored and amorous wife of Grover Cleveland, soldiers and citizens from history, and the mysterious James Smithson himself, the founder of the museum.

Protesting in 2025 and marching in 1918

My friend Jane was among a group protesting on a nearby overpass Saturday.  She called this "the smaller group."  I called and thanked her for doing it, since there's no way I can do that sort of thing anymore.  The book I'm reading is about an earlier protest, so these two subjects are perfect together for my post.  Click HERE to read about other protests in all fifty states.

The Women's March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession ~ by Jennifer Chiaverini, 2021, historical fiction, 352 pages

Twenty-five-year-old Alice Paul returns to her native New Jersey after several years on the front lines of the suffrage movement in Great Britain.  Weakened from imprisonment and hunger strikes, she is nevertheless determined to invigorate the stagnant suffrage movement in her homeland.  Nine states have already granted women voting rights, but only a constitutional amendment will secure the vote for all.

To inspire support for the campaign, Alice organizes a magnificent procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. on the day before the inauguration of President-elect Woodrow Wilson, a firm antisuffragist.  Joining the march is thirty-nine-year-old New Yorker Maud Malone, librarian and advocate for women’s and workers’ rights.  The daughter of Irish immigrants, Maud has acquired a reputation — and a criminal record — for interrupting politicians’ speeches with pointed questions they’d rather ignore.

Civil rights activist and journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett resolves that women of color must also be included in the march — and the proposed amendment.  Born into slavery in Mississippi, Ida worries that white suffragists may exclude Black women if it serves their own interests.

On March 3, 1913, the glorious march commences, but negligent police allow vast crowds of belligerent men to block the parade route — jeering, shouting threats, assaulting the marchers, and possibly endangering not only the success of the demonstration, but the women’s very lives.

Here's what I have posted this week:

1. On Monday, I mused about walking, HERE.
2. On Tuesday, I posted about things (and people) I'm grateful for, HERE.
3. On Tuesday, I also posted the Active April calendar from the Action for Happiness folks, HERE.
4. Wednesday was National Walking Day, HERE.
5. On Thursday, I wrote about everyone being welcome (or not), HERE.
6. On Friday, my book beginning was from the book by the woman who rescued Anne Frank's family, HERE.

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Beginning ~ in dark and terrible times

Beginning

I am not a hero.  I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or more — much more — during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the hearts of us who bear witness.  Never a day goes by that I do not think of what happened then.

Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family ~ by Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold, 1987, World War Two history, 272 pages, 10/10

For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband helped hide the Franks from the Nazis.  Like thousands of unsung heroes of the Holocaust, they risked their lives each day to bring food, news, and emotional support to the victims.  She found the diary and brought the world a message of love and hope.  From her own remarkable childhood as a World War I refugee to the moment she places a small, red-orange, checkered diary — Anne’​s legacy — into Otto Frank’s hands, Miep Gies remembers her days with simple honesty and shattering clarity. Each page rings with courage and heartbreaking beauty.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Eat dessert first

Have you heard the saying "Eat dessert first"?  One day I ate Greek yogurt for breakfast, along with what was left of a blueberry muffin from our Café.  Both taste sweet, and I remember thinking, "I'm eating dessert for my first food of the day today."  But Greek yogurt is supposed to be healthy with those probiotics.

How can a school classroom being welcoming of all of its students be a violation of district policy?  Anne at My Head Is Full of Books shared a controversy (and a video) about a poster like this one (saying that EVERYONE is welcome) that has gotten a school teacher in trouble.  People are asking, "What kind of country are we living in?"  Click HERE (or HERE) to see an interview with the teacher.