Two beginnings

Beginning of the Introduction

"Are we alone?"  This short but profound question has been repeatedly posed by us on Earth as we attempt to discover if there is life on other planets.

Beginning of Chapter One

Has human history been influenced by extraterrestrials for up to 12,000 years?  There are a group of authors and academics who say there is strong evidence this is the case, and aliens have walked the Earth, helping to build the iconic pyramids in Egypt, the holy site of Puma Punku in Bolivia, and even had a role with the Ark of the Covenant.

World of the Unexplained: Alien Encounters ~ by Sam Pilger and Leo Moynihan, 2024, unidentified flying objects, 176 pages

Take a journey into the world of the unexplained to discover the extraterrestrial mysteries of history:  tales of alien encounters across the centuries, from those who have witnessed mysterious lights in the sky to those with tales of time spent on alien spacecraft.  Whether you are a doubter, a believer, or simply curious, here you will find accounts that explore ancient tales of aliens before tracking the many UFO sightings that have been reported across the world.

The book is divided into four themed chapters:  (1) Ancient Aliens, (2)  UFO Conspiracies, (3)  UFO Sightings, and (4)  Alien Abductions.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Is "supposably" a word?

AI tells me, "Yes, 'supposably' is a real word listed in major dictionaries like Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionary.  However, it has a different meaning from the much more common word 'supposedly,' even though the two are frequently mixed up in daily speech."  Here are the differences:

• Supposably:  Means conceivably or potentially possible (e.g., We could supposably finish today).
• Supposedly:  Means reportedly or by reputation, often with doubt (e.g., He is supposedly rich).

Two kinds of people

"There are two kinds of people in the world — those who walk into a room and say 'There you are' and those who say, 'Here I am!'" ~ a quote from Abigail van Buren

A book and a review of my blogging week

From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life ~ by Arthur C. Brooks, 2022, aging, 272 pages

This #1 New York Times Bestseller is a roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age.  This bestselling author is a Harvard professor and the Atlantic's happiness columnist.

Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that frequently accompanies aging.  But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.  So what can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and success?

At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress.  This book is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.

By drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach.  By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn (such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress), we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.  You, too, can go from strength to strength.

Week in Review

• On Monday, HERE, I mused about butt dialing (also called pocket dialing).
• "Negative Nellie" were the words I chose for Wednesday Words, HERE.
• Book Beginnings on Friday was from a book showing a black cat, HERE.
• Saturday's post, HERE, was full of cats to celebrate International Cat Day.  So it really WAS Caturday that day!

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have been reading and doing during the week.

Today is International Cat Day

Clawdia at her window, and Kiki kissing me.  They are my most recent cats, so I have photos of them online (and on the sidebar to the right).  I'm also celebrating Duchess, the gray cat I rescued from a mud puddle when she was a kitten and I was only nine years old.  And then there's Jack, the gray and white cat who lived on the mountain with us.  I don't have a photo of him to share.  Sorry.  If you have (or ever had) a cat, please share a name or something about your cat in the comments.

Beginning ~ with the black cat superstition

Beginning

I can't think of a better way to kick things off than with a discussion of black cats and all the superstitions swirling around them.  Whether you are a cat person or a dog person, super religious or a stone-cold atheist, you've probably heard that seeing a black cat is a bad omen.

The Book of Superstitions: Black Cats, Yellow Flowers, Broken Mirrors, Cracked Sidewalks, and More Cultural Behaviors and Myths Explained ~ by Shelby El Otman, 2023, folk lore, 192 pages, 10/10

You'll learn the cultural histories behind some of the world's supernatural beliefs with this book:  things like Friday the 13th, rabbit feet, knocking on wood, walking under a ladder, and the curse of the evil eye.  I guess we all have a superstition or two.  The author unveils the origins of some of the most universal and and the little known superstitions that have influenced cultures around the world for centuries.  These include beliefs that gained a foothold in African and European folklore, notions from ancient Greece, and legends of the British Isles.  It's a captivating read that shows how superstitions vary from country to country.

I guess this could be called Caturday, a day early.  Clawdia would disagree with the idea that black cats are a bad omen, if she were still alive to still blog on Caturdays.  Click HERE to read about my little black cat named Clawdia (and what she posted on our blog).

Added later:  If you run into me today, you'll see I'm wearing black cat socks.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

My negative neighbor

al·lit·er·a·tion /əˌlidəˈrāSHən/noun = the occurrence of the same letter or

sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

One of my neighbors is a Negative Nellie.  Whenever she sees me, she likes to point out every negative thing about me that she can think of, from how I look to how I walk.  That's why I usually find another way to go if I see her.  She caught me at the elevator on Monday.

I've decided I need to learn how to be rude (sorry, Mom) and walk rapidly away from her, even when she is talking to me.  As I fumed in bed that night, I came up with the negative Nellie alliteration.  Looking for an illustration for this post, I learned I am not the first to notice that "negative" goes nicely with "Nellie."

Monday morning misery

My phone woke me at 6:43 a.m.  It was a friend, but nobody was on the line when I answered.  Not a good way for a retired elderly person to wake up on a Monday morning.  Was it a case of butt dialing?  AI quotes Wikipedia with this definition:

"Butt dialing (also called pocket dialing) is the accidental phone call made when a mobile phone in a pocket or bag is pressed by body movement."

When I answered, ready to talk to her, no one was there.  Maybe the phone call was an accident, but not the text from my cardiologist's office 28 minutes later, wanting me to confirm my appointment for next week.

Come on, people!  Retired folks, especially now that I'm 86, don't bounce out of bed that early to get ready for the workday.  I had read until after midnight and would have gotten a full night's sleep without those notifications.  I guess I'll go to bed early tonight.

National Friendship Day

Thursday's post was about International Friendship Day, HERE.

That's one day to celebrate our friends.  In the United States,

the first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day, so

let's enjoy all the possible days to celebrate friendships.

Dear Author: Students Write about the Books that Changed Their Lives ~ collected by Weekly Reader's Read Magazine, introduction by Lois Lowry, 1995, children's literature, xii + 188 pages, 5/5

A collection of letters from students to an assortment of authors both past and present about the impact of their work on the lives of their readers.  One person who commented on Amazon (after giving it a 5 of 5 rating) wrote:  "This book provides a brilliant reading list for young readers.  I highly recommend it and intend to pass on to my fourth grader."

Week in Review

• My subject for TWOsday was two rolls, HERE.
• Thursday was International Friendship Day, HERE.
• On Saturday, I shared the Action for Happiness calendar for August, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Make someone’s day brighter

I give you permission to pick ANY of these actions today, so you can brighten another person's day.  It will also make your own day a bit brighter.  Click on the calendar to enlarge it.

Friendship Day ~ international or national? Hmm

In the United States, National Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August, which is August 2nd this year.  So you may ask why I'm posting about it today, which is neither Sunday nor quite yet August.  Well, the official date for the International Day of Friendship is July 30 every year, as proclaimed by the United Nations in 2011.  However, different countries celebrate it on other dates, such as the first Sunday of August in places like India and the United States.

Okay, that's confusing.  Now what?  I suggest we celebrate it twice, if possible.  Call or get together with a friend (or two or three) today, and then do it again on Sunday.  What should you do when you get together?  Well, what would you like to do?  You could share memories or do something fun together.  If you live near me in St. Louis, text me and maybe we can meet in our Circle@Crown Café here.  (If you want a few other ideas, click to enlarge the illustration above.)

Two rolls for TWOsday

Life is like a roll of toilet paper:

the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.

Oh, no! I missed National Ice Cream Day!

"The third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day the United States.  It was established by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, who also declared the entire month of July as National Ice Cream Month."

Oh, good.  That means I can eat some ice cream right now, because we are still at the peak of summer heat (which was the whole point).  Yes, of course I have some ice cream in my freezer.  My favorite is Coyote Tracks from Schnucks, a grocery store near me.

Animal: Portraits of Eighty-Eight Animals & One Shy Enchanted Boy ~ by Tein Lucasson, 2022, animal photography, 192 pages, 8/10

What would an animal look like if it were a human?  The question is actually a contradiction in terms, and Tein Lucasson's answer is as humorous as it is creative.  With digital photo technology, he combines pet portraits with human poses, celebrating each animal's unique personality, while drawing on his passion for costume and art history.  Open up Animal and discover a raccoon sporting a sailor's suit, an aristocratic pig enthroned above a roulette table, and a giraffe grinning in its thick wool sweater.  (And if you don't speak English, each page has translations in English, German, and Italian.)

Week in Review

• On Tuesday, my post was about a book by Rachel Maddow, HERE.
• On Wednesday, I wrote about three homophones, HERE.
• My Book Beginning on Friday, HERE, was about a book by Alice Sebold.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time 

 zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Beginning ~ with killing mother

Beginning

When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily.  Dementia, as it descends, has a way of revealing the core of the person affected by it.  My mother's core was rotten like the brackish water at the bottom of a weeksold vase of flowers. 

The Almost Moon ~ by Alice Sebold, 2007, fiction, 291 pages

I like what one reviewer on Amazon wrote about this book:  "This is a story about mental illness, in this case, the pervasive illness of the main protagonist's parents, which leaves Helen lost in the miasma of lifelong dread and obligation.  While we get the sense of there having been many earlier, and good, years of happy marriage and the mothering of her two girls, where things are now is empty — kids grown, marriage over, life occupied by the care of her deeply damaged mother, with no real prospects for happiness.  This bleakness leads to an impulsive decision that slams Helen's life into a wall of no return."

From the back cover:  "For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others:  to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate. It is a challenging, moving, gripping story, written with the fluidity and strength of voice that only Alice Sebold can bring to the page."

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Three homophones: rain, rein, reign

I'm writing about these homophones because of an email announcement:  "I will be taking over the ... reigns ..."  Oh, is he becoming royalty?  No, but I hope he finds a good editor.  What he meant to say was that he is taking over the REINS.  He will be guiding this entity, like a rider guides a horse, using reins.

While "rain," "rein," and "reign" sound exactly the same (homophones), their meanings differ completely.  Let's define these three very different words:

• rain = water falling from the sky.
• rein = a strap used to guide a horse.
• reign = the period of time when a monarch rules.

We might say about the first one, "It looks like it will rain today, so take your umbrella."

The second one is used mostly in the plural sense ("take the reins"), meaning to take control of something.  Why?  Beause the leather straps attached to a horse's bit is used by a horse's rider to control and guide it.  A family might say:  "We're low on money until payday, so we need to reign in our spending."

Reign (the third meaning) is the time during which a king or queen rules a country.  As a verb, it means to hold royal power.  It specifically pertains to monarchies, authority, or dominance.  Examples:"Queen Elizabeth II had a remarkably long reign."

A book by Rachel Maddow

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism ~ by Raachel Maddow, 2023, history, 416 pages

Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century.  Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.  It was a sophisticated and well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.

That effort worked — tongue and groove — alongside an ultra-right paramilitary movement that stockpiled bombs and weapons and trained for mass murder and violent insurrection.

At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding.  In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.  None of it went as planned.

While the scheme has been remembered in history — if at all — as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country’s most influential elected officials.  Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation. 

 

That failure of the legal system had consequences.  The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades.  But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.

I've mentioned Rachel Maddow a couple of other times on this blog.  To read those, click HERE.  This is one of the books donated to the Crown Center's library after a resident died.  I don't think I want to read this heavy tome, even though the New York Times said, "The parallels to the present day are strong, even startling."

Having owned one, I'm rather partial to book stores

The Lost Bookshop ~ by Evie Woods, 2023, fiction (Ireland), 411 pages

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found.  For too long, Opaline, Martha, and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.  But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books.  And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder — where nothing is as it seems.

Week in Review

• My Twosday post was about TWO books by the same author, HERE.
• My words for Wednesday, HERE, were related to the book I was reading.
• I hope my Thursday Thoughts, HERE, made you think.
• My Book Beginning on Friday post was about a surrogate mother, HERE.
• On Saturday, I wrote about an unexpected love story, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time 

 zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

An unexpected love story

The Other Side of Disappearing ~ by Kate Clayborn, 2024, fiction, pages

Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan — and keeping a shocking secret.  Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she’d known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he’s the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, "The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore."

Now thirty-one, Jess didn’t bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself.  But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared — leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother — and she’ll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins.  Unwilling to let the sister she’s spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why.  But soon Jess is discovering other things too.  Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built.  And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn’t even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in.

Beginning ~ wait, why would she be arrested?

Beginning with the Prologue

In the next twenty-four hours, I will be arrested for first-degree murder.

Surrogate Mother ~ by Freida McFadden, 2025, literary fiction, 313 pages, 9/10

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.  Bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a page turner that will redefine what it means to be in the family way.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thinking about rules, empathy, and decisions

I read a BuzzFeed article (dated July 15, 2026) about sentences that changed people's lives and found two that I want to share here for us to think about today:

12.  "Rules are meant to maintain order, but empathy is meant to maintain humanity." — chellebelle079

24.  "When you are born, you look like your parents.  When you die, you look like your decisions." — allegra918

Two words for Wednesday = "fascist" and "antifa"

To Catch a Fascist: The Fight to Expose the Radical Right ~ by Christopher Mathias, 2026, political thought, xix + 313 pages

One of my neighbors suggested I read this newly published book, which is called a "provocative investigation into the rise of white nationalist and neo-Nazi movements in the United States, centered on the anti-fascist groups working to expose and stop these hateful factions."

Demonized as “extremist” by conservatives and liberals alike, “antifa” became a bogeyman during Donald Trump’s first term.  But few Americans understood the dangerous work antifa was doing to disrupt and unmask a new generation of white supremacists or listened when antifa sounded the alarm about these white supremacists taking positions of power. Now this underground network of militant anti-fascists is determined to stop the rising tide of fascism in America.  No matter the cost.

This book follows different factions of antifascists as they work to unmask hateful extremists before they commit devastating acts of violence.  To Catch a Fascist paints a vivid picture of the stakes in this ongoing, often unseen war between opposite ends of the political spectrum, highlighting the scrappy resourcefulness and resilience of antifascist movements against their increasingly violent adversaries.  Using storytelling and eye-opening insight, this timely book reveals the human cost, moral dilemmas, and unwavering determination involved in fighting white supremacy.  To Catch a Fascist is both a call to action and a look at the powerful work being done to combat this threat to democracy.

Wednesday Words

• fascist = Fascism (FASH-iz-əm) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement that rose to prominence in early-20th-century Europe.  Fascism is characterized by support for a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.  Opposed to communism, democracy, liberalism, pluralism, and socialism, fascism is at the far-right of the traditional left–right spectrum.
• antifa = is short for antifascism, so it is the opposite of fascism.

Two books, one author

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry ~ by Fredrik Backman, 2013, (translated by Henning Koch, 2015), literary fiction, 370 pages

Elsa is seven years old and different.  Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy — as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy.  She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend.  At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins.  Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of misfits, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

This story is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman’s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove.  It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights:  the right to be different.  (I really enjoyed reading A Man Called Ove, and that's why I picked up this book in the first place.)

A Man Called Ove ~ by Fredrik Backman, 2015, literary fiction, 368 pages

Meet Ove.  He’s a curmudgeon — the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window.  He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse.  People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.”  But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness.  So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul.  All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

Fredrik Backman’s beloved first novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.