Gift book donated to our Crown Center library

Do more of what makes you happy.  This is actually a card-sized gift book.  It doesn't list an "author," though it does tell us the authors of each of the sayings.  Here's one you have probably heard before:

HAPPINESS is

a warm PUPPY.

                       ~ Charles M. Schulz

This is the puppy I thought of when I read that.  (I wonder why?  LOL)

And Snoopy always balances on top of his dog house, even sleeping, right?

If you want a BIG book, here it is

Things We Never Got Over (Book 1 of 3 in the Knockemout series) ~ by Lucy Score, 2022, romantic comedy, 570 pages

Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding.  She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way … with fists and beer.  Usually in that order.

Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all.  After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected.  The niece Naomi didn’t know she had.  Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.

There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones.  But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam.  And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.  At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.

. . . and to another book that was recently

added to our Crown Center library collection.

A new bus for the Crown Center

When I first saw this bus today, Tim (who manages the property) was walking toward me with some people who don't live here or work here.  I saw him later with other employees and asked, "Do we have a new Crown Center bus?"  Yes, we do!  The old one was maroon and white (my high school colors), but this bus is blue and white.  Tim asked me, "Are you going to write about it?"  Hmm, that thought had not yet occured to me, but most people know I'm a blogger and it does sound like a good idea to tell the whole world about new stuff.  So here's our new blue-and-white Crown Center bus.

Monkeys on the loose in St. Louis

1.  Monkeys?

Well, actually, monkeys are loose in NORTH St. Louis.  I didn't read about it until Monday morning, but apparently Animal Control announced it on Friday afternoon.  Then I learned that exotic animals are prohibited in the city of St. Louis.  I never knew that, either, but then why should I?  I've never considered getting a pet monkey.  You can read about it HERE, where the news specifies exactly where those monkeys are:

"Missouri’s Department of Health confirmed that the primates are in or around O’Fallon Park."  (See the park in the photo above.)

Owning exotic animals in St. Louis is banned by city ordinance.  For the record, I'm not technically in the city of St. Louis.  I live in a suburb, so those monkeys are nowhere near me.  Miles away, unless they somehow hitched a ride; but it's about a 20 minutes drive to get to my part of town from there.

2.  Residents

What is my second of today's TWOsday subjects?  Hmmm.  Oh, yeah, meeting people (not monkeys).  Yesterday, I met a new man who had just moved here (he silently counted on his fingers) "nine days ago."  He lives in the other building, but it's connected to my building by a link that allows us to look left and right, to the front parking lot and the back patio where we have trees and planters and lots of places to sit (when it's warm enough) while we talk or enjoy the air and the birds who come to our feeder.  In this photo, all the windows on the left, leading to the main entrance, are part of the link between our buildings.  The windows line both sides of the link, with these looking out over the parking lot.

It's National Potato Day

National Potato Day is celebrated on August 19th every year to honor the favorite food of many people ― potatoes.  Whether they are roasted, fried, boiled, or mashed, potatoes are the perfect side for any dish and everyone's favorite comfort food.  This fan-favorite root vegetable is a significant part of cuisines across the world and is enough to make people feel full.

Today, let's be grateful and appreciate potatoes, a vegetable that has been a part of people's meals for centuries with the first potato crops planted dating back to 5000-8000 BC in Peru and Bolivia.  It spread all over the world from there and is now a staple in several cuisines across the globe.  The versatility of potatoes allows them to be cooked in different ways and paired with almost anything.  They can be used not only as a side, but also as a key ingredient in pancakes, bread, soup, and even drinks.

Potatoes have been the primary source of sustenance for many populations over the years.  It is also so full of nutrients that people can live off only potatoes for months.  In fact, between 1845 and 1849 a plague in the potato crops left some of the population of Ireland without potatoes for 4 years, and millions lost their lives due to starvation.

French fries are one of the most popular ways to prepare potatoes.  In one year the average American eats 30 pounds of French fries.  French fries arrived in the United States in 1784 when James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's slave, traveled to France with Jefferson so he could learn how to cook them the French way.  After returning to the United States, Hemings used to cook French fried potatoes for Jefferson's guests.  When the recipe was shared in a cookook in 1817, they quickly became a hit that spread through the country.

A majority of Americans also consider potatoes to be among their favorite comfort food, but fried isn't the only way Americans like their potatoes.  They also have them mashed or baked.  Most people like to slather their spuds with butter.

On National Potato Day you can really go all out and eat potatoes for every meal.  You can use regular potatoes or sweet potatoes for any of these:  (1) hash browns ~ maybe alongside eggs, bacon, or avocado; (2) potato pancakes are also a good option for your first meal of the day; (3) tater tots; (4) potato chips; (5) chips and dip; (6) French fries.

Our Circle@Crown Cafe will be serving a variety of potatoes today, so you may want to pick more than one kind.  See you there?

Added later:  Since today is also TWOsday, I've decided to have at least TWO kinds of potatoes.  Hmm, which variety am I in the mood for right now?

Blowing the Shofar

This is a rabbi from Chabad blowing a shofar at a program that I attended this afternoon.  If you are not Jewish, you may be asking, "What is a shofar?"  It is a horn from a ram, like the ram in this photo:

The rabbi gave a talk to explain what it was all about, using A-B-C to help us remember.  Alarm or wake-up call, Binding of Isaac, and Coronation of a king.  First, we have to wake up and know we need something.  Isaac was bound by his father Abraham to be the sacrifice he offered, but then a ram got caught in a bush nearby and became the sarifice instead.  (Find that story in Genesis 22).  I can see how a ram's curved horn could be caught when he pokes his head in the green stuff to eat it, can't you?  That's how the ram's horn comes into the story.  Today, we heard the sound of the ram's horn in the rabbi's hands.

Saturday stuff

Deb at Readerbuzz started listing 3 Good Things daily during the pandemic, and I remember to do it occasionally.  Today looks like a good day to do it again.

Good Thing #1:  The sun is shining, and people are walking on the Greenway that I see from my window.  This photo is from May 2021, when we still had the gazebo.  The building behind it is still there, though.

Good Thing #2:  I'm going out for a walk with another resident in a bit, though with this heat in the 90s, we'll probably walk inside our connected buildings.

Good Thing #3:  I'm feeling good today.  That's always a good thing, isn't it?

Thoughts about yesterday's dance program

Dance program

Wednesday, I went to the Big Muddy Dance Company program in the Community Room here at the Crown Center.  I got a good photo by standing over to one side to see over the crowd.  I'll add it, if and when I can get it from my phone to my laptop.  For now, this photo is from their web site.

I thought about my sister as I watched them dance.  A little background:  I was the oldest, and I took piano lessons from my mother's best friend, who said she would teach me at age 5, if I could count to ten and knew the alphabet from A-to-G.  (For those of you who don't know, those are the names of the white keys of a piano.)  My brother Bill was the next sibling, and he was into sports, especially playing basketball in high school.  My sister Ann, the third child, took dance lessons, and this program made me think of her.

Parking spots and books

Memories

My friend and I were going toward my vehicle in the Crown Center parking lot in 2015 when I snapped this view of the neighborhood with trees changing colors.  People who live here can no longer imagine empty parking spaces.  With construction of our newest building and demolition of the oldest one, we have few spaces left for vehicles.  Staff and visitors must park on the street, since there are BARELY enough for residents' cars.

Rambam's Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give ~ by Julie Salamon, 2003, meditation, 183 pages

This is a book that will inspire usto get a toehold on the ladder and start climbing.  In eight chapters, one for each rung, the book helps us navigate the world of giving.  How much to give?  How do we know if our gifts are being used wisely?  Is it better to give anonymously?  It will help us make our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.

Vocabulary Energizers: Stories of Word Origins ~ by David Popkin, 1988, words, 143 pages

This book builds vocabulary by presenting the fascinating histories behind those words we need for more effective communication and comprehension.

* Vocabulary Energizers II: Stories of Word Origins is the newer edition of this item, but this is the one that I found on my bookshelf.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

Thursday Thoughts

I told you on Sunday (a mere four days ago) that I'd be moving soon into my new apartment, and I posted a photo of the front of the building, adding:  "My apartment is on this side."  Nope!  Though it will still be on the same floor, now I'll have a different apartment facing the other direction.

Volunteers at the Crown Center

"A box of many thanks" (see the blue line at bottom center) was hanging on my doorknob earlier this week, and I wanted to show you what was in that box.

• The chocolate candy at the left says, "THANKS for all you do!"  One also adds, "You make a difference!"  Another adds, "You are appreciated."
• Three of those six mints in the middle say, "Thank You."  The other three say:  (1)  "You are worth a MINT to us."  (2)  "Thanks for your commitMINT."  (3)  "We recognize your accomplishMINTS."
• The notepad on the right says:  "THANKS for MAKING a DIFFERENCE."
• The white writing on the side of the pen says:  "THANKS for all you do."
• Can you tell they encourage us to volunteer to do helpful jobs around here?  Back in 2020, I wrote about various jobs for volunteers, HERE.

World Book Day ~ and Sunday Salon

World Book Day is April 23 in the United States

In 1995, at UNESCO’s General Conference, it was decided that April 23rd would be named World Book and Copyright Day as a way to pay tribute to books and authors.  It was also determined that this day would be good for encouraging everyone to read and enjoy the pleasures that go along with it.  April 23rd was chosen because that is the date when Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, Vladimir Nabokov, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and Maurice Druon all died.  All of them are famous authors.

I thought I'd show you some books that I'm reading or have just recently finished, so do you want to see what library books I have at the moment?  My nearest library is University City Public Library, now located temporarily in this building while the library building is being renovated.  (You can also see one of the pair of lions representing the city in this photo and in the logo on the left.)

First, the eleven books I now have checked out from the University City Library:

1. Abigail Takes the Wheel ~ by Avi, illustrated by Don Bolognese, 1999, children's fiction, 64 pages, 9/10
2. Ashes of Roses ~ by Mary Jane Auch, 2002, YA historical fiction, 256 pages
3. An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Book 1 of 2) ~ by Helene Tursten, translated by Marlaine Delargy, 2018, mystery stories, 184 pages
4. An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed (Book 2 of 2) ~ by Helene Tursten, translated by Marlaine Delargy, 2020, mystery stories, 272 pages
5. Feathers: Not Just for Flying ~ by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, 2014, children's picture book, 32 pages
6. Genius and Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947 ~ by Norman Lebrecht, 2010, history, 464 pages
7. How Do You Spell Unfair?  MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee ~ by Carole Boston Weatherford, 2023, children's historical fiction (Ohio and DC), 40 pages, 9/10
8. Miss Rumphius ~ by Barbara Cooney, 1982, children's picture book, 32 pages, 10/10
9. Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe ~ by Dean Nicholson with Garry Jenkins, 2020, travel (Scotland), 261 pages
10. One Amazing Elephant ~ by Linda Oatman High, 2017, young adult fiction, 272 pages
11. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within ~ by Natalie Goldberg, 1986, 2005, writing, 288 pages

And here are two more that I have checked out of the Crown Center Library:

1. The Beautiful Struggle ~ by Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2008, memoir, 240 pages
2. The Last Days of Dogtown – by Anita Diamant, 2005, historical fiction (Massachusetts), 304 pages

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

A book about cats for our library

Know Your Cat: An Owner's Guide to Cat Behavior ~ by Bruce Fogle, photography by Jane Burton, 1991, animal behavior, 128 pages, 9/10

This guide book for cat lovers provides penetrating insights into cat behavior, based on the scientific research and analysis of veterinarian Bruce Fogle.  Supported by 350 color photographs, he explains how cats communicate through body language, meowing and hissing, and rituals like rubbing and grooming.  Reading this book will give the novice an overview of how cats behave and what to expect as the cat grows to maturity.

My friend Toni was talking with me in the lobby recently and asked me to wait while she ran back up to her apartment to get this book.  Her daughter Margo wants to donate it to the Crown Center library, and Risé and I re-shelve the books there.  Thanks, Margo!

Yes, kitty cat, today is Caturday.

Spring blooms, tornado skies, and bookish books

Spring has sprung!  This is one of several trees blooming at the Crown Center, where I live.

"The US population has more than doubled since 1950."  (Quoted from a Wired article dated April 7th about tornadoes and how more people are affected by them now.)  I took the photo on the left when we were under a tornado watch on March 31st, but our sky got lighter just as I reached for my camera.  It had been as dark as the upper part of the sky in the photo above, even as the sun shone brightly on the building next door to me.  Quite a contrast, actually!  I sent my photo to my children and grandchildren, calling it "tornado skies."

The Echo of Old Books ~ by Barbara Davis, 2023, historical fiction, 425 pages

Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer has an affinity for books that extends beyond the intoxicating scent of old paper, ink, and leather.  She can feel the echoes of the books' previous owners — an emotional fingerprint only she can read.  When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, her gift quickly becomes an obsession.  Not only is each inscribed with a startling incrimination, but the authors (Hemi and Belle) tell conflicting sides of a tragic romance.

With no trace of how these mysterious books came into the world, Ashlyn is caught up in a decades-old literary mystery, beckoned by two hearts in ruins, whoever they were, wherever they are.  Determined to learn the truth behind the doomed lovers' tale, she reads on, following a trail of broken promises and seemingly unforgivable betrayals.  The more Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle, the nearer she comes to bringing closure to their love story — and to the unfinished chapters of her own life.

I find myself drawn to books about books, bookstores, and libraries.  Am I alone in this, or is it something common to all book bloggers?  If you can think of any titles of books fitting that description, would you share them with us, please?

A book recommended by Risé

Did you remember to change your clocks?  Or are you already running late?

Risé Recommends ~ I'm beginning a new series of books recommended by my friend Risé, a retired librarian.  This is a book in the Crown Center's library that she recently recommended to me:

Plum Wine ~ by Angela Davis-Gardner, 2006, fiction, 352 pages

Bottles of homemade plum wine link two worlds, two eras, and two lives through the eyes of Barbara Jefferson, a young American teaching at a Tokyo university.  When her surrogate mother, Michi, dies, Barbara inherits an extraordinary gift:  a tansu chest filled with bottles of homemade plum wine wrapped in sheets of rice paper covered in elegant calligraphy — one bottle for each of the last twenty years of Michi’s life.  Why did Michi leave her memoirs to Barbara, who cannot read Japanese?

Seeking a translator, Barbara turns to an enigmatic pottery artist named Seiji, who will offer her a companionship as tender as it is forbidden.  But as the two lovers unravel the mysteries of Michi’s life, a story that draws them through the aftermath of World War II and the hidden world of the hibakusha — Hiroshima survivors — Barbara begins to suspect that Seiji may be hiding the truth about Michi’s past — and a heartbreaking secret of his own.

I have questions:

• What is a Tansu chest?  Tansu are traditional portable storage chests from Japan.  In Japanese traditional houses, there were no fixed chairs, tables, or pieces of furniture in the living space.  Tansu were intended as mobile cabinetry and used to store objects of daily use, clothes, and personal items.
• What are hibakusha?  Atomic Bomb survivors are referred to in Japanese as hibakusha, which translates literally as "bomb-affected-people."

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

hosts The Sunday Salon.

Nicknames

Here's where I plan to be this afternoon.  Do you have a nickname?

Would you be willing to share it with us in the comments?

Thursday Thoughts ~ it's Black History Month

1.  Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States.  It is a time to remember important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

2.  Galentine's Day is celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day.  Around noon on Monday, I plan to go to the Café.  No plans except chatting with gals who are my friends.  Invite your lady friends and come, if you want to join me there.

3.  Zoom in

The meaning of ZOOM is changing, so could I say that I'm zooming into a Zoom Meeting, since we're doing it online?  How fast is zoom?

4.  Zoom out

Colleen wrote:  "When in doubt, zoom out.  Ignore the cult of doom and gloom, and embrace the cause of zoom and boom.  We will laugh at the stupidity of evil and hate, and summon the brilliance of praise and create.  Life is crazily in love with us — wildly and innocently in love with us.  The universe always gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it." — quoting Rob Brezsny

5.  What's it mean?  When you zoom in on something, you take a closer look at it.  You might zoom in on one particularly beautiful sentence in a book you're reading, for example, reading it slowly a few times.

6.  Cat chasing a white dot (this isn't Clawdia)

When the sun shines in our windows in the morning, Clawdia comes and sits looking at me expectantly.  Sometimes I move my wrist so my watch reflects a little round dot of light.  Sometimes I use my iPhone, getting a squarish sort of light.  And sometimes, Clawdia just sits and watches the light show, when both lights start playing and chase each other.

7.  Our new apartment

When construction is completed and we move into our new apartment, our windows will be facing west.  I wonder how having no morning sunshine will affect Clawdia's thinking about the little white dots.

8.  Miss Sheri's Cafeteria

Someone told me Miss Sheri's went out of business.  Is that true?  I used to like to go there to eat, back when I still had a car.  (Update:  confirmed.)

9.  On the other hand

I'm not so sure a cafeteria would work now, since I use a cane.  I don't think I could balance a tray full of food and drink in one hand.

10.  My closest cousin died

I was on the Crown Center bus, going grocery shopping, when I got a text from Andy saying his mother had died on Tuesday evening, January 31st.  Carolyn was a year older than I was, minus a couple of days.  When she'd call to wish me a happy birthday, I'd always say that I had caught up with her.  We were the same age for two days each year.

11.  Remembering with a smile

I remember splashing together in the tub, when we'd visit overnight.  Two little girls, having fun.  And I still have the twin bed we slept in, side by side, when we were that small.

12.  Bulletin board

I've given up the volunteer job of changing the bulletin board on my floor every month, and my neighbor Galina has taken on the job.

13.  Word of the Day

snarf /snärf / verb (informal) = eat or drink quickly or greedily.  Example:  "I woke up hungry and snarfed down my breakfast!"

14.  Unforgettable Senior Moments and Remember

These two books really go together.  What I read at the beginning of the book on senior moments sounds exactly like what I read in Lisa Genova's book:  "The most familiar type of forgetting is absentmindedness, in which information is never properly encoded in one's memory, if it's encoded at all.  Say you've misplaced your keys.  When you laid them down, you weren't giving their location your full attention, you were distracted, or, as scientists say, your attention was 'divided'" (p. iv).  Click either title to read more that I've blogged about that book.

15.  Astounding numbers

This blog had more than 500 "pageviews" in 12 hours last Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.  Those stats are on the sidebar beneath my photo.  Usually there are only about 200-300 in a whole day.  Somebody must have spent a lot of time reading my blog that day.