Speaking of being older . . .

At lunch recently, some of us were talking about what it's like to be old.  "Too much in the hard drive," Jane said.  That is a perfect analogy.

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.

It takes a village.....

Wikipedia tells me that the full quote is "It takes a village to raise a child," but today it feels to me that "it takes a village" to get this post up on my blog.  Why? Because my laptop went down and I pulled out an old one that I haven't used in years. When I couldn't figure out how to get into it, I went to the Crown Center office and Andrew helped me connect to the wi-fi on the ground floor.  So here 'tis, as my friend Jane used to say.  Now if only I could figure out how to add the illustration I chose.  Hmm.

Oh, I got a photo to load.  Yay!  It's the pear salad that I wish they'd put back on the menu in my Circle@Crown Café!  Yes, it's as yummy as it looks.  Okay, I'll settle for this illustration because my "village" likes to eat.

Chinese New Year

Today we celebrate the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.  The Dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, luck, and success in Chinese culture.  There are a dozen signs, so each show up every twelve years.  I was born in the Year of the Dragon in 1940, so this is my eighth:  1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, and now 2024.  See the zodiac years beginning with 1904 in the illustration above?

This is a photo of my best friends Jane Yelliott and Donna Carey when we celebrated the Chinese New Year on January 23, 2012.  We all wore red, the color for the day (notice the red dragon above), and we went to a Chinese restaurant.  Jane died in December 2013.  I wouldn't have moved away from Chattanooga if she were still alive.  I would house-sit and cat-sit for Jane when she traveled to places like Ireland with family and friends.  Jane was a well-known artist, and a plaque honoring her is on the historic Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga.  Here's Jane receiving a different award in 2012:

I met Jane in a Sunday School class that had invited me to come teach a series of lessons.  When I realized what a great artist she was, I asked her to illustrate the story Kiki and the Rain Room that I'd written about my cat (see HERE).  Unfortunately, she died before she could do that.  Now where was I went I got off-track?

Chinese New Year!  Does anyone want to go grab Chinese food with me?  Wear red!

** Long after looking at photos for this post, I realized Jane actually DID show my cat in her art.  But it was the cat I got after moving to St. Louis.  Doesn't that look like Clawdia on Jane's art installation on Market Street in Chattanooga?  The whole thing (see below) is called "Catfish Fantasy" and was created in 1994; I moved 20 years later.

** Read THIS, if you want to know more about Jane.  It shows one of her "cows" painted on plywood.  Shown with Jane's "Family Zoo" exhibit at In-Town Gallery during an art opening reception are Jane's family members:  Susan Batten, Ryan Norris, Finch Yelliott (her husband), Shula Yelliott, and Jane Yelliott.

Lunch with a friend

I ate out today and had a turkey and Brie

sandwich with pea and barley soup.

Two books

The Girl at the Back of the Bus ~ by Suzette D. Harrison, 2021, historical fiction, 314 pages

I watched in awe as Miz Rosa stopped those men on the bus with her clear, calm “no” and I thought about that word.  What if I said no?  What if I refused to follow the path these White folks wanted for us?  What if I kept this precious baby?

Montgomery, Alabama, 1955

On a cold December evening, Mattie Banks packs a suitcase and leaves her family home.  Sixteen years old and pregnant, she has already made the mistake that will ruin her life and disgrace her widowed mother.  Boarding the 2857 bus, she sits with her case on her lap, hoping that the driver will take her away from disaster.  Instead, Mattie witnesses an act of bravery by a woman named Rosa Parks that changes everything.  But as Mattie strives to turn her life around, the dangers that first led her to run are never far away.  Forging a new life in a harsh world at constant risk of exposure, Mattie will need to fight to keep her baby safe.

Atlanta, Georgia, present day

Ashlee Turner is going home.  Her relationship in ruins, her career held back by prejudice, she is returning to the family who have always been her rock.  But Ashlee’s home is not the safe haven she remembers.  Her beloved grandmother is dying and is determined to share her story before she leaves…

When Ashlee finds a stack of yellowing letters hidden in her nana’s closet, she can’t help the curiosity that compels her to read, and she uncovers an old secret that could wreak havoc on her already grieving family.  As she tries to make sense of what she has learned, Ashlee faces a devastating choice:   to protect her loved ones from the revelations, or honor her grandmother’s wishes and follow the path to the truth, no matter where it may lead.

Our House ~ by Louise Candlish, 2018, thriller, 426 pages (recommended by Jane C.)

On a bright morning in the suburbs, a family moves into the house they've just bought on Trinity Avenue.  Nothing strange about that.  Except it's your house.  And you didn't sell it.  When Fiona Lawson arrives home to find strangers moving into her house, she is plunged into terror and confusion.

She and her husband, Bram, have owned their home on Trinity Avenue for years; how can another family possibly think the house is theirs?  And why has Bram disappeared — along with their two young children — when she needs him most?  As the nightmare takes hold, Fiona begins to untangle the lies that led to a devastating crime — and a betrayal so shocking it will teach her to keep her own secrets behind locked doors.

Idea for a children's book

My cat Kiki died in 2012.  In my recent move, I ran across an idea I had for a children's book (starring Kiki) that I emailed to my artist friend Jane Yelliott.  I needed an illustrator, but it was not to be.

Here's my proposed title for the idea I had:  Kiki and the Rain Room.  First, cats hate water (I think we all know that), and rain is water.  What would seem like a "rain room" to a cat?  That place where humans make water come down from above.  We humans call that place a "shower" — and we also call a light rain from above a "shower," don't we?  (Oooh, I love playing with words!)

I lost my potential illustrator.  (Do you know a good one?)  Click HERE to see Jane's blog, which is still there though she died over a decade ago.  I still have it on the right sidebar of this blog, and it now shows "11 years ago" since her last post on ramblings of an artist ~ Jane.

Two tigers ~ from 2012 and 2015

I have these two tigers, but they are big and I need more space.  Jane gave me the first tiger, and I named it Hobbes (click on the name for details.)  She was hugging the tiger when she surprised me with it, HERE.  Donna gave me the red-nosed tiger, and I named it Winifred.  (Yeah, click on the name to see why she's named Winifred Tiger.)

Since I no longer have room for stuffed tigers, I'm giving them away.  Would you like to have one?  I know that people are less willing to share information these days, so I promise not to reveal names of the winners of this contest on the blog (unless you specifically give me permission).  To win a tiger, tell me which one you like best and why you'd like to have it.  The best story wins a tiger!

Email your story to me at —> emerging DOT paradigm AT yahoo DOT com

Thinking about tigers, Chinese style

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life ~ by Alice Wong, 2022, memoir, 402 pages

In Chinese culture, the tiger is revered for its confidence, passion, ambition, and ferocity.  Alice Wong has that same fighting spirit.  She draws on a collection of original essays, previously published work, conversations, graphics, photos, commissioned art by disabled and Asian American artists, and more, Alice Wong uses her unique talent to share an impressionistic scrapbook of her life as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, media maker, and dreamer.  From her love of food and pop culture to her unwavering commitment to dismantling systemic ableism, she shares her thoughts on creativity, access, power, care, the pandemic, mortality, and the future.  As a self-described disabled oracle, Alice traces her origins, tells her story, and creates a space for disabled people to be in conversation with one another and the world.  Filled with wit, joy, and rage, her Year of the Tiger will galvanize readers with big cat energy.

Two of my best friends ever were both born in the Chinese Year of the Tiger:  Jane in 1926 and Donna in 1950.  Unfortunately for me — "fortune" cookies, notwithstanding — both have died, but they live on in my memories.

Now that Helen of Helen's Book Blog has made me aware of this book, I've put it on reserve at my library.  Helen and commenters on Amazon rate it highly.

Tiramisu was her favorite dessert

Tiramisu was my friend Donna's favorite dessert.  Donna was cremated when she died last year, so today her sister and I took her ashes to a scatter garden in a cemetery nearby.  The two of us had our own small "celebration" of Donna's life.  Then we went to celebrate with two things that we knew Donna really liked to eat:  crispy fries from Five Guys and tiramisu.  Salty and sweet.  First, we went to the scatter garden:

Now, her ashes are beneath that third stone (on the right), and a plaque will be added soon to the marker behind it.  From the cemetery, we went to get the fries and tiramisu.  Then we drove back to the Crown Center, where Donna and I lived, and sat at a table in the grassy area outside to eat and talk.

I forgot to add that Donna was known for sharing candy here at Crown.  So when we got the tiramisu, we also bought a bag of mini-candies.  While we chatted at a table in the grassy area, we called people over to share a bite or two of candy in Donna's name.  They remembered, and they grinned.  And then this robin came along.  It was almost like Donna sent it to brighten our day and see what we were doing.  I think it's been a very good day.  (Click to enlarge photo.)

Musing on Monday

Reading report

I've decided to quit getting books from the library.  Why?  Because I have an entire library in my apartment (on shelves and in boxes), a storage unit full of boxes from the bookstore Donna and I owned 20 years ago, 438 books on my Kindle, and 331 books on Donna's Kindle (which her sister let me "inherit").

So . . . I've decided to read my own books.  Doing exactly that is, after all, one of my reading challenges.  The goal of the TBR 22 in '22 Challenge is to read 22 books from my TBR shelves in 2022.  (TBR is shorthand for "to be read.")

Monday is a good day to share this report on getting older.

I'm sure you are pleased to hear this "news."  LOL.

For my friend, the court reporter

This is for you, Jane.  I know you are not a novelist and don't want to be one.

Year of the Tiger

It's time to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Tiger.  Thanks to Nancy the Bookfool for posting this picture on Facebook.

Jane and Donna and I went out to eat Chinese to celebrate the Chinese New Year in 2012, which happened to be the Year of the Dragon.  We all wore red that day, and I slid out of my seat to snap this photo of them eating at our favorite Chinese restaurant in Chattanooga.  I'm using this photo of them because they were both born in the Year of the Tiger, though two cycles apart.  Unfortunately, Jane died at the end of December 2013, a few months before I moved to St. Louis, and Donna died in July 2021.  With Covid out there, we probably could not or would not have done it again.  But I love this photo.  Anyway, happy new year!

Adult coloring pages from Donna

I decorated the bulletin board at the elevators on my floor for September with the pages my friend Donna had colored and taped to the door to her apartment.**  After she died in July, I kind of adopted these colored sheets of paper as I helped her sister Jane clean out Donna's apartment.  Here's what those with writing say:

Top row:

• Keep calm and read.
• Don't be afraid to start over.
• Be the reason someone smiles today.
• You are the best.

Bottom row:

• (shows an arbor covered with flowers)
• Re-examine all that you have been told ... dismiss that which insults your soul.
• (shows a hummingbird)
• Coloring done by Donna Carey (a small page added by me).

** Click twice on the photo to enlarge it, to help you see the words better.

Sunday Salon ~ books and stuff

Never Mind! : A Twin Novel ~ by Avi and Rachel Vail, 2004, young adult fiction

Edward and Meg are like night and day. How could such different people be twins? Well, they are, but they don't have to like it -- or each other.

For seventh grade, brainy Meg is attending ultra-competitive Fischer, while freewheeling Edward goes to an alternative school downtown. But it's just when they're finally out of each other's shadows that the trouble begins. Meg's aspirations for popularity and a boyfriend combine with Edward's devious planning and lack of singing ability to set off a showdown the likes of which twindom has never before seen.

Why is this final showdown so much fun? Could it be that Meg and Edward are more alike than they thought?

Click here to read what Avi posted online about writing this book with his friend Rachel.  (I didn't realize he has a twin sister.)  This book was among Donna's books that I "inherited" when I helped her sister Jane clean out Donna's apartment.  It looks like fun, and it's about twins.  For those of you who don't know, I have twin daughters who are "identical," though they aren't exactly, you know.  This "twin novel" is about Edward (who says, "She's twelve noon, I'm midnight!") and Meg (who says, "I'm not like him at all!").  This is the book I want to read next.

Books I've finished in August so far

(Click that link to see my rating system and links to what I've posted about some of these books, as well as the other 54 books I've read this year.)

55.  Am I Alone Here? : Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live ~ by Peter Orner, illustrated by Eric Orner, 2016, essays, 6/10

"[He] understood that mostly what we humans do is daydream, that while we're going about the business of our lives in one direction, we're daydreaming it away in another" (p. 211).

"This is how we'll be remembered down the line, as caricatures in the mind of a surviving family member" (p. 218).

56.  How Do I Love You? ~ by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Carolyn Jayne Church, 2008, children's, 8/10

57.  Love Is . . . ~ by Wendy Anderson Halperin, 2001, picture book, 7/10

"What is love? . . . the love we express can best be seen in what we do and say" (back cover).

58.  Meditations: A Collection for Women ~ by Ronnie Polaneczky, edited by Virginia Mattingly, illustrated by Nancy Loggins Gonzales, 1996, gift book, 5/10

59.  The Awkward Owl ~ by Shawnda Blake, 2012, children's picture book, 10/10

60.  Coast Road ~ by Barbara Delinsky, 1998, fiction (California), 9/10

61.  Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America ~ by Amy Belding Brown, 2014, historical fiction (Massachusetts), 9/10

"As they ride past the hill where the meetinghouse stands guard over the stones of the burying ground, Mary recalls the last time she sat on the pew bench listening to her husband.  The world has become so disordered, it seems as if years — not months — have passed" (p. 172).

62.  To the Top! : A Gateway Arch Story ~ by Amanda E. Doyle, illustrated by Tony Waters, 2012, children's picture book, 9/10

63.  Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness ~ written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham, 2018, children's picture book, 7/10

64.  Death Is Stupid ~ written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham, 2016, children's picture book, 7/10

65.  The Cartoon Introduction to Philosophy ~ by Michael F. Patton and Kevin Cannon (illustrator), 2015, philosophy, 6/10

"Knowledge about any subject becomes more robust as we question, challenge, and ultimately improve on it" (p. 11).

66.  The Mother I Could Have Been ~ by Kerry Fisher, 2019, fiction (England), 4/10

"And some people twisted and turned and agonised, trying to please everyone without ever pleasing themselves and, in the end, cauterized the pain of not fitting in, of not getting it right, by cutting themselves off" (p. 204).

Book I'm currently reading

No Happy Endings: A Memoir ~ by Nora McInerny, 2019, memoir, 288 pages

I've read only 50 pages since posting about it yesterday.  That's a mere 20% of the book, according to my Kindle.

Clawdia

Tomorrow morning is Clawdia's regular checkup with the vet.  She doesn't know it yet, but she can't eat after midnight and will be hungry and unhappy when I don't feed her in the morning.  In other words, I may not get a full night's sleep and have to be able to corral her in time to leave here at 7:45 a.m.  Because of Covid, it's a drop-off and I have to go back to pick her up later.  She will NOT be a happy camper tomorrow.

Words of the Day

checkup / check up / check-up

• As a single word, checkup is a noun.  Example:  "Clawdia is going for a checkup tomorrow."

• As two words, check up is a verb.  Example:  "We need to check up on Grandma."

• When hyphenated words, check-up is an adjective.  Example:  "I need to schedule a check-up appointment."

Same letters, different "spellings" and different meanings . . . BUT . . . not all the online sources I found agree on these differences.  I think I'll just leave it as it is and use a phrase like "get Clawdia's health checked."

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon — at separate computers in different time zones — to talk about our lives and our reading.

Donna's Million Dollar Fudge

Donna's sister Jane found Donna's recipe for Million Dollar Fudge, and I found photos online that look to me like the right color.  So I'm sharing Donna's recipe online for all of her friends, many of whom immediately say, "Oh, I sure will miss her fudge" when they hear she has died.  Me, too.  I can still taste it and feel it melt in my mouth.  She loved to share it with her friends.

_________________________________________________________________

1.  In a large heavy pan combine:  2 cups (16 oz.) heavy cream and 4 cups (28 oz.) granulated sugar.

2.  Stir well to mix thoroughly.  Bring to a boil and then beat to a soft ball stage (235 degrees on a candy thermometer).  Do not stir again after mixture reaches a rolling boil.  Remove from heat.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, combine:  1 cup (8 oz.) real butter cut into chunks and 1.5 (24 oz.) Hershey bars, broken into pieces.

4.  Pour hot mixture over butter and chocolate pieces.  Beat with electric mixer until glossy.  Pour into buttered 9"x13" pan and put into refrigerator or freezer to cool.

Note:  Make with or without nuts.  Symphony bars may be substituted for Hershey bars.

_________________________________________________________________

That is exactly how Donna wrote it, with ingredients in bold.  She didn't make a separate list of ingredients.  Here's a separate list for you:

• 2 cups (16 oz.) heavy cream
• 4 cups (28 oz.) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (8 oz.) real butter
• 1.5 (24 oz.) Hershey bars, broken into pieces

Here's your assignment, if you choose to accept it

My friend Diana posted a sentence on Facebook, and added this comment:

Grab the book nearest you right now.

* Turn to page 56.

* Find the fifth sentence.

* Post that sentence as your status, and post these instructions in a comment to this status.

* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual; use the closest book.

I've followed the instructions twice:  once for myself and once for Donna, since I'd brought a bag of books home from her apartment last night.  Her bagful of books were in front of my bookshelves, so both were equally close on my left when I read Diana's sentence.

Bonnie's book:

"Get on with it" — p. 56 of God Meant It for Good: A Fresh Look at the Life of Joseph by R. T. Kendall, 1986, theology.

Donna's book:

"I still recall Uncle Frank ending a story with the statement, 'And that's the truth!'" — p. 56 of Writing as a Second Language: From Experience to Story to Prose by Donald Davis, 2000, writing.

Now it's your turn.  Grab the nearest book and tell us in the comments what the fifth sentence on page 56 is.  I did one for Donna because she's in hospice and is now unresponsive.  Unfortunately, "that's the truth," as Donna's quote says.  Now I'll "get on with it" and go sit with her awhile.

_________________________________________________________________

Added Sunday 7/25/21

I sat with Donna for a few hours so her sister Jane could have a break and go eat supper.  Donna was responding to me when I was there and with Jane when she returned from her break.  Jane had been back sitting beside her bed for a couple of hours when Donna died.  Jane texted me at 8:01 pm, just before sunset last night:  "She's gone, Bonnie."  Now I'll "get on with it" without her in my world.

Foggy brain? Here's a big hug

I got online earlier today to post about my dream, the one I was still smiling about when I awoke.  So I wrote about Native Americans, words, a fat squirrel, and my mother.  Nowhere in that list is my dream.  Now that my foggy thinking (from staying home alone, maybe, during this pandemic?) has let me remember my dream, here 'tis, as my friend Jane Yelliott used to say.  (The photo shows my friend Donna on the right and Jane with a mouthful of food, when the three of us ate Chinese food to celebrate the Chinese New Year in 2012.  We all three wore Chinese red that day.  Jane died at the end of December 2013, a few months before I moved to St. Louis.  I still miss you, Jane.)

Anyway, my dream was wonderful because I got to hug somebody in it.  Remember when we could hug our friends?  Remember when we could even get NEAR people?  It used to be "normal" to shake hands, clap someone on the back, and share a hug with people you care about.  In my dream, a woman I knew only slightly was sitting in the room with me and others, and I said to her, "You look like you need a hug."  She smiled at me, so I got up and went over to give her a big, bear hug.  I woke up realizing that I can still do that in my dreams.

People who know me, know that I'm a hugger.  In the 1980's when I lived in Atlanta, one woman would always spread her arms wide when she saw me in the hall at church.  She was elderly, though she was probably younger than I am now, and that hug from me may have been the only hug she got all week.  It was special, and she looked forward to it.  If you have trouble reading the printed words beside that picture of Lucy hugging Snoopy, it says, "A hug is better than all the theology in the world."  Leave a comment for me if you need a hug right now, and I'll send you a big virtual hug from me.

Jane died 5 years ago

I've been trying to decide what to say about my friend Jane Yelliott, who died five years ago.  I wrote about her lots of times on this blog, but today I seem to be just browsing through what's already posted.  I also read her blog, ramblings of an artist, which I helped her set up on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. Yes, she gave me credit that day, and her last post on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 was about the death of my beloved Kiki Cat four days earlier.  I left her blog's very first comment, ending with:  "I will add it (her blog) to the sidebar of Bonnie's Books."  The link to her blog is still there, on the right, though it's way down at the bottom and currently says she last posted six years ago.

Jane was an accomplished artist.  She was honored by the city of Chattanooga with a plaque on the Walnut Street Bridge, along with Bessie Smith and other notables.  In this photo, there's a glazed tile showing TC the cat on the wall behind the man, which she later gave to me when she was dying in December 2013.  It isn't the only piece of her artwork I have, but I remember Jane apologized when she gave it to me, apologized that she didn't get MY cat painted as she had promised.  According to Jane's daughter, "TC" stands for "Top Cat."  (Click on the photo to enlarge it and see the cat better.)

From Jane's blog post about TC:

TC did just appear one day when he seemed to be about 3 months old.  Somehow he knew that he would be taken in without question.   What a love he was - and the only kitten I ever knew whose tail touched his head when he walked.

What else can I say?  Jane gave me a stuffed tiger to hug after Kiki died.  That tiger is still on a shelf in my apartment, even though I now have Clawdia Cat, who often sleeps on my bed.

I took care of Jane's cat Babe when she traveled, and Babe shared the toy in this photo with me.  Jane was the friend I was meeting when I tripped and shattered my shoulder.  She donned red and celebrated the Chinese New Year with Donna and me and was among the friends I invited over.  In other words, Jane was a very big part of my life, and I still miss her.  A lot.  Let me end by sharing what Jane wrote about procrastination and having a mental termite:

annotation: March 24, 2012
I just discovered what my problem is. I have a mental termite.!!!
Nell Mohney proclaimed in her column today that procrastination is a mental termite!  If I had bats in my belfry would they take care of that?

Ah, yes!   I really do miss Jane's wonderful sense of humor.

Thirteen things on my mind ~ including books

1.  My great-grandson Jonathan and his family were stranded at a Walmart when their car broke down three hours from home, as they returned from a great vacation.

2.  Here's some humor from Facebook that seems to apply to my life right now:

• Aging ~ "I love being over 70.  I learn something new every day ... and forget 5 others."
• Diet ~ "I don't mean to brag, but I finished my 14-day diet in 3 hours and 20 minutes."
• Exercise ~ "I just did a week's worth of cardio after walking into a spider web."

3.  Changes are coming to the Crown Center, as this notice of a public hearing attests.  I plan to attend tomorrow's meeting.

4.  Someone was in the Art Room Saturday afternoon, so Donna and Alyssa and I went outside to read out loud together in the gazebo.

5.  Our DASH group is still getting together to exercise.  Here's Barbara holding one-pound weights.  We meet in the Crown Center's fitness center.

6.  Colleen's recent Thirteen post started with a joke:  "When Donald Trump looks at a half-filled glass of water, he doesn’t see it half-full or half-empty, he sees his own reflection."

7.  Donna made us another Taco Pie, but this time she used tortilla chips instead of Fritos.

8.  The Smithsonian Magazine recently had an article about a corduroy road, with logs as the roadbed.  The "W Road" up Signal Mountain near where I raised my children began as a corduroy road.  The road got its name because the three switchbacks formed a "W" as it traversed the steep palisade.  This is a photo from 1914, long after the roadbed of logs had disappeared.

9.  My friend Jane will be moving into her new apartment soon.  She showed it to Donna and me on a recent Saturday.  Oh, by the way, Jane is Donna's sister.

10.  This week marked 3 years since Mike Brown was killed, sparking the Ferguson Uprising, so the West County Community Action Network (WE CAN) honored his life at Saturday's Black Lives Matter vigil with 4.5 minutes of silence.  Next Saturday, they will be in Creve Coeur from 11:30 to 12:30, atop the 270-Olive overpass, South side, to uphold the message that Black Lives Matter.  My friend Joy is in this group, and I met several others at lunch after the vigil.

11.  After the recent storm of violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, I posted a video on Facebook from the Rev. Traci Blackmon who was among the people inside the church.  That prompted me to tell people about Traci's book:  White Privilege: Let's Talk ~ A Resource for Transformational Dialogue ~ by Traci Blackmon, John Dorhauer, Da Vita McCallister, John Paddock, and Stephen G. Ray (2016).  This resource is only 99-cents for Kindle, and facilitator's resources are available free from the publisher.

12.  The book I was reading earlier in the day had referred to a book by Richard Dawkins.  When I sat down in my recliner in the late afternoon, I noticed the sun was reflecting off the windows of the other Crown Center building through my window onto a stack of books I'd put there many days earlier.  Do you see which book was "calling me"?  Yep, it's highlighted:  The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (2006).  After taking this quick photo, I sat back down and glanced again at the stack.  The sun had moved and was no longer shining on the stack, much less that particular book.  How funny!

13.  New fence at the Crown Center.

Burnt tree.

Partially burnt tree.

Now you may be wondering why I'm calling these "burnt" trees.  As I was parking in a spot facing these trees a year or two ago, I saw the "burnt tree" burning.  Literally burning, with flames.  I reported it to the office.  A few days later, I saw a worker from the building (which is now BEYOND the fence) flick a cigarette to the base of that partially burnt tree.  Aha!  Now I knew why the trees were burning.  My first thought when I saw the new fence going up was that now we wouldn't have any more burnt trees on our side of the fence.