My column for March

While I have been reading a lot this winter, I have to say I just finished book 4 of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon that I mentioned I am re-reading. I used to think people were nuts to read a book a second time when there are so many books to be read. But I have to say, I have loved every moment of it. I read the books back in the 90's up to about 2005 and there was many months between them. By reading them back to back the story just flows and I pick up story lines that I think I missed before as I had forgotten a lot about one book by the time I got to the next one. So if you have a favorite series of books I strongly suggest that you take the time to read them again. I think you will be surprised.

Now I did manage to read a couple other books along the way.

Cruel Harvest

A Memoir

by

Fran Elizabeth Grubb

A dark tale of despair, this story based on Frans childhood, back in the 1950's. I didn't know what I was getting into with this book even though the title was a big clue. It is an incredible story of survival and forgiveness, but also very disturbing. That a father would drag his family all over the US to work as migrant farmers is bad enough, but his physical and mental abuse to his family is outrageous. Fran learns as a little girl how to hid her pain and make herself invisible to avoid her fathers hand. This book would not be for the faint of heart as it is pretty explicit in its telling of the story of Fran. What is the most amazing is that she was able to forgive her father at the end of the book and find her own joy in life by letting this horrible past not ruin her life forever.

The Gilded Cage

by Troy Soos

The time and place is 1893 in New York City. Marshall Webb is an independent writer for The Harper Weekly newspaper and Rebecca Davies is a “spinster” from a well to do family. She runs a shelter for women who have been the victims of abuse or casts out of society with no way to support themselves, with no help from her wealthy father. The story deals with the depression that is gripping the nation while crime bosses run the government even using unscrupulous methods to get their votes. Secret land deals and Wall Street swindles are just a part of the City Hall's political machine. Rebecca gets entangled when she invests some personal money in an effort to raise capital for her shelter and looses it. Marshall works to link some of this together and uncovers some of the criminal factors in the city and writes about it in the paper and helps get reforms moving to make life better. Apparently this is a second book written by Soos about Marshall and Rebecca. The first book is Island of Tears, dealing with the immigration experiences at the turn of the century and how they were treated. I think it would be interesting reading.

Thought for the day: “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be to late” Ralph Waldo Emerson

My new little project board

My little project board I made the other day.  24x24  light padding on one side and just wood on other side.  My cutting board just fits on the wooden side and give me a solid area to cut my fabric.  The padded side will work for arranging quilting squares and what not.  Pretty handy.  I am making some little place mats where you arrange 2 inch squares of fabric on this fusible grid. After you iron them in place you turn it over and stitch tiny seams up each line of the grid and then across.  Then you have perfect corners of your little quilt blocks.  Finish off with some quilt stitch and binding.  And I said I wasn't a quilter.  Paah!

My new little rigid heddle loom

Warping my new baby with some plain yarn. It is an Ashford 12 inch, and I ordered the extra heddle so I have 2 sizes to work with.

Weaving with some gray yarn so I can see how it works.  I love it and it is so perty!!!  Not my weaving but the loom.  For sure I think I like weaving with carpet warp and fabric better than yarn, but maybe someday I will change my mind.  Getting the feel of the loom for now.
The Weaving Guild will be held this month at the home of a gal who will be teaching about the rigid heddle loom. Hope to pick up some pointers and how to do some patterns.  Will probably use it mostly to make table runners and mug rugs.

February Newspaper column

January was a very eventful month and I apologize for having to be closed much of it. We tend to take our health for granted most of the time and actually do very little to really take care of it and appreciate it. My husband is recovering very well from a serious incident that started Christmas Eve. As we look back at the last month we are very grateful for his recovery. So my message is that we really do need to treat our bodies with respect and take good care of what we have.

One of my best memories of my mother is of her reading to my brother and I when we were small children. We were allowed to buy a book each month which she read to us. Remember all the Golden Books like The Bobbsey Twins, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka and many more?

One of my favorites when I was able to read myself was a book by Marguerite Henry.

Misty of Chincoteague

by

Marguerite Henry

This book was written in 1947 and was inspired by a real Chincoteague pony named Misty. Chincoteague is a small island off the coast of Virginia and the book tells the story of the Beebe children, Paul and Maureen and their efforts to raise a filly born to the wild ponies. Each year the herd is pushed across the water at low tide from the Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. There the fire department pens the horses, trims hooves and sell a few of the herd in order to maintain the size. The children from the Beebe ranch save their money and buy a mare Phantom, and her filly foal. They work hard to gentle the mare but the next year the stallion from the Island coaxes her back to the wild, but Misty the filly stays with the family. Much of the story and additional books that followed are based on true horses and events. They still do the horse penning and it draws thousands of visitors to the island and there is a Beebe Ranch, where there is a museum. Misty and her daughter Stormy reside at the ranch in their taxidermically preserved figures.

I found the research on the author and the islands to be quite interesting. You can Google the island name and learn more.

The Good Earth

by

Pearl S. Buck

One of my goals in the coming year is to read more of the old classics. Somehow I missed reading them back in the days when I should have. This is one that has been on my list. The Good Earth was written in 1932. A simple story written by a woman who grew up in China, the daughter of missionaries. In the story a poor peasant farmer, Wang Lung, who goes to the great house of Hwang to obtain a bride, O-lan, from the slaves. She is very plain but a good wife who gives him sons. They live thru famine and many hard years, but she works along side of him making great sacrifices to raise his children. Their time is the pre-revolutionary China in the 1920's. By accident they find themselves the recipients of riches beyond their dreams and Wang Lung knows that if he owns property they will never be poor again. He buys land from the house of Hwang, and as he prospers he buys more until he owns this rich house for his family. You can see the different attitudes between one generation and the next. The story is very rich in irony yet told in a simple fashion that has made it a true classic masterpiece.

I am hooked and I can't stop reading

This fits me to a tee!  I am into the third book of the Outlander series and the main character is such a strong woman that lives her life with such passion that you makes you want to crawl into her skin for awhile and see what it must be like.  Of course she has a big red headed Scottish warrior to be passionate about. But beside that she is one who knows what she is born to and nothing gets in her way.
I have just put down one book and picked up the next.  I know I will have to read something in between so I can do my book reviews for the paper.  I think this next month it will be rather skimpy.  Hey, I have been busy!

A re-read

I am re reading the complete set of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series of 7 books with the 8th promised.  Maybe by the time I get thru these the new book will be out.  I first read them over 8 to 10 years ago and I read them as I was able to find them.  So now I am into the second book  Dragonfly in Amber.  It is rather fun to read a book that you have read before.  I am amazed at the details that I either forgot or didn't grasp when I read them the first time.  Sort of makes the reading a little richer and you already feel you know the characters.  This is probably my favorite series. 
You may think I am weird but I am planning on re reading the Clan of the Cave Bear series again.  I think they were really well written and it has been many years since I read them as they were printed back in the 80's.

Had a new customer in the store last week and she saw my book lying on the counter and commented that it was her favorite series, and when I mentioned wanting to re read the Clan series again she said she was planning to do that too.  Found out she is a weaver and knows some of the folks at the college where I have been taking weaving classes for 2 semesters.  She has set her loom aside for several years.  I think I got her interested in coming to the Fiber Guild mtg for Feb with me.

Feels good to be back at my regular hours in the store now. 

I am back

I have had my book store closed for over 3 weeks due to family health issues.  It is good to be able to re-open again even though I am only there 4 to 5 hours a day.  Its a start.  I made a new flag to hang out when I am there.  So glad we are having a mild winter so far, as it has made it easier to not have to deal with shoveling snow and all.  Being the only driver in the house I take all 3 of us to all our appointments, shopping, banking, and McDonald runs.  (We are addicted to the coffee there)

Not having any luck today down loading pictures.  Will try again next time.