08/31/19
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Ann @ 2:16 pm
The nights are cooler, and there is a briskness to the morning air. Lovely weather indeed! Autumn has long been my favorite season. I realize it is not officially fall until September 23, but Labor Day is when the season changes for me. I’ve decorated our home for fall already, never did it quite so early but I am glad it is done!
This morning my step-daughter and I went to see my son’s daughter play a soccer game. It was fun and the weather was perfect. Her team lost but put up a good effort they were out-played by the other team. I wore sandals and a bee got stuck between my toes and couldn’t get out of my sandal. Ouch!! he stung me at least once, and boy did that hurt! A piece of ice inside a napkin, helped relieve the discomfort.
During August we celebrated family birthdays with picnics and cake. Ninety-five of us celebrated our 50th annual McCauley Family Reunion on the farm in southern Clarion County where my mother and her six siblings were born. Of her generation, only her youngest brother survives. Everyone agreed it was truly a wonderful day of re-connecting with family, thanks to the gracious hospitality of our cousin Jerry and his wife Sherry who open their home to us a each year. The hayride is always a welcome treat, especially with those who travel from cities and are not familiar with good old fashioned fun. And did I mention the food? Everyone brings a dish or two to share, allow me to say that it is NOT a good day to diet!
We cooked for two days and hosted a dinner party on August 23rd, for several friends, it was such a fun evening for all of us. Though, I slept till11 A.M. the next day. Hate to admit that party preparation is not as easy as it used to be.
The BOOKSWEEPS Read and Reflect: Literary, Historical and Women’s Fiction Contest ended August 14th, Two winners, May in Iowa and Pam in Georgia will receive their free e-books of Mother Love, Willow Lane, Book Two this afternoon. Thank you to the hundreds of you who signed up, there will be another BOOKSWEEPS contest starting soon. I will certainly let you know when you can sign up for another chance to win a free e-book.
I’ve read a few good books this month:
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates. Nonfiction. Reading this is a life-attitude changing experience. Melinda is NOT your typical rich man’s wife. It made me respect Bill Gates more than I ever did before simply because he married this incredible woman. She, like her husband has a solid middle-class background. Her empathy for fellow human beings, regardless of race, creed or culture is amazing. Instead of being overwhelmed with problems facing our planet today, she embraces this motto: “If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down.” I highly recommend this book.
Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica. Fiction, suspense. An entirely different type of book from the aforementioned one. A definite page turner, well written with layer upon layer of plot surprises, well developed characters. I really liked this novel. It was our book club choice for August.
The Beneficiary by Janny Scott. Nonfiction. Memoir/autobiographic of the author’s family history. This is a story of one family tree of a Main Line, Philadelphia from late the1800s through early 2000s. It provides an incisive look at the weight of inheritance, the power of buried secrets, alcoholism, entitlement and self-absorption. A great contrast in values to the book by Melinda Gates. A worthwhile read.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Fiction. We watched and enjoyed the movie, Rebel in the Rye, the movie was very informative and entertaining. We both loved it, and I decided to read the novel. It is a small novel and I read it quickly, with only one question on my mind. WHY? It was such a privileged whiney story. I couldn’t figure out why/how it had ever been such a huge success. There was no story arc, it just rambled on and on and then stopped with no resolutions.
As mentioned above we watched and enjoyed Rebel In The Rye, the story of J.D.Salinger and really liked it.
I am looking forward to some good movies. Racing In The Rain is playing this week and having read the book some time ago, can’t wait to see it!
We enjoyed The Mule, starring, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It was a sweet at times movie and we loved the closing song, “Don’t Let The Old Man In.”
Till next time, keep reading my friends.
Later, Ann
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