–1–
HELICOPTER BOY: This morning, Nick came running up to me. “Mom, Mom you hafta see this!”
(Look closely. The object of his affection is visible, but shows up as only a flutter. Can you see it there below his outstretched hand spiraling downward?)
“Our neighvurs have a huge helicopter tree, and I’m makin’ ’em fly! It’s cool, isn’t it?”
Ah, yes, nature’s bounty, found this time at the base of the maples, a seemingly endless supply of summertime entertainment.
–2–
GRANDMA BETTY TURNS 95: We’re heading out of town this weekend to celebrate the 95th birthday of the only living grandparent I’ve known since age nine. I think it would be wonderful if she reached 100 and beyond. Because her parents died fairly young and close to one another, and she’s an only child, she’s been preparing for years and years for her early death. Well, it didn’t happen, thankfully. I can’t imagine this world without Grandma in it. While writing P is for Peace Garden, I found Grandma to be a living history book. She was 16 the year the North Dakota capitol building burned to the ground in 1930, and was one of the witnesses to that sad event. Thinking of all she’s lived through in her years on this earth is an overwhelming, amazing thought. Happy Birthday Dear Grandma! (She’s pictured here holding my sister (r) and me during one of our many visits to her home in our younger years.)
–3–
GIRLS GONE WILD: With paint brushes, that is. My daughters and I have successfully painted all three of the kids’ bedrooms in the course of just a few days. Mind you, it looks as though an avalanche has hit the rest of the house — a result of our having tuned out the usual routine during those intense painting hours. But let’s not focus on that now. All in good time. For today, the successes only: Boys’ bedrooms here. Girls’ bedroom here.
–4–
TWITTERY UPDATE: In the last week, I’ve started to do more investigating into the world of Twitter. We’ve had quite a lively discussion about it on my Catholic writers listserv, and partly as a result of that and just my own digging, I’ve come across a few interesting Twitter finds my Catholic friends might find intriguing. Among those I follow on Twitter are the Pope’s cat, Chico, who recently reported he will be traveling with his owner on a trip to northern Italy. I also have discovered TweetCatholic, which lists nearly 700 (and counting) Catholic Tweeters. It has been nominated for several awards on the 2009 Catholic New Media Awards.
–5–
SUMMERTIME READING: I got into a discussion with a reader recently about favorite summertime books for kids, and she reminded me of one of my own favorites, Up North at the Cabin, by Marsha Wilson Chall. I had the pleasure of staying at Marsha’s home a few years back with a small group of writers, and she was a very gracious and fun host. But her hosting abilities aside, Marsha is a fabulous writer, and anyone who has either spent a lot of time at the lakes during the summer, or dreams of doing so, will love this book. Do you have any summertime favorites? Please leave a comment — I’d love to write another post soon with your recommendations.
–6–
DR. SEUSS ROCKS: Recently, I’ve been summoned on more than one occasion to read one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books. It’s not one of the more popular of his books, I don’t think, but it is quite an adventure because of its wacky tongue-twisting tales. The very last page is one I will never tire of reading. It is on a page with a sad-looking little, green bird knee-deep in a huge puddle of water and holding a wilted umbrella. Above are these wonderful words:
“The storm starts
when the drops start dropping.
When the drops stop dropping
then the storm starts stopping.”
–7–
WE’VE GOT A READER: Yes indeed, Mr. Adam has just completed the achievement of reading a book from cover to cover, and the book of choice is none other then (once again) Dr. Seuss’s The Foot Book. To hear his precious rendition of this story, scroll to the bottom and click on the “play” icon. You won’t regret it.
And for more “quick takes,” visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary.
Have a peace-filled, joy-drenched weekend!
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