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Too many books, too many concerts, too many films, too many performances, too many art exhbits, too many choices in life. Daunting but beautiful additions to us fortunate souls that can explore the arts. I am an habitual list maker, probably started in the womb! Lists include books I have read and I pick from those books to share in too infrequent blog posts. 

We depart shortly for a tour of Spain and Portugal trying to wade through a plethora of readings, films, and more in preparation. A book of note; The Time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda born in Barcelona in 1909 and died in April 13, 1983, Girona, Spain. Copyright in 1980 with the first paperback edition in 1986 and now updated by arrangement with Taplinger Publishing co.,Inc. (NYC) How fateful that I walked into our wonderful Rochester Public Librarie’s historic downtown facility and there on the we recommend rack sat the paperback edition newly re published by Graywolf Press (Minneapolis, Minn). 

I read it with astonishment with amazement, with sadness and tears and great respect for this innovative author. The story is told in first person, in a surreal, fetching and unique voice by this author. The story covers the Spanish Civil War years just prior to and during ww2. It confronts the soul, the tale of a survivor, conveying the convulsive era of the time, the depths of relationships, loss, motherhood, tragedy, comedy, bewilderment for the reader as well as of the protagonist. It is visual and will not go out of your mind as you select the next book(s) written by Merce Rodoreda. It was made into a film which I will seek and hopefully view. Prepare yourself for a wild and tremendously large read. 

NOTE: Please scroll down for a total of 3 new blog posts and more

I try not to express political angst in my blogs but the latest Tweet from the so called president feels like a deep wound. He is famously the “all about me”persecuted soul. In a response that was meant to discuss the current hurricane Florence accousting the Southeast, which he ignored, instead to point out how his response to the Puerto Rican tragic hurricane was not a disaster, that 8-10 people died, and the tally of 3000 known dead was fabricated by us Democrats is a travesty. Let us demand that he be sent to Puerto Rico to spend a week with no potable water, no electricity, no connectivity, sparse food, disease, loss of homes, jobs and see if there is a spark of humanity is this creatures soul. 

pain sorrow hope 

ER a dreaded place

time out of control 

helping a friend in pain

waiting rooms are cold,

in temperature, in pain, in fear

a place to people watch

babies, children, all ages suffering and confused

faces are sad, people are tense with fright

they stare into space

the ill look around hoping their name is called

family members are worried

some sit close together

some sit alone

multi languages blend in the background

The young man was sitting on a bench by the wall

a mutt sat underneath being stroked and loved

two faces seemed to blend near floor level

1 human 1 canine the same expression of trust devotion sweetness

four willful eyes full of love, fond comfort 

the man stroked the dog for a long time

then with two pats on the head, he drew the dogs long ears over 

the canine eyes as if sheltering the pet from the bright, cold light

I relished observing the love, the peace displayed

against a world of angst in this space, in our lives, world wide

Our bucket list called places near us easily gets overshadowed by other sites. Palomar Observatory…on a January day 2 years ago with a grandson along, we drove to said location knowing the chance that the road, the Highway to the Stars could be closed: according to the Website. We took our chances and indeed the road was inaccessibly. Off to the nearby Palomar SP where we enjoyed our picnic lunch, hiked and  promised ourselves to return. 
   A spur of the moment plan, on Sunday we drove down Hwy 79S stopping at the Butterfield Stage Coach Outdoor Museum. I doubt I would survive the trials of stagecoach travel. Self touring we peaked in the Windows falling back in history to the mid 1800’s with pudgy faced, humorous mannequins frozen in time, the barber, the dentist & more. Then off to complete the hour drive to the observatory, certainly no icy roads today. We left at 4PM closing time cramming in all of the history of this famous research facility. Next time we will schedule a starry glance through the 200″ Hale Disk made by Corning, NY, a favorite bucket list item when back East. Next local bucket list item, Ballooning over Temecula (after returning in  November)
Who will join us? 

Photos, unedited and out of order, but offered as an enticement. Can you remember all of these rules?

 

   

 

  

I remember the 1st incident I experienced as a teenager during a high school rehearsal for the musical Oklahoma. I sang, I recited my many lines, I danced my heart out. Aye, there is the rub. I broke away from my partner after a grand lift and head-near-the-floor spin and felt my heart beat as if running out of my chest. I sat down hoping the racing heart would calm down. (myy physician suggested that when I did have recurrences, to sit down, bend head to the knees then press hard behind both earlobes to stop the action.) It did, I ran back into the action to the rehearsal’s finish.

Recently, I have experienced numerous incidents with these symptoms and visited my esteemed Cardiologist in Temecula. He scheduled the Angiogram and Loop-recorder implant. My previous blog described (my druthers) requesting that in lieu of your sending generous foods you share favorite book and film titles.  I promised a post procedure follow up and am overwhelmed at your loving and caring inquiries and messages of support. The Angiogram showed no blockages, clean as a whistle, but did show a congenital condition called a myocardial bridge. It is defined as a band of heart muscle that lies on top of a coronary artery instead of underneath it. The muscle impedes the flow of Oxygen in the blood and therefore the breathlessness and discomfort. Treatment? Perhaps back to a Beta Blocker or Calcium Channel blocker. My dream is to get back to hiking, exercising and my overly active way of life. I am grateful for the outcome, Thanks again for all of your responses!

I promised to share the titles you offered and have included some my own as well. I will continue this theme in future blogs.

The book titles;

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman,  Lauren Belfer’s books: City of Light, and After the Fire (about authenticating a Bach cantata found after WWII and involving Jewish women of the 18th century) and A Special Radiance, about penicillin.   

Hag-Seed, Margaret Atwood, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting” and  “The Unbearable Lightness of being” both by novelist Milan Kundera. The Hare with the Amber Eye, Edmund, De Waal,  The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin (set near Bend OR), All Girls Filling Stations Last Reunion, Fannie Flagg, The Storyteller, Jodi Picoult. 

Ellis Peter Cadfael mysteries set in 10th century Britain.

Poems by Mary Oliver or Billy Collins. Wendell Berry poetry: The pearl that broke its shell, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Adrienne Rich… Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman,  Yeats, Tennyson, Shakespeare….!

Movie titles;

Three Identical Strangers, the Shape of Water, Eye on the Sky (Helen Mirren), Goodbye Christopher Robin, Hidden Figures, Hugo

and so many more saved for another day. Send more titles any time you wish and again, thanks so much for your cherished messages. 

 DRUTHERS; People my age will remember the musical L’il Abner and the tune, If I Had My Druthers.” Phew, that is reaching back to the 60’s. see the video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkd8L3N5Bs8

My druthers–As we all go through the ups and downs of life our responses to each are quick, loving and with sincere hearts.  Many of you know, I have an outpatient procedure set for tomorrow. I savor all of good wishes, responses and items I have received in the last 2 weeks. They have been overwhelming.  To state my DRUTHERS;

I welcome your messages of hugs and concern. We all are quick to offer loving help. But, so many people we know have really serious needs and readily accept some loving help. Our larder is full–The freezer is bursting. Therefore, in lieu of foods and such I would adore the title of a favorite book, movie or musical work. I will return this info with like referrals. I love you all and will be happy to hear from you. My blog history has contained many postings offering my reading favorites from my 3+ decade long Books I Have Read list and am forever looking for THE book to read next. I have increased the To read list also to bursting like my frig. 

I offer some recommendations here and now;  My Life With Bob, by Pamela Paul. She also craves recommendations for books and has published and discussed her list of Books in publishing this memoir. And two strong stories about being Black in America; Sing Unburied Sing, by Jesmyn Ward and The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates. He has burst upon the book and public scene with strength, endurance and courage. 

Go back to your book, enjoy and keep cool. 

We define our style of RV travel as featuring a free schedule, flexibility, stopping in campgrounds, venues, towns and countryside and other places by chance not by reservation when we can get away with that. Instant decisions to make irresistible turns, follow road signs, heading to word of mouth recommendations or detours that may happen our way. After another of my Blog hiatuses I am finally at my computer sharing stories, and adventures, savoring our visits northward in California, Oregon and Washington State. It is no secret that travel reinforces day by day the beauty of this world and the people whom we have visited or have met on the way. 

One case in point; driving the Jeep from a unique and historic campground in Shamokawa, Oregon seeking adventure, we drove past a small museum with an eye candy open sign in the town of Stellar. We pulled a “Uey” joking that we had driving through the town in the short moments it took to head back to the tiny museum. We drove into the driveway as a gentleman in a pickup truck drove out. The open sign was now turned to closed. He is the historian/director and life blood of the museum and lives just across the road. His reason for driving over was simple. The next day was a big day for the museum, kid’s day and he was delivering tables and supplies for the morning set up. “Come on back tomorrow” he declared. It was not going to happen. Tomorrow we were moving elsewhere in the rig and there would be no place for us to park. (an aside, the next day was wet and a bit cool. We hope the kid’s day worked out well for them).

We talked for a few minutes and I remarked that we were taking his time when he probably wanted to get home to family, beer and relaxation. His response, I am alone, I have nothing but time and after close to an hour through the windows of our Rubicon, he gave us an exuberant verbal essay about the Victorian era town of Stellar, the history, the people and a bit about the completely volunteer run facility. 

A delightful and spontaneous encounter for sure. The number stories we have involving making quick decisions, U turns and changing direction could fill volumes of books and far exceed my goal of a message in a minute (or 2). We continued up the highways (I 5 most often) to the town of Anacortes, Washington. Another beautiful town so worth repeated visits. We reached the most northern route and were probably going to head easterly toward Montana and then head southward back to Jojoba Hills, our RV community in SoCal. But, in our flexible manner and some medical requirements we chose to change direction making a U turn to head back down the I 5 to Aguanga, Ca and home. Again the route was full of discovery, beauty and adventure. We past through Oregon and felt and breathed the smoke from the wild fires west of us. We stopped in Redding, Ca, drove through the Mt. Shasta area just before the fires started in those regions and returned to SoCal as the devastating fires started near Idylwild that is raging out of control. It is hot here, very hot. I think of the thousands of fire fighters enduring the heat and peril and risking death. How precarious is the lasting beauty of our world jeopardized by fire, floods and accelerating  occurrences of natural disasters, by raw rhetoric and senseless edicts reversing environmental issues in the political arena, human disaster and crime.  These disasters seem remote until a family member is affected. A grandson from LA was attending Astrocamp in Idylwild resulting in evacuation to a safer area with the fire on their heels to safe ground. Flexibility is the key. 

Ireland, long on my bucket list of places I must visit and now memories, glorious memories of the almost 3 weeks of touring with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). As usual, (our 9th trip and more booked) The tour was brilliant, fully encompassing and led by a brilliant 24 year old, Rowan, well advanced in his experiences and knowledge, a quick wit and punster and gave our group of 15 much to ingest about his country. To write a long review in a minute is impossible, so my decision is to offer several iconic glimpses of the Island (photos as proof) and to urge those of you who still have a trip to Ireland in your future to sign up now with OAT and ask to join Rowan as your tour leader. 

Icon #1; The color green; How intensely green it is, emerald, glowing and infectious as expected by its nickname the Emerald Isle. The grasslands, the pastures, the countryside, the trees, the flora, the clothing, everywhere you look, the emerald green is a presence and glows brilliantly in your eyes.  

 

Icon # 2; The Celtic Harp, 

Celtic harps derive from the medieval (pre-1700) period. The oldest is the one on which the ‘official’ national emblem of Ireland is based: the Trinity College Harp.  The 15th century harp design is on display in the Long Room of Trinity College, Dublin. The symbol is often seen anywhere you go, (facing left or facing right depending upon its use) on monuments, memorials, the country’s Coat of Arms, historical documents, on menus, book covers, souvenirs, on and on.

Icon # 3; The People, The lore, music and dance, the highly complex and convoluted history of Ireland is laced with tales of fantasy and lore and the Irish literary history includes many writers of note, the music is lilting, bright and full of life, the dance, intricate, tripingly fast, highly energetic with legs going in every direction, seemingly at once. I know a bit first hand having been chosen  along with another (younger lady) to learn and perform a reel–a broom dance with live band and award winning dancers. I did it without a fall or a glitch after several practices and with such a smile on my face.

 

 

Icon # 4; Voted by myself as the most uttered word on the Island. It has to be spoken a million times a second, 24 hours a day as someone orders a pint, deliveries are made to all of the pubs, restaurants, shops, cafes, stores and individuals as they place orders for more, by people recommending that you order it, people praising the drink, on the distillery tours, by tour guides, tourists, natives and by the people. The word is Guinness. No more needs to be said and their logo is the Celtic harp imprinted on every bottle’s label. 

Thusly, I offer my impressions of Ireland in the short form but will be processing the tour for years to come.  The same as the utterances; “bottoms up, La Chayim, to your health, salut or Cheers” declared as one shares a drink and clinks glasses or bottles, in Irish the word is Schlonchia. Good times to you all.

Ann Carol Goldberg

Inspired by the book MY LIFE With BOB, by Pamela Paul, in which she shares reviews and memories from her decades long book list, I have decided to devote several postings  sharing books and timeline stories from my own list of books. I began my lists (paper books) in the late 70’s and added ebooks in 2004 and now have a count of 850 or more fiction ebooks and paper books on the list and 200 non-fiction ebooks and paper books on the lists plus many autobiographies and biographies.  All listings include 1-2 sentences in review about each book I have read.

Some I loved, a few I disliked and many scored in between. My beloved NYT book review (out every Friday) includes an arricle entitled BY THE BOOK.  Many of you are familiar with these interviews. I enjoy the questions, responses and overwhelming citings of their favorite and not so favorite authors or books. I have also kept a list of BOOKS I WANT TO READ that swells each Friday after reading the current interviewee in that forum.  A true “candy store.” As with every art venue, there are TOO MANY BOOKS to read in the short span of time we are allowed on this earth and in our busy lives.

The question of books (favorites and disliked) is asked weekly. I intend to write my offerings in my Monday’s Blog--message in a minute and discipline my self to truly share regularly, also a tough activity to fit into a busy life on the road.  How I do love your feedback. 

The first entry is Inspired by the recent obituary of the Former Smith College president Jill Ker Conway who died recently at the age of 83. Her books; the Road from Coorain and True North enraptured me.  She grew up in the rustic and remote sheep raising countryside of Australia and describes her chores on the farm plagued by every type of harsh weather and fluctuating markets and describes life with her mother (suffering mental instability and institutionalized) for much of Jill’s life and her father, sheepherder, major parent and their life on the farm. It was not an easy life but she flourished and matured enough to break away from Australia at age 17 and emigrate to the US–New York City and lived a life full of self discovery, education and great achievement. Her story enthralled me and in fact I re read each book at least one more time.  She has written many publications and reached and influenced the lives of many students, friends and readers. These books are a fast and intense read and I highly recommend that you add them to your books I want to read list. 

I have gone beyond my message in a minute limit this week but wanted to include the introduction and intention of my own “By The Book” reviews. So pull up an easy chair or sit outdoors on a chaise lounge (in the shade and with a beverage of choice) and curl up treating yourself to time to read a book!

If you wish, please send titles or authors names of books to share.

Enjoy, Ann Carol Goldberg