Wednesday Wisdom

 Yep - nuff said there.  Yes, it's okay to fund the arts. Duh.

 and I always say, "Look up."

In our little quarantine time, spend a moment. Sit on your front porch (like I did Sunday), and look up.

Trees - worth contemplating. Time well spent.

This is no April Fool's joke. Savor the moment.

Happy Wednesday - hump day - carry on......

Book Review - American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Life is good in Acapulco for Lydia (a bookshop owner), son Luca (age 8), and Sebastian (a journalist) until he profiles Javier, a drug lord. The cartel is not pleased and blasts into a family gathering, murdering everyone except Lydia and Luca - lucky break that they were indoors at that moment.

Now life is dangerous as Lydia and Luca are forced to flee -instant migrants headed to el norte - the dream of a safe life in the United States. Riding trains, dodging the cartel, making meager funds last, and finally getting connected with a coyote for the last hike across the forbidding desert - the chapters roll by with plenty of action, turmoil, and desperate life choices. 

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is a harrowing tale of survival. It's the tale of a mother's love for her son and the dream for a life without fear. The book is a tale of trust and the human spirit as Lydia and Luca befriend two young sisters fleeing danger in Honduras.

This is a work of fiction that was initially praised and then faulted for giving into some stereotypes or for not being authentic. I personally had no issues with the story. I felt that the author had done some research, had no doubt combined characteristics of the migrant experience into memorable characters, and she truly put us into the shoes of her protagonists.

I could sweat the heat, feel the grime, and imagine the fear of the unknown. To me, Cummins humanized the odyssey and offered sympathy and empathy for the migrant experience. Well written, strong, and full of heart, American Dirt will draw you in.  Pour a glass of water and root for Lydia and Luca.

Friday Frivolity

Friday Frivolity from the Faries household.

So, I get up first, shower, breakfast, check email, then leave and drive to work (essential business). Prior to leaving, I might have set up a few roadblocks for Ray.

This is his first week working at home. He's up after me, showers, breakfasts, then staggers to the home office to begin his day. He's not the best morning person. So, he hit "traffic" and obstruction" this morning.

The notes say - Slow Traffic Ahead, Stalled Car, Police Standing Around, Debris, and Construction Zone.

He might have been a tad late clocking in.....hee hee !

Might as well have some fun in our troubled quarantined times.

So, have a super weekend folks - sleep in, take walks,  eat well, nap, read, rinse and repeat.  See ya Monday - I should have a book review written by then.

Wednesday Wisdom - Have a Snooze

I never understood as a kid (i.e age five to twenty - when I moved to Texas) how my mother could want to take a nap. Seriously? On a Sunday afternoon, you want to be on the couch with your eyes closed and sleep? Stuff was going on. You could be doing things. Busy, Busy.

I have become my mother. Like her, I can sleep in on the weekend (i.e. 8-8:30 am), I can go to bed at 10 pm and fall asleep, I can fall asleep as Ray's talking to me (not that he's boring me...). I'm going to say I have a clear conscience.

A new habit in this wacky day and age - I come home from work. If the weather is decent, I take a walk with Ray. Then I sit on the couch with a book, gradually slumping down, until I close the book, take off my reading glasses, and close my eyes. I'm "resting my eyes" from a day of computers and thinking. Yep - it's a nap. And then I have no trouble going to bed.

On the weekends, now that museums are closed, there are no activities to attend, no movies to go see, no restaurants open to go hang with friends - an afternoon snooze is delightful. I've done some in-home exercising, I've cleaned a bit, I've read,etc. A little hour of dreaming....bliss.

I highly recommend a nap.

Hey Mom - I understand now. You are probably chuckling from above.

Book Review - Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid proved to be a very good read. I liked the characters and wanted to know what would happen. It's very current considering life and headlines these days,

Alix Chamberlain is a confident businesswoman and married mother of a toddler. She depends on her babysitter, Emira, and when a family crisis occurred one night, she calls Emira to come get Briar out of the house. Emira takes Briar to the local grocery store and is confronted by a woman who questions why Emira (black) has Briar (white).  Cover blurb - A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Peter Chamberlain shows up, vouches for his babysitter, and Alix resolves to make things right. 

Here's where the book really gets interesting. It delves into Emira's life (she's mid-twenties, college grad) and her goals and how she doesn't plan to sue, doesn't plan to change jobs. She loves Briar, loves caring for this little girl, and wants her life back to "normal". Alix is now very self aware and tries to befriend Emira - be "cool."
And there's social media. What happens and why and how does the video get uploaded and goes viral?

The author does an excellent job of exploring the stickiness  of  transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family", and the complicated reality of being a grownup. (cover blurb). 

Such a Fun Age made me think a bit. (Always a good thing).

Filler Friday

I've got nothing today gang.

Isolate like Pooh, just have plenty of honey pots ready.

Or soar in your mind with a good book - over the ocean or a mountain - whatever is your zen.

Ray and I have still been working and that's fine. Traffic is light. Can't say I'm working hard. Small company - we can spread out in the building. 

At home, Ray's pulled off some delicious dinners, so we are eating well.
We've had monsoon rains every day in Texas. That's getting old. But today, we managed to get in our walk before the skies opened and thunder boomers rattled the land.

On the plus side, seeing a lot more folks out walking - truly noteworthy.

So TGIF - hope you are well, stay safe, catch up on sleep, books, movies, and your own brain.
2020 - a time of reflection. Where do we go from here?

Wednesday Wisdom - Solitude

Each hour seems to bring new madness. 

Let's backtrack and enjoy my pics from Italy in 2014. What a lovely country full of hugs, wine, piazzas, pizza, and more.  I vow to visit again with Ray. Good to have goals.

Meanwhile, let's contemplate Solitude

Solitude is naught and society is naught. Alternate them and the good of each is seen - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Great decisions in the realm of thought and momentous discoveries and solutions of problems are only possible to an individual working in solitude - Sigmund Freud

Solitude is un-American - Erica Jong

If you don't like being in your own company, what makes you think others will? - anonymous

Food for thought folks to ponder at your leisure.                Alone 

It's okay..........