Another Year

I turned 67 on May 2nd. It started as a cold, wet, and windy day. I try to be positive on my birthday; I'm not sure why. Life is OK. I still don't feel like I'm contributing enough, but I'm busy and can't imagine adding more to the schedule without resenting it. By the time I left my Yippy, Skippy tennis match (indoors) the sun was out and my spirits lifted.

The bellwort were prolific this year.
The Brewers are starting out good and Trump is our president :(

I feel the need for a change. We've lived in this house over 20 years. I still have the energy to make a new house our home and I think we have enough good years to do that. But, the place would need to be special. I say it needs a "Vista" but that really means it needs a "Wow!" factor that is either in the building itself or the space around it. Minneapolis? A lake? Remodel this one? In the meantime, I'm working to improve this space. New blinds in the living/dining rooms. New wall color in the living room. Out with the old shelves. Major project opening up the door of the oven to clean the glass. What a crazy design. Next will be some outside projects.

Facebook BD greetings have replaced Hallmark. I'm pretty hooked, but still like cards

"Be bold," I continue to tell myself.

Book Group Spring 2017

Book: Homegoing
Author: Ya'a Gyasi
Meeting: Wednesday, April 19 at Crystel's
Dessert: blueberry pound cake and custard

The history of slavery from it's beginning on the Gold Coast of Africa through the generations of tribes in Africa and those same generations of African Americans in the US to the present. This was a hard read for me. It's one of those books that you know you aught to read but also know the people and images will haunt you. They do.

Book: The Star Side of Bird Hill
Author: Naomi Jackson
Meeting: Wednesday, May 17th at Jane's

Phaedra and Dionne, two sisters living in Brooklyn in the 1980's, are sent by their mother to spend the summer with their grandmother in Barbados. There's a lot of tragedy and a good dose of coming of age that made it feel like a young adult novel. Good story and good discussion, but not a must read.