Recent Reads

It's been a good week for reading. Well, reading something besides Better Homes and Gardens. I explained to Lindsay that the magazine drove me up the wall, and she suggested I find a similar magazine that wouldn't irritate me, so I could enjoy it. I replied, "But that's part of why I enjoy it, being irritated at it." A few fuses blew in Lindsay's mind while I went back to reading an article that informed me, "The couple leaped at the chance to buy the 1700-square-foot house, even though they knew it would involve shoring up the foundation, tearing out walls, and renovating the kitchen." And this article is helpful because everybody has the know-how and resources to buy a house that has foundation and inner wall problems.

But, on to real reads. In the past two weeks, I read books that:

* Charmed me
* Entertained me
* Confirmed a long-held belief

The charming book was one Darren found at the bookstore: What Happy Couples Do by Carol J. Bruess and Anna D.H. Kudak (Anna needs to shorten her author name). I skipped all the PhD commentary: I just read the parts where couples told about some of their silly, funny, or rather odd couple-things they do to keep them united in their marriage. The rituals range from picking a flower every day to eating supper naked to calling each other funny names. It's a warm-and-fuzzy read, because you put it down thinking, "Ah. Marriage. It's so fun to be Two in One!" (There are too many small people in our house for us to try the supper thing, by the way.)

The entertaining book was one Stuart found at the library: Abracadabra to Zombie. (He thought he'd like it because it had zombie in the title.) It's a book on word origins, which I always enjoy. This one has well-written, concise commentary, which makes it even more readable. Opening it at random, I find: "Geek: In the 15th and 16th centuries, a geek was a carnival performer of weird, sick acts, such as biting off the heads of live chickens. Today, the word is used as a derogatory term to describe someone who just doesn't fit in." There's a whole section on car names ("Toyota" was actually designed by someone named Toyoda, but "Toyota" used only eight characters instead of ten, and eight is considered a lucky number in Japan.) and a whole section on how states got their names (Idaho is a completely made-up word.) Me and the book spent many happy hours.

The last book reaffirmed my suspicion that I don't wish for myself, or anyone I even remotely like, the curse of celebrity. It was Not the Girl Next Door by Caroline Chandler, and was a "personal biography" of Joan Crawford. The "personal" part is because most of the book is taken from interviews with Crawford and others who knew her.

I'm fascinated by biographies about Hollywood's Golden Age, in the same way that I sit and look through picture after picture of hurricane devastation. Crawford was a huge star in her time (20s-50s), but she's mostly known now as the horrible mother in her adopted daughter's book (and subsequent movie) Mommie Dearest. Despite four marriages, she never had any children of her own, so she adopted four of them -- a bold move for a single woman at the time. She did it merely to gratify her own desires, however: even her own words about them indicate that she saw them as glorified pets, children who owed her gratitude and love because she'd taken them in and given them a life of luxury.

A contest in a fan magazine decided on Joan Crawford as her M-G-M star name. She spent her entire life playing the part of Joan Crawford, and never really seemed to know who she was without approval and applause. But, then, very few of the stars in Hollywood's Golden Age were very happy... and very few of them nowadays are, either. Which reminds me why I so like having an ordinary life.

-- SJ

Kid Quotes

Because Darren is recovering from neck surgery (had we mentioned that?), he has to sleep on his back. Which means he snores, which means that if I want any sleep at all (plus avoid temptation to smother him with my pillow), I have to sleep elsewhere. The first night, I moved Stuart out to the couch so I could have his bed. The next morning, Stuart assured me that he likes sleeping on the couch. "I sleep better on the couch. Because I'm closer to the computer."

**
Addie approached me, looking solemn and tragic. "Mama, I just realized! I'm growing too old for toys and books! I have to learn to work!"

**
Last night we put Daphne down to sleep. An hour later -- a quiet hour, during which I naively assumed that she'd gone to sleep easily -- Darren remarked, "There's something Mooing in Daphne's room." She evidently was looking at a book with a cow in it, and at the top of her voice was proclaiming, "MOOO! MOOO! Kitty moo? No! MOOO!"

-- SJ

Our Child-Rearing Philosophy

You can't see our kids because they're over the horizon by now.

Babyblues.com

What's in a Name?

It's been a while, and you've probably sunk into a slough of complacency, so here are a few names to stir up your world.

Some sibling groups, to begin with:

* Colter, Kestral, and Cedar.
* Brandy, Candy, Landy, Mandy, Sandy, Tandy, Randy, Zandy
(Seriously, this is real, as far as my friend Melissa can recall the names. All girls, by the way.)
* Bergen, London, and Mosely
(All girls... who in the heck thought that "Mosely" was a pretty name for a girl?)

And some one-hit wonders, all euphonious syllables and no actual meaning:

* Taber
* Kielyn
* Brecklyn
* Paxtynn

And the TMI Department:

* August Skye -- Now, the thing about August Skye is that the girl (GIRL?!) was born in May. If you count back, that means she was *conceived* in August. Wouldn't you like to carry that reminder around with you everywhere? "Why did your parents name you August?" "Because that's when I was... that's when they, you know... Look, I go by Skye, okay?"

-- SJ

What a Busy Week

Well, we've had a busy week! The kids got to have a couple of fun playdates this week, which was nice. I took the opportunity to take long drives in traffic-congested areas, plus a scenic tour of office parks -- including going the wrong way down a one-way street -- until I finally found the magic hospital that disappears and reappears at random. I spent some time at the hospital, but it's not a very jolly place. So when I went back the next day (after more driving around, chanting the magic words to make it appear), I suggested that Darren come home and visit me instead, which he did.

We've enjoyed a visit from Darren's sister, Lindsay. It's so good to have company! The kids have enjoyed having her, too. They warmed right up to her as I threw them in her direction. It was nice and I took the opportunity to sneak back to bed and pass out for two hours.

Darren has been very busy walking around the house like a zombie. Zombies, evidently, have neck problems that don't let them turn their heads. He's been relaxing, too, watching lots of movies and taking drugs. Because of a sore throat, due to having a tube shoved down his windpipe at the hospital (it really wasn't a jolly place), he hasn't talked above a whisper for two days. When he does, he sounds like Cookie Monster.

Tonight we all went out for Rita's Italian Ice. For medicinal purposes, as it soothed Darren's throat. Lindsay liked it very much, which she expressed in her quiet and gentle way. The same quiet and gentle way that used to send sensitive baby Addie into screaming orbit.

It's now the weekend, and boy are we glad! Time to relax and hang around the house, doing nothing except saying to Darren, "What did you say? What?" and watching YouTubes. Oh, and throwing kids at Lindsay when I feel the need for a nap. Nothing like a little neck surgery to really trap the whole family inside the house with all the fun of sleep deprivation!

-- SJ

Update -- Darren's Surgery

The three-hour surgery went well. I made it to the hospital just as he was being admitted into a room. He was groggy from medication and hoarse from a sore throat (the procedure took care of a pinched nerve in his neck via an incision in his throat), but able to walk around a little. His arm no longer hurts when he lifts it, which is a relief.

And then begins the recovery. From the sound of it, it won't be as arduous as we'd feared. And Darren's not a bad convalescent. I mean, sure, he gets this martyr complex. Like, post-Colosseum martyr. Or that's what he's like when he gets a cold, anyway; I'm not sure about major surgery.

(He's too nice to remind me that he at least suffers in silence, which is not something I've ever been accused of.)

Meanwhile, Nina and Dana kept our three all afternoon, with rousing success. Gold star stickers in Heaven for them! Addie even waited till I got home to spend an hour crying over various traumas that translated into, "I want Daddy!"

He comes home tomorrow. Lindsay comes in Thursday night. I think we'll make it.

-- SJ

Playing with Knives II

Well, today is the day for my surgery. Prayers would be appreciated. I’m not very worried about the surgery itself; I have a doctor I trust. It’s the recovery period I’m not looking forward to, which is mostly fear of the unknown – I don’t know how quickly I’ll be feeling back to normal, I don’t know what the pain level is, etc.

Lindsay will be coming down to help out Sara for a couple days (thanks so much, Lindsay!), and everyone at church and work has been telling us for weeks to call them if we need help.

At Kevin & Amy's suggestion, I made sure to have a nice stack of books beside my bed for convalescence. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, the latest Malazan Book of the Fallen, a couple L.E. Modesit books - that's the light reading (not that Malazan is light and cheery). More substantive books - Recalling the Hope of Glory, Boys to Men, and The Sacraments in Scripture. We'll see if Jeremy was right in his guess of 20 books in 2 weeks. My guess is that that was indeed too conservative.

I'm also looking forward to having enough downtime to use this properly, instead of hurriedly before heading out to work each morning.

--DJ

Seeking Literary Direction?

My friend Danielle posted a link to Literature Map, which turns out to be lots of fun. You enter the name of an author, and the "map" shows you other authors of the same style. The closer in to the center, the closer the match.

I'm posting this link especially for Rose F, who wanted book recommendations and the only thing I could think of were the Kate McMullan retellings of Greek myths, found in the children's section of the library because I never make it to any other section.

-- SJ

P.S. McMullan's Myth-o-Mania books are pretty funny, if you have Greek geeks in your house.

A Backlog of Addieisms

We often make a hasty record of Addie's comments while at the computer, and store them as drafts in email. They've been stacking up, so here are several for your enjoyment:

Addie, plaintively, to Mama: "I never get to have anything to nibble when I'm terribly hungry at night. Jack in my favorite book sometimes nibbles on dry biscuits when he gets terribly hungry."

Mama, discerning the spirit: "You can't have any of the rolls I made for tomorrow's lunch."

**

Several months ago, I was holding a much smaller Daphne, and "she" was singing, "What a wonderful Daddy, who makes Mama's life easier!"

Addie sang in reponse, "What a wonderful Daddy, who makes our lives harder because we have to do work."

**

After sitting through the co-op class I taught on Greek myths, Addie informed Darren: "Sucking on rock salt is my fatal flaw."

**

Mama, reading a conversation starter card: "What historical character would you like to be?"
Addie: "Marie Antoinette, because she liked to try to be beautiful, and so do I."
Daddy: "Um, do you know what happened to her?"
Addie, blithely: "Yes, she lost her head at the guillotine (gil-LOT-tin)."

**
From the same conversation starter packet: "What are five words to describe yourself?"

Addie: "Beautiful, longs to be beautiful, many-church-dressed-girl..."

-- SJ

Multigenerational Education

Observations of a Bad Bible Study Member

I'm bad at Bible studies.

I really am. I never complete my book, I chafe if the questions are too easy, I nitpick if they're too deep, and I end up coloring in all the O's on the page while the leader is talking. Still, I tried for years to overcome my antipathies; the breaking point came when I participated in a study that asked questions like, "How do you think the people of Jericho felt when they saw the Israelite army approaching?" I couldn't help noticing a sameness about all the groups I participated in. No matter the size of the group or the topic of discussion, I could categorize most of the women into four Types: the Dominator, the Soapboxer, the Storyteller, and the Black Hole.

The Dominator always has something to say. Always. It doesn't matter if she didn't read her lesson, missed last week's discussion, or can't speak the language. She will always have an opinion. They're great for small groups: the discussion nevers lapses into awkward silences. Get two or three Dominators in one group, though, and silence becomes a treasured commodity. I, ahem, am a Dominator. My crowning moment was when the director of the Bible study visited our small group and sat directly behind me. I had something to say on every point, even though the director could see very clearly that not one single line of my book was filled in.

The Soapboxer, like the Dominator, always has something to say. But her point will always come back around to whatever her pet cause is. Soapboxers are good at pulling theoretic discussions down to the here-and-now. They do strain to reach their point sometimes, though: "You know, the rain that Elijah prayed for makes me think of how God pours out His blessings on us. Children are a blessing of the Lord, you know." "When I read about Esther, I think, what a wonderful woman she was! And how instead of seeing children as a burden, we need to raise them up to be brave and good like Esther!" "Paul was in prison, but he still wrote encouraging letters to the churches. Many people see children as a prison..." [Bad Bible Study Member pulls a muscle in her stomach trying not to laugh out loud.]

The Storyteller likes to talk, also. She isn't necessarily opinionated and doesn't dwell on certain points. She just likes telling stories. Talking about Rahab's lie? She's got a story about how her four-year-old insists on honestly. Discussing Esther's bravery? She remembers how in junior high she stood up against a bunch of mean kids at recess. The stories are funny and enlightening, but they can border on the eternal. A good leader knows how to spot and head off a Storyteller at fifty paces.

The Black Hole doesn't talk. She says nothing. Her book can be jammed with writing, and she's taking notes all over her page, but no words are forthcoming. A good leader will draw her out by asking for her opinion, and often Black Holes have something insightful to say. It's short, and usually just enough for a Dominator to seize upon and go flying off with.

Throughout those years of doodling in my Bible study books, what I missed in the way of Biblical discussion, I made up for in character studies. Bible studies have the great advantage of being populated by people.

Have you encountered any other Types?

-- SJ

Poetry

I got a workbook for the kids on writing poetry, so decided to give it a shot yesterday. We started with couplets (rhyming two lines). Addie was so inspired, she stapled two pages together and laboriously titled it, "Fifty Poems for the Bedtime Hour" (a plagiarized title). While I was brainstorming "bedtime" words, she was working on the Table of Contents. At least she has ambition, if not a natural knack for meter. Her first poem, where she rhymed my starting line, is:

"It's time to go to bed,
So brush your teeth and wait till morning to be fed."

Today was cinquains, a structured poem with one word, two words, three words four words, one word. I offered suggestions, but let Addie do the thinking. Her best was:

Rain
Cats, dogs
Can't smell it
Pattering on my roof
Hard

Stuart refused to be drawn in. His sole contribution was:

"Lightning
is frightening."

-- SJ

The Virtual Socialite IV

Read Part I here, Part II here, Part III here.

Friday, 18th –
March is almost gone! Hard to believe how quickly time passes. Just last night I was telling David how the hours just fly by in the afternoons, and it's hard to fit in all the fun projects I plan for Phillip and Jacob to do. I'm glad it's a weekend, though. Other than a couple of dinner parties and a lecture at the Literary Society (they asked me back), we don't have anything in particular to do. It's this homey, low-key life that I treasure most.

Sunday, 20th –
Realized at church that in all my busyness, I'm really slacking off on my Bible readings and prayer. But it's hard to fit it in, with the kids being so small right now. I'm lucky if I get more than an hour done each day. It's so hard to balance these things. At least we have a good schedule. It really simplifies the day to structure it so that the kids know when to sleep, when to eat, and when to play.


Monday, 21st –
Volunteered the afternoon at the Ladies' Missionary Aid Society, getting ready for their annual charity ball. I took my famous seven-layer brandy-snap fudge cake (made it last night after the boys went to bed). After a quick shopping trip to pick up some essentials (Francois says we're completely out of goat cheese – I don't know how we let that happen), I got home just in time to get supper on the table. Francois was a bit late getting the veal parmigiana finished, but I wore a smile anyway. I'm learning not to let life's little trials get to me.


Tuesday, 22nd –
Worst luck, came down with a cold this morning and couldn't hold my tea. I was glad for the break, really. I got to spend some quality time with my children. They aren't feeling well, either, so I tucked them into bed and they lay quietly all day. Jacob cried a little, but I soothed him and he went back to looking at books in his bed so I could rest. Sick days are so hard, but we got through!


Thursday, 24th –
We're all still sick today. Matthew didn't sleep well last night, and I got only an hour's extra sleep in the morning before the other two got up at 9:30. I felt so blah that I didn't even vacuum, which I always do on Wednesdays. I was glad that nobody came over except someone from the governor’s office who wanted my advice on how to handle a senstive issue they're facing. Obviously it wasn't a very exciting day today!


Friday, 25th–
Did some Caribbean shopping today: suits for all of us, new shorts outfits, etc. I so enjoy swimsuit shopping! Met someone who said she'd attended my workshop at the theatre. Not only did it change her entire perspective on life, she said, but just the sight of me with my baby convinced her that she ought to stay at home with her kids from now on. Amazing what our little accomplishments can lead to!


Saturday, 26th–
Today was a much-overdue house organization day. Clothes to be switched out, papers to be sorted and filed, closets to be cleaned... I'm wiped out this evening, but the house is in order. Next time I won't let it go so long; honestly, it's probably been two months since I tackled the job!


Sunday, 27th –
Forgot to mention that I spent the last four days fasting, which was such an enjoyable experience that I'll do it again soon. Invited some friends for lunch after church. It was a bit rushed, as Francois has Sundays off and I didn't have much time to prepare a meal, but I scrounged up what I could and got it on the table in reasonable time. They were very gracious and said it was the best chicken cordon bleu they'd ever had. That's what friends are for, I guess!


Wednesday, 30th –
Everyone is feeling much better now. I decided to do something special for the kids, so we attended a ballet performance at the theatre. They were enthralled – it's so rewarding to see their little minds open up to the arts. Afterward we went to McDonald's... something of a comedown, I know, but I want them to enjoy the really "American" parts of life, too. Phillip was reluctant to eat there, but soon got into the swing of things. He's such a trooper.

Thursday, 31st --
End of the month already. Where does time go? I called the president of the Garden Club and regretfully declined their offer to arrange their flowers. It would be a little too much on my plate right now, with the Caribbean vacation looming. She sounded so disappointed that I offered to host a special afternoon tea just for the Club. This afternoon the entire club came, even some members who haven't been to a meeting in a year! As one of them said, "Anybody can miss a meeting, but nobody misses going to Gina Hackett’s!"

The end

-- SJ

Email Stet

After playing around with the new connection some, Darren figured out that we don't have to give up our old email address after all. So all of you who rushed to your address books to make the change... um, rush and change it back. We're still Juno. Makes our lives easier, anyway.

-- SJ

Just a Short List

Not all our appliances went wrong this week. In fact, most of them worked just perfectly (minus the usual old-appliance quirks like the ice-maker that's broken and the front left burner that doesn't heat). The only ones that had to be replaced or repaired this week -- and it's a short list -- were:

• Microwave: It was already on its way out, but the Start button stopped working earlier this week. I was fine just using the "Minute Plus" button, but apparently this is a quirk not unlike a stove with a burner that doesn't heat.

• Vacuum cleaner: We already knew it needed to be replaced, on account of the fact that it was held together with masking tape.

• Garbage disposal: The garbage disposal was easily diagnosed: it had a popsicle stick wedged in it. A non-working garbage disposal affects the dishwasher, so we had to stay vigilant to make sure that nasty dirty dishwater didn't fill up and spill over the kitchen sink. Not to say this has happened before.

• Air conditioner: It ran merrily, just didn't actually cool anything. It is unfortunate that it didn't cool anything because after a day of raging tornados earlier this week, the weather jumped up into the 90s. I may be a complete loss from November to February, but my Southern upbringing knows how to deal with hot summer days. I turned off lights, kept blinds down, turned on ceiling fans, and didn't go outside unless absolutely necessary. That evening, we dressed the kids in cotton t-shirts for pajamas and we gave them all long cool baths before bed. The nights (two of them) were tolerable. Actually, for the first fifteen years of my life, I didn't live in air conditioning at all -- this was in South Mississippi, for all you Yankees who are saying, "Neither did I!" -- so an 85-degree house would have felt pretty nice. But when you're used to 78 degrees of processed air, 85 pushes the edge of hellish.

So we bought a new microwave, a new vacuum cleaner, got the disposal fixed, and finally got the AC man to come out this morning to tell us that we needed to wash off the coil on the outside fan (?), which he did, and the house is now full of pleasant processed air again. (Our mortgage company sent us an offer for insurance on appliance repairs, which we took them up on, which we haven't regretted. Our garbage disposals and air conditioners have delicate constitutions.)

Darren and I agreed that there should be a collective term, along the lines of "pride of lions" and "murder of crows" for household appliances that go wrong all at once. We prefer "a Murphy."

-- SJ

Email change

And then there was the time that the Joneses finally got high-speed internet.

For those who have our email address (you select, elite group, you), it's the same except "at comcast dot net." I'll be sending out a general email later, but figured, Hey, I'm already online and it uploads really fast and, well, I just wanted to indulge. :)

-- SJ

What the Kids Are Doing

Daphne:
Stalks me while I'm on the phone, demanding to "Talk! Talk! Talk!" to whomever is on the other end. Today she got ahold of the phone (it wasn't on) and held it to her ear. "Talk Daddy," she informed me. Into the phone, she said, "Hewo? I fine."

Stuart:
Having read all our Baby Blues comic books thoroughly, he went digging through the cabinet and stumbled across a vast storehouse of treasure. Stuart has discovered Calvin&Hobbes.

Stuart also says that he'd like public school. He could sit still all day. He likes sitting still. "You mean, like the way you're hardly sitting on your chair right now?" He adjusted his hindquarters so that he was actually touching the seat of the chair, to prove his point. Thirty seconds later he leaped out to see something. I made him sit back down. Ten seconds later he was up again. I told him to sit back down. "But I'm not in school!" he protested. Case closed.

Addie:
At the garage getting the van inspected, there was a glass globe paperweight. Addie asked the receptionist, "What is this strange ball?"

"A globe," the lady answered.

"See," I said, pointing. "There's North America and South America."

"And Central America," Addie said, also pointing. "And Africa, Asia, and Europe..."

The receptionist said to me, "You homeschool?"

*
Last week, Addie asked me in frustration, "Why do some people's mouths curve into a smile, but mine just goes straight?" And thus did I introduce the topic of literary devices (and cliches).

***
The kids were fine with me being gone all of Saturday. When I left again Sunday afternoon, Darren explained that he would be taking care of them again. That's when they got worried.

"But Mama is the one who knows us," Stuart said.

"Are you sure you'll know what to do?" Addie said.

"Mama's the one who's always with us," Stuart agreed.

Vindication is sweet.

-- SJ

Playing with Knives

Several months ago, Darren developed a pinched nerve in his neck that affects his arm. Since the problem hasn't fixed itself, he's scheduled for surgery in two weeks.

As you can imagine, we're just uncontainably excited about this prospect. It's a one-day hospital stay, but a two-week home-from-work recovery. While Darren isn't the type who slathers to be at work, two weeks away from the office is enough to drive me mad. Him mad. I meant, enough to drive HIM mad.

Then he'll replace his stiff white deacon collar with a Big Neck Brace Collar. For six weeks. Let's count it, class! One, two, three, drum head against wall...

Seriously, although the prospect looks pretty big from this vantage point, the doctor is reassuringly cheerful about the whole thing. June 17 is the Day of Jollity. Spare him a thought or two.

-- SJ

(The Real) Portrait of a Family

I'm not sure why we didn't post this, like, six months ago.

Mundania 17

Darren has husband points coming out his ears. On Saturday, I left the house at 9:30am and didn't get home until 8:00pm. I shopped for new clothes, ate out for lunch and supper, sat beside a stream, got coffee, napped in the car, and with my good friend the dana, wrote the beginning of a new story.

And THEN, yesterday afternoon, I took off again -- this time to a coffee shop to meet with a writer's group I've just joined. I was a little nervous, as there seemed to be an overabundance of poetry. My usual reaction to poetry is, "Can't you just SAY what you're talking about?" Dana L, married to a poet, advised me that it's best not to look too deeply for meaning -- just comment on the vivid imagery. I went into the meeting with the words "vivid imagery" clutched in my sweaty hand. It turned out that I really did have other things to say.

Music finds: From "Classical Baby: The Music Show," I discovered Bartok's "Stamping Dance" which the kids like. It has a haunting, wistful sound. I also had Darren find an arrangement of "O Mio Bambino Caro," also on the Classical Baby show. Pretty much I get all my ideas of music to play for the kids from DVDs.

For myself, I bought the soundtrack of "Prince Caspian" for a single song: "The Call" by Regina Spektor, played over the closing scene and credits. I got one of her CDs to try out, too. I love her voice, I love the spare style of some of her music, but I don't like the songs. They're all sad and seedy. (Twelve tracks on this CD... couldn't she come up with ONE song that wasn't about lost love and grimy memories?) However, words aside, I love "Fidelity," "Samson," and "On the Radio." I guess I can always just wait for the Christian imitation to come out.

Things that annoy me: in a Christian Book Distributors catalogue, the ongoing trend of Amish Fiction. You'd think they'd have explored all the possibilities of living and leaving the Amish faith by now, but there's always at least one new one in every cataglogue. But, sensing a dry vein, one author has branched out: she set her book in a Shaker community. Not to be confused with pacifist Quakers, which I always do, the Shakers were a gnostic (spirit good, body bad) cult that believe that all sex -- no matter with whom or under what circumstances -- was evil. So they lived in male-female communities, but strictly separated. Even family relationships were discouraged: once you entered a community, you were no longer father, daughter, mother, son. You were only brother and sister. Not very surprisingly, the faith died out. So this new book is set among the Shakers, and the description refers to "the chaste community." Darren and I both object: chastity doesn't mean No Sex; it means the proper use of sex. Absolutely forbidding it and calling it evil is not a proper use. The Shaker community could properly be described as "repressive." Probably I won't read this book.

And another book I won't be reading is a post-Civil War novel about somebody named Willow Madison. There's the much-older Silas Sterling who has offered marriage, but what about handsome Tucker Grey? I figure, if I can tell what's going to happen merely by the names the author chose, then probably I won't expend energy on the story itself. P.S. The title is "Twice Loved."

What About Socialization? Addie and I went to get haircuts last week. She spotted a nine- or ten-year-old boy waiting for his mom to be finished. She walked up to him and said,

"Hi! What's your name? [Nonplussed, he answered, "Jamie."] My name is Adelaide, but Addie is my nickname. Pleased to meet you, Jamie. [He awkwardly shook her outstretched hand.] This is my favorite book. I like to read. But would you like to play while we're waiting?" And he got down on the floor with her, and they played with cars until he had to go.

-- SJ

Update -- Audra and Hayden

Good news! From an email update: "Hayden Michael was born yesterday at 7:48 pm. He was 3 lb 3 oz, was strong and working hard to breathe on his own. He was born 28 weeks, 2 days into Audra's pregnancy. The doctors decide to intubate him with oxygen and are doing further tests to make sure everything is OK. He'll have to get up to 4 lbs and be doing well to go home."

Not sure whether to gush out a breath of relief, or keep holding it. But very good to hear of Hayden's safe arrival. Congratulations to Audra and Nathan.

-- SJ