saturday 9

God Bless America

Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle.


1) Memorial Day was introduced after the Civil War. Originally called Decoration Day, this is when memorials, as well as the graves of veterans, are to be decorated with flags and flowers on this day to show our appreciation. Is there a war memorial in your neighborhood? yes, there is in a special little park

2) Andrew Johnson, our 17th President, was in office the first time Memorial/Decoration Day was celebrated. Have you ever met one of our 45 Presidents? no, I have not

3) According to the AAA, more than 30 million Americans will hit the road this weekend and drive more than 50 miles. Will you be traveling far from home this weekend? I will not--probably 10 miles at the farthest that I know of

4) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food? plain chips

5) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on? no, but I do have a window open

6) Though she's belting out one of America's best loved patriotic songs, Deanna Durbin was born in Canada. Is there anyone in your family or circle of friends who wasn't born in the USA? no--which is kind of weird since I'm right at the Canadian border

7) No longer a household name, Ms. Durbin was once one of the biggest stars in the country. One of her most popular films was 1937's One Hundred Men and a Girl, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Recommend a movie that you really like, but don't think many Saturday 9ers have seen. The Fisher King

8) Back in 1938, Deanna Durbin had her handprints cemented in front of the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Have you ever visited that Los Angeles tourist attraction? I have never been to LA

9) Random question: What food did you hate as a child, but enjoy now? there's a looooong list, but I'll go with tomatoes

this weekend

the friday 56

The Friday 56

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.

I'm listening to The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.

While I do not specifically recollect my enrollment at OLM, like my birth it is a story I heard often enough to tell with authority of fact. A newspaper article in the scrapbook marked 1963 also helped fill in the blanks. And what I cannot document, I can deduce from a profound understanding of my mother and her steadfast and unyielding insistence that her son would receive a Catholic education.

finished reading

It was good but not great. Kristin's disappearance is a catalyst for the action but the interesting dynamics among the women and how their lives are changed by Kristin's actions are what the story is about. I'm hoping there is a good discussion for my book group!


From the publisher:

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.

unraveled wednesday

Join Kat @ AsKatKnits for some fun!

Knitting away on Hipster Shawl and I started listening to Not That I Could Tell.

ten things tuesday

Ten books on my summer reading list with a hearty thank you to Modern Mrs. Darcy:

1) Waiting for Tom Hanks

2) Evvie Drake Starts Over

3) The Last Romantics

4) The Mother-in-Law

5) Searching for Sylvie Lee

6) Ask Again, Yes

7) Ayesha at Last

8) The River

9) The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding

10) The Current

currently

I am...

Reading: listening to Not That I Could Tell

Listening to: the pouring rain

Loving: that I could actually motivate my students to enthusiastically tackle a project!

Thinking: about nothing

Feeling: like I'm in good shape to end the year

Celebrating: little victories

Grateful for: opportunities

Weather: currently 51 degrees and raining hard

Enjoying: some quiet time

A quote I want to share:

self-care sunday

Social Self Care. Went to lunch with my niece, she's home from college. Then we went to visit my parents. It was a nice afternoon.

sunday stealing

(click the icon to play along)

Unconscious Mutterings


I say ... and you think ... ?

Hurry! :: rush
Dumb :: sophomore boy humor involving penises
Fudge :: peanut butter
Sturdy :: my ankles
Printing :: I want to invest in a laser printer
Itch :: scratch
Creaks :: groans
Paste :: copy and
Waste of time :: Sunday
Let down :: guilt
Cancellation :: introvert
Suspect :: dishonest
Fireplace :: the CD I played in my classroom that changed the work atmosphere
Spring :: I'm afraid it will never get to Northern Maine
Commute :: my daily drive
Places :: pictures
Fraud :: internet scam
Adoption :: babies
Election :: oy!
Moving day :: end of school

Unconscious Mutterings

postsecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

saturday 9

Secret Love

1) In this song Doris admits she's spoken to the stars, "the way dreamers often do." Do you often daydream? well... I go to my happy place, if that's the same thing, during faculty meetings

2) What's the last secret you kept? (It doesn't have to be romantic.) if I revealed it what kind of secret keeper would I be?

3) While "Secret Love" was one of Miss Day's best-selling records, and the song won an Oscar, she did not perform it at the Academy Awards Ceremony. She said she was just too nervous to sing it live before an international television audience and an auditorium full of entertainment professionals. When did you last suffer an attack of nerves? I frequently do

4) Doris' well-publicized attack of Oscar stage fright was unexpected because she began her career as a band singer, performing before live audiences every night. But she reportedly did develop more phobias over the years, including a fear of flying. Is there anything that scares you now, as an adult, that didn't frighten you as a child? crowded places with unstructured time (like the high school cafeteria during lunch)

5) Doris Day made 39 movies between 1948 and 1968. She said one of her favorite things about filmmaking was working with costume designers on her wardrobe. Do you enjoy shopping for clothes? I LOVE it!

6) Doris confessed that when she had to lose weight for a role, she gave up ice cream. If we checked your freezer, would we find any ice cream? you would, indeed

7) In 1985 she hosted a cable show called Doris Day's Best Friends. She used the show as a platform to promote pet adoptions and animal welfare. Most of the guests were celebrity friends who reportedly donated their salaries for appearing on the show to Doris' pet foundation. Did you more recently ask a friend for a favor, or perform a favor for a friend? I most recently performed a favor for a friend

8) For more than 20 years, Doris co-owned the Cypress Inn in Carmel, CA. The Inn expects to continue on without her, and maintain the pet-friendly policies she introduced. Have you ever traveled with your dog or cat? sadly, I do not have my own doggo

9) Random question: What's the last thing you complained about? I used #strangerdanger as a tag on Instagram from my laundromat adventures