Millions - Mother/Son Book Club Meeting

A bag crammed with cash comes tumbling out of the air and lands right at Damian's feet.  

Suddenly the Cunningham brothers are rich.  Damian has questions: 

Is the money a sign from a higher power?  Should they tell the police?  

Anthony is eager to spend.....

--Harper Collins Publishers

Tonight, John and I hosted our book club meeting to discuss Frank Cotrell Boyce's book, Millions. I had seen the movie years earlier, thought it was clever.  The book is listed on several Middle School "must-reads".  And so...this is how we made our selection!  

I always feel like I read a book differently when I know others are reading it simultaneously, and especially when they are reading it because of my suggestion.  I'm more critical.  I'm wondering if they'll like it.  So, I had a slightly hard time getting into this story (even though...or despite of having already seen the movie).  But once hooked, I enjoyed it.  It is a story with so many layers...which, of course, made for great discussion. 

First the guys went outside to play basketball while the moms chatted and caught up.  Soon the guys came in, hovered around, wondered when we'd start discussion (and have food!)  We found a great discussion guide here.   The last question on the guide is... "What would you do with the kind of cash that Damian found?"  So we handed each mom and each son a scratch-off lottery ticket and went around the room discussing what we each would do if we won the $777.00 grand prize.  Some money went to charity.  Some went to throwing a great big party,... reinvestment in more lottery tickets, "real" investment, a cross bow, a new computer...fun discussion.

In the story, we noticed a somewhat odd frequency of requests for...toast. Yep, toast.  So, John and I decided that we'd just serve toast.  When my mom stopped over this afternoon before the meeting, she caught me checking the internet for toast recipes.  I know, I know, it's toast.  But I wanted to make it all in the oven instead of the toaster so I wanted advice on how to do that.  Just use the broiler.  Place the bread on a cookie sheet and turn after a few minutes.  But watch closely because they can, and do, burn quickly!  We had many new jellies and jams from my wonderful aunt (who keeps us supplied year round).  And then my good friend in Maine posted an article about a new restaurant opening in her town that will be serving only,,,yep, toast!  So, I knew we were on the right track.  And it turned out great.  Very fun meeting.

Kerlan Awards and a Poem in Your Pocket

Kate and I made it to the Kerlan Award ceremony again this year and, again, it was such a wonderful afternoon.  The catered lunch was salmon with couscous, fresh fruit, a delicious green salad and,...I can't even remember everything that was available on the long banquet tables but I do remember the apple tarts and pecan pie served with hot creamed coffee for dessert - yummmm!

Oh, yes, and then the award.  The 2015 Kerlan Award was given to Sharon Creech.  I knew of Sharon Creech.  I know of her titles.  But I had never read her books.  Honestly, I didn't really think I would like them.  But I am always interested in hearing authors speak about their craft, their process, their story.  Paris Kelvakis, a Kerlan Friends Board member, gave a speech introducing Sharon Creech.  His speech was so well written, concise, relevant and inspirational, it made me want to take the next few days off and read everything Creech has ever written.  Because, after that speech, I was convinced I would like her writing.   Even Ms. Creech's first words, when she reached the podium, were, "Wow, I'd like to meet this Sharon Creech person!"  Kelvakis remembered a passage from Walk Two Moons when Ben says he can read palms.  So Sal gives him her hand and he holds it for awhile, studying the lines and markings.  Then Ben says he has good news and bad news; bad news first is that he can't actually read palms.  The good news, though, is that he just got to hold Sal's hand for five minutes.  Kelakis said that reading Creech is sometimes like that palm reading.  You go along reading and you might be halfway through before you realize that the author is holding your hand.  (Kelvakis said it much better but I'm remembering as best I can!)

Then Sharon Creech gave her speech and told her story.  She said when she got the call from her agent telling her that Walk Two Moons had won the 1995 Newberry Award (the Newberry!), she asked her agent, "is that a big deal?  I mean, how many are given out?"  One!  Only one is given out each year.  Creech was interesting to listen to - so different from other children's authors I've heard.  And she had such great side stories and antidotes.

So, I came home, pulled Walk Two Moons off our bookshelf (yes, we even have a copy and I still had never read it) and read it straight through.  That this is a children's book is amazing.  This is how children's books should be.  C.S. Lewis once said (or wrote?):

A children's story which is only enjoyed by children is a bad children's story.

I am moving on to Sharon Creech's book, Love that Dog, which is written entirely in verse.  It is a book commonly used in schools during their poetry unit and almost universally changes the minds of kids convinced that they hate poetry.  They love this book.  During the Q&A, a guest asked Creech about the inspiration for this book.  Above her writing desk, Creech said, she has all kinds of little post-its and notes tacked to a bulletin board.  One of the little slips of paper has Walter Dean Myers' poem Love that Boy on it.  And as she sat staring into space one day, half reading the little notes, half letting the words play in her head, she thought about that boy and how that boy probably loved something or someone that much also; something or someone like...a dog, maybe.  That is the inspiration story she told.  Heartbeat, another book written in prose, is next on my list.

April is National Poetry month.  And today, April 30th, is National Poem in Your Pocket Day.  At Kate's High School, there's a contest today.  If a student reads/recites a poem to any teacher, the student's name will be entered in a drawing for gifts cards from local food shops.  Cool.  What poem would you put in your pocket today, to carry around with you all day?  I've racked my brain trying to decide which one I would pick and finally settled on Emily Bronte's The Night is Darkening.  Not because it is inspirational or that it fits my mood today or any other totally valid possible reasons but only because I love Emily Bronte, this poem just sounds so like her and...I thoroughly enjoy reading it.  Every time.  The words.  The rhythm.  The imagery.  The mood.

The Night is Darkening

The night is darkening round me

The wild winds coldly blow

But a tyrant spell has bound me

And I cannot cannot go

The giant trees are bending

Their bare boughs weighed with snow

And the storm is fast descending

And yet I cannot go

Clouds beyond clouds above me

Wastes beyond wastes below

But nothing drear can move me

I will not cannot go

I'll come when thou art saddest

Laid alone in a darkened room

When the mad day's mirth has vanished

And the smile of joy is banished

From evening's chilly gloom

-Emily Bronte

Main Bath Redo

Our bathroom redos are finally done - yay!  During the mess, I wondered WHY? are we doing all three at the same time.  Now I'm so glad we did because now we are done.  And we will never redo them again.  So...I'm also glad that we're happy with the final product!
Above is the "after" pic of the main bath.  I did go with the Pollock inspiration for my artwork (can be seen reflected in the mirror).  It is a little busy but I like it.
Here is what it used to look like:

And the tub/shower before and after:

Sherry and The Goldfinch

"Ah, Welty was never on the outside of anything," said Mrs. DeFrees, accepting her glass of sherry and petting Hobie affectionately on the sleeve, her little paper-skinned had glittering with rose-cut diamonds.  "He was always in the thick of it, bless him, laughing that laugh, never a word of complaint." page 397, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

We have been renovating our bathrooms and, oh my gosh, what a mess!  But it is starting to look so much better.  We're getting close to done.  The really dirty, really dusty stuff is done.  Now, it's just all the little finishing details.  Or the not-so-little finishing details.  One wall of our main bathroom used to have pale lemon tile halfway up it with a matching pale lemon yellow ceramic towel bar above the tile.  And then an old framed poster of an orchid above that.

Happy to say, that is all gone.  Now there is one wide open blank wall painted a beautiful shade of gray called Heron Plume.  The room is all neutrals and that wall is very blank.  So, last month, I used my Presidents Day Weekend Sale coupons and bought a 4' x 5' canvas to hang on that wall.  And I've waited for inspiration.  I re-watched the film Pollock recently and really wanted to do a Pollock inspired painting but am afraid it would be too busy in the bathroom.

So, instead, I started a new book that my book club friends have bee saying that I would enjoy, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  They were right - I love it.  And as I'm reading about the NYC museums and the paintings and the antique collectors, I came across this passage where they are having a small glass of sherry.  And so I went out, bought a bottle of sherry, dug out all my old craft paints and just started painting any old color...just getting paint on the canvas.  I will post more photos as the painting progresses but I will tell you...the Pollock is happening.