Stargazer: I miss...

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November 01, 2011

I miss...

Having grown up kids means I'm stuck handing out candy at the door; however, I need to remind myself that it was a cold(but beautiful) Halloween night and I would have been freezing taking the girls around the neighborhood! I admired many costumes, gently admonished a few trick or treaters who thought they should take handfuls of candy versus one or two and felt touched that some neighbors' kids were so proud and excited to show me their costumes. SWEETNESS!!

I can't show one girl without the other, can I? Both of them LOVED cats and this costume got at least 3 wearings! I also miss that strong, healthy husband who can't seem to shake this fever/flu whatever it is, in spite of the IV and oral antibiotics. It's starting to scare me.

Taking the day off yesterday to help him get to the doctor's office was a sobering experience. His vitality is gone at the moment. He's also a terrible patient; I have to remember how lousy he feels when he expects me to get him a glass of ice water at 1 a.m. or a blanket from upstairs. Sunday I stifled my comments when, after I worked hard to do his special eggs on toast (he usually does over easy eggs since he's way better at it), he said," These are pretty good, but the eggs are about 10 seconds overdone." He's lucky he didn't up wearing them on his head! And mostly, I miss the way my life used to be when I didn't have to be so strong all the time.

November 01, 2011 | Permalink

Comments

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:( I will hope that the fever turns out to be a silly virus and is gone by tomorrow. I had one last week, shivered to death for three days and then was done. Can I just say I feel your pain on the egg situation?

Posted by: Mary | November 01, 2011 at 09:36 PM

Being forced to maintain strength is a very uncomfortable growing experience, that's for sure. I hope he gets better soon!!

I had a kitty cat costume as well -- loved it!

Posted by: Michelle | November 02, 2011 at 07:20 AM

When we don't feel good, who gets the brunt of it? Our spouses.

Posted by: Donna W | November 02, 2011 at 08:02 AM

I made Mouse a tiger costume just like that when she was 1-1/2. (A few months before she started calling herself "Mouse". I found it down in the Dungeon last weekend and did not have the psychological stamina to fling it.

Posted by: Kayak woman | November 02, 2011 at 10:00 AM

I love to hand out the candy at the door. The kids make me laugh-- costumes, comments, attitudes. This year we had 215 btw. So you know I did a lot of laughing.

Posted by: Ally Bean | November 02, 2011 at 10:43 AM

Ha! I love Dad's "costume" in all of these pictures... I love that he is always in "uniform," even on Halloween. Why didn't you include photos from the year that he dressed up as a lady and irreparably stretched out the waistband of one of your 80s skirts??

Posted by: Ashley | November 02, 2011 at 12:56 PM

Strength and hope to you. My dress is still not here, but when it does show up, I am inviting you to coffee/chocolate/lunch/whatever.

Posted by: Adrasteia | November 02, 2011 at 02:27 PM

So sorry he isn't feeling well. Halloween has been postponed until Saturday here. We have been without power since Saturday at 8 pm

Posted by: mccgood | November 02, 2011 at 04:56 PM

What fun photos. Here's wishing more good times with family and better health! We've had some repeated costumes here, too.

Posted by: Marie K | November 02, 2011 at 08:58 PM

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Book Club Reads

Krueger, William Kent: The River We Remember: A Novel
After "Ordinary Grace" and "This Tender Land" I was disappointed in this novel. The writing was repetitive although beautiful in spots. I couldn't bond with the characters, nor did I care about any of them. I found myself bored during a lot of the middle of the book. 3 1/2 stars. (****)
Groff, Lauren: The Vaster Wilds: A Novel
I could rate this between *** and ***** and have no idea how to describe the book or what to think of it. Gorgeous writing, no real story, a depth to it that may lead to an insightful discussion. It's another illustration of how brutal, powerless and tragic women's lives were in the past. (****)
Rutledge, Lynda: West with Giraffes: A Novel
The plusses were excellent and quirky characters and an atmospheric, although often depressing, setting and time period. I don't know that I'm that interested in giraffes or consider them mystical creatures though. (****)
See, Lisa: Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel
I learned so much about China in the 1400s and specifically about the unusual female doctor that this book is based on. The cultural information was fascinating although the details about foot binding were gruesome. An enjoyable and well-written book. (****)
Gunty, Tess: The Rabbit Hutch: A novel
It won the National Book Award and sounds interesting, but it's (to me) not well-constructed and drags in many spots where there is too much description, too much dialogue or too much heavy philosophizing. I found the writing self-indulgent and pretentious with tortured metaphors and passages that even after re-reading I couldn't completely understand. I'm hoping it will provide a decent discussion at least! (**)
Verghese, Abraham: The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
The positives were the immersion into the culture and history of India, the fascinating medical stories and the beautiful ending. What I didn't enjoy were the length of the saga (much too long and dragged at times) and the sometimes underdeveloped characters. The love stories also left me cold. (****)
McBride, James: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
Very well-written but a jumble at times and full of fascinating but overwhelming characters. The ending was unbelievably beautiful and took it up to 4 1/2 stars. (****)
Patchett, Ann: Tom Lake: A Reese's Book Club Pick
Because of the lovely writing (typical Patchett) I rated this one higher than I would have normally. It's slooowwww.There is no action and no plot; most of the events take place in the past. I'm not sure how we'll talk about this at Book Club, so I'm hoping for excellent discussion questions! (****)
Napolitano, Ann: Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel
Although it wouldn't be everyone's style, I bonded strongly with this family saga and its complicated and endearing characters. I found it well-written (sometimes repetitive), and emotionally satisfying. It isn't plot driven and the family members are messy and confused at times, but overall, it was an excellent read. 4 1/2 stars (*****)
Brooks, Geraldine: Horse: A Novel (Random House Large Print)
At the beginning I thought it would be a solid 5 star, but I didn't find the modern-day stories (especially the love angle) compelling. It often felt like a vehicle for sending messages about the dangers in the present, as well as the past, for black people in the U.S. (tragically true) The parts about the horse, horse racing circles, Jarret, and the pre- and post-Civil War era were absorbing and deserve 5 stars. (****)

Book Links

Love and Other Consolation Prizes-July
I would give this book 3 1/2 stars. I enjoyed learning more about the history of Seattle and the two World Fairs. The author had a tendency to overwrite and get flowery; the number of details and name dropping also bogged down the story at times. Generally though it was an easy read.
Night Watch-August
At first, I didn't know what to make of the style or different voices of this book; later, I became engrossed in the story and caught up in the characters. I wept happy and sad tears at the end and fully understand why it won a Pulitzer Prize. 4 1/2 stars.
Go as a River-September
4 stars for the often beautiful writing although sometimes it was (for me) overly descriptive/flowery. My major complaint was the romance section which I didn't think was realistic or well-written. In general though, I enjoyed the book and the characters were mostly compelling.
The Berry Pickers-October
4 stars for this book, mostly due to its well-drawn cast of characters and the setting/time period which I found fascinating. The writing was decent although not stellar (in my opinion) and I didn't always like the jumping around in time.
Sipsworth-December
This charming book got off to a slow start, but suddenly I found myself hooked on it and reading it compulsively while not wanting it to end. A lovely story, unraveling its characters and back story bit by bit. 4 1/2 stars.
James-January
A solid 4 star read. I can understand the enthusiasm about this book although it took me a while to get into it. I read Huck Finn a LONG time ago so I'm not sure how this version differs but in a few places I thought, "Huh?" I think this book will elicit an excellent Book Club discussion.
Amazon.com: Sandwich: A Novel eBook : Newman, Catherine: Kindle Store
Although humorous and thought-provoking at times, this book also annoyed me. Perhaps I didn't like the main character very much? I didn't enjoy the intense focus on sex, menopause, and other things either. That said, I think it will be a good discussion book. Three and a half stars.
Amazon.com: The Wedding People: A Novel eBook : Espach, Alison: Kindle Store
Another 3 1/2 to 4 star read, not because it was terrible but because it was more of a beach read than a Book Club one. It wasn't badly written and had some depth to it but was essentially chick lit/rom com style.
Amazon.com: Martyr!: A Novel: 9780593685778: Akbar, Kaveh: Books
This was a depressing read with a few thought-provoking passages and will (possibly) be worthy of discussion because of its reflections on what makes a life worthwhile. However, it was a struggle to get through. 3 1/2 stars.

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