Wednesday, August 18, 2010

"Ah, But Madame, Our Water is Very Fresh!"

That was the response I got in Italy three years ago, when I asked for ice in my water. By this time, I had been through this a number of times, and learned you had to beg for ice. Even after begging, you were lucky to get one ice cube. They always looked at me with great surprise and even alarm when I asked, but this was the first time the waiter had argued with me. (Fresh means cold.) I assured him that I did want ice, and a lot of it please. I could tell it caused no small stir as soon the bartender with a couple of other employee onlookers came to gawk at this weird American and to deliver the ice. It was a fabulous night- I got four cubes! Who knew that was a cultural difference? A tradition, if you will. It caused me to think about our cultural differences. What seems so normal to us may seem very strange or even wrong to others. Most of our differences, like whether or not we take ice in our drink, have no significant consequences, but there are traditions we have that are worthy of review. I recently posted in the “Quotation of the Week” a quote that has caused me some great thought: “Just because we’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.” What are we doing, or more specifically, what am I doing that is incredibly stupid?

A year or so ago, I read a book called, “The Imperial Woman” about the last reigning empress of China by Pearl S. Buck. I learned so much about Chinese history, customs and traditions from this book. The theme of the book could be summed up in one word, “tradition.” This empress devoted literally everything in her life to preserving China’s culture and traditions. Throughout the ages, reigning emperors and empresses had written books – preserving their culture and traditions. She studied these books- spending hours a day reading, and then fiercely clung to the old ways as the world around her was changing. Some of these traditions were worth preserving, but others of their traditions were barbaric, cruel, or stupid at best: beheading for the slightest infractions, slicing, worship of the throne, unbelievable opulence for royalty, opium, banning of Christianity or even white -skinned people in China- to name a few. It made me think about our/my traditions. Are we clinging to traditions just for the sake of tradition? Are there traditions in our culture that are destroying us? We’ve all seen horrific examples of traditions and customs of primitive cultures that literally destroy the human body: everything from nose rings to neck rings that elongate the neck to . . . much, much worse. What traditions are we clinging to that are destroying us? Here’s some I’ve thought of: Tanning skin, gossip, prejudices, women wearing high heels (who thought of this- could this possibly be a throw-back from China and feet binding?), and love of stuff. Whether we drink ice or non-ice water probably doesn’t matter much, but there are traditions we cling to that maybe are worth some analysis! Cheers!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Widower's Wife

The Widower's WifeThe Widower's Wife by Prudence Bice My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have never read a romance novel, but I assume, after reading this book, that they contain lots of internal emotion and very little communication? If my assumption is correct, then this book is clean romance novel meets "Sarah, Plain and Tall."
Dalton, a farmer in Wisconsin, loses his wife in childbirth. So, he orders a new one. Jillian, a young girl with a broken heart responds, hops on a train, and the fun begins. It really is similar in plot to "Sarah, Plain and Tall"(right down to the fire in the field) except they DON'T TALK to each other. Well, I guess they didn't much in Sarah, either. I eventually found it pointless to keep screaming at the book,"Just talk to each other!" It was ironic that Dalton talked more to Jillian's brother in the first twenty-four hours of meeting him than he had in the months of living under the same roof as Jillian. Though maybe not totally believable, it was a light, entertaining and quick read with a happy ending. The fledgling author is from my town. View all my reviews >>

Friday, August 6, 2010

Lake Tahoe

Ken and I had a great vacation to Lake Tahoe last week. We enjoyed a relaxing week together. We . . .
. . . ate yummy food:
. . . Swam
. . . Ken birded (added five new life-listers) and rode his mountain bike - a lot!
. . . Picnicked (9.9)
Our picnic guest. He's the great-grandson of the squirrels Joan and I fed 50 years ago at Lake Tahoe- aggressive little monos! Remember Joan??
. . . Saw beautiful flowers
. . . and Mountain scenery
. . . Fed baby ducks on the beach
. . . Saw incredibly beautiful scenery
. . .Visited the Mormon settlement museum (run by the state) Did you know that area was first settled by Mormons? (this nice ranger opened the museum for us and took us on a tour even though it was "closed")
Orson Hyde ran a trading post there.
. . . Spent a day in Reno. We visited the Nevada Art Museum there and
Attended the temple.
This temple is exactly like the Snowflake, AZ temple we attended last year.
. . . And saw beautiful scenery (did I mention that?)
Lake Tahoe is clear and gorgeous and HUGE!
We also watched five movies, I think, including "Dr. Zhivago" Neither of us had seen it before, and we thought a vacation was a great time to watch a 3 1/2 hour movie. We both really liked it, though it's a bit depressing. Next vacation: "Gone With the Wind"
We also enjoyed browsing several local art galleries, and I enjoyed shopping in the little shops.
Tahoe has a lot of locally owned family type cafes. One of our favorites was the Red Hut Cafe- famous for their waffles.
I thought this sign was a joke until Ken saw a bear on one of his bike rides. It was only about 50 yards from him.
The way there and back was long. Nevada is the most desolate state in the union, I'm sure. It IS the middle of nowhere. On the way home we traveled the extraterrestrial highway. It's famous for being so desolate and for being close to Area 51. Nu nu nu nu. The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore. (from Wikipedia)
We also visited the recently destroyed by fire Mormon-owned hot springs. It was originally built by Howard Hughes and was his oasis in the desert getaway. It used to be gorgeous. with hundreds of palm trees. Now it's a charred mess.
As a child, I had a doll named "Vacation Ken" I now own a real vacation Ken. I really, really like him. It's so nice to get him away from all of his pressures and get his full attention. I'm having a hard time adjusting back to real life. I can't wait for our next getaway!
Vacation Ken:

"Eat, Pray, Love"

Eat, Pray, LoveEat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert My rating: 3 of 5 stars My sister handed me this book a few years ago and said, "You can read this if you want to. It was okay. I sure didn't like the author much." With that great sales pitch, it's taken me awhile to get around to reading it. I have to agree with my sister's assessment. I didn't care much for the author,either. I found myself wishing, throughout the entire book, that I could share with her the simple way to peace and happiness she was seeking. I did appreciate her gregarious, outgoing nature and how she helped a needy friend in Indonesia obtain a much-needed house by starting an email donation campaign. I also wonder if we couldn't all benefit by spending more time pondering and meditating as portrayed in the "pray" section. There were a few pages in the "love" section that should be glued together. Though entirely coincidental, I have to admit it was fun to be reading this at the time the movie is being released. I hope Elizabeth has since found peace and happiness in her life. As for me, I think I'm ready for a good, old-fashioned, happily-ever-after fiction book. Any suggestions? View all my reviews >>

John Adams

John AdamsJohn Adams by David McCullough My rating: 4 of 5 stars My husband and I listened to the audio version of this book as we traveled. I was so impressed with John Adams and with this period in history. Adams, a founding father, was largely responsible for the declaration of independence. Not ever seeking personal power, his ambition was solely to serve his country and do what he felt destined to do. He served as ambassador to France, Great Britain, as vice president, and of course, as the 2nd president of the United States. He wrote the constitution of Massachusetts in his later years. You can't talk about John without mentioning his wife, Abigail. She was his support, confidante and love. I loved her, enough that I would wish I could name a daughter after her. She was a powerful, intelligent woman, who had inspired beliefs about women and their inherent roles. Their son, John Quincy later also served as president of the United States. Though John and Abigail suffered many hardships and tragedies, they remained optimistic and loyal to their country and to each other. John and his friend Thomas Jefferson understood their important role in history. I think it no coincidence that both died on July 4, 1826- the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the document that created our country. This book gave me a much greater appreciation for my freedoms, my country, and for the founding fathers. View all my reviews >>

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

"Maybe Next Time"

Yesterday was Nathan's 3rd birthday- so I was thinking about him all day long. How I love this precious, little, bug loving guy. He is a character. I just have to tell you my current favorite Nathan story:
The last time they came to visit here, they arrived late at night. Nathan headed immediately(after hugs- he always has a hug for his grandma and grandpa) for our toy closet, where he found his favorite bucket of blocks. He dumped them on the dining room floor and started playing. Soon thereafter Ken called for family prayer and we all gathered around where Nathan was playing and had prayer. After the prayer, Nathan announced, "I didn't pray. I played with blocks." Then a slight pause, "Maybe next time."