Author Topic: The Library (Read 2084715 times)

Aliki · « **Reply #640 on:** December 29, 2009, 08:11:31 PM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not).

Let the book talk begin here!

Everyone is welcome!

Suggestion Box for Future Discussions

Aliki · « **Reply #641 on:** December 29, 2009, 08:12:04 PM »

Dear Steph--I am a new (or renewed) member of SL so don't know you as the others do but I want you to know that you are in my thoughts and prayers as well.

aliki

Gumtree · « **Reply #642 on:** December 29, 2009, 11:01:51 PM »

Hi Steph It is just so good to see you - how we've thought of you and missed you and loved you through this terrible time. How glad I am that you're through rehab and back in your own home again. Things will fall into place for you and we'll be here to help - just talk to us.

JoanP · « **Reply #643 on:** December 29, 2009, 11:10:20 PM »

{{{ Steph}}}...of course this is the most difficult time for you - what a blessing that your friend will be there with you tomorrow. So glad that you turned to us today - we have all been thinking of you, praying for you. It is a relief to hear from you tonight.

marcie · « **Reply #644 on:** December 29, 2009, 11:31:06 PM »

Steph, I'm so glad that you posted. As everyone else has said, we've all been thinking of you. Please know we're here for you as you make your way.

Babi · « **Reply #645 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:07:58 AM »

My heart goes out to you, STEPH. I cannot share in your experience, since mine was so different. My strongest emotion by the time my husband and I separated was one of relief. Sad, but true.
Pehaps it will be some comfort to know that you had a successful and
happy marriage for many years, which is more than many these days can say. I know it makes your loss all that greater, I know, but the memories will be good ones.

PatH · « **Reply #646 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:12:13 AM »

Steph, good for you. I know it took a lot of courage to face that first night. There will be many ups and downs, but you will find the strength somewhere.

joyous · « **Reply #647 on:** December 30, 2009, 10:44:32 AM »

Steph: I'd like to share this quote sent to me by someone on one of the boards when I
lost my DH of 55 years in 2002-----
"You never stop loving someone, you just learn to live without them".
JOY

bellemere · « **Reply #648 on:** December 30, 2009, 12:10:40 PM »

so glad to hear from you. Been thining of you. Wnat a trauma; take it slow, and let time do some of the healing work. Hope we hear from you again soon.

Octavia · « **Reply #649 on:** December 30, 2009, 06:14:50 PM »

Yes Babi, Buckley's is the same as 'snowball...'. I use it a lot I know, but I think my generation will be the last. Language is getting so homogenous.
Buckley was an escaped convict who wandered around the bush for 30 yrs. He had a couple of nuggets the aborigines gave him but he couldn't find the mother lode

There was so much rain yesterday, there were waves in the car park. It's wonderful!

JoanK · « **Reply #650 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:14:21 PM »

STEPH: all my love goes out to you. I will never forget how Seniorlearn (sENIORNET)was there for me when something similiar happened to me-- do turn to us for any kind of support you need. {{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}

And Fry: let us know how your mother is: we will keep her in our thoughts.

Frybabe · « **Reply #651 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:54:23 PM »

Mom had surgery last evening. After evaluation this morning, they decided she was capable of more intensive therapy than we first were told. She was moved to the rehab wing this afternoon and will start on a 3hr. a day physical therapy program for a week or two. She looked so bad before the surgery, but this morning she was looking so much better. She was brighter mentally, and her color has improved. Thank you so much for your thoughts.

PatH · « **Reply #652 on:** December 30, 2009, 10:30:42 PM »

Frybabe, that's good news. Keep us posted. As one of my daughters said, "physical therapy rocks!" If you have someone good that you can work with, they can do wonders. The trick is being able to work with them.

maryz · « **Reply #653 on:** December 30, 2009, 10:41:58 PM »

Great news, Frybabe! Physical Therapy is wonderful - definitely keeps us moving.

pedln · « **Reply #654 on:** December 30, 2009, 11:01:19 PM »

Steph, it's good to see you back. We've missed you and we care about you.

Babi · « **Reply #655 on:** December 31, 2009, 08:59:53 AM »

Aha! Thanks, OCTAVIA. That is what I wanted to know, the story behind
'Buckley's.

Glad the news is good, FRYBABE. I'm sure it is a great relief to you.

FlaJean · « **Reply #656 on:** December 31, 2009, 01:08:45 PM »

Steph, I just can't even imagine how difficult it is for you. My prayers are with you.

FlaJean

mrssherlock · « **Reply #657 on:** December 31, 2009, 01:23:53 PM »

When I had continuous pain which my MD diagnosed as bursitis, my PT determined that it was my coccyx and treated me for its misplacement. She is a dear and I nearly cried when my treatrment ended.

JoanP · « **Reply #658 on:** December 31, 2009, 04:48:14 PM »

A blessed New Year to all of you as we prepare to meet the challenges of the coming year ~

- Gum is the first to welcome in the New Year
- can you see the fireworks off the bridge in Sydney? How are you celebrating, Gum?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/17381853

serenesheila · « **Reply #659 on:** December 31, 2009, 05:06:50 PM »

Steph, how did last night go for you, alone? You are in my thoughts and my prayers. My husband died a couple of days before Thanksgiving, 21 years ago. A different friend came and stayed with me, every night, until after New Year's that year. It was a Godsend for me. So, I hope that you enjoy your friend's visit, for as long as possible. It takes time to adjust to being alone. My husband was my best friend. We never get completely "over it", but we do get through it. Please stay in touch, as much as you want to.

Frybaby, I am glad to hear that your mom is doing well, following her surgery. I will hold you both in my prayers.

My son, and his family flew back to Ohio, this morning. I already miss them! We had a wonderful family dinner last night, at a favorite Mexican restaurant. With both of my sons, my oldest granddaughter, and her three daughters. We laughed for 2 1/2 hours, and reminised. I brought home pictures, and many happy memories of the evening.

I hope that the new year will bring many blessings to each of you.
Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #660 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:20:45 PM »

So glad your mother did so well, Frybabe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.

Frybabe · « **Reply #661 on:** December 31, 2009, 09:28:08 PM »

Thanks everyone.

Steph, my thoughts are with you tonight.

Best wishes for a brighter and better New Year.

marcie · « **Reply #662 on:** December 31, 2009, 10:31:44 PM »

Frybabe, thanks for sharing the good news about your mother. I hope she does very well in therapy.

Happy new year, everyone.

marcie · « **Reply #663 on:** December 31, 2009, 10:33:39 PM »

We have one copy of the book Cranford left. It will go to the first person to request it for only the cost of the postage. Leave a message for JoanP in the discussion at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1023.0

The PBS version of the story is available for viewing online and a new series, "Cranford Returns" will be broadcast in most areas starting this weekend.

Steph · « **Reply #664 on:** January 01, 2010, 06:20:45 AM »

Thank you for all of the wonderful answers. I do rely on Senior learn to keep me in touch with the world. I have vowed that I will look for something to volunteer for after my friends leaves. I need to somehow reach out to the world and make friends. Our marriage seemed to work on the " he brought people home to both of us" and I have never made friends easily..
I cry a bit each day. Yesterday I worked on clothes. I do so wish I could find an organization who would use and not sell the clothes. He was a peacock and had lots of really nice stuff.

JoanP · « **Reply #665 on:** January 01, 2010, 08:10:08 AM »

Steph, we are all walking with you as you take your first steps into the new year...into an entirely new phase of your life. Others here have travelled the same road you are approaching - and can offer words of advice and encouragement to us. Some of us are learning from you and value the experience you are sharing here with us.

No doubt you will make new friends - but we are so glad you haven't forgotten your old ones here in SeniorLearn.
Stay close, we are all thinking about you and pulling for you every day.

ginny · « **Reply #666 on:** January 02, 2010, 09:21:01 AM »

Happy New Year! Welcome back, Stephanie, I think Volunteering is a wonderful idea for you, and for me, too, we'll be your background cheering squad as you report on your doings. I know what you mean about clothes, I still have my mother's things here from 2002, carefully stored, what beautiful designer things she had. Don't know what to do with them. Would rather see them sold than in a giant heap 20 feet high on the Salvation Army floor, but my son tells me that they ship what they can't use overseas, and that's why you see people wearing Go Bears Tees on TV. I hope he's right.

I know Goodwill sells the nice things in stores for almost nothing and people really appreciate them, it's quite the thing to go there or so I hear, like a consignment shop without any money to the donor.

Welcome, Rich! I will admit that so long as I can see clearly I want a real book in my hand. The tactile experience, even the smell, the paper, is important to me, in a book, so I'm not going to use anything electronic. And apparently the e books have an amazing ability to highlight, etc. Some of them can read it to you. My eyesight is quite poor but while I can see I want a real book. When I can't see well I'll want something else, but for now I want the paper one. I do understand why people love them tho.

Joan G I am glad you enjoyed the new Peter Mayle, I agree it's not quite as good as some of his others, but I liked it. I think his Chasing Cezanne was the last one I really liked of his, but I like his writing, period. I'm about to start rereading Peter Benchley again since they've found that giant squid. Shame he died before they did, but it's obvious he knew long before they actually found one.

I've been reading like an idiot trying to find the best book. I DID find the movie A Place to Call Home, it is not sold, but somebody found it at a flea market on VHS, did a DVD of it and will sell it (with a million disclaimers about how this is public domain, as it has never been released (?) I have a feeling Linda Lavin and Lane Smith might have something to say about that) but none the less for the price of a POSTAL MONEY ORDER, which thing I have never been asked for before (isn't that an ironic situation), supposedly I have been sent it. I'm half afraid to open it.

The woman had 11 count em, children, and it was HIS dream for them to operate a sheep farm in Australia, this is a true story, and she and the children went on first while he tied up business in America, and then when he finally came, he came to say he was not coming. 11 children. How I admire her, Sally Field picking cotton notwithstanding.

I finished the new Nanny Diaries sequel as well as having reread The Nanny Diaries over the holidays. The sequel Nanny Returns takes a while to get its stride, at the end you can't put it down but it's nothing as good as the first one. Does not hold together. Strains credulity.

Betrayal by Andrew Kirtzman is excellent, the story of Bernie Madoff, whose own father ran some sort of similar scheme from his home when Madoff was a child, so as they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree: he learned it at home. Fascinating book on the most hated man in America and repercussions still to come.

Am enjoying the Lawrence of Arabia book, which Churchill said was the best book written, Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence himself, I must rent the old Peter o'Toole movie. Am learning what an "Arab" is and what one is not.

Both the above were gifts to me from my children. Tho they would not have been books I might have thought about reading, what a joy to discover new things, just so fun.

What did you get or buy for the holidays that you are enjoying (or not?)

I'm also reading quite a bit of Roman/ Latin stuff including Colleen McCullough's Antony and Cleopatra, but since I absolutely hate historical fiction I'm finding it slow going. Particularly her.....conceit of beginning sentences with Who and Which. As in "Antony was a strong man with a short neck. Who, despite opinions to the contrary, was always thinking about war. Which he was able to win handily." I can't deal with this clumsy attempt to mimic whatever source she used.

And I loved the Thorn Birds. I need the Cook Voyage book, that's next on the list.

Yesterday in researching something about Circe I was shocked to find a beautiful poem:

Quote

EXCERPT

Chapter One

These things are there. The garden and the tree
The serpent at its root, the fruit of gold
The woman in the shadow of the boughs
The running water and the grassy space.
They are and were there. At the old world's rim,
In the Hesperidean grove, the fruit
Glowed golden on eternal boughs, and there
The dragon Ladon crisped his jewelled crest
Scraped a gold claw and sharped a silver tooth
And dozed and waited through eternity
Until the tricksy hero Herakles
Came to his dispossession and the theft.
--Randolph Henry Ash, from The Garden of Proserpina, 1861

I had never heard of Ash, and as I read on eagerly as the protagonist in the novel eagerly opened the pages of Ash's blackened little book, little warning bells began to chime..."tricksy" for instance, and sure enough, he's fiction, too, and so is his book and so is that poem, apparently. But the writing in the excerpt from A.S. Byatt's Possession was so strong I must have it and am going out today to find it.

Have any of you read it? I know we've read her sister's books (Margaret Drabble) but I've not read hers.

And I've started Sons, the second in The Good Earth trilogy by Pearl Buck, nobody takes you away like Pearl Buck and what common humanity you can see in her writings. Absolutely love it. I may start a Buck orgy here of reading.

So what did you get or get for yourself for the holidays and what are you enjoying (or not)? Inquiring mind wants to know!

Babi · « **Reply #667 on:** January 02, 2010, 09:49:34 AM »

JOANK,I found your post about jigsaw puzzles in the now locked Holiday
Open House. My older daughter, Sally, and I worked a lovely jigsaw puzzle just before Christmas. IT was full of snow, children on sleds, horses and old-time costumes. Very colorful. It fit in so well with the season, I kept it as part of the Christmas 'decor', and didn't take it down until yesterday.

bellemere · « **Reply #668 on:** January 02, 2010, 10:36:40 AM »

Steph, it is easier to do the clothes if you wait a while and then have somebody with you who can be more objective. I kept my mom' size 6 Persian lamb jacket for a long time, I could sniff it and smell her salem cigerettes and Opium perfume. The scent is long gone, but who in the world would want such an old fashioned garment today?
Our local Goodwill store reports that many unemployed people are seekng presentable clothes to wear job hunting. I bet your husband would like to help people like that.
Ginny, agree about the tactile appeal of books. But I just downloaded from itunes a book onto my ipod Nano, and will do a couple of more to take to Mexico in Feb. since I always take about six paperbacks to last the month. they take up space and weigh something; the iPod is about the size of a pack of gum. The lighting in the small hotels where we stay is sometimes just 40 watt bulbs, so at night I will be a listener.
Oh yes, I am starting
Lit by Mary Karr, and I hope she spares us some of the details of her bodily functions. I heard her speak once and she is actually a very charming and dynamic person. I wil let you know.

salan · « **Reply #669 on:** January 02, 2010, 11:14:27 AM »

Ginny-My daughter gave me a Nintendo DSi loaded with various games including Brain Age and Sudoku; so I have been improving my brain since Christmas! She also gave me a calendar with pictures of my grandson doing his favorite activities each month. Needless to say, THAT was my favorite gift. Joan K. I ordered several Springbok puzzles from their web site--sort of a New Year's present to me from me. Of course, the best gift was having them here for 5 days.
Sally

Gumtree · « **Reply #670 on:** January 02, 2010, 11:20:01 AM »

Quote from: JoanP on December 31, 2009, 04:48:14 PM

A blessed New Year to all of you as we prepare to meet the challenges of the coming year ~

- Gum is the first to welcome in the New Year
- can you see the fireworks off the bridge in Sydney? How are you celebrating, Gum?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/17381853

Ah, JoanP - I hate to correct a luminary such as yourself but I really was not the first here to greet 2010 - I believe that honour goes to Octavia who lives in Rockhampton on the Queensland coast which is two hours ahead of little ole Perth. Sydney's fireworks are always spectacular - my son lives there and phoned when they were over to wish us happy and said that this year, right at the climax the wind carried the smoke and obliterated the view from where he lives harbourside.

Happy New Year to all

Gumtree · « **Reply #671 on:** January 02, 2010, 11:25:23 AM »

Steph: Hello again - have you thought of donating the clothes to a theatrical group. It might sound strange but I did that with my mother's things - they were very grateful to have authentic garments from different time periods to use in productions - of course the same may not apply for you but most men hoard their clothes for years -

Frybabe · « **Reply #672 on:** January 02, 2010, 12:11:38 PM »

Ginny, super that you are reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom. My father thought I would never get through it when I brought it home from the library. Too bad I don't have that particular volume for keeps. It was an oversized book, mousy gray in color and I believe the publish date was 1926. Anyhow, do watch the movie. There was only one part of the movie that I noticed that deviated from the book. Peter O'Toole did an excellent job, IMO, of capturing Lawrence.

maryz · « **Reply #673 on:** January 02, 2010, 02:01:06 PM »

Thanks for the mention of Seven Pillars of Wisdom. I just got it for my Kindle for $1.05. Love those old book prices.

JoanK · « **Reply #674 on:** January 02, 2010, 03:23:49 PM »

And no shipping. I enjoyed the Springbok site a lot. Although they said they were founded in 1965, and I could swear some of mine are older than that.

Octavia · « **Reply #675 on:** January 02, 2010, 06:35:17 PM »

Gumtree, flying through here. I have to shut down in a tic, but wanted to say that Carolyn in NZ would have greeted the New Year first. That's if she didn't throw the towel in and go to bed early

.

Frybabe · « **Reply #676 on:** January 02, 2010, 08:37:57 PM »

Mom is feeling well enough to get interested in her crosswords again. Tomorrow I am taking her John Mortimer's "Rumpole Omnibus" which has three of the Rumpole of the Bailey stories in it. She always liked the old PBS series and is looking forward to reading the book. That gives me an idea. I got the series as a gift last year. When she gets home I think I will take it over for her to watch.

JoanK · « **Reply #677 on:** January 02, 2010, 09:00:07 PM »

I always liked Rumpole, also.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #678 on:** January 02, 2010, 10:00:57 PM »

Have any of you read any of Kevin Baker's novels: Dreamland or Striver's Row or Sometimes you SEe it Coming (that one might be non-fiction)? He's interviewing T.J.Stiles - The First Tycoon: Cornelius Vanderbilt, on Booktv and i looked up his books, they are about NYC at the turn of the 20th century, i take it. Sound interesting...........jean

salan · « **Reply #679 on:** January 03, 2010, 07:13:27 AM »

I was looking at Amazon's list of best books of 2009 and I thought it would be interesting to find out what books that you read in 2009 were YOUR favorites. Here are my favorites. Some of them are older books, but I did not read them until last year.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Cure for Modern Life by Lisa Tucker and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
I am anxious to hear what books you liked so that I can add them to my tbr pile. Have any of you read the above books, and if so, what did you think about them?
Sally

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Author Topic: The Library (Read 2084715 times)