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The Informer
Cam, Charlie, Cruella, Christie

Cam, Charlie, Cruella, Christie

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Five books consumed this month, along with turkey, stuffing, and son John’s yummy pot roast. Thanksgiving included book shopping and book reading. Book 1: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Grandson Cam and I read aloud a chapter or three together whenever we could these past few months. When he jumped in providing distinctive character voices for Willy Wonka and Grandpa Joe, I wanted to shout: “Theater kid! He’s a theater kid!” Well done, Cam. His thoughts: Charlie…

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2012 Cam, Daddy, and Nana
‘Passing Phase of an Octogenarian’

‘Passing Phase of an Octogenarian’

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Today is Mom’s birthday. She was born 94 years ago, giving her mom bragging rights to winning the great competition. During her teens, Mom penned this poem. Writing in first person as an octogenarian, the lovely green-eyed redhead tried to imagine what life would be like so many years in the future: Passing Phase of an Octogenarian Today is my birthday. And when they think I do not hearThey whisper I am old. They say that I have had my…

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Silas Marner
Life-changing books

Life-changing books

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Although I rarely try to theme each month’s book choices, in January it seems each told the story of transformative life changes, whether in war, living on the land, or in the aftermath of death. Book 1: One Man’s Meat by E. B. White Before E. B. White wrote Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, he wrote a series of columns for Harper’s Magazine. These chatty essays described his new life on a farm in Maine. Up until that point in…

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The Farmer and the Newspaper
Newspaper Day

Newspaper Day

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Farmer Gary loves to read the newspaper. Always has. In fact, he’s declared Wednesday to be Newspaper Day each week, as that’s the day most of the weekly papers arrive in the mail. Each Wednesday, Gary dashes out to check the mailbox, then takes over our breakfast bar with his stack and works his way through the periodicals. Sadly, many of the dailies and almost-dailies he grew up reading are no longer … well, appealing. … but there are still…

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Cameron reads 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
The final books of 2023

The final books of 2023

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As the year 2023 comes to a close in a few hours, my goal of reading at least four books per month has been reached. In fact, the total this year came to 58 books. And in case you’re wondering, I’m right on schedule with the book-by-installment reading of Bleak House. Here’s the rundown: Book 1: When the Snow Is Blue by Marguerite Dorian Must begin with a sincere thank you to grandson Cameron, who read this children’s book along…

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sunroom construction
Fourteen windows

Fourteen windows

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I’ll say it before anyone else brings it up: Why would a couple of Empty Nesters add on to their home now that there are only two occupants? Actually, I didn’t happen upon the real reason until after we’d “moved in” following a long summer of loud construction. Why? Because the view is glorious! The east side of our house faces the forest, yet our house’s windows on that side just didn’t do the trick. We needed more windows. Lots…

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1998 John's rock-wall climb
The climb

The climb

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Middle-son John recently texted me this snippet he took in one of those bouncy-climby-noisy places kids love: Grandson Cameron was having a ball, playing with new friends and, it seems, climbing. I asked Cam a week or so later what he thought of that challenge. “Well, Goose …” (he calls me Goose) “I discovered I still have acrophobia.” John says the discovery was made when Cameron was about three stories up, so that seems to me more like a healthy…

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Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Books by installment

Books by installment

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Did you know Charles Dickens released each of his novels in weekly or monthly installments? That doesn’t mean the author of Great Expectations and David Copperfield invented the concept of serialization, but it seems he popularized it. (According to my online chums at the Facebook -based Folio Society Books fan club, Stephen King picked up the practice for several of his book releases more than a century later.) Sure enough, Dickens‘ release schedules are available online, so this month I…

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2022 Cameron, the piano & Pink Panther
The piano

The piano

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A horrifying fact is that pianos aren’t worth much anymore. Used pianos, that is. If you look on any “Buy/Sell/Trade” pages these days, there’s nearly always a lovely piano or two: Free. Pick-up only. Electronic keyboards are excellent. I remember my brother Dave getting one when we were in high school. Apparently they were invented primarily for apartment-dwellers, so that pianists could play (using headphones) without disturbing the neighbors. They’re also less expensive and easier to move around. Still, it’s…

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Yow-Yow Kitty on front porch
Yow-Yow Kitty

Yow-Yow Kitty

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“Kitty go yow-yow! Kitty go yow-yow!” One of our sons, as a toddler, used to delight in seeing the barn cats over at the farm. He would point a tiny finger and proclaim to us: “Kitty go yow-yow!” And so, when a particularly vocal kitty started hanging out with us back in March, Gary and I resurrected the phrase. Here’s a photo I sent to James, still at college: It was nice to see such a handsome fellow cross our…

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