Making Memories

Hello Gentle Readers. We are recently home from a wonderful visit with our daughter, son-in-law, and family. We tagged along to all the things, including baseball games, the swimming pool, a gymnastics class, doughnuts, and church. Jonah and Norah and I blew bubbles almost every morning. 

Instead of bringing gifts, we take them to the local independent bookstore to pick out a book. It's fun to see what they choose each time we visit. Micah and I are going to have a buddy read this summer. We made a list.  

All four kids have a journal that they write in and decorate with stickers and drawings. Just for fun I had Jonah and Norah draw in my journal. Next time I hope to snag the two older ones also. The blue hydrangeas growing all around the community were a treat, so Norah drew one for me. Jonah drew a baseball field, appropriate given we attended five games, several on the weekend of the heat dome. On the dining room table, Kate has a tray that holds odds and ends and sometimes a seasonal decoration. Right now it contains baseballs the kids have picked up at major and minor league games. 

Most of my making these past weeks has been about making and savoring memories. Since it is Wednesday, I have a little knitting to show. I finished the pumpkin hats the day before the baby shower. That afternoon, I bought an iced latte and sat down with a podcast and the last hat. It was down to the wire but the hats and board books were well received. 

My travel knitting was a new pair of socks. I opted for my vanilla sock pattern. I can knit the body of the sock in a broken rib of Knit 4, Purl 2 without a pattern. Honestly my knitting is a little "meh" these days. The shawl is too hot to have in my lap. The other pair of socks languish in a bag. 

As for books, I reread In Falling Snow by Mary-Rose MacColl, an Australian novelist and published in 2012. This historical fiction toggles between modern day Australia and a World War One hospital in France. Iris, the main character, is at the end of her life. She receives an invitation to a reunion of the women who organized and ran Royaumont, a Scottish Women's Hospital on the western front in France where she worked as a nurse. And so begins her reflection on her years during the war. World War One was an exercise in brutality so it is a sad story but Royaumont and the Scottish Women's Hospital was a real place and a remarkable bit of history. I like historical fiction and strong women characters so will keep this book on my shelf.  

While in Connecticut, I read The Memory of Lavender and Sage by Aimie K. Runyan. This novel is a light summer read. I confess to choosing the book based on the cover. Bonny and I had a short exchange about book covers recently. Here is a link she sent me about book covers if you want to read more. Most of the novel is set in rural Provence. The descriptions of the village, as well as the herbs grown and used by the main character are lovely. Although the writing isn't the smoothest, I appreciated the development of two characters who changed for the better. An elderly gentleman who was rather unkind to the main character, actually apologized and mended his ways. Imagine such a thing. 

Finally, today is Kate's birthday. She is a remarkable woman, a physical therapist, an amazing athlete, a wonderful wife, mother, sister, and every thing we could ask for in a daughter. While I abhor the barrage of personal fireworks that has become the custom, I do have a wonderful memory of watching fireworks outside my hospital room window with her tucked into the crook of my arm. Happy Birthday Kate!

I hope all is well and you are enjoying a respite from the heat of late June.