The Little Paris Bookshop - Book Review

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George is enchanting, engaging and a "book reading experience".  Have you ever read a book that you were enjoying so much you didn't want it to end?  For me, this is on the short list of those books.  These are the books I long for, and when I rarely find one, I try to savor it.  

The main character here is Jean Perdu, and he is a literary apothecary.  He maintains a bookstore on a barge that is floating on the Seine in Paris from which he dispenses books like medicine for the ailments of his customers.  As Monsieur Perdu travels through the pages of this book, he is keeping a little notebook of titles to add to his list of prescriptions, and this list is included at the end of the book.  

Early in the story we learn that M. Perdu is 50, and for the past 21 years he has been dealing with the loss of the love of his life.  He had been involved with Manon, a married woman who lived in the south of France with her husband.  She would travel to Paris periodically, and Jean was her lover there.  For 5 years they had maintained an intense love affair.  This came to an abrupt end when she left him a letter in a sealed envelope.  He was so hurt and angry, and so sure he knew what was in the letter, that he put it in the drawer of a table and refused to read it.  

21 years later, he was asked to give the table to a new neighbor in his apartment building.  He did so - with the letter in the drawer.  The neighbor read the letter and told him he HAD to read it.  Doing so totally upended his world. I'm not going to spoil your reading pleasure by telling you what was in the letter, but I will tell you that its contents drives him through the rest of the book.  He is so unsettled that he feels he must go on a quest to Manon's home in southern France, so with just a change of clothing he casts his book barge into the river and proceeds to sail south.  The rest of the book is about the people and places he encounters on his journey.  

One thing I loved about this story was that it wasn't predictable.  I know what I wanted to happen, but the ending took me by surprise.  The writing style of this author is engaging and enchanting.  The descriptions of the places he visits throughout France did much to feed my Francophile tendencies.   I only wish a detailed map had been supplied with the book so I could have traced his course.  (Thank goodness for Google Maps!) Another addition at the end of the book is a collections of French recipes for food that is mentioned in the story.  Lavender ice cream?  Yes - it really exists!  

This book is so popular that it has its own  Facebook page !

Ok - that's it for this review.  I'm going to close this now and open up Google Maps so I can explore France....  Thanks for visiting, and come back again soon!

:)Amy

Enjoy the Gladiolus

I enjoy just about every flower there is, but there are some that stand out as favorites.  Roses are high on the list.  Zinnias are up there too (especially State Fair variety).  Sunflowers, Hollyhocks, Hyacinths, Dahlias -  well the list is fairly long.  Today I'm going to focus on one of my faves that isn't seen a whole lot these days - the Gladiolus.

These lovely tall stocks are in the iris family and grow from bulbs.  They usually start sprouting in June, and they pour all their energy into long green leaves for a couple of months. Then finally, in late August, they put forth their 1 stalk of flower blossoms.  The blooms don't last long, but they are glorious for the week or two they are here.  This year I documented the blooming progress of my 1 lone Glad.  There are actually about 12 flowers on a stalk, but they come out in succession from bottom to top.

Enjoy!

Ok - I'll admit it.  The last photo here is from 2015 because I missed photographing the last couple of days of this year's bloom, but it counts because it's the same plant!  

Last year I planted several bulbs and about 3 or 4 came up.  This year, I just had the one left-over from last year's planting.  I was thrilled that any came up at all!  

I'm going to work on finding a good source of strong bulbs so I can plant more for next year.  It's a long wait to get to the grand finale, but I think it's worth it!

Thanks for visiting!  Come back again soon!

:)Amy

Quickie Techie Update

    

I did it!  I went "smart"!  I got myself an iPhone 6.   I didn't stop there though!  I also got myself an Apple Air 2.  I was already edging slowly toward this decision before I went to the Weight Watchers meeting.  That was the last straw.  E-tools.  Yep.  If Weight Watchers is going to work for me, I HAVE to have e-tools.  I'm not looking up points in a book and keeping track on paper.  I know me, and I know I just won't do it for more than about 3 days.  Their e-tools app has a bar-code scanner to use at the grocery.  That was it - that pushed me over the edge.  I stopped at my AT&T store on the way home from the WW meeting.  Seriously!  I did!  That was last Wednesday.  On Saturday, I got my devices.  I then spent all weekend figuring them out - but that's another entry for another day.

No dinosaurs here!  (T-Rex still has trouble typing with 2 thumbs tho!)

Have you downloaded any apps lately?  Go for it!
Then come back and see me!

:)Amy

There's A Dinosaur In The Room

Yesterday, I had a great experience.  I hosted Book Club for my English Department at school.  This is a new adventure for our group, and as I proposed it, we won’t all read the same book.  Instead we will each share what we’ve been reading.  6 colleagues attended yesterday, and we had a great time.  We ate, we drank, we gossiped and complained, but we actually talked about books – quite a lot! 

At some point, while we were talking, I realized everyone in the room – except me – was looking at their “smart” cell phone.  1 person actually ordered a book that was being discussed.  Another “liked” an author on Facebook.  Still another added titles to her Want-to-Read list on Goodreads.  Another looked up poems by a poet that was being discussed.  All the while I sat with my “dumb” phone in my pocket.  At some point it vibrated, but I didn’t look at it.  (Later, I saw that I’d gotten a text message from the only other colleague I know who doesn’t have a smart phone.) 

Silly me.  I had brought out a stack of notecards and pens and suggested that we each do a notecard for our book so that people who come to future meetings could look through what we discussed and ask questions if they were curious about something….  The notecards never left their stack on the counter.  Someone jokingly suggested we could set up a Google Doc to share – a direct reference to all the “Google Doc’ing” that is going on at school.  I flipped this person off. 

My school district and my building principal have been pushing technology upgrades for years.  I held on to a paper gradebook for a couple of years after we moved to online grade systems - and I kept records in both simultaneously.  My reasoning was that if the online system went down, I still had an accurate record of grades.  I don’t remember any of the various systems ever going down to the point where I had to rely on my trusty old-fashioned paper gradebook.  After a couple of years of duplicate record keeping, I gave up the paper gradebook.  I’ve never regretted it, nor have I been tempted to pick one up again. More and more, we are asked to bring our electronic devices to meetings so we can access documents that are being discussed – all this to cut down on paper hand-outs.  A noble cause to be sure.  We are saving paper, but I have to wonder what we are losing…

I remember vividly a teacher who was retiring about the time I left my previous school.  This was in the late ‘90s when technology was gearing up in schools.  We were just starting to be asked to use online gradebooks, and we were having all sorts of professional development meetings about technology, and she was resisting mightily.  I believe that was one of the things that pushed her to decide to retire when she did.  She was finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the demands of technology.  Now, I am the one who goes to building level meetings and complains about the push toward technology being excessive. 

Hubs tells me I’ve done amazingly well with all the tech stuff.  I guess I have.  I have my students share Google Docs with me rather than handing in “paper” assignments, and they use technology for other assignments in school.  PowerPoint has become my best friend - gone are the ol' overhead projector transparencies.  My financial world has also gone largely paperless.  Gone are the days when I sit at my desk and pay my bills with old-fashioned checks put into an envelope that gets a stamp on it.  But… I still don’t have a smart phone. 

Today, after crying over a retired friend’s blog entry about the sadness of not having a first day of school this year, I decided that I am never going to retire, and I started doing research into buying a smart phone.  One friend has an iPhone 6 that she loves.  Another has an iPhone 5c that she loves.  I’m looking at a Galaxy Note 5 because it has a stylus – see I just HAVE to have a pen in my hand even to write on my electronic device!  I have decided that if I want to keep up with my ever-changing professional world, then I need to drink the electronic Kool-Aid.  If any of you have recommendations for the best device for me, please let me know! 

…but just so you know… I’m STILL not getting on FACEBOOK, so don’t even GO there!

:) Amy

P. S.  I'd love to share the book titles that were discussed yesterday, but I didn't write them down, and now I don't remember them!

Sometimes Nature is Too Cool for Words

Is it a Hummingbird?  Is it a bee?  Is it something else?

Yes, it's something else! Even though we call it a birdbee, it's a Snowberry Clearwing Moth.

Enjoy this video from Inniswood Metro Park:

Thanks for visiting!  Come back again soon!

:)Amy

Orphan Train - Book Review

Orphan Train - a novel - by Christina Baker Kline,  2 Thumbs way up for this one - and I would add more thumbs if I had them!

This book is historical fiction based on real orphan trains and the people who rode them.  Between 1854 and 1929, trains transported children who were orphaned or abandoned and homeless from East Coast cities to towns in the Midwest for adoption.  More than 200,000 children took these train rides.  They would start in one town, and any children who were not chosen by families there would get back on the train and go to the next town.  Everyone's ultimate hope was that all the children would be chosen at a train stop and would not have to go back to an orphanage in the East.

Before I read this book, I had never heard of Orphan Trains.  Now I know there is a whole network of information about them and the lives of these children.  Likewise, the author Christina Kline explained in the end notes of the book that she had not known about Orphan Trains either, but once she started learning about them, she was driven to write this book.

The book weaves two stories together.  One is the story of a young immigrant girl from Ireland who is put on a train bound ultimately for Minnesota after having lost many of her family members in a fire in their tenament building in New York City in the 1920s.   Story two is about a modern teenager living in Maine who has been shuffled between homes in the Foster Care system.  The two stories are brought together when Molly, the girl from Maine, goes to the home of 91-year-old Vivian to do community service.  We learn that Vivian was the Irish girl on the train.

The book is very well-written, and I found it fascinating.  Also in the end notes, the author mentions many of the references she used for research.  Now I'm anxious to do some research myself.  Just in putting together this blog entry, I did a Google Image search for "orphan train" and found many many photos that are intriguing!  Here is an example of one of many photos of wanted posters that were used as the trains went west.

I know that I need to find a way to use this book at school.  Get one for yourself and let me know what YOU think!

Thanks for reading! See you again soon!

:)Amy

Super Quick Movie Reviews

Selma - Loved it - highly recommend it.  Possible questions about the accuracy of the portrayal of President Johnson?  Need to research this issue.

Lady Chatterly - In French with Subtitles - very long - very slow in places (can fast forward for long stretches without missing anything important).  Filming is very different than typical American movies - little to no use of "mood music".  Full frontal nudity and some very steamy sex scenes.  Not suitable for children.  I recommend as long as you are ok with the issues mentioned here.

Gone Girl -  Long, very complex and confusing, creepy at times - left me feeling a bit unsettled for a time.  I recommend this one for anyone who likes creepy thrillers and is willing to pay attention to details.

That's it for today.  Sorry to disappoint all my readers who love my long, rambling entries!

Thanks for stopping by - see you again soon!

:)Amy

Time for the Annual Pilgrimage to The Zoo!

My loyal readers will remember that I talked a LOT about the Columbus Zoo trip last summer.  Don't worry, I'm not going to repeat all that stuff.  This is going to be a LOT shorter and simpler!  We love our annual trip to the zoo, and for us now the main attraction is the giraffes in the new African region.  This year, we watched the weather forecasts and picked a day when it was going to be rain-free with low humidity.  That happened to be Thursday, July 16!  It was actually in the 60s when we left the house so Hubs had his sweatshirt on!

We tried something new this year.  We bought tickets for something called the Wild Encounters Tour.  There are actually 4 different tours:  Manatee Coast, Discovery Reef, Animal Hospital and .... wait for it... Giraffe Barn.  Can you guess which one we picked?

A keeper met us at a designated spot in the African area and took us on a tour that lasted about an hour and included a feeding session.  (That alone was worth the cost because we didn't have to stand in line in the sun to wait to feed them!)  There were only 5 other people in this group with Hubs and me, and it was nice to have a small group.  Because I'm getting anxious to share, I'm not going to save the best for last.  Here is the giraffe I got to feed:

The keeper first took us into the kitchen in the giraffe barn and talked all about the kinds of food they get.  He showed us the different storage areas for hay and "browse" which is basically different types of tree branches with leaves on.  He also talked about how they try to make feeding time interesting for the giraffes by making them get their feed pellets out of big jars with holes in - they have to stick their long tongues in to get their food.  He said they like to bang the jars around and make noise with them.

We learned a lot of facts about the giraffes.  Did you know their tongues are 18" long?  (Ours are about 4.5".)  The two tallest giraffes in this herd are about 18' tall!  Their hearts weigh 25 pounds and their heads weigh 500 pounds!  Newborns are 6' tall when they are born after about 14 months gestation.  The zoo has 10 in the herd - 8 males and 2 females.  These 10 are of 2 species:  reticulated and Masai.  You can tell them apart by looking at their spots.  The one pictured above is reticulated - the spots are very clearly defined with very bright white lines.  This next photo shows a Masai - the spots are more mottled and the lines between are not quite as bright and distinct.

Sometimes these two types will interbreed in the wild, but it is rare.  Both of the females in this herd are Masai, and their main bull is a Masai as well, so they are hoping some baby-making will happen this year!  

In this next photo you will see a giraffe licking something:

That is kind of like the water bottle you might have in a hampster cage that has a little ball at the end.   When they push their tongue against it, the water just flows.   There are some in the barn, too.  Here is what it looks like up close:

The barns were amazingly clean.  I was really impressed.  (I guess they wouldn't show them off if they weren't?!)

The feed bins and water licks are all adjustable height to accommodate the different giraffes.  The big area in the last photo that looks pink is the "social" area in the barn where they let multiple giraffes hang out together.  It is layered with several layers of different things, the top being crushed granite.  Because of the composition of this floor, it can just be raked and sprayed with water for cleaning and doesn't have to be shoveled.  Some floors in this barn are regular cement and some are heated in case an animal is sick or needs special heat treatment.  

These next 2 photos show the pen the giraffes are placed in to be checked by the vets.  

The first photo with the green pads is the pen where a giraffe is held for examination.  The padded side panels can be adjusted to hold the animal as tightly as necessary to keep it still.  Then the keepers and vets can ride up and down in the little elevator (where the tool box is).  Notice that the padded holding area has doors at different levels which can be opened to access different parts of the animal. 

If you are lucky enough to get to go to the Columbus Zoo, I would recommend taking a Wild Encounters Tour.  We really got a beind-the-scenes look at an area the public rarely sees, and it was very interesting!  

Lest you think we ONLY looked at the giraffes, let me share some other cuties:

This baby moose is new this season and he was sleeping.  

Then there are the big cats:

The Cheetahs are amazing!!!

Papa Lion has a tongue thing going on....

Mama Lion was having a staring contest with a Greater Kudu female.  They are not very far apart and were clearly watching each other, but there is a moat and a fence beween them, so the Kudu is safe.  

I could just hang out in the African Savanah area all day!  The African Region also has a great restaurant that we tried this year.  It's called The Mapori.  One thing that is unique about it is that it is a 4 Star Certified Green restaurant, and the first one of it's kind in central Ohio to earn this distinction.  When we first went in, I expected it to be fast food, but it's not.  It was a buffet of "real" food - patrons would ask the servers to dish up whatever they wanted.  They had large flat breads with either veggie or meat toppings, salads, fruit, lasagna, roasted chicken, roasted vegetables (like eggplant and zuchini) other types of cooked veggies like carrots and green beans,  chicken tenders and fries.  I'm sure there was more I'm forgetting.  The selection was very impressive.  Most of the food is made from scratch daily, so they are conserving by not using packaging.  The food is also more nutritious and flavorful because it is fresh.    The seating area was huge and part of it looked out onto the savanah, so you could watch the animals while you ate.  For sure, we are eating there again!  Amazing food!  

Ah, what a lovely day it was for us at the zoo!  Hubs got his annual serving of Dippin' Dots too!  Then we let them survey us as we were leaving, and we got 2 $5 off coupons that we can use in the future!   We were both exhausted when we got home, but it was a good kind of exhaustion, and I'm ready to go again any time!

Thanks for reading - come back again soon!

:)Amy

Who Can Resist A Cute Cat Video?

We call her PocoLoco because she is goofy, but her nametag says her name is Bunny.  You've seen her on this blog before - last time she was sitting on top of a birdhouse.  Well, this time, evidently she doesn't want to get her precious whiskers wet!  

:)Amy

A Little Chuckle

Hello Everyone!  Let's take a break from all this heavy book and movie review stuff for a little fun!  A few weeks back, Hubs started us off on this little poetry journey, and I added a bit here and there until we came up with this:

We called him Uncle Salami
Because he always had salami in his beard,
Until he married Auntie Cleanface
Who insisted he be sheared.

Oh Auntie Cleanface, Auntie Cleanface,
We thought you were just being neat,
Until we discovered your secret:
You were actually after his meat!

:)

Leaves you speechless doesn't it?  What can I say!

:)Amy & Hubs