May '25 Books

Only seven books read this month. Too much time and money spent on plants? 😍

Fat Tuesday, Chill Factor and Blind Tiger are all by Sandra Brown an author I decided to read my way through.

The Shell Collector is a book of short stories by Anthony Doerr. This book is from my own collection, but one I hadn't read for years. Doerr is one of the most impressive authors I've read. His prose is beautifully exquisite.

The Girl on the Cliff and The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley are both books I read several years ago - long enough that they were almost new to me. Both worthy of a second read.

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak is a classic. With the impression the 1965 movie made upon me and the fact my love of the story has never diminished, you would think that I might have read this book before now. Had I? I wasn't even sure, but I had not. 

In February I read Lara Prescott's novel, The Secrets We Kept, about smuggling Pasternak's manuscript out of Russia and into print. That was the impetus I needed to finally read Dr. Zhivago. The hardest part was keeping all the Russian names straight. Almost always, I like the book better than the movie. In this case, the impressions the movie made on a younger me cannot top the book. 

I've yet to compile a list of the books I want to read in June, but I have a few a mind. Happy summertime reading to all.  😎 🌞

Decoration Day

For the first time, that I remember, we only made it to three cemeteries this year - Lenox, Prairie Rose and Quincy. Even when we lived in WDM, I always 'came home' on Memorial weekend. First to take my Mom and Grandma Delphia to the cemeteries and then, when they were gone, to decorate their graves, too. Grandma once said: "I know you will decorate my grave, but who will decorate yours?" ((I'm sorry, Grandma, but I didn't make it to your's and Grandpa Joe's this year.) 

With the increase in prices and the dearth of artificial flowers (probably caused by Trump's tariffs), there was very little decorating done. 

I only had two artificial bouquets - the white one behind my parents' stone and a smaller version between sister's and nephew's gravestones.

There was one other couple nearby while we were there. Surprisingly, I recognized the woman even though she was wearing sunglasses and I hadn't seen her in 45 years. Tentatively I said, "Marcia"? I told her my name then we had a nice 'catching up' visit. Our families had both been part of the Fairview Church neighborhood in the 1950's. 

At Quincy, I left some cut peonies on Grandma & Grandpa Lynam's grave and those of their two daughters, Evelyn and Leona. I can guess who placed the sunflowers. Grandma's grandniece recently retired and moved back to Corning. I'm sure it was her. She thought the world of 'Aunt Bessie'.

Even though it was a comparatively short journey and I was glad to be back home, it would not have felt right if I'd missed Decoration Day. 🌼🌻🌺