Review: I Who Have Never Known Men

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A short book that provides massive food for thought.

I found this novella to be utterly amazing. The narrator is about fifteen at the beginning of the story. She lived in a cage underground with 39 other female prisoners. She was the youngest and remembered nothing about life before being caged.

The other prisoners remembered life before. Many of them had been married with children before their world changed. Sadly they remembered very little about the transition from normal life to imprisonment. Perhaps they were drugged at the time. They didn't know.

The narrator has no name. She is called "Child" by the other women. She wants to know everything but most of the women are not forthcoming with any information. She's frustrated by that.

There are male guards around the cage observing them closely. If any rules are broken they are dealt with swiftly by use of a whip.

The story develops from there, but I don't want to spoil your surprise at learning what happens, so I'll stay silent about the rest. I found it to be very thought provoking though it doesn't answer every question a reader might have. I think that's part of the beauty of this story.

I consider this novella to be very much worth reading. Expect topics that many people would consider TMI but understand this main character has no understanding of why anything might be TMI. She just wants to know everything and that's hard when all you've ever known is the inside of a cage filled with a lot of women who tend to ignore her.

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Review: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great nonfiction by Michael Finkel.

This is the third book I've read by Michael Finkel and each one was fascinating in its own way. My first experience with his writing was with The Stranger in the Woods because to me, hermits are fascinating. I've always thought I'd like being one, but I've settled for being a normal introvert who spends most of my time happily alone in my house.

The second book I read was True Story. Well, that was interesting, to say the least. I got to find out why Michael lost his job writing for the NY Times and I learned a lot about a man who killed his entire family. (Not Michael.)

This third book hits me where it hurts.... right there in my memories about the unforgettable theft of Rembrandt's painting of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. I have a reproduction of that hanging on my living room wall. But no, this book was entirely different. It was about a young man who developed the very bad habit of stealing from every museum or gallery he went into. His name was Stéphane Breitwieser and he managed to steal hundreds of items over a period of eight years.

This is an amazing psychological profile of a man who believed he deserved to be surrounded by art and historic objects in his home. He had quite a collection going and the attic was full as well.

If you want to read a page-turning account of a crazed (and very selfish) thief taking public treasures, this book is sure to fit the bill. I recommend it.

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Review: The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

S.F. Bay Area Chinese culture, examined.

This is an interesting coming-of-age memoir. It is a deep dive into Chinese culture set in mid-century California and was published in the 1970's. The author's family of origin ran a laundry business where she worked helping her parents. Later in life she became a professor at U.C. Berkeley. She lives in Oakland, the city in which I was born. Because I spent a large portion of my life living in the S.F. Bay Area I was intrigued by the setting as much as by the people described.

The book is sometimes said to be fantasy as there is a chapter based on Chinese folklore, but I found it more descriptive of the early life of the author and her childhood perceptions of family members. The book is on a list I keep on my blog of books recommended by the College Board for students planning to go to college. I'm far beyond college age but am still working on reading the books on that list. This is one that isn't exactly what I'd call "a classic" as it was published in the 1970's, yet it is a great descriptive memoir that is well worth reading.

The subtitle, "A Girlhood Among Ghosts," is a little misleading. The ghosts are not supernatural beings. Apparently this is what they called people with less pigment in their skins.

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September Rain

Gratitudes:
1. Grateful that I don't have to water the garden today because it is raining outside now!
2. Grateful that I'll soon be able to sleep in my van again.
3. Grateful that my new audiobook is keeping my attention.
4. Grateful for warm coffee on a cold afternoon.
5. Grateful for God in the highest who guides me.
Plan for the day:
1. New art supplies - so, sketching.
2. Writing on this blog.
3. Reading 11 pp. of my nonfiction book.
4. Take clean sheet out to the van for the bed I put there.
5. Find my umbrellas!
Currently reading:
1. The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston
2. John Adams, by David McCullough

Here's how my day is going: ... It is again, Sunday. My plan to write on this blog daily again is not going well. Nevertheless, here I am.

Well, this is a memorable date in the Life of Linda. On September 8, 2020 - just five years ago - a wind-driven forest fire charged through the Indian Creek valley burning over 200 homes. One of those was mine. My son and daughter also both lost their homes that day. It was a terrible dilemma, but we've all made it through and once again have good housing. Still, I'm grateful there are no fires near my town right now and there's rain that will help extinguish 2 fires nearby. I've been praying and hoping to be safe from fire this year.

I took a nap and woke up quickly because Fed Ex was in my front yard! He left me a box of groceries I ordered from Walmart. As our local store now charges ridiculous prices I do take the opportunity of online shopping to order a few things. Of course that doesn't work for all things. There are many items I can't order online. For example: milk products and bread.

I counted the pages of my long nonfiction book, and divided that number by the number of days between now and October 31. This informed me that I need to read at least 11 pages daily to finish within that time. I'm enjoying learning about John Adams. He was from a town called Quincy on the coast south of Boston. He became an attorney and he journaled a lot and wrote letters so his history is well-known. He married a young woman of 19, Abigail, when he was 29. That's all I know so far.

There are other books I'd like to be reading but I'd better stay with just one big nonfiction book for now.

A Reset - Let's Do It Again!

Today I'm starting a reset... a re-evaluation of my time here on earth. I've been out of touch with this blog and with reading, and feel like I've been in a transition time.

Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful for my home, family and opportunities.
2. I'm grateful for my needs being met by the Lord's will and by his kindness to me.
3. I'm grateful to be a Christian.
4. I'm grateful for creative endeavors: my own, and those of others.
5. I'm grateful for the peace in my life.
Plan for the day:
1. Watch a worship service on TV, via YouTube.
2. Follow my daily habit tracker including writing on this blog, journaling, transcription, poetry and art.
3. Read more in the Biblical archeology book.
4. Pray for people in my family and community.
5. Prepare my Sept. blog page and planner page.
Currently reading:
1. Paperback: Unearthing the Bible: 101 Archaeological Discoveries That Bring the Bible to Life, by Titus Kennedy
2. My devotional this year: New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp
3. Audiobook: Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright

Here's how my day is going: Today is Sunday. I woke up later than usual, around 10 am. However I got over 7 hours of sleep and that was welcome and needed. I prefer to wake up by 8 am. Since I'm an old retired lady I can do that if the dogs next door don't bark too much and wake me up. That ofen happens, but not today.

I felt led this morning to follow the habits I have set for doing daily. I have a tracker that Chat GTP helped by creating for me. Today I added "writing on Linda's Life blog" so we'll see how many blog posts I get posted here this week. I am not consistent on these habits unfortunately. I think the development of consistency is a big issue for me right now. About the only things I'm consistent about are feeding the feral cats and watering the vegetable garden. If I don't do those things they'll die! So I make myself consistent and set alarms to remind me when to go water the plants. Cat feeding is part of my regular early morning routine.

Today is the third day of the annual Bigfoot Jamboree event here in town. So far I've managed to avoid all of it. I think I'm just "over" events like these. I hope those who go will have fun. This year they are sharing the park with fire camp as there's a fire nearby, in Seiad Valley. I think right now the town of Seiad Valley is on an evacuation warning. Sad! I hope their homes survive. I think homes are already burning downriver near Dillon Creek. So far this year there have been no fires threatening Happy Camp and I pray that continues throughout the fire season.

I just gave Goodreads permission to post to this blog every time I finish a book. I'll have to see how that works out. At this point, it is experimental for me.

Waiting for Dawn on Monday

Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful to be up early today.
2. I'm grateful for a new Bible. This one is NRSV which is the version my Episcopalian son reads.
3. I'm grateful for a bed. Now, if I could just get more comfortable sleeping in it!
4. I'm grateful for a new person to help me with yard work.
5. I'm grateful for the elimination of brambles on my driveway fence.
Plan for the day:
1. Bible study. I need to put the Lord first.
2. Make potato salad because I dreamed of it a few mornings ago.
3. Clean out the refrigerator.
4. Put yarns in the empty box.
5. Retrieve the drill.
Currently reading:
1. Psalms, Gospel of John
2. Area 51, by Annie Jacobsen
3. The Egg and I, by Betty MacDonald
4. Brave Intuitive Painting, by Flora Bowley
5. The World of Urban Sketching, by Stephanie Bower
6. Clinging to Hope, by Charles Swindoll

Here's how my day is going: I am happy to be awake, happy to be alive, and ready for a new day. It is really very early - almost 3am. I don't usually wake up this early but after the excitement of yesterday (church and then the new gardener) and no nap yesterday, I went to sleep exceptionally early (for me). I hear the wind blowing things around outside. Today rain is expected all day and the weather app says there's "light rain" out there, right now. I'm feeling insulated, living inside a house now.

All Better Now? We Need to Keep On Praying!

Gratitudes:
1. Sooo very grateful Trump was reelected President yesterday! Thank you Americans. I want him as President because he's a great businessman and may be able to resolve some of the terrible debt problems of the USA. I personally don't like to be in debt and don't like my country to be in debt either. This problem needs to be fixed by someone who knows how to work with money.
2. I'm grateful for my newly purchased devotional, New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp. I've used it a few days now and find it very helpful.
3. I'm grateful for an entire day to be home alone. I thrive on having time to be home alone. Already I've put more paint on my work-in-progress which is a lady (from imagination) standing next to a tree and rosebush.
4. I'm grateful for my new Melitta Coffee Pot.. 8 cup size. I needed it to be able to make multiple cups for my Bible study guests.
5. I'm grateful for the weekly Bible studies. It is such a treat to have several women over to talk to about God and Jesus! Of course like all normal women, we also go off topic at times.
Plan for the day:
1. Open the folding chair boxes.
2. Put together the little shelf.
3. White board.
4. Move blue chairs to back of house.
5. New video.
Currently reading:
1. Area 51, by Annie Jacobsen
2. New Morning Mercies
3. Luke, Psalm 92, 2 Samuel, Gospel of John
4. True Story, by Michael Finkel

Here's how my day is going: So far it is 12:30pm... I'm happy, writing to people, took a nice shower, and am doing a load of laundry that is now in the dryer. I have a great pot of coffee made and am drinking a cup of it. Really, it seems like life is going along just about as well as could be expected. I'm not having a post-election freak-out because my preference for President was elected (Thank You God!!!!!) ...and my day book (planner) is getting written in which is a pretty good indication that I'm doing well mentally today (clarity, no brain fog, etc.).

As I mentioned in the subject line for this posting, we need to keep praying now, especially during this transition time between the election and the inauguration day. I want to pray for those who are disappointed with this choice of President, that they will accept the defeat and feel the presence of God comforting them and helping them through the adjustment back to a more conservative White House staff.

God bless us all!

Voting Day 2024

Gratitudes:
1. I'm grateful for books. They are so entertaining!
2. I'm grateful for that new big screen TV I bought.
3. I'm grateful for water, especially Crystal Geyser spring water from Mt. Shasta.
4. I'm grateful for prayers. Imagine that: God wants to hear from us!
5. I'm grateful for my new car. Now I can take my friend /and/ her husband places while her car is being repaired.
Plan for the day:
1. Painting - I'm working on foilage surrounding a woman standing there breathing in the garden fragrances, with her eyes closed.
2. I still need to hang up that second white board.
3. And I still need to build the little shelf.
4. Create a new video.
5. Take my friend and her husband with me to go to the polling place, to vote.
Currently reading:
1. Area 51, by Annie Jacobsen
2. The Bible: Gospel of John, a Psalm, and 2 Samuel 1
3. New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp (a devotional)
4. Procrastination, by June Hunt
5. True Story, by Michael Finkel
6. Brave Intuitive Painting, by Flora Bowley

Here's how my day is going: I just woke up and don't have much to say except I'm happy to be alive and happy that I remembered to pray first thing after sitting up this morning. I want to be the kind of Christian who puts God first in my mind at all times. How else can we remember to call on Him immediately when we're sensing danger? I told this to my granddaughter last time I talked to her when I was still living in the trailer: "Always remember to call on the name of Jesus whenever you feel frightened." I said that because I know she gets frightened easily. She needs the Lord and she loves Him. Now I'm praying for her protection and that she has a good life, not a messed up life like mine has been. Enough of that. Alls well that ends well, and I found Jesus in North Idaho when I was 61 years old. Better late than never.

I got help from YouTube in filling out my ballot. I knew who to vote for, for the most part. A few of the candidates I wasn't familiar with (state reps for the northstate area I live in) and I found candidate statements from them on video. Also the California Insider had a man on explaining the pros and cons of ballot propositions, and I appreciate he was only explaining them, and not telling me which way to vote, or even how he intended to vote. That helped me make up my own mind on how to do it. I have the ballot all filled out now and will just drop it off at the polling place this afternoon.

I thought I was going to have to drive out of here today to the great civilization to the east, but my friend's car isn't ready to pick up at the car dealership in Ashland, so we're waiting. A part had to be ordered and she doesn't know when that car will be ready. In the meantime I am happy to be able to give her rides when she needs them.