My Baby is 30!

Amidst the craziness of the summer, my baby turned 30.  I recall 30+ years ago, when Christy Scott turned 30, her mother said, "I never dreamed I would be old enough to have a 30-year-old child."  And now here I have two of them.  The years seemed to have morphed into memories - wonderful memories - and I can't wait to see what is next.

We joined Di and Daniel on her birthday night for dinner and ice cream at Phil and Amy's, and godmother Kathy and hubby Walt joined us.  Then Friday, the packing to go to Spain began.  While Don and Walt took load after load to the thrift shop, Kathy and I packed boxes, I was a go-fer, and by the end of the day, we had gotten lots done!  Then Saturday, Walt and Don loaded boxes into the two cars, Daniel, Hai (the subletter), Walt, Don, and I moved furniture up and downstairs until everyone was set.  Don and I stayed in a hotel that night, but poor Di had to sleep on the couch because the dogs couldn't join us at the hotel :(

On Friday, Di also made a red velvet cake with beets and goat cheese/cream cheese icing.  

Can you say delicious?  It was our entire dinner on Friday night.  I love dessert for supper!  She used the star-saped cake pans that I used when she was a child.  When I asked her about them, she said, "More surface area for frosting."  Like mother, like daughter.

Thursday night, Kathy gave Di a gift. It was a gorgeous quilt, one specially made to help with tactile sensations.  Di is especially sensitive to different textures, and she has found that if she can touch different textures, she is less likely to pull her hair.  Kathy makes these kinds of quilts, mostly for Alzheimers patients - but also for Di.  The first thing I noticed was how soft the backing was . . . then I noticed how many textures Kathy had incorporated into the quilt.  It also won a prize at one of the quilt shows into which Kathy had entered it . . . and it definitely found a spot in Diana's suitcase for the trip to Spain.

Then Sunday morning it was time to bid Di bon voyage for her next great adventure. She was headed to Spain to finish her dissertation and to participate in the Fulbright program - a great feather in the cap of one polished young woman who is destined to make a great mark in this world.  Di, we are so proud of you and the woman you have become.  Happy 30th birthday.

Anna Karenina

When I saw our summer read for Book Club was Anna Karenina, I nearly threw up.  I thought, "You've got to be kidding me!"  I had no desire to read something so long, and I had heard so much about it, the huge number of characters, and the complexity of the plot that I had no interest.  But, since it was assigned, I had to read it.

Within a chapter, I was hooked.  Now maybe I just had an easy translation of it, but I found it delightful (until the last four chapters that became a philosophical mess rather than a novel - somewhat like John Galt's 63-page speech but shorter, and I skipped that, too).  And the numbers of characters, though very large, was not daunting at all, since many of them just slipped into the story and then slipped out, much like people in our lives.  

Anna Karenina seemed more like  a soap opera than anything.  Each chapter could be a 30-minute show during the day, and it could last for several years, I am sure.  There is adequate drama, plenty of philandering, and enough intrigue to keep a person interested throughout the whole book.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the book . . . and at Book Club I will have the opportunity to hear Judy Goodpasture tell me what I missed during the read!