I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, by Joanne Greenberg

 

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, by Joanne Greenberg

4 stars: Painful but revealing.

Deborah Blau is severely mentally ill, in a time before mental illness was truly recognized or able to be treated effectively. Her desperate parents take her to an asylum, but they can hardly stand to leave her there. Nevertheless they do, and her treatment begins. 

Most of the book is from Deborah's perspective, living in the asylum and meeting with her doctor. There are occasional glimpses from the doctor's perspective, her parents', and even her little sister's. With the help of her doctor, Deborah claws her way back to reality, from the fictional world she has built for herself inside her mind. It is not pretty or linear, but slowly, healing begins.

* * * * *

I was struck by a couple of things in particular: the insistence on telling the absolute truth to those suffering with mental illness. This was mentioned several times throughout the book. Deborah felt such a relief when the doctor told her that she was very sick. Finally! Deborah knew she had problems her whole life, but had constantly been told she was fine--i.e., lied to. It was so validating to her for her doctor to acknowledge her illness. Complete honesty also helped later on, when Deborah was closer to coming back to the real world. This is where the title comes in--it's a quote from the doctor to Deborah. Being cured or achieving mental health is not all happy and easy.  

Another thing was the difference in treatment between then and now. At least from this book, it seems back then there were many physical treaments used--from shock therapy, to isolation, to the wet bedsheet treatment, but the only medication available were the sedatives. They of course, also had talk therapy as well. Now there are medications specific to the illness--I don't know how effective they are, but hopefully at least it's another tool that can help.

Finally, her descriptions of looking out on those in the "normal" world were poignant. Just the feeling of otherness, and bewilderment. How do they manage day to day? They make it look so easy, when everything to her was such a big struggle. I've heard addicts say the same thing, when they're in the midst of their addiction. 

Along with that, Deborah's feeling of being invisible, even though she joined the church choir and another group--that no-one spoke to her or even seemed to see her, once she was trying to become a part of society again. So different from the top floor of the asylum, where she didn't have to pretend to be someone she wasn't, and she was seen for who she was.   

Content: For adults. Quite a bit of language, including some crude sexual references. Self harm and violence.

Safecracker: A Chronicle of the Coolest Job in the World, by Dave McOmie

This book was one I found browsing the nonfiction shelves at the library. It just seemed interesting, so I grabbed it. I'm glad I did! It was a good read. My 14 year old read it as well and also liked it.

Safecracker: A Chronicle of the Coolest Job in the World, by Dave McOmie

4 stars: Enjoyable, fast read.

 Dave McOmie's job is to break into safes and bank vaults. If the combination goes missing or has been forgotten, if the time clock gets wound too tight or something gets stuck, Dave gets a call and off he goes. He spends a lot of time travelling to his job sights, as most of them are far enough away to require an airplane flight. He has to bring his tools with him--drills, lots of extra bits of various sizes, and expensive scopes to look into the holes he has made. It's often a timed or high pressure situation. 

Between jobs, Dave is a dedicated family man and a philosopher at heart.

* * * * *

I found this fascinating. His job is one that rarely crosses my mind--but then again, I have never needed a safecracker. The book takes the form of "A Week in the Life," going day-by-day through the jobs required. He also tells stories of other jobs he has done, people he has worked with and for, and throws in some philosophy here and there. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into his life and perspective.  

Content: A little profanity, plus a couple of the safes had x-rated contents, which were mentioned but not graphically described.

Three Pennies, by Melanie Crowder

 My husband and I have talked about fostering children for a very long time. We have just finished the initial set of training classes! We're excited and (at least for me) a little nervous. We know that this will be a big change for our family. 

This is one I just pulled off the shelf while browsing a few weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find this book was about a girl in care. I would love to make a list of fiction featuring foster children and their families--both biological and resource or adopted. 

Three Pennies, by Melanie Crowder

4 stars: Wistful, revealing, and ultimately, hopeful.

Marin has been in foster care since she was small. She doesn't know why her mom left and she's never known her dad. Now there's an opportunity for her to be adopted, but she is positive that if she could just find her mom and talk with her face to face, that this misunderstanding can be worked out. Surely her mom will want her, at the very least will be unable to say no to her in person. She takes readings from her copy of I Ching to help her make decisions, but it's going to take more than the enigmatic answers from her book to guide her this time.

Lucy is a doctor with a child-sized hole in her life. She wants very badly to love a child and be a mother. Her life circumstances make it unlikely that she will be able to have one of her own, but she is open to adoption--if only there's a child that would fit.

And then there's an owl. A philosophically trained, very wise old owl. 

* * * * *

The book alternates points-of-view between Marin, Lucy, the owl, and a few other characters. I did not find it jarring, as the switch happens per chapter. It is written as narrative poetry.

From the very beginning I was pulling for Marin and Lucy. Also feeling for Marin, as I would guess her speculations and feelings about her family of origin echo those of many children in care. Everyone wants to feel loved and wanted and safe. When the very foundations of her life get shaken up--literally and figuratively--Marin finds a way to cope with her past and move into her future.

Content: Clean.

  

Educated, by Tara Westover

So, I just now got to this book. I know. It has been around and talked about so much since it came out. I have wanted to read it this whole time, just not so much that I persisted in seeking it out. Then at our last library visit, there it was sitting on an end cap. Yep, now is the time. Snatched it right up! 

As much as I use my Kindle and read online now days, there's a serendipity, a found delight, about going in person to a library that a virtual experience just can't replicate. 

I am a shelf browser by nature. Sometimes I have specific books that I am looking for, but even in that case, I always just happen to see 3 or 4 others nearby that come home with me.  I always check the displays and the "New" bookshelves, too. 

Sometimes I don't even know what I want, so I just wander and see what catches my eye. Then when something does--it's free to take home! Just not the same on Amazon.

Anyway...to the review!

Educated, by Tara Westover

4 stars: Sad, disturbing, inspiring. So many things to think about with this one.

Tara's experiences growing up in rural Idaho, the youngest child in a family of far-right survivalists. She was "homeschooled," which included very little actual book learning and a whole lot of working for her dad in the junkyard. Her parents didn't believe in doctors, so even ghastly injuries were treated at home with herbal remedies. They believed the government was evil, and guns were good.

This is her journey toward breaking free from the constraints of her upbringing and coming into a new and different understanding of herself, her family, and the world.

* * * * *

So many thoughts about this book. Lots to unpack here. I should start by saying that I've got a lot of family in the little towns in Idaho that she grew up in and near, including my parents, plus aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides. I did not grow up there but have visited countless times over the years. That connection made Westover's experiences extra interesting and poignant to me. 

In addition, I am also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I could relate in that way to her story, though not all of the doctrine as she talks about it matches up with what I believe or was taught. She was homeschooled. I am currently homeschooling our 4 children. They were survivalists. We consider ourselves to be prepared, but I wouldn't go so far as to call us preppers. However, there were some similarities there.

One way we diverge widely from her family is belief in government and the medical establishment. They feared and resented both. We do not. My husband is a doctor! We don't love the government, but we do what we must to get along with it. Along those lines, some of those injuries--wow. The doctors I know--including my husband--don't claim to have all the answers, but they do use proven methods and medications. How many problems could have been taken care of if their various ailments and injuries had been treated? First and foremost, her dad's mental illness. That alone could have changed the whole trajectory of all of their lives.  

Her father rules over the family. It was hard to read about him claiming to have received revelation for his family but with ideas that led them further into extremity. For instance, at one point he decided that dairy products were evil, so they got rid of all of theirs (Tara would slip down the hill to her grandparents' for cold cereal and milk in the mornings.) The shootout at Ruby Ridge was a story told over and over to the children and they felt a real sense of fear: if it could happen at Ruby Ridge, they could be next. So many decisions based on fear, but under the cover of faith.

Tara also recounts physical abuse at the hands of her older brother, and another brother who got out and went to college against all odds. When she finally did make it to college--also against great odds--her ignorance and different upbringing made so many things hard for her. Her family vehemently denies (to this day, according to my mom), that any of this happened the way she said it did.  

I thought her account was even handed. She tried to show the good as well as the bad, even as at times she doubts her own memory. It sounded like neither set of grandparents believed the same way Tara's family did. Her one grandma-down-the-hill tried to take her away with them to Arizona for the winter, to go to public school there. Even her abusive brother protected her sometimes and saved her life from a runaway horse at one point. 

Her observation towards the end, of the chasm that has split their family--between her and 2 brothers who left and the ones who stayed--was especially telling. Those who left all have PhD's, none have returned to live in Idaho, they are mostly estranged from the others. Of those who stayed, none have a high school diploma, the boys and son-in-law work for their dad in the junk business, or for the mom in her essential oils business. Back at home, the drama and dysfunction goes on, while Tara and the other 2 seem to have found a measure of peace away from it all. 

My recurring thought throughout the whole book was: how was this allowed to go on? How did these kids slip through the cracks? Obviously, homeschooling had a lot to do with that--there were no teachers checking up on them or calling CFS--but these are warm, close-knit communities. How did no-one in her church ward notice what was happening? Or maybe they did or made attempts to help but she just didn't include that? Or her parents were just really good at putting on a good face, maybe? So many questions. They were pretty much estranged from most of the extended family, it sounds like, with strained relationships between her parents and grandparents on both sides. I don't know. How? That's what boggles my mind. 

Finally, having read this book, I can understand my mom's hesitation when I told her we would be homeschooling our kids! If this type of homeschooling was all I had ever heard about, I would be very concerned as well. 

Now I need to go call my cousins. 

Content: A few cuss words, plus some very graphic descriptions of horrible injuries. Seriously, they would keep me up at night if I let them. 

 

(January 2022)

The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, by Sam Quinones

 This one is by the bestselling author of Dreamland, which I have not read. 

The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, by Sam Quinones

4 stars: Eye opening.

Quinones details the drug scene in America, from the early 2000's, where heroin and cocaine were the biggest drugs on the streets, to now, with the rise of meth. He also talks at length about the Mexican drug cartels and when they made the switch from farmed drugs, like opium to lab-made, synthetic drugs which encompasses fentanyl products and meth. 

Along with all of that, he shares personal stories from several people who have been affected by drugs, and what a few communities are doing to fight back.

* * * * *

Wow, this book really brought things to light that I did not know about. The picture it paints of America is sobering, to say the least. Depressing, even. Drugs and cartels and synthetic chemicals made in China and shipped to whoever wants to make their own drugs to sell from home. It's a lot. 

I'm glad I read it, though. This is happening. In my town, and in yours, whether the families being affected have broken through the shame to talk about it or not, it's happening. We're all seeing the aftermath of it--although it's not really aftermath, because it's ongoing. Just the havoc, I guess, is the better way to put it. Kids flooding foster care because parents are too doped up to take care of them. Homelessness exploding, drug overdoses killing more people than covid in the first half of 2020.

He doesn't just leave it there, though, which is the strength of this book. He shows a way forward. Communities coming together to treat addicts. Judges and policemen keeping them accountable and giving them the push towards sobriety. Safety nets in the form of counseling, rides, help finding jobs, and more, coming into play. 

Sometimes it's not enough. Drugs are strict taskmasters, and the new forms of meth and drugs mixed with fentanyl are worse than they've ever been: more potent, more addictive, more deadly, more brain-damaging. I felt a determination to find solutions. As he says several times in the book, (paraphrasing here), no longer can we wait for addicts to hit rock bottom to seek help. In these times, rock bottom is dead. 

Definitely not a light read, but an important one.

Content: A little bit of language, descriptions of drug abuse and violence.

 (February 2, 2022)

A Wish in the Dark, by Christina Soontornvat

 After reading All Thirteen by this author, I was eager to see what else she has written. So I was excited to find A Wish in the Dark. Then when I found out it had ties to Les Miserables? All in!  

A Wish in the Dark, by Christina Soontornvat
2021 Newberry Honor

5 stars: Original fantasy with connections to one of my favorite books. Outstanding!

Pong and Somkit live in a Namwon Prison. They aren't criminals--they were born there, and have since become orphans. They have to stay until they age out of the system--4 more years. Unless they can escape. Not that they have made any plans or anything, but one day when the opportunity presents itself, Pong takes the chance. He gets out! Alone. He left Somkit behind. 

Now Pong must make his way in the world without getting caught and taken back to prison. Now if he goes back, he will be a criminal, just for escaping. Chances are not good that he would escape twice. 

However, it's a big world out there. The governor controls the light that the people have. 

After a big fire in Pong's grandfather's time, no-one wishes to use fire anymore, ever. Then the governor came with light inside of him that they learned to hold inside of glass globes. Brighter lights for the wealthy, as it has turned out, and dimmer colors for the poor and middle class. They have even discovered how to power boats and machines with their lights. 

Pong can't worry about all that, though. He just has to survive another day without being caught. Little does he know how his own life will be connected with the future of the city, his people, and the light.

* * * * *

This was such a satisfying read. I enjoyed the setting in a Thai-inspired fantasy world. The characters were well done and believable. The threads and connections back to Les Miserables added another layer. It was a great experience!

This is one I will encourage my children to read. Strongly encourage. :) 

Content: Clean.

96 miles, by J.L. Esplin

I came across this book just browsing the middle grade fiction stacks at the library. I was highly interested in it, once I saw what it was about. I've read quite a bit of survivalist fiction, but none geared towards kids until now. I can relate to these kids. I wouldn't say we have gone full-on prepper, but we are working toward being prepared for both short-term and longer-term emergencies. Peace of mind means a lot.

96 Miles, by J. L. Esplin

4 stars: Kept me reading to find out what was going to happen!

 

For John and Stew, this was supposed to be like every other work trip of their dad's. They would spend most of the time home alone, but would make sure to check in daily and spend at least a few hours over at the neighbor's as well. It's not like they couldn't take care of themselves. 

Then the power went out. Not just at their house. Everywhere--at least, everywhere that they have been able to find out about. According to these same news sources, this is not going to be fixed quickly. It could days, maybe weeks. 

They aren't too worried, though. Their dad has always been prepared, and then some. They should have plenty of food and supplies to just hunker down until things come back online. Their biggest threat will probably be boredom. 

And then the men come in the night. Suddenly, their choices look very different. In order to survive, they're going to have to start walking. They have 96 miles to go.

* * * * *

As with most survivalist fiction, this book poses a big "what-if" question, then spends the book answering the question. What if you were just kids, left home alone during a widespread disaster? What decisions would you have to make and what steps would you have to take in order to survive? 

I thought it was well done. You get bits and pieces of the story as you go along, which keeps up the suspense. Some things that don't make sense at first fall into place by the end. 

I enjoy these types of books that go into scenarios. They have some suspense, and at the same time I'm thinking the whole time about how I would handle this or that, or in this case--how would kids do it? Food for thought.

My 12-year old daughter read it and we had a good discussion about it. I think it would be a great pick for a teen book club. In addition to the plot points, there are several moral questions that you could discuss.

Content: Clean.

Before the Ever After, by Jacqueline Woodson

 If you haven't read anything by Jacqueline Woodson, it's time to fix that! I have loved everything of hers I've read so far. This one was no exception. I know some people shy away from novels in verse. I enjoy them. I feel like they have a rhythm to them that you can't achieve nearly as well with regular writing. It does allow for a little more skipping around in the narrative, as well, but when it's done well--like in this book--it feels natural. 

Before the Ever After, by Jaqueline Woodson

2021 Coretta Scott King Book Award

5 stars: Warm-hearted and poignant.

ZJ's Dad plays pro football. He's always been ZJ's hero--and lots of other people's hero, too. He's a gentle giant, who loves football more than almost anything, but he loves his family most of all. 

Then his dad starts changing. His hands shake. He forgets things--stuff like the name of one of ZJ's best friends. He cries sometimes for no reason, and sometimes get angry.

ZJ is scared and he just wants his dad to get better, but they are not finding any answers.

* * * * *

Woodson shines a light on the brain problems caused by repeated head trauma--like happens in football. Her characters are multi--faceted. I love her portrayal of warm, supportive family and friends that surround Zachariah and his family when things slide away from great and head straight toward hard. It's like she's saying, "Here's what it's like to be a friend. Here's how you stand by someone in trouble." 

Written in free verse, which keeps the chapters moving quickly.  

Content: clean.

(January 2022)

First Flower Harvest

Bachelor's buttons are blooming!

The kids and I went over this morning and cut some flowers for the table.

Most are 'Blue Boy,' which I love, but there are a few others here and there--a light purple, a deep pink, and white/purple bicolor.

This one was mine.

I put in bachelor's buttons as my main flower, with lemon mint, lavender, and salvia to add depth.

My oldest daughter did this one.

Bachelor's buttons, agastache, yarrow, pineapple mint, and lavender.

It's so good to have flowers for cutting again!

New Boxes Planted!

 We got the new garden boxes planted!

I just took pictures of the flower box, because the rest were mostly seeds--so they look empty.

I decided to go with tones of peachy pink, raspberry, dark pink, and purple.

All my favorite colors!

After some thought, I did some perennials in this bed. I'm assuming we'll rent the same beds next year.

If not, or if we move, I will have to dig them up and bring them--or give them away to a friend.

This daylily is in the back left corner, below.

Love it!

In the middle I put a 'Cheyenne Spirit' coneflower.

You know how much I love those!

Then in the corners I've got the daylily above, Coreopsis Li'l Bang 'Starstruck', a bright pink geranium, and bright pink petunias.

On either side of the coneflower are 2 agastaches: 'Sunrise Orange' and 'Morello.'

I also put in 3 achilleas, all 'Summer Pastels' variety, and one lavender for my youngest daughter 'Hidcote Blue.' I filled in empty spots with Verbena Lascar 'Mango Orange' and alyssum 'Easter Bonnet' mix.

It's going to be so pretty once everything fills in and starts blooming!

In the long skinny bed, the kids planted half beans and half carrots--a mix of colors for each.

The other square box had almost 10 pounds of potatoes hidden under the soil!

After digging those out and refilling with dirt, the kids planted our one zucchini plant in the corner, then they did onions, corn, wheat grass, and bunny tails grass.

In this box I planted 3 varieties of sunflowers in the big empty spaces you see there.

I pulled out the parsley. The leaves were yellowing and it was going to seed.  

I don't remember the names of the sunflowers offhand, and the seed packets are in the garage!

One will be velvety burgundy, one was a mix of colors, and the other....nope, can't remember.

Those are my dahlias there, front left, getting big and bushy!

Plus a glimpse of the winter squash with very tall peas back on the left.

Everything has really started to take off these past couple of weeks!

Marigolds

 

So bright and pretty in the vegetable bed! 

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker

 

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, by Olivia Hawker

4 stars: Deep, thoughtful, moving.

Cora Bemis and Nettie Mae Webber have lived as neighbors for years, out on the Wyoming frontier. Though never friends, per se, they have been decent neighbors. That is, until Cora and Substance Webber have an affair, and Ernest (that would be Cora's husband) fatally shoots Substance. 

Now Ernest is in jail, and winter is coming on. Neither household has a man to help with all the farm chores. Nettie Mae's son Clyde and Cora's daughter Beulah, both teenagers, work hard to help get ready for the long months ahead. It's a good thing, too. Nettie Mae is consumed with bitterness and anger, Cora with regret. 

 It is a bitter pill to swallow when the women realize that they will have to combine their households in order to survive the winter. It takes too much time and energy going back and forth to care for both places. Accordingly, Cora and her 4 children move in with Nettie Mae and Clyde. The animals share a barn, and all must learn to live together.

Over the long winter months, cracks begin to appear in the attitudes of the women toward each other, and in their perceptions of themselves. A new life; a different, more joyful and authentic way of moving through the world awaits, if they can just break through the prison of the past.

* * * * *

I enjoyed this one. It was heavier than what I usually read, but there were quiet moments of wonder tending toward magical realism that brought me out of the heaviness --particularly the chapters from Beulah's point of view. The tone starts out pretty bleak and depressing, but more and more hope is allowed in as the book goes on. Tense and exciting climax, and satisfying ending.

These women are in desperate straits, and they know that. Their very survival depends upon their working together, but how would it be to have to bring your worst enemy into your life so closely? Hawker's answer was compelling and kept me reading to the very end.

Content: Occasional swearing, references to the affair but not graphic descriptions, some thematic stuff--Clyde's burial of his father is written in detail, some butchering of animals. I was so relieved that the relationship between Beulah and Clyde stays innocent throughout. Thank you, Ms. Hawker for that!

We've Got Some Work to Do!

As we've been going about our gardening business, over at the community garden, we have kept an eye on a couple of beds that seemed uncared for.

Finally, we made it in to the desk and asked about them--sure enough, they were unclaimed! So we claimed them. That is, we rented them for the season. 2 square, half-size boxes and 1 long and skinny one. 

As you can see, we've got our work cut out for us to get these ready to plant!
The bottom one is post weed removal.
There are some potato plants with flowers on them hiding amongst all those weeds. 
Wonder what else we'll find! 

Garden is Looking Good!

 Our garden has really been loving the warmer temperatures we've had the past few days.

The swiss chard is going crazy. We're giving it away in big bunches! We have eaten some, but it is way more than we can keep up with ourselves. Funny, for a crop that we didn't even plant!

The squash is starting to grow big, finally, and the peas are loaded with blossoms!

Tomatoes are hanging in there, but haven't put on much growth yet. Spinach is about done, carrots are getting big enough to harvest soon. 

In my flower box, the bachelor's buttons have lots of buds but haven't started opening up yet. Cosmos are getting big and bushy--I will need to thin them soon. Zinnias are up but haven't put on much growth yet, and same with the dahlias.

Winter squash, looking towards peas and tomatoes.

Tomatoes

Flowers in Pots

I had kind of been debating if I was even going to fill these big flowerpots this year, but in the end, I decided to do it. I did check with our landlord first, to make sure he would be okay with where I wanted to put them. We have the 2 tall plant stands, so that works well for their new position by the mailbox.

This one has Japanese forest grass, sweet potato vine, and salvia.

In the smaller pot, we planted violas, veronica, and sweet potato vine. (The 3 v's.)

I'm glad I went to the effort after all. It has brightened my day to see these pretty flowers whenever I pull into our driveway.

Meanwhile, over at the community gardens, there are planters and pots lining the edges of the garden.

These are all supposed to be free for harvesting for anyone with a garden box rented.

They are a total mess! Full of weeds and half-dead plants, every one of them!

So we decided to help out a little bit with that situation.

There are 4 pots in particular right next to our beds. 

We emptied out 3 of them completely, and refilled with dirt (provided.)

The fourth has an enormous fennel plant in it, and my kids want to harvest some fennel seeds, apparently. So we are letting that one go to seed, but then later we will yank it out and probably replant it--maybe with some spring or summer blooming bulbs.

Anyway, in the first one we planted 3 kinds of mint: pineapple mint, spearmint, and orange mint.

The second one we filled with flowers--mostly petunias, with an African daisy and sweet potato vine to round things out.

The third had some chives planted in it that flowered this spring, but when I looked closer, some of them were still in 2" pots sitting on the surface, and there were dead plants and weeds galore.

For this one I did petunias and verbena in pink and peach tones, and replanted the chives in the middle.

There is a 5th pot that someone else weeded out then just left empty for a month. 

I didn't want to take over if they had plans, but after a month I figured it was up for grabs.

We had a big bunch of volunteer calendula coming up in our vegetable box that were starting to crowd out our tomatoes, so we dug those up and plopped them into the pot.

They are bright orange and yellow and quite cheerful-looking over in the pot.

Recovered very nicely from the transplant. 

Planter 1: all the mints.

Planter 2: petunias and African daisy

Planter 3: petunias, verbena, and chives

There are several more to go.

I'm kind of working my way around the perimeter.

There are two big planters with grapes in them. 

The one just needs to be filled up with fresh soil--it's only about halfway full and you can see some of the roots poking out. The other is chock full of weeds.

I have been watering all the pots that we have planted, and the grapes, at the same time we water our beds. (I really want to harvest some grapes this year! That would be awesome!)

I guess I feel a bit protective of them now.

We don't mind a bit if everyone else harvests the mint.

For the others, even though they're not really harvestable, I figured flowers were at least better than weeds. Maybe they'll increase the pollinators in the garden.  

Series Spotlight: Wesley Mackey Trilogy, by K.L. Fogg

 We have had this series sitting on our shelves for at least 3 years. We've moved it twice now! I had never read it and neither had any of the kids. It was given to us as a gift from grandparents. Finally, I gave my oldest daughter the task of reading that series for us all, so we could either decide to keep it or get rid of it! They are thick books and take up quite a bit of bookshelf space, so I had been giving them the side eye for quite some time. 

She took on the challenge and actually really liked them! She suggested that I read them as well, which I finally did--6 months later. So here we are! When I started reading them this past week, she decided to re-read them at the same time, so we had a few negotiations over who got priority to read. Ha! 

So, these were a lot of fun. Full of action--lots of kidnapping, daring escapes and rescues, bombs, fires, secret identities, diamonds, and also poisonous animals. They were clean, minus the action-related violence. I would say geared for ages 10 and up. Just for reference, my daughter is 11 and she handled them just fine. I think 3 years ago when we got them, however, they would have been a bit too intense for her.

Now for a bit about each book individually...

Serpent Tide (Wesley Mackey #1), by K.L. Fogg

4 stars: A search for identity, with lots of action!

Wesley Vandergrift is the son of one of the richest women in the United States--maybe even the world. Everyone at school envies him and also give him a rough time because of it.

What they don't know is that Wesley feels trapped. He can hardly do anything, ever. The only times he gets to do normal kid stuff, it's because the head housekeeper, Maria, aids and abets him--and doesn't tell his mom. He and his mom think so differently on every topic that he doesn't see how they could even be related.

By some chance, he is allowed to go to a horse-riding camp for a couple of days. When he meets the owners of the ranch, and their family, they all seem strangely familiar to him. Then he sees some pictures in their family room, and wheels in his head start turning. Could it be possible that this is his true family? 

So many questions, so few answers. 

* * * * *

One thing you have to know about these books is that there are several coincidences that are a bit far-fetched. You just have to roll with it, all right? That's probably me as an adult reader talking--I don't know if my daughter noticed or even was bothered by it. If you can get past the "it just so happens..." aspects of the story, it's an exciting plot, with a good bit of humor thrown in. Imogene Vandegrift, Wesley's "mom" is enough of a villian to keep things moving right along, and the supporting characters have plenty of endearing quirks. 

I think most kids will relate to the search for an identity and a sense of belonging. Well done. As soon as I was done with this one I had to go get the next!

Widow's Revenge (Wesley Mackey #2), by K.L. Fogg

4 stars: Hang on to your seat, it's an exciting ride!

Wesley finally gets to live with his Dad and stepmom, and is enjoying some of the perks of a normal (not super wealthy) life. Too bad school can't be as great. He is tired of being bullied at school, particularly by Dylan. So he finally does something about it. Unfortunately, that "something" gets him suspended from school for the rest of the year. 

His Dad finds him a tutor, who turns out to be this ultra-geeky guy named Harrison. He's all right, though. The real problem is that Wesley's grandma, after some digging into Dylan's background, has decided to give Welsey's tormentor a chance to change his life. That's right. Dylan's coming to live at the ranch. Grandma! C'mon!

Meanwhile, terrible news on the Imogene front: she survived the storm at sea and is lying in wait for her chance to reclaim Wesley, while wreaking revenge upon all who claim to be his true family.

It's going to be hard to know who to trust and even harder to come out of all this in one piece.

* * * * *

A strong second installment! Wesley and Co. have their work cut out for them for this time. As the cover would suggest, a certain black widow spider named Black Betty plays an important role in this story and yes, there quite a large forest fire as well. That's not even the half of it. There are adorable twins, more kidnapping, a senile old lady... What are you waiting for? Find this book and dive in!

Diamondback Cave (Wesley Mackey #3), by K.L. Fogg

4 stars: Diamonds and rattlers! 

 Some people just can't stop! Imogene Vandegrift is one of those people. She has a plan forever. Plans within plans. None of her evil plans include going to prison. They all include a certain stash of diamonds that she has hidden in a secret underground vault.

Well, you know that Wesley is going to get mixed up in all of this. He has to, because his friend Amanda's soon-to-be-stepdad is missing, and the grown-ups aren't doing anything about it. He and Amanda and Teddy the dog set out to find the missing man (I don't want to say his name because it would be a spoiler if you haven't read the other 2.)

Their search takes them into the depths of Diamondback Cave. Are there diamonds in there? Maybe. Are there snakes in there? Most definitely. Will they succeed in making it out alive? Well....that remains to be seen.

* * * * *

This premise is one that made me cringe as a parent--2 kids going off by themselves to search for the missing/kidnapped person. Of course it's a big secret, of course they run into trouble. Just--turn down the helicopter blades for a moment or two and get into the story!

In addition to the main plot, this one had a couple of side plots that added interest. There was an exploration of judging people by what you see, rather than who they really are, and some relationship stuff between Wesley's Dad and stepmom that were interesting to me. I don't know how my daughter felt about those parts! 

Satisfying character growth, and even a bit of a twist at the end. Good ending to the trilogy.

Have you read this trilogy? What did you think? 

Flower Arranging Class

I was asked to teach a flower arranging class to the young women of our church.
I was delighted! My oldest daughter helped every step of the way.
We were planning for 15: 12 girls and 3 leaders. My budget was $130, of which I spent $107. Yeah!

We bought flowers from Costco and Safeway for this one.
Costco provided us with mini carnations, mixed mums, and large spider mums.

From Safeway, we got lilies, roses, some bigger carnations, and snapdragons.

We cut a whole bucket of vetch from the dunes, and some other greenery just from around our yard for that, so we didn't spend any money on the greenery.

Each girl made an arrangement in a pint jar. I provided flower food, and a laminated "recipe card," along with clippers, and a large vase or pitcher at each place to put their flowers in while they were working. (Some of the supplies were brought by the leaders as well.)

After we bought the flowers, we got them home and prepped them all--removed plastic sleeves and lower leaves, re-cut stems and put back into water.

It was great having buckets of flowers in my garage and car again!

We had a lot of fun at the class itself.

I think the girls enjoyed it as well.

I will add in the recipe we came up with, once I track it down. I can't find where we saved it at the moment. We had laminated cards for them and everything!

Flowers for Friends

 Sometimes it's fun to pretend that I'm still in the farmer florist business. 
Coming out of a rough week, I needed some flower therapy!
My husband took the kids--school, swimming, other fun stuff--and I had a flower day!

My older daughter and I went out first thing in the morning and cut wildflowers on the dunes: lupine and vetch. It was cool and misty--perfect flower cutting weather! 
Not sure if that's actually allowed, but no-one stopped us.

Then I bought flowers from a couple different stores.
I came home, processed them, and put them all into 5 bouquets--just wrapped with paper.
It seems that it's easier to give flowers away if they're not all fancy in a vase.

Or I should say--it seems like it's easier for other people to accept a gift of flowers if it's not done up all fancy, for whatever reason. So, paper-wrapped. Check.

Filled up 2 buckets with my bouquets. 

It made me really happy to have buckets full of flowers again!

This time I didn't really find a bigger flower to be my focal, so I went with the green hydrangea, filled in around the sides with alstromeria, mums, mini carnations, tulips, and snapdragons. Then I put the lupines and the vetch around the outside; I really liked the little bit of wildness that they added.

I was so happy with the way they turned out!

Top view.

I took them to 5 different ladies that I'm becoming friends with, or hoping to become friends with. :) 

I had the time to stay and chat, so I did at a couple of the stops.

It was such a good day.

Flowers + friendly connections = healing for my soul.

My husband and kids were home before me. They had a good day too.

Swimming, a new 3-D movie at the museum, and lunch from the taco truck.

Garden Update

 I haven't taken very many pictures of our community garden plots, because so far they are still full of tiny seedlings and weeds, which don't make for very good pictures. I'll get some the next time we go over and add them to this post.

I'm happy to report that our gardens are coming along! 

We have been asking around as to when is the best time to plant warm-weather stuff, like tomatoes and peppers. Everyone has said around Mother's Day, which--as you know--was last week.

So even though the weather has been almost identical every day since the first of May (60 during the day, 48 at night), we waited until this past week to go get our plants. Truthfully, we've been busy with other things too, otherwise we would have just gotten them in earlier!

We put in 4 varieties of tomatoes: Sweet 100, Oregon Spring, Black Krim, and Roma. I still want to look for Sungold, as those are my favorite. Another tip from the locals: the tomatoes that do the best here are the smaller, earlier varieties, because it just doesn't get very hot during the summer. 

They put marigolds between the tomatoes. We didn't get any peppers, which was an oversight, so we may be going back this week and looking for peppers to plant.

Meanwhile, the yard-long cucumbers are finally start to sprout some true leaves, and the cantaloupe, gourds, and mini pumpkins are trending in that direction, as well.

You get two pictures of the carrot patch.

This is what we're sorting through to find the actual carrot seedlings!

I think we've finally figured out which seedlings were carrots, too, which is a big breakthrough. We've had so many weeds coming up, many of them "gifts" from neighboring garden boxes that let their plants go to seed over the winter, that we've had an interesting time figuring what's what. 

In amongst the carrots that we planted, we also have had volunteer fennel, cilantro, swiss chard, and lettuce coming up. Plus all the ones we know for sure are weeds. Oh, and something bright pink that we think might be either a type of spinach or possibly kale. 

The kids transplanted all the cilantro into one little patch, to give our carrots some more room.

Adam's spinach patch is looking good, too, and starting to produce some edible leaves.
He's reluctant to thin it, however, so not sure how big they'll get.

The peas are getting tall and sort of climbing up the trellis.

Over in the flower box, my bachelor's buttons are doing fantastic.

I've thinned them a couple of times, but now I'm just letting them grow a bit crowded.

I was excited to find 'Madame Butterfly' snapdragons for sale at the nursery, so I bought three 6-packs, and planted them out in a block right next to my bachelor's buttons. This is the type of snaps I had last year, and I loved their frilly, open faces. They're a mix of colors.

 

Here you go--I found a picture of last year's.

The snapdragons were all about 10 inches tall, and I gave them the chop--cut them off to just above the lowest sets of leaves. It will set them back by a couple of weeks for bloom time, but instead of one main stalk, I'll get 4 or 5 per plant. It's hard to pinch them when they're doing so well, but it will be worth it!

I've got cosmos coming up next to that, and I'm still waiting on zinnias to pop up. 

I'm not sure it's been warm enough for the zinnias to come up yet. In warm weather they will sometimes pop up in 3 days--it's been 10 so far and no sign of them yet. They're sulking.

So in the picture are all volunteers: potato plant, swiss chard, lettuce, and something else.

 

Oh, and I bought 6 dahlia tubers from a roadside stand and put them in on the end of the box (behind the parsley there in the middle.) 

I'm actually really excited for those! 

They haven't come up yet either.

If I have any extra room, or things don't come up, I'm going to fill it in with sunflowers. 

I'm looking forward to having a box full of color and beautiful flowers!