February book report

Well, Gladys, I did a little better this month: 4 books! In order, they were:
"Prayers, Paws & Providence" by Diann Hunt
"Through Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot
"Night Song" by Susan Plunkett & Krysteen Sellen
"George" by Agnes Sligh Turnbull

The first book was another in the Grace Chapel Inn series I talked about last month. I learned a lot about seizure response dogs in this one. As always, a good read and very positive.

The Elliot book was about the martyrdom of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming and Roger Youderian in Ecuador in 1956. I went into this book knowing it was going to be a hard read. I'd read a little about Jim Elliot years ago and had seen the movie The End of the Spear a few years back at church. Hard movie to watch. I have a great deal of admiration for these young men and their mission, and for their widows as well. I've read several of Elisabeth Elliot's books and think highly of her.

"Night Song" is from another series put out by Guideposts, called Mysteries of Sparrow Island. Not as lighthearted as the Grace Chapel books, but still Christian oriented. A little more "real" in the way they deal with people. Like Grace Chapel, the 2 main characters are sisters who are in their mid to late 50's. I love these books just as much as the Grace Chapel ones.

"George" is a children's book. I'm a big fan of Agnes Sligh Turnbull, having read "The Day Must Dawn" when I was in high school. That book was written in 1942, and was one of those that I would check out from the library over and over again until I finally found a used paperback at a sale. I used to buy elementary school readers whenever I'd find them at a sale or Salvation Army. I liked using the illustrations and artwork in my collages, and sometimes used the poetry as well. I'd always skim the whole reader before taking it apart. There was an excerpt from "George" in one of them. I was intrigued by the story of a rabbit with glasses who helped a woman get rid of her migraine and then helped her children with their math homework. I found that the excerpt was from a book written in 1964, so it was long out of print when I went looking for it. I found it in the used/out of print section of Barnes & Noble online and ordered it. It's a delightful little book. I found I was reading it imagining George to have a New England accent, which made it just that much cuter. I look forward to reading it to Lia some day.

So that's my report, Gladys. I recommend these books highly. Toodles util next time!

Holy Pancakes, it's Lent!!

This past Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday AKA Mardi Gras AKA PANCAKE DAY!!
I like to acknowledge the entering of the penitential season, and used to make a special dinner on Shrove Tuesday. The last few years though, we've either been at church that evening or at Bible study. This year, we were at Bible study and I knew there would be something yummy and sweet for snack, so didn't want to have syrupy pancakes for dinner and then more sweets later. Wednesday was Ash Wednesday with supper at the church before service, so no pancakes that day. Thursday I was just plain tired and didn't feel like standing at the griddle. All I could manage was cottage cheese and scrambled eggs.
BUT TODAY--TODAY WAS THE DAY!!
♥♥♥PANCAKES♥♥♥
So now I'm FULL of pancakes and happy.

Perceptual Expectation

I can't tell you how many times I've worked on a crossword puzzle and have read a clue and started to write in the answer, only to discover that the word I know without doubt is the correct one is one letter too many/too few for the space. Or--the word fits, but throws off all the other words around it. I will then re-work it, sometimes doing all the words around the trouble spot, thereby filling it in by default. I'll look at that word and think "That doesn't have anything to do with the clue!" I will then look at the clue again and find that I've transposed a letter, left a letter out, whatever, changing the clue entirely. Or--maybe in a 2 word clue, I've read the first word and the first letter of the second and assumed a different word.
Perceptual expectation.
This has happened many, many times, and never fails to annoy me. I'll wonder how on earth I imagined a different word in the first place. I got an email today that said this in the subject line:
Get Hi-Def Drama with New Mega Impact Color from AVON
I saw who the email was from and thought this was a very strange email for her to send me. Above the advertisement inside, she'd written that "Avon has great sales this time of year, pass the info along, etc." then the most outrageous statement of all: "Great gift ideas as well."
I thought "What on earth?!?!"
Then I scrolled down a bit, saw the advertisement and said "This is all about make-up!" THEN I looked at the subject line again and realized that it said Mega Impact COLOR--NOT "COLON"
I had originally just glanced at it, thought I saw something having to do with a remedy for impacted colons (which is why I thought my friend was kinda strange) and hadn't even seen the word AVON. Then I open the email and see about Avon having great sales on the stuff and that it was a GREAT GIFT IDEA????
I have to admit I just looked at the make-up ad for a second or two and really re-thought my friendship with this woman before looking at the subject line again. Then I had the best laugh I've had in days. Actual tears in my eyes over this.
Thanks for the laugh, Nadine, even though it was my goofy perceptual expectation that caused it, and keep the emails coming! I never know what I'm going to THINK I see!