REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Recommended Reading: Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair With Trash is a best selling book written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Ed Humes. I can't recommend this book enough. Humes was a speaker at the Penisula Center Library of the Palos Verdes Library District two weekends ago. The book sounded complicated and I initially thought it was going to be a tough read--and, my book club had it for our October selection. I'm the facilitator. Yikes. I'm glad I got to hear him speak prior to reading the book. I'd like to think I'm pretty "green," but I quickly learned I have a very long way to go. 

Below are two photos of Humes graciously signing books at the event and that second photo is him signing my copy of the book. 

Because I read this book, and because I learned so many new things, I prepared several possible links the book club might want to research. In case you're interested, I'm including them here. By the way, the word garbology is a real word in the dictionary now. 

Garbology Facebook Page - I immediately liked this page and find interesting tidbits in my feed. 

Edward Humes Home Page  - As you'll see, Humes has yet another book coming out now. 

Puente Hills Landfill - Did you know that Los Angeles's Puente Hills Landfill is the largest landfill in the United States, rising 500 feet high and covering 700 acres? Puente Hills accepted four million tons of waste in 2005. It closes this month.

Recology - San Francisco Landfill Artist in Residence Program - There are many good things that come from trash, and as an artist myself who uses mostly recycled items, this program intrigued me. 

San Francisco Gallery Crawl - More interesting information about Gallery Crawl in San Francisco where landfill art is featured.

Magazine article from Atlantic Magazine about the Puente Hills Landfill 

Wasteland, a Documentary About Landfills – I checked this out from the Palos Verdes Library District, but it is also available streaming on Netflix. Can't recommend this film enough. 

So, I can only hope you like this book as much I do. 

 

 

 

 

Historical Novel "The Painted Girls" Opens Up a New World For Me

When I recently heard a feature on NPR about a new historical novel called "The Painted Girls" by Cathy Marie Buchanan, I was very intrigued. Called "The Seedy Underbelly of Belle Epoque," NPR reviews the book telling the story about impoverished girls who entered the ballet school of the Paris Opera in the 1800s as a possible way of escaping grim lives. Edgar Degas's Little Dancer Aged Fourteen is a replica of the main character of this book, Marie van Goethem. 

I immediately put myself on the waiting list at the Palos Verdes Library District and I think I was first on the list. Because I've been pretty much waylaid for days with influenza, all I've done mostly is read, sleep and watch movies. 

What little girl does not have dreams of the ballet? Both my closest young girlfriends growing up in Sunland, CA took both ballet and piano lessons, but my parents did not have the money for that. But, I observed them endlessly. By the way, I'm pretty much a klutz so even if I had taken lessons, I doubt I would have lasted a month. I did indulge myself as an adult with piano lessons, too, by the way, but I sucked. But--my own daughter Christy got her mom's dreams forced on her with ballet and piano. Her heart wasn't in it, but she did dance until she was in her early teens.

I was mesmerized by the book and can't recommend it enough. Though all of Degas art has not particularly grabbed me, I know for generations of people, it has--particularly little girls who dream of being ballet dancers. 

Some Googling brought up this BBC documentary below telling the story of the bronze and how it came to be and how it is being analyzed and studied. Another good way to spend an hour and learning more, too. Ever since I was a little kid, my mind has been a curious one. It is imperative that I learn new things every day or a little piece of me shrinks away. My dad said I had a mind like a sponge and though with age the sponge can't quite soak up the way it used to, reading "The Painted Girls" has been a marvelous way to keep my mind active. 

The BBC documentary has shown clips of a film about Degas and this bronze, but I haven't been able to locate it yet. Anyone have any ideas? 

 

 

 

Lewis Richmond: Aging as a Spiritual Practice

Both of my living sisters, 86 and 88, are fading and because I'm an elder myself, 75 this year, I'm often helping out with my aging friends and family. Two of my sisters have already died. I've been the primary person responsible for three relatives that have passed, but I was younger then. The magnitude of what was happening didn't paralyze me. I go to funerals often and sometimes it takes a lot of mental discipline not to project and wonder how my own life will end. I've been writing about it a lot in my journals lately. Maybe some of this explains my fascination with all things Day of the Dead. 

My sis Betty in Washington has been in and out of crisis for a month and her daughters live in California. Trying to stay on top of things on the phone and computer has become a full-time job for my nieces.

Another good friend was just hospitalized again two days ago. I wrote in my journal that night, "Do I have the courage to grow old?" (Like we have a choice one way or another?) The sentences that followed were that it is time again to seriously re-acquaint myself spiritually with aging and what lies ahead for me. One niece flies to Washington tomorrow to help out while Betty is moved to the assisted living wing of her retirement inn. The other niece and her husband fly up on Sunday. I was blessed to spend quality time with Betty in August and I am very grateful for that.

With a heavy heart yesterday, I Googled spirituality and aging and did come up immediately with four of my favorite writers on the subject: Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi From Age-ing to Sage-ing; Sister Joan Chittister's The Gift of Years; Angeles Arrien's Second Half of Life, Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom; Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. I own all these books and/or tapes and know their content well.

But, a new book came up: Lewis Richmond, Aging as a Spiritual Practice, A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser. I love synchronicity. I checked the Palos Verdes Library District catalog and the book was in and I am in the midst of reading it. It is very powerful stuff for me to re-orient myself to my own aging process. I don't retain information like I used to so I'm reading it very slowly with yellow stickies all over the place. 

Lewis Richmond is a Buddhist teacher and the national bestselling author of several books and this new one presents a user’s guide to aging well and making every year fulfilling and transformative. I am in the second chapter now and very impressed. Following is what it says on the book jacket:

On the road that anyone fortunate enough to have lived this long must take, the first truth of aging is also the first truth of Buddhist teaching: Everything changes. In Aging as a Spiritual Practice, Buddhist priest and meditation teacher Lewis Richmond helps us understand how the transformation can bring new possibilities, fresh beginnings, a wealth of appreciation and a depth of gratitude that profoundly affects how our lives proceed.

Richmond offers an inner roadmap for aging, acknowledging the fear, anger, and sorrow many people experience when they must confront the indignities of their aging bodies and the unknowns associated with mortality, as well as explaining the four key stages of aging:

• Lightning Strikes (the moment we truly wake up to our aging)
• Coming to Terms (comparing ourselves now to how we once were)
• Adaptation (letting go of who we were and embracing who we are)
• Appreciation (acknowledging that “This is my life, I have no other”)

Regardless of whether you are enjoying growing old, hating it, or in denial, each chapter is filled with relatable anecdotes, includingRichmond’s own experience of illness, aging, and transformation. Guided meditations and contemplative reflections help us to see that while we can’t escape life’s essential problems, we can change our understanding about them and enjoy the process.

Incorporating illuminating facts from scientific researchers, doctors, and psychologists on aging’s various challenges and rewards;Richmondexplores the tandem of maintaining a healthy body and healthy relationships infused with an active spiritual life. Using this information, we can pay attention to our own experience of aging through the lens of our emotions, and adapt accordingly, inspiring opportunities for a joy that transcends age.

Admittedly, lightning struck at least a decade ago, but I am only now coming to terms and adaptation. I will admit that so far I have remained extremely grateful for my life. 

So, prayers for my sis Betty, please, and may we all have peace and purpose as we age. 

The Joy of Children in a Library

This afternoon I poked my head into the elementary school library at Chadwick School where I work and there were all these mesmerized second graders lounging in the bean bag chairs reading their books. I kid you not; my heart leapt with joy! I'm a life-long reader and a lover of libraries--and it helped that my grandson Henry was one of the kids in the beanbags. Also, the heralding of spring always makes me more aware and appreciative of the "little" things going on around me. 

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." — Jacqueline Kennedy

"Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words!" — A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943

In this age of rapidly increasing technology there are huge changes taking place with reading and with libraries, but my school still places a high value on instilling the basics in all the students. And all the local libraries do the same. Sure, kids everywhere these days are familiar with computers, iPads and smart phones, but most I know still read three-dimensional books. I know that a tangible book is still my preference most times. 

How is a grandma to resist? The guy in the front in the Marmot hat with side flaps is my grandson Henry. His parents introduced their boys to books as soon as they were born and both of them love to read. 

I've been so preoccupied lately with finishing off 1Q84 in my personal time that I've gone underground with the Internet. Tonight I hope to finish this book. What an unusual head trip this book took me on. 

"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

 

Speak Louder: Sometimes I Can't Hear Myself

It has been a nose to the grindstone week at my part-time job and the weather reverted to cold, windy and rainy again. I am emotionally so affected by the weather and particularly by the absence of the sun. It is beautiful, but cold as I write this at 5 p.m. 

So, when I ran across this photo on an old archival disk of Gordonstoun School's production of a Midsummer Night's Dream some years back, I thought to myself, "That's how I've felt all week." I'd like to think he is shouting, "Speak louder. I can't hear myself." 

Some weeks, and I'm sure you can identify with this, I put one foot in front of another and try to stay busy so the chatter in my head can't get the best of me. In the midst of all the goodness in my life, there have been so many friends and family members struggling in some valley moments in what I call the peaks and valleys of life. Then I listen and watch the news and between wars, unrest, politics, infidelities, terrorism, threats, mayhem and death,it's a necessity to stay busy so I don't let my natural anxiety grow into panic.  Will Harold Camping's doomesday prediction for May 21 be taken seriously by any sane people? Apparently there are those who believe it will happen. 

So, instead of posting to the blog and reading blogs this week, I've buried myself in work, art journals and fiction. With the weather cold it's so easy at night to tuck into bed early to read--and unfortunately, to snack. Cold weather brings out my urges to binge at bedtime.

I ask you to gaze at the picture of this young actor above. What do you imagine he might be saying? And, how are you feeling this week? By the way, even though I'm kvetching, it has been a good week in spite of myself. 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

This book by Aimee Bender really fascinated me. Though I had some difficulty initially trying to figure out what had happened when young Rose began to be "gifted" or "cursed" when she felt the feelings of the cook who cooked the food, I stuck with it--and I'm glad I did. 

This is the review BookSlut gave to Lemon Cake.

If you've read it, give me your impressions. If not, I recommend it. 

"The fabulist elements of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake are stunning, but what makes this novel a keeper is the sheer beauty of the language Bender uses to describe love."
-- NPR, 'What We're Reading'

Highly Recommend Jodi Picoult's House Rules

I read a lot, but these days it's mostly fiction and usually from the Redondo Beach or Palos Verdes libraries. Sometime I get impatient being 8 or higher on the waiting list, however, and I'll rent from The Palos Verdes Library District's rental collection. They charge $2 per week. 

I didn't want to wait for Jodi Picoult's latest release, "House Rules," and rented. I simply couldn't put this book down and read long through the night last night to finish it for today's due date. Part of that was my frugality, but it was an incredibly compelling read! 

This is the synopsis of the book from Jodi Picoult's official site. "'House Rules' is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t."

Jodi Picoult sure tackles the difficult parts of family life and somehow makes us fall in love (or hate) with her characters. 

We hear a lot these days about the autism spectrum of disorders, of which Asbergers is part. 

I recommend this book very highly, but it is not light reading. You are going to hurt as the characters are so darned real. 

At the site there are interviews with Jodi Picoult about all 17 of her books and I was delighted to see that number 18 will be out next spring: "Sing You Home." Check it out. 

Enlarge Your Child's or Grandchild's Life With Books

 "There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all."

    — Jacqueline Kennedy

I volunteered this afternoon at the Malaga Cove Branch Library used book sale as I do one Saturday per month. Malaga Cove is one of the three Palos Verdes Library District libraries and I LOVE volunteering there. The most wonderful people come in to browse and buy books. They become like extended family. 

This little cutie was one of many kids who came in with their parent or parents and went home with a sack full of books today. This little one's big brother was there, too, but he was camera shy. 

Mark your calendars for the two monthly Palos Verdes libraries book sales which benefit the library district's programs. Peninsula Center's sales are Thurs., Fri., Sat. and Sun. each month and Malaga Cove is the third Fri. and Sat. of each month. Just check the Palos Verdes Library events calendar for more details. 

If you don't live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, be sure to attend your own library's used book sales. This resource greatly benefits all of our libraries which continue to be hit by funding cuts. 

My Grandsons Help Me Publicize the Big Art Book Sale This Weekend

For those of you who read here regularly, my grandsons Henry (r) and Fritz visited grandma last Saturday while I was volunteering at the Malaga Cove Library. Knowing that our big special sale of art books takes place this Saturday and Sunday, I pressed them into service for publicity. 

If you live in Los Angeles and you are an art book aficianado, check out all the details at the Peninsula Friends of the Library blog. The two books the guys are holding are just two of hundreds donated from a Los Angeles estate. All profits will benefit the Peninsula Library District's programs--and that means a lot in these days of nationwide slashes to libraries in our downturned economy.

As for Henry and Fritz, they sure are getting big, aren't they? How blessed I am to have six beautiful and healthy grandkids ranging in ages from 23 to 20 months. These guys are five and six. 

Tell me about your own grandkids, if you have them.  

Art Journal: The Big Yellow House

 I "forced" myself to make an art journal page tonight as I have been procrastinating--a lot lately. 

I found a beat up old greeting card at an estate sale that had this house and the words I wrote. It so fit how I have felt this past year. 

How I used to be out and about in earlier years, but the past few years I've become a genuine homebody. I don't know if that is a Leo trait or not, or if it is just age, or contentment. It started when Cookie got so ill; I just hated to leave her. 

Those of you who know me well know how much I loved to spend time in retreat centers over the years. It was in those beautiful places that I re-found myself, wrote endlessly, hiked, prayed, and met and mingled in the evenings if the retreat wasn't silent. But, in earlier years, my house often had a few people or several people off and on in residence. 

Now Villa Redondo has become my retreat.

I'm back at work as of today and the last several weeks of the semester are always very busy ones. The weather warmed today, too, which lifts my mood by leaps and bounds. Even hearing the stories of my family and friends who are really struggling were easier to listen to and accept. 

I am not as tolerant of cold as I once was. The doc checked for thyroid imbalance last physical, but I'm OK. Again, probably aging.

And I did start my collaborative art work for my art group's (Redondo Beach Art Group) "International House of Pigs" project. I'll write more about that later.