Frixion Pens?

When we were in Japan last summer and visited with my relatives, one of my cousins, "Ricky" gave a gift of Frixion pens to my granddaughter. He said they were erasable pens. I remembered the old somewhat erasable pens we had where the rough eraser would put a hole in the paper. But these Frixion pens were different.

Rubbing the eraser over the word produced heat which made the ink disappear. It was really remarkable.

When we went back to Japan this year, I bought more pens for myself to use on my planning calendar. I love it.

However, I thought different colors would work even better so I could color code my calendar notes. Red for birthdays, blue for anniversaries, black for appointments, etc.

I wasn't planning to take another trip to Japan soon, so I decided to look it up online, probably Amazon. Don't they have everything?

Instead, I was shocked to see that Walmart carried it under the Pilot brand!

And you know what?

It's cheaper than what I paid in Japan!

Warning: If you decide to get this, be aware that you shouldn't use it for journals, documents, etc. I suspect it isn't very permanent.

It is great for little notes, cards, doodling or calendars though. 

Impossible Whopper vs. Original Whopper

Have you tried the Impossible Whopper at Burger King? Art is always concerned about eating too much beef, not just because of the fat and cholesterol but because of the damage to the rainforest and how many resources go into raising cattle.

He often chooses to eat a veggie burger if it's offered so he was pleasantly surprised to see that Burger King had come up with some kind of veggie burger.

The big surprise was that it actually tasted like a regular burger. I would have bought one too, but it was too big for me. I just took a bite of his burger.

Since it tasted so good, he decided hopefully that the nutrition would be better too.

Ummmm....

Unfortunately, it was not all that much healthier at all.

I got the above information for the Impossible Whopper from the Prevention website:

I guess what it boils down to is the sodium which Art needs to avoid because of his blood pressure. The Impossible Whopper has 1,080 grams whereas the regular Whopper has 980.

Other than that, there's not a significant nutrition difference.

On the other hand, you'd still be helping the rainforest and reducing the consumption of beef.

The Day After My Day in Court: The Verdict

I was surprised to receive a text message a couple of days later from my jury friend, Judy. She attached a newspaper clipping from the Star Advertiser. I'd completely missed seeing it.

There it was.

Judy explained that when all the selected jurors arrived the following morning, they were directed to wait in a room while negotiations were going on between the lawyers.

A plea deal was worked out after 3 hours.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to receive a lesser sentence.

Judy said they were served some delicious scones while they waited.

When everything was resolved, the jurors were called back to the courtroom where Judge Kobayashi thanked each juror for being involved citizens.

Judy complimented the judge on her fairness and compassion.

Judge Kobayashi said she'd been appointed by President Obama during his first term. I had to smile for this was one more evidence that President Obama chose judges that we could all be proud of and be confident in her ability to uphold our rights as citizens.

I wonder what kind of judges are being appointed now.

POSTSCRIPT:  
I got the following message from Judy a couple of days ago.

"I was really glad when the judge called us back to the courtroom after a long wait in the jurors’ room. The defendant had pleaded guilty. It spared us from viewing x-rated evidence. Some of the jurors didn’t want to go back to work but I was happy to go home so I could get ready to visit family in Washington and to enjoy the autumn leaves!
Judy"

My Day in Court: Part 2

The jury waiting room did not have adequate space to spread out my iPad or books to pass the time. I would soon learn why. All 93 of us were directed to take the elevators to the 4th floor. I was hoping they would have more room to spread out. Then again, since Judy and I were having such fun chatting and getting to know each other, I realized I didn't have to bring my two hardback books or my Kindle or my iPad. Ah well...

We were marched into the large courtroom and introduced to Judge Kobayashi. I must tell you right now that we were all impressed at how knowledgeable, professional, friendly, kind, sympathetic, fair, strict and really downright nice she was. She told us that the 12 jurors and 2 alternates who were selected would serve until Friday.

I was surprised to learn that 10 of the 93 possible jurors had flown in from the Big Island, Kauai and Maui. Judge Kobayashi explained that it was because this was a federal court and not a state court. She smiled and said state courts paid $30 a day, while federal courts paid $50. Wow! I forgot that I could be paid (and more than in Chicago. no less).

People were then given the opportunity to explain why they could not serve. I was surprised that Judge Kobayashi did not excuse people who had difficulty with the English language.

* One fellow was from Mexico but had been in the U.S. for many years. He worked as a laborer and could not read English. He was not excused since the judge said there were no documents to read.

* Then there was a Chinese butcher who'd been in Hawaii for 40 years but couldn't speak English well. Not excused.

* Five teachers then went up and Judge Kobayashi asked each teacher where and what they taught. They were all excused and told they could serve in the summer.

* A school administrator was not excused.

* A cafeteria worker said it would be hard to find a substitute for her. The judge smiled and said she's sorry that the food might not be as delicious but, she would not be excused.

* One woman tearfully recounted something that occurred to her which could impact her judgement. She was excused.

And so it went.

Next came the selection. We were told that 32 possible jurors had been selected out of the 93 people left in attendance (by computer).

My new friend, Judy was the 11th of 32 possible juror names to be called. John who I'd met earlier was also one of the first 12 jurors. I was not selected. I don't win lotteries either.

Judge Kobayashi explained that everyone else needed to stay and listen carefully to the requirements for jury selection.

Jurors would not be allowed to speak to family members or anyone else about the case while the trial was going on for fear of being influenced. Decisions had to be made based on evidence presented. Jurors were also admonished not to look up things on the Internet or any other source.

Prosecutors had to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt! The prosecutors reminded me of Amy and Penny on the Big Bang Theory. The defendant's lawyer was a no nonsense, capable lawyer working hard.

After that came a couple of hours of questioning the 32 people selected:

Do you have a connection to Motorola, or used a Motorola phone?
Do you use an iPhone? (About 70% of the people raised their hands.)
Do you use a Samsung? (About 6 hands went up.)
Have you had experience retrieving data from cellphones?
Do you have a family member who works for the Honolulu Police Department? (Heeeey! That's me. My brother does! But I kept quiet since I wasn't one of the 32.)

Anytime, someone raised their hands, they were asked if they felt they could still be impartial. Only one person finally said he thought he could be impartial but having listened to some of the information, decided he could not. Judge Kobayashi listened kindly and excused him while wishing him well and thanking him for his honesty. Someone else from the remaining 61 people took his place.

It was getting quite late. I heard stomach growling from the fellow next to me and he smiled sheepishly at me. I told him, my tummy wasn't happy either.

We left at 12:30 for lunch and returned at 1:20. Judy and I couldn't find a place to buy a small lunch so we ended up eating our snack bars instead. We were told later that there was a cafeteria in the building. Sheesh!

At 1:20, the names of the 12 jurors and 2 alternates were revealed. Both Judy and John were selected.

The rest of us were told we could go home.

And the irony in all this... I don't think I would have minded being chosen.

POSTSCRIPT 1: Since everybody warned me about how cold it was going to be, I wore long jeans and packed a warm sweater jacket. It turned out the Federal building was not cold at all. It was quite comfortable and nobody wore sweaters or jackets. I guess it's the state court that's super cold.

POSTSCRIPT 2: Tomorrow--The Verdict

My Day in Court: Part 1

Oh darn! The apprehension of going to jury duty was probably worse than I'd thought. I had to take an Imodium.

We checked Google Maps and headed out toward Honolulu after breakfast.

It was going to be another HOT and humid day in Hawaii.

The village built for homeless by the state looked quite nice.

We arrived in Honolulu.

And then there it was...the imposing United States District Court. A line was already forming. Art dropped me off and then drove on to Ala Moana and Waikiki to spend the day.

While standing in line, I met a woman named Judy who was maybe about the same (probably younger) age as me. It turned out that she'd just been to Chicago so we had a lot to talk about. It felt like we'd known each other for a long time. She kept me company for my entire day at court.

There was a security check before entering the building which was much stricter than anything we'd experienced by the TSA. I had to smile because Judy had a bag almost equal in size to my own. They confiscated my teeny tiny folding scissors which they said I could pick up before leaving. (Those security people were as friendly and cheerful as could be.)

We were directed to a jury waiting room where our IDs and summons were checked off. A video was shown with important people like Sandra Day O'Connor telling us how important it was to have a jury of your peers to protect our rights as U.S. citizens.

I sat between a handsome, young carpenter named John on my right and my new friend, Judy on my left.

I turned on my iPhone to text Art what was happening but got NO cell connection. Arrrghhh! John on my right was texting away. Judy was texting away also. My T-Mobile was dead. John said he had AT&T but once had Sprint that had dead zones in the house but coverage in the garage. Judy said she had Verizon with her iPhone. Sigh. Judy texted Art for me to let him know what was going on.

As I was leaving for the day, I saw a sign posted that said there was free court Wi-Fi in the building. Sigh...

Tomorrow:  What happened in court.

Jury Duty!

Yes, yes, I know it's my civic duty, BUT... I do dread getting these notices for jury duty. When I got my notice to serve in a criminal court in Chicago, I was still teaching. I had to get lesson plans done for a substitute teacher to take my place. On the day of the jury selection I brought all my papers to correct as well as notes for lesson planning since I knew there would be a long wait time.

I spent half a day at a court on the south side of Chicago and actually got a lot of school work done. I went home with about $25 (don't quote me on this), I think, which I turned in to our school district.

When I got this jury summons again in Hawaii, I was not thrilled.

I was to appear on a Monday.

Instructions said I had to call on the previous Friday between 6:30 - 7:00 PM to see if I would have to show up.

Most of my friends told me not to worry because chances were pretty good a recording would say the case had been resolved and I wouldn't have to do anything.

On Friday, at 5:00 PM. I was surprised to get an automated call. It said I was come in on Monday by 8:00 AM. The call also informed me that I was to call in on Sunday at 5:00 PM for further instructions.

I called on Sunday and got the same recording that said I was to show up by 8:00 at the Federal Court in Honolulu.

Why was I nervous, apprehensive, looking for excuses not to serve? Art would have to drive me in since I don't drive. Doctors appointments and auto safety checks would have to be cancelled if I was selected to be on the jury.

I'd talked to friends earlier who all had pretty much the same advice:

1. Bring a jacket. Wear long pants.
2. Bring: ID, summons letter, snacks, water, a regular paper book in case they don't allow Kindles, crossword puzzles, iPad, calendar of appointments, etc.
3. Be prepared for parking difficulties. Save receipts from parking for reimbursement. (Not a problem since Art would be driving me.
4. Enjoy the new experience for it would be interesting. (And it was.)

On Sunday night, I was in a dither getting more nervous as I prepared what to bring.

I started out with a small T-Mobile backpack I'd gotten earlier this summer for free.

However, as I got more advice from friends, I added to my collection and moved on to a bigger green bag I got from the Morton Arboretum.

By the end of the night, I'd transferred everything yet again to another even bigger backpack that I use for traveling so I could include books, glasses, medication, back-up power supply, notebook, etc. It was HEAVY!

I considered bringing a rolling carry-on... but didn't.

What the heck! I was ready!

Finally, the Real Reason to Half Tuck Your Shirts

I wrote a blog post a while back about holes in my blouses. This was one of my favorite blouses.

The holes are right at my tummy area. I thought it was from the bleach cleaner I was using when I cleaned the kitchen sink.

Then yesterday, this happened!

And I really liked this blouse too!

Arrrghhh!

And then today.... THIS!

Double ARRRGHHHH!

That's three blouses!!! And I wasn't using bleach. I checked the kitchen counter for rough edges, but there wasn't any.

I texted my daughter, Tiffany to complain. She said it happens to her too, especially when she's wearing jeans.

Ummmmm... Uh oh.... I bought several of these stretchy (love that stretch) jeans shorts a while ago and have been wearing them every day. I guess the metal button in front was problematic rubbing against the blouse material and the hard edge of the kitchen sink. And sadly, my tummy is no longer flat, not that it ever really was (well, maybe in kindergarten), so it must have pressed even harder against the counter edge.

Anyway... I've been noticing that the style (among mostly young people) was wearing their blouses partially tucked in. I thought it was a silly style and looked rather unkempt, scruffy, messy.

Aha... but now I'm seeing a method to their madness.

So now then...

When I'm walking  around Hawaii with those three blouses half tucked in, they might think I'm weird. They won't know that I've figured it all out.

POSTSCRIPT: Would you believe all my Zumba buddies had already figured this out? Tsk, I guess I'm the last to know.

Shouldn't the companies selling pants find a way to prevent this from happening?

POSTSCRIPT:  Hmmm... Interesting that my mainland blogger buddies don't have this problem. Could it be they are all taller than we are so your waistline  vs. counter height are different from ours?

Or.... ummm... you all have flatter tummies? Sigh....

Dragon's Eye?

Art's friend, Morris brought over a huge bag of longan fruit. Apparently, Morris has a friend who has an overloaded longan tree. There was so much fruit that we, in turn passed some on to another friend.  And that friend shared it with his relatives. And so it is in Hawaii. We share.

I wasn't a huge fan of the sweet longan fruit. I like lychee better. However, now that I've tried it, I find that it's really quite pleasant. The longan fruit is smaller than lychee so it's more work to peel it.

If you look at the peeled fruit, you can see why it's often called Dragon's Eye.

The seeds were pretty big too, adding to the work.

When I looked it up, I found this information on Food Facts website:

"This fruit may be small, but it surely packs a wallop when it comes to nutritional benefits. You can get vitamins B1, B2 and B3 from longan, and it’s also a good source of free radical-scavenging vitamin C. When it comes to minerals, iron, copper, potassium and magnesium are some standout mentions.
You can also get protein and dietary fiber from longan.  Plus, it has phenolic acids that can provide you with antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial effects."

Hmmmm.... I think I'll go have some for lunch.

POSTSCRIPT:

I was watching Art methodically peel the longan fruit bit by bit and thought there had to be an easier method.

It occured to me that the skin of the fruit was pretty thin and hard.

I also noticed that some of the fruit shells had cracked in the middle so I wondered what would happen if I pinched it.

Voila!

The shell cracked in half!

Then Art suggested I pinch the other half and out popped the fruit.

It actually ended up being a lot of fun.

Yay! We learn something new everyday.

Awesome Restroom Idea!

I went to the Nordstrom department store bathroom at Ala Moana shopping center this summer. No, I don't normally shop at Nordstrom. I was there with my daughter and granddaughter. My usual place to shop is Ross or Walmart.

Well, I might venture out to Nordstrom again after seeing their bathroom

They actually provide tissues by the doorway so that you can use one to hold the handle and then throw it away in that bin below.

You might think that this is unnecessary, but just the other day I saw someone at another mall come out of the toilet stall and head straight out the exit.

In fact, I saw this on Microsoft news:  "One study even found that only 31 percent of men and 65 percent of women washed their hands after using a public restroom, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports."

It might be a waste of more tissues, but would hand sanitizers outside the bathroom be better? I don't know. Whatever the case, I thought this was a cool idea.

Transport Chair... Just in Case

Two days before we were to leave for Japan with my mother and aunt about 10 years ago, mom somehow hurt her knee on the stairs. The ER visit showed nothing was broken, but muscles had been badly strained and it seemed she'd made some kind of strong impact on her knee.

Mom wanted to cancel the trip, but too many special arrangements had already been planned so we made a quick trip to pick up a transport chair.

The chair wasn't the lightest thing around, but sturdy and worked perfectly for the trip. It was lucky the store was open on a Sunday.

We were amazed at all the help we received in Japan as soon as they saw mom in a wheelchair. It was as easy as could be to travel everywhere. Mom laughed and said it was easier.

After several years the chair was stored away and not used.

When mom's other sister became immobile, we loaned the transport chair to my cousins.

However, now that mom is going to be 90, we're finding she is having more instances where she's taken a fall or somehow hurting her leg again.

We didn't want to ask my cousins to return the transport chair and besides, we decided to get an even lighter chair that would be easier to carry or load into the car.

I wondered if a walker like this would fill a double purpose. Mom could walk with it, sit on it and maybe we could even push her in it. We tried it out at the store with me sitting on it, but Art said it was too difficult to maneuver.

This Medline transport chair was very light, about 15 pounds, but quite a bit more expensive.

We liked the fact that the footrests fold in. Our other transport chair required you to remove it and store it separately.

Ummmm... and this one had a cup holder too.

I decided to look online.

The red one was $136.62, but Art felt we should pay a little more in case he has to sit in it. So yes, we paid $155 for the silver one even though I rather liked that red color. Juuust kidding.

When I checked further on Amazon, I found it was free shipping to Hawaii, BUT no free returns if we didn't like it. It's one of the problems of living in the middle of the Pacific ocean.

Fingers crossed that we like it.

POSTSCRIPT:

The transport chair arrived a week early. That was a surprise.

However, unlike other things we bought on Amazon. This was very, very lightly packed in a cardboard box that wasn't all that sturdy and thin bubble wrap.

Since there are no free returns from Hawaii and the damage wasn't quite that horrible we decided to keep it. There were scratches on the metal and scuff marks that can't be wiped out.

It wouldn't be tremendously comfortable for long periods (the seat is not soft), but it will do.

Hurricane Clips

Earlier this summer, we attended an AARP seminar on hurricane preparedness. They warned us of forecasts saying we would be getting more hurricanes in Hawaii.

Then I saw on a weather news clip that because we're out of the El Nino weather pattern, we should experience less hurricanes.

Then I saw another forecast saying we'd be having more hurricanes.

Arrrghhh!

Ah well, we'd hired a company to come and add more hurricane clips to the older part of the house anyway.

Art thought he could install them himself but after seeing the professional nailing gun the installer was using, we're happy we hired them to do it.

The hurricane clips are under 50  cents a piece, so you're pretty much paying for labor.

It took them half the day to install the clips.

What a surprise that the primed clips were the exact gray color we had our house painted earlier this summer.

We're quite pleased that it's done.

We have hurricane barriers we've also signed up for.

And I've got a whole bunch of Cup Noodles, canned veggies, pudding cups, water and I forget what else in storage.

Hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June 1st until November 30th.

Fingers crossed that we won't need all this preparation.

Goodbye Notes From KC

After such a wonderful summer reunion, it was sad to say goodbye to everyone again. When we returned to the house after dropping off our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, KC at the airport we looked at our empty rooms and was feeling a little melancholy. Our son and his family had left the week before.

I went to my computer and was surprised to find this note on my mouse.

KC had left a few notes for us last year and I'd kept some of them in place until they returned. I didn't expect her to do this again. I guess she wanted to make sure we would not be sad missing them.

Then I saw this on my nightstand. I texted KC since I knew she hadn't boarded the plane yet. "There's lots more," she texted back.

Art found this on his computer desk.

When I went downstairs, this was next to the Echo dot. KC had been making sure we answered the Question of Day from "Alexa" everyday.

I found this note in the drawer of my nightstand.

What a surprise when I reached in to get toothpaste from the medicine cabinet!

Several day later, I went to Zumba with my friend, Diane and found this:

It was inside my workout bag!

When I turned the page to my desktop planner a few days later I found this note laying in wait for me.

This made me laugh out loud! I wasn't sure where else she might have hidden more notes.

In fact, when I looked into the linen closet a week after they left, I found this sitting on top of the towels.

I even found one in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.

I think all of her notes have been discovered by now... but then again, I'm not 100% positive. I have a very smart granddaughter. I have a most wonderful, loving granddaughter.

Slippas Here, Gone Tomorrow

Lots of people wear slippers and sandals in Hawaii because they are easier to remove when entering a house.

Be aware if you come to Hawaii that you will be expected to remove your footwear before entering a home.

While living in Illinois, we always took off our shoes when entering our house and expected others to do so also. All of our friends just understood what they probably felt was our quirkiness and didn't hold it against us.

When the kids were here there were a whole lot of slippers outside our door. I lined them up neatly here. Usually, they were scattered here and there. The shoe cabinet beside the door was also full of footwear not to mention a rack on the other side.

Now there's just the few that Art, mom and I use.

I was looking at them today and remembering with a smile what fun it was to see the jumbled assortment that made walking into the house a mess sometimes... but it was a happy mess.

An Apple for My Birthday

My children and their families surprised me with an Apple watch for my birthday. Art had kept it a secret for many, many months which must have been difficult.

I've loved my Fitbit for such a long time. I had no intention of getting an Apple watch.

For one thing, the Apple watch is quite a bit bigger and stands out a bit on my skinny wrist. Mind you, that's the only skinny part on me.

But then I began seeing some of the benefits of the watch. I could see texts coming in and answer them as well with just my watch. I could check the temperature. I could make a call. I was feeling like Dick Tracey. I can also set my iPhone up somewhere and take a photo from several feet away. I love it!

I still preferred the Fitbit's activity and sleep monitor,  but this would do.

One of the nicest things though is the phone finder.

When you press that iPhone icon, my iPhone will ding wherever it is. Since I'm forever leaving it around, it's perfect for me.

There's still so much to learn, and it's keeping my brain active which is a good thing.

Macadamia Nut Farm

Our next stop after the Byodo-In Temple in Kaneohe was the Tropical Farms Macadamia Nut Outlet.

This place had been recommended to Tif because they said KC would enjoy cracking her own macadamia nuts which has a very hard shell.

We saw many, many tour buses lined up in the parking lot. It's not a very large place, but is a place for tourists to sample Hawaiian coffees and different flavors of macadamia nut coatings.

There were chickens roaming around the back where people could try cracking their own nuts.

I could see why.

It wasn't easy. They had rounded stones that you could use to pound the shell to get to the nut meat inside.

More often than not, you might pound it too hard and the shell and nut meat would go flying where the chickens were waiting.

OK... That was rather fun.

I told Tiffany she could get macadamia nuts a lot cheaper elsewhere on Oahu, but she bought these anyway as gifts since it was packaged so prettily.

I'm sure that's what the farm counted on.

All in all, a lovely day and time to return to our side of the island.

Byodo-In Temple

I live on the small island of Oahu. Whenever visitors come here, we usually have to take them to the same places over and over.

However, when our daughter, Tiffany asked if we'd like to join her and our granddaughter to see the Byodo-In temple on the other side of the island we were happy to go. Our son-in-law could not go. When they come to Hawaii he has to close himself off in our office with his computer and headphones to stay on mainland time and work.

Tiffany drove on the H3 through the Tetsuo Harano tunnel into what looked like another world.

Living on the over populated, leeward side of the island which doesn't get as much rain, the windward side is lush and green.

When you come out of the tunnel, it truly is like stepping into another world.

And there it was!

This is from Wikipedia:

The Byodo-In Temple (平等院 Byōdōin) is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was dedicated in August 1968 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaiʻi. 

The temple is a replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist temple at Uji in Kyoto Prefecture of Japan. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a functioning Buddhist temple in the proper sense as it does not host a resident monastic community nor an active congregation. 

Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a 18 ft statue of the Lotus Buddha, a wooden image depicting Amitābha. It is covered in gold and lacquer. Outside is a three-ton, brass peace bell. Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds that cover a total of 2 acres (0.81 ha). 

Around those ponds are lush Japanese gardens set against a backdrop of towering cliffs of the Koʻolau Range. The gardens are home to sparrows and peafowl. The temple covers 11,000 sq ft.

We enjoyed walking around the grounds and admiring the black swans who strolled through the gardens.

However, our time on this side of the island was not over. Tiffany's friend had mentioned a macadamia nut farm we should visit. 

Art laughed since he grew up on the Big Island where there are acres and acres of macadamia nut farms. Oahu isn't known for macadamia nuts.

Still, it turned out to be rather interesting anyway, but that will be tomorrow's post.

Skinny Wallet

For a couple of years now, my trusty wallet had been slowly deteriorating.

It's rather large and perhaps a little heavy. And it's stuffed with cards and too much change.

The edges of the wallet had started to peel off. Gee, I thought it was all leather. I guess not.

Then I saw this teal wallet on Amazon called the Big Skinny earlier this summer. The write up assured readers that the skinny wallet could hold everything our normal wallets contained.

My son-in-law looked at my old wallet and then the skinny wallet when it arrived and said, "No way."

And there it is! It actually did all fit into the skinny wallet although I took out some of the accumulated change from my old wallet which I didn't need.

I'm amazed and very pleased. My bag is lighter and flatter now. Yay!

I just checked Amazon and see that the price has gone up. I bought this teal one on sale for $17.97 a couple months ago. It's now all $26.95. Good grief!

Ah well... Fingers crossed that this wallet will last a long, long time.

Crying Over a Dog

Earlier this summer, Arkansas Patti of The New Sixty wrote a blog post called Need to Talk to Callie. Callie is Patti's dog. If you haven't visited Patti before, you should. She is an amazing, funny, witty writer.

Patti wrote a post about The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It was published in 2008 and was a New York Times best seller for 156 weeks. The movie came out earlier this summer.

107 critics pretty much dumped on it giving it a score of 42% Rotten Tomatoes for being mawkish and manipulating audience emotions. However 5,444 of the actual viewing audience on the Rotten Tomatoes website gave it 96%!

This synopsis was from Rotten Tomatoes.

"THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN is a heartfelt tale narrated by a witty and philosophical dog named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner). Through his bond with his owner, Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition and understands that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life."

To be honest, I skimmed over the parts about racing. Garth Stein apparently once raced cars himself until he had an accident so he's put all his knowledge into the book. 

I must tell you that the only dogs our family ever owned were two dogs named Oahu and Jimmy when I was about 5 years old. Since that time, I've never truly had much experience with dogs or been completely comfortable with them. Dogs know this and will usually come and try to get my attention.

I remember one dinner party at Art's college professor's house. The house was full of college students. However the professor's poodle would not leave my side. At one point, as we sat down to dinner, that dog went under the table and dropped his food bowl on my foot.

My granddog in Maryland, Mungo is somehow afraid of men and barks at Art who happens to LOVE dogs, but is perfectly fine with me even though I tend to ignore him. He'll come to me to ask me to let him out to do his business.

Therefore, I wouldn't have read this book except for Patti's recommendation. I couldn't put the book down and went two nights with little sleep. And then.... oh my gosh... I ended up crying when I finished it. I mean, I was actually crying, not because it was sad, well it was... but it was really beautiful.

Then I went to tell Art about it and started crying again. I rarely cry. Honest. But there I was all weepy. I think Art thought it was rather funny.

Whatever the case, I see why Patti called her post, Need to Talk to Callie because I need to talk to Mungo. When we go to see my son and his family again in Maryland, you can be sure I will be having some heart to heart talks with Mungo. I promise to give him loads of attention. 

Therefore, like Patti, if you like dogs and even if you don't, I would recommend this book.

Remembering 9/11

I remember that dreadful day very clearly.

I was welcoming my 1st graders to our classroom and several students were upset about a plane that had crashed into a tall building in New York. In order to calm them, I said it was probably a small plane that had an accident.

Later in the morning Art (who enjoyed volunteering his time to tutor some of my students) came in with the news. I quietly warned him not to alarm the children.

However, our school secretary then came on the intercom to tell me that my daughter was safe in Chicago (having been evacuated from the tall skyscraper she was working in) and was being sent home from work. Tiffany worked for a financial group and she often talked to people in the Cantor Fitzgerald company in the World Trade Center. Now those people were suddenly all gone.

My class erupted with questions about why Tiffany was going home from work. Then several parents came to pick up their children to take them home.

My son was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa and he says they'd heard the news and were called back to the capital, Bamako to be safe, just in case. He said many Malians stared at them sympathetically as they walked by. My son and daughter-in-law who served at the same time was appalled at the backlash that caused all Muslims to be grouped in the same category as those terrorists.

It was such an awful time. The world would never be the same.

Do you remember what you were doing on that horrible day?