My Best Ten Reads of 2019

  I read less than usual this year, completing only twenty-five books.  When I compiled my favorites list I found it to include fifteen titles. So in trimming it down to ten it was necessary to leave out some good ones.  And the task of putting the list of ten into best to least best was futile.  If you threw these titles up in the air they would all land at the same time.  But here is the order of the top ten that I settled on.  

10) The Hidden Life Of Trees by Peter Wohlleben  

9)  The Pioneers by David McCollough

8)  The Woman In The Photo by Mary Hogan 

7)  It Takes A Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton 

6)  Becoming by Michelle Obama

5)  Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 

4)  March by Geraldine Brooks 

3) Radium Girls by Kate Moore 

2) American Eden by Victoria Johnson 

1) Year Of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks 

American Eden by Victoria Johnson

American Eden

by

Victorian Johnson

      Originally, I checked out this book on my kindle app from the State Library of Ohio.  But I did not get it completed by the time it returned and there was a waiting list before I could get it again.  I was enjoying the book so much that I bought it.  I rarely purchase books anymore as normally I can get through them in the allowed time from the library.  But I have had a busy month or so.  I finished the book this past week and found it to be a fascinating story about very interesting subjects.  It is a biography of David Hosack, who was a botanist and a physician early in the 1800s.  He wanted to discover and utilize the many plants here in the United States that were yet to be discovered and he wanted to do so to further the field of medicine  and save lives.  He also wanted to bring to the United States the medicinal plants from other countries so that medicine did not have to be imported.  He was poorly supported by others and used much of his own money to work toward his goals.  His perseverance in spite of serious set backs was very admirable.  He also rubbed shoulders with many much more famous men such as Hamilton, Jefferson, Burr and others.  He was, in fact, the physician of both the Hamilton family and the Burr family.   And not only did he work tirelessly on his medicinal plant goals,  he kept up a medical practice,  he taught medical students, he founded places like almshouses and hospitals, and he was a founding member at organizations such as historical societies.   I enjoyed this non fiction book very much and highly recommend it.  It is one of my favorite books that I have read this year.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links for more information and enjoy the video that follows.  

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming

by

Michelle Obama

     The December reading selection for my local library book group  was Becoming by Michelle Obama.  This book is an autobiographical work.  I listened to it on audio and the author narrates the book herself.  It was wonderful to hear Michelle tell her story in her own words.  As a democrat,  I miss the Obamas being in the Whitehouse and the message of this book was one of hope.  There were many things that could be meaningfully quoted from the book but two statements that jumped out at me where 1) "Bullies are scared people on the inside and scary people on the outside."  and 2) "It was possible, I knew, to live on two planes at once.  To have ones feet planted in reality but pointed in the direction of progress.".   I hope everyone reads this book.  It is impossible for me to explain everything that  Michelle explains so one needs to experience the book  for themself.  This non fiction work  is extremely inspirational and entertaining at the same time. I enjoyed it very much! Please click on the book title and author's name above and follow the links to more information.  And watch the video that follows.  

Ginger

Ginger

     

     It is now December and the holidays are upon us which seemed like a good time to talk about ginger essential oil.  It is an oil that has been around for thousands of years. Ginger is familiar because it is often used in the form of a spice in baked goods such as gingerbread men and gingerbread houses.  It is that reason that ginger is often associated with the holidays.  But people use ginger essential oil for medicinal reasons.  Ginger is most often used for nausea but it is also commonly used as an anti-inflammatory.  It can be ingested if it is an essential oil that has been processed in a manner safe for ingestion, but not all have been, so it is necessary to to confirm that before ingesting.  Ginger can also be safely diffused or applied topically if added to a carrier oil.  An article that is written in layman's terms about ginger essential oil can be found HERE and one written in more scientific idiom   can be found by following this LINK.   Those who might be interested in obtaining ginger essential oil can find a portal to my website HERE.  Please enjoy the informative video that follows:

Update On My Writing

     It has been over six months since I have blogged anything about my writing.  This past April I wrote about my WWI Nurses project and that blog can be found HERE.  I did want to update everyone about what I have been up to this year.   Earlier this year I wrote a biographical sketch about an ancestor who was a nurse midwife during the late 1700s and early 1800s in Pennsylvania.  Her name was Susanna Rohrer Muller and that article was published this fall in the magazine Mennonite Family History. It can be obtained HERE.  But most of this year has been spent working on a very special project. 

     Starting in the mid 1990s my aunt and I started taking weekend get away vacations that we called "Mary Rohrer Weekends".  We named them this because we shared the same maiden first and last names.  On one of these weekends, we began to talk about the idea of a family cookbook.  We chatted about our cookbook from year to year.  We wanted to honor the women we knew in the 1900s and the lives that they lived.  As a result, when we decided that 2019 was the year we were actually going to write the cook book, in addition to recipes, we included biographical sketches and descriptions of what home making was like during the 20th Century.  

     We finally completed the book and it is available on lulu.com.   A coil bound paperback  can be obtained HERE or and an ebook can be obtained  HERE.  

     Before this project, I had aspirations to write a book when I retire.  But after both of us have worked so hard all this year on this project I have decided that I don't want to work that hard in my retirement.  I would like to to continue to write biographical sketches and short articles about the women in my family history.   I do have research started to write a biographical sketch of my great great grandfather's sister and plan to write it early in 2020.  But the rest of this year I am taking a writing break!

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles

A Gentleman In Moscow

by

Amor Towles

     The November selection for my local library book group is A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles.  I chose to listen to this book on audio and finished it up last night.  It is the fiction story of a Russian aristocrat, who after the Russian revolution, is sentenced to spend his life under house arrest at a fancy hotel.  While the story revolves around relationships within that hotel, the history of Russia under Stalin is unfolding out on the streets at the same time.   This book spans thirty years of a man's life.  There are a lot of things to ponder as comparisons are made between the United States and Russia during the mid 1900s.  The book says a great deal about relationships too.  And the main thrust of much of the book is that we are masters of our circumstances and it is our perspective not our situation that mandates our satisfaction.  The book is a beautiful and well written novel with a delightful surprise twist at the end.  Unfortunately I had a hard time with the amount of detail the author provides.  I feel like I should shoulder the blame that I could not remain focused but my mind wandered when the details became very profuse, which was quite a lot of the time.  Hopefully I zoned back in time to catch the story line. I must have because I feel I understand the book.   I did have to google who the mystery lady in the last paragraph was.  This book is not one I would recommend to everyone.  But I do have friends who I think would really enjoy this book.  Please click on the book title and author's name above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the video that follows.  

Lavender

     Almost everyone is familiar with lavender.  After using Young Living's Thieves hand sanitizer as a retail customer for over two years, I ordered a bottle of their vitality Lavender Essential oil.  I immediately knew I did not want to be without it.  It is this oil that caused me to realize I wanted to be a wholesale member of Young Living and order more regularly.  People use lavender for various reasons.  It is an ingredient that is, as an imitation fragrant oil, found in lotions and bubble bath in almost every venue.  Of course these items contain lavender that is made  from a synthetic process and not the plant derivative used to make essential oils.  For a general overview of uses and history of the lavender plant follow this LINK.   For a more scientific paper from the National Institute of Health about a study of the use of lavender for anxiety follow this LINK.  And of course enjoy the video at the beginning of this blog and the two videos at the end.  I find lavender supports my goal of a good nights sleep and I believe I have less general aches and pains while taking  lavender.  I put four drops of the type of lavender that is safely ingested in my senna and chamomile herbal tea at bedtime along with one drop of either rosemary or cinnamon.  If you wish to order lavender essential oil or any other Young Living product, either as a retail customer or as a wholesale member, from my page follow this LINK.   

Flight Of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon

Flight Of Dreams

by

Ariel Lawhon

     Last night I finished reading Flight Of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon on my kindle app.  I had checked it out from the State Library Of Ohio and I am embarrassed to say I had to renew it twice.  It is a good book but my last few months have been uncommonly busy.  Reading has not received enough of my time.  Nevertheless,  I enjoyed the book.  It is a historical novel that the author is clear about explaining she takes creative license in her portrayal of the cause of the Hindenburg disaster.  She does a great job in making the passengers and crew of the air ship come to life.  Helping her in this task she used a web site that can be viewed HERE which contains  information on many of the people that were aboard the air ship when it exploded.   The author also used another website to help her gather information about the air ship itself which can be found HERE.  Both of these websites contain excellent back ground information for the reader.  In addition, clicking on the links at the beginning of this post on the book title and author's name will bring the reader to web pages that contain additional information.  The novel made me much more familiar with the Hindenburg Disaster story and has caused me to want to learn more about it.  It is an entertaining story that keeps the reader engaged.  I would encourage historical  novel fans to enjoy this book.  A video trailer of the book  follows.  

The Pioneers by David McCullough

The Pioneers

by

David McCullough

      In the genre of historical non fiction, David McCullough is the cream of the crop as far as authors.   His latest book, The Pioneers, deals with the settlement of the North West Territory with emphasis on the community of Marietta, Ohio.  While I had read much about the events he presents, McCullough always comes up with additional specific facts for me and he presents the information in a very entertaining way.  My local library book group discussed this book this month and although I missed the meeting, I am sure it was a good one.  There was plenty about this book to discuss.  I chose to listen to this on audio and I would like to read it too because I think I would glean even more information.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to additional information and enjoy the video that follows.  Anyone who takes time to read this book will be richly rewarded.  

Book Caddies 2019

     Kindergarteners where my daughter teaches carry backpacks.  But in those backpacks are shoved lunch pails, dirty shoes and muddy boots etc.. Therefore any booklets she has ran off to send home as reading practice end up a bit worse for the wear.  So in August we decided that book caddies, made from left over supplies from years of chair bag projects, would be a possible solution. They will have to be made every year as they will be going into children’s homes. So it is an experiment.  They may all go out and never return again after the first day.  She has plans to have their names out on them. One of her teacher friends has the model of circuit that applies to fabrics.  There are issues with these book caddies that need to be resolved.  I don’t like how the handles are for starters.  But as the chairbags evolved so shall these.  It will take time to see what holds up and what needs to be tweaked a bit. 

     First step was the cut out.  I cut out thirty strips 12x2 for the handles. Sixty pieces 10x5 - 30 of which were canvas and the other 30 a print cotton.  And 60 pieces 10x12 of various colors of left over canvas.  And 120 little Velcro squares. 

     The 10x5 pieces I used a plastic top to cut two of the corners  rounded on each.  I used like a cottage cheese or a sour cream lid that was no longer needed. 

     The strips I ironed in half and then ironed each edge to the middle. Then sewed down each side. Ironed to middle again and sewed it so all edges were folded and I had a strap. 

    I then sewed a velcro strip, fuzzy side up,  about an inch and a half in from each rounded corner of the canvas 10x5 pieces.  Then I sewed the edges of three sides together with the velcro toward the center and leaving the longer edge that did not have rounded corners not sewn.  After flipping it out and ironing I topped stitched around the three edges that were sewn leaving the bottom open.

       I then sewed the edge of the 10x5 piece that was not sewn to the shorter edge of one of the  10x12 pieces. I  ironed it  up and top stitched.  I chose to sew it so the print would be on the outside of the flap.  

     

    I then ironed down a hem line on the top of another 10x12 piece and sewed it down to secure.  After that, I sewed the ends of one of the straps onto the top about a seam width in.  

     It was then time to lie the side that had the straps on top of the side that had the flap and make a chalk mark where the velcro would match up. Afterwards I sewed velcro pieces onto the strap piece on the opposite side from where the straps are attached.  Then I sewed on the velcro shiny side up.

     It was then time to sew the front to back, right sides together.  

     Finally I flipped it inside out and press.

     This was a fun project but a bit rushed so it lacks quality.  Hopefully we will decide if it is successful or not by early in 2020 so I can start right away on more for the fall.  

Rosemary

     At the beginning of each month I have been posting a blog about another essential. In July I joined Young Living as a wholesale customer and have since bumped myself up to an essential rewards customer.  I have enjoyed learning about the various oils and use many of them on a regular basis.  Many of the oils I use are from Young Living's Vitality line which means they are safely ingested.  Rosemary is a very strong oil and I add only one drop to my senna tea at night along with four drops of lavender oil.  My reason for adding Rosemary into my daily routine is to provide support for my battle with arthritis type symptoms.  Rosemary is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.  I believe I have less pain since I have been adding Rosemary oil to my bedtime tea.  Some people put Rosemary in a carrier oil and rub it into their scalp to reverse hair loss or rub it on their knees to help with knee pain.  Other people diffuse it into the air to inhale to improve memory while studying.  Some studies are leading scientists to believe Rosemary may help those with dementia.  The National Institute Of Health has information at their site on the science behind studies of the benefits of Rosemary.  Their paper can be found HERE.  Please enjoy the video that follows about some of the benefits that are believed to be obtained from Rosemary.  

HBO's Chernobyl

Chernobyl

Mini-series

     While most of the country watched the HBO mini-series "Chernobyl" last May,  we watched finally watched it last month.  I don't usually blog about television but in case any one missed it,  this five episode show is not one to let slip by.  The nuclear disaster, Chernobyl, took place in 1986 in the Soviet Union.  I know I went about my daily business and did not realize at the time what danger was so near to all of Europe.  Un-contained, I am sure the damage would have impacted the entire world eventually.  In addition to the television show there is an accompanying podcast series that gives a great deal of fascinating back ground information.  There were many things that caught my attention during watching and listening.  One thing was that while the show portrays the corruption in the leadership of the Soviet Union at that time, it also shows the deep belief of the common Russian men and women who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the safety of the larger community.  I was very impressed with their commitment to society at large.  Follow the links above in the title to find the mini-series and the podcast and enjoy the trailer that follows.  I highly recommend taking time to watch and listen to this production.

Trailer

Pigs In Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

Pigs In Heaven

by

Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is one of my go to authors.  I have read several of her books and have aspirations to read all she has written.  This pm, on my way to work, I finished listening to the sequel to her novel "The Bean Trees" which continues the story of Taylor and Turtle and is called "Pigs In Heaven".  Turtle is Taylor's adopted daughter whom was abandoned and left in Taylor's car three years prior to the start of the novel "Pigs In Heaven".   Turtle is also Native American.  "Pigs In Heaven" explores Cherokee history and current issues that Native American tribes deal with.  It also is an example of how opposing groups of people and can come together, discuss and compromise to reach a solution to heart wrenching conflicts.  It is an excellent novel and I highly recommend it.  Please click on the book title and authors name above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the video that follows.  

Lemon

     As a grade school age child I attended 4H summer camp.  I developed a relationship with the camp nurse.   I would knock on her office door and complain of a sore throat and she would give me lemon candy.  After I grew to adulthood,  I purchased products for my home containing lemon such as in my dish soap, furniture polish and floor cleaner.  Therefore, upon joining Young Living this summer, lemon essential oil was a natural for me to add to my life.  People use lemon essential oil for many uses.  Some diffuse it feeling it gives them a mood lift.  Others use it in cleaning or laundry areas of their home because it is believed to have antimicrobial properties.  I add two drops to the water that I drink when I get up for the day.  I put my water in a glass and do not add the oil to water in a plastic bottle due to fear that the strength of the oil will break down the plastic.  While studies continue and not all claims have been proven,  I believe that lemon essential oil has  anti-inflammatory tendancies and that it boosts my immune system.  I also hope to obtain some detox benefits from it for many people believe it assists the liver and lymphatic system in their job of cleansing our systems.  I am not an advocate of oils in place of traditional medical care but I do feel promoting comfort and health by using oils makes sense.  Read more about lemon essential oil by clicking on this LINK and enjoy the video that follows.

Jell-O Girls by Allie Rowbottom

Jell-O Girls

by

Allie Rowbottom

     Although I am not a big memoir fan, I highly recommend this one.  Allie Rowbottom has perfectly captured the conflict between self actualization and the advertising industry.  As a family member who benefited from the Jello dynasty, Allie Rowbottom points out how the expectations painted in the commercials for jello contributed to generations of women which struggled with both emotional trauma and physical illness.  The book is a loving tribute to her mother and challenges all mothers to give their daughters voices that can speak out when confronted with painful events instead of internalizing them.  The book presents no pat answers but raises questions basic to the female experience of growing up in the twentieth century.   I haven't eaten any jello for a long time,  but from now on whenever I do,  I will think of both my mother and my daughter.  If you are up for a thought provoking experience, reach for this book.   Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the Jello commercial that follows.  

The Woman In The Photo by Mary Hogan

The Woman In The Photo

by

Mary Hogan

      The audio book I have been listening to the last couple weeks is The Woman In The Photo by Mary Hogan.   It is a historical novel which is my genre of choice and I enjoyed it very much.  The story moves between the past (1889) in Pennsylvania and the present in California.  A young woman of 18 is each story line and it turns out one is the 3rd great grandmother of the other.  Since the present day young woman is adopted it is a bit of a mystery too as she searches out her family from a picture. She inadvertently sees the picture in her file when called to the agency to be given some medical information upon turning 18.  The picture is of an ancestor of the girl, who she was named after, standing by Clara Barton.  The searching and reading the modern day Elizabeth does to find the 1889 Elizabeth in the aftermath of the Johnstown flood was very interesting to me.  The chapters that explain the information she found out about Clara Barton, how she image searched for her ancestors hair style to place her in the late 1800s,  and the disaster that was the Johnstown flood, were all parts of the story that were especially good.  The part of the book that takes place in 1889 starts out slow with frivolous high society teen age girl type events but then progresses to the time when the dam breaks and I was on the edge of my seat for the remainder of the novel.  I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to others.  It is a really good book.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links and read more information.  Also, enjoy the video that follows about the flood.  

White Trash by Nancy Isenberg

White Trash

by

Nancy Isenberg

     Author Nancy Isenberg has written a book that I can't unread.  Several years ago there was a television show called "Myth Busters"that did experiments to show whether or not various things people generally thought had any science behind them.   In a similar way the non-fiction book "White Trash"  qualifies as a "myth buster".  The book begins in the 1600's and follows the history of the United States to the present.  The author explains how poor people were manipulated and used from the first immigrates to todays persons of poverty.  They were sent into the dangerous wilderness to tame areas, only to be sent further west when the job was done and higher class people moved into the frontier towns, called them squatters and took away their homesteads.  When the landless poor were finally allowed to vote, their vote was courted only for laws and policies to be written to prevent their upward mobility.  They were lied to and used as cannon fodder in the civil war, during which the southern aristocrats were out to make sure rich people remained on top of the social order.  In example after example, the author describes the way our belief in the American Dream is an exaggeration of opportunities that are not available for many of our citizens.  The founding fathers, whom are we are taught in school were all about building a democracy, believed that poor people were badly bred individuals who were not the same as those from better stock.  Writings of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were cited to show their prejudices against the lower classes.  Thankfully, when the reader is about to throw up their hands as each of our leaders is shown to have made statements and written words that showed their snobbery, the book arrives at FDR and LBJ.  Both of whom are described as men who worked hard to try to make changes and provide opportunities for the poor people of America.  LBJ was described as a man who worked not only to make opportunities available to poor whites but he also included civil rights in his policies.  Prior to these two men,  and since these two men,  examples were not shown that any progress has been made to help people obtain adequate education, housing or medical care.  The only other positive example cited was Obama's ACA.  The book describes the phases our country went through while they were justifying looking down at our poor population.  The author explained eugenics, which was so popular in the early part of the 1900s, and examples of the laws that were passed at that time to prevent the spread of the bad genes poor people were supposed to have, were cited.  As hard as this book was to get through it is a book that every American should read.  It was very disillusioning and a person could easily get depressed reading it.  In fact it was very hard on someone as idealistic as I am.  Nevertheless, it is a book that is well worth struggling through.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to learn more information and enjoy the video that follows.  It is an interview with the author that took place August  2016.  

Peppermint

Peppermint

I have been reading a lot of information about the various essential oils and have decided to write a bit about one every month or so.  Since becoming a wholesale customer in YL last month I have enjoyed trying the various essential oils.  The peppermint oil is one that I use at least once daily.  I add a drop to a cup of coffee along with almond milk in place of a snack.  It satisfies me, increases my level of alertness and provides me a general lift.  It is a plant that has been used for centuries.  A history of peppermint can be found HERE.   Some people use peppermint for headaches.  One reason I was interested in peppermint oil was the anti-inflammatory effects attributed to it. The following video explains some of the benefits attributed to peppermint. 

 Peppermint is one of the oils I now have in my standard monthly order from YL.  I received my first monthly essential rewards order today and have it set up to include my favorite oils.  Although I first joined Young Living without the essential rewards feature, I bumped up to that level after getting to know the various oils in my welcome kit.  Peppermint oil is an addition to my life that promotes comfort and health.  I am glad I have added it to my daily routine. 

Chair Bags 2019

     There doesn’t seem to be very many opportunities to do things for my children anymore.  They are very independent adults.  But I do get to sew chair bags for my daughters kindergarten classroom every few years.  I think the last set I made lasted five years. This year was a chair bag project year.  The hardest part for me any more is getting them cut out.  The amount of fabric purchased is very large so it requires getting up and down off the floor multiple times.  I am not getting any younger.  Therefore I drove the four hours to my daughters on an early April weekend and we tackled cutting them out.   

     After the pieces were all cut out and we had experienced an enjoyable pajama party weekend,  I headed home and the next step was to serge all the edges.  It always is a struggle for me to thread my serger and I wasn’t able to get the tension quite right. But I knocked them out and had them all serged a few weeks later. 

The next step was to assemble the pencil pouches and attach them to the rectangles. 

After attaching the pencil pouches the sides were sewn and the chair bags were finished.  

In the classroom, kindergartner's do not have desks.  They have tables.  The chair bags hold folders and supplies so that precious learning time is not wasted waiting in line at cupboards getting what is needed for the next lesson.  

      I am not sure if these chair bags will last five years like the last set did.  But we have added a new project.  Using scrap fabric from all the years I have made chair bags, I am now working on book caddies.  They will be taken back and forth from home inside the child's back pack with reading assignments inside them.  This will be helpful because lunch boxes and every thing else gets shoved into back packs.  Since the book caddies will be leaving the classroom and going into homes, there will need to be a new set each year.  This will give me an annual  winter time project if they turn out to be helpful.