February Book Report: The Young Clementina

I’ve been a fan of D.E. Stevenson books for the last few years.  Stevenson was Scottish and wrote in the mid-20th century.  She was prolific, writing over 40 novels over the course of her lifetime.  Some were written as series; others as singletons.  All are a treat.  I absolutely love Stevenson’s Miss Buncle series.  This month’s book was another of her works,  The Young Clementina.  

Like all the Stevenson books I have read, it has a well-developed story at the core.  The novel is filled with well-drawn characters and a narrator who is sympathetic to them all (well, right up to the moment when they no longer deserve sympathy).  There is amusement and wisdom in the story, which turns on the life of Charlotte Dean, who, after a series of complications,  is asked to look after her young niece Clementina.  Charlotte takes on the task out of a sense of duty and obligation and, despite the challenges, makes good on the job despite some difficulties that befall she and Clementina along the way.  In the end, Charlotte get a happy ending.  As she is a woman who very much deserves the happiness that Stevenson’s story serves her, that felt right.  I always love a happy ending and I enjoyed this story very much.

I will continue to keep my eyes peeled for Stevenson books.  They are always entertaining, filled with amusing characters and the sorts of comeuppances and happy endings I most enjoy in a book.  

That’s happy!

The Sunshine Sweet Spot

The last few days have been cloudy and rainy with late-Winter gloom; the cold has returned.  Given the fact that it’s still February, a blast of arctic air, though unwelcome, seems like a reasonable development.  I am toughing it out.

For one thing, March and Sassafras Spring are on the horizon.  For another, we’ve reached the point of 12 hours of daily sunlight, which feels like victory over Winter.  The days are getting longer in increments that involve minutes on each side at both sunrise and sunset.  The extra light is especially welcome in the morning, when I begin to see the sunlight around 6:15.  When the sky is clear, I stand in the kitchen with my coffee to watch the sun pull itself over the horizon and I feel glad for the coming season.  Sunlight and Spring are the regular gifts of March and I am glad they are close at hand.

Your Weekly Amaryllis - Week 8

We are in full-time amaryllis watch around here, keeping an eye out for the bonus flower.  The stalk is clearly growing a bit each day and I feel like a bloom is on the horizon.

I’ve had a two flower bloom in the past, but they usually bloom at the same time.  This bonus bloom is really determined to get full credit on its own, giving just a little more patience as I wait for Spring.

That’s happy!

A Sandwich on Every Plate

I don’t spend all my free moments defining my political goals.  Sometimes I just seek to feed my family.  On Saturday night, already anticipating a busy week ahead, I set a pound of navy beans to soak overnight.  The next day, I made bean and bacon soup.  Together with an assortment of grilled sandwiches, this soup will get us through a busy week.  On Sunday, we had the soup with grilled pear, cheddar, and bacon sandwiches.

On Monday, I made a grilled ham, swiss, and red pepper sandwich and served it with the soup.

Later this week, there will be Camembert and apple sandwiches and then ham, apple, and cheddar.  Sometimes we’ll have soup with our sandwiches.  Sometimes we’ll have salad.  Always, we’ll have a delicious homemade meal without a whole lot of fuss during these busy days.  That’s happy!

Political Reality Check

It’s no secret that I am a progressive liberal with a longstanding belief that social justice must be at the core of our democracy.  I don’t oppose capitalism per se;  I believe that there is much to be valued about regulated free markets. But neither do I believe that billionaires are good for our nation.  In the big picture, I see the social democratic style systems of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland as much more egalitarian than the system we live with today in the United States.  Frankly, I prefer them.

I suspect that the United States is not nearly egalitarian enough in our nature to create the underlying political culture for such a system in the United States.  We value individual liberty more than social equality.  But we do have the ability to be much better than we currently are and the pervasive social and economic inequality we live with now is gravely in need of reform.  A tax on incomes greater than a million a year is just the start, but it’s a badly needed beginning.  As our economy evolves and the sorts of middle class manufacturing jobs that were the backbone of our mid-20th century economy are no longer financially sustainable in world markets, we must actively create opportunities for a new economy.  It must be one that sustains and supports people who long for decent-paying jobs.  People seek to live with their families in good homes with safe neighborhoods, well-functioning schools and a reliable, affordable system of healthcare.

These are modest goals and that we cannot achieve them for everyone right now should be a source of deep and grave concern to all of us.   We cannot be the richest nation in the world and have 1 in 4 of our children living in poverty.  

These are the goals of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.  In my estimation, Warren’s plans to achieve this kind of America are better developed than Sanders’ policy prescriptions.  But the two candidates are literally the opposite sides of the a well-conceived progressive coin.  Their ideas are not revolutionary; they are evolutionary and progressive.  They were at the core of Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society.  They are noble and good.

The hand-wringing and ominous warnings that “socialism” won’t fly; that moderate Democrats won’t vote for a progressive or will vote for Trump instead is the ridiculous fear-mongering and bullshit that got us into this system of grave inequality.  Protection of the top 10% and billionaires will not save us.  The ultra wealthy do not care about the rest of us.  They never have and they never will.

We need serious reform; systemic change of a sort that tells the truth about the inequality we experience and confronts racism.  We need ideas and policies that strengthen the economy for all of us, provide healthcare for all of us, recognizes global climate change and harnesses science and reason to respond to it.

The list of policies we must change is bigger than this and we all know it.  In the face of Donald Trump and his systematic degradation of our nation, arguing for some imaginary “return to normal” is the very worst kind of incrementalism, the kind that ignores the suffering of the most vulnerable among us and advises them to be patient and wait.  

I won’t do it and we can't wait.

I want change; big change; systemic change.  I know that leadership and good ideas win elections.  I want a nation that truly acts as if it believes that all of us are created equal and that we all deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  I want it now.

Spring Obsession

Though it’s been a mostly mild Winter around here, that hasn’t stopped me from a nearly full-time obsession with Spring in the last few weeks.  As has become my annual tradition, I will declare Sassafras Spring in the next 10 days, packing up Winter tights and swapping out my dark wool sweaters and corduroy skirts for lighter colored clothing.  I have had enough of Winter, even if Winter hasn’t quite finished with me.  

I won’t start wearing flip flops in public until temperatures crest 60 degrees because I don’t wish to seem a complete fool.  But Winter shoes will be packed away for the season, replaced by an array of sneakers to be worn with socks.  I may have cold ankles but I won’t have cold toes.  Dark sweaters will be swapped out for pastels and combinations of navy blue and white, colors that spell Spring in my mind.  They are cotton instead of wool and they will make me feel like Spring is here, even if blooms and persistent warm sunshine are still holding out for a few more weeks.

This process of seasonal change will be accompanied by my usual flirtation with the notion of wearing pants, because pants seem useful  when Spring is chilly.  I always think that pants could be nice and I am prone to elaborate fantasies that the perfect pants can be found.  But the reality is that I mostly dislike pants.  I might even say hate, though I usually don’t care for that word.

In the meantime, I’ll be the girl with the pastel sweater and pastel coat, keeping her fingers jammed in her pockets because she foolishly packed away her mittens.  My pride will keep me warm.

Your Weekly Amaryllis - Week 7

With the arrival of a blooming flower, I assumed that last week’s amaryllis posting would be our last.  Then the second stem showed some determination to grow.  I trimmed the first stem (the flowers had begun to fade) and now we are keeping watch on the bonus bloom.

Things are looking hopeful.  That a bonus bloom is looking to hold forth even as the days are growing steadily longer and the temperatures are mild has contributed to my growing Spring fever.  In the next few weeks we may have a flower and Sassafras Spring (the day that I pack up my Winter clothes and declare the arrival of the blooming season).

That’s happy!

Competitive Reading

Yesterday afternoon, I curled up on the sofa with my current book.  I’m nearly done reading it so, as is my habit, I had two others nearby, nominees for the next book I will read.  At some point, T came downstairs and found me there, asleep with three books on my lap.  When I woke up, she teased me about it, amused that I took to the sofa with three books, as if some sort of book apocalypse might befall me there in the living room.

I defended myself by pointing out that I am nearly done with the book du jour and was auditioning candidates for my next read.  She laughed but I could tell she thinks I am a crazy book lady.  As I am in fact a crazy book lady, I took no offense.

I record books that I have read on Goodreads and, in keeping with my competitive spirit, participate in their yearly Reading Challenge, whereby you pick a number of books you expect to read in the year and the app records the books.  This morning,  I logged in to record the book I finished the night before.

At this point, Goodreads informed me that I am behind in the reading challenge for 2020.  Though this is an entirely artificial matter and there is neither reward nor bragging rights involved (I am private on Goodreads and so no one but me sees it), I am quietly freaking out.  Behind on reading?  Me?  What will become of me?  How will I face myself each day?  And most importantly.....How can I read more?

It is ironic that this terrifying news happened less than 24 hours after I fell asleep on the sofa with three books in my lap.    I feel like Goodreads needs to check in with T, who can attest to my bona fides as a good reader.

Two Decades

Twenty years ago this day, I became a mama just after midnight when a certain young man with shiny dark eyes agreed to make his  appearance.

Two decades.  

It’s rather hard to believe how quickly 20 years have passed.  As I think about my 20 year old college boy, I’m struck not by how much things have changed but rather by how much of JT at 20 could be seen when he was just a little boy.

When JT was 7 and discovered that high school kids didn’t get daily recess and PE class, he recoiled at such a notion.  In his mind, there were three reasons to attend school: PE, recess, and Field Day.  The rest of school was sometimes interesting but mostly time spent waiting for the good parts.  That same year, he asked why people walked places when they could run.  The signs were all there.

By the time he was in high school, he’d made his peace with the lack of recess and daily PE class.  Consolation came in the form of athletic teams and after school practice.  When it came time for him to select a college, I wasn’t surprised that he chose Springfield College.

If PE had a college, it would be Springfield.  He’s happy there, taking classes that interest and inspire him, running mile after mile with his teammates, and growing into an opinionated and kind-hearted young man.  Today, he’s in classes at college and I won’t get to give him a birthday hug.  But I sent him a package and a handmade card with my annual birthday note.  He knows that he is a well-loved and lucky young man.  

Twenty years blew past me in the blink of an eye but I will never forget his first day in this world; the day that I became a lucky mama. Happy Birthday, sweet boy.  Your mama loves you.

Pretty Packages

These little treats are Valentines for some deserving friends.

They turned out well and I am reminded again how very happy it makes me to have pretty gift tags, cheerful ribbons, and bright wrapping paper ready to make a pretty package.

Your Weekly Amaryllis - Week 6

Last Saturday, we achieved peak flower.

This morning, the amaryllis stem is standing to lean under its own weight, a development that usually occurs after the year’s flower has bloomed.  In this photo, is propped up with my hand.  It’s still lovely to see each day.

And, I’m starting to wonder if another stem is underway.  I’ll watch closely in the next few days because a bonus flower would be most lovely. 

If not, my pretty pink flower, the mild weather of February, and the tips of daffodils peaking through Winter’s soil, has me convinced that Spring really is close at hand.  

That’s happy!

The Granite State Votes Today

Before I make a New Hampshire prediction, it seems appropriate that I acknowledge the mess that was Iowa.

In terms of my own prediction, I was off-base.  I didn’t see Buttigieg trending upward as significantly as he did; neither did I see Biden tanking.  The confusion on the evening of the caucus was nothing compared to the nonsense which followed.  It’s especially frustrating to have such a chaotic start to a campaign in which we - the Democrats - absolutely must demonstrate measured competence.  Given the generally good economic numbers, the only way to beat Trump will be to hammer home his failures as a role model.  The examples here are legion - prayer breakfast, Twitter, any rally speech he gives - but we cannot take it for granted that the nation will reject Trump because he’s a debacle of a human being.

In light of the mess that followed the Iowa voting, it seems more hopeful than ever that the Iowa Caucus has died.  It should do so, largely because Iowa may be a nice place but it is in no way representative of the nation and the caucus process, where voters are expected to hang out for 90 minutes on a cold Winter evening, is not very democratic.  Parents without childcare may not attend; Iowans with jobs to work that night are not included.  Running in Iowa costs campaigns loads of cash when it works; when it doesn’t, it’s a huge waste of time and resources.  It’s time to be done with it.

New Hampshire shows promise as a more organized affair though, like Iowa, it’s a costly and unrepresentative contest.  It appears that Buttigieg got more of a boost out of Iowa than Sanders, largely because exceeding expectations will do that for a candidate.

I think that New Hampshire will be a Sanders win.  Buttigieg and Warren will follow at second and third respectively.  I think Klobuchar will come in fourth and Biden will come in fifth, literally limping his way into Nevada (another caucus - yikes!) and then South Carolina.

Here we go……

All Hail Black Beauty

Little Blue has gone.  In her stead there is a new wagon in the driveway.

Her name is Black Beauty and I feel like a badass behind the wheel.  This is perhaps unwarranted, as I am 52 and known for my affection for polka dots and sensible shoes.  And I am driving a station wagon....but here we are.  We’re looking forward to many adventures together, this wagon and me. That’s happy!

Ode to the Little Blue Wagon

When my blue station wagon first came to live in the driveway at Sassafras House , it was 2011 and I was the mother of an 11 year old boy.  Within a few weeks of buying Little Blue, I met T.  My sister, aware that the last time I had owned a station wagon was 1999, when I got pregnant with JT, announced “you will be driving wagons forever now.”  

Truth is a funny thing.

I do love a station wagon and over the years, my blue wagon has provided faithful service.  It’s brought home many a grocery bag, been camping, and carried sports equipment and chairs for fans to sports events all over the state.  Tucked in the side bin on the driver’s seats were loads of maps from those journeys.  These days, I use my phone and Google, but the wrinkled maps remain.

I insisted on a standard transmission when I got Little Blue and it must be said that I love driving a stick shift.  These gears (and the clutch!) have carried me more than 100,000 miles.  That’s no small achievement in New Jersey, the stop-and-go traffic capital of the mid-Atlantic.

On the first weekend of February, Little Blue’s engine seemed unhappy.  A trip to the mechanic confirmed that there was trouble.  Big trouble.  $2700 would put it back on the road, but I still needed new tires and the clutch has 100,000 miles on it…. Loathe to put  that much money toward repairs into the 9 year old wagon, we parted today.  

Little Blue has been sent to the great auto beyond but the memories of the first kiss I shared with T,  daily drives to school with JT, downshifting around a curve, and driving all over the northeast in her company will happily remain.   Thank you, little blue wagon.  

Your Weekly Amaryllis - Week 5

There is a flower about to bloom and each day for the past week, the prospects have been looking quite splendid.  Seen here before the morning light arrives, the flower is nearly open.

When this flower opens, it will feel like an introduction to Spring.  Over the past weekend, the mild weather (for Winter…..it was in the 40s) had me making bold pronouncements about when the garden would be planted. Mid-April, I announced.  We’ll see how things look come that point.  But right now the February sunlight and clearly lengthening days are making me feel giddy.

It feels like a very nice start to the coming Spring.

Front Porch in February

Much to T’s dismay, the garden around Sassafras House is covered in ivy.  At various points, I do try to limit the ivy but that’s only under duress (it’s climbing over a window or choking a hosta plant).  Not so secretly, I love ivy.  This Winter, I left a pot of ivy out on the porch.  The hearty ivy is holding its own and is the center of the February front porch table.

Hearts are the theme, of course.  The tablecloth is new, a Christmas gift from my mom.

The polka dot ribbon on the front door wreath makes me happy; polka dots always do.

The flag is cheerful, which befits the sunny day that started our month.

With 29 days to its name, I am happy that the last full month of Winter has made its arrival.  This month is JT’s birthday and memories of the day he was born are always nice to recall.  March (and Spring!) feels as if they are just around the corner, because they are.  That’s happy!

Iowa Caucus Predictions

Today is the day!  More accurately, I suppose, tonight is the Iowa Caucus.  In the current Real Clear Politics average, Sanders is ascendent, and I think he will win Iowa tonight.  But how do the rest stack up?  

First round voting starts at 7 pm Iowa time.  Iowa’s caucus rules permit caucus-goers whose first choice does not garner 15% in the first round of voting to cast a second vote.  

I think that Klobuchar will come in 5th and it’s where her voters will go on second vote that interests me.  She’s a moderate and midwesterner, so Biden and Buttigieg are the most likely places for her voters to go.  But she’s also a woman, so Warren should pick up some of Klobuchar’s supporters.  I think Warren picks up more than Buttigieg and that places her third when the evening is done.  Biden will get more of the Klobuchar voters than Sanders at second vote but it won't be enough to overcome the Sanders momentum.

So I think the final vote comes in as follows:

Sanders

Biden

Warren 

Buttigieg

And then we’re off to New Hampshire.  Predictions for the Granite State will be next week.  It’s nice to be underway, y’all, and I am keeping my eye on the prize: a blue White House in November.

Dreaming Big and Working Hard - Warren for President!

The primary season has been underway for a long time but tomorrow's Iowa Caucus, signals the start of actual voting.  I am glad it’s underway.  As the voting unfolds, I'll have predictions for every primary but today I plan to make clear my choice for the Democratic nomination.  

Representation matters, so it matters that Elizabeth Warren is a woman.  When she greets girls at her events and tells them that she’s running for president “because that’s what girls do,” my heart swells.  Always, but especially in the last three years, I am aware of the dangerous sexism and ugly mysogyny that pervades this nation.  Warren stands tall in the face of it, embraces her status as woman who was once a working mom, and shows her brilliant command of the issues at every turn.  She has a plan and it’s a good one.

And make no mistake: her plans are exceptional  They are well thought-out, ideologically unified, thoughtful, and practical.  Her own story as the daughter of a working class family informs her solutions to the nation’s problems.  And her solutions are well-fleshed out proposals rich with ideas.  Again, the contrast to the last three years of presidential “policy” is telling, but my support for Warren runs far deeper than that.  We need structural change and a nation that does more than give corporations and millionaires additional tax cuts.  Warren has a plan for that.

My support for Warren is because of her plans, all of them.  There are a lot, which speaks to the strength of her candidacy: she's not afraid to take a stand.  I especially support her detailed plans to address the needs of black Americans, ease the student loan burden, take on maternal mortality in the U.S., to address climate change, take on economic equality, and provide support for working parents.  I want major structural change and she has plans for that.  Warren is smart and capable and I respect her.  I love her boundless energy on the campaign trail and her belief in an America that works for all of us.  That matters in right now.

Work hard.  Dream big.  That is my America.  I want a nation that works for all of us.  I am so very ready for a change and look forward to President Elizabeth Warren.

Front Yard Flowerbed in February

Normally, the February garden report is filled with words about Winter’s stillness.  From this view, Winter is in full control in this picture — the sky is low and grey, other than the ivy and moss, nothing else seems to be growing.  It looks cold outside. 

But when I scouted up close, there is promise to be seen.

Daffodils!  The tips of the slender stems are just peaking through this mess of a flowerbed.  I am best pleased by this happy development and now I will obsessively check the flowerbed to monitor the progress.

Though its been a mostly mild Winter, I am still excited for the coming Spring.  Monday’s forecast calls for a sunny day with temps above 55 degrees and I hope there will be enough after-school sunlight for me to do some cleaning out of this flowerbed.  That will make space for the other flowers and plants to come and sustain my already busy Spring daydreaming.  This short month is all that stands between me and full-flown Spring madness.