Deserted Island Book List

If they were going to be stranded on a deserted island and were allowed to bring a few books with them, this is a list the book club members came up with.  (Not in any special order)

What books would you add to the list?

The Color Purple 
by Alice Walker 

The Stand 
by Stephen King

Shogun: A Novel of Japan 
by James Clavell 

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea 
by Sebastian Junger

My Antonia 
by Willa Cather 

Life of Pi 
by Yann Martel 

Speak, Memory 
by Vladimir Nabokov 

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America 
by Erik Larson 

The House of Mirth 
by Edith Wharton

The Language of Flowers 
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator's Deadly Return to Suburban America 
by David Baron 

War and Peace 
by Leo Tolstoy

To Kill a Mockingbird 
by Harper Lee 

On the Origin of Species 
by Charles Darwin 

The Bible

The Passage (The Passage, #1) 
by Justin Cronin 

The Power of One 
by Bryce Courtenay 

Foundation (Series)
by Isaac Asimov 

East of Eden 
by John Steinbeck 

A Clockwork Orange 
by Anthony Burgess 

The Night Circus 
by Erin Morgenstern 

The Secret Garden 
by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

The Giver (The Giver Quartet, #1) 
by Lois Lowry 

Pride and Prejudice 
by Jane Austen

Harry Potter (Series) 
by J.K. Rowling

The Thirteenth Tale 
by Diane Setterfield 

"Start spreading the news..."

An interesting four days were spent in New York with my cousin Judy. Her Manhattan apartment is very comfortable and she is a wonderful, gracious hostess. We ate dinner in her apartment every night but one; and enjoyed afternoon tea or evening hot chocolate. Lots of conversation about everything from the photos we were sorting through and memories they brought back, to current events; movies and books.

Judy and I traveled through the city by subway and bus. Having never been on a subway before I was quite excited to try out this transportation. It was amazingly easy, especially having her to guide me. You've got to be quick though - those doors close quickly and the seats fill up fast!

We saw an afternoon matinee of "Cinderella" on Broadway. The staging was fantastic and the music was beautiful. We went to a show in Greenwich Village that was thoroughly entertaining; especially the guy in the bathtub! We shopped for groceries at a local store; and visited a larger market. The Manhattan Fruit Exchange has more fresh fruits and vegetables than I've seen in any of our summer farmer's markets. We toured the New York Stock Exchange and a couple of churches near ground zero. On the last day we visited Chinatown and for dinner had Chinese dumplings; hot & sour soup; beef & broccoli and sweet & sour chicken...very tasty!  

A few surprises...

• REAL Christmas trees are abundant in New York. I was amazed by how many "real" Christmas trees were on the sidewalks waiting for the sanitation department to pick up.
• There are a LOT of dogs in New York. I never went outside without seeing someone walking one. For the most part the owners clean up after them; at least I didn't step in anything.
• GREEN plants outdoors in January - even in freezing temperatures.  Not everything dies off in New York. I saw many green plants outdoors; even a flowering plant!  Must be the extreme humidity or something.
• The HUDSON River does freeze afterall.
• HORNS are made to be heard.  New Yorkers like to honk!

Coil Basket Using Recycled Grocery Bags

I'm starting my third coil basket, and have taken photos along the way.  I will add a photo of this finished basket when completed.

Flatten plastic grocery bag with handles to left

Fold up once

Fold up second time - set aside

Cut about 3 yards of yarn; thread and tie on needle

Slide 2-3 inches of opposite end of yarn (tail) into bottom of plastic bag

Roll bottom of bag and hold bag and tail of yarn with left hand

Begin wrapping yarn with right hand clockwise around bottom of bag covering bag and tail; keep yarn close together wrapping with moderate tension (not too tight nor too loose)

Wrap until it measures length of thumb

Fold wrapped end under to form bottom loop of coil

Pinch end next to most recent wrap and begin wrapping together; overlap a little and make sure this is tight.  If end pops out - redo.  This loop will be center bottom of basket.

Continue wrapping until length of thumbnail; fold under again

Make first stitch by bringing needle from back to front through the bottom circle.

Wrap bag only five times and make another stitch from back to front in same bottom circle

Continue pattern of wrapping bag 5 times and stitching once until you've created a complete coil

To add new yarn, thread another 3 yards and tie needle.  On other end (tail) place about 2-3 inches of new tail next to old tail

old tail and new tail

Continue pattern with new yarn of wrapping bag 5 times and stitching once holding the bag and both tails with left hand.  A piece of masking tape may be used to hold tails to bag if needed.

Once first coil is completed, continue wrapping 5 times, but make stitch into coil directly below last wrap.  This will allow coil to grow.

Time to add a new bag when nearing handles of old bag

Flatten bag with handles to left

Fold up once

Fold up second time an make a slit about a thumb's length up from bottom; half way through

New bag is slit half way through; about a thumb's length from bottom

Open up once and find slit

Insert old handles from underneath through slit

Pull new handles through old handles

Pull through, but keep a little loose to avoid a thick area of bag

Masking tape helps keep the new handles from sticking out as you continue

The finished basket filled with baby books; shoes and socks ready for gifting!

What I did in my second year of retirement!

In my second year of retirement I made a new discovery; took up old sports; made and lost a few friends.

Discovered Crafts

Early in 2013 I noticed a Facebook status update from a neighbor about a craft club. Crafting has never been something I was good at; nor thought I'd enjoy but seeing as we were in the dead of winter and my neighbor made it sound like fun I took a chance and signed up. What fun I've had with this new discovery of crafting! I've blogged about most of the things I learned how to make. Michael's has become my new favorite store. I could browse there for hours.

Old Sports

Golf

Spring time came and another NM retiree asked me to golf with her. She was just getting back into the sport and wanted to practice; not join a league. I have a set of clubs but wasn't confident I could even hit the ball anymore. I took lessons through the Milwaukee Rec Dept; and after those my friend and I took more lessons from a pro. We were quite dedicated from May through September getting out twice a week on the par-3 courses in town. I still don't always hit the ball but I do enjoy the outdoors, exercise and friendship. I may look into joining a league in 2014.

Bowling

As the summer was nearing an end I decided to see if I would enjoy bowling in a league again. I sent a message to Bowlero about wanting to join a team of ladies, preferably during the day. I received a call back from someone I knew in my bowling past about joining her league on Monday mornings. Two leagues were being combined and one of the team's were short a bowler so I was put on the "Tidy Bowlers" team. It was awful to begin - my starting average was 104 and I was quite embarrassed as I tied a 94 year old woman with the same average. But - watched a few YouTube videos and practiced before the next week. My average is steadily moving up - now at 134. I really think it should be closer to 150 some day.

 

Old Friends / New Friends

Now that I'm no longer in the work environment; most of my friends from that era have pretty much disappeared. Not that anything bad happened; just that life and priorities change and what we once had in common no longer exists. I do occasionally think about them, wondering how everything is going for them, but not enough to initiate the connection as I once did. I'll keep the memories from all the good times in my heart.

My new activities in crafting and bowling have brought me several new friendships. The ladies are typically ten or more years older, but that doesn't matter. I'm very inspired by how active and healthy they are. Several of the ladies are also in other activities that could be fun, so I may make a few more discoveries in 2014. Yoga anyone?

Wycinanki

During December, Julia and I took classes at the Wilson Center of the Arts to learn the Polish art of paper cutting or wycinanki (vee-chee-NON-kee). There were three classes scheduled, but we only made it to two. The goal is to develop a new skill and learn a bit about Polish culture while having fun. Once again, our instructor was Kasia Drake-Hames.

Wycinanki is a form of art that is typically very colorful, with sharp points, and very symmetrical. In the first class we followed a pattern to make Christmas Trees, them embellished them with other paper cutouts or punches. Reminded me a bit of cutting out paper snowflakes because we folded the paper before cutting. That explains the symmetry. Here are week one's final products.

Julia's tree

Grandma's tree

The last class we could either make paper ornaments, or greeting cards. Seeing as I never got around to putting up a tree, I decided to make some cards. Again, the concept is to be symmetrical so I tried to keep that in mind.  Here are the fronts of my cards.  (The bunnies are actually punch outs)

Nativity made with pattern

My favorite is this snowflake

The tree was the pattern - rest are punches

Leaf pattern

Julia finished up an ornament she had started the first week, then started a "porcupine" ornament.

I ran out of time in class, but gave the porcupine technique a try at home. I really like it, but next time will use more colorful paper. If you'd like to give the porcupine ornament a try, here is a link to the directions Polish Ornament .

Polish Star    a.k.a. Polish Porcupine

More about Wycinanki:  Wycinanki had their beginnings in the first half of the 19th century when Polish peasants, using material and tools which were at hand, made beautiful decorations for their homes. Since it was customary to whitewash the walls of their homes just before Easter, it also became a tradition to cut out paper decorations which were then pasted directly onto the walls. The making of wycinanki became increasingly popular during the third quarter of the 19th century, with certain areas of Poland developing characteristic patterns. Originally, sheep shears were used to cut out intricate and delicate designs. This Polish art form reflected the history and characteristics of regional folklore.

I'd like to give a plug to Kasia, the instructor. She is a patient instructor, and did a wonderful job. I noticed on her website she will be teaching some interesting classes at Stone Creek Coffee in Bay View early in 2014. I will sign up and am anxious to learn more interesting crafts. Check it out:  Craftea Events